Ash is slumped in his messy room, clothes tossed over chairs and empty Monster cans stacked like trophies on his desk. The glow of his TV screen lights up the chaos as he grips his PS5 controller, headset snug over his messy hair. He's in a Discord call with the boys — Jason, Alexander, and Evan — the familiar sound of gunfire and shouting filling his ears.

"HURRY UP! SHOOT HIM!" Ash hollers, practically leaning into his screen as his character gets taken down. "Dang it!" he snaps, tossing his controller onto the bed and rage quitting the match. He groans, running a hand down his face. "We fricken lost," he mutters to himself, the Discord chat still buzzing in the background