the best offense is blowing their shit up | van mars exy

dars
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the best offense is blowing their shit up | van mars exy Jan 7, 2024 21:26:20 GMT -5

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Post by dars on Jan 7, 2024 21:26:20 GMT -5

^{V A N}

^{M A R S}

^{#83 🥍}

Fact: Science reminded Van Mars of his dead father. Fact: The healer who worked with him after he got better from the Rose Plague encouraged him to seek enrichment elsewhere. Fact: She didn't even know the half of it- if she knew even a fraction of the trauma Van associated with the mere concept of learning at this point she'd be hard pressed to expect him to ever return to a learning environment. Or so he liked to wishfully hope for. But it didn't ever happen, so he tried giving her advice a try. But the problem with broadening one's horizons is that you're already at your current maximum, so it's difficult to imagine ways to... expand.

You know?

Exy was the least established of the sports options available at his school, and he heard Damion Mercury broke a guy's leg and didn't even get in trouble for it, so he thought screw it. And it turned out that he was a pretty damn good goalie- even talks of his team making the finals. His coach told him to keep his eyes peeled for scouts: "They call ahead a lot of the time, but sometimes they show up unexpected to see how you play when you aren't being evaluated." He had ultimately ironically just made Van want to play every game as if he was being evaluated, but the season was going pretty well and he was on the first string despite being the newest kid on the team. He would take it.

Fact: this match determined the next three month's of his life, and if it went well enough maybe the next ten or twenty years. Fact: The team they were facing, the Kings, were undefeated this season. Fact: The shortest guy on their starting lineup was still two inches taller than Van.

Fact: they were probably fucked.

A boy with dark brown curls pushed out of his face by a purple headband sailed toward Van, ready to try and score at any moment after shaking right past VonBlaken like it was nothing. Shit. Shit. Shit.

1: crit fail
2-5: fail
6-9: success
10: crit success

A5H3SYUkbz1-10

1-10

Last Edit: Jan 7, 2024 21:27:09 GMT -5 by dars

^{I AM A GARDEN OF BLACK AND RED AGONIES}

dars
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the best offense is blowing their shit up | van mars exy Jan 7, 2024 21:36:48 GMT -5

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Post by dars on Jan 7, 2024 21:36:48 GMT -5

^{V A N}

^{M A R S}

^{#83 🥍}

The boy tossed and Van dove, stretching his body all the way to the other side of the net and somehow catching the ball perfectly in the palm of his hand. Fuck yeah! He thought, rolling onto his knees and passing to Venus, who blasted right back down the field like a bolt of lightning and scored. The crowd erupted in cheers, clearly as surprised as they were. Van caught Coach's eye contact and he clapped, nodding sternly and shouting good job. We actually have a chance, Van thought, the knot within his chest dissolving into excitement. His hands squeezed into fists then stretched open as far as his palm could handle and he swayed, waiting.

Royce and VonBlaken double teamed the boy with the headband, forcing him to pass off to a tall, looming blonde girl whose hair whipped around her as she ran forward. Venus cut the girl off and pushed her back in with Royce, and when the girl tried to pass back to headband, VonBlaken swooped in for the steal.

He lined up the shot and the other goalie blocked it.

Damn.

The goalie passed it back to Blondie, who forewent trying to navigate the field with grace this time and ducked her shoulder before barreling forward. She knocked Venus right onto her ass. Royce and VonBlaken were nowhere close, so Van knew she'd make it to him. He raised his arms at the ready.

1: crit fail
2-5: fail
6-9: success
10: crit success

yqL|xe4jmM1-10

1-10

Last Edit: Jan 7, 2024 21:37:00 GMT -5 by dars

^{I AM A GARDEN OF BLACK AND RED AGONIES}

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the best offense is blowing their shit up | van mars exy Jan 7, 2024 21:49:06 GMT -5

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Post by dars on Jan 7, 2024 21:49:06 GMT -5

^{V A N}

^{M A R S}

^{#83 🥍}

She faked left and tossed right: perfectly in the upper-most corner. Sailed right past him. And though it was entirely his fault, he had to of course present his hand at the girl while making an indignant face at the backliners and the strikers- "Does anyone see her when she's running with the damn ball, or?" He plopped his mouthguard back into his mouth and scoffed. Swallow the flames down, Van. Swallow the flames down. It was only a tie, and the games was still early. If VonBlaken got his head out of his ass in time, they might be okay. If not, well- At least he'd started this all off by saying they were practically doomed. If it turned out to be true, he got to say 'told you so' when he wiped the steam away from the bathroom mirror and saw his own pouting face staring back at him.

"Brett, if you're gonna double team, make sure you can get to your man when they pass!" VonBlaken flipped him off as he ran for repositioning. The other team scored, so it was their ball. Hmph. Van knew who he wasn't passing to.

Venus and Carbone lined up to take the pass and he considered the two of them.

1: Venus
2: Carbone
5SS5flwWCX1-2

Based purely on the fact that he was on the opposite side of the field as VonBlaken, Van was originally sold on Carbone. But then right before he could start the gameplay, one of the backliners from the other side stepped in front of him and blocked the path. He sighed and tossed the ball to the left, where Venus caught it and ran. Luckily, VonBlaken did one thing right and set up a decent pick, so Venus was able to shake off her man reasonably well. She passed off to Carbone who fired off a shot.

