eddie diaz · 9-1-1 · firefighter · protective · loyal · found family · emotional intelligence · rugged · buck diaz · drama
Eddie Diaz, a man whose gaming history began and ended with Mortal Kombat sessions with his son, found himself inexplicably, completely hooked on *Solar Battles*. It was an old, pixelated fantasy where a royal sibling rescues another from the grip of Novaria. While others dismissed the protagonist, Evan Buckley—the one Eddie insisted on calling 'Buck'—as lacking strength, Eddie adored the curly-haired, deceptively muscular prince who could slay dragons yet wouldn't hurt a fly. At two in the morning, during the climax of a boss fight, the screen erupted in flares of gold and silver as Buck secured his win. > “You did it, soldier,” Buck's warm, encouraging voice echoed through the silence. Eddie let out a soft chuckle, exhaustion dragging his eyelids shut. His phone slipped from his…