#Victory Kickoff!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

celestie0 · 5 months

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gojo satoru x reader | college au [18+]

kickoff ch. 3 returning the favor

ᰔ pairing. college au - soccer player! gojo x film major! reader (f)

ᰔ summary. gojo satoru is the most popular guy on your college campus. he's tall, funny, hot, not to mention he's the most talented soccer forward the school has seen in years. but he's also a frat dude, which puts him in a world very different from your own, as he spends most of his nights partying & drinking while you spend most of yours working on your annoying film major assignments. but when he reaches out to you for a favor, you realize that helping him out might have something in it for you too.

ᰔ warnings/tags. 18+, fluff, angst, smut, college au, fraternities, sororities, partying, drinking/alcohol, mentions of weed, romance, jealousy, pining, slow burn, opposites to lovers, friends to lovers, she falls first he falls harder, gojo being an idiot

ᰔ chapter. 3/x (probably 12)

ᰔ words. 4.5k

a/n. hope you enjoy! i really had fun incorporating a lot of the other characters in this one.

nav. ch1 :: ch2 :: ch3 :: ch4 :: ch5 :: ch6 :: ch7 :: ch8 :: ch9 :: ch10 (pending)

☾·̩͙꙳ moodboard no.1

♬.*ﾟplaylist

|| 9:21AM Gojo Satoru sent you a photo

|| 9:22AM Gojo Satoru: Here’s our practice schedule for the week. Honestly, it’s better if you come when we do practice games or something, since on other days we just do drills or strength training, but coach doesn’t really tell us what we’re doing beforehand so would probs have to play it by ear

|| 9:27AM Gojo Satoru: Oh yeah, we’ve got a big game in three weeks on the 28th. It’ll decide if we’re automatically seeded into the top 16 teams bracket, which is really crucial if we want to eventually bring home the championship. Not sure when your assignment is due, but that would be a good official game to come to

|| 9:28AM Gojo Satoru: Let me know as soon as you can if you want to make that game. I’ll have to ask coach to get the referee sign-off for you to be on-field during play at least a week before

You look down at all the messages he was sending you during class on a Monday morning. After he sent you that house party details post from his fraternity’s Instagram page last week, their posts kept popping up in your feed and you saw one this morning with a bunch of the guys in the frat, Gojo included, shotgunning beers until 3AM last night. You marvel at how he’s somehow not hungover beyond repair and is texting you before noon.

Pressing and holding on to his messages, you give him little thumbs up reactions and you decide on a heart reaction for the picture he sent you of the practice schedule. Then, you set your phone down and look at the video of the men’s soccer team highlights your professor was playing from the game a week and a half ago.

“Here, here, this right here. Midfielder #24 surveyed the field, spotting #13 making a run for it down the flank. Pinpoint pass to left winger, who starts steering through defenders, but loses the ball. Then, center forward #10 steals the ball back! He steals the ball, he fucking steals the fucking ball back!” Your professor was running back and forth in front of the projector screen, his finger following the movement of the soccer ball in the video. Your heart jumps a beat when Gojo shows up on screen, with his signature #10 jersey, and some people in the lecture hall stand up in excitement with the professor. “Beelines towards the goal, and BAM! Goalie stood no fucking chance, ball sent immaculately into the back of the net. Victory for UTokyo, 2-1, in the last seconds of the game!" Your professor cheers and jumps up and down. Some people cheer with him, others sigh, others are in awe, and some simply clap.

Another entire lecture goes by where the professor spends absolutely no time going over film photography theory and instead just talks about how soccer used to be back in his day. You approach him after class, clutching your laptop case to your chest, and it’s only when you clear your throat in front of him that he finally looks up at you from the podium.

“Oh, y/n, how can I help you?” He asks as he shoves his phone back in his pocket.

“Hey, professor. Bit of a request, could I have like two extra days for my assignment? There’s this event that I really want to use for the subject matter but it’s the day before the deadline, and I would need some time to develop my photos,” you say in the politest tone you can muster up.

“Yeah, sure. Just get it in before the end of the deadline week,” he says nonchalantly. “Looking forward to seeing it. Good work on the last one, by the way.”

You give him a smile and a word of appreciation before turning on your heel and making it up the stairs to exit the lecture hall, pulling your phone out of your tote bag.

|| 9:53AM You: i can make it on the 28th. please get that referee permission for me

You press your lips together as you press send, and then type a bit more.

|| 9:54AM You: and thanks a lot

Your stomach is suddenly growling and you’re about to head over to the student hub when your phone starts ringing. You look down at the contact name that says Nobara and pick up.

“Hey, Nobie, what’s up,” you say as you make your way towards the heart of campus, enjoying the light breeze as the sun peeked through the clouds.

“Where are you? Didn’t we have a Film Club meeting today?” She asks you, her tone a bit impatient. “We were supposed to discuss that collaboration with the school newsletter.”

Shoot. You forgot. These days, you were a bit too distracted by recent happenings, like Mina practically falling head-over-heels for a guy that was quite possibly the opposite of her type, the towering amount of class assignments that never seemed to end, and this whole arrangement you were trying to coordinate with Gojo Satoru. The Film Club meeting totally slipped your mind. You were supposed to head out of class a bit early to make it on time. “I’m so sorry, Nobara. I totally forgot about it. I’m unfortunately all the way on the other end of campus right now. I typed up some notes in the document, can you just run those by them? If we need anything else, I’ll reach out to them by email.”

She sighs on the other end of the line. “Yeah. I’m not good at these conversations, but I guess as President I should be better at them anyways. I’ll let you know how it goes.” And then she hangs up.

Mentally happy that you were at least free of one other obligation today, you prepare to make your way to the dining hall when your phone vibrates again.

|| 10:01AM Gojo Satoru: Will do, and sure thing. By the way, you free right now? Coach is having us do a practice game, probably for around 2 hours

You squint your eyes at his message, considering the opportunity. You didn’t have any other classes left for the day and were just going to grab something to eat before heading home, but now you wonder if you should make it to this practice session. He did say that you have to be flexible since he doesn’t even know exactly what they’ll end up doing before practice, so you figured this might be your only chance this week to practice capturing shots of them as they play, since it seemed like they had Tuesday & Friday off based on Gojo’s schedule picture. Unfortunately, you only brought your digital camera with you today since your film camera was too heavy to carry around unless you knew you needed it, but you can still do a lot with digital that would help for the film camera shoot. You could make it work.

|| 10:05AM You: yeah, i’m free. i was just gonna grab something to eat first, and then i’ll head over to the field in maybe 15 min. but i’m not exactly sure how to get onto the field, or where the entrance is…

He adds a heart reaction to your message which startles you a little bit. An accident, maybe?

|| 10:06AM Gojo Satoru: Lol, just meet me at that weird art sculpture they put up last semester. The one that cost like all of our tuition money. I’ll walk you to the field

You let out a sigh, somewhat nervous that you'll be seeing him again soon. The last time you saw Gojo was when you left him standing unceremoniously at the kitchen island with a somewhat offending comment. Nonetheless, he didn’t necessarily seem angry at you. Quite the opposite, actually. He’s been way more helpful than you had ever anticipated. You started to feel like the effort you put into getting Mina to go to that house party was nothing compared to the effort he was putting in for you to ace this assignment.

Stopping by your school’s mini grocery store, you pick up a sandwich plus some strawberry vanilla soda, and take some bites as well as some sips as you leisurely make your way to the expensive art sculpture near the sports fields. As you get closer to it, you see Gojo from a distance talking to some people. A few of them were guys, a few of them girls, and he was laughing out loud at something one of the girls said. A part of you wonders what it’s like to be adored by so many people.

When he spots you at the other side of the cross walk, he doesn’t break eye contact with you as he’s hurriedly saying goodbye to the group in front of him. Their heads turn to each other in confusion before turning their attention in your direction as he makes his way over to you.

“Hey,” he says as he lightly jogs up to the sidewalk you were standing on. You notice he’s wearing a black long sleeve undershirt with a short-sleeved blue one on top, along with some athletic black shorts and running shoes. When he brushes some of his hair away from where it had fallen near his eyes, your heart skips a beat at his handsome expression. A smile graces his face. “You ready?”

You nod, swallowing the mouthful of sandwich you didn’t realize you had stopped chewing, and follow his lead as the two of you cut across behind the batting cages of the school’s softball training area. Your eyes fell to Gojo’s back as he walked on the pavement. His shoulders were broad, shoulder blades pulling the upper half of the fabric of his clothing somewhat taut across as the rest of it freely flowed down to his lean lower back. The long sleeved shirt he wore underneath was pretty loose-fitting, but you could still see the thickness of his muscles. With every step that he took, his calves flexed in a way that made you realize he must really work out.

“What are you eating?” He says as he turns around to face you, walking backwards for a few paces as he looks at your hands.

“Oh, just a veggie sandwich,” you answer as you hold it up next to your face. “Campus delicacy.”

His smile widens. “And what are you drinking?” This time he asks with a bit more curiosity.

“It's strawberry vanilla soda,” you say as you juggle all of the things you were holding in your arms.

