#this is so swagger its going on main

[forever-rogue]

Soon

AN | Here is one of the many ideas that I’ve had for Cal! Or - Cal Kestis visits you and holds the promise of a future together…finally 🥺 This contains no major spoilers for Survivor!

Warnings | None

Pairing | Cal Kestis x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 3k

Masterlist | SW Characters, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You knew it was him from the moment you noticed the figure in the distance coming closer. There was a trademark swagger to his walk and his lithe silhouette gave him away every time. No matter how much you tried to suppress the excitement in your chest, it never seemed to work. Not when it came to him.

"Hello Cal Kestis," he stopped right in front of you, a roguish smile on his face. His hair was longer now, and he hadn't shaved in a bit and…he was sporting a black eye, a busted lip, and cuts all over his face. A sigh escaped your lips softly, "Cal."

"It's okay," he insisted softly, his hand instinctively went to your face as he brushed his knuckles across your cheek, "you should see the other guy."

"Cal."

"I know," he knew. Knew that nothing else but him mattered to you, "its nothing."

"You're going to give your daughter nightmares if she sees you like this," you leaned into his touch, "let me take care of you."

"I didn't come here for that," he whispered softly, a sheepish expression on his face. Despite everything he went through, he always managed to keep his boyish charm.

"I know," you promised, "but I also happen to be fond of you. Come on - she's still at daycare."

You reached for his hand and pulled him into the small house, mind already buzzing with the multitude of questions you had for him. It had been a while since you'd last seen him. Over a year.

You set him down on the edge of the tub in the 'fresher as you glanced through medical supplies you had. You'd kept way more on hand since you'd met him a few years ago. They came in handy.

"Do I want to know what happened?" You gently dabbed at his lip, wiping away the dried blood before tending to the scratches on his cheek. 

"Probably not," he admitted softly, earning a quick nod from you. You grabbed some bacta gel and spread it around the dark bruising around his eye, "the last job didn't go so well."

You paused at the mention of his job. You knew what he did, more or less, but he never really went into details. For your sake and his. 

"I'm glad you're okay," you looked up at him with wide eyes and he nodded softly, "please be careful."

"I am…" he caught your eye for a moment, watching as you raised your brows at him, "I will be."

"Promise me, Cal Kestis," you kneeled down so you were almost eye to eye with him, having to look up slightly, "please."

"I swear,” and he meant it. For himself, for you, and the daughter you shared. 

You looked at him for a long moment. He'd become more hardened since you'd met him. But the boy you'd fallen in love with was still underneath it all. He didn't even know you loved him - at least you didn’t think he did. And you were almost positive that he didn’t feel that way about you. 

You’d met by chance, became friends, and after a drunken one-night hookup ending up sharing a daughter. But that didn’t mean you didn’t love him; you did and you just wanted him safe and sound. 

“Okay,” you leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek before standing back up. He followed suit and you noticed the flush of pink on his face. You tried to ignore the butterflies as you trailed your fingers along his scruffy jaw, “this is new.”

“You hate it,” he teased, smiling at you in the crooked way that you adored.

“I like it actually,” you smirked at him, “suits you. Now c’mon, let’s grab some lunch and then we can get Tansy. And you can tell me all about your adventures.”

“Sounds good,” he agreed softly, “missed you both.”

Your heart skipped a few beats before you made a small sound in response. He was really making this whole only friends thing way too hard.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Tell me then,” you watched your favorite ginger jedi from across the table, relaxed at being in his presence again. You were sure that he could feel it, “what has been keeping you so occupied lately?”

“I…” he paused for a moment, looking around surreptitiously before leaning closer to you. You mirrored his action and motioned for him to go on, “I know I should have been back sooner.”

“Cal…”

“It’s not fair to Tansy for me to be gone so long,” he sighed lightly and you gave his hand a small squeeze, “or you-”

“Well, we didn’t exactly plan on…you know. Having a kid,” it definitely hadn’t been part of any plan you’d ever had. But still, he handled it beautifully and did his best to take care of both of you in his own way. After your daughter had been born, you’d been tempted to ask him to stay, to try and be a proper family, but you knew that wasn’t in his cards. You’d always known that - there was no way you’d keep Cal Kestis from fulfilling his destiny.

“No,” you might have been right, but he wouldn’t have changed a thing, “listen, I know this is going to sound crazy, and it probably is, but I think I…something’s happened.”

“Crazy? From you, jedi?” you whispered the last part, and brought a smile to his face, “tell me.”

“I went to Koboh to look for Greez for help with the Mantis after…a job on Coruscant that went wrong,” your heart constricted at the mere thought of something happening to him, “one thing led to another but basically we found out about this planet called Tanalorr.”

