| Bronze and Brains [Kyosuke] | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 29 2015, 03:58 PM (311 Views) | |
| Kenny | Jul 29 2015, 03:58 PM Post #1 |
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We're all soldiers now
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It was a typical afternoon for many of the students in Ravencroft. School had ended not too long ago, which is when everyone fled to the city, their homes, or just their after-school club activities. Some of them, specifically Jun, had attended their annual, rigorous volleyball practice. To those that paid attention to announcements or participated in sports-related banter, it was well-known that their team possessed national-level skill. However, to the displeasure of some, there was Jun, who shone the brightest amongst them, and he was unsatisfied with their performance. "Your serve is lacking control," he said, as he walked towards one of his members. He held out his hands, which was where the member placed the volleyball. The expression Jun wore looked apathetic for the most part; his eyelids covered the top half of his dull brown eyes. Unconsciously, he gently nibbled on the inside of his lip, as his fingers delicately glided over the ball's surface. "Your strength is your strongest asset, but you're failing to properly exert your force onto the ball," stated Jun, ceasing his examination of the ball in order to exchange glances with his peer. "Control is the most important aspect of a serve. With it, a person with less strength can still produce better results," claimed the boy, as he made his way to behind the endline of the court. Upon first inspection, it was clear his strength was inferior to his peer's, which has led many opponents to underestimate his true potential as a server. He gently separated his lips, allowing the cool air to fill his throat. His fingers traced the indents of the volleyball, as if he was preparing a mental image of it. Though it was for a mere second, his lips had tightened, before taking a few steps back. Jun proceeded to toss the ball into air. As if he calculated the movement of every bone in his body, his feet moved forward with perfect timing. Then, as the ball seemingly floated downwards, the boy had jumped forward, arm raised. His hand, remaining completely flat, was capable of making perfect and complete contact with the ball. It soared across the net, towards the receiving players. One teammate had dared to stand in the direction of the ball, his arms prepared to bump it into the air... However, that time did not happen. Instead, the ball bounced off the edge of the receiver's arm. A look of displeasure was formed, but quickly replaced with one of disappointment. It would have been clear to even people unfamiliar with the sport that Jun's serve was not that of an amateur's; it was a serve that has been practiced and improved over a period of years. His teammates shot glances at him, some in admiration, others in annoyance. However, Jun was not one to acknowledge such things. Instead, he only focused on the ball being returned to him. They did not have long practice sessions, so his team had to make the most of it. |
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| Crow | Jul 31 2015, 08:10 PM Post #2 |
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Professional Purveyor of Puns
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"Alright everyone, good hustle!" The captain announced with vigor as the martial arts club wrapped up their daily activities. The good men and women of the club picked themselves up as the captain concluded the session by giving pointers to all of them. Kyosuke was apart of the many that were gathering their gear together, putting them away safely. Taking a thick towel, he dabbed at his perspiration, wiping it from his body. Another good day's work. While the martial arts club didn't quite share Kyosuke's ambition of a more... reckless stature of practice, it was by no means ineffective. With time, he could grow well accustomed to this subdued form of training. It taught him a lot of many different styles, and all the different walks of combat around him were a marvel to see and learn from. Slinging his bag over his shoulders and carrying his towel in hand, he trotted out of their practice room, going through all that he had seen and done today. There was quite the bit to review. As he passed by the gymnasium, he noticed that the volleyball team was hard at work, busting their butts as well at practice. Seeing the energetic valor brought a sense of belonging to Kyosuke, there was yet hope to situate himself amongst people at this school, perhaps. Someone on their team sure was chewing out the other members. From the way that he spoke, he seemed as though he was the manager or captain, or something of equal position on the team, Kyosuke was far from familiar with the semantics of volleyball. He grimaced slightly as the boy tore into them, barely much emotion his voice. Kyosuke couldn't even tell if he was angry, disappointing, or even straight out upset. It certainly was difficult to tell. "Damn, I'd hate to be them right now..." he mumbled. Evidently, so did they, as many of them shot dodgy glances at the boy. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Well, tension or sweat. The boy attempted to display what Kyosuke assumed to be a proper serve and though his form appeared to be excellent, the receiver was less than prepared, as the ball ricocheted off his arm and straight towards Kyosuke. Fluidly, he jerked his arm upward, striking the underside of the ball with his backhand, as it flew into the air. Taking a few steps backward while turning his head skyward towards the offending sphere, Kyosuke groaned out "Easy, there" as he reached upward, the ball landing in his grip, as if his arm were a pedestal. Bringing it back down to chest-level, he looked back towards the boy with a friendly smile. "It's good to not hold back, but not everyone else can keep up with something like that" he said, thrusting the ball towards the capable player. It was clear that, at least right now, the boy was a knight among knaves. "Maybe you gotta tune yourself to 'em. Somethin' like, try to think about how it's like in their shoes?" he said, hoping to help dilute some of the issues at hand. A club was -in Kyosuke's ideals- a place of comradery and fun, and this atmosphere was anything but. |