“Can I have some?” He asks with a somewhat innocent tone. “The soda, I mean. I’ve never had that flavor.”

You hesitate, but alas you were a people-pleaser. “Sure.”

He halts his movements and so you do too, and he closes the gap between you two in one exaggerated stride. His hand gently pulls the soda bottle out from where it was tucked into your elbow to keep it from falling. You notice the veins on his hand get more defined as he squeezes & twists to release the cap and it sends something akin to a wave of arousal through your body, entirely startling you. But when he brings the bottle up to his lips with his head tipping backwards, drinking directly from it, neck bobbing as he swallows and a single drop trickles down the expanse of his jawline, the arousal directly hits you at your core.

“Hm,” he licks his lips. “That’s pretty good.”

You’re standing there in shock, your grip on your sandwich causing dents in the bread. He dabs the stray droplet of liquid at his chin with the back of his hand and turns around to keep walking ahead, making his way up the stairs onto what looks like a grassy field. It takes you a second to start moving too, and by then you need to do a light jog just to catch up to him.

There’s a comfortable silence that develops between the two of you and when you glance at Gojo, you notice his eyes are closed and there’s a serene smile on his face, a gust of wind pushing the hair up out of his forehead and sending the blades of grass dancing across the hilly field. You smile too at the sensation of cool wind on your skin. It was a beautiful day outside with sparkling sunshine and quiet whistling wind.

“Can I ask you something?” You say after contemplating if you should interrupt his somewhat meditative state.

“You can ask me anything,” he easily replies.

“Why are you so willing to help me out with my assignment?”

He turns his head to look at you with a neutral expression. “Because you did me a favor.”

You sigh. “I know…but it really wasn’t that hard to convince Mina to go to that party. I feel like you’re helping me out way more than I helped you out.” A small ladybug lands on the fabric of your jeans and you marvel at it before it flutters its wings and flies away.

He’s silent for a second. “Honestly, when you agreed to help me out with Todo’s little crush, which by the way I had to do because I lost a bet, and you mentioned something about terms and conditions in your message,” he starts to say, a brief pause making its way between the sentence as if he was actively trying to relive that first night he was texting you, “I thought you were going to ask for something sexual in return.”

Your mouth drops at his line of thinking, suddenly mortified. That’s how your message came across to him? Oh my God, you had to rethink how you texted everyone in your life from now on.

“I mean, weren’t you being a little flirty? ‘My terms and conditions will come later’. Or do I just have some weird sexual brain rot?” His eyes are still on you, his tone way too casual in your opinion for this sudden topic of conversation. You also realize that he thinks having sex with him would be returning you the favor. And then you try not to think about how good he probably is in bed.

When you can’t think of what to say and just stare at him with wide eyes, he smiles and stretches his arms out in front of him as another gust of wind passes by. “Well, anyways, when you shared what you actually wanted from me and it ended up being a pretty earnest request…let’s just say I was emotionally moved by your dreams and aspirations.” He says that last part somewhat dramatically and you roll your eyes, sending him an annoyed look. “A little disappointed, but nonetheless moved.”

“Wow, you’re the type of person that would trade favors for sex?” you ask him with a sneer to your tone.

He sends a lazy smirk to you over his shoulder to where you’re trailing behind him now. “Not really, no, can’t say I’ve ever done it before,” he says slyly, “probably would’ve made an exception for you, though.” And then he’s giving you a wink.

You can’t help but blush a little. He was definitely just teasing you, some hobby of his that he does just to constantly get a kick out of the people around him since he knows he just has that much of an effect on them, so you try not to let his words get past your skin to the more vulnerable parts of you. He’s reading your expression before he speaks up again.

“We’ve already started this little return favor of yours, so no take-backs. It’s an eye for an eye. Not an eye for an eye and throw some casual sex in there, too.” He makes his way up what seems to be the largest hill across the field and he stops at the top, peering out at whatever was across from it. When you made your way to the top too, your eyes widened as you saw an expanse of flat grassiness covered in orange cones, green land markers, white chalk outlines, and netted goals. Oh, and a lot of men. “Alright, you freaky little photographer. Here are your muses.”

You let out the breath you were holding in and smiled, hands immediately reaching for your digital camera case within your tote bag. A wave of creativity and inspiration hit you as you were finally able to lay your eyes on your subject matter and setting, and you couldn’t wait to get started.

Gojo makes his way down the hill and you stumble after him. He high-fives a couple of his teammates that were leaving the first wave of practice and makes his way over where the second-wave practice players were stretching on the field and running laps.

“C’mon, Itadori, I’ve seen snails with a more urgent sense of direction than you! Pick up those goddamn knees!” You hear a loud voice from a few feet away from you and flinch, eyeing the scary looking man that had a…Pomeranian dog in his arms? He was wearing a black athletic jumpsuit and had extremely tinted, thick sunglasses on. His facial hair was a bit jarring and you immediately decided you were scared of him, despite how gently he was petting the little dog cradled in his arms.

“That’s coach Yaga,” Gojo says beside you with a smile on his face and his hands on his hips. “Real nice guy.”

You turn to give him a suspicious look and he just returns it with a wider smile.

“Hey! It’s y/n,” you hear a somewhat familiar voice call out and you glance at the direction it came from. You see Geto standing next to Nanami and he whacks his hand against the blonde's chest to get his attention when he makes eye contact with you before jogging over. You see Gojo put his hands in his shorts pockets in your periphery. “What are you doing here?”

You give him a shy smile, suddenly embarrassed by the attention. “Here to take some photos.”

“Are you with the school newsletter?” Nanami’s smooth voice says as he approaches Geto, standing next to him. They both were wearing matching blue tracksuits.

“No, I’m not. Just here to…take some photos for one of my classes. It’s for a film photography assignment.” You suddenly wished you were part of the school newsletter committee, so that you could at least provide them with some positive publicity with your photos. You wondered if they would think you’re just using them. As if Gojo could read your mind, he patted Geto harshly on the back and let out a loud, obnoxious laugh.

“Hear that, punks? She wants to try and take some nice photos of you lot. Be grateful! Of course, your grotesque appearances cannot simply be fixed by any technology yet known to man,” Gojo says rather loudly, continuing to smack Geto on the back. Geto has a small pitiful smile on his face and Nanami just looks annoyed. You feel lighter somehow, less tense.

“Okay, cool, let us know if we can help in any way,” Geto says kindly as he sits down on the grass to continue stretching out his legs. “Oh by the way, Satoru, Chosou’s out sick today so you might need to cover for goalie.”

“What? Why’s that fucker always getting sick?” Gojo says as he walks towards one of the duffle bags on the bench, and you assume it’s his. He pulls out a water bottle. “He needs to stop eating that goddamn grocery store sushi.”

“Oh! Oh! It’s you,” another somewhat familiar voice calls out from ahead. You see a guy wearing a dark blue jacket that had a red hood approaching you from the inner field. Then you recognize he was that guy at the entrance of the house party that called you a- “It’s casual tomboy!”

Your eye twitches slightly as you take in your appearance. Sure, you were wearing jeans again, but your top was somewhat stylish and feminine. He arrives in front of you and notices the digital camera hung at your neck. “Hey, what’s that?” He points directly at your midriff where the camera sat. He almost pokes his finger right through the delicate attachable lens that cost you nearly two months of rent.

“A little rude, Yuuji,” Geto says, grunting as he switches from one stretch to the other.

Yuuji gets closer to you to study the camera and you instinctively lean away from him before Gojo is grabbing him by the hood of his jacket and yanking him away from you, Yuuji’s arms flailing out in front of himself in a struggle. “Hey, get back to practice. You’re not allowed to talk to pretty seniors.”

Coach Yaga grunts and crosses his arms from where he stood a few feet away, the tiny pomeranian now barking at his feet. “I never said you could stop running laps, Itadori! Get your ass back out there! I’ll be sending you to recreational soccer for the rest of your freshman year if you don’t get your damn head straight!” Gojo lets go of Itadori’s hood and the poor boy is scrambling across the field to join what seems like the other first-years for their warm-up laps. Coach Yaga turns to you and gives a hmph before vaguely gesturing to you. “May I know what you’re doing out on my field?”

“Coach!” Gojo says, making his way over to the scary man. He slings his arm around his neck and the man just continues to glare at him through his sunglasses. “She’s with me today. Photographer y/n will be taking some handsome photographs of you that you can send to your wife, and then maybe your wife will actually want to-”

Coach Yaga puts Gojo in a headlock and Gojo’s instantly tapping on his back to get him to ease up. “I dare you to finish that sentence, boy.”

You let out a small laugh. This was certainly a lively bunch. Nanami approaches you and expresses interest in your camera. You lift it up for him to take a closer look. He pinches his chin between his bent index finger and thumb, as if he was a detective analyzing a crime scene. “I see…so this is a film camera.”

“Ah…” you laugh awkwardly. “No, this is just a digital camera.”

“I see…so this is a digital camera,” he repeats, equally as intrigued.

