#we support striker’s craziness

[sophfandoms53]

lost my mind every time he showed up what the fuck was he doing here (affectionately)

[adascore]

Have I Not Given Enough

pairings: arsenal wfc x young!reader

warnings: crying. self-blaming. teen!reader reacting to losing against wolfsburg.

author's note: oh to be comforted by the arsenal girlies...

masterlist

•••••••

''We'll come back stronger, kid. Only the start for you.'' Caitlin patted her back before making her way to congratulate the Wolfsburg players.

The Arsenal striker stood on her own now, bathing in the misery of defeat. The worn pitch beneath Y/N's boots felt colder, a stark contrast to the warmth of anticipation that had filled the air just hours ago.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end. The set-up was perfect; Arsenal making it into the Champions League finals for the first time in over 15 years at a sold-out Emirates Stadium.

Bremer's extra time goal had ruined it all. The cheers had been replaced by a haunting silence, broken only by distant celebrations from the victorious Wolfsburg team.

The teenager was a sad sight as she tried not to burst out in tears, standing all on her own by the opposition's goalposts. The gravity of the loss weighed on her shoulders

Somehow she managed to move her feet towards the other players, going through the post-match routine: congratulating the Wolfsburg players, who in return offered their solace.

It was nice to have players like Popp express their admiration for the youngster, but in the moment she couldn't bring herself to care one bit.

''Nice goal, kid.'' Ewa Pajor patted her head, praising her opening goal of the match, the one that had kickstarted the long, grueling fight between the German and English team.

Y/N managed a weak smile, grateful for the acknowledgment.

''Hey, hey, Boneca!'' Rafaelle approached her. ''You should be proud of yourself, okay? Remember the noise in the stadium when you made that goal? Savor that feeling.'' Her Brazilian teammate told her, holding her close.

Katie noticed the interaction and decided to join them, leaving Teyah and Lia behind. ''Hey, girlie. Why the sad face? You've just made yourself a legend.'' The Irishwoman managed to genuinely laugh.

''We lost, Macca.'' A few tears escaped, but they were immediately wiped away by Katie and Rafa.

''Yeah, and it hurts. But you, baby goat, just scored in a Champions League semifinal against a club that has won this thing 2 times.'' She grinned, the pride she felt beaming off of her face as she used the playful nickname.

Y/N was pulled into a supportive hug by Katie, providing much comfort. Rafa affectionately pinched her cheek before making her way towards their other teammates.

As the huddle expanded, more teammates joined them, forming a circle of support around the young player who felt this loss harder than anyone else.

Jen held her close to her body, as if shielding her from the harsh reality of the defeat. The Scott wasn't telling her anything, just holding her as their teammates tried getting a smile out of her.

''I was like ''Yeah! Woo!'' The atmosphere was insane!'' Manu did an impression of her reaction to Y/N's opening goal.

''It's like the stadium came alive, it was so fucking crazy!'' Kaylan exclaimed, with animated hand gestures.

Y/N appreciated her teammates and their consolations. However, she couldn't escape the weight of disappointment that she felt within her. Despite their genuine efforts to coax a smile, the young player found herself unable to entertain them.

''Oh my god, you did so well, Y/N. You were amazing.'' Victoria hugged her as Jen let her go.

''Thanks, Vic.'' She mumbled on the Dutchwoman's shoulder.

The midfielder swung her from side to side. ''Don't cry, it's okay.'' She tried to comfort her younger friend.

Y/N felt another pair of hands on her back, hands that belonged to another Dutchwoman, although, this time it was not a teammate.

''Hey, meid.'' Jill greeted her, and Y/N pulled away from Vic, who said something in Dutch to her patriot.

''There's gonna come a day where you're gonna lift that trophy, okay? You've grown so much.'' Her former teammate praised her.

The teenager nodded. ''Thanks, Jilly.''

Jill planted a kiss on her head, bidding goodbye as she joined her teammates again in their celebrations.

As Victoria pulled Y/N back into her embrace, the teenager's gaze caught sight of the approaching figures of Kim, Leah, Beth, and Vivianne.

The teenager skillfully transitioned from hugging Victoria, gently slipping away as the crowd dispersed. She made her way to the bench, where the atmosphere was more peaceful as most people were scattered around the pitch.

As she settled on the bench, Y/N took a deep breath, her emotions threatening to surface. Before she could fully let herself go, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

''Hey, what's going on?'' Steph, observant as ever, approached with concern etched on her face.

The striker tried to mask her emotions with a forced smile. ''Just disappointed.''

Steph nodded understandingly. ''I get it. But you got us through this match, and I'm very proud of you.''

''Thanks, Stephy- you were amazing too.'' Y/N quickly reciprocated the compliment, her eyes darting around.

The Australian noticed a frown on her face. ''Hey… you okay? You look like you're having panic attack.''

At her words, Y/N looked her straight in the eyes. ''No, no! I just wanna go home, to be honest.'' It wasn't a lie. All she wanted to do was to get in the car, and lie in her bed until it was time for the next match.

Steph nodded. ''Take your time, sweetie.'' The defender joined the squad on the pitch again, leaving the young one alone.

In the distance, Beth approached Jen, her expression reflecting concern. ''Hey, Jen, have you seen Y/N?''

Jen furrowed her brow, scanning the surroundings. ''Uh, she was with Vic like a minute ago.''

''Oh, alright. How was she doing?''

The Scott pouted. ''Looked pretty torn up, as you'd expect. Some of us were trying to cheer her up, but you know the kid…'' She made some sort of gesture that indicated she was not taking it well.

''Poor thing.'' The Brit sighed.

Back on the bench, Y/N remained in solitude, staring mindlessly at nothing.

''Hiding?'' The sudden voice of Rose, their physiotherapist, made the youngster flinch.

''Jesus, Rose!'' Y/N exclaimed, her hand on her heart.

Rose chuckled, unfazed by the reaction. ''Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. You looked like you needed a moment.''

''Yeah…''

The older woman nodded at her lack of words. ''It's okay. Take all the time you need. We're doing the huddle in a minute, though, so you might want to join that.''

''Yeah, I will.'' Y/N replied.

Contemplating the upcoming huddle, Y/N's unease heightened when her eyes locked with Kim's on the pitch. The captain started walking over to her with an unreadable expression.

Unable to face the captain she respected so much, she rose from the bench, pretending she hadn't noticed Kim's approach.

Rose watched as Y/N escaped from the interaction with Kim, giving the captain a sad smile.

The teenager's eyes scanned the pitch, Gio's friendly wave caught Y/N's attention, and she decided to make her way towards her friend.

''Tough match, huh?'' She said, trying to offer some solace.

''To say the least.'' The Brit sighed, glancing down at the ground.

''You okay?'' The Brazilian asked, Y/N's darting eyes were anything but subtle.

''Yeah, I just… yeah, I'm fine.'' She stuttered, not having the heart to actually say what she was doing.

Gio could sense Y/N's unease. ''Should I get Beth or Viv?''

''No, no! Just… I don't wanna face them right now.'' She admitted.

''Why?'' The forward didn't understand, knowing how close she was with the couple.

''I just… I- I can't do it.''

Gio nodded anyway. ''Okay, stay with me then. We'll hang back a bit.''

Kathrine joined them as well, the three youngsters keeping each other company while waiting for the entire squad.

In the huddle, Y/N strategically averted her gaze, fixating on the ground beneath her feet.

As Jonas addressed the team, the weight of disappointment pressed heavily on her shoulders, and she struggled to engage fully in the moment.

''I'm proud of this team. We're standing here in a sold-out stadium, and we gave them a fight. We didn't give up and we gave our everything until the end.''

The Swede's words were a mere distant hum. Her mind replayed all the crucial moments of the match, each missed opportunity being screened in her mind.

