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irisintheafterglow · 4 months

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End Game #9 (volleyball captain!gojo x you)

summary: during the final nationals match against kyoto, the captain wins a bet.

wc: 2.5k

cw/tags: mild angst/comfort, established relationship (pet name-angel), mostly just fluff and volleyball, swearing, more fluff and volleyball

note: HELLO VOLLEYBALL!GOJO NATION *crickets except for midi cheering alone at the back of the stadium* uh anyways i know it's been months since i updated this, but i wanted to give you all a gift for the new year starting with the series that brought me a lot of new friends at the beginning of my blog's creation! i can't thank you all enough for the support you've given this series and i hope you enjoy this last (official) iteration :))

likes, reblogs, and replies are appreciated <33

“Looks like they’ve gotten better,” you observe in slight disbelief while the scorekeepers flip the board to show 25-23. By some miracle, Tokyo managed to rip the fourth set from Kyoto’s hands right when it seemed that all was lost. It still didn’t help the queasy feeling in your stomach. “A lot better.”

“Or, we’re becoming inferior,” Yaga growls with fiery determination burning under his sunglasses. You slide the basket of water bottles from under the bench and stand to grab the box of clean towels. Your coach inhales one more time to speak and you already know what his command will be. “Deal with Satoru.”

“I’ll do my best.” From the start of the fourth set, Kyoto had Tokyo on the run again. Despite their best efforts, Tokyo was struggling to hold up against the relentless pace set by their opponents, fighting to maintain their resolve and willing the other team to break first. Between the time of your first practice match and Nationals, Kyoto’s players significantly improved, much more than your team’s. Though they’d made steady progress over the past few months leading up to these crucial games, it seemed that the slope of Kyoto’s improvement was steeper. It also didn’t help that, wherever you looked, you were surrounded by the most prestigious volleyball recruiters in the world with their shiny reading glasses and slender fingers tapping away at their keyboards. Both teams were essentially under a microscope, none more than the third years that were at their wit’s end trying to prove that they were pro-material. And, whether people acknowledged it or not, all eyes were on your boyfriend and captain of the Tokyo team, Gojo Satoru.

“He’s overexerting himself to the point where he’s making mistakes,” Suguru says to you quietly when you hand him a bottle. You nod, both of you aware that he’s preaching to the choir. “To the point where I’m noticing, so that means they’re noticing.” He tilts his head up to the stands, where you catch a few Jujutsu Volleyball Society officials conversing with whom you could only assume were Olympic recruiters. The thought of them discussing Satoru’s abilities and reputation in blunt detail makes you wince.

“Have you talked to him about it?” The vice-captain shakes his head, eyeing his best friend warily.

“Haven’t had the chance to.” The corner of your mouth turns down and you follow his eyeline, recognizing the familiar fake smile and emotionless blue eyes while he charms some brave fans that pushed their way to the court’s barricades. “Even now, he isn’t taking a break.”

“Mmm, well, you know him,” you sigh. The group of lovestruck girls hand Satoru various items and printed photos for him to sign and he takes them, flicking a black marker over their surface with all the grace of an old Hollywood movie star. “It’s always about others, never himself.”

“Except when it comes to you, then he gets to be selfish,” Suguru reminds you and you shrug. Your casual response causes his eyebrows to draw in concern, like he was alarmed by your indifference. His tone is much more unsure when he asks for clarification. “Right?” You inhale deeply and shake your head again, gathering what little thoughts you could from the jumbled mess in your mind. “Did something happen between you two?”

“No, no. We’re fine…I think,” you half-heartedly reassure him, but the skeptical raise of his eyebrows tells you he isn’t convinced in the slightest. “He’s just been off, lately,” you admit. “I think the pressure that’s been building up for three years is finally getting to him.”

“Pretty inconvenient time to crack, don’t you think?”

“Burnout doesn’t wait for you to finish Nationals, Suguru,” you conclude, patting him on the back in farewell before you find Satoru. “Good luck in the last set. And, for the record, the evenness of your gameplay hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Recruiters can see how reliable you are. If they don’t, they need their eyes checked,” you joke before maneuvering between players to find Satoru on the bench, in Yaga’s spot. His eyes are dulled from exhaustion, no matter how much he was trying to hide it. His forehead is covered in sweat and you kneel in front of him to wipe his face with a dry towel. “When’s the last time you drank water?”

“The last time you asked me if I drank water,” he answers and you know he’s trying to force his sing-songy lilt into his voice, but it falls flat onto the court floor. “Thank you, angel,” he murmurs as you swipe the towel over his eyes, allowing him a brief second of relief from the blinding fluorescents above.

“Of course. I’ll let you get away with it this time, even though I miss those pretty blues,” you whisper and the smallest smile appears on his face. But he can’t bring himself to look at you, not when he’s on the brink of falling apart. It was killing him just as much as it was killing you, watching him stumble during the one moment where he needed to stand tall the most. The pressure was getting to him and his final appearance at Nationals was compounded by the scathing words of his father, the unimpressed stares of Jujutsu brass, and the intense scrutiny from the recruiters he was trying to win over. “Need anything else, captain?”

“A long fucking nap,” he groans and you hum in assent, letting his warm cheek rest in your freezing palm. “This’ll do, for now.”

“Alright, Atlas, but you’re gonna have to get back to holding up the world in about five minutes.”

“Holding up the world is fucking exhausting,” he mutters. “Being captain is exhausting.” Before you can come up with another comforting response, his eyes suddenly fly open and peer at you with more intensity than you’ve seen within the past few days. He pulls away from your hand and looks at you, really looks at you, like he’s come to some revelation. “You called me captain.”

“What?”

“You called me captain,” he echoes slowly, a dazzling grin breaking out over his face that you didn’t realize you’d missed so much. You’re speechless, startled by his newfound enthusiasm from just one word. “You actually did it.”

“I guess I did,” you respond with obvious confusion.

“Say it again,” he says with all the seriousness of announcing a death.

“Satoru–”

“Say it again,” he repeats and you don’t realize how close his face has gotten to yours, so close that you can smell the faint minty smell of the gum he’d stolen from your bag. “Please.”

“It’s good to see you back to normal, captain.” His smile grows even wider and suddenly he’s kissing you, with both hands on your cheeks and leaning over you while you continue to kneel on the floor in front of him. Your face is set on fire, keenly aware of the thousands of eyes that can see both of you and this display of affection. Satoru doesn’t seem to care, though, and the glittering brightness of his eyes is all you focus on when he pulls away.

“What can I say? You bring out a different side of me.”

“Cheesy lines too? You’re feeling better than I thought.”

“Nothing like winning a bet to light a fire in a man’s heart.”

“You know, if I’d known that was all it took to get you back, I’d have said it sooner,” you chuckle and his lips peck your nose until you gently push his face away. “I’ll ask about the change in behavior after you win. Now, go,” you giggle and he all but leaps from the bench, instantly in top-form and letting his voice boom through the building as he calls his team to him.

“It’s fifteen points,” he reminds them, who muster up all their energy to look more confident after noticing the shift in their captain’s behavior. “Fifteen points at Nationals for the first time in who knows how long, so make ‘em count. Don’t let me take all of them,” he taunts and real confidence appears in his players, dead set on snatching the points away from Kyoto. “Let’s go!”

And, just like during the practice match and the match at the beach, no one is safe from the sheer power of Gojo Satoru. It’s as if he’s woken from the dead, refreshed and wielding enough energy to elicit sparks from his fingers and flickering of the overhead lights. When you look at his eyes, they’re not the hollow pits they’ve been for the months leading up to Nationals. Instead, a dark shadow of unrelenting resolve covers his eyes and radiates from his body like an aura, sending shivers down the bodies of opposing players. In true Satoru fashion, he exploits every advantage he recognizes, whether that be a skill of his own team or the pitfall of the opposition. He knows you’re watching, too, and trusts your eyes like they were his own. Kyoto makes a mistake by calling a timeout when they’re down, 13-11, and Satoru makes a beeline for you; in hushed tones, you relay what you see before he can open his mouth.

“Todo’s hiding a limp on his right an–”

“Ankle, and Kamo’s primarily using his left hand to launch spikes. So, that means–”

“Something’s off with his right, maybe a jammed pointer finger or tweaked thumb. They’ll think you’re gonna take the final point of the game to show off to the recruiters, so if you fake a hit on the left edge, bait Todo and the front line to block you–”

“Suguru can blow past Kamo’s weakened right hand–”

“And the Tokyo Jujutsu team wins Nationals,” you conclude as the whistle blows, lightly swatting Satoru’s arm to urge him back onto the court. “Go, stupid. You’re almost there.”

“I’m gonna marry you one day,” he calls, skipping onto the court and yanking Suguru by the back of his jersey, pulling him to the side to confirm the plan. He shoots you one last wink before broadcasting a hand signal to the rest of the team behind his back. With Nanami, Megumi, and Yuuji in the front row and Suguru, Satoru, and Inumaki in the back, it was the ideal rotation to shift leverage to Tokyo. A deafeningly powerful jump serve from Satoru immediately throws Kyoto off balance, and it doesn’t take much for Suguru to send Todo’s unsuccessful hit to Megumi, who pulls the same infuriating dump that he achieved during the practice match. “That was bold,” Satoru says to his protégé with pure admiration, “even for me.” Megumi shrugs, but stands a little taller from satisfaction with his point.

“Who do you think I learned it from?”

“Yeah, yeah. I know you think I’m awesome, even if you won’t admit it.”

“I was talking about Geto,” Megumi deadpans and Satoru’s face contorts into indignance that makes you laugh from your seat.

“He’s not even a setter!”

“I was kidding, captain. Let’s win already,” his student responds impatiently. And win, they did. The final play you discussed with Satoru pans out flawlessly, with all attention going to the captain of the Tokyo team in anticipation of the game-winning point, only to be sent to his right-hand man. The cacophony of cheering and cries of joy is eardrum-shattering, but you don’t care as the rest of the team rushes onto the court and buries Suguru in a dogpile. Your heart swells at the sight of the nods of approval from the recruiters given to Suguru and Satoru, whispering among themselves and writing down their contact information. Despite Yaga gripping his sunglasses so hard that the frames broke, it doesn’t seem to bother him as he slams his palm onto the players’ backs with pride. You even think you catch Todo teary-eyed from the other side of the net, yelling something about being happy for his best friend. Hours of celebration later, as you walk with your hand in Satoru’s down the quiet streets of your neighborhood, you finally get to ask him why calling him ‘captain’ had such a profound effect on his psyche.

“Being happy about winning the bet isn’t enough?” You look at him doubtfully and watch his cheeks turn a little pinker. “Alright, fine. But, you can’t make fun of me for this, okay?”

“I promise,” you say, making a big show of hooking your free pinky finger in his. “At least, I won’t make fun of you in public for it.”

“That’s enough for me,” he concedes with a smile. “It’s just…winning at Nationals wasn’t the hardest thing I’ve done this year, not even in all three years of high school.”

“What’s been the most difficult, then? You were literally on the verge of burnout today, so I don’t know any other circumstances where–”

“Winning you,” he murmurs, stopping you on the sidewalk and turning you to face him. The streetlights are dim enough to where the moon shines off of his hair and his face seems to glow like a statue carved from marble. “That was the hardest thing I’ve done.” You blink once, twice, and still don’t understand.

“What do you mean, ‘winning me?’ How am I harder to get than winning Nationals?”

“Nationals was my dad’s dream. It always was. I started caring about going to Nationals when we made that silly bet to get you to call me captain. But, I’ve cared about making you fall in love with me since you took a sip from my soda can during our first year.”

“I’m still not a fan of that fizzy sugar water,” you chuckle and he looks at you so fondly, so softly, that you’re glad his arms have found their way around your waist to hold you up and keep you standing. “You’ve loved me since our first year?”

“I loved you before I knew your name in class. And then, today, I figured if I could get you to fall in love with me when I thought it would take a lifetime, I could win some National volleyball title.” His pretty mouth breaks into that lopsided grin that you’d fallen for time and time again.

“‘Some National volleyball title,’” you echo, slightly delirious from how warm he made you feel. “As if I’m more important than that.”

“Because you are,” he vows with utmost devotion that makes you dizzy, kissing you under the spring moon like it was the first time he could finally see you clearly. “You’re more important than anything, and that’s the truth.”

He was infuriating, to say the least, but you’d found that you didn’t mind how much he irritated you as long as he loved you just as much.

if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on my ko-fi! you can also check out my full masterlist here :)

#gojo x you #gojo x reader #gojo x y/n #satoru gojo x you #satoru gojo x reader #satoru gojo x y/n #jjk x you #jjk x reader #jjk x y/n #jjk x gender neutral reader #satoru gojo #jjk volleyball au #jjk au

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popponn · 3 months

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a cushion, two continents away. [isagi yoichi x reader]

note: i wrote this in one sitting out of need. a loving yoichi is a warm thought and while this isn't how i imagined the 'first fit of madness in a while' would go, please do know it is one. yoichi is considerate, but yoichi likes affection. that's the thought. warning: none, isagi is full of love and wants to be clingy, post canon pro player au, reader's gender unspecified.

“Please motivate me,” you say to the screen. Isagi tries his best not to ask why you are burying your face in your hands instead of greeting him with a smile. His hunch tells him you might cry if he does that. “Please motivate me, or I might cry.”

Isagi really tries his best not to follow his instinct to ask are you okay there and then. With a smile he hopes doesn’t come out as an exact grimace, he laughs and makes a silent note to order you your favorite drink online later. Paying mind to his sleeping teammates, he whispers, “I don’t know what’s happening here, but hang in there, okay?”

As if being cued by his voice, you finally peek at his face. Even with only part of your face unhidden by your palms, Isagi notices that you are making a face at something—which is probably whatever your workload is now and the fact that he is two continents away from you.