“Tanalorr. I’ve never heard of that…”

“Almost no one has,” his eyes practically glittered with excitement, “a jedi master found it hundreds of years ago and tried to…hide it basically. Keep it safe and untouched. If we find it, and assuming all of it’s true, it could be a place untouched by the Empire, and raiders, and anyone else. It could be a new home…we could be safe there.”

Your brow furrowed as you tried to process everything that he was saying. It all sounded so good and wonderful and the idea that there was a safe place somewhere in the galaxy made your heart yearn for the future. A future you could maybe share with Cal and your daughter as a family. 

“Cal,” you sighed softly and noticed the way his face fell, “that sounds…amazing - truly. I know the jedi were - are - capable of amazing things. But this…it sounds like a tale told to keep children entertained.”

“It’s real,” he insisted, “I know it is. I’ve seen proof. I know it’s out there..I-I just have to find it.  Then we could-”

“Wait, Cal, stop for a moment,” your face was a mask of worry despite your ebay efforts to keep it neutral, “you’re not seriously thinking about this, are you? This is crazy-”

“It’s a risk that could be worth everything,” he took your hand in both of his hands and held onto it tightly, “we wouldn’t have to worry about anything. We’d be safe.”

“If you don’t die trying to get there,” you whispered, “or what if you get there and it’s something completely different? I don’t…I can’t lose you, Cal.”

“There’s risk involved with everything - even you being here,” he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, “but it’s a risk I have to take. I promise-”

“She’s like you,” you blurted out and caused Cal’s eyes to snap open and watch you closely. You pulled your hand away and swallowed the lump that had welled up in your throat, “Tansy…I think she’s like you. Sensitive.”

Oh. Oh. He knew, he’d always know that there was a high likelihood that his daughter would end up like him. Force sensitive. Back before the end of the Order, she would have likely already have been on her way to Jedi Temple on Coruscant. But now all it did was serve to put a giant target on her. A rush of pride and excitement flowed through him - along with a bundle of nerves settling into his stomach. 

“How do you…know?”

“I’ve noticed her doing some things that a normal kid definitely couldn’t do,” you whispered, “you’ll have to tell me for me but…I think I’m right. Cal…this is really exciting but-”

“I’m scared,” he finished for you and you nodded lightly, “I will never do anything to put either of you in danger. I’ll keep you, both of you safe. I promise.”

“But how can I keep you safe?” your voice cracked slightly as you looked at him with concern. His expression was soft as you turned your head and wiped away the tears that had rolled down your cheeks, “Cal, I l-”

“Daddy!” 

Tansy tore away from her babysitter, breaking into as much of a run as was possible for her little legs. You shook your head fondly before giving an apologetic expression to the twi'lek that cared for her. 

"Tan Tan!" Cal dropped to a crouch so he could scoop her into his arms, embracing her tightly. The resemblance between the two of them was uncanny; she'd inherited his red hair and green eyes and already had his sense of adventure. The two of them were nothing but trouble together already, "I've missed you so much."

"Missed you too," despite the fact that he wasn't around all the time - he tried as best as he could to be there for her - you were happy that they shared such a close bond. She adored him as he did her, "are you staying?"

"Yes," he promised, peppering her chubby cheeks with kisses, "if that's okay with Mommy."

You caught for a moment, trying to hide the exasperated look on your face. Of course you wanted him to stay, but you also weren't finished with your previous conversation, "yes, of course. You're always welcome, Cal."

"Yay," Tansy wrapped her little arms around his neck and clung onto him like a koala, "I can show you my new toys!"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"I think she's finally asleep," Cal quietly padded out of Tansy's room and made his way back over to you. You were in the living room, nursing a mug of tea and absentmindedly reading a holobook. He sat down next to you, tense for a moment as he anticipated your reaction, "she's got so much energy."

"She takes after you in so many ways," you put the book and turned to him with a soft smile. Cal mirrored it before, reaching over and gently tucking a lock of hair behind your ear. He’d been with you for a couple of weeks now, and you yearned for him to stay and make this your everyday reality. It would have been so easy…

"What are you thinking about?" His voice was barely above a whisper. One of the things you loved - and sometimes hated - about him was that he'd always been able to read you so easily. 

"I wish you were here more often," you hated how small and pathetic your voice sounded as you shrugged your shoulders lightly, "not for my sake but hers. But it'd be nice knowing you are safe too."

The jedi paused for a long moment, the air thick with so many unsaid things. He allowed himself to catch a glimpse of your expression before sitting back and exhaling softly, "I love you, you know."