While the team absorbed Jonas's encouragement, Y/N continued to bear the weight of her perceived failure, the applause and cheers around her a muffled backdrop to the cacophony of self-critical thoughts.

Afterwards, Lotte pulled her in an embrace. Her England teammate's presence being a source of comfort.

The Arsenal homegrowns' moment was interjected by someone grabbing Y/N's arm.

''A goal against Wolfsburg or what?'' The England captain said.

The attempt at light banter didn't quite reach her heavy heart, the teenager simply shrugging her shoulders.

Leah, perceptive as ever, sensed her teammate's unease and tried to give a sense of perspective. ''Hey, you have so much to be proud of. Look at this stadium! This is only the beginning.''

Despite the skipper's encouraging words, tears welled up in Y/N's eyes once again. The disappointment was cemented in her mind.

In the midst of her emotional turmoil, Vivianne and Beth approached, their expressions reflecting heavy concern.

Beth's eyes softened as she pulled Y/N into a gentle hug, aware of the unspoken pain lingering in the air. Vivianne placed a reassuring hand on her back, silently offering support.

''Hey, kiddo, you were absolutely brilliant.'' The elder of the two said, caressing the back of her head.

At the lack of response, she continued. ''It's okay to be upset, sweetheart. You're feeling a lot, aren't you?''

Y/N nodded, her voice catching as she struggled to articulate her feelings. The couple exchanged worried glances, realizing the impact the loss had on their young teammate.

''I'm so proud of you, you gave it your all.'' As Vivianne expressed her pride, Y/N's emotions reached a breaking point.

Sobs escaped her, and she clung tightly to her mentor, seeking refuge in the strength she had always admired.

The Dutchwoman took over from Beth, pulling the youngster even closer to her.

''I'm so sorry, Viv.'' Y/N apologized, full of guilt for not bringing the team to the Champions League final.

As she continued to apologize, Vivianne gently cupped her face and whispered reassuring words. ''Don't apologize. It's not about the result on the scoreboard. You played with your heart, and that's the most important thing.''

Y/N, overwhelmed by emotions, couldn't shake the feeling of letting down those she admired the most. ''I wanted us to win, especially for all of you who couldn't play.'' She mumbled.

''You've made all of us super proud, lieverd. It's a journey, remember? You still have a long way.'' She whispered, her own tears betraying the depth of her emotions.

Leah reached out to rest a hand on the teenager's shoulder. ''Darling, you were without a doubt one of the best players on the pitch.''

''I missed so many shots.'' Y/N stated through a sob.

''And so did the others. Don't carry this on your own, my girl.'' Leah retorted.

Beth and Lotte, recognizing the rawness of Y/N's emotions, instinctively moved to shield her from the intrusive gaze of the cameraman. ''Can you not?'' The defender furrowed her eyebrows.

The players didn't want their teammate's vulnerable moment to be exploited. Fortunately, the crew listened and moved further onto the pitch.

''I made so many mistakes.'' She continued crying. The floodgates had opened and closing them would be a difficult task.

''You didn't, darling. Like Beth said, you were brilliant.'' Leah's own eyes were now being filled with tears, Y/N's self-blame making her emotional.

Y/N shook her head at the skipper's words, hiding her face in Vivianne's neck. ''You were, listen to Leah.'' The Dutchwoman muttered, caressing her back.

''Hey, Y/N. Hey.'' Kim's voice sounded out of, seemingly, nowhere. Leah moved out of the way so the captain could get closer to the teenager. ''You've got nothing to be sad about. You played a fantastic match. Yeah, we didn't get the win, but you've made the club so proud.''

Her voice was stern, but it was a loving sternness. ''Let's go and thank the fans now. They deserve a proper thanks.'' She urged the entire group to do a lap of the pitch.

As the squad gathered together and walked around, the players waved and applauded the fans. The defeat stung, but the bond, not just between the players, but also between the players and the supporters is something special and unbreakable.

Regardless of the result, they're celebrating the players as if they did win and Y/N felt herself smile as she looked into the crowd, and seeing the Gooners experience this with them, with her.

In a quiet moment, Kim approached her again. ''You're creating something special here, Y/N. The way you've got the fans behind you… you're like their own personal star girl. Please, enjoy it,'' the midfielder patted her back, ''because this is what I want you to remember from this match.''

A teary-eyed Y/N, managed to nod her head in appreciation. ''Thanks, Kimmy.''

The pair found themselves holding hands as they continued thanking the fans. It was a beautiful image as it represented the older and new generation of Arsenal; Kim, a captain with years of experience, comforting Y/N, someone who undoubtedly was the future of the Gunners, and could potentially become a skipper in the distant future.

[batgirlteeth]

its been CRAZY seeing the sentiment on ai art suddenly do a 180 on this site. like do you fuckers not get why the strikers were so opposed to it? did we forget that? i am VERY wary that there's suddenly this influx for support of ai generated content after the execs were forced to cave and game devs are organising. you are not immune to propaganda.

[thcdragonprince]

How the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes affect The Dragon Prince

As a TDP content creator, I can’t stay silent about how this affects one of my favorite TV shows and entertainment in general going forward.

TL:DR the Strike

the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are on strike now meaning anyone in these unions or anyone looking to be apart of these unions will not work until their demands are met

both unions are demanding “more equitable division of the profits from movies and television” as well as arguing that AI will never be “literary material” and “is a threat to creative professionals everywhere”

How This Affects TDP

the strikers are not calling for people to cancel streaming subscriptions or stop watching content, if anything they want people to watch content so the execs can see they are needed

SO WATCH TDP S5 WHEN IT COMES OUT JULY 27TH

STREAM STREAM STREAM

Wonderstorm Inc, which creates TDP, is based out of the USA, so any changes due to the strike directly affect them

as far as I know, Jesse Inocalla (Soren) and Jack De Sena (Callum) are apart of the SAG with Jesse posting updates to his IG story and Devon Giehl (Lead Writer) has tweeted about the strikes

almost all of the TDP actors are Canadian, not American, Jack (Callum) and Erik (Aaravos) are the only solely US based cast

the Theatrical and TV sections of SAG are on strike, not animation or video games

the TDP team is still allowed to promote The Dragon Prince and TDP S5, it is NOT a Struck project, we wanna show our love to this show like crazy

TDP is a ACTRA project, which stands for Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

ACTRA is not on strike, but stands in solidarity with SAG

TL:DR - TDP is not a struck project and can proceed as normal, but

We need to STAND with the strikers of the WGA and the SAG-AFTFA ! We need to support them !

This is the only way we will ever get entertainment that is representative of the human soul with workers who can afford to live.

[blue-thief]

Ok so. I really like seeing your takes on Kaiser and Isagi, so I wanted to pick your brains about this, if it's ok?? What do you think about Kaiser's current idea of redefining himself and his proof of existence, and his rivalry with Isagi?

Hope you have a good day!