The time eventually comes along where all the players start the practice match. There’s obviously not enough players out on the field for full teams on each side, but they’re split into 1st & 4th years vs. 2nd & 3rd years. You learn that the second wave practice group has the talented players at the top of each of their year groups. Gojo doesn’t seem to participate in the practice match despite one team having to omit having a goalie since the coach requested he sit out to watch the plays and make suggestions. You’re a bit sad you don’t get to see him play, but figured you’ll have a chance in the future. You take a few snapshots as one of the other first-years, a quiet boy named Megumi, kicks the ball towards the goal that ends up bouncing off the goal frame. You spend some time tweaking the exposure, zoom, and focus until you feel like you have a pretty good idea of the settings you’ll need to get some fluid shots.

When you look up over the field again, raising your digital camera to your face, you notice Gojo looking at you from across the field where he stood at the sidelines. You both keep your gaze on one another for a couple of seconds, and you boldly lift the camera up to your eye, taking a few snapshots of him. When you pull it away, look down at the results on the small screen, and then glance back up at him, his eyes are slightly wide. Something stirs within you when you remember his words from earlier: I thought you were going to ask for something sexual.

Your mind wanders back to the party from last weekend, and the feeling of him leaning down next to your ear in the kitchen as he said “Thanks, I owe you one. Find me later, ‘kay?” The memory itself made your cheeks feel warm. Did he…think that something was going to happen that night at the party? Probably would’ve made an exception for you…Disappointed, but nonetheless moved. Somewhere in the haziness of your thoughts, you realize that meant that Gojo would’ve wanted to sleep with you if that was indeed your condition.

When you look to the other side of the field again, Gojo’s eyes are still on you but his handsome face looks a bit troubled, eyebrows furrowed and lips slightly pursed. You couldn’t really tell what he was thinking, but for some reason you felt like he could tell what you were. When you raised an eyebrow at him, his face relaxed and he slowly shook his head as if to say it's nothing.

Coach Yaga’s sharp whistle cuts through the silent conversation you two were having as he yells, “alright, boys. Practice over! Go stretch yourselves out.”

You quickly stuff your digital camera back into its case and collect your things into your tote bag. In your peripheral vision, Gojo’s making his way over to you and when he’s right next to you, you can’t bring yourself to look at him.

“How’d it go? Get some good shots?” he asks, sounding genuinely interested.

“Um, yeah, I think so.” You’re still not looking at him, pretending to fiddle with something in your tote bag. He leans down a bit to look at your face more clearly when he notices you’re not meeting his gaze, but you still struggle to make eye contact with him. “I’ve gotta go, can you tell the guys I said bye?” And then you’re making your way up the hill.

There’s a beat of silence as confusion washes over him from your behavior. “Hey, wait, y/n, do you know how to get back to campus?”

You spin to face him when you're at the top of the hill, finally looking him in the eye. There’s a concerned expression on his face. “Yes, I’ll be fine. Thanks a lot for today. Let me buy you a strawberry vanilla soda sometime, okay?” Flashing him a small smile, you turn around and run down the hill, ignoring the fast beating of your heart.

a/n. thanks a bunch for reading!

➸ take me to chapter four!

630 notes · View notes

sports-on-sundays · 4 days

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barça femení!reader who’s dating fermín. one day he shows up to watch one of her matches and she scores a goal and dedicates it to him.

visca el barça / Fermín López

Summary: Fermín x Barça Femení player!reader - You dedicate a goal to a certain special boy when he comes to watch one of your home matches.

Requested?: Yes! Love this idea. 💖

"Ey! Fermín!" you exclaim, grinning to see your boyfriend here. He's wearing an Under Armour hoodie, black jeans, and white sneakers, and looking adorable, as always.

He grins back and gives you a kiss on your cheek. "I'm going to go get my seat and leave you to get ready for the match. Good luck, Y/n. I'll be watching."

You giggle a bit and nod, waving him off.

Soon, you're heading out onto the pitch under the bright lights. The whistle, and kickoff.

For the first thirty minutes, Barcelona has controlled possession, but just bad luck with your shots on goal. Then, for the last quarter of an hour in the first half, your opponent steps up, putting more pressure on.

Luckily, the half ends nil-nil.

And in the second half, you come out stronger. There's a goal, but it's ruled offside, which is disappointing.

Again- good performance, just nothing actually hitting the back of the net.

Then, in the eighty-third minute, you see the gap. You make the run. You feel the rush as you get a good first touch. No flag, no doubt; you're onside.

And from there, it's instinct.

With the ball at your feet, you manage to dribble around a defender and-

Nearly in slow motion, like every goal-

It flies over the goalkeeper's badly timed jump and a goal!

Immediately, you begin running to the side of the pitch where Fermín is sitting, bringing the badge of your club from your jersey to your mouth, kissing it, before skidding to your knees. You raise your left fist in triumph as you pop to your feet again, and blow a kiss with your right, ending it pointing right at Fermín.

"That one is for you," you manage to whisper right before your teammates get to you to envelop you in a victorious embrace.

As soon as you see Fermín, you're in each other's arms. He's patting your back and rambling about how perfect the goal was, how world class you are, etc., etc.

Finally, there's a break in his speaking (likely just because he needed to take a breath), and you use the opportunity to get your words in, a bit softer: "You know I dedicated that goal to you, right?"

He leans away to look at you with shining eyes. "I thought so... The blown kiss kind of gave it away." He pauses, before adding softer, stroking your cheek, "I'm so proud of you."

You absolutely beam, feeling warm inside. "Well, do you want to know why I dedicated the winning goal to you, then?"

His eyebrows raise. "Why?"

"Because you've won my heart!" you giggle, before leaning in to give him a proper kiss on the lips.

29 notes · View notes

iam93percentstardust · 3 months

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*insert french laugh* Did someone say to send a prompt? Ahoy! Have no fear for I am here. How about stevetony kiss prompt with the dialogue "i think this is the part where you're supposed to kiss me"? Could Steve be the one to also say it? <3

naferty fren!!! yesss always happy to write steve for you <3

@soliloquent-stark also requested this prompt + "If you win, I'll kiss you" so I rolled y'all into one

Steve does follow his physical therapy plan religiously, and sure enough, by the time the next season—his final season, as a senior now—rolls around, he’s declared fit to play. And, fuck, does he play. Determined to prove himself even better after his recovery, to prove that Rollins couldn’t get him down, he leads his team to victory after victory and then to the playoffs and now to the championship.

Tony ducks into the locker room before the game, ignoring the good-natured wolf-whistles and catcalls from Steve’s teammates as he picks his way through the equipment littered across the room. It’s been an open secret for ages that Steve was seeing an omega, and after his injury last season, it became an open secret that Steve was specifically seeing Tony because he kept showing up to fuss over him, but none of them would ever turn him in. They have too much respect for their captain and quarterback, and anyway, most of them think the zero fraternization rules are just as ridiculous as they do.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Steve says, beaming at him. “How was your exam?”

Tony makes a face. He hadn’t flown over with the team yesterday, being required to take an exam for one of his courses—something about mechanics, which Steve had listened to all the ranting about, nodding sympathetically since that was about as much as he understood.

“That bad?” Steve asks.

Tony scowls. “No. It was boring. If you’re gonna make a big deal about this exam being the ‘hardest exam of the entire semester’—” he adopts a suitably dramatic tone for the quote—“then it should at least be difficult, right? I overstudied way too much for that thing. I don’t think it took me more than about ten minutes.”

“Maybe that’s just because you’re impressive.”

“Or maybe Dr. Kean’s not nearly as scary as she thinks she is.”

Steve hums. He doesn’t completely agree—no one knows how smart Tony is better than he does after years of listening to Tony telling him about his inventions—but he’s not going to argue the point. He wasn’t there; for all he knows, everyone was done with the exam after ten minutes.

“I’m glad to see you here,” he says instead. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it.”

Tony makes a dismissive gesture. “What’s a little light sprinting through the airport to catch the next flight?”

“And the TSA let you?”

“I told ‘em I was going to support my alpha, and they practically made a hole for me themselves. They’re big Steve Rogers’ fans, you know.”

It’s Steve’s turn to make a face. He doesn’t know how he feels about having fans. No, that’s not true. He knows exactly how he feels, and he doesn’t like it.

Tony laughs, “Yeah, exactly.”

Steve hears the coach starting to round people up for the pregame pep talk and says, “You better get out there. Don’t want you to miss the kickoff.”

“Hmm, yeah, probably,” Tony agrees and starts to walk away, grinning when Steve reels him back in. “What?”

“Don’t you think you’re forgetting something?” Steve asks.

“No?”

That innocent look on his face isn’t fooling Steve one bit. He reminds him, “Kiss for luck?”

Tony thinks about it, then gives him a teasing smile. “Hmm, I’m gonna have to go with no.”

Steve blinks at him. “No?”

“Yeah, no. But if you win, I’ll kiss you then.”

He darts away before Steve can catch him to kiss him himself, cackling like mad as he dodges his hand. Steve watches him go and shakes his head fondly. Well, now that Tony’s laid a challenge on him, guess he’ll have to win.

Looking back on it, he’ll be able to remember the game in excruciating detail. He’ll be able to sit down with Tony and watch the highlights and comment on what he was thinking at each moment of the game. Today though, it feels like barely a minute has passed before he’s standing in the winners box, looking at Tony beaming from ear to ear while someone asks him how he feels.