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Une terre sans paix... This is my dream. Spoiler: click to toggle
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| Kenny | Jul 31 2015, 10:57 PM Post #3 |
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We're all soldiers now
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What Jun did not expect for the day was an intruder. He gazed at him, automatically taking in every bit of information as possible: his unkempt hair, his yellow contacts, his build, his posture, and the very expression he was making. He quickly realized that he was not familiar with this boy. That being the case, why was he here? Jun didn't have enough time to ask, due to the ball being returned to him. He listened to the boy's comment, although his expression remained as stoic as ever. He looked over the rest of the players before tossing the ball to the peer he was previously lecturing. "Continue to practice the jump float serve and receiving. Once you do the serve correctly for ten times, practice spiking," he ordered, in his almost monotone voice. As expected, the others replied with a "yes, captain" or some other variation of it. After speaking, Jun walked towards the interrupter and beckoned for him to follow him to the bleachers. "My serve only acted as a goal for them to follow. I'm afraid some of the freshmen are not experienced in receiving, but that will be fixed," he stated, his eyes completely locked onto the others. "And as for "being in tune with them", I believe our team works well together in matches. And we already have one goal in common: becoming the national champions," he stated, without a lack of confidence or a hint of deceit. "You may have good intentions, but I find the current setup for the team the most optimal for now," he stated, before wiping away a drop of sweat from under his jawline. Sure, the training was rigorous, but it was because their goal was such a difficult one. While other clubs aimed for "fun", Jun had declared from the very start that victory would be the purpose for the team. At the time, they had agreed, and a few weak-hearted players had already been weeded out. To Jun, they were only a liability, and he found it to be a positive thing. |
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| Crow | Aug 3 2015, 01:58 PM Post #4 |
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Professional Purveyor of Puns
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The boy seemed to have heard Kyosuke's words, but curtly attended to his team before choosing to respond to it. He noted to them some techniques that Kyosuke couldn't even begin to try to comprehend. Despite the heavy words previously, many of the members confirmed the process and went about carrying it out. It seems he really was the captain. It would indeed be a shame for him to be anything less than such. Surprisngly enough, he beckoned Kyosuke to follow him. He had just assumed that the boy would have shrugged him off as some kind of nosy outsider, but it was refreshing to see that he was willing to give him a shot. Kyosuke nodded, and trailed him shortly to the bleachers, where he heaved himself down on one with a grunt. A little rest after practice was always welcomed. The boy began to explain the semantics of what he was doing and Kyosuke followed his gaze to his teammates. As the boy continued to tell him about his objectives, Kyosuke quickly came to understand that this was no dictator hellbent on glory or wealth (at least, it didn't feel like it). Kyosuke felt for a while that the two were polar opposites, but saw that all the boy wanted to do was be the best and he didn't want it just for himself. There was more to this guy that meets the eye. Despite the reighteous objective, Kyosuke still felt that this was a blind sided way to go about it. At this point, risking overstepping his outsider bounderies, he continued to express his thoughts "That seems like one helluva plan. Greatness like that should always be someone's goal." he said. Unconsciously flexing his fingers, "...Pisses me off that some people just want to stay the way they are" he continued, somewhat exasperatedly. He turned to the boy with frustration all over his face, lost in his rant "I mean... We can all be so much better than what we are! It's such a goddamn waste when people just..." he trailed off, cooling down and realizing that he was getting way too sidetracked way too fast. "Ah... forget it. Sorry, got a little carried away with all that." he said, bowing his head slightly to the boy. "I haven't even introduced myself yet... I'm Kyosuke, from 1-A. A little awkward but... good to meet you" he said, trying to restore what little cool he had. "Well, I ain't one to talk. I know jack all about volleyball!" he said with a gruff laugh. "It looks intense. Or well, you make it seem that way" he said with a grin. "It's pretty cool that these guys are with you all the way. I just hope that sort of thing can last" he said, sighing. He was beginning to remember P.E periods back when he was a kid. What a murky example of nostalgia. |
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| Kenny | Aug 4 2015, 08:09 PM Post #5 |
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We're all soldiers now