I'M GLAD YOU LIKE MY TAKES 🫡🫡

but ooohhh boy, yeah. i have a lot of thoughts about kaiser and this new chapter :3

the big question right now is, will kaiser actually make a comeback in this match? it's hard to tell. if this were a regular sports animanga, i would say, "without a doubt, yes." but we have to remember that this is blue lock. this is the same manga that eliminated kira ryosuke, and it's the same one that gave us this beautiful sequence of panels

a character hitting rock bottom and unlocking a flow state is not a guarantee that they will score as we saw with rin at the end of the jpn u20 vs blue lock 11 game. the same can be said about a similar awakening bachira went through at the end of the second selection. both times, isagi picked up on their evolution and used that to his advantage.

isagi is aiming to do the exact same thing with kaiser in this current match.

in the case of both bachira and rin, their awakenings were brought about by the realization that they needed to stop being so dependent on others. bachira had to free himself from isagi and the monster while rin had to free himself from the support of the blue lock 11.

the formula for these past few chapters has followed the same beats as what bachira and rin went through (rock bottom, backstory, flow state, interruption by isagi), but kaiser's current state is more similar to another character.

kaiser and barou are both positioned as monarchs who (at least initially) viewed themselves as the protagonist until they were challenged by isagi. unlike bachira and rin, barou was able to claw back up and score a goal by redefining what it means to be a king.

it seems kaiser is trying to do the same thing. however, he isn't necessarily trying to redefine the title of "emperor". instead, he is taking the title his father gave him, "piece of shit", and reclaiming it.

the best way i can explain what's going on here is that クソ物, "piece of shit", is written to be pronounced as "michael". kaiser's father calling him a "piece of shit" and refusing him to call him "michael" was his way of refusing kaiser's humanity. with how kaiser doesn't go by his first name, "michael" is the human he was never allowed to become.

as a child, kaiser equated himself with an object - his ball.

"when you throw a ball, it flies away. and when it hits a wall, it comes back. even if i got angry and hit it, or kicked it with all i had, it wouldn't get angry or cry. always, it would be there without saying anything. it's a piece of shit like me."

this was from a time in kaiser's life when he considered himself to be "mentally weak". however, the moment he discovered his identity was when he fought against his father and the police in order to protect said ball. this moment led to him discovering his identity. however, he misinterpreted this event as him finding his identity through hurting others like his father rather him defending himself.

now, we are at a point where kaiser isn't trying to destroy others. instead, he is doing the best he can to defend his position on a team he had no intentions of sticking with in the first place. earlier on in the series, when ego explained turning zero into one, he also said that being a striker is equivalent to being a destroyer. i'm not sure if this is actually what's going to happen but imagine how crazy it would be if KAISER was one of the characters who abandoned being a striker in favour of another position. even if that turns out to not be the case, there is no doubt that kaiser is going through a major shift in identity. he is discovering a way to feel human, to feel like the boy "michael", in a way that does not involve tearing other people down.

he is returning to a point in his life when he was at one with his ball, but now, he may realize that "not getting angry" is not necessarily a sign of weakness, but instead, resilience. he has hit a wall, but he still has a chance to bounce back from it.

however, i would like to point out that while kaiser has Been Going Through It, he is not at a point i would call rock bottom just yet. kaiser initially grew attached to his ball in the first place because he identified with its "weakness", and like how many people pointed out before, this is what drew kaiser to ness as well. he still hasn't lost ness yet. at this point, he easily could with how he dismissed ness's help in the most recent chapter. the question now is, will the final step in kaiser's evolution come before or after ness deserts him? or, will kaiser's evolution lead to ness developing on his own?

[mxqdii]

Hii! I love your style of writing and i was wondering if you could write for Matthew Sturniolo with a fem reader who plays Volleyball!

-🪼

eyes on me - m.s

pairings: matt sturniolo x reader

summary: before a big game, reader needs encouragement

warning(s): anxiety, fluff

a/n: okay so i'm very sorry for not posting in a while but i'm back!! life has been SO crazy i flew to a different state to see billie eilish and i actually ended up hugging her (lmk if u want pics/vids)

anyways i'm back and i love u all very much, tysm for the support.

by the way i know nothing about volleyball so im sorry if i get anything wrong!!

not proofread

my leg is bouncing up and down, the anxiety radiating off me like a bright beam.

it's my boyfriend, matt, that snaps me out of my head

"what's goin on up there pretty girl?" he asks and i sigh, letting a nervous laugh leave my mouth

he puts his hand on my knee and i feel myself immediately more calmed at his touch.

"it's just- we've worked up to this game, for like- so long. and if we don't win it'll just be really upsetting. which i know sounds stupid but- i don't know"

i ramble, stopping myself and covering my face with my hands

"hey, hey. no need to get worked up okay?" he says, using his thumb to rub my knee in small comforting circles

i remove my hands, gaze still turned downwards.

"eyes on me love" he whispers and my cheeks flush

i direct my gaze to him, his soft eyes and comforting smile.

and suddenly the stress was gone.

i hear my team name, strikers, be called, and i let out a sigh i didn't know i had in, this is it.

"go win this thing, okay?" he says and i smile, nodding.

the game starts off not too well, we're at 2 scores and the other team is at 3.

first to get to 15 wins

more time passes, and we're now 14 to 14

this last point is crucial, this is it.

i look over to matt, seeing his encouraging smile and his 2 goofy brother cheering me on

i'm not sure when they got here, but i'm glad they are.

i direct my attention back to the game, hearing the whistle.

i hold the ball in my (shakey) hands, preparing to serve

serving the ball, i watch as it goes behind everybody, no one hitting it in time

the whole place is silent

was it out of bounds?

"STRIKERS WIN!!!" the ref yells and our whole team jumps up and down cheering in victory

suddenly my head is being turned

without any hesitation, matt puts his hands on both side of my head, kissing me

he pulls away with a beaming smile on his face

"i knew you could do it!" he pulls me into a hug and i kinda just stand there for a sec

everything just happened so fast

"i- i won! we won!" i say, accepting the hug and wrapping my arms around him

"yeah you did baby"

TAGLIST

@stargirlv0id @strniolo @annaisabookworm

[krnsluvvie]

love at first, love at second, love at last

siete: dime (+ wc: 0,8k)

SUMMARY: sae had chosen his career and that was shortly followed by his and y/n's separation. three years pass by and amongst all the lurking and stalking each other's socials, sae is suddenly found back in their hometown. old feelings are resurfaced, current ones are questioned and a whole load of future ones are found in a blur.

seis | masterlist | ocho

sae inserts the key into the hole, twists the doorknob and the second the door closes, he drops on the floor.

gosh, i'm so fucking stupid.

there was a lot of unpacking to do and a lot of information that he can't yet bring himself to stomach. first it was y/n. deciding between texting them and not at all was a hard, silent battle. to make matters worse, it all happened before his practice. the longing for the past nagged at him and pulled at his heartstrings so much that he couldn't restrain it anymore. the familiarity of their contact on his screen made him cave in and text them right away. 

the warmth that enveloped him subsequently felt like a blanket on a cold winter day and he was so damned for basking in the imagination.

back then, they used to text everyday. his responses were mostly one-worded and y/n didn't seem to mind as much–though they did bring this up to him, thus a long conversation followed about how dry and uninterested he sounded over text. all was made up for when they went out at night to the convenience store, had a cute little date and at last, separated their ways.

something about them brought sae a sense of comfort and safety. y/n was bubbly, understanding and so painfully supportive when it came to his football career. they would try their best to come to his matches, make sure to cheer him on as loud as possible. and even though he did feel second-hand embarrassment at such flamboyant behavior, it made him feel so grateful.

that feeling was new but sae was slowly getting used to it. used to y/n and their warmth.

sae couldn't really let go of it. no, not just yet. it was all he thought of when he was in spain. it was weighing on his mind like crazy and the guilt was eating him up alive, more and more each day.

his dream of becoming the best striker in the world was shattered right before his eyes as he realized just how competitive the other footballers from around the world were. his japanese teammates, and even the back-then teams could not compare.

his mind had to switch to a different mindset. he didn't have to be a striker–though, it took him a long time to process that–he could act as a helping hand to the said striker. 

thus, rigorous training sessions were set in motion and his whole body composition changed. he'd always been strong but he wanted to be stronger and even more so–look like it. 

he had to keep himself occupied at all times. he had to.

the phone in his sweatpants starts vibrating and he sighs.

oliver.

he picks it up, staying silent. 