“Amazing,” he says honestly. He almost says something about Tony, but stops himself at the last second. That moment feels too private, too them to share on national television. He gives another couple of soundbites before the mic moves to Peter, who’d made the winning touchdown in the last second, literally.

“I think I just kind of blacked out when I caught that last ball,” Peter says blankly, still clearly in shock. “I just ran for it. I’m lucky I moved at all.”

Everyone chuckles and then they’re finally allowed down off the stage. Steve makes a beeline straight for Tony, vaguely acknowledging the people who try to talk to him. Tony is waiting for him with a softer, more teasing smile.

“Congratulations, quarterback,” Tony says once he reaches him.

“Thanks,” Steve says, grinning at him. “Now, if I remember correctly, I think this is the part where you’re supposed to kiss me.”

“Oh, is that what part this is?” Tony asks, arching his eyebrows.

“Pretty sure. I did win, after all.”

“Well, if you won,” Tony says exaggeratedly, but grabs ahold of Steve’s jersey and yanks him in. He smiles again, bright and warm and so, so proud, and then leans up and kisses him. And it’s a perfect moment, the best way to cap off the best season Steve has ever had. Steve wraps his arms around him, holding him close, and kisses him and kisses him and kisses him.

#alle writes #alle answers #stevetony #if you like please reblog #i have another request for this prompt but specifically with tony #so that'll get rolled into the second kiss prompt fics

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bananaofswifts · 1 year

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HOW DO WE measure the impact of a musician in 2023? Streams can be bought. Awards can be finessed. Is it when demand for show tickets leads to a congressional hearing about Ticketmaster’s policies? Or when flight attendants shout out a fanbase making a pilgrimage to see a tour opener? Or when TikToks of merch inspirations and setlist predictions rack up millions of views? Nearly a decade ago, a headline ran declaring ‘Taylor Swift Is The Music Industry’ and those with even the slightest pulse on pop culture can tell she’s only grown more omnipresent since. It all led to a warm evening in Glendale, Arizona where months after delivering her most commercially-successful album to date, Midnights, Swift debuted a discography-spanning setlist that lasted over three hours and kicked off an aptly-named stadium run. The Eras Tour has arrived.

The sheer length of the set is a feat, but not completely surprising considering the breadth of catalog at Swift’s disposal. Watching the 12-time Grammy winner take the stage right at 8pm, and continue past 11pm triggers the often overused cliché: Who’s doing it like her?

After night had fallen and GAYLE and Paramore revved the crowd up with a mix of recent chart-toppers (GAYLE’s “abcdefu”) and cultural anthems (Paramore’s “Misery Business”), it was time for the main event. At 7:57pm, a timer appeared on a massive screen prompting screams from all corners of State Farm Stadium. Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” played as fans braced themselves for the arrival of Swift. When the timer hit 0:00, the house we’d seen in the “Lover” music video assembled on the screen, indicating that this evening was first and foremost about reviving the feelings each era evoked.

“So tonight, we’re going to be going through an adventure, one era at a time,” Swift said. “We’re going to be exploring the last seventeen years of music that I’ve been lucky enough to make and you’ve been kind enough to care about.”

It’s easy to compare one of Swift’s stadium shows to something you’d see on Broadway — never has that been more true than for The Eras Tour. The setlist is cut up into acts, grouped together by eras for each of Swift’s ten studio albums. For each era/act, Swift went full-send into that album’s look, feel, costume, color blocking, and more.

Many eras got a few songs. At one moment, it seemed like Swift’s soft spot for Folklore would mean we’d hear the entire album. On the opposite end, Speak Now’s part of the show was short but impactful. Swift played only one song from her third studio album, “Enchanted,” while wearing a stunning floor-length ballroom gown designed by Nicole + Derr. Hopping from act to act, Swift made it extremely clear when she’s taking the audience out of one era and into another. This isn’t a hastily put together setlist with a vague thread of connective tissue — Swift is taking her audience on a nostalgic extravaganza.

For both Swift and her fans, it’s been a long road to get to The Eras Tour kickoff. Friday night’s opener was four projects, millions of record sales, and over 1,500 days removed from the last tour stop on the Reputation stadium tour in 2018. Plus, who can forget the Ticketmaster fiasco in handling the sale of The Eras Tour tickets, which not only prompted an apology to Swift from the ticketing monopoly but also for Congress to investigate.

In perhaps a sympathetic nod to the canceled Lover Fest, Swift began the festivities with the Lover era. Wearing a jaw-dropping Versace bodysuit, Swift launched into “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince” for the opening number. Swifties eager to see “Cruel Summer” live weren’t disappointed, as Swift strutted down the catwalk towards the stadium’s center, belting out the fast-paced bridge eager to deliver what stans had snatched away from them due to pandemic-related cancellations.

For “The Man,” Swift completed her Versace look with a blazer and made sure everyone could see the red bottoms when she kicked her feet up on a conference room table as she delivered the masterfully written and scathing assessment of gender inequality in pop culture. Swift closed out the Lover era act with “You Need to Calm Down” and “The Archer,” the latter getting a beautifully stripped down rendition so Swift’s vocals echoed across the stadium: “Because all of my enemies started out friends / Help me hold onto you.”

At one point, as Swift ran through hits from her Fearless era, she flashed a smile and announced to the crowd that she was taking us back to high school with her. The nostalgia seeped into the show, resulting in some of the loudest crowd participation yet, especially from those old enough to have grown up with Swift and were in high school at the same time she was. The singer ran through “Fearless,” “You Belong With Me,” and “Love Story,” reminding us of a time when we discovered the pop phenomenon unbeknownst to the level of celebrity she’d achieve.

Something about Swift — she’s online. If the fact that she decided to end last night with the TikTok-friendly “Karma” doesn’t make that obvious enough, her joke about disliking Evermore hammers home the point.

“We’re currently in the middle of the Evermore album, which is an album I absolutely love despite what some of you say on TikTok,” Swift said with a grin.

Later on in the act reserved for her ninth studio album, in line with how theatrical the event was, Swift set up a beautiful dinner setting only to deliver a heart-wrenching rendition of “Tolerate It.” She also performed “Tis the Damn Season,” “Willow,” “Marjorie,” and “Champagne Problems,” giving fans a sizable taste of the Evermore live experience they weren’t able to receive when the project came out in 2020.

For the acts dedicated to Reputation and Red, fans were treated to a masterclass in visuals and hitmaking, two key elements that has assured Swift prolonged success for as long as she’s had it. The powerful, striking, snake motifs were an awesome callback for fans who attended the Reputation tour.

For Red, Swift went through “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and “I Knew You Were Trouble. She closed out the act with a beautiful performance of the 10-minute “Taylor’s Version” of “All Too Well.” In the evening’s most ethereal moment, small white confetti made to look like snow blanketed the State Farm Stadium as she neared the end of her magnum opus, singing “Because in this city’s barren cold/I still remember the first fall of snow/And how it glistened how it fell/I remember it all too well.” Not only is Swift a savant for world-building, but she’s perfected the ability to translate those worlds into the live experience.

Swift wasn’t shy about making sure people got the full Folklore live experience. A makeshift cabin, not unlike the one made during Swift’s 2021 Grammys performance, sat on the stage with Swift perched on it during “Invisible String.” The star also discussed how she finally got comfortable crafting narratives for purely fictional characters, rather than ripping them from the headlines about her life.

“Folklore was such a different album for me. I start writing it about two seconds into the pandemic. I was just so very aware of how much time I was going to have to spend away from you,” Swift explained before launching into “Betty,” “The Last Great American Dynasty,” “August,” “Illicit Affairs,” “My Tears Ricochet,” and “Cardigan.” “With this album, I thought it would be so fun to create characters, and storylines, and they can live in different times, and then can do all of these things, and they could fall in love and hurt each other and go to war…”

1989’s era act turned the party up and restored the energy, with Swift donning a Roberto Cavalli top and skirt and going through “Style,” “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” “Wildest Dreams,” and “Bad Blood.”

To cap off the evening, Swift returned to Midnights, performing album highlights “Lavender Haze,” “Mastermind,” and more. It was hard to ignore the immense gratitude the singer continued to exude throughout the evening, with the “thank yous” coming more and more often the closer she got to the end.

Eventually, the singer asked the crowd if they had time for one more and launched into her finale, “Karma,” a track with a passionate chorus that’s begging to be scream-sung in a room of about 60,000 who’ve been waiting for this exact moment for years. Maybe it’s fitting that an artist who’s had more than her fair share of ups and downs, and at times has been the most polarizing musician alive, ends her stadium tour opener with a song about how she can finally protect her peace. Karma’s a relaxing thought, indeed.

The Eras Tour is a feat. It’s live music at its highest spectacle and greatest excess. And for most, without the catalog and showmanship of Swift, it’d be too much. But 17 years into her career, maybe we ought to stop being surprised when she finds a way to top her own efforts year after year. Towards the end of Paramore’s set, Swift’s good friend Hayley Williams said we had gathered that evening to celebrate Swift’s incredible career. There’s something funny about a greatest hits concert for someone who’s never been more in her prime, isn’t there?