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Despite his unwavering facial expression, Jun was somewhat surprised by the boy's response. Typically, when he divulged the club's goal, many had thought of it as nonsense and too difficult. However, he accepted and was even encouraging him. Perhaps he was simply being polite; that was also a possibility. Even so, those words were a boost to his already unyielding confidence. His facial expression had changed when Kyosuke delivered his passionate speech. His eyes widened, as if he had found something incredibly of interest. It had been quite some time since he had encountered such a fiery expression, and it was delightful, to say the least. For all too many times, Jun had encountered those who used little effort and were hardly as passionate as he was. Despite their differentiating demeanor, it appeared that this boy had the same drive as himself. "I'm Jun - class 3-A - nice to meet you," he replied, his expression returning to stoic. Jun continued to listen to the boy, until he felt it was his turn to speak once more. "Volleyball is amazing," he stated, looking back his teammates. "You can't afford to make a mistake, and even a slight error can make the difference between scoring or giving up a point," he said. Though it may have been to the imagination of some, when he spoke of the sport, his eyes showed never ending passion. Despite a calm demeanor, he was overwhelmingly ambitious. Before he continued, Jun realized that time was ticking by. His eyes shifted away from the players, as he began to dig through a bag that rested on the bleachers. From it, he pulled out a notebook, which had unintentionally flipped open. If Kyosuke had paid attention to it, he would see various diagrams of the volleyball court, and what seemed to be a overwhelming amount of arrows drawn on them. "I apologize for cutting the discussion short, but I have to make most of the time we have. You're free to watch or leave at your discretion," said Jun. |
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| Crow | Aug 9 2015, 12:21 PM Post #6 |
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Professional Purveyor of Puns
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The boy introduced himself and Kyosuke nodded curtly. Despite the brief display of emotion on the boy's face, it quickly returned to its default state. He wondered why that was. Empathy (or what seemed like it) like this didn't just come naturally, did it? There was a lot of mystery to this guy, and it was more than enough to pique Kyosuke's curiosity; he wanted to get to know the guy more. It was clear that despite the varriance in style, interests... Hell, their entire identities at a whole, there was a common passion in the equation. The way Jun talked about volleyball, it was difficult not to become enticed with the sport momentarily, if not just a little bit. The whole conversation made Kyosuke wonder what he would say about his own interests, about combat. What could he say? He was no professional title holder, no military mastermind, he was just an average joe in the field. Perhaps this made him less of a real fighter, and more of a fanatic. It was a sort of sombre contemplation. "That is some impressive passion you've got there, man" Kyosuke responded. Jun, realizing that time was ever ticking away, decided to attend to his captain-ly duties, leaving Kyosuke with the choice to stay or leave. Kyosuke reclined slightly on the bleachers, glancing out the doors of the gymnasium doors. The sun was still a ways away from setting and well, quite frankly, he wasn't too inclined to leave the guy alone just yet. Turning back to the boy and his team, he grinned while crossing his arms. "Show me what ya fellas got!" |
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| Kenny | Aug 26 2015, 08:52 PM Post #7 |
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We're all soldiers now
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When he walked away, he could hear words of encouragement escaping from Kyosuke's mouth. Though his facial expression remained unchanged, Jun felt somewhat thankful. It was well-known that a group would preform their best with an audience, especially if they made positive comments. It became even more clear, when the strength of several spikes seemingly increased. With his notebook in hand, he turned it to a new page. Then, he walked towards one of the players, and he proceeded to speak. "Serve to block four," he demanded, with the player nodding silently. For the past few years, in order to perfect his accuracy, Jun had applied the rule of thirds to the volleyball court. This resulted in nine blocks overall. Starting from the front of the net, the blocks were arranged in the same manner as on a cellphone, which made it slightly easy to remember. The player, clearly not as proficient with the serve, tossed the ball too low into the air. Attempting to rectify the problematic play, he rushed to hit the ball, albeit too early. The result, unsurprisingly, was not acceptable by Jun's standards. The volleyball had landed slightly into block five. "Do it again," stated Jun, drawing diagrams into his notebook. There was a line which showed the direction of the ball, and a small note that stated what block it was meant to land in. Unfortunately, despite being the captain, he did not have complete faith in his teammates. Typically, if another captain wanted the ball to land in block five, he would simply ask so. However, Jun is well aware of the faults and incompetence of his teammates. Instead, he would ask for the serve to land in block four, if he wished for it to land in block five, because of the situation that just occurred. One by one, Jun repeated similar tasks with the rest of his teammates. It was very clear, despite the belief that volleyball did not require too much very, that the club members were exhausted, including Jun. "Practice is over. Remember to follow your training schedules, until the next practice," he stated. The other players proceeded to walk to the locker rooms to tidy up after the rigorous practice session. Meanwhile, with his notebook still in hand, Jun walked towards Kyosuke, who was still sitting there on the bleachers. "I suppose you enjoyed watching practice?" he asked, wiping away a few drops of sweat from his face. |
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3:25 AM Jul 11