“prodigy-chan, we're on, so join whenever you're ready.”

sae rolls his eyes. he told him many times not to call him a prodigy but with the way oliver is, sounds like he'd do the total opposite. and of course he did. 

“sure.” and then he hangs up. because there is nothing more to say.

~

“we played too much valorant, why can't we do some open-world games now?”

“i know damn well you mean genshin, shidou.” oliver sighs into the mic.

“is it wrong?”

“this is why no one wants you.”

“i can say the same about you.”

“Scheiße, stop arguing.” kaiser adds as if that was the most natural thing to do.

“where the heck have you been, asshole?” oliver asks.

sae can only force himself to turn off the mute option. “timezone.” and… he's muted again.

“anyway, if you don't want to play, i'm leaving.” shidou announces out of the blue. oliver can only laugh in response. “you'd be doing us a favor, actually!”

sae rubs his temples. 

“i'll go rest.” and then he ends the call, not even bothering to hear their protests.

why is it that today he feels especially tired? practice wasn't even that bad. it never is unless he forces himself to go past his limits and break down. it had felt liberating but then football lost its meaning for an indefinite amount of time. so he never did it again.

sae reaches for his phone on the desk and subconsciously clicks on the twitter icon. 

his mind wanders back to y/n. from what he knows so far, they probably still have him blocked on every social media platform as all that stalking and lurking stopped ever since he found about it. sae's official account, however, can't be private and that's why he minimizes his ranting. hell, he doesn't even do it on his private account. maybe this is a sign that he should stop fucking bottling his emotions up.

his eyes lazily run over the posts, uninterested and bored. they are slowly closing. but then… then—

a/n: posting this soon so i can get it out of my system, i want to thank everyone who's been liking the posts, the story, and commenting so far! <3

(fyi: the title of the chapter says dime [dih-meh] as in 'tell me', not dime [daim] as in the ten-cent coin. :p)

tag list: @kiopanxp @funtuki@silly-ez @asteroskoniiii @keijiqahara

[thommi-tomate]

Interview with Aleks

By: Sky

Aleksandar, you celebrated your national team debut for Germany in the 0-0 draw against Ukraine. How did it feel to wear the DFB jersey?

Outstanding! Also for my family, who were in the stadium with me. The moment I was substituted was really nice. I've always dreamed of it - and now it's finally happened

You could have celebrated your DFB debut back in March, but had to cancel due to tonsillitis. How bitter was that for you?

That was very bitter. I might have to have my tonsils out because I've had tonsillitis two or three times now and it sets me back physically every time. I always have to take antibiotics, rest and then rebuild again - that's really annoying.

When would be the best time for an operation? After the European Championship is before the new season with FC Bayern.

I will probably have to sacrifice my vacation for it. That's more important now. I don't want to get sick again and miss two or three weeks. I'm concentrating on the European Championships for now. I hope to be in the final squad.

Who is your most important contact here in Herzogenaurach?

Thomas Müller. A legend and a super cool guy who always has an open ear for me, coaches me and gives me tips. It's really nice for me that he's there too and coaches me a bit

We've heard that Thomas Müller is particularly good at Mario Kart. Is he really unbeatable there?

I don't play Mario Kart myself, but let's put it this way: he's good at it. (laughs)

What is striking about the pictures from the DFB training camp is that Müller can always be seen with his drink (RDY). Even in the photo with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, he has placed it in a clearly visible position. Have you ever tried it?

Yes, it's good advertising! The drink is probably very healthy, has lots of vitamins and proteins. That's not bad at all. It also has a lot of pox in it here in Herzogenaurach, which has to be stored in the fridge. But I think it's good. (laughs)

Like Müller, you are a Bayern native. Many fans would like you to have the same kind of career with the record champions. Can you imagine that?

Yes, definitely. I'm a big Bayern fan.

How important is Thomas Tuchel to you?

I am very grateful for everything he and his coaching team have done for me. They gave me the chance to show myself. I won't forget that.

Has Tuchel's successor Vincent Kompany called you yet?

Not yet. But I'm looking forward to what's to come. We have to win titles again, that's for sure. We can't have another title-less season.

Did the Leverkusen DFB colleagues give you and the other Bayern stars a few cheeky title slogans?

No, not at all so far. They're all really good guys and you get on well with them. We want to attack again next season and work well as a team. That's the most important thing.

Which youth coach at Bayern are you particularly grateful to?

Danny Galm, my old U19 coach. He relied on me from the very first moment and supported me. I'm very grateful to him for that. I'm still in regular contact with him today.

Is it true that you were on the verge of leaving the Bayern campus several times as a teenager?

No. I never wanted to switch, even though I had difficult times, especially in the U15s. Back then, I was the smallest member of the team - a top football player, but physically weak. I often sat on the bench. But I always wanted to make it at Bayern and not go anywhere else. My motto: give everything, fight, work hard and then everything will turn out the way it has to

Have you always wanted to play in midfield?

I played as a striker on the small pitch. I always scored a lot of goals, I was a goal scorer (laughs). After switching to the big pitch, I was then in midfield and didn't want to leave that position. That's where I feel best.

What role models did you have?

Definitely Toni Kroos. I love the way he plays. But also Bastian Schweinsteiger. In terms of his mentality, but also the way he plays.

How crazy does it feel for you to now be playing with one of your idols in the national team?

That's really amazing. Also that I can now be here with the national team, play with the FC Bayern professionals and gain experience like I did in the Champions League semi-final against Real at the Bernabeu. I'm living my dream and I'm very grateful for everything.

In November 2023, you were still playing for the Bayern amateurs in the Regionalliga Bayern. Do you sometimes still pinch yourself at how quickly it all happened?

I enjoy it and don't mind if it continues in the same way (laughs).

How do you prepare for a game?

I don't have a specific ritual. I always listen to music before the game. But it's also different. I listen to everything. I generally try to relax and just enjoy myself. Being nervous or scared - that doesn't help at all.

If you look at your development so far: Where do you still need to improve?

I definitely want to become more athletic, build up a few more muscles - and improve my play against the ball!

[ac-liveblogs]

Manshine City vs Bastard Munchen Part 2 "Oops I stopped Reading For Two Weeks" Edition

Last time: Nagi stood underneath Reo's window with a boombox and asked him to take him back. Reo, who swore he didn't need Nagi and was going to do this for HIMSELF, flings himself out the window.

I do like that Isagi is trying to master-mind the field 'oooh I can predict your every move!', theoretically Kaiser is doing the exact same thing, and they still fail to account for each other and completely fuck up their Pro Strats. I swear, Kaiser is just if the Isagi That Plays Soccer existed off the field as well as on it.

GOD Reo's inner monologue. "We split up once... we followed different paths..." ONE it's been like a month absolute tops TWO I maintain that Reo and Nagi exist in a totally different genre than the rest of the cast.

(Tbh I'm a little disappointed the Reo-Nagi drama seems to have resolved so easily, though there might still be tension outside of the field. I doubt Nagi's going to try and split up with Reo again at this point. Gotta wrap up these character arcs and move on, save the real meat for Episode Nagi in 4 years. Which is a shame, because given how batshit things were back in Blue Lock Reo absolutely Losing It was one of the things I was looking forward to most. What, he can't be too crazy in the insane soccer manga?)

Kaiser and Isagi, you two are my only hope... I need a murder attempt, c'mon...

I don't know enough about soccer to say if a two-stage volley is an 'insane, godly move' but I think a 5-stage anything has got to be pretty impressive. Who knew Nagi could be bothered to count that high. (I know Nagi didn't actually punt Isagi in the face but it sure looked like it, I was taken aback for a second.)