"Cal, you don't just have to say-"

"I'm not," he insisted firmly and your eyes widened in surprise, "you know I'd never lie to you or say anything I didn't mean. And I'm not just saying it because of Tansy. I mean it - I've always meant it."

"Oh. Oh," maker. Cal just said what you had wanted to say for so long but couldn't bring yourself to admit. Which meant he felt the same. He felt the same way. But there was still a put in your stomach, "why did you leave?"

He paused, his lips pulling into a thin line, "you knew I couldn't stay. Especially after you got pregnant. It wasn't safe for me to be here all the time. I just wanted you both safe."

"I know," and you had. Cal did everything with purpose…he wasn't the kind of man to anything without some consideration, "I know. But I still wish you were here more. And I feel so selfish for even thinking that."

"It's not selfish," he whispered, brushing his knuckles across your cheek, "I wish you were with me too. I think about every day, you know."

You managed a small, teary eyed little smile. He reached into the collar of his shirt and pulled out the chain that was nestled safely against his chest. A small gasp escaped your lips when you realized it was your necklace. The very same one you'd given him the first time he'd left you a few months after the two of you had met. You'd found out you were pregnant a few weeks later.

"You still have it," you traced your finger along the soft golden chain, causing his heart to skip a few beats from your tender touch, "after all this time."

"I've never taken it off," he put his hand on top of yours and lightly squeezed it, "sometimes I feel like this is the only thing that's kept me alive."

"I love you," your declaration was so quiet that Cal almost wasn't sure if he'd heard you correctly. Judging from the nervous look on your face, he was pretty sure you'd said that. You bit the inside of your cheek for a moment, "I just wanted you to know too."

"C'mere," his hands found your face and you had to work to keep a wistful sigh from escaping. You leaned in and before you could even think about it, he was kissing you. Softly and gently, but with everything he had to give. You didn't pull away from him until you were dizzied and breathless. He pressed his forehead against yours, smiling softly, "one day, I'll get to do this every day."

"Every day?"

"Yes," it was a promise, resolute and firm, "I just need a little more time. I want to follow this lead and find Tanalorr."

"Cal-"

"I'll be careful," the reassurance didn't ease your worry, "if it's safe and actually is what it'd supposed to be, I'll come for both of you and we can make a new home."

"And if it's not?"

"I'll find us somewhere safe," he trailed his fingers softly along your jaw, "I promise."

"Okay," you didn't want to agree but you also knew there was no way to talk Cal out of something when he was set in his ways. You fisted the front of his shirt in your hand and blink away the fresh tears, "promise me one more thing?"

"Anything," he brushed your tears away and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

"Come back to us," his eyes softened as you silently pleaded for him, the force, the universe or whatever was out there, go make it come true, "please come back to us safely. I can't…I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'll always come back to you," in your heart you knew he meant it, "and Tansy. I just need a little bit of time."

"Okay," you exhaled shakily, "okay. When were you thinking about leaving?"

"Now - tonight," that was enough to crush your spirit, "the sooner I'm gone, the sooner I'm back. And I…I think it might be easier if I'm gone tonight rather than leaving when she's awake."

"I hate that you're right," you huffed with laughter, but there was no amusement behind the sound, "come back soon?"

"As soon as I can," he wrapped you up in a tight hug, pulling as tightly against his chest as possible. You hugged him back just as fiercely, wishing you'd never have to let him go. He kissed the side of your head as you buried your face in his chest, "soon."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"This is always the worst part," you stood on your doorstep in the middle of the night, bidding your goodbyes to Cal. Again. At least this time you knew it wouldn't be too long, "watching you go."

"Yeah," he cast a forlorn look towards the window of his daughter's room. His heart ached already, "its hard for me too. But this is the last time we'll have to be apart."

"Swear on it, Cal Kestis," you held out your pinkie and he couldn't help the laugh that reached your ears. He hooked his pinkie around yours and squeezed lightly, "or I'll find you and make you regret it."

"Swear," he brought your hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to your palm, "I wouldn't put anything past you."

"Good," your heart fluttered at his kiss and you leaned in and pressed another to his lips, "see you soon."

"Soon," he agreed, kissing you a few more times, "I love you."

"I love you, Cal Kestis," you touched his cheek before whispering, "may the force be with you."

"And with you," he took one last look at you before taking a step back, "oh - you were right, you know. About Tansy."

"Oh," you looked at him with a wondrous expression, "oh?"

"We'll talk about it next time," he offered you a cheeky wink as you beamed at him, "just be happy with the knowledge that you were right."