“Why are you away?” you ask, a mix of pout and annoyance haunting your voice, “I want to work while sitting in your lap. I want a back hug. I want a hug. I want you here.”

“Please don’t turn me into a cushion,” Isagi says, even though the two of you know that he will do it happily and readily. Complete with his head on your shoulder, peering at your laptop. Probably, also while sharing warm drinks with you.

Good—Isagi holds back a groan. Now he wants to go home too.

Which shouldn’t be impossible. The match is done, Bachira and Rin are asleep so they can’t snitch, maybe if he runs to the airport now—

“I’m going to sound like a hypocrite. And also this is painful for me to say,” you interrupt his train of thought with a mock of a strict expression, “but please don’t.”

Isagi chews the inside of his cheek, “…but. It’s—”

“I’m not listening to you,” you cut off, despite obviously trying to hold back a smile. But, as quick as that pretty expression of yours comes, Isagi doesn’t get much time to admire it. You soon turn away to somewhere off-screen, facing what seems to be your work with a sigh. “…now, I think I have to go.”

Looking at you and hearing the imminent farewell, Isagi wants to make you stay more than anything. Having a simple celebration between you and him, even through a video call, after a win sounds like heaven. But of course, unfortunately, he is mature enough to know asking that from you is impossible for now.

But, Isagi is self-aware. He is egoistic and stubborn when he wants something. So, he asks, “Can we stay on call? I will be good.”

“…be good, huh?” you parrot his wording. A light chuckle comes out just barely from you.

“You know what I mean,” Isagi shifts on his bed. Lying on his side while hugging his pillow to his body, pretending it’s you. He buries his face into the plush cotton. God—he really wishes this pillow was you now.

Never once did his eyes leave you. He watches as you stay silent, considering for a moment. Then, finally, after a few wordless moments, you finally glance back to him, “…you know I can’t deny that puppy look, right?”

“Stop calling it puppy look,” Isagi denies. He knows he is wearing the expression you often call ‘pouting’.

To that, you finally laugh out loud. For a moment you truly look like there is no burden on you and Isagi considers going on with the pointless debate if he could keep that good look on you forever. Sadly, he knows you should work the moment you fully turn your face to the side. The clicking sounds of keyboards and mouse clicks replace your voice.

“Sure, sure, I will,” you say. Isagi merely hums as he looks at you.

He really should be a good boyfriend and pretend he is your sitting cushion right now.

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annieqattheperipheral · 5 months

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you have to read this in full!!

i gotchu from behind the $wall:

The day Luke Prokop shook the hockey world by coming out, he needed to get away.

And stop looking at his constantly buzzing phone.

It was July 21, 2021, and the right-shot defenseman had just become the first openly gay hockey player under an NHL contract. The Nashville Predators’ No. 73 pick in the 2020 draft was just 19 years old and hadn’t even turned pro yet. He didn’t know how it would impact his future. His nerves were fried.

But one text message was impossible to ignore. He didn’t recognize the number but certainly knew the name.

“Hey, it’s Auston Matthews. I wanted to congratulate you. I look forward to sharing the ice with you someday.”

Prokop was blown away. The Toronto Maple Leafs superstar wasn’t the most famous person to reach out — that honor goes to Elton John — but the fact that so many NHLers, including one of the league’s best and most powerful players, were offering support meant a lot.

Now 21, Prokop still hasn’t taken the NHL ice, but on Wednesday he took a step forward, being recalled by the Predators’ AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. He could become the first openly gay player to appear in an AHL game Friday night for the Admirals in Rockford.

As difficult as the decision to come out was, Prokop told The Athletic in an extended conversation recently that he’s been mentally and physically freed by it. He doesn’t have to hide. He can be himself, on and off the ice. Heck, he can even date.

“It’s been massive,” he said.

Teammates and fans have welcomed him in his journey toward the NHL so far, from Calgary, Edmonton and Seattle of the junior WHL to, most recently, Atlanta of the ECHL. They treated him like he was any other player.

Not that there’s not room to grow. Prokop figured more players would come out after he did. They haven’t, not that he would rush anyone’s decision on that. He’s also been disappointed by the developments over the past few years with the NHL’s inclusion efforts, including the Pride tape “debacle.”

He can only control his own actions, though, and doesn’t regret his decision.

“I’d like to think I’m a realistic person,” Prokop said. “I know hockey is not going to be forever. As much as (when I came out) I would have loved to keep playing, I was OK with not playing any more if it didn’t work out — just being able to live my life the way I wanted, to be myself.

“But now, I don’t want to stop playing. It was definitely nerve-wracking. You never know what the reaction is going to be inside hockey, outside hockey, because no one has done it before. We kind of went out on a limb and hoped for the best. It’s been way more positive than we thought it’d be. You’re going to have some keyboard warriors, which there were a few, but I was expecting more.

“I did not expect the amount of support I got from NHL players. That was really cool.”

- - - - - - -

The Matthews text and Elton John phone call the morning after were memorable, with the gay rock legend welcoming him to the community and offering his email address if Prokop ever needed anything.

Prokop found even more comfort in a moment that came a few days later — the first time he played hockey since his announcement. It was a four-on-four league in Edmonton at Meadows Rec Center, a place where pros and NHLers competed and kept in shape during the offseason.

Prokop was on a team with Colton and Kirby Dach. The other team had Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart and the Boston Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk. During warmups, Prokop found himself near mid-ice. The first guy to approach him was DeBrusk. The two had met previously through mutual friends. DeBrusk tapped Prokop’s shin pads with his stick.

“Congrats,” he told him. “I’m really happy for you. If you need anything, let me know.”

“I didn’t know what the reaction would be,” Prokop said. “So that meant a lot.”

Prokop was returning that year to the Calgary Hitmen (WHL), the junior team he had played for the previous four seasons. But there had been a lot of turnover on the roster and, of course, a lot had changed for Prokop. So he decided to address the team in its first meeting in training camp.

“Everyone knows what I did last summer,” he told his team. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. There might be a lot of media asking you for an interview. If you don’t feel comfortable, you don’t have to do them. If you have any questions for me, come ask me. I’m an open book. I just don’t want you guys to feel uncomfortable.”

In that dressing room, Prokop had heard plenty of the uncomfortable language that’s not uncommon for any locker room. He even admitted using it. He didn’t want to out himself. He wanted to act straight, be “one of the guys.”

“I heard it, but it wasn’t all the time,” he said. “I also took it from the perspective that these guys don’t know any better. It’s hockey language. It’s how guys talk. They don’t mean it in a harmful way. They use the word ‘gay’ as a filler at the end of a sentence to make something stupid. ‘Well, that’s so gay.’ I wasn’t comfortable with it, but I used it myself. I didn’t want to seem like I was out of the mix.

“Some guys texted me (after I came out), ‘F—, sorry if I said anything to offend you when we played.’ I’d just say, ‘Guys, you had no idea.’ The lesson is you don’t know what everyone is going through. The words you say do matter. Make sure you think before you speak. It’s a silly rule you learn in kindergarten. It applies to life when you’re 22 or 35 and never goes away.

“The way hockey is going with the language, guys are naturally changing their language. I’ve heard a change in language on every team I’ve been on.”

Prokop said that season was the best of his career, both from a production standpoint and a personal one. He was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings early in the season and had 10 goals and 33 points in 55 games for them, helping them win the WHL’s Ed Chynoweth Cup and advance to the Memorial Cup.

Luke Prokop won the WHL’s Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Oil Kings in 2022. (Courtesy of Oilers Entertainment Group)

Luke Pierce, then an assistant coach for Edmonton and now the head coach, said the staff and management had discussions with the leadership group before acquiring Prokop — making sure they were comfortable with it, feeling out whether their room could handle the attention. Pierce said he asked one of the captains, Blues prospect Jake Neighbours, for his perspective. Neighbours had known Prokop since they were 10 or 11, growing up playing in spring tournaments together. He told Pierce and the staff there would be “zero issue” and he’d be a great addition.

Neighbours said nothing really changed, that Prokop “fit right in” to the team. Pierce at first wondered if players would have any issue with rooming assignments on the road, but nobody blinked. Pierce noted that Prokop would joke about situations and even opened up about his boyfriend coming to visit.

“He put everybody at ease,” Pierce said. “I often tell people, if the outside world could see how the group of men interacted, it would be just a tremendous inspiration on how we should treat everybody.”

Pierce and Prokop pointed out how this generation is more comfortable and equipped to handle LGBTQ+ inclusion issues. Everyone seems to know someone, be friends with someone, or be related to someone in the community.

“I just don’t think guys really care anymore,” Prokop said. “They might be nervous as they have this stereotype version of what a gay guy might look like, sound like, act like. Like me, coming to a team, they think I’ll act a certain way, look a certain way, but they’ll realize three minutes into talking to me that I’m not that.

“Hockey is part of me. It’s who I am. Guys totally forget (about me being gay) when I’m at the rink. They’re not afraid to ask questions. But other than that, it never really comes up. That’s how I wanted it to be. I wanted them to know, but we can all go out and play. I never wanted to be a distraction.”

- - - - - - -

The NHL’s decisions around Pride jerseys and stick tape weren’t a distraction, Prokop said, but he has gotten frustrated about it.

He understood the issue over wearing sweaters during warmups — “jerseys weren’t really their choice” — but lamented that the fact the focus was on the handful of players who refused to wear them and not all the others who did. The NHL’s initial banning of Pride stick tape, then its reversal, was a whole other topic.

“To take away choices from players was really confusing,” Prokop said. “Some of them don’t really care. For some, it was near and dear to their heart. To take it away was mind-boggling. From the players’ side, the support was there. Zach Hyman talked about it, Travis Dermott. I like what they did. They didn’t make a big deal about it before — they just did it. Let fans see the rest, and it’ll take care of itself. There’s a massive amount of support from players in the NHL.”

What do the Pride tape and sweaters mean for someone in the LGBTQ+ community?

Prokop didn’t recall noticing them growing up going to Oilers games. He never got to see someone who was gay using Pride tape on the TV screen. He had to deal with it himself — “jump over those barriers without any help.” But Prokop continued pursuing his hockey career whereas “a lot of people don’t feel comfortable pursuing their career without that exposure, without feeling like they’re being seen.”

“I think with the Pride tape stuff, they were trying to show support for their older fans,” Prokop said of the NHL. “The fans that have been watching hockey for 40-50 years. That’s not how you grow the game. You want to get the younger generation, put these guys in the best situation to promote the game. Sometimes I don’t think the NHL does that the correct way. The Pride tape is one example.”

Prokop has been part of two Pride nights since he came out, one with the Edmonton Oil Kings and another with Seattle. The Oil Kings staff approached him after not having that event on their promotional calendar. They planned it in two weeks and it was a big hit, with around 8,000 fans in attendance.

“Some guys told me it was the most impactful game they’d been in during their career,” Prokop said. “They said they didn’t realize how many Queer fans they had. I don’t think they realize how much my community watches hockey, plays hockey and cares about hockey.

The Seattle Pride night was fan-driven, which made it unique. Thunderbirds fans noticed that other rival teams had a special night for Pride and made a push for their own, making bracelets and T-shirts. Prokop told teammates they didn’t have to wear the stick tape — he knows how superstitious hockey players are. They all wore some, for him.

“I always look at the perspective, the other side of Pride nights — why do you have them if no one on the team is gay?” Prokop said. “The point is that it’s for the fans. For me, it means a lot to play in them to show my community and be a representative on the ice.”

While education is important, Prokop said any real change in the NHL when it comes to inclusion will start with other players coming out. He’s not putting any timeline or pressure on that. He didn’t have one. But that’s when players in the league will see a different perspective, get more comfortable with it.

“Otherwise, it’s always going to be a story,” Prokop said. “I also can see why guys don’t want to come out. Especially in the NHL. They’ve been very successful, so why change? I kind of saw that from the perspective when the whole Pride jersey story came out. My phone was blowing up. I don’t think guys want to have to deal with that. There was a responsibility for me to talk about these topics. I don’t think guys want to do that. I can see it from that side, why they don’t want to come out.

“I don’t think anything is going to change unless someone else does. Someone else will step up. It’s only a matter of time. I thought there’d maybe be two, three of us by now. But it hasn’t happened. But I know there’s going to be someone else soon. It’s math. There’s what, 700 players in the league? There’s definitely a few more.”

- - - - - - -

While there have been some derogatory comments coming from the stands on a few occasions, Prokop has been encouraged there have been none from opposing players.

“Zero,” he said.

Most of the feedback he’s received, even on social media, has been positive. And it’s not just the comments like Matthews’ that stick with him. Two high schoolers in Seattle, Kaitlin and Jo, reached out to him over Instagram. They are part of the LGBTQ+ community and were struggling.

“Like everyone, they just wanted someone to talk to,” Prokop said.

Part of Prokop’s pregame routine is usually to hang by the bench and listen to music. On many occasions, Kaitlin and Jo would come by and the three of them would just chat for 10, 12 minutes. They’re the fans that Prokop saw every game above the tunnel on his way to the dressing room. They’ve stayed in touch. Prokop even did a Zoom meeting with their high school class last month. “They have a special place in my heart,” he said.

When, and if, Prokop makes his NHL debut, he says he’ll have a special secret plan for them.

Whether Prokop lives his NHL dream remains to be seen. He’s praised the Predators for their support from the first time he did a group video call with the staff. Former NHLer Mark Borowiecki, now a development coach, has been someone Prokop has leaned on often, not only for on-ice advice but for help getting through things mentally.

Scott Nichol, the Predators’ assistant GM, likes Prokop’s potential.

“Big right-shot defensemen that can skate, move the puck. They don’t grow on trees,” he said. “He just needs to polish up his game in some areas in the defensive zone. He’s got the tools. He’s got the skating ability. It’s just patience and embrace the process.”