I love the way Nagi's 'ego' manifests on the pitch too, it's great. Gets really hyped up for a little bit of a game, gets super intense, trashtalks like a champ, I am a GOD routine, scores an absolutely insane fucking goal, goes 'yep that's all I wanted' and powers down mid-game. It's not over yet but he did what he came for! He's just like me forreal

"If not for the simple fact that Nagi doesn't know how to play this game, he would be unstoppable!!!" - Reo Mikage, probably

Agi... Reo... guys... chill

Chris' absolute lack of class is the funniest thing about him. This match is being televised, don't go calling your opponent a slut again.

Isagi "I have every tool I need to beat Kaiser except actually being better at this game than him!" Yoichi

Noa's just watching his team burn around him like "hmm. Excellent."

Chigiri throwing his hat into the 'dumb eye power' ring with a truly outstanding entry.

I know Kunigami is in this game, it just really doesn't feel like Kunigami is in this game. The match is losing track of Chigiri as well, I got a little surprised when he popped back up. I know the lack of synergy is on purpose due to the 'every man's either out for himself or the guy he's mentally ill about' aspect/'build your team around the striker' philosophy, but it does make the teams feel really uneven when the only characters that tend to matter are the Strikers + whoever's supporting them at the moment. It wasn't so bad when they were playing with limited teams, but right now half the teams feel like total space filler.

(The whole 'guaranteed shot' thing feels a bit... insulting to the concept of goalies/defense players too. I don't know much about soccer but it does feel like a major dick move LOL. To be fair, Gagamaru is not a goalie. Does Bastard Munchen not have a goalie better at goal-keeping than 'guy with hard head that doesn't play this role normally'.)

But yeah seriously Kunigami went to an ambiguous soccer torture camp to get his whole personality destroyed and for what. This? He doesn't even get to pretend to be the biggest threat on the field for even one game. Give that man a refund. Or at least some free therapy.

"go... the world's most random shot... even i don't know where it's going!!!" that is NOT impressive that's what i do every time I kick a ball. maybe i should be a pro soccer player. i could beat noel noa

Isagi has some nerve being shocked that Yukimiya is sabotaging him because ~they're on the same team~ yeah okay whatever dude and what was your end-goal here again

man, these matches just keep getting longer and longer despite the fact that they're aiming for way less goals...

[tiredhermitgirl]

Blue Lock Chapter 240 Thoughts

I know a lot of people want Nagi’s downfall after reading this new chapter but I gotta say I think BOTH Nagi and Reo will fall.

As we noticed it wasn’t just Nagi’s bid that went down. Reo’s went down too and the problem is that their dynamic is still not developed. They came back way too soon.

While I am glad they have mended the friendship, it would have been better if they had talked it out and then proceeded to still work on themselves separately. I honestly wished that they were on different teams because it would be a lot easier to accomplish that.

To me, both are doomed to fail because they both do not have true Egos. You have one who doesn’t know what his Ego is and doesn’t even seem to have one and then you have the other whose ego is wrapped around the person with seemingly no ego.

So essentially, you have two people with no egos. I honestly don’t believe that Reo’s ego is to make Nagi the best striker. I don’t think that is how egos work because egos are suppose to be self-centered and selfish. You have to believe that YOU are the best in the world. A true ego has no room for other people.

So Reo’s ego being centered around Nagi is holding him back. He has put himself in the support role when he needs to act like he is the protagonist. Reo is insanely talented and a genius himself but as we see with both the manga and Episode Nagi, he does not see himself that way. From the get go, he has put Nagi on this pedestal and has placed everything on him. Nagi similarly has done the same thing.

But this will not work. As we know, the reason why Nagi beat Isagi was in part because he believed himself to be the protagonist of the story. THAT is what it takes to be the best. That belief.

But when you have someone who is downplaying themselves and then another who can’t seem to find the motivation to be the best. Of course both are doomed to fail.

I personally believe that they both need to separate because they are falling back into those bad habits. Reo is going back to putting Nagi on this pedestal and while I don’t think Nagi is going back into complacency, I think he is really struggling to find a motivation to keep pushing and improving. And Reo doesn’t see that his usual tactics for Nagi are not gonna work this time. Nagi is very much aware that what he accomplished with Isagi was probably a one time thing but Reo does not see it that way. He kind of dismisses Nagi’s unease and says “just continue doing what you are doing and I will handle the rest.”

But that was the old dynamic and that is not going to work. And I think Nagi knows this because he pauses and stares at Reo. But he looks uneasy. He concedes in the end but to me that signaled that Nagi doesn’t really believe what Reo is saying. Nor should he because that old dynamic and way of thinking will not get them anywhere now that they are so far along.

And I really feel bad for Nagi because he is trying! Like to me it really seems like he is trying to find that motivator, to keep going and to produce results but he is having a hard time. And the problem is nobody really understand him. Rin was the WRONG person to ask questions too because…yeah… that guy. And literally everyone else is super intense as well. Nagi is the ONLY person in Blue Lock who does not have the intensity that everyone else has. Even Reo has that intensity, a goal that he is working towards. But like Nagi said, he literally tagged along. Sure he felt new emotions like curiosity, frustration, and anger but Nagi is a very mellow and rational person. And when you have everyone else acting so freaking crazy and intense it is no wonder that he has no one to talk to about his issues because no one can understand his mindset.

I would really love to see Nagi actually talk to Reo about his issues and reservations and have a serious conversation on what they should do. I think with the proper guidance they can definitely work through it but at this stage, Nagi seriously needs to discover his ego and Reo really needs to be a lot more self-reflecting and a lot less self-deprecating.

[petitprincess1]

I'm sorry but what kinda of development did you think she underwent this episode? The whole episode centered around Moxxie. We heard a lot about his feelings and insecurities from his side and he learned to trust in Millie more. He admitted that he was being jealous and improved his plans in the future. The ca. 30 second long real talk from Millie is far from enough development in my opinion. It was all stuff we knew already. "It's nice not being the bad guy", but we've never seen her being treated bad like Blitzo or Moxxie. Hell, I've never seen a negative trait from her at all. Even in her so-called development episode, I felt like she was only a flat supporting character.

We learned nothing about her past, the development is implied, she did not improve but was simply naturally great at all human activities. Sure, she had a nice song, but every episode has a song. Even Striker had a song. I'm not even saying it's a bad episode, it's just far from the "Millie" episode every has been imagining I think.

All in all it was just a cut-and-dry Moxxie getting emasculated + Millie being badass + Blitzo shenanigans episode. It's just like Exes and Oohs. I mean, I wish they'd show her getting hurt or being vulnerable some time to give her some development, but so far she has been a very strong Mary-Sue. Even Loona has suffered more and was better for it. Loona has had far more development in terms of the show and had that beautiful moment with Octavia.

The animation of Helluva Boss is god-tier, but the character development is extremely unbalanced, similar as the pacing and humor.

TLDR: Give Millie some love

Bro....she literally had went off on Moxxie for trying to make himself the center of attention, while also saying that she feels unnoticed and only wanted for her killing abilities. This girl is pouring her heart out and you're just all "Nu-uh. Dat nu count."

This is one of the few eps where Millie isn't being crazy. violent, and murderous. She is just enjoying being loved for everything she does, unlike how her family treats her (Sallie being rude to her and her husband and her parents make it seem like her job isn't a "real job", while also still being pissed that she let her rage get the best of her and not relieved that she's okay). And that still isn't enough.

Tragic (or not) Backstory =/= Development

Did you ever think that her development comes from the present and not so much from her past???

[dropintomanga]

Meguru Bachira (Blue Lock) - Accepting the Monster

"Tell me, monster. What should I do? What will it take for those two to acknowledge me?"

If there's one hidden truth that's apparent once it's open, it's that we all have dark sides. With happiness comes sadness, with joy comes anger. We can't have yin without yang. However, there's so many of us who can't accept that we sometimes have inner monsters. We carry trauma that builds up over time stemming from childhood experiences and begins to take a life of its own when unchecked.