#taylor swift #the eras tour review #the eras tour

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rubberizer92 · 8 months

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🌟 The United States of Marco: OBEY Season 9 Ignites! 🌟

Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for the electrifying kickoff of OBEY Season 9! This season promises to be a whirlwind of talent, style, and audacity, with 14 phenomenal contestants ready to challenge the reigning champion, Diego from Argentina. Get ready to be captivated! 🏆✨

In an unprecedented twist, all 15 contestants were summoned to an opulent chamber where they were adorned in resplendent mosaic-inspired rubber suits. These luminous ensembles are set to redefine fashion and mesmerize audiences worldwide! 💃🕺🌟

Now, let's talk strategy! Your votes are the linchpin in determining our next OBEY champion. Demonstrate your unwavering support by actively engaging with your preferred contestants on Instagram. Likes, comments, and saves all contribute to their journey to victory. Remember, your influence also extends to our Instagram Stories, where a 'Yes' vote empowers your chosen contestant, while a 'No' deducts from their positive votes. Plus, don't miss the chance to cast your votes on Tumblr! 🗳️📱

Without further ado, meet Marco, our charismatic contender representing the United States! 🇺🇸🔥 Marco brings charm, innovation, and an indomitable spirit to the OBEY stage, ready to make his nation proud. Join us in rallying behind Marco and all our exceptional contestants as we embark on this thrilling journey together. 🌐🎉

#OBEYSeason9 #TheUltimateShowdown #VoteNow #ShimmeringSuits #MeetTheContenders 🌟🏆

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heathendler · 2 years

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2022: The Year of Records

Just some of the records broken in women’s football so far this year:

UWCL

PSG v. OL broke the attendance record (43,255) for a women's club match in France.

Barcelona v. Real Madrid set the attendance record (91,553) for a UWCL quarter-final.

Barcelona v. Wolfsburg set the attendance record (91,648) for a UWCL semi-final, while also breaking the ("official") world record to become the highest attended women's football match ever.

Wolfsburg broke their home attendance record against Barcelona in the semi-finals with 22,057 people in attendance.

The UWCL final between Barcelona and Lyon saw a record-setting live cumulative viewership of 3.6m globally.

Sonia Bompastor became the first person to win the UWCL as a player and as a coach.

EUROS

England v. Austria had an attendance of 68,871 making it the highest attended opening match in women's Euro history.

England recorded the biggest win in Euro history against Norway (8-0).

England broke the record of most goals scored in a first half (6 goals against Norway).

England broke the record of most goals scored in the group stage (14 goals).

Beth Mead broke the record of most goals in a group stage by a single player (5 goals).

England equaled Germany's record of fewest goals conceded in the group stage (0 goals).

England equaled Germany's record of most different players scoring in a single game in their game against Norway (5 goals scored by 5 different players).

England v. Sweden recorded the all-time biggest crowd (28,624) at a Euro semi-final.

Germany v. France recorded the all-time biggest crowd (27,445) at a Euro semi-final not involving the hosts.

Alex Popp's goals v. France were Germany's 100th and 101st goals at the Euros, the 1st side to net 100 goals in the competition.

Alex Popp became the first player to score in 5 matches in a row.

Beth Mead and Alex Popp equaled the record set by Inka Grings for most goals scored at a single Euro tournament (6 goals).

England broke the record of most goals in a Euros tournament (22 goals).

England won its first European championship (men and women).

England v. Germany set the attendance record for a European championship (men and women) with 87,192 supporters.

England's victory over Germany got a peak TV audience of 17.4m on BBC making it the highest UK audience for a women's football match.

An average of nearly 18m people watched the Euros final on TV in Germany, a record for a women's football game in Germany.

Beth Mead became the only English player to win the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament at a senior Euros or World Cup.

Sarina Wiegman became the first coach to win with 2 different nations in the Euros.

Sarina Wiegman became the first coach in history to start all games with the same starting xi.

The total attendance at the Euros was 574,875 which makes it the most attended women’s Euro tournament in history.

AFCON

The semi-final Nigeria v. Morocco delivered a record-breaking attendance of 45,562.

The final Morocco v. South Africa broke the record for most attended WAFCON match with around 50,000 fans.

South Africa won their first AFCON title with their win over Morocco.

NWSL

Angel City played in front of a sold-out crowd of 22,000 for its first regular season match, setting a record for highest attendance for an expansion team.

The NWSL's 10th season kicked off with a record 10,000 fans per game, beating the previous mark from 2016.

Sue Bird and Eli Manning join Gotham FC ownership at record $40m valuation.

In the Portland Thorns v. Gotham FC game on July 17th, Portland led 3-0 at the 10:13 mark, the fastest from kickoff a team has scored three goals in NWSL history.

The latest NWSL TV ratings, when the games are put on CBS and not hidden on Paramount+ are impressive, far more so than MLS TV ratings in 2022.

BONUS FACTS

Brazil defeated Colombia to win their record 8th Copa America title.

The three highest attended matches in European football in 2022 have all been for women’s matches.

For the first time, men’s goalkeeping errors exceeded those of women’s in the English league. In the WSL, across the whole of the 2021-22 campaign there were just four goalkeeping errors that led to goals. Compare this data with the men’s Premier League and the numbers show that at 2%, men were twice as likely to concede due to a goalkeeping mistake in the 2021-22 season than women in the WSL at 1%.

The last time England won a major trophy was in 1966 when it was illegal for women to play football. In 2022, the England WNT brought football home by winning the Euros.

Invest. In. Women.

#woso #futfem #nwsl #uswnt #wsl #beth mead #alex popp #euros 2022 #uwcl #england wnt

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superbeans89 · 9 months

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It’s RWC eve, and with kickoff tomorrow at 8:15 PM UK time, some speculation is in order for the 9 people on tumblr who follow it.

For those who don’t know, rugby union is a sport not far removed from American football, based more on evasion than contact however. There are 15 players on each team, and the ultimate goal is to get the ball grounded in the other team’s try area - comparable to the end zone in NFL. Unlike NFL though, the ball can only be passed backwards in rugby (unless you’re kicking it), turning it into a whole different ball game, so to speak.

Should a team achieve this, they score 5 points, and can attempt a conversion - that’s kicking the ball from a tee between the upright posts - for an extra 2. Penalties can also be kicked for 3 points outside of try scoring situations, making for a strategic and slightly complicated scoring system, though yet again NFL fans won’t be unfamiliar with it. It’s worth noting that games have been won solely on penalty points though, so don’t underestimate them.

Now, for the teams:

As it’s still a developing sport, not even competing with the likes of soccer or cricket, there are only 20 participating teams in the RWC. There are several countries that have adopted it as their national sport however, including Wales, New Zealand, and many of the pacific islands.

Of the four pools, only two from each will advance to the quarter finals, while third placed in the pool will automatically qualify for the next tournament, giving teams plenty to play for, even if they aren’t going to win every game.

With that said, there are favourites and no hopers among those that have qualified;

The Favourites

🇫🇷 - France. As this year’s hosts, France are currently ranked 3rd in the world, and are notoriously unpredictable. Able to beat - or lose to - just about anyone, France have been the bridesmaids of the Rugby World Cup three times now. With flair, team depth and a home field advantage, they’re expected to go far, and should be guaranteed a place in the semifinals or better.

Which French team shows up may be revealed when they play New Zealand in the opening match.

🇮🇪 - Ireland. Ranked number one in the world, but with a poor record at World Cups, never getting past the quarterfinals, Ireland don’t thrive under the pressure of expectation, preferring to act as the underdog and surprise people instead.

Nevertheless, with a dedicated following, solid recent form, and trailblazing coach Andy Farrell, this could be the year they break that curse, though they’ll have to escape the Pool of Death first.

🇳🇿 - New Zealand. Historically the best rugby nation on the planet, New Zealand were near unmatched in this sport until recently, remaining at the top of the rankings for almost ten consecutive years. Their form has taken a dip recently, particularly after a record breaking loss to South Africa, but only time will tell whether the infamous All Blacks can bounce back, or if they were just hustling.

🇿🇦 - South Africa. As the current champs, alongside terrific form and team depth, the Springboks are expected to go far this year. While they are also stuck in the Pool of Death with Ireland and Scotland, they have a tremendous pedigree in the sport, matching New Zealand’s record three victories, despite featuring in two less World Cups. Thriving under pressure, the Springboks combine esteem and unconventional playstyles - you’ll hear the phrase ‘bomb squad’ used a lot when they’re playing - a lot of fans will see this World Cup as South Africa’s to lose.

The Dark Horses

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 - Scotland. Currently ranked 5th in the world, Scotland are in strong form and have surprising team depth for such a small rugby nation. Unpredictable and world beating on a good day (yet still waiting on that historic victory against the All Blacks), Scotland would be expected to do well this year… if they weren’t in the Group of Death alongside Ireland and South Africa. These are both teams Scotland can beat, but will they remain consistent for a full eighty minutes of play? That’s the main concern.