Prokop is grateful for his support group, from his parents, Al and Nicole, to his brother, Josh, and sister, Alanna. He’s kept in touch with Heather Lefebvre, who is a specialist in hockey engagement and alumni relations with the Oilers Entertainment Group. They talk almost every day. What sticks out to Lefebvre is how young Prokop was when he came out (19), and while he wears this “trailblazer” cap, he’s still standing alone.

“I think this generation is more ready for it than past generations, for sure,” Lefebvre said. “It says a lot to me that nobody else has come out in the year and a half since he has. He’s the only openly gay player under NHL contract, but he’s not the only gay player under NHL contract.

“That’s where I think we have work to do. Is it great that he’s been accepted and can do his thing? Yes. But he looks at the positives, which makes me really happy for him. But that doesn’t mean there’s no negative.”

Prokop takes the positives in his off-ice life, too. He lives with Alanna in the offseason back home in Edmonton. He’s found teammates to share in his hobbies, like golf (he plays 40 to 50 rounds a year). He loves to read, from biographies to sci-fi. He watches basketball more than hockey and has more than 25 jerseys. He cooks. He got into puzzles during the pandemic and is bullish about doing them on his own.

Prokop also feels comfortable getting out there on the dating scene and not having to hide it from teammates.

“Obviously, the lifestyle of a hockey player is tough for some people,” he said. “I’m trying to find the right person to connect with. I’m a softie, a romantic guy. I love love. I’m always on the lookout for that right person to spend the rest of my life with.”

Prokop doesn’t see the label of being the first openly gay player under NHL contract as a weight. It’s more of a responsibility. He has a platform and wants to use it. He’s realistic, “dreaming about winning the community service award more than the Norris Trophy.”

Making the AHL jump or someday the NHL jump won’t define him.

“One of my main goals when I came out is that if I could have an impact on one person outside of my family and friends in my lifetime, I’ve done my job,” he said. “I think I’ve done that and more. And I want to continue to do that.”

#luke prokop #auston matthews #jake debrusk #elton john #nashville predators #milwaukee admirals #atlanta gladiators #toronto maple leafs #boston bruins #jake neighbours #st louis blues #edmonton oil kings #calgary hitmen #lgbtq #pride jerseys #pride tape #nhl garbage league

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moonschildsworld · 1 year

Text

REGRETS — NAGI SEISHIRO

— featuring: pro player!nagi seishiro, pro player!rensuke kunigami, x fem!reader

— summary: in which nagi seishiro broke up with you to focus on his soccer career, went out of contact for 3 years just to be reunited at the match where he is playing against your current boyfriend's team.

— warning: slight angst, mention of self-harm, fluff (puppy-like boyfriend), happy ending for readers

☆ song association: ghostin' by Ariana Grande

you were typing out your report for the company's progress this week, but your mind is barely focus on whatever your fingers are typing out. how could you when your boyfriend of 4 years has been ghosting you for almost a month now, I'm talking about full straight on ghosting, the last message was your message left on delivered 'goodluck for the match', not even fucking seen.

sure it was normal for you both to apart due to his oversea schedule, the longest was 3 months but he kept you updated atleast once a day even if his schedule is packed, he'd steal a quick moment to text you a simple 'busy' so you know what's going on.

you were worried sick, but you weren't letting it show on your face, probably only because anything hardly shows on your face. you weren't about to go on a frantic search for your boyfriend because the last time he updated you, he was in Spain for a match, so how do you even find him? not to mention, the first thing he'd always do after flying back from his schedule, is to crash in your apartment, clinging onto you for the entire night as he said to be 'effective for recharging'

it was just silence since you were working alone over time to finish the report and the sound of repeated taps of keyboard and your mind running long and wild imagining what could've happened to the worrisome boyfriend of yours. your body jolts up as you were being snapped out of your thought by a sound of notification alarming someone had text you, your hand immediately reached out and check the notification, like an answer to your prayer it was a text from nagi.

sei♡:

i'm at your apartment.

sent 8:24pm

it was as if a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders when you see his text confirming he is actually still alive and well, you type out a simple response, 'be right there' smiling slightly as you shut down your phone and can finally focus on finishing your report in a lightning speed, ka chow. ⚡

you unlocked the front door of your apartment, entering while sliding off your heels, "sei?" you called out to him softly. Not hearing a response, not even a tired "mhm" he usually drags out of his mouth to let you know he's there. anxiety bubbling up in your chest as you starts walking toward your living room, there you see him different from his usual 'laid down on the couch drowning in a fluffy blanket' pose, instead he was sitting there slightly croaching, arms rest on his thighs, his face raised on his palms with a serious expression.

as he heard your footsteps approaching, he raises his head up to look at you, "you're back" he mumbles, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts not to even hear you calling out to him just a minute ago. you nod as a response and went to take a seat at the edge of the couch rather than crashing on top of him to nuzzle into his embrace like usual, you weren't dumb and you could read that the mood wasn't for what you'd usually do.

you both sit in silence, waiting for each other to start talking first. as usual, you were the one to break the silence, "what's up?" you finally asked, trying to conceal the anxiety that is bubbling all over your chest.

silence once again, for awhile you just sit there staring at the floor, your head trying to figure out what this is all about and what will it leads to, your thoughts were cut when nagi finally speaks up, "i want to break up"

that sentence makes your stomach drop, your heart skips a beat, not in a good way obviously. a million of "why?"s and your brain digging up past memories to see if you had fucked up at some points, any kind of reasons that would lead to this. you part your lips to speak up, wanting to bombard him with questions, but nothing comes out, you were too shocked. out of the sudden? after ghosting me for a whole month? what the hell happened in Spain?

nagi tried to study your expressions as he speaks on, "I want to focus on my soccer career" he explains quietly. your head drops hanging down trying to avoid his piercing cold gaze that you once loved staring into. huh? it hasn't gotten in your ways since the start of your relationship, hell you were supportative the whole way, there are leftover scars on the back of your hand from you digging your nails deeply into your skin trying to stop yourself from spamming million of texts asking where he was for the past month, just so you wouldn't be disturbing him. you tried to bring all the patience you have in you to never text him unless he texts you first, you avoid anything that could get in his career's way.

you had things you wanted to say, but you bite your lip and sit in silence, knowing that the words you want to say wouldn't come out gently, you'd be yelling it out and you don't want that, you don't want things to escalate, you don't want him to look at you in different light after.

once again silence, even the ants are holding their breath with the tension, "I've started to really get into soccer, I don't think my natural talents is enough at this point, our last opponents made it very clear" your eyes bloodshots, your chest gets more and more stuffy as he explains on, your ears are ringing and you're finding it hard to even breathe, his explanation are going in one side of your ear and exiting the other side, "it gets me thinking that our relationship is unnecessary so‐" with the last sentence, you feel something snaps, "okay" you cut him off hurriedly.

you stand up with your head still hanging down, you weren't gonna let him see what kind of expression you had, you weren't even sure what kind of expression you had on, "I get it so" you pause for a bit to take a deep breathe, "you can leave the spare keys on the dining" you barely finish off your words before hurriedly walk into your room as tears were threatening to fall out, you slam the door shut and locking it before sniffles start spilling out as you cover your mouth trying to not be loud, you could finally spill everything out loud once you hear the front door being opened and closed. you spent the whole night crying your guts out with your body collapsing against your bedroom door.

of course you had hopelessly wish when the morning comes you would open your eyes to see nagi snoozing next to you all peaceful like it was all just a bad dream, or he would come over the next morning to apologize and try to make things right, but as you hopelessly wish, it's just a hopeless wish. Nagi disappeared from that day on, and you go out of your ways to try to avoid anything related to him, anything at all.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

That was almost 3 years ago, now here you both are, standing in front of each other in front of the game stadium.

You were scrolling on your phone waiting for your boyfriend to come escort you until your ear catches an overly familiar voice calling out to you, you raise your head up from your phone to meet nagi's gaze that was burning into you, with a sense of longing, regrets, and remorse. In that moment, you felt like the time stops between the two of you, you were there standing and staring at each other not caring about crowd of people trying to squeeze into the game stadium.

"...sei" you finally open up your mouth. nagi ears perk up from the sweet sweet voice that he used to love hearing his nickname from, the voice he had been longing for, he felt goosebumps all over his body and a tug at his heart. nagi was standing straight awkwardly after hearing you call out his name, like nothing had changed, as always you were the one breaking the silence, "are you playing?" you automatically formed a forced smile from the awkwardness.

"yeah..what are you doing here?" his eyes are filled with anticipation, like he wants to hear a specific answer. "oh, i'm-" you were about to reply when your words get cut off when you feel a huge weight hugging you from behind, "baby, did you wait long?" a deep voice chimes out to you, you turn your head head to look at kunigami already staring down with a sweet smile.

"i was thinking about taking a nap waiting for you come" you retort sarcastically while rolling your eyes playfully earning a small chuckle from kunigami as he bends down to kiss your eyelid as in a way to ask for forgiveness, "coach took too long" he says with a pout, what an ironic expression from a guy that looks like he could kill just by staring at someone.

you snort at his pout, then you snaps your head back to nagi who were watching the whole thing with an unreadable expression, "oh sei, this is my boyfriend" you turn your attention back to nagi, "wait are you playing against each other today?" you asked once you notice their jerseys are of different clubs.

"...yeah" nagi took a while before answering, somehow his blunt answer made things very awkward. kunigami kept clinging onto you from behind and planting small kisses above your head the whole time, "let's go baby, i'll take you to your seat" he says as he grabs your hand from the side and turns back to guard you away after nodding toward nagi as to saying 'excuse us'

you were stopped when nagi asked out, "do you think I'll do well today?" you stopped walking at the unexpected question, well not unexpected, he had always asked you that for assurance the night before his match, but at this scenario it's very unsettling.

you turn your head back slowly toward nagi and flash a small smile, "you always do well, don't doubt your skill" is what you've always repeatedly say to reassure him but this time, it sounds different to him, nagi knows you're sincere but there was something missing in your usual tone. you turn back and continue walking off with kunigami.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Kunigami escorts you to a vip seat above the stadium that has a view of the whole stadium. You notice that he has a gloomy expression as he sits you down and place some extra pillows and blankets to make sure you're comfy when you watch.

"since when you were such a mastermind?" your questions make his head snaps up, his eyes widen with your question and a guilty look flash on his face, "you noticed?" his tone is low and guilty.

you scoff at him, "i guessed, but you confirmed it just now" kunigami drops on his knees in front of you and sneak his arms around your waist as he plants his head on your thighs, "you're so mean" your hands move to his head and caress his hair softly.

nagi wasn't a stranger to kunigami, obviously because they work in the same industry and had competed against each other, whether in friendly matches or important ones. but we're talking about knowing nagi fairly well from you calling out his name in your sleep as you sniffle, you crying alone in the bathroom when you lock yourself in there as kunigami helplessly wait for you outside the door, he coulldn't do anything but wait patiently there to help you any time if you would just utter a single request of help. all he could ever do was hug you tight when you had reoccuring bad dreams from your past memories.

you were in a bad, I mean really bad place after the break up, you were doing everything and anything to distract yourself from your thoughts, or flash back memories of nagi's face, even those happy memories would haunt you every night, you'd slam your head onto the wall multiple times till your forehead bleeds if your head dares to flash his face or any kind of memories associate with him at all in your mind, after you pretending to be all fine and casual in front of your friends, somehow they could see right through you this time, that's how you know it's really fucking bad.

you'd come home from work just to immediately drop your facade as well as your body on the apartment's floor and bawl your eyes out, it went on for like forever. you felt as if there was no way out of this misery, that you would always be stuck with it. you had desperately prayed for a pill that could make you forget all the memories you had of that man.

he's not especially forgettable, he was your first love, you were high school sweethearts, even if he didn't go to college with you, he was pretty well known around there for his growing fame as a prodigy athlete, especially for being your boyfriend, power-couple was what they'd call you both. your friends would always gush out on how you both are so similar and how you were a perfect-match, soulmates. those sure were praises to your ears back then but after the break up?, it would've been better if we weren't so alike, if I could be the opposite of him and tried to cling onto him, would he have stay?

the next stage of grief was anger, you were mad, fuming, after all that sacrifices you've made for him? sure it was all of your own accords but he benefitted a tons out of it, you were dedicated to living a fun, perfect life to show him that you are better than okay being without him, that's how you drunkenly met the love of your life on the first day of 'flipping your life around' , thinking back he was probably a knight in shining armor, your hero. he stopped you from getting into even more trouble if you had continued going clubbing.

you ended up hooking up with him drunk on the first day after all, that should've been the end of it as you both were out of your mind, you could've moved on with your life but no. that sneaky kunigami put on a sob story on how you had taken his virginity in a drunken state and you had to make it up to him, he tagged himself around you on his day off and you couldn't really shake him off since he'd bring up 'that night you took his innocence away'

tagging along with you outside turns into staying over at your place to hang out during the day to staying overnights, as days went on and on, you had noticed nagi stays out of your mind everytime you're with kunigami's company until he slowly dominated your mind as a whole, and atlas you've finally opened your heart to him just around the end of last year's new year eve, wait maybe he had always been a mastermind? needlessly to say that he was over the moon when you had decided to accepted him officially. he had been so patient, helping you heal to his best ability. you've put this sweet boy through more than one ever should. that's why you're set on doing anything to make him happy as long as he sticks around.

it couldn't have been a coincidence that he purposely not tell you who his team is up against today, you thought that he might've forgotten but after seeing nagi, the puzzle pieces came together. he must've wanted nagi to feel bitter about it, to grovel over he had missed out on, a little childish on his side since you only need your hero by your side to survive anything right now.