I'm going to talk about a very notable character whose claim to living is their inner monster and that's Meguru Bachira from Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura's compelling hit soccer anime/manga series, Blue Lock.

To describe Blue Lock in a nutshell, it's about young Japanese soccer strikers (players whose specialty is goal-scoring) being chosen to compete in a very rigorous training program called Blue Lock for a chance to become a striker strong enough to help Japan take on and surpass the world's best soccer teams. Bachira is introduced during a initiation game of tag, where whoever has the soccer ball last in their possession once a specific amount of time expires is removed from the Blue Lock program. Bachira "tags" the series' main hero, Yoichi Isagi, who had a chance to "tag" a fallen player and drive them out. Instead, Isagi tags a more competent player after Bachira encourages him to "tag" a stronger player. Bachira and Isagi would then form a friendship after that moment, where the former explains to the latter that he has a monster instead of him and is looking for fellow monsters and potential ones in the making, one of which is Isagi. The two would form a team and they looked inseparable.

Instead, Bachira was taken from Isagi after a game in the Second Selection phase of the Blue Lock program due to a rule stating that winning teams in that round can take any one of the losing team's players. Isagi becomes determined to take Bachira back from the team that took him and also prove himself to that team's captain, Rin Itoshi. When the time came for Isagi and Bachira to "reunite" in a rematch between the two teams, we finally learn about Bachira's past.

Bachira grew up really loving soccer more than anything else. He loved it so much that it irked his fellow peers. Bachira became bullied for being a bit too weird about soccer. Bachira's mother tried to comfort saying that Bachira is following the "monster" inside his heart. That "monster" was imploring him to keep playing soccer since Bachira's mother had a creative "monster" that drove her work. However, Bachira's "monster" starts to become problematic as coaches and other players noted how invisible they feel when they play with Bachira. Bachira notices that the people around him don't have monsters, but he still does and takes pride in it. However, the monster inside him starts to grow into extreme loneliness.

The first time I saw Bachira's past and the monster, it made me think about one thing - the Hearing Voices network. It's a mental health support network for people who hear voices in their head, see visions that are out of the norm, and/or have unusual experiences that can get extreme. Individuals facing their conditions are often treated with a lot of disdain and a lack of understanding. They have to deny and suppress their thoughts out of fear of being deemed crazy.

Bachira says that no one understands how he feels and what he sees. He was having a mental health crisis that went beyond depression and anxiety. Something that couldn't be easily fixed. It wasn't until he met Isagi that his perspective started to change. Isagi was Bachira's first real friend.

People talk about how some major mental health problems are caused by brain chemistry and bad genetics. But you know, sometimes, they are caused by a lack of attention when growing up as a child. What if relationships that were supposed to aid in your social development suddenly disappeared when you start to feel differently about things within good reason? What if the one thing you love was suddenly occupied by people who didn't want to be around you anymore?

Why wouldn't a "monster" start to appear in the face of terrible social context?

Bachira's monster was a response to his trauma and it becomes more apparent once the final Second Selection game was played. Bachira notices that Isagi and Rin are starting to eclipse him. He becomes hesitant over how to play during the match. Isagi and Rin's monsters were on a very different level because they were about surpassing their own limits first and foremost. Bachira also comes to a realization that because of Blue Lock, he doesn't need the monster anymore and not rely on other "monster" players (like Isagi) to justify himself playing soccer.

Bachira's words about not needing the monster anymore makes me think about how certain labels can be useful at first, but end up being harmful once they fulfilled their purpose. I don't know about any of you, but I felt this way when I was struggling with my "clinical depression" label. I carried it to a huge deal, but over the past few years and meeting new people that changed my outlook, I've been trying to shed that label slowly. I want to believe that I can still do great things and meet loving people even if my condition says otherwise.

I think about the people who receive mental health diagnoses and have been told that they're doomed. Next thing you know, their lives spiral out of control. What's worse is that the people who are supposed to help actually end up doing more harm than good. They get told that there's some things that are considered stable parts of life (i.e. hold a full-time job, have a romantic relationship, etc.) they can't do anymore. I think about the discrimination they face when it comes to not being "normal."

While some things are definitely affected for the worst, I do believe that people with mental health problems are more capable than they think. We can make good lives for ourselves with the support of others who believe the same. We can definitely take on the most basic things alone, but we definitely need people to treat us with compassionate understanding. Blue Lock may not be a mental health clubhouse, but I love how its unique combination of egoism and communal setting changed Bachira. I know there's definitely people like Bachira out there who want something that drives them to better themselves while bettering others.

And about the monsters inside of us, I think it's harmful to shame them. You better damn-well acknowledge them like Bachira did. They were doing the best they could to protect you. Though I think about something Bachira's mother said to Bachira when he was sad - believe in the monster in your heart. Sometimes, the monster in your mind is a lot worse than the monster in your heart. It can rationalize every thing that happens to you in a very binary fashion. The monster in your heart is your true/base desire and I believe Bachira finally awakens to that as he just wants to play soccer with joy no matter what anyone else says.

That's the kind of monster I want more people to embrace.

[agbpaints]

Played an attack/defend game against my normal clan Jade Falcon opponent today. We do a thing where we make 10k bv lists and then pair them down to 5k forces based on the scenario so I brought the fire support/street fighting elements of my Mercs list (consisting of an Awesome 9Q, Panther 9R, Venom 9KC and a Hunchback 5S) going up against a Storm Crow Prime, Incubus 3, and a Fire Falcon E. His objective was to break into a bunker on my side of the field and carry a flag from it to his home edge. My objective was to keep him from doing that.

Both our battle plans were pretty simple- his was to make a mad dash for my bunker, break it open with the fire chicken's ATM, and then snag the capture objective with the Incubus and get back to his side of the board under the cover of the Storm Crow. Mine was to secure all the good approaches with the Panther/Awesome combo at range and the Hunchback as a close-in brawler, and then use the Venom to jump into vulnerable flanks and rear arcs, or else pursue his fast movers if they got the flag.

The game lasted a total of 3 turns. Turn 1 was mostly just maneuvering and approaching each other. I put my Venom and Hunchback in positions to cause problems T2 and the Awesome and Panther in sniping positions where they could cover each other. The Falcons moved up closer into positions behind cover where I couldn't reach them.

Turn 2 the clan mechs decided to put the hurt on my Hunchie- lots of ranging shots into it as my Panther fell back away from the Incubus's pulse lasers and my Venom managed to strip the armor off of the ammo-bearing torso of the Fire Falcon with some lucky lot shots.

Turn 3 was a mix of luck and my opponent misplaying into my guys. The Fire Falcon closed to break the bunker with its missile weapon while the Incubus and Storm Crow closed to engage my Hunchback, with the Incubus outflanking the Hunchie into its rear arc. Meanwhile my Venom managed to jump straight into the Incubus's rear arc for a a pair of engine crits backed up by the Awesome while the Panther ripped off the Fire Falcon's side torso and the Hunchback's LBX20 delivered a killing engine crit with its cluster munitions. My opponent conceded when I won initiative at the top of turn 4, as I'd be able to jump my Venom into the back of whatever I wanted, he had yet to secure the flag, and I still had my entire force at full fighting strength while he was down a mech and most of his Incubus's heat mitigation.

Lessons learned:

Running into an IS prepared defense line without a plan is a really bad idea. My Awesome didn't really pull its weight in direct damage, but I think its commanding view of one of the two approaches forced the Jade Falcon mechs into contending with the Hunchback at danger close, which isn't really a position light or middleweight mechs want to be in, clantech or no.