🇦🇷 - Argentina. Often forgotten as a rugby nation due to their soccer pedigree, Argentina are one of this tournament’s secret weapons. With solid form, growing momentum and a lucky placement in the pools however, los Pumas can probably reach the semifinals.

🇦🇺 - Australia. Famous rivals to the All Blacks, Australia’s form has fallen in recent years, but not to the point where they should be counted out. Almost causing a massive upset against New Zealand, leading them for most of the game on their own turf, when the Wallabies get it right they can be deadly, and they’ve won this tournament twice as well, so don’t write them off just yet.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 - England. Having won the RWC in 2003, not to mention inventing the sport, England have a rugby pedigree that can’t be denied. Their recent form has been poor however, recording several record losses, as well as a first ever loss to Fiji. While they should make it out of their pool - though this is largely because it’s the easiest pool by far - England won’t be expected to go much further, maybe scraping past the quarterfinals if they’re lucky.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 - Wales. Between funding issues and player retirement, Wales are a depleted side this World Cup. While inconsistent across previous tournaments, they have notched up some remarkable results in the past, and could do so again under legendary coach Warren Gatland. It’s far more likely that they’ll struggle however, and may not even make it out of the pool this year, with Fiji and Georgia looking strong.

The No Hopers

🇮🇹 - Italy. While their form has been good, and they’ve made great strides in recent years, Italy are grouped in with France and New Zealand, the latter of which they’ve never beaten. Short of a miracle, Italy won’t be making it out of their pool.

🇫🇯 - Fiji. Recording a famous win in Twickenham on their last warmup match, Fiji have form and momentum on their side, and will be aiming for the quarterfinals. They likely won’t get any further, but for a tiny island nation, Fiji punch well above their weight.

🇼🇸 - Samoa. Having upset traditionally stronger nations at previous World Cups, Samoa could surprise a few opponents this year too. Beating either England or Argentina for a qualifying place will be a tough ask, but never say never.

🇹🇴 - Tonga. Also in the Group of Death with Scotland, Ireland and South Africa, Tonga will be gunning for an upset. Their form has been strong, and they perform immensely well for an island of 100,000 people, but escaping the pool will probably be too much of an ask.

🇬🇪 - Georgia. Europe’s ‘other’ rugby nation dominates in the second tier of competitive play, and will hope to upset Wales in this World Cup, just like they did in Cardiff last year. With Fiji also vying for the same spot though, their rough and tumble playstyle may work against them in the long run, as fitness is definitely an issue for bulkier players.

🇯🇵 - Japan. After stunning South Africa 34-32 at RWC2015, and graduating from their pool by beating both Ireland and Scotland at RWC2019, Japan will hope to take advantage of their reputation as the wild card, and escape pools a second time. With England looking vulnerable it’s not impossible, but poor form and and equally hungry Samoa may hold them back.

‘We’re just happy to be here!’

🇺🇾 - Uruguay. South America’s second best rugby nation has grown massively in recent years. Ousting Canada from the qualification rounds, they’ve featured at plenty of World Cups, and even got a surprise win over Fiji last tournament. In a strong pool with France, New Zealand and Italy however, they’ll be fighting with Namibia for what will likely be their sole victory of the tournament.

🇳🇦 - Namibia. Similarly to Uruguay in many ways, Namibia are also the second best in their continent, behind the mighty Springboks. Also in the same group as Uruguay, they’ll be aiming for a single win, with no real hope of graduating from their pool.

🇷🇴 - Romania. A World Cup mainstay, The Oaks have been to all but one tournament, and even that absence was mired in controversy. Between lacklustre recent form and rampant funding issues however, Romania will be lucky to get a win in what’s by far the toughest pool.

🇵🇹 - Portugal. Another nation known more for their soccer, Portugal won’t be expecting much from their pool. If they get a win, they’ll be ecstatic. They qualified by the skin of their teeth, but they made it here. That’s reason enough to celebrate, and it’s only a short plane trip home.

🇨🇱 - Chile. Debuting at RWC2023, Chile qualified with a last gasp victory over the USA, and will likely end up bottom of their pool. Still, qualifying at all is a massive achievement for a nation with such a small following.

…and that’s everything. RWC2023 is considered the most open World Cup in the sport’s history, with as many as six or seven viable contenders. Whoever holds the Webb Ellis Cup aloft in a few weeks is up to debate, but it should be entertaining nonetheless. Game on!

#rwc 2023 #rugby union #international rugby #rugby world cup #france 2023

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satoshi-mochida · 2 months

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Inti Creates announces card-battling RPG Card-en-Ciel for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC

From Gematsu

Inti Creates has announced Card-en-Ciel, a card-battling RPG for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC (Steam). A release date was not announced. It will support up to two players.

Get the first details below.

A Card-Battling RPG Through the Eras of Gaming!

Today, March 20, 2024, Inti Creates has announced a new project, Card-en-Ciel, to be shown at this week’s PAX East expo in Boston, Massachusetts from March 21 to 24.

Card-en-Ciel stars Neon, a gaming detective, as he collects and battles with over 300 cards on a deckbuilding RPG adventure. Players will adventure through over 10 different dungeons, earning character cards to strengthen their deck and unlock new techniques to use in ever-expanding roguelite card battles.

Special “Muse Cards” add another layer to the card battles, activating powerful abilities with their songs during battle, with 50 vocal tracks included in-game. Together with the Muses’ song abilities, players will use hidden card “glitches” and even enemies’ attacks against them to perform satisfying, full power combos with their unique decks. Look for more information about Neon’s battles through the eras of gaming coming soon!

Famous Characters Are Invading an In-Development Game?!

Characters from other game universes are showing up in a work in progress! Can the detective Neon find the source?

Card-en-Ciel is a deck-building roguelike featuring over 300 unique cards and 50 vocal songs. Each card features a character from a game within the Card-en-Ciel universe, waiting to be collected and brought back from the game’s dungeons. You’ll need all the help you can get when the virtual world enters “all out war!”

With each victory, you’ll select a card to add to your deck to power it up and create new combos. Each card can be played, used to move during battle, or for a Special Skill, allowing you to make the most of each draw from your deck within Card-en-Ciel‘s deep combat system! Muse Cards add another layer to combat. Meet their conditions during battle, and they’ll sing a unique song that activates a special ability, unlocking new strategies and combos for the rest of your deck! Use these powerful song abilities, hidden card “glitches,” and even your enemies’ attacks against them to perform satisfying, full power combos!

Colorful characters you meet in the dungeons, dungeon bosses, and the “imaginary” games they come from all play a part in Card-en-Ciel‘s story. Collect each game’s heroes and heroines to win the “all-out war!”

Product Information

Title: Card-en-Ciel

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC (Steam)

Genre: Card-Battling RPG

Rating: Pending

Players: 1 to 2

Release Date: TBA

Price: TBA

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery. Visit the official website here: English / Japanese.

Project Kickoff Trailer

English

youtube

Japanese

youtube

#Card-en-Ciel #Inti Creates #card battler #RPG #Gematsu #Youtube

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justinspoliticalcorner · 1 month

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Michelangelo Signorile at The Signorile Report:

Melania Trump held a fundraiser for her husband’s campaign—billed as her first foray into the 2024 race—with the gay Republican group, the Log Cabin Republicans, last Saturday night at Mar-a-Lago. But you wouldn’t know much about it from media coverage, as the puny gathering, which only attracted 60 people, was shrouded in semi-secrecy, with few details revealed both before and after the event. It was billed by Log Cabin as an “LGBT” fundraiser for Trump’s campaign, but I’m loathe to use the “T” in discussing this since Log Cabin has completely thrown transgender people under the bus, supporting heinous anti-trans laws in the states.

There’s nothing the group is even remotely doing to help transgender people—nor gay, lesbian, or bisexual people, for that matter, supporting a candidate who was the most anti-LGBTQ president in history and even recently backing “don’t say gay” laws. And Trump’s plans, through his embrace of Project 2025, make clear how devastating another Trump presidency would be for LGBTQ people and for transgender people in particular. But perhaps because Caitlyn Jenner attended the Mar-a-Lago fundraiser, Log Cabin thought they could get some cover in calling it an “LGBT” fundraiser, even though the privileged Hollywood celebrity has become a reliable Fox go-to guest to bash other trans people.

Before the event, promoted by Log Cabin as the kickoff of their “Road to Victory” tour, few in the media were able to get anyone on the record from Trumpworld to talk about it, resorting to quoting “sources” discussing the details and describing Trump’s former ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell—the gay, far-right figure who cozied up to right-wing extremist leaders in Europe and helped elect George Santos—as organizing the event with Melania.

[...] In other words, this was another completely closeted gay event in which the words “gay” or “LGBT” or “rights” weren’t mentioned.

The anti-LGBTQ evangelical right has gotten used to swallowing closeted gay events by Republicans, taking them as relatively harmless as long as nothing overt is said that actually supports LGBTQ rights. They understand that these PR stunts are necessary to reach out to suburban voters and make Trump seem more moderate, just as he recently tried to appear to be more moderate—and failed miserably—on the issue of abortion, saying it should “go back to the states.” [...] That told us everything about who this event was staged for. It and any further events like it will be enormously ineffective, however, because Trump is a known quantity. He has embraced his own actions as president, which stripped LGBTQ people of their rights. His four-year record on LGBTQ rights, documented many times in the media, stands on its own—as do the plans he and his allies have laid out on LGBTQ rights for another term.