"you're not really good at being one" you tease him and the pout that was already on his lips grew even bigger, he then bites your thighs roughly, you winced in pain and slaps his head, "what the hell ren!"

he raises his head close to your face staring up at you, "..you said he'd play good as always" his tone clearly showed that he was sulking. your eyebrow raised up and you blink your eyes multiple times before bursting into laughter.

"it's not funny..." he grumbles after seeing you laugh, "I said he'd play good as always, not that he'd play better than you" I tap his nose with my index finger. His eyes light up after your assurance and he then snuggles onto your neck and leaves small kisses on your collarbones, 'what a puppy'

he clings onto you for a few more minutes before dragging his feet to leave with a sullen face since he had to do another round of routine before the match starts, you giggle at his dejected puppy look. you finally had to time alone with your thoughts after he had left.

you let out a big sigh as you recall back what happened in the past hour. you had always imagine how it'd be or how would you act if you come across nagi again since that day, contradictorily you were calmer than in any of the scenarios you had imagine, probably because you have kunigami now. As kunigami pops inside your head, your lips unknowingly curled up to form a smile.

it's been a while since your mind had gone back and thought about your past relationship. it wasn't an exaggeration to say you were a major pushover, not that nagi wanted you to be one, you were one by nature, like they all said you and nagi were similar, and you thought so too.

whenever nagi did something upsetting, you'd get mad but calm down once you try to understand it from nagi's point of view, and always end up doing things his way and go out of your way to justify his actions, since 'that's what I would want me to do if I were nagi'

there weren't just downsides to the relationship of course, the best thing out of it was that you both understand each other so well, you both have the same ideals and principals making it super comfortable to stay by each other's side, that was probably why you wanted to remain 'understanding' until the end, you didn't want to lose the only best part of the relationship.

kunigami is the exact opposite of you, not in a bad way, well he was pretty annoying at first but once you get comfortable, he had, without your acknowledgement, became essential in your life. his straight forward and blunt nature brought out a positive change from you, he tells you to speak your mind, communicate literally everything with you, doing the most absolute ridiculous shit if he knows it would put a smile on your lovely face.

'you look better when you're smiling'

'get mad more, you look hot'

'the hero will always obey his princess'

without batting an eye, he says the cheesiest out of the chessy things, his willingness to show himself nakedly to express everything is what you've always admire and been learning from.

now you're showing a lot more of your expressions and thoughts you're used to hiding. he used to need to force it out of you but you're getting quite comfortable with it now, even your friends have pointed out that you look much brighter now.

you weren't gonna disregard the love you had toward nagi and definitely DO NOT regret all the love you had given, it was most authentic and purest you could've given. it just couldn't work out since you were the only one giving things up all the time.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

everyone has a specific suitable 'love' for them, you aren't really sure yet to what kind of love suits you, but you're comfortably getting used to kunigami's and adapting yours too. It's safe to say you'll be happy for a whole while, perhaps your entire life?

author note; hello<3 this is a work of mine after taking a break from writing for a loooong time, I'm not really sure how to feel about it so please lmk what u think T^T

p.s i want to write a nagi pov of this, what do you think? ~☆

NAGI'S POV IS OUT!

#blue lock #bllk x y/n #bllk nagi #nagi seishiro #bllk angst #bllk fluff #kunigami rensuke #bllk x reader #bllk x female reader #bllk fanfic #kunigami fluff #kunigami x reader #rensuke kunigami x reader #nagi x reader #nagi seishiro x reader #nagi angst

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beabeemu · 10 months

Text

I'll Die without you

Twitch Streamer + Pro! Soccer Player A/N: I've been wanting to make a nagi fic for a while, So I made this!! Hope you all like it!! this was kind of a rush idea LOL

Nagi Seishirou x Reader

MASTER LIST; Tag List Form

It was a mutual mistake, the kind that you will laugh at in the future. But you’re not laughing now.

“Twitch Streamer MeowkIzen is rumored to be dating Professional Football player Nagi Seishirou. After her previous stream, fans claim that they heard the voice of the football player in the background. Read more of the article here at XXXXXX.com”

“Is Twitch Streamer MeowkIzen Dating Pro! Football player Nagi Seishirou??”

There were a lot more articles but I stopped reading them already. I slid the phone back to Nagi’s PR manager, he had me read the headlines on Twitter. Everyone is just buzzing about my latest stream.

It was an innocent mistake.

Nagi entered your apartment, it was quiet in the main area but he can hear your voice in your office/gaming room. He thought that you were just playing games so he thought that it would be safe to enter. He twisted the doorknob open without knocking.

“Babe, what do you want for dinner? I’ll order on post mates” (let’s just pretend that post mates are available in their country)

The room went radio silent. “Babe?”

Looking at the fake wall that you put up, based on how much lighting he saw on the other side, he realized that you were on a stream (you know how Pokimane’s set up is, where she put up a fake wall and decorated it to make it look like an actual room? That’s just like how Y/n’s setup is here)

He froze

You froze

Everyone who was watching the stream froze.

Everyone in the chat was freaking out from the voice because based on their knowledge, you were as single as a pringle.

But apparently not

Immediately ending the stream he heard some clicking from your keyboard and mouse. Then he heard some shuffling then you came out of your makeshift room with a look of panic.

“NAGI! THEY HEARD YOU, WHY DIDN’T YOU KNOCK? NAGI THEY HEARD. THEY WERE ALREADY FREAKING OUT ON THE CHAT.”

While you were freaking out on Nagi, you heard some Twitter notifications from your phone, and they were A lot

“And there they are now!!”

“Hey calm down, they probably wouldn’t even know it was me.”

“Don’t underestimate them, Shiro”

Back to now, nagi’s PR manager had given us a call after a few hours when the accident happened. They told us that they were gonna come over the next to discuss the issue.

“How did they even know that it was me? Can’t we just deny it or something?”

“That’s why we’re here, we have two options on what to do, 1) to say that it was all a prank or 2) not say anything at all. Of course, the second would need for both of you to not post anything for the next 2 - 3 weeks. So which of the two would you do?”

“Would they really believe that it was a prank?”

“It’ll succeed if you just deny and deny everything, But what’s wrong with the second one though?”

“I can’t do the second one, I have an event I need to go to in a week. It’s in the Philippines you see.”

“Conquest?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Well, choosing 2 would certainly not be an option” finally the koala beside me made his presence seen.

“So 1 it is”

“Yup.”

After 2 days I went and did a stream, not even finishing a round in Valo, they were already asking me about the issue.

“Are you really dating nagi seishirou”

As I read the chat, I made it look like I was oblivious to who that was. Basically pretending that I don’t know Nagi.

“Yeah, um. That was a prank Lol I was acting at that time too. It was a pre-recorded tape. Look I can even play it again”

So I did, I played the audio that Nagi’s PR made for me.

“Babe, what do you want for dinner? I’ll order on post mates”

“Babe?”

Then I started laughing, “HAHAAHAHAH LMAO, I’m actually flattered that you guys believed that I have a boyfriend”

I looked at the chat and some of them were believing me, some were skeptical, and some were not believing any of the BS I was saying.

“CAP”

“DUDE GOT ME WORRIED, I THOUGHT YOU HAD A BOYFRIEND LOLOL”

“That tape is so good wtf???? It sounds just like Nagi”

“BS”

“THAT'S PURE BS RIGHT THERE”

And it went on.

Good thing the issue died down before conquest. At first Nagi wanted to come with me, but I told him no. That resulted in him pouting while I was packing my stuff. He even cried when I left.

“Sei, stop crying, I’ll only be gone for a week”

“That’s too long” He sniffled, he wasn’t sobbing or anything. Just silently crying while making me feel bad for leaving him behind

“I’ll be back before you know it”

“Remind me again why I can’t come with you?” He hiccuped as he held both of my hands. He was blocking my view of the closet.

“Because, we just got out of an issue, and the last thing we need is for that to resurface, and you have practice tomorrow”

I let go of his hands, but he quickly pulled me against him and continued his silent crying.

When I arrived at the convention, the fans were really nice, they gave me stuff, some merch, and handmade things that they made. One even gave me Nagi’s jersey as a joke, they laughed when they saw it. Everyone in the room of the meet-and-greet was aware of what happened in the stream, along with the “rumors”. As we continued the meet-and-greet some fans showed some fan art, had me do tiktoks with them, and some asked me about the dating rumor.

I did some sightseeing before going home and went with some fellow streamers who teased me endlessly about the issue. I was lowkey getting fed up lol. During nighttime, I would face time with Sei, he would be dramatic when I would tell him that I wanted to sleep already.

“You would literally play games until 3 am, and it’s only 11 there”

“I’m tired sei” I set the phone standing against the lamp on my bedside table as I got comfortable in the bed.

Sei frowned but gave in, letting you rest. But said that he would call you early in the morning tomorrow. You said thank you and then fell asleep, sei frowned some more, but he didn’t end the call. He just let the call go on as you slept, he soon fell asleep too. So you were surprised when you saw the ongoing call with Sei sleeping with his mouth slightly open.

You took a screenshot, which woke Sei up.

“I missed you” The second your foot stepped in the car, sei aggressively (just a little bit of force though, h just missed you so much y’know) pulled you against him, almost dragging you to him. Sei wasn’t allowed to wait for you inside the airport so he had his manager get you.

“I was gone for a week sei”

“It felt like a year” I rolled my eyes at his over-dramatic nature.

“What are you gonna do with me sei?”

“I’ll probably die”

I just chuckled as the driver drove away from the parking lot of the airport.

Your like and reblogs are always appreciated!!

Taglist: @kimura-uzuri, @10-jiku2, @briefparadisewonderland, @junephantom21, @noshitmyfriend, @decoraboix, @pwr3tties, @miyanaranagikenmal-intp, @vitaniangel-blog@coldteameowjesty, @yamikawa-blog7, @ieathairs, @sirimiripetrichor, @vinkiesz, @myaai230, @rimeeep, @nxxagent, @daichisito, @anyaswrld, @1uvsptnik, @kiritokunuwu, @randomhumans-blog

#blue lock #anime #blue lock fanfiction #blue lock x reader #bllk headcanons #bllk x reader #nagi seishiro #nagi smau #itoshi sae #nagi drabble #nagi headcanons #nagi x you #nagi x reader #blue lock fluff #nagi seishiro x reader #bluelock

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paletigers · 11 months

Text

Some Stardew Valley redesigns/reimaginings!! these pics were about a week apart from one another so theyre in two different styles lol

some explainations below the cut!

For Context: A lot of these headcanons are based off of my own personal lived experiences! They're also just my preferences for their characters in general. I have only romanced Sebastian in-game but looked at Alex's Wiki page for context on the background for his character. I don't really know much about him canon wise, I've only read fanfics with him in it LOL ANWAY!

Sebastian: -25 yrs old + Transman + Gay/MLM -I really liked how he had a motorcycle in-game but thought that there wasn't much to say about it, so I wanted to make it apart of his core as a character! He's a sport motorcyclist as a hobby. He loves high speed racing.

-He's still a programmer, but he's now a Game designer! This is mainly because my lovely boyfriend is a game designer irl and he's like my muse and I love cramming his traits into my favorite characters.

-He plays bass istead of keyboard in Sam's band. I dunno, I think keyboard is fun and all (i actually own two keyboards and played piano in hs) but like. cmon. Bass would suit him so much better.

-I gave him a battle jacket he wears over his normal hoodie. I feel like he has a couple of these from over the years that are DIY with his ever growing music taste. Battle jackets are such a staple in the alt music scene I felt like its a crime he doesn't have one in game. Sebastian you would love battle jackets.

-His motorcycle is a sportsbike instead of a standard/chopper. His helmet also resembles a cat, but definitely not on purpose! Definitely not.

-He has a LOT of scars. Some self inflicted (but he's recovering), others from surgery! He has top surgery scars designed to resemble spider webs, a phaloplasty skin graft scar on his left arm, and gnarly huge scars on his ribs down to his legs.

-He suffered a motorcycle accident resulting in his bike being damaged as well as giving him a limp. He's constantly fixing up his bike since then, wanting to ensure another wipe out won't happen again and that his bike is reall okay to ride again.

-HIS PIERCINNGNSSSSS he has a shit ton of piercings! Not shown, he has a Jacob's ladder piercing. :3c

-His personality doesn't really change much from in-game. I'd personally prefer if he was less bitchy and more just a rarely speaking type. The kind to keep his comments to himself. Bitching about your step sibling and your step dad gets stale, bro

Alex: (Sorry to any alex fans, I changed him a LOT)

-27 + Cismale + Closeted Bisexual

-An ex-pro hockey player (goalie). I don't really care for "gridball" since it's just a couple of sports mixed together (from my understanding) so I decided to just give him a real world sport to play. Plus, hockey just kind of suits him for some reason?? I dunno

-Moved back to Pelican town after the news of his Mother's condition worsening and his Father jumping ship. In my version, he got recruited straight out of highschool to go pro for hockey. He had reservations about leaving his Mother with his Dad, but decided it was the best solution to the shitty situation. This way, he'd have more money to help her medical costs since his Dad's insurance was shitty anyway. A few years go by with constant health updates from his Grandparents, when one day his Dad just calls it quits on caregiving, deciding he doesn't want to waste his life away caring for his wife, and leaves. Without physical support from his Father to help around the house and help his Mother, Alex makes the choice to move back home and become his Mother's caregiver. He struggles with the emotional weight of this job ontop of how extremely demanding it is, but does his best for his Mother. She dies, and now he's taking care of his Grandparents. -I really wanted him to be a caregiver to his grandparents because my family were caregivers to both my Mother and my Father's parents LOL we spent all 23 years of my life taking care of them, so i thought it would be fun to think about. I imagine Evelyn and George to be my grandparents and constantly give them their favorite gifts in-game. (mainly george. i love him) (hes not homophobic hes just OLD and STUPID i LOVE HIM !!!!!!)