Cover (or lack thereof) is really important to defending your points. My opponent got to choose which side of the map he'd deploy to, and stuck me defending the side with fewer trees. There was enough foliage for him to get crazy good TMMs as he ran in and I had bad shots from range and movement, but by the time he reached my side of the field the trees had run out and my heavy hitters had found good positions to stand and cover what few forests there were.

Holy shit the Venom is an annoying little piece of shit light hunter. I know I just wrote an entire rant about the Venom but the SDR-9KC did extremely serious work for me in this fight. Spheroid MPLs might be kinda crap compared to the ungodly power of their Clanner counterparts, but a body with the armor to survive skirmishing and approaches and the sheer jumping speed to land three of them danger close in flanking positions makes them pretty decent. While it wasn't the only factor in killing the Fire Falcon or crippling the Incubus, 842 bv of crazy spheroid scout/striker mech took on close to triple its BV and not only lived but won. Once my proliferation cycle gets painted, the printed Venom I have is next on the block to celebrate and keep my forces looking spiffy

[crystalelemental]

Unit Viability Speculation - December 2023

Unova finally gets some attention, Viola finally gets a super nice outfit, and all I care about is Lodge Jasmine. Okay that's not entirely true, Meloetta's here, but like. Jasmine.

Neo Champion Nate Good news: the "Even Nate" jokes are over. Bad news: Nate having the shiny Haxorus from completing the dex will 100% be used to say he was secretly the true protagonist on Reddit, because girls can't be protagonists.

Nate is an insanely powerful Dragon Striker, who acts more as a support. To cut to the chase, his Buddy move is his only real damage aside from sync, and it's 1MP with AoE penalty. It's not exactly breaking barriers here, given its only effects are "can't miss" and "-1 cooldown." Those are common effects. Scale Shot is also not great, giving some minor speed increase at the cost of defense. While he stacks PMUN like crazy, none of it matters when Scale Shot is as weak as it is. Punishing Strike is tremendous, 30% boost under his circle is great, and Haymaker is free money alongside Speedster Sync 5, which is easy to set up because only +1 speed is sufficient. Oh and he gets another 90% bonus while his Circle is up. Sure Nate. 240% sync damage. Oh, and his role is Zone. In case you were worried he didn't do enough.

But here's where we get to the argument that Nate is actually support. Unova Pride as a Master Passive is already fantastic, right? Okay. This Circle business? It's a field effect Master Passive, where the region requirement counts himself. 10% damage boost at base with +10% more for each Unova, and 5% damage reduction with 3% more for each Unova. Nate's default is 20% and 8%. Oh but wait. This one counts sync. So on a full Unova team, Nate has 280% sync damage, with Field effect benefits. Sure bro. Very normal. But the Circle applies to all allies. The field powers up all Dragons. His Circle move also gives the whole team PMUN. Nate does a surprising amount for physical Unova pairs just by existing.

Which means the detriment should be obvious. Like so, so many Techs in eras past, the downside of being the strongest thing your supportive tools can benefit is that no one else really gets to shine. Yes, this is a godsend for base Iris' damage. Show me a scenario where base Iris contributes while Nate's throwing around this much power. I'll wait. There's also the ongoing issue of off-type, which Nate can very much do, but how relevant is that for other physical pairs when Nate's doing all the heavy lifting? The Circle benefit is 40% sync damage to any physical ally, but no one comes close to Nate's level of sync damage. There's also the issue of Dragon Zone potentially overwriting other effects you wanted. I don't think this Nate is bad at all, but I think in my heart I wanted him and Iris to work together, rather than Iris being superficially attached to him.

Neo Champion Rosa Who is, apparently, not coming out until Christmas. Go figure. Ugh. Anyway. Meloetta's finally here. It tanked Lisia/Meloetta, but I can't complain too much. I will, however, complain about Psychic Support. Shoulda been Normal.

Rosa is...a choice. Imagine Winter Rosa but good. On the surface, her Buddy move seems reminiscent of Winter Rosa's trainer move. A random +2 to any of the seven stats, with +1 crit baked in. But, NC Rosa transforms, and through a passive, grants +1 PMUN/SMUN to all allies. Now we're on that NC Bede shit. Rosa also applies a Psychic and/or Fighting Rebuff to all opponents, given her Buddy move is AoE, and has a TM that gives +2 PMUN or SMUN to all allies, with 2MP. Rosa stacks, and stacks quickly. Zinfogel is gonna love this. Rosa also boosts her own Sp Def or Def by 1 every attack in either form, so steadily building up defenses. Potion with double MPR on grid is a nice defensive backbone. Sing in Aria is Gauntlet cheese, Teeter Dance with Stop Hitting Yourself 5 on grid from Pirouette is great. Team Sharp Entry feels alright. Team Stoic and Force Field are nice for boosting both defenses, allowing Rosa to consistently boost something for the team. Easy Pickings is really funny if you want to lean into Confusion, but is very slow acting. And most important of all? Support/Sprint role is real. Bless.

Now for the bad. Sing is borderline useless, as she does not receive tools to max its accuracy, and has no built-in Vigilance like Melony. Her specific buffing profile is fairly slow, so while the moves up next stacking is legendary, she relies on allies who are self-sufficient and does far less for the low tier strike pairs. But most of all? Her Buddy Move conditional is a god-forsaken nightmare. Don't get me wrong, the abilities it possesses are extremely good. But the tradeoff is, if she drops to "pinch" range, it turns off. Rosa is the support. She's taking all the damage. And her defensive profile is...okay but not great. The numbers are there, but she's not exactly maxing out bulk with ease, as boosting both defenses is a high investment that takes from other tools. Gauntlet will have no problem with this, but CS runs the risk of knocking her out of range in one shot, ruining her potential to so much as cap crit, much less anything else. And that makes her profile much worse off as a support, taking away any serious buffing potential, and her main source of value with moves up next each attack. Obviously Rosa is still fantastic, but my general point is, Rosa thrives off of not having to take significant hits, and CS gets stronger and stronger as points go up. Off-typing in particular may be hard for her as more is put into offensive pressure from the opponent.

Winter Viola OH MY GOD I LOVE HER OUTFIT, THIS IS SO CUTE

Okay, Viola is a Bug Field with Tech Role. Odd choice, but listen. We can move on from Ingo. OR SO YOU'D THINK. Viola's got some problems. Struggle Bug is fine but feels specifically aligned to Alder Strats. Her Buddy move being 1MP really hurts, as a -1 to all seven stats would be amazing if you could do it more than just the one time. Paralysis and Confusion are good, but Confusion wears off, and unfortunately, tends to wear off fast. TM is nice, giving +2 Sp Atk/crit to any ally, and Bug Zone as a callable effect is nice, because you need that Zone to use Buddy Move in the first place. The real fun is that her passives really mess with paralysis. A random -2 to any of the seven stats per attack, and a rank-5 boosted disruption to opponent action when paralyzed. That's pretty good. Grid boosts team damage against paralyzed opponents 20%, she gets Shocking Slowdown for speed debuffs which is a decent combo with Struggle Bug, Power Play and Static Shock 5 are free money, and Grand Entry 2 can complete her own setup by turn 2. All in all, pretty decent!

Unfortunately, Ingo. While I do think Viola is superior given her tremendous coverage and utilities and better Zone pressure, the problem is she came second. Ingo's been around, and does an okay job. What does Viola provide for you that makes her worth pulling as a Zone pair over Ingo? The shorthand is, she supports Alder better. And that's kinda it. High DPS Bug pairs are her best friends, and the Sp Atk drops fit Alder perfectly. There's an argument for her being the special focus to Ingo's physical, but she lacks Sp Def drops with any consistency so I'd hesitate to say that. If anything, she lacks much consistency at all, barring Sp Atk which is rarely need, and Spd which is often needed but seldom good. She feels more like a generalist who happens to have good Bug options available, if only for herself. I like her a lot, but if you've been making do with Ingo, I wouldn't consider this a necessary upgrade.