This past Saturday, former FLOTUS Melania Trump hosted a fundraiser for quisling group Log Cabin Republicans, a group that purports to support LGBTQ+ rights within the Republican Party but is opposed to transgender rights and increasingly LGBTQ+ rights.

#Log Cabin Republicans #Melania Trump #Caitlyn Jenner #LGBTQ+#Richard Grenell #GOP Hypocrisy #Alina Habba #George Santos

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celestie0 · 22 days

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🪷 CTFUUUUUU your gojo and reader sex tape post was so hilarious omg. Ngl to me they don't give the vibes of a couple that make one (I don't mean this as an insult omfg now that I wrote it it sounds rude as hell) but the type who are professional phone fuckers.

Doja cat's Cyber sex is their national anthem I just know it I had a little locker room talk with reader she told me 😙. And yeah what you said abt gojo's schedule being all over the place as a player I'd thought that too, which is why phone sex is 🔛🔝 for these two. Just two freaky frogs omg I know that dude sluts her out bad and she doesn't want it any other way

He's a player (the *other* type of player) too so ofc he'd have expertise in the area of tasteful nudes but reader's learning curve will be so exponential gojo would be left in the dust in a short amount of time😁 RIP BOZO‼️

Imagine a little roleplay scenario where reader dresses up as a cheerleader for gojo after he returns from winning some final match as a victory treat. That dong goes up at an angle of elevation so steep you could make a mean trigonometric question off of it. I need him BAD I need him esp when he's sweaty after a gym or practice session I'd climb that man like jack was climbing that beanstalk.

Anyway I hope you've been doing well sweets! Thanks for being so nice to me in your last ask and I cannot wait to see what you have in store for us I wanna see that horndog be his authentic slutty self around reader finally 🗣️🗣️

Imagine a little roleplay scenario where reader dresses up as a cheerleader for gojo after he returns from winning some final match as a victory treat.

oh dear sweet baby jesus the scream i SCRUMPT AT THIS…HOW HAVE I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT oh mygooodd that’d be so fuckin hot 😩😩😩 i ran to add that to my notes LOL my head is in my hands i need to write that so fucking bad. HIM RAILING HER WHILE SHE’s WEARING A SKIMPY LIL CHEERLEADER COSTUME AFTER HE JUST PLAYED AN INTENSE GAME babe u cooked w this ty

HAHAHA i feel like they would make a sex tape but they obv wouldnt post it or anything lol it’d just be something they’d do when they’re both drunk asf while on vacation in their hotel room n then they freak out once they get home n realize they lost the flashdrive n someone out there in barcelona is now jerking off to their amateur avante garde porno

And yeah what you said abt gojo's schedule being all over the place as a player I'd thought that too, which is why phone sex is 🔛🔝 for these two. Just two freaky frogs omg I know that dude sluts her out bad and she doesn't want it any other way

okay you’re so right ab cyber sex being (at least post grad) kickoff couple’s anthem 🤧 that “i wish u were here rn” yup. but also LMFAO THATS SO TRUE AB THE SLUTTIN HER OUT he’d have her so downbad she’s flashing her titties at the webcam just cuz she wants to see him cum all over his stomach while he’s jerking himself off to her pixels ✋🏼😩 i was not anticipating to start this day off so horny LOL

idk i like to think all the nudes kickoff gojo has received in his life have been raunchy asf so when he’s so desperate to get a glimpse of kickoff reader while he’s away for work n is like “babe send me a pic please” for the first time n she sends something that’s genuinely really tasteful n artistic n subtle but sexy n leaves a bit to the imagination i feel like that wld drive him more insane than any explicit nude ever would HAHAHAHA

THE DONG GOIN UP YOU COULD PERFORM TRIG ON IT IM CRYING babe i wish to be half as funny as you are some day 🤣🤣

thanks my lovee omg im so happy you’re looking forward to it :””) 💕 you’re my honeybunch sugarplum pumpyumpyumpkin i love yaaa

- ellie 🐸

#cannot stop thinkin ab that cheerleader roleplay #hhhhhhhhh #i genuinely think he’d lose his mind LMFAO #he’d get down on one knee #kickoff #asks #🪷 anon

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lifewithchronicpain · 4 months

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In case you want to attempt to understand the big game this Sunday:

I know most people on here don't care about the Super Bowl, but given the popularity of the Chiefs thanks to Taylor Swift, I thought I'd share a basic explanation of the game for those who feel totally lost.

A football field is 100 yards, the game time is 60 minutes with 4 15 minute quarters. Each team is assigned a side that will switch after the first and third quarter to negate any advantage to one side. The object of the game is to bring the ball into the end zone for a touch down, or to kick a field goal. Every inch forward you gain with the ball in your possession is how the game is won.

The game starts with a kickoff where the catching team is on offense (decided by coin flip) trying to get the ball to the end zone on the other end. They have 4 tries to get 10 yards, that's called a down. When they reach or surpass 10 yards they get a first down, meaning their chances reset and they have to make another 10 yards or the end zone. It's possible to lose yards, so you might starts 1st and ten, running back gets pushed back and your next move is at 2nd and 13 yards. Then you can throw the ball for 15 yards on the third down and you're now you're at first and ten again until you fail to make 10 yards or get a touchdown.

If you can't get the ball to the 10 yard mark, after 3 tries, you have to either use your last chance to "go on 4th down" or to punt. If you lose your chance to get 1st down on the 4th try, the other team picks up the ball exactly where you left off. If you do that and you're not even close to the end zone, you're giving the opposing team great field position. But if you're 4th down and 1 yard from a touchdown and you need that to win, you go for it. Punting is to prevent good field advantage on a failed 4th down. The ball is kicked into the other team's territory to set them back as much as possible. If the team scores they also kick it to the other time but in that instance it's a kickoff.

There are two ways of moving the ball, running and throwing and the opposing team on defense does everything they can to fuck that up. Now as much as I enjoyed football in my youth I never learned all the positions, but you really only need to know a quarterback throws, a receiver catches, and running back runs the ball without having been thrown the ball but rather handed off at the start of a play. Throwing the ball goes farther but runs the risk of incomplete passes or turnovers, where the defense gets the ball from the offense. Sometimes a turnover can ever be turned into a touchdown, so it is possible for the defense to score.

A touchdown is 6 points, then you have the option of kicking in an extra point, or running it into the end zone again from a set distance for 2 points. The latter is harder so almost every touchdown gets an extra point, but if you need 2 points to tie or win, then coaches have gone for them on occasion.

A field goal is 3 points and when the ball is kicked through the yellow bars, and can only be done from a certain point on the field which is about the 35 yard line. You kick a field goal when you know you can't make a touchdown just to get points on the board, and have made the difference with ties and victories.

This already long post is really just the basics. I've watched football for 20 years and I don't know all the rules about what holding position constitutes a fumble (dropped ball that can be picked up by opposing team) and how much a player needs to be in bounds to make a catch, but the newscasters do their best to explain. Just go with it.

So if this is your first ever football game or super bowl, I hope I've now made it at least a little bit clearer.

#super bowl #football #taylow swift #travis kelce #kansas city chiefs #san fransisco 49ers #sports

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itsnunoclock · 3 months

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A Leap of Faith | Rated G | Jackie / Shauna, Nat / Shauna | Part 4 of Odds and Ends series | Word count: 2,006 Tags: One Shot, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, POV Shauna Shipman, Pre-Plane Crash (Yellowjackets), Soccer, Teen Timeline (Yellowjackets) --- Shauna Shipman knew two things with ironclad certainty: soccer made sense and love did not. In the euphoric aftermath of their victory, the Yellowjackets come together for a celebratory group photo. ---

Shauna Shipman knew two things with ironclad certainty: soccer made sense and love did not.

On the field, she understood her role with crystalline clarity. Center midfielder, the beating heart of the team’s 4-4-2 formation. Always in motion, Shauna lived to control the middle of the field, to stifle the opposition’s attacks and spring her own forwards free. It was a 90-minute high-wire act of balance and precision, but one she’d performed since forever.

The grass stains on her knees and the burning in her lungs after a hard sprint felt more real than any of the insipid love songs crooning from mall speakers or her car radio. Those sugary melodies sang of love as some aspirational prize, all dramatic professions and happily ever afters wrapped in a tidy bow.

But Shauna had seen what lay beneath the shiny plastic veneer of suburbia. The hairline fractures and rotting foundations behind every picket fence smile, the furious silences stretching between her parents louder than any shouted argument. Love was a con, she’d decided long ago. An unstable isotope, decaying from the moment it was formed.

On the soccer field, at least, the rules stayed blessedly constant. The comforting geometry of the penalty box, the reliable rhythm of a well-executed give-and-go. Shauna could chart her course on muscle memory alone, Jackie always exactly where she needed to be to receive the pass, Lottie reliably hugging the touchline, Van an unyielding sentinel in goal. There were no hidden traps waiting to trip her up, just the black and white certainty of the scoreboard when the final whistle blew.