-Alex is constantly worried he won't be the same after caregiving for this long. He's worried he won't be able to go back to pro-hockey without reliving the stress of his mother's death. He's been having trouble keeping asleep at night, often waking up every few hours and being completely restless. He'll decompress at the sauna at unbearable hours of the night just because he can't sleep.

-He's the town helper! I thought it would be cute if he's the guy the town usually went to if they needed serious physical help with something, like setting up festival decorations, fixing fenceposts, shit like that. He loves helping out the town and INSISTS sometimes to be the one to fix a problem. When the farmer first comes into town and starts being the more dependable one, he starts feeling hopeless and easily emotionally distant. It's hard being the one everyone depended on to suddenly not being needed anymore. (It's not all entirely in his head, but he gets really worked up sometimes about feeling useless)

-Still an arrogant little shit! Instead of dreams of stardom, it's kind of a "washed up" celebrity kind of arrogance. He thinks he's hot shit because he travelled the world playing games for a couple of years. This backfires in his face, he'll sometimes sit for too long on his "glory days" and spiral, getting depressed about not playing anymore and his role as a caregiver despite loving his grandparents immensely.

-This headcanon is just silly but i think he likes to fish. He's so arrogant that he thinks hes amazing at it but fish rarely bite his line and when they do, they drag him into the river or sand at the beach. It's even more embarrassing because he thinks he's fine and continues to fish despite having sand and dirt all over himself.

-He's covered in moles! I also gave him freckles in places where his skin sees the most sun. (He's also got chest hair bc yall know i love hair on a man LMAO)

anyway. Long post! My bad. I was thinking of writing some Stardew Valley fanfics while working on some other stuff bc I want to explore my versions of Alex and Seb, and also maybe they explore each others bodies???? Let me know if that's something you'd guys like to read/offer up suggestions!!!

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jamiesfootball · 8 months

Note

one thing about me is i EXCEL at stupid ideas so! here is a Stupid Ask for your daily dopamine dosage.

post-s3, roy attempts to be A Good Coach and implements team bonding activities such as sunday board game nights. this has the unforeseen consequence of walking into the locker room monday morning to find moe and colin arguing over whether monopoly is True Capitalist Propaganda while sam sneaks jamie $200 from the bank to get out of jail next week.

This. This actually matches up well with a thing I introduce at the end of my post-season fic.

This bit is not from the post-season fic, but there are definitely some plot points I'm cribbing from it. Here have some nonsense:

There were pros and cons to the new wellness initiative in the locker room.

And 'Wellness Initiative' was the phrase they were using. Not 'show-and-tell', no matter how many times Trent suggested it. Although with how many goddamn talent shows Roy had been forced to sit through in the past weeks, the former-journo might have been onto something. For a team full of professional footballers, a lot of them had found the time to sharpen other talents.

The idea had been simple: at least once a week, they were going to sit around as a team, and they'd take turns picking a topic that had nothing to do with football.

'Share-and-tell' Beard had called it, and Roy had growled until Higgins erased the name from the whiteboard.

Books, movies, whatever song they had bleeding through their headphones in the weight room, Roy didn't care. For one hour a week, they were going to...God help him...bond as a team. Share. Communicate. Maintain the resplendent inter-team hivemind bullshit that got them so close to winning the whole damn thing the year before.

Even if Moe's lockpicking demonstration was a disturbing hour of his life that he'd never get back.

But keeping the team functioning as a team was only half of it. Truth of the matter was, it helped the little idiots to have an outlet, something to get them out of their heads for a bit so that Roy didn't end up hugging a crying player in the boot room every other week. Four times had been enough, thanks.

Colin, the second-time boot room offender, had cocked his head like a Welsh corgi and asked, "Would it be all right if I brought my piano?"

"The one that weighs 800 kilos and broke your mother's floorboards?"

The next week Colin showed up with a new electronic keyboard that did not weigh as much as a baby rhino. He spent his hour taking pop song requests.

"Do I have to do a book report?" Jamie asked defensively when his turn came around. The three weeks before his turn had gone to fucking book reports. Even Roy was desperate for a change up. When he reassured Jamie that he only had to talk about books if he'd actually read a book he fucking liked, the relief on the number-one little idiot's face had been immense.

Jamie showed up for his turn with playing cards, a case of poker chips, and a bouquet of roses. The lads spent the hour shouting about cheating, and after a surprisingly aggressive run of bluffs and flushes, Dani Rojas walked away with all the flowers.

While Roy was distracted by Dani, who lamented that now he would need to buy a florero for his flowers, and Jamie, who thought Roy's water bottle would make an excellent vase in the meantime, he completely missed the gleam in Sam's eye as the unassuming player shuffled the card decks back in order.

---

Sam Obisanya was a fucking menace. One day Roy would retain this information.

Most days it was easy to forget. He had a calming effect on Jamie, who was less prone to biting when Sam was around. This made Jamie quieter, which made Isaac and Colin and Dani quieter, which gave the overall impression that things were peaceful in the locker room.

What Roy always forgot to add to the equation was that Jamie had the opposite effect on Sam, who on a normal day would never be found smiling like a post-canary cat while monopoly cards flew around the locker room like projectile weapons.

"I'm not paying you rent again, Cockburn!" Colin shouted.

"You keep landing on my square. It's not my fault you're bad at dice!"

"Bruv, quit throwing shit. It's my turn and I almost got all the railroads."

"The railroads are statistically the worst spaces to own; you know this, yes?"

"War is inevitable in a system where capitalism is dominant," Moe pointed out from where he sat lotus-style on the bench, abstaining from participating in the 'game of the exploiters.'

"Oi, Sam," Jamie whispered, sitting up a bit to tug at the edge of the other player's jumper. "While they're fightin', can you get me out of jail?"

Sam nodded at Dani, who flicked his hand in a way that spoke volumes on how he'd thrashed the team at poker. Two beige notes appeared in Sam's hand, and just as quickly disappeared into the collar of Jamie's shirt.

"Cheers," Jamie thanked him. He settled his head back down into Sam's lap, making himself cozy like a spoiled, cheating cat. "Never was any good at Monopoly."

Sam's smile was angelic, but his eyes glinted in a way that boded horribly for Roy's heart pressure. "Next time I can bring Settlers of Catan. Or Risk."

"Ooh. Risk. Should we team-up?"

Who knew Sam's talent would be putting Roy Kent in an early grave?

#writing snippet #loosely related to #[redacted title] post season three fic #ask box is always open #thank you for indulging me #roy kent #jamie tartt #sam obisanya #afc richmond

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songmingisthighs · 1 year

Text

[19.55] cat hybrid!san × reader

⇀ san. what is san ? san's a cat. but san's not just a cat. san's an adorable cat

⇁ @bobateastay you did this AGAIN FFS /lovingly

It had become a routine it seems. Every Sunday, you and San decided that it's a day to just relax, do nothing. But it's a pact that although you both are doing nothing, you're doing nothing together.

On this particular do-nothing-day, you found yourself on your bed with a book in your hand as the tv played a movie that you've watched approximately 12 times within the past year. San was not far from where you are. He was sat on his gaming station that's situated on the other side of your shared bed with his back against the tv.

Maybe 2 hours has passed since you started your book and the movie was nearing its ending. San has been playing some sort of game with another cat hybrid named Wooyoung, a dog hybrid named Yunho and a snow fox hybrid named Yeosang, all of whom he befriend a long time ago.

You closed your book and stretched your body like how San taught you to, as you quote, "Reach the maximum relaxation because who wants to function with an ass that falls asleep every 10 minutes?" Which you don't quite understand but you don't care since somehow, it works. On your stomach, you folded your legs under your body and reached forward with your arms, stretching your back until you feel your spine cracking away. After your back, you released your legs and just pushed like how San would. You pushed until your legs shook, making you grin at yourself at how good it felt. Once you're done, you flipped your body and land on your side, facing San who was so focused on his own game that he hadn't noticed you looking at him.

"Go! Go! Go! No- Wooyoung I swear- YOU SAID YOU'RE GOOD AT THIS!!!!" he roared into his mic, fingers tapping furiously at his gaming keyboard. You don't know which entranced you more, his fingers dancing on the keyboard or the colourful lights on the keyboard itself. "I should have teamed up with Yunho... LOOK AT YEOSANG CHILLING RIGHT THERE!! HE'S WORKING TOGETHER WITH YUNH- oh that's rich coming from someone who died after 2 minutes-"

San stopped his rant to Wooyoung when he noticed you staring at him. Confused (yet very happy that he got your attention), San smiled at you for a bit before refocusing on his game. When he smiled, his dimples popped out and his black cat ears twitched from the fluff of white hair. You couldn't help but squeal and completely melted.

As he focused back on his game, you crawled over to his side of the bed and sat by his side. You took a good look at him, seeing how he scrunch his eyebrows when he was focused on attacking, how he seemed to be such a pro at balancing between using one hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse, how his beautiful pupils dart around the screen, following the direction of his mouse (which is ironic considering he's a cat), all the while navigating and coordinating with Wooyoung. There's a grace to him playing games, and there's an adorableness to him cussing at his teammate and bitching about said teammate to his other friends.

Noticing you were staring at him, San's eyes began darting back and forth from the screen to you. "Is there something on my face?" he asked as he moved his headphone away, opting to let it rest on his neck so he could still hear what was going on but also to hear you. He was wondering why you were staring at him like that. Like he's the fluffiest marshmallow.

You simply shrugged and instead of answering, you simply reach to scratch the base of his left ear. The stimulation from the scratch made him purr and his eyes began fluttering. For a split second, he forgot that he was playing as his fingers curled and hovered above his gaming station.

It wasn't until you heard Wooyoung yelling at him through the headphones on his neck that he snapped out and immediately moved to shoot at a character in the game that you assume is either Yunho or Yeosang. San's a good player, but that doesn't mean he can't be petty when he wants to be. There were instances where he shot his own teammate after they called him clingy for being distracted by you, all the while adorning an adorable pout that made you peck his nose.

Seeing him needed by his teammate, you decided that maybe you were a distraction to him. You had just lifted your hand off of him when he suddenly let out a childish whine of disapproval. "What are you doing!?" he complained as he snapped his head to you. From the headphone, you could hear Wooyoung retaliating, something along the lines of "Me??? What the fuck are YOU doing!?" because in mere seconds, San was hissing at him. "Not you, dumbass! I was talking to (y/n)!" he said as he pouted at you.

"Me?" You furrowed your eyebrows at him, "What did I do?" you asked, confused. San puffed his cheeks and simply grab the hand that you used to scratch him and plopped it on the top of his head. "Pat," he said simply. Which sounded more like a demand.

Realizing why he was pissy, you couldn't help but chuckle and comply. Rather than distracting him with the scratches he usually demands before sleep, you simply pat and rub the top of his head gently. You let your fingers card through his soft locks and even took time to take notice of how his ears would move around, sometimes due to sounds or even fluttering when he felt satisfied. The pout on San's face soon melted, replaced with a satisfied grin. Even his tail swished around happily, seemingly doing a little happy dance.

You like seeing San this happy. When you both first decided to move in together, you were unsure because your friends told you all sorts of horror stories about hybrids. How because they're part animals, they still have animal instincts in them and some won't even hesitate to hurt you for fun. The predator ones that is. But when you saw San and saw the first time he smiled at you, you know that you had nothing to worry about. Ten thousand suns won't even be able to match his brightness. Because he's your San, he's your San-shine. Your little big ball of fluff who often demands attention without wanting to say anything. Your pouty baby when you're so busy with work that you couldn't spare 10 minutes to give him his daily forehead kisses and nose nuzzles. Your adorable source of happiness who doesn't even have to do anything to get your absolute ultimate affection. Seriously, you might need help detaching yourself from San. His adorableness is a distraction which is a big issue for you. But honestly, you're not complaining.

After a while, your arm started to get tired from the constant petting but you don't wanna let San down, he looked so pleased.

"Sannie, my arm hurts," you groaned, slowly pulling your hand off.

Without missing a beat, his ears flopped down and his eyes turned into giant orbs, eyebrows drooping sadly, and bottom lip jutted out. "But... Warm..." he quivered sadly. You cooed and reached to cup his face, "Well, you're playing now and I can't hold out that long... Can we continue later before we sleep?" you negotiated.

But of course, he shook his head stubbornly.

Before you could make a move, he had already pushed his gaming chair back and pulled you into his lap. You yelped at his strength that you're pretty sure stemmed from his absolute determination to get what he wants. But you quickly adjusted your position, legs slipping under his armrests and chin comfortably resting on his shoulder.

Not even two seconds after you found your comfortable position, San grunted and he bumped the side of his head with you. You pulled back slightly as you were about to scold him, but he beat you to it. With his lips pursed like a duck and eyebrows furrowed, he mumbled, "Attention, now."

You couldn't help but roll your eyes at San. But even after saying that, he tightened his hold on you and rested his own chin on your shoulder. You bit your bottom lip to prevent yourself from grinning to yourself even wider. It's bad enough that San already has an iron grip on you with his adorableness, you can't let his hot-and-cold side affect you too. Not that it hasn't, but you're simply bullshitting yourself.

Obliging his request demand, your hands soon found purchase around him. You had an arm wrapped around his neck, playing with the fabric of his hoodie as the other tangled itself with the hair on the back of his head. You let your fingers softly comb his hair as you hum a tune from a Studio Ghibli movie. San soon found himself melting under your touch, evident from the way his shoulders relaxed and his tail swishing way more calmly against your leg, making you giggle.

If only time could stop, you'd be happy being in this position forever.

"Dude, I can hear (y/n) humming. Are you guys in the chair together!?"