Winter Sycamore Oh wow, they actually did a Sycamore alt. And with Gogoat of all things. Gotta get us primed for the Grass High Score event, I suppose.

Support/Strike. Sure dude. Razor Leaf, Potion, Dire Hit All+, TM boosts both defenses +4 and Speed +2. Can...can we please just let Evelyn get an EX? My god. His passive is fascinating. Lowers the foe's Grass rebuff, but raises your team's. This is so, so specifically about Grass High Score it's kinda hilarious. It felt so unnecessary to constantly tease that next was Grass, but it was so we all looked at Sycamore shaking his ass at us and thought Lysandre thoughts about it. Unfortunately, they over-kit him for it. Group Grass Guard is definitely something, but I want you to ask yourself: how often is Grass damage relevant? Outside of Tapu Bulu, how many Grass-type stages are there in CS? You can count them on one hand. Because Grass is terrible in the main series so no Elite Four member relies on it. You have Blue's Exeggutor, Hau's Decidueye...and honest to god that might be it. When you make yourself this specific, you run the risk of locking yourself into a small niche. And that's kinda what happens. His grid isn't bad. Flabbergast 5 for a 60% confuse rate, Triage Tank (not the team kind), Revenge Boost and Dashing Team 4 for decent gauge management, Endurance, and Team Sync Regen are all nice, and it does promote Sycamore as a defensive support whose focus is on gauge management. A good overall call. But I can't help but feel his kit is fairly...standard? Barring the speed, nothing about this entices me. It's too heavy on "BUY ME FOR HIGH SCORE" and not enough on what could have been more dynamic traits. He's just "Better Evelyn." Which. God, that's still depressing.

Lodge Jasmine Alright, everyone shut up! It's Jasmine time! She even got Magnemite, which is the exactly thing I wanted! Support though, little bummed it wasn't an F2P Special Steel striker. Perrserker was limited availability, we need anti-Glacia tech, man.

Thundershock, Gyro Ball, fucking Screech on a support, and TM boosts Def/Sp Def/Acc +1. Oh no. Gladion strats. Endurance, Lithe, and Recuperation 1 are cute, at least. Endurance in particular being a nice saving grace. It's not the worst kit I've seen? But also, only +1 on defenses, and no crit rate. Uh oh, girl.

Grid provides HE4 (couldn't make the para 100%, huh?), Natural Remedy, Shocking Slowdown (too inconsistent given para rate), Team Sharp Entry (!), Interference Immunity (!!), Team Full Bracing Infliction if you're into that, Gyro Ball: Fleet Feet for gauge, First Aid 2 (ANGERY), and the coveted All Ramped Up. That last one saves it. Both defenses and Sp Atk with some accuracy is very nice. That's a mild gamechanger. With Team Sharp Entry in the mix, that's also saving a turn of setup for any Dire Hit+ options. I won't say Jasmine is anything exceptional. There are very clear faults here. Lacks crit rate for F2P pairs, lacks serious buffing in any category and instead spreading out, inconsistent secondary effects like paralysis limit her utilities. Screech is nice though. Like Screech. It's just. All Ramped Up. That's the opposite of Screech, girl.

Jasmine's kinda messy, but this is my second favorite character. All in.

Kukui Oh good, Dingus McBingus gets a grid expansion. Unless it's Leer utility, get out. Trip Up only on Rock Tomb is ass, Trip Wire 2 is something for his Cakewalk set, Berserker 2 is good for self-setup I suppose, Critical Infliction is nice. Basically, three uses of Leer caps his offensive needs now, and he gets a free -2 Spd to all foes on entry. ...you know what, yeah. I'll say that's actually pretty good, man. You kinda nailed this one, color me impressed.

Lorelei *deepest sigh* Okay, look. I'll probably do it because Lorelei is very pretty and I like those colors. But like. Remember when Shauntal got her EX, and I was kinda harsh about "this is hilariously not worth your time?" Because Shauntal has a pretty bad sync? Okay, that was obviously a little harsh, right? I've used Shauntal EX and even without investment, it helps her with F2P clears. There was something for her. But Lorelei? There is nothing for Lorelei. God cannot save her, much less an EX. Her Tech conditional is "foe is frozen." This is impossible to achieve with any kind of consistency, barring Dickshit McFuckhead who we're not going to bother talking about, because fuck dude if you have him what the hell are you doing using Lorelei? As a result, Lorelei has...well, nothing. There is nothing Lorelei does well as far as sync goes. Her course in life was supposed to be Blizzard DPS and they fucked that up. So instead, take this character whose sync nuke is perpetually gimped to high hell because you can't get the most meaningful increase to damage at anything better than a 30% rate. And that's before factoring in how fast people thaw out. Which is hella fast. Lorelei cannot be relied on for nuking. This is a bad decision. Do not waste your resources in this manner. Do better.

[chelseafcwmemes]

this is really random but i think jrk shld rly be getting more recognition. shes been playing so well recently! It's crazy to think about how she was left out of the olympic squad back in 2021... she can play in a few different positions and in different styles of play, we should also use more of her pace!

I fully think so as well, I think she’s for some reason become a laughing stock on Twitter within the “supporters” but I think it’s due to her lack of goals, which is somewhat fun considering she’s not a striker. She is great with so much speed and when her crosses work - like they did against Aston Villa (and not so much against Italy) she is a great attribute overall and seems to bring such a good energy to the team

[alexbkrieger13]

The WC stars have to cope without their families: "It's going to be tough"

WELLINGTON. The last championships have been a blue-yellow folk festival.

Now both supporters and family are missing, an extra challenge for the mothers in the national team.

- I have to be able to talk to them every day, of course, says Lina Hurtig

The Swedish national team striker shakes her head when she thinks about what lies ahead. Several weeks without the family on the other side of the world.

- It's a bit of both. It's of course very sad not to be able to meet them in... It will be over a month. At the same time as I get so stressed when they are out flying and flying. Somehow it still feels good that they will be here, so it's a bit of both, says Hurtig.

Thursday was the first time that the entire Swedish national team trained together. Last of all, on Wednesday evening, the mothers of the national team landed: Lina Hurtig , Jennifer Falk and Elin Rubensson .

- It will be tough, I have never been away from home for so long, says Elin Rubensson.

The midfielder is used to having his family there. So is Hurtig. During the EC last year, wife Lisa and daughter Lo were there, but the fact that they would travel to New Zealand was not an issue.

- It is too far. Plus Lo is in a phase which also contributes to the fact that my wife absolutely does not want to go out and travel with her right now.

However, there will be a lot of FaceTime. When it fits purely in terms of time given that there is a ten hour difference. Something that Hurtig hadn't really thought about.

- When will I be able to call home? I'll have to figure that out. I really need to check that out.

- So much. They give me strength, absolutely.

Both during the World Cup in France and the European Championship in England, there have been many Swedish supporters on site and the Swedish players have had loved ones there.

- We really have had incredible support and it's so much fun when you talk to dad or family who are there and they tell you how they experience it. They think it's crazy fun to go to matches because there are so many fans and supporters.

"Too expensive"

That will not be the case this time.

- No, it was too expensive and too far and we play at different venues in different cities so they can stay at home. Unfortunately, says Nathalie Björn and continues:

- Of course it's boring without supporters, but I know we're damn good at supporting from home so it's going to be great.

But there are exceptions. As for Hanna Bennison whose mother, father and partner will travel down. A trip that has been planned for quite some time.

- Then they didn't know if they were going to join or not, but they have been prepared for a while.

They booked rebookable tickets then? 

- Yes, they did, haha.