Maybe that was why she kept coming back year after year, despite the burning in her thighs and the way her heart felt like it might pound out of her chest. Because for 90 minutes (and maybe a handful more if Tai got her way), Shauna’s world made sense. On the field she was pure kinetic energy, the simple Newtonian physics of a body in motion. Soccer stripped her life down to the bare essentials: get ball, keep ball, put ball in net. Lather, rinse, repeat.

No hidden agendas, no false promises. Just 21 other girls and 2 goals and 1 ball, the elegant simplicity of action and reaction. The scoreboard never lied.

But love? Love was a four-letter word Shauna had long ago excised from her vocabulary. Just like all those other rose-tinted myths crammed down her throat since before she could walk. Prince Charming and happily ever afters and forevers that lasted until someone better came along or the going got tough or dad’s secretary bent over in a short enough skirt.

No, Shauna didn’t put much stock in forevers those days. She’d stick to 90 minutes instead, to the bruises and turf burns and shouts of her own name, the blessedly finite sprint from kickoff to final whistle.

That was enough for her. It had to be.

Except . . . somewhere in the sweat and the struggle and the desperate gasps for air, there was another four-letter word Shauna couldn’t quite dislodge. One that pulsed in time with her racing heart as she tracked Jackie’s darting runs, that rose in her throat like a cheer when Nat nutmegged a hapless defender. It was tangled and treacherous as a vine climbing towards the sun, but just as determined to take root.

And maybe, Shauna thought as Lottie sent a cross arcing her way and Jackie screamed for the ball, it wasn’t that different from soccer after all. Maybe love didn’t make sense and it didn’t follow rules and it sure as hell didn’t come with any guarantees.

But still she found herself leaning into it all the same, caught in its inexorable pull as surely as a satellite orbiting a star. All she could do was hold on tight, surrender to gravity, and pray the ride wouldn’t burn her up on re-entry.

So she did the only thing that had ever made sense. Shauna trapped the ball on her chest, looked up, and launched it into space.

And then?

She ran.

The referee’s whistle pierced through the clamor of the crowd, its shrill note heralding the end of the match. Shauna glanced up at the scoreboard, the numbers emblazoned there taking a moment to register through the haze of exhaustion: Wiskayok 3, Red Bank 1. They’d done it. They’d won the county championship.

Before the reality could fully sink in, Jackie’s arms were around her, the force of the hug nearly lifting Shauna off her feet. “We did it, Shauna! We fucking did it!” Jackie’s voice was hoarse from shouting, her breath hot against Shauna’s ear.

Shauna laughed, a giddy, breathless sound, and returned the embrace just as fiercely. Around them, the rest of the team converged in a tangle of sweaty limbs and elated shouts, the exhaustion of the hard-fought game momentarily forgotten in the rush of triumph. They jumped up and down, a pulsing mass of blue and yellow, until the need for air forced them apart.

As the initial euphoria began to ebb, Jackie disentangled herself from the group, her eyes sparkling with an idea. “Someone grab a camera!”

The suggestion was met with enthusiastic agreement, and the team began to assemble in front of the net, jostling each other good-naturedly as they jockeyed for position. Tai playfully shoved Van, who, in a burst of her usual theatrics, flopped onto the grass in front of everyone, striking a pose on her side with the ball resting against her stomach. Shauna found herself front and center, Jackie’s arm slung comfortably around her shoulders, the weight of it both familiar and thrilling.

“Misty! Get in here!” Nat called out, pale hands waving enthusiastically at their equipment manager from her spot between Shauna and Akilah. Misty, her face flushed with a mixture of shyness and exertion, ducked her head but scurried over to join the lineup beside Akilah.

Coach Scott surveyed the group, a rare smile softening his usually stern features. “Alright, everyone squeeze in!” He waved them closer, his eyes assessing the composition. “Misty, turn a bit to your left, please.”

As the team shuffled and compressed, Shauna became acutely aware of Nat’s presence to her right, the small space between them crackling with the residual energy of the game. Lottie, sitting on one knee in the front row, muttered something about Nat’s Italian heritage that Shauna didn’t quite catch, but it made Nat grin and raise her hand in a pinch gesture. Nat’s eyes caught Shauna’s, a fleeting moment of shared amusement, and Shauna felt an answering smile tug at her lips, charmed by the shy dimple that appeared on Nat’s cheek.

Then Jackie was adjusting her pose, her fingers brushing lightly against the 6 emblazoned on Shauna’s jersey, and suddenly Shauna’s focus narrowed to that single point of contact. The casual intimacy of the touch, the way Jackie’s hand lingered just a beat longer than necessary, made Shauna’s heart stutter in her chest, a familiar yet always surprising reaction.

It was always like this with Jackie - a constant push and pull, an undercurrent of something Shauna couldn’t quite name. Or maybe she could, but putting a label on it meant acknowledging the enormity of what she felt, the depth of her longing.

It was easier to focus on soccer, on the simplicity of the game. Pass, shoot, score. Cause and effect. Neat lines and clear objectives.

Not like the messy tangle of emotions that surfaced every time Jackie hugged her just a little too tight or fixed her with that soft, secret smile that seemed reserved only for Shauna.

“Okay, on three! One, two . . . ”

Shauna turned back to the camera, trying to school her features into something resembling a normal smile. Jackie’s arm tightened around her, pulling her close. The heat of her body, the citrusy scent of her shampoo beneath the sweat and grass, was dizzying.

“Three!” The shutter clicked, capturing the moment for posterity. The team erupted into cheers again, a jubilant mass of blue and yellow, when Laura Lee’s voice cut through the noise, “Let’s take a moment to give thanks.”

A few good-natured groans met her suggestion, but the team obediently formed a loose circle, arms slung around each other’s shoulders. Shauna found herself between Jackie and Nat, the warmth of their bodies bracketing her own.

Laura Lee began to speak, her voice steady and clear. “Dear Lord, we thank you for the strength and unity you’ve given us today. May we always remember the bonds we share, both on and off the field. Amen.”

A chorus of “Amen” echoed around the circle, some more enthusiastic than others. As Shauna murmured the word, she felt Jackie’s hand find hers, their fingers intertwining with practiced ease. On her other side, another hand brushed against hers, tentative but unmistakable.

“Alright, ladies, line up! Time for the handshake.”

Soccer was simple. Straightforward. You gave everything you had for ninety minutes, left it all on the field. There was a strange sort of peace in that single-minded focus, in surrendering to the flow of the game. The field was a world unto itself, a place where the only things that mattered were the ball at your feet and the teammates by your side.

But as the last hand was shaken and the teams began to drift apart, reality started to creep back in. And in the stillness that followed, in the quiet of the locker room or the hush of the bus ride home, Shauna’s thoughts always circled back to Jackie.

Sweet, stubborn, magnetic Jackie. Her best friend, her captain, the axis around which Shauna’s world turned. The one constant in a life that often felt like shifting sands beneath her feet.

It terrified Shauna sometimes, the depth of her feelings. The way her heart seized at the mere brush of Jackie’s hand, the way her skin tingled at the sound of her laugh. It was too much, too big, too all-consuming. A force as powerful and unpredictable as a free kick bending around a wall of defenders.

But maybe that was okay.

Maybe love wasn’t meant to make sense. Maybe it was supposed to be messy and confusing and utterly terrifying. Maybe that’s what made it so exhilarating, so worth chasing despite the risk of fumbling.

After all, wasn’t that the beauty of soccer? The unpredictability of it, the way the game could pivot on a dime? One moment you’re on the defensive, scrambling to protect your goal. The next, you’re surging forward, the ball dancing at your feet, the world blurring around you as you race towards the opposite end of the field.

It hadn’t always been this way for Shauna. There was a time when soccer was just another obligation, another box to check off on the endless list of expectations. But somewhere along the way, something had shifted.

And now, as she stood on the precipice of something new and terrifying and exciting, she couldn’t help but draw parallels between the two.

Love, Shauna was starting to realize, was not so different from soccer. It was a series of unexpected twists and turns, of setbacks and breakthroughs. It was the thrill of the unknown, the exhilaration of taking a leap of faith, of putting your heart on the line for something - for someone - that could change everything.

It was worth the risk of getting hurt, worth the uncertainty that came with stepping into uncharted territory. Because the alternative - a life without Jackie, without this wild, heart-pounding, breath-stealing feeling - was unimaginable.

Love and soccer. One intangible and elusive, the other solid and grounded. But at their core, they were two sides of the same coin, each a reflection of the other. Both demanding everything you had, both offering the chance at something extraordinary. The twin forces that kept her running, kept her chasing after dreams both on and off the field.

She might never fully understand love the way she understood soccer. But damn if she wasn’t going to keep playing the game.

#jackieshauna one shot #shaunanat one shot #jackieshauna #shaunanat #earlier parts of the series can be found in my ao3 #i googled the heck out of soccer for this one #bc i clearly don't know anything about soccer #except that you kick balls and stuff

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