"Shut your jealous mouth up Wooyoung, go be useful."

taglist :

@rdiamond2727 @bobateastay @kodzukein @phenomenalgirl9 @skzatzloveismonsterous @memorymonster @forapollosol @dreamlesswonder86 @maddiebabyxoxo @imababywolf @do-you-actually-care @marievllr-abg @ilsedingsx @wasteitonserendipity @bbymatz @noonaishere @jo-hwaberry @honeyhwaaa @ateezourstars @yoonjunshi @yoongiigolden @camillelafaye @charreddonuts @jcngh0-hq @kpopnightingale @starryunho @atinct @cutie-wooyo @mirror-juliet @hyuckilstan @jayb17 @multihoe-net @kpoplover718 @imswitchbabemox @starryunho

@seonghwarizon @chloepurpy

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dj-steve-francis · 1 month

Video

SUNDAY CHILL MUSIC DJ STEVE FRANCIS

#youtube #facebook #twitter #tiktok #instagram #dj steve francis #pro keyboard player #sunday night chill #live music

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wttcsms · 2 years

Text

pro vball player!tobio kageyama has a fan base that loves to edit compilations of paparazzi and candid photos of him staring down at his phone with the cutest look of concentration (brows furrowed, thumbs flying across the keyboard, and his eyes glued to the screen). even his teammates have made jokes during interviews about how it’s so hard to get his attention once he unlocks his phone after practice or after a match that’s played out of town. nobody realizes that he’s too busy replying to each of the 37+ text messages you’ve sent him updating him abt your day, individually, no less

#kageyama x reader #my winter bf frfr

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cobrakaisb · 2 years

Text

foolproof plan

summary: the only downside to fake dating is that someone always ends up falling for the other.

warnings: y/n is a happy drunk; underage drinking (not condoning it); mostly cuteness; a couple swears

word count: 4.16k

“so do we have a deal?” he asked, hand out waiting for you to take it. you hesitated, biting your lip as your eyes flickered from his face to his hand. the anxiety and reality surrounding what you were about to do was setting in. were you actually agreeing to this? a surge of confidence washed over you as your smaller hand grasped his in a firm handshake. “we have a deal,” you agreed.

now all you had to do was pretend to fake date owen power.

tall, brunette, number-one-overall nhl draft pick, owen power. your hesitancy to take owen’s hand had nothing to do with owen himself and everything to do with who he was; star hockey player for the university of michigan who was bound to go pro once their season came to an end. but you needed the help, and his proposition was too good to pass up. ever since your crush on kent johnson formed, you’ve been looking for a way to get closer to him, and this was the perfect opportunity.

that’s right. owen’s caught you ogling at his best friend and roommate one too many times for it to be a coincidence. so when he proposed that the two of you fake date to make kent jealous and “light a fire under kent’s ass” (owen’s words not yours), the obvious answer was yes. it took a lot of pondering, but eventually you agreed to his idea, hence putting you in the situation you were in now.

“but we need some rules,” you added, pulling your hand from his. owen smiled, a little half smile that definitely didn’t compare to his real one. “whatever you want sweetheart,” he agreed. you couldn’t help the small flush that appeared on your cheeks at the pet name. this was going to be a lot.

“let’s meet tomorrow for lunch. at the chipotle off campus?” you suggested. “sure,” owen agreed, chomping on his gum. “where’s your phone?” he continued, holding his hand out for the device. at the sight of your confused look and raised eyebrows he huffed, “what? i just want to give you my number.” “oh right,” you mumbled, handing him the device with a blank contact. his fingers glided over the keyboard as he entered his information into your phone. “text me a time. actually, what class do you have? i’ll pick you up,” he said, eyes looking at you expectantly.

“um poetry but,” you started before he cut you off, “right your class with kent.” you glared at his tone, one filled with teasing and something else you couldn’t decipher. owen smiled again at the sight of your angry face. you were cute. “i’ll pick you up and we’ll go to lunch, sound good?” he asked, but deep down you knew it was really a question. “perfect,” you agreed, a fake smile on your lips. “great! see you tomorrow babe,” he cheered before walking out of the lecture hall, leaving you stunned into silence.

walking out of poetry class, you were surprised to see owen standing there. he was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone aimlessly. you stopped for a moment, just admiring the beauty that was owen power. he was wearing gray sweats and a random michigan hockey shirt, along with his signature glasses that made him look just the right amount of nerdy.

after some random person shoved you, you realized that you were blocking the hallway. you walked over to owen, clearing your throat as a signal that you were there. “hey. i’m ready to go when you are,” you said, a somewhat forced smile on your face. “me too. let me take your books,” he replied, grabbing the assortment of materials from your hands. “you don’t have to,” you tried to protest, but one look from owen had your mouth snapping shut. just as the two of you were about to walk away, someone called out owen’s name, and you knew exactly who it was.

“what are you doing here?” the blonde asked, walking up to the two of you. “i have a date, remember?” owen answered, subtly gesturing to you. kent’s eyebrows furrowed, his bottom lip jutting out even more than it already was. “i didn’t think you were being serious,” came kent’s reply. your cringed, the sting from his words already hitting you. owen must have noticed because he huffed in annoyance, “funny kent. now if you’ll excuse us, my girlfriend and i have a lunch date to get to.” those were the final words of the conversation as owen began leading the way out of the building.

the walk to chipotle was pretty much silent. there were minimal things to talk about anyways. “listen, about the comment, he didn’t mean anything by it. you’re great and what kent said had nothing to do with you--” owen started to explain, but you cut him off: “it’s fine owen. besides, it's not like we’re really dating anyway.” if you didn’t know any better you’d say his face fell at your words.

“so what are these rules?” owen asked once the two of you sat down at a table in the back corner of chipotle. you felt heat creep up your cheeks at his intense stare. “i don’t know. i’d just figured we’d want rules so no one gets attached,” you mumbled, looking at owen shyly. “and is that what you’re worried about? getting attached?” he asked, and while you originally thought he was teasing, there was nothing but sincerity in his eyes. you neglected to answer, instead pulling out a piece of paper to write the agreed rules on.

“okay so you can pick me up from class, if you want to obviously, and i’ll meet you at your classes too,” you said, looking at owen for confirmation. “i’ll pick you up from class and walk you there. you can do the same for me, if that’s what you want. keep things equal between us,” he agreed and you nodded, jotting down the first rule.

this continued for some time until things started to get a bit more intense. “you come to all my home games. in my jersey,” he said, but it came off as more of a demand. “all of them?” you asked, biting your lip. “every single one. besides this will give you a chance to see kent play too,” owen replied, wiggling his eyebrows at the last part. you rolled your eyes at his words, huffing in annoyance. “fine. but i’m not wearing the jersey,” you said. “um yes you are. people need to know that you’re my girl, babe,” owen rebutted, giving you a pointed look.

and he was right, of course. how were you supposed to be fake dating owen power if you don’t even wear his jersey to his games? “fine. but it’s just for show,” you relented. “mhm sure,” owen answered, taking a bite of his food.

“and what about kissing?” you asked, causing a loud choking sound to come from the boy across from you. you sat up straight, leaning over the table to make sure he was all right. he continued to cough for a few seconds, but gathered himself almost immediately. once the coughing subsided, owen looked at you, and that's how you noticed the closeness between you two; noses barely touching, as his brown eyes met yours. a blush covered both your cheeks as you sat back down. “let’s not plan that out,” he mumbled, and you nodded, writing down the word kiss with a question mark next to it.

game tonight. stop by the locker room for the jersey

that was the text you saw displayed on your screen at the end of your midday lecture. this whole fake dating thing with owen had been going on for a couple of weeks now. the two of you walked each other to class, holding hands, parted ways with a hug and “kiss on the cheek” (because if people looked hard enough they would see that his lips barely grazed your skin), and then met up again afterwards for a small coffee or lunch date. it was going great. owen was a nice guy and fun to be around. he was also so smart and helped you out with your homework and studying on more than one account.

today, however, was his first game since this establishment. it was going to be your big debut, as owen called it, and he had everything all mapped out. you would arrive early, just before warm ups, to meet him at the end of the tunnel, where he would give you his spare jersey. then you would sit in the children of yost section, and he’d make a big show of waving to you during warm ups. from there the team would go on to win the game (fingers crossed) and the two of you would celebrate with his friends at the after party.

“a foolproof plan,” owen explained over lunch. “yeah totally foolproof. not a single thing could go wrong,” you said, sarcasm dripping from your voice. owen gave you a pointed look, but the smile threatening to make its way onto his face won over. “just keep an open mind,” he begged and you nodded, a small smile on your face as you continued to eat lunch.

now you are standing at the entrance of the tunnel, fidgeting with your phone. you texted owen a couple of minutes ago and he replied saying that he’d be right out. finally, he came through the tunnel. his pads and skates were on, but no jersey. yet he still managed to look really good, and you had to physically stop your jaw from dropping.

“hey,” he greeted. “hey. excited?” you asked, sticking your hands in the back pockets of your jeans as you rocked on your heels. “yeah. a little nervous too, but i think we have a good shot,” owen said, a hand running through his long hair. “yeah?” you asked. “yeah,” he answered. the two of you stood there, neither of you making a move. “so the jersey?” you pushed, nodding towards the maize colored jersey. “oh right,” he mumbled, handing it to you.

you took the piece of clothing from him, inspecting the size. it was huge, going down to your mid thigh at least, and you’d definitely have to roll up the sleeves. “put it on. i want to see,” owen begged, a childish whine in his voice. you laughed, but obliged to his request with no problems. just as anticipated, the jersey was huge. “i look like a child,” you groaned, eyeing the length. you expected owen to have some smart comeback, or completely deny your accusation, but instead he said nothing.

your eyes now moved from the ginormous jersey, to the tall giant in front of you. “what?” you asked softly, a blush coating your cheeks when you noticed his intense stare and wide opened mouth. again, owen didn’t say anything. “this was a bad idea. i should take it off,” you rambled, lifting the hem of the jersey, but owen stopped you. “no don’t. you look great, really great. please keep it on,” he whispered, fingers wrapping around your wrist. “okay o, i’ll keep it on,” you agreed, letting the fabric slip from your grasp. the air was heavy as his hand dropped yours, eyes still locked on you. “i um…i should go…team meeting and all,” he explained, a large hand rubbing the back of his neck. “yeah. yeah. i’ll see you after, okay?” you said and he nodded, turning to head back the way he came from.

“oh and owen,” you called, grabbing his hand just before he stepped out of reach. “hmm?” “good luck,” you whispered, standing on your tiptoes as you left a gentle kiss on his jaw.

the game ended up going really well. the boys pulled off a huge win over michigan state, leading to an absolute rager at one of their hockey houses. “we’re going,” owen decided for you, taking your hand in his as he led you to the house. it was clear that he was on an adrenaline high; owen had scored a goal but also had an assist. (at least that’s what the people around you kept saying.) he made a big show of pointing to you during his goal celebration, letting everybody know that the two of you were “together”.

“are you nervous?” you asked, the hockey house coming into view. “no, why?” owen asked, looking down at you. “dunno. i just figured you would be. these are your friends after all,” you mumbled. “it’ll be fine. they really want to meet you. besides this is the perfect opportunity for you to get kent’s attention,” he said, bumping your shoulder towards the end. you don’t know why, but a small frown came over your face at the mention of kent. you hadn’t thought about the blonde since this whole thing started; your thoughts were consumed by a tall brunette.

owen guided you up the stairs of the hockey house, one hand resting on the small of your back as you walked in front of him. he pulled the door open, waiting for you to enter the already bustling house. “big dog’s here!” someone shouted, causing a series of whoops and shouts to chorus throughout the room.

owen smiled, a red tint coating his cheeks. he was so cute, you thought, watching him with a fond smile. “let’s go get a drink,” he said, directing you to the kitchen. the second you entered the small area, you were ambushed by a bunch of rowdy boys. you recognized some of them as owen’s teammates, but you couldn’t remember any names.

“finally brought your girlfriend around, o?” one of them asked, a teasing smirk on his face. he was tiny, much smaller than owen, and blonde. owen rolled his eyes at the guy’s words, eliciting a couple laughs from the group. “this is y/n. y/n these are the guys,” he introduced, gesturing to the boys in front of you. “hi,” you said, offering them a small wave.

“what do you want to drink?” owen asked, drawing your attention back to him. “um…lemonade i don’t know. i don’t really drink,” you answered. the blonde guy from earlier scoffed, throwing an arm over your shoulder. “oh that’s gonna change real quick,” he promised, taking it upon himself to make you a mixed drink.

hours later, and you were not only well acquainted with the team, but with drinking. you found out that the blonde guy was named thomas and that he and brendan were pong champs. somehow, and you have no idea how, the two of them had roped you into playing a game of pong with them. they partnered you up with mackie, one of the freshmen, and insisted that they would go easy on you. that strategy didn’t seem to be working in their favor though.

“let’s go!” mackie shouted, high fiving you as the two of you won your third game in a row. “woo!” you cheered, jumping around excitedly. “dude! do better!” brendan shouted at thomas, causing the two of them to start playing the blame game.

it was the loud commotion that attracted owen’s attention. he smiled at the sight of you interacting with his friends. you caught him staring, smiling widely at him. you waved him over, calling his name over the loud music. owen walked over to you, stopping when he reached your side.

“owen! guess what? mackie and i keep winning,” you cheered, gesturing wildly to the younger boy. “oh yeah?” owen asked, trying to suppress a chuckle. you were so cute. “yeah. maybe you and i can play together,” you said, tapping his chest at your great idea. “i don’t think so honey. i think we should go home,” he answered, watching as a pout settled on your lips. “but i’m having so much fun. can’t we stay for a little longer?” you begged, leaning into him. owen shook his head, before explaining that it would be best if you left. “you can come over another time,” he promised, causing your eyes to twinkle in happiness.

