sportsanime | Bonus Round 4: Quotes

A shipping olympics favorite, this round uses quotes of all sorts to fuel your creative endeavors.

This round is CLOSED as of 7PM on July 21 EDT. Late fills may be posted, but they will not receive points.

RULES

Submit prompts by commenting to this post with a quote attributed to a specific person or character, along with any ship/ot3/etc. from one of our nominated fandoms.
- Example: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - M. Gandhi
- The quote can come from anywhere. Famous people, poetry, songs, books, movies, your neighbor, etc.
- Your prompt MUST include some kind of relationship. (This is not the sports anime gen olympics.) Platonic relationships are indicated by an "&" between the names (e.g., Makoto & Rin). Non-platonic relationships use "/" (e.g., Makoto/Rin). Please don't say "Any pairing," either!
Fill prompts by replying to the prompt with your quote-inspired fanwork.
Remember to follow the general bonus round rules, outlined here.

FORMAT

Bonus round shenanigans all happen in the comments below. Brand-new works only, please.

Required Work Minimums:

400 words (prose)
400px by 400px (art)
14 lines (poetry)

There is no max work cap.

Format your comment in one of the following ways:

If PROMPTING:	If FILLING:	If FILLING as a TEAM GRANDSTAND participant:
PROMPT: TEAM [YOUR SHIP] Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team you belong to, including Grandstand or Sports Teams Write it exactly as it appears on the team roster or your team will not receive points Place the prompt's relationship in the first bolded line of the comment. Including the canon isn't required, but it's nice. Below that, place applicable major content tags (when applicable; otherwise write "no tags" or "none") Visual example	FILL: TEAM [YOUR SHIP], [RATING] Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team you belong to Write it exactly as it appears on the team roster or your team will not receive points Replace RATING with the rating of your fill (G - E) Place applicable major content tags and word count before your fill (when applicable) NSFW FILLS: Please cross-link these fills and use clear tags in your comment. Written/text fills should be hosted at AO3 ONLY as a new, unchaptered work. Art/visual fills can be hosted anywhere. You may include a small safe-for-work preview of the fill in your comment. To place an image in your comment, use this code: <img src="LINK TO YOUR IMAGE" alt="DESCRIPTION OF YOUR IMAGE"/> Visual example	FILL: TEAM GRANDSTAND, [RATING] Replace RATING with the rating of your fill, G - E, as explained in the rules Place applicable major content tags and word count before the fill, where applicable NSFW FILLS: Please cross-link these fills and use clear tags in your comment. Written/text fills should be hosted at AO3 ONLY as a new, unchaptered work. Art/visual fills can be hosted anywhere. You may include a small safe-for-work preview of your work in your comment. To place an image in your comment, use this code: <img src="LINK TO YOUR IMAGE" /> Visual example

Posts not using this format will be understood to be unofficial discussion posts, regardless of what they contain. They, like all comments in this community, are subject to the code of conduct.

SCORING

These numbers apply to your team as a whole, not each individual teammate. Make as many prompts/fills as you want!

For prompts: 5 points each (maximum of 50 prompt points per team per round)

For fills:

First 3 fills by any member of your team: 20 points each
Fills 4-10: 10 points each
Fills 11-20: 5 points each
Fills 21+: 2 points each

All scored content must be created new for this round.

Etc.

If you're hunting through the prompts looking for what to fill, a good trick is to view top-level comments only.

Have a question? Check The FAQ first. If you still need help, feel free to contact the mods. Happy fanworking!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

no tags
word count: 465

Mihashi comes to them with cracks in his armour. There are chips and dents, left by rough hands and harsh words. He's left shaken, but this is what armour is for, in the end. Regardless of whatever might have happened at Mihoshi, he was still the one standing there on the pitcher's mound.

It doesn't matter that he's quiet, it doesn't matter that his hands and voice tremble like leaves in a particularly strong breeze. None of it matters when he's standing on the pitcher's mound at all, because this is where he belongs and he'll fight for it. He'll persevere as much as he needs to, if it means that he can have this. He won't bow his head, he won't leave the mound even if he is asked to. He didn't before, and he doesn't plan to do it here, either.

But Nishiura is nothing like Mihoshi; they don't ask him to stop pitching. They don't poke at the cracks in his armour, but find ways to mend it. They find ways to make him stronger.

Then, there's Abe.

Abe, who sends him signs. Whose strength as a catcher builds Mihashi's strength as a pitcher.

Abe, who wants him to stand there on the mound. Who sometimes comes across just as awkward as Mihashi does when they're off the field, who speaks half his sentences in averted glances, with red cheeks.

He makes Mihashi feel like he doesn't need to fight at all; the entire team does, but there's something about Abe's soft eyes and his gentle hands that makes Mihashi feel less and less like a cornered animal.

He still demands things of Mihashi; still expects certain things of him, but that's just to be expected in a team anyway. Mihashi can do it. He's outlasted much more than a demanding catcher who doesn't want his signs shaken off. If it means that Mihashi isn't alone, that he receives signs at all, then he knows it's worth it in the end anyway.

"There's something about you," Abe tells him one afternoon as they practice together. "Like you're…"

Mihashi waits, his shoulders a little tense in a way he's still unlearning. Abe gestures with his hand, fingers flexing like they're trying to grasp at words that are just out of his reach.

"You're more than this," Abe settles for, even though his expression shows that it's not what he was originally going for. "I know there's more to you under the surface. I want to see that part of you. I'm not saying it has to be right now, but one day, I'm going to get there."

Mihashi can only nod mutely.

If anyone can see into the very heart of him, he thinks, it's probably going to be Abe.

He isn't afraid.

Bonus Round 4: Quotes

FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G