1: miss
2: score
3: score + drama
1-3

1-2·1-3

Last Edit: Jan 7, 2024 21:52:35 GMT -5 by dars

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dars
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the best offense is blowing their shit up | van mars exy Jan 7, 2024 22:23:32 GMT -5

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Post by dars on Jan 7, 2024 22:23:32 GMT -5

^{V A N}

^{M A R S}

^{#83 🥍}

"That's more like it! Yeah!" Van clapped his hands together, eyes glancing up to all of the empty seats in the bleachers and wondering what it would've felt like if his father had been occupying one of them. Sports weren't ever really his thing- he'd always said he had more important things to focus on growing up. But he'd always been a good dad. Van bet he would've cheered.

As he thought, the game grew sort of distant around him. Not in a way where he felt like he wasn't paying attention, but in a way where every movement felt more like a performance than an authentic decision. He felt perceived. Like he was being evaluated. Best behavior. Maybe his Mom started feeling better and she was somewhere watching up from the nosebleeds. Or maybe Ebony had finished up debate team practice early and decided to swing by, or Bowie emerged from his layer to absorb some sunlight from below the cracks of the stands. But it wasn't any of their eyes that he felt on him.

Blondie passed to Headband. Headband fired a shot and Van blocked it, passed it off to Royce who then passed it off to Carbone again. One of the backliners dove for him, trying to knock his legs out from under him and it was almost like the legs of a clock when the gears break, the way he spun around and around in the air.

1: Carbone's legs are knocked from under him
2: Carbone keeps running
EhS5nApsXy1-2

He landed- somehow- onto his knees and threw the ball to Venus while the other backliner finished the job of tackling him down. Royce flew in as a replacement, there if she needed it, but Venus was going to do what Venus did best: try to score.

1: Shot gets blocked
2: Goal Scored
3: Goal Scored + Drama
1-3

1-2·1-3

Last Edit: Jan 7, 2024 22:27:15 GMT -5 by dars

^{I AM A GARDEN OF BLACK AND RED AGONIES}

dars
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the best offense is blowing their shit up | van mars exy Jan 8, 2024 11:50:03 GMT -5

Quote

Post by dars on Jan 8, 2024 11:50:03 GMT -5

^{V A N}

^{M A R S}

^{#83 🥍}

Venus was on fire that day, managing another successful point and pulling them ahead three to one and making it her own second point scored in the first half of the game alone. But while the crowd continued their cheer, Van's eyes caught back up with Carbone, who still hadn't managed to climb back onto his feet. He laid there, in fact, writhing on the pitch, holding onto his knee. While everyone else readied for the reset, VonBlaken finally noticed and jogged over to help him up, but when he tried to put any amount of weight on his left side he yelled in agony.

Uh oh.

Van didn't see any bones sticking out or any parts facing the wrong way- he hoped it wasn't a ligament in the knee or something similar- that was the kind of injury that could be season-ending. Not just for him- Carbone was one of the best strikers on the team: slower than Venus but a much better shot usually. Coach came onto the pitch and escorted him off with help from VonBlaken, and Goravich got subbed in. From the looks of it, Carbone wasn't hurt badly enough to need immediate medical attention: he'd chosen to sit on the sidelines and watch, so maybe the injury was something he'd be able to shake off by the second half of the match. And besides, Goravich wasn't anything to sneeze at in the meantime.

The reset finally happened, with the other team's goalie passing to Headband, who passed to Blondie, who passed back to Headband, who passed it back to Headband- it went on like this several times, the two of them staying near each other for each time Royce and VonBlaken would crowd around them. One of the other team's Backliners- the one with freckles and coppery hair- set up a nice pick for Royce, who smacked squarely into him and sent both of them to the ground wand cleared the way for Headband, who geared up for a shot. Van was able to anticipate it, though, deflecting the ball with his racquet just as it crossed the line.

Blondie and VonBlaken scrapped for possession.

1: Blondie wins possession of the ball
2: VonBlaken wins possession of the ball
3: Blondie fouls VonBlaken
4: VonBlaken fouls Blondie
UgkTWMDWm61-4

1-4

^{I AM A GARDEN OF BLACK AND RED AGONIES}

dars
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the best offense is blowing their shit up | van mars exy Jan 8, 2024 11:58:32 GMT -5

Quote

Post by dars on Jan 8, 2024 11:58:32 GMT -5

^{V A N}

^{M A R S}

^{#83 🥍}

VonBlaken managed to win out on the duel, quickly passing off to Royce, who then passed off to Goravich. She was admittedly slower than both Venus and Carbone- the only reason she wasn't on the starting lineup- but she took care making her way down the pitch, never straying too far from Royce who followed behind as protection.

At the last second, she swung like she was aiming for a shot and then changed the trajectory of her swing and passed perfectly to Venus, who had shaken free of Freckles' guard and thus was lined up for a wide open shot.

4-1.

How, Van wasn't sure- they were already a man down and this team had apparently won every match they had this season. The Kings were losing their crowns. At least for now- there was still some time in the first half and then they had all of this to do over a second time, only exhausted. Van's eyes flicked to the other team's bench, where eight or ten reserve players watched eagerly. Then his eyes flicked over to his own team's bench, where only four watched on, one of them Carbone with his bum leg.

Getting as far ahead now seemed to be of vital importance: if the benched players from the Kings were even half-decent, they'd be able to out stamina Van's team in the second half, possibly make up the difference and then some.

Headband made his way down, shaking VonBlaken and sprinting as fast as he could. Van prepared himself to block.

1: Headband scores
2: Van blocks
3: Van body-blocks and gets a bruise
4: Headband's shot goes wide, missing the goal entirely
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