“really?” you asked softly, voice taking on an excited tone as your eyes lit up with happiness. “really,” owen answered, intertwining your fingers with his. he smiled fondly at you, nothing but love and adoration swimming in his brown eyes hidden behind those nerdy glasses. “okay. just let me say goodbye first,” you agreed, dropping one of your hands. he watched as you pulled mackie into a side hug, yet still managed to keep him close (not that owen would dream of letting you wander off).

after you’d made your rounds, and owen told the important people that he was heading out for the night, the two of you exited the still wild party. the cool crisp air hit your skin as you walked down the steps and onto the front lawn. “it’s kind of chilly,” you mumbled, stepping closer to owen, who’s body radiated heat like a personal heater. “here,” he began, sliding his arms out of the varsity jacket adorning the school’s logo.

“what owen--” you tried protesting, but he silenced you with a ‘hush’. drunk you didn’t have the energy to argue because you held your arms out, allowing him to slip the jacket onto your shoulders. immediately you were encompassed in the smell that was owen, causing your shoulders to relax and comfort to seep into your bones. “thanks babe,” you said, grabbing his hand in yours once again. that was the first time you called owen babe, but he figured now wasn’t the best time to mention it.

“this physics homework is kicking my ass,” you complained, your head dropping into your hands as your pencil slid across the library table. currently, you and owen were having an impromptu study date in one of the library’s study rooms. he chuckled at your misery, causing you to lift your head up and frown at him. “it’s not funny owen. i’m actually really struggling,” you said, frowning a bit. “let me see it,” he asked, holding his hands out for your paper.

you smiled, happy to be getting some help from the physics genius himself. “what are you taking mech? or electrical?” he asked. your eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his question. “it’s just physics 101. i need it for my major,” you explained. “i see,” he mumbled, eyes completely focused on the paper while yours were completely focused on him. you watched with deep fascination as his brown eyes scanned the words on the page. you could basically see the mathematical gears turning in his head as he tried to decipher the problem and your chicken scratch handwriting. understanding lit up his eyes, as a small “aha” escaped his previously pursed lips.

“you used the wrong equation here,” he started before going on a physics tangent involving the correct equations, solving steps, and substitutions. he was leaning over the table, watching intently as you worked to make the corrections necessary. when you finally finished the problem, you turned to look out the windows of the study room, the ones that gave you a perfect view of the library. you were surprised, but not shocked, a group of michigan hockey players staring at you like animals in a zoo.

you blushed when they began making kissy faces at the two of you, brendan holding up a heart with his hands. owen just rolled his eyes, shaking his head gently at their antics. their laughs echoed in the previously quiet room as they all barged in. scraping the chairs against the floor to match their loud, teasing voices. kent took the seat next to owen, nudging the taller boy’s shoulder, shooting him a look that made fun of him in a loving manner. owen’s cheeks flamed and he turned his attention back to you, who was chatting with brendan and thomas while completing the physics homework.

you must have felt his eyes on you because you looked up. the second your eyes connected your cheeks turned the same shade as his, but you quickly averted your attention back to your studies.

weeks of fake dating turned into a month of fake dating. a month of fake dating turned into two weekend series at home and one away, all of which required you to wear owen’s jersey. all of them that made your feelings for owen abundantly clear.

maybe this whole thing started out as a way for you to gain kent’s attention, but now you didn’t even care. kent had started talking to you more and texting you, but he didn’t hold your interest the way owen did. you from the past would have been thrilled by the attention, but now, it was unwanted and unwelcome. leading to your current predicament, how to tell owen that you wanted to date him in a realm outside of making kent jealous, rules, and all things fake. studying provided the perfect excuse for you to execute your foolproof plan. (granted you did have a test to study for but it could wait.)

that night, you skipped out on some party that owen’s friends were hosting under the guise that you needed to prepare for the upcoming week. owen, like the great person that he is, offered to stay back and help you, but you declined his gracious offer. every couple of minutes owen would send you either a text or snap from the party claiming that he was bored and wished you were there. but he hasn’t sent you anything in almost half an hour, and you were disappointed to admit that it was getting to you.

just as you were about to get back to studying, after checking your phone of course, there was a knock on your door. your eyebrows furrowed, thinking that maybe your roommate lost her key again. but you were surprised to find owen standing there, holding a box of pizza, a six pack of coke, and a bag of your favorite candy.

“owen? what are you doing here?” you asked, stepping to the side so that he could walk into your room. “i missed you, and the party was boring. so i thought why not stop by to see my favorite girl, and convince her to watch cloud nine with me,” he said, with a sweet smile on his face as he held the box of pizza out as a peace offering.

“aww owen. i’d love to,” you replied, taking the food from his hands and setting it down on your desk chair. “good because this would have been so awkward otherwise,” he mumbled. you laughed at his words, standing on your tiptoes to throw your arms around his shoulders, linking your fingers together behind his neck.

“thank you for coming,” you whispered, looking into his beautiful eyes. “you’re welcome,” he answered, arms tightening around your waist just a bit. “i um…actually i wanted to tell you something,” he mumbled shyly, a nervous look in his eyes. “me too,” you replied, stepping away from him ever so slightly, allowing for some space between you two. “you go first,” he insisted, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

you took a breath, taking a moment to appreciate the man standing in front of you. part of you knew that this could be the last time you see him. “i have a crush on you. it’s more than a crush actually, and i’d rather date you for real than be in a fake relationship,” you confessed, twiddling your thumbs as you waited for his answer.

owen’s mouth parted in shock, and he stood there silently for a couple of minutes before answering. “me too. err well i mean i’d like to date you too, for real,” he explained, causing a large smile to take over your face. you laughed, throwing your arms around his neck as his arms wrapped around your midsection, lifting you in a circle. your laughter echoed through the room as he put you back on the ground.

“i’m so glad that you asked me to be your fake girlfriend,” you whispered, forehead resting against his. “i’m so glad that i came up with this foolproof plan,” owen replied, and you quirked an eyebrow at that. “well it’s not entirely foolproof,” you teased. “oh really? explain,” he demanded. “we still have an issue of kissing to sort out,” you answered. “ah right. how about i kiss you now? and then again later? how about i kiss you everyday? is that a new rule, one kiss a day?” he asked, leaning in closer to you. “i think more than one kiss a day is fine,” you decided, allowing his lips to meet yours in what could only be described as the best kiss in fake dating to lovers' history.

#owen power #owen power x reader #owen power imagine #owen power blurb #owen power fic #buffalo sabres #umich hockey #owen power 😩#odp #cobrakaisb writing

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tawaifeddiediaz · 24 days

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hello! im a newby gimaker and i want to follow your tutorial on sharpening but i dont know how you got to the photoshop page you started from where it looks like a video timeline. can you tell me how you got there? <3

Hey!!

Welcome to the wonderful world of gifmaking <3 yes i can lead you through to that point. I have a mac so this might look different for you, but all the steps stay the same - I just shifted from windows to mac so i know this xD

I'm going to show you how to do this on this gif:

I prefer to use screenshots for my gifs (I also don't know how else to make them), so I use Mplayer for that. I used to use MPV player but that stopped working with my new computer system.

First, you want to make sure that you're using a high-quality file. If 1080p is available to you, use 1080p at the very least. This will make sure your gifs are crisp and sharp.

Open your file with Mplayer. Then find the bit that you want to gif. I sometimes search forward by frame by using the ">" key. Once you're at the start point of your desired gif, pause the video. Then, Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + S to start screenshotting. The video will start to play slowly as the screenshots are captured. (They go to the desktop automatically but you can change that in interface settings).

The rest of the tutorial is under a cut:

Once you get your screenshots, you're going to go Photoshop. File > Scripts > Load Files Into Stack.

You're going to get a dialogue box. Click Browse and load the screenshots that you want. This is what that looks like when you finish:

Next, you're going to crop your gif, using the crop tool. You can press C on your keyboard for this or use the tool with this icon in the sidebar.

For this, I'm using an aspect ratio of 540 x 400:

Click that checkmark to crop. Once you do, we're going to resize the image. Use the Cmd/Ctrl + I function to bring up this box. For tumblr gifs, you want to change the width. The height doesn't really matter but if the width doesn't match up, Tumblr is going to fix it for you and it'll look funky. Per row:

1 gif , we use 540px

2 gifs, 268px each

3 gifs, 177, 178, 177 px

We're just doing one, so I'm using 540px.

Now, you want to make sure you can add the timeline. In the top bar, go to Window > Timeline

This will bring up the timeline.

From there, click "Create Frame Animation" (you might have to press the arrow in the timeline bar first.)

It's going to look like this:

We're going to use those three lines in the corner of the picture above. The first option we'll select is "Make Frames From Layers"

That looks like this:

Now, when these load in, you may notice that they're all in reverse. To make them go back in order, we're going to go back to that menu and click "Reverse Frames."

Then, in that same menu, click "Select all Frames." We're going to change the animation speed. You want to make sure you have the first frame selected. We're going to click the arrow next to the "0 sec"

When you click that, it will give you a menu. Click, "other..." You should get a dialogue box that says "Set Frame Delay", just like the one below.

You want to use anywhere between 0.05-0.1 seconds. I find that anymore more is just too slow, so I prefer 0.06. This is fully changeable at the end of my sharpening tutorial, and you can use what you want, but that's what I prefer.

When you do that, it'll change the frame speed of all the gifs.

Now, go back into that little menu, and click, "Convert to Video Timeline."

This is what it'll look like:

Now we're going to select all the layers in the right-hand pane. Once we do that, right-click and select, "Convert to Smart Object."

And you're there! Now you can use the sharpening tutorial to your liking.

Pro tip: Make an action with all these steps so you don't have to do them by hand with every single gif you make.

Hope this helps and it wasn't super long winded. Let me know if you have any questions <3 Happy giffing!

#zee answers #zee's tutorials #sharpening #gif creation #tutorials #gif tutorial #photoshop tutorial #resources #ps help #dailyresources #userphotoshop #completeresources

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hils79 · 9 months

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Hils Watches The King's Avatar - Ep 38

This is probably going to be the last one I watch today and then I'll finish it tomorrow. Unless this one ends on a cliffhanger...

I don't know if he's lying but he seems genuinely delighted that Yifan has done something in the game and no one knows how he did it

I really thought Yifan had won that one and I legit gasped when Xiao Shiqin managed to take him out as he was dying. The game sequences in this drama are so good!

If they didn't both already have boyfriends I would ship them. Yifan deserves all the boyfriends who love and respect him.

His former captain is proud of him. I'm fine I'm not crying at all.

And his other boyfriend is proud of him too

All I've wanted is for someone to hug Yifan and amazingly it's An Wenyi who has stepped up

HEY! Why don't the girls get to be in the team huddle? This is bullshit.

I was so sure it was going to be Sun Xiang but I suppose Ye Xiu has to defeat his son before he can defeat his son's new dad

Love Shaotian using the commentator mic to send personal messages to his friend

Wenzhou: You are very cute but that's enough

I don't know why but I love that they all have lil backpacks with their keyboards, mice and headsets in

Haha! His son left him hanging and now he's acting like a cat who's pretending it meant to just fall off the table. And look how amused Xiao Shiqin is. Utterly delightful.

I love that even Wenzhou looks surprised

Aww look how he's matured. He wants them to be even before they fight so he knows he won on his own merit not because Ye Xiu was half dead when they started. Having a husband and a son has been good for him 😂

I love how shameless he's being. That's my little gremlin.

Everyone else: Ye Xiu is amazing!

Wei Chen: FFS!

That's his husband

YES! Phew that was an intense game!

Damn that was close!

I love that Shaotian isn't even pretending to be an unbiased commentator

Bowing to the fans to apologise for his loss. He really has grown up so much. FFS why am I crying over this?

I love Shaotian so much

It's cute when Ye Xiu calls Wei Chen old. It's less cute when people outside their team do it

I don't like it but pro sports players do shit like this all the time. At the end of any season you find out players were playing with broken bones and all sorts of awful stuff. One guy a few years back was getting hooked up to an IV every night while his team was in the final so he could play through a really bad fever.

Oh so he's letting her play now. Honestly, fuck this guy for fucking everyone around. The sooner she gets out of this toxic environment the better

I love that Xiao Shiqin hates him too

Ah, good. Right before the next game seems a good place to stop for the day. Back tomorrow to finish it off.

#hils watches #hils watches the king's avatar #hils watches cdramas #the king's avatar #cdrama

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freakingoutthesquares · 1 year

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Mojo Britpop Special 2009 This Year’s Model. Transcription: Me.

A mix of Celtic yobs and art school wits, Pulp created a culturally momentous update of old school glam. But joining London's glitterati fragmented them. By Roy Wilkinson.

At the 96 BRITS, whilst Jarvis Cocker was making himself known to Michael Jackson via a stage invasion, bandmate Russell Senior was making another acquaintance. ‘I met Chris Eubank,’ says Russell of the monocle wearing former boxer. ‘We were getting on famously, but after the Jackson incident he folded his arms and turned away because he was a huge Jackson fan. I'd been having this interesting conversation, about art, philosophy... But Jarvis ruined it!’ [Laughs] ‘Though he had a point, of course.’

A phenomenon as chummy as Britpop was never likely to produce seditious acts similar to self-immolating monks or suffragettes throwing themselves under horses. Cocker's BRITS incursion was perfect - a commando raid as envisaged by Charlie Chaplin. If the Britpop was a national Jubilee, Cocker’s assault was the feat of bravado that marked the party at its peak - before dawn revealed the broken glass and trampled flower beds.

With nothing but a stylised posterior display and glare full of silent movie distain Cocker derailed Jackson’s plan to recast himself as a mix of Jesus, David Attenborough and Doctor Bernardo. Surrounded by children, images of wildlife and actors done up as representatives of the world's key religions, Jacko sang on through Earth Song, oblivious to Cocker’s presence. But the rest of the world noticed, and there were consequences.

Jarvis was locked up at Kensington police station, Brian Eno took out a pro-Cocker advert in industry paper Music Week, while Simon and Yasmin Le Bon appeared in the Daily Mirror wearing ‘Justice for Jarvis’ T-shirts. An act that united the ex-Roxy Music pop sage with the Duran Duran singer was an appropriately odd reflection of the way Pulp’s uneven career embraced both high and low art. By the time Cocker gatecrashed Jackson's performance, Pulp had been going 18 years. Jarvis, a single minded fellow, was the only surviving original member.

Russell Senior left Pulp after ‘Jacksongate’ in January 1997. He'd been with the band since 1983, effectively operating as Jarvis, his right-hand man. When I spoke to Russell, he was attempting to create a nesting site for kingfishers in the garden of his three-bedroom family home in Sheffield. Conversation ranged from Suede and Oasis to Russell’s fascination for central Europe. He recently visited Criona, a Serb enclave in Croatia. The band's guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Russell quit Pulp, citing artistic frustration and the desire to spend more time with his family. He'd been part of Pulp’s slow ascent to 1995’s Different Class album, the band's commercial and critical peak, cut by a line up completed by keyboard player Candida Doyle, drummer Nick Banks and bassist Steve Mackey.

Jarvis wasn't the only member of Pulp to trespass at the BRITS. Cocker was accompanied by Peter Mansell, Pulp bassist, from 84 to 87. Mansell’s presence at the BRITS was a subtle reminder of the bands long torturous history. They survived years on the dole and lived through the Miners’ Strike, during which Russell served on the picket lines. Pulp finally reached the masses during Britpop's commercial peak in 95. But for Senior. Britpop began earlier, on a night in Paris in October 1991. Pulp were third on the bill to Blur and Lush.

‘My first experience of Blur,’ says Russell,’ was walking into their dressing room in Paris and seeing them smashing this mirrored wall. The floor was covered in glass and Alex (James) was pouring champagne out of the window onto the people below. Damon (Albarn) was flicking spoonfuls of caviar out of a window. The first thing Graham (Coxon) said to me was, ‘We like your band. We're going to copy you.’ I used to do this kind of Pete Townsend arm fling. Next time I saw Blur, Graham was doing it but making it look more like a Nazi salute.’

‘Later I thought their Girls and Boys single was very Pulp. (Blur producer) Stephen Steet did say, ‘I know we've nicked your clothes a bit.’ But I'm not griping at Blur because they had the balls to do it bigger. For me, that night in Paris was the start of Britpop. It's not something I'm going to knock. I mean, there was a period little later when I started wearing Union Jack socks.’

Prior to Senior’s Britpop flashpoint in Paris, he is band had a 13 year pre-history - unlucky for some including, it seems, Pulp. The band came into being in 78, formed by Jarvis at school in Sheffield. They were known as Arabicus Pulp, the Arabicus coming from a copy of the Financial Times. It alluded to a commodities index featuring coffee arabica, found in Ethiopia and Yemen. Spiritually cursed by such obtuseness, Pulp spent the next 15 years plagued by tragicomic levels of ill omen and commercial failure. There were rehearsals in the building shared with table tennis clubs and model railway enthusiasts. According to Jarvis, these hobbyist sects were at daggers-drawn and expressed their antipathy by crapping outside each other’s doors. Jarvis said in 1993 that he devoted much of ‘It’ Pulp’s 83 debut to ‘writing all these songs about girls when I'd never had a proper girlfriend.’ When he did secure female attention, Cocker had unconventional ways of making an impression. He attempted to walk along a second-floor window ledge outside a Sheffield bookshop. He fell, breaking a wrist and ankle and fracturing his pelvis.

Subsequent shows saw Jarvis singing from a wheelchair - a sight some interpreted as grotesque take on the kind of ‘disability chic’ launched by a hearing-aid-adorned Morrissey. Pulp made an album for £600. The sales figure wasn't of a dissimilar magnitude. Pulp made three albums in these wilderness years. It was followed by Freaks (1987) and Separations (1991) [Actually 1992!]. Freaks’ subtitle - Ten Songs About Power, Claustrophobia, Suffocation and Holding Hands – said Pulp were still some way from the matily exuberant dimensions of, say, Blurs beery, Britpop totem Girls and Boys.

I first interviewed Jarvis and Russell in 87 around Freaks. They were genuinely amazed that then record company Fire had stretched to some chocolate biscuits to go with tea. The resulting article compared Pulp to Ian McEwan, Bertold Brecht and Carry On actor Charles Hawtrey.

‘It wasn't all about me and Jarvis by any means,’ says Russell of Freaks. ‘There was also this Celtic yob element which was (Belfast born) Candida Doyle, Magnus (Doyle, Candida’s brother and Pulp drummer at that point) and Pete Mansell. If it was just me and Jarvis, it would have all been very art school. The other three liked Sham 69… Actually, we all liked Sham 69. Perhaps that was the only thing we all had in common. In fact, we sometimes played Sham 69s Hurry up, Harry live.

After Freaks, Jarvis moved to London, studying at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design. Steve Mackey had joined Pulp on bass and was also in the capital studying film at the Royal College of Art. Soon Pulp were exhibiting a more playful mood and an unknowingly pop-art retrospection. There were concert flyers advocating ‘Pulp-ish’ things to do, such as ‘doing a wheelie on a Raleigh Chopper’ and ‘Going to the supermarket wearing a lurex jumper.’

This increasing friskiness - and references to the kind of 70s bicycling design that would soon turn up in the video for Supergrass’, Alright single - began to manifest itself in Pulp’s records. In the early 1990s they released a string of singles full of a new vivacity. In title, at least one single could hardly have given clearer indication that Pulp were now ready for revelry. It was called Razzamatazz.

Pulp left Fire for Island Records. The band's first album proper for Island was His’n’Hers in 1994. Now Pulp finally reached the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart. The sleeve featured an airbrushed portrait of the band by Philip Castle, the artist best known for his poster image for the film A Clockwork Orange in 1971 - Pulp were a vision of sci-fi second-hand chic. The music included the same pop art reconfiguration of the past.

‘Glam rock was a big part of the picture,’ says Russell. ‘I'd written this mission statement for the band - about making the fairground music of the future. The music of dodgem cars and girls with love bites - the modern version of Sugar Baby Love by the Rubettes, anything by Slade and Sweet. In the dour time we were experiencing, there was a wistfulness for the exuberance of glam rock. We believed in glamour. We absolutely wanted to be pop stars - on our own terms, but pop stars nonetheless.’

With its vandals, acrylics and tales of sexual initiation His’n’Hers was a critical and commercial success. The next 16 months saw Pulp - Jarvis in particular - become a national treasure. Where once Cocker had occupied the mildewed margins, now he seemed to be permanently addressing the nation with wit, charm and the ability to correctly answer every question that Mike Read [it was Chris ‘Talent’ Tarrant actually!] asked in the quick fire round on BBC 1's Pop Quiz.

Pulp’s years lurking in the backwaters could now be seen as advantageous, their own prolonged version of the way The Beatles had honed their craft hidden away in Hamburg. If Britpop was about taking age-old strands of British culture and re-styling them for the contemporary era, Pulp were masters of the moment. The Sheffield years weren't far removed from the formative grind endured by any traditional Northern stand-up comedian.

Russel: ‘On stage, Jarvis is always great at talking to people. But before Britpop, he kind of had them in his hand and then turned it into a joke. That used to drive me mad because I wanted him to keep hold of them and make it all really euphoric. Coming into the 90s he became a full-on master of ceremonies and it was great. The Pulp shows in that period was so exciting. That was the best of it for me. I don't think we ever truly captured it on record.’

When Pulp stood in for an injury-stricken Stone Roses at Glastonbury in 1995, they were greeted with the kind of open-armed gratitude Allied troops experienced while liberating Paris in 1944. These latter-day saviours brought with them a whiff of sex and nylons, but also Common People, a song that for the summer of 1995 became a universal anthem to match Lily Marlene or The White Cliffs of Dover.

When Jarvis guest presented Top of the Pops in 1994, he was met with a wave of communal good will. Even more so than when Chris U band appeared two years later, gamey lisping through ‘Suggs at six with Cecilia.’ Then Pulp became Top of the Pops themselves, their Different Class album hitting Number 1. It wasn't difficult to account for its success. The likes of Mis-Shapes and Something Changed have show-tune vigour that could have been as successful for Tommy Steele or Jesus Christ Superstar. There were also more left field inclinations. Common People was partly inspired by the drones of American minimalist composers Steve Reich and La Monte Young. But at its core, the album dealt in ancient methodology: narrative writing set to music everyone could understand.

While Britpop groups occasionally mined British music hall, Pulp surveyed the eternal verities of popular song less self-consciously than their peers. Here was a new folk music, but one that always felt like pop music. Musically, the album touched on The Beatles’ Revolution 9, drum and bass, the soundtrack to 1966 French film Un Homme et une Femme by Claude Lelouch and Gloria the 1982 hit from Laura Branigan. It amounted to a remarkable piece of populist art. However, the band have mixed memories of this period.

‘It did feel like vindication,’ says Nick Banks. ‘We were always confident that if only the masses could hear what we were doing, then they'd like it. When people did hear it, quite a few thought it was good enough to shell out for a record or two.’

‘At the time,’ says Candida Doyle, ‘We fought against the Britpop label. I thought we were the best band and there was no way we should be grouped with these other bands, but looking back, we were part of it and I'm glad we were. It was only in 2000 that I actually began to enjoy playing with the band. Before that, I was petrified on stage. Headlining Glastonbury, that was really fucking scary. But when we played Common People and they turned the lights on the crowd singing for miles into the distance, I'll never forget that.’

Russell has a more challenging version of events. ‘It had become a travesty,’ he says. Different Class was a kind of last gasp. It was over by then, but we still managed to get it down as a document. I rather hated Jarvis when he was in the studio singing Common People. He'd become so far removed. He was the villain of the piece because he was wearing trousers he'd been given by some designer. He wasn't wearing his jumble sale trousers. We were surrounded by coked-up knobheads.’

Senior also talks about an attitudinal North-South divide in the band at this point. In the Southern corner were London residents Jarvis and Steve. For the North, Russell, Nick and Candida, (though Candida was actually living in London by this point.) It's a perspective partly shared by Nick. ‘There was a North-South divide,’ says Russell, ‘Abso-fucking-lutely. I like living in Sheffield and one does have a chip on one’s shoulder about being patronised by poncy Southern bastards. To find there was a couple of members of the band who were doing the patronising was rather irksome! (laughs) The more they go all Kate Moss and London, the more I'd be, ‘By heck, where's me whippet?’ There was definitely a divide within the band.’

Russell left Pulp as they began to work on what would become 1998’s This is Hardcore album. By this time narcotics had become part of the picture, appearing in the lyrics of This is Hardcore and becoming a staple topic in Pulp interviews.

‘I thought that was a distorted image,’ says Steve Mackey. ‘I've never known Jarvis have a problem with narcotics. Ever. I was taking a lot more drugs than he was, but I didn't think I was taking that many. With Pulp no one ever went to rehab, no one was taking heroin. I don't recall Jarvis ever regularly taking drugs. But it did become a fairly regular part of the studio experience during This is Hardcore, and that's a dangerous thing. It became a bit of a self-indulgent record. But in a way that's also its finest hour, because something glorious came out of that. I feel very affectionate about that record. I think we really reached something with that.’

And the alleged north-south divide?

‘I never felt that,’ says Mackey, ‘My recollection of why Russell left is that after Different Class, it was clear he wanted to make a record that followed on in that vein. Me and Jarvis made it clear we weren't going to make that kind of record. Russell made it clear he didn't want to make our kind of record. The split was pretty amicable - we didn't fall out, but it cast a shadow over the band. I missed Russell - he was the person I loved watching when I saw them live before I joined.’

Before Pulp played their last show in 2002, they made one more album, the nature oriented We Love Life, released in 2001. There was also an underperforming greatest hits compilation in 2002, a record Jarvis has described as ‘the real whimper, the real silent fart’ of Pulp’s career. It charted Number 71, then disappeared. But if Pulp’s last years can read as forlorn times, that wasn't really the case. Recorded with Scott Walker, We Love Life has some of Pulp’s finest material, particularly the wonderfully elegiac, spoken word piece, Wickerman.

Nowadays, Pulp’s ex-members have a healthy view on all the past dramas, perhaps because Pulp isn't the only thing in their lives anymore. Jarvis was unavailable for interview because he was in America mastering his second solo LP. He also guest-edited BBC Radio 4’s Today programme and collaborated with Nancy Sinatra and Marianne Faithful. I spoke to Candida Doyle as she was visiting Disneyland Paris with six Shetland cousins and their ten children. She’s started a counselling course in London. Steve Mackey just finished producing Florence and the Machine’s debut album. He's produced and co-written for MIA and has remixed the likes of Kelis and Arcade Fire. While overseeing London's Frieze Art Fair’s musical programme, Mackey booked Karlheinz Stockhausen for one of his last engagements before he died. Nick Banks plays at private parties with The Big Shambles, knocking out covers of songs by The Damned, David Bowie and Amy Whitehouse. More typically, he runs Banks' pottery, a Rotherham based crockery business – ‘Crock’n’roll, as we like to call it.’

Of all the former members, Russell Senior has strayed furthest from music. He's written 50,000 words of a debut novel and has been setting up a ‘wild-foods processing plant.’ An avid lover of wild mushrooms, Russell has been furthering this. Rather than reducing trees to a pulp, he's utilised woodland in a more sustainable manner. ‘What I've been doing,’ he says, ‘is drilling little holes in Birch trees to collect sap – I’d highly recommend it.”

Scans from PulpWiki

#russell senior #jarvis cocker #steve mackey #candida doyle #nick banks #mark webber #pulp #britpop #90s #interview

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