"Like always," you held up a hand in a small, sad little wave, "goodbye, Cal."

"Not goodbye - see you soon, sweetheart."

#cal kestis #cal kestis x you #cal kestis x reader #cal kestis x fem!reader #cal kestis imagine #cal kestis one shot #cameron monaghan #jedi: fallen order #jedi: survivor #star wars

[itsgreti]

THE NEW BOUNCER

pairing. elwood dalton x f!reader

summary. a new motorcycle gang is causing trouble, but the new bouncer solves the problem within a minute.

warning. cursing, mentions of physical injuries

word count. 1,2k

a/n: hey guys! it's literally my first ff ever, i just wanted to try out how hard is writing in another language, and i can tell you that i was struggling a bit haha. english is my second language, so if you find any mistakes, don't hesitate and text me! (divider is made by rookthornesartistry)

Working in the Road House was eventful. During the daytime, it was peaceful, but as night approached, the bar was no stranger to chaos. Lately, the trouble was caused by a motorcycle club, and its leader, Dell. He was the main source of broken tables and fights. Every night, he would swagger in, eyes glinting with wickedness. Tonight, however, things were going to be different.

(Y/N) had been working as a waitress at the Road House for a few years now. She had quickly become a favourite among the customers for her sense of humour and warm smile. But Dell's recent attention was anything but welcome. He would glance at her from across the bar, making nasty comments that sent shivers down her spine. She had tried to ignore him as much as possible, even helping Billy kick their ass out of the bar, but it had only led to swollen, bruised eyes of Billy and rude words to (Y/N).

Frankie’s only option to eliminate Dell and his gang was to find a new bouncer, and Elwood Dalton was the perfect candidate. He was known for his calm manner and challenging fighting skills. Initially hesitant, Dalton accepted the offer, as he had no other choice.

The other day, Dalton arrived to Glass Key, and as he walked through the door of the bar, (Y/N) couldn't help but stare at him from behind the counter. Tall, muscular, he was different from the usual arrivals, and he was an unfamiliar face compared to the regulars. He took in the scene with a keen eye, assessing the surroundings before making his way deeper into the bar. He met (Y/N)’s eyes.

"Hey there, what can I get you?" (Y/N) asked, her voice steady and friendly. It was rare for new faces to arrive with luggage in their hand.

"A black coffee, please." Dalton replied, his tone polite but firm.

"Um, we don’t have that. But you can try our Cuban coffee. It’s different, but it works the same." (Y/N) replied with a smile. Dalton agreed and waited her to prepare it. While he was waiting, he took in the ambiance. As she handed him the coffee, their eyes met, and she felt a strange sense of reassurance. There was something about him that made her feel safer already.

"You're new here," she said, more as a statement than a question.

Dalton nodded. "Just started today. Name's Dalton."

"(Y/N)," she replied with a smile. "Welcome to the Road House."

"Thanks, ma’am. Do you know where can I find Frankie?" he asked with a small smile at the corner of his lips.

She quickly pointed at a small room. "Yes, up there." Dalton acknowledged her, poured down the coffee, and made his way up to his new boss.

As the day went on and the light of the moon reflected into the bar, the place filled with people. The air buzzed with music and laughter. (Y/N) didn’t stop working for a moment as more and more customers ordered drinks. There were small fights, but Billy and Reef quickly wrapped them up. Dalton sat at the side of the counter and admired (Y/N)'s endurance and resilience as she also tried to put the too-drunk people in place.  

"The bar is always that packed?" Dalton asked (Y/N), who was mixing a cocktail with a customer.

"Yeah… " (Y/N) replied and handed over the drink to a girl. "But it’s normal, until-" Before she could finish her sentence, the mood shifted the moment Dell and his ass gang walked in. (Y/N)'s heart sank; she had been hoping for a quiet night and Billy had enough black eye for today.

"Wow, it’s like a morgue in here," Dell shouted and flipped the table in front of him for no reason. He scanned the room, his gaze immediately locking onto (Y/N). Dalton, watching from the aisle, tensed.

Dell made his way through the crowd, knocking over a couple of chairs in his path. He reached the billiard table to play some rounds as he had the past days, but he again terrified the other regulars. Billy came over to him and told him to get out, but Dell just laughed and pushed him back.

"Oh, Billy. You’re that stupid?" Dell laughed with his company next to him. "You didn’t learn, did you?" (Y/N) watched it behind the counter and decided to end it finally. She loved Billy as if he was her brother and couldn’t watch it anymore as the biker beat him up by and made everyone's life miserable. Dalton followed her every movement and decided to stand up if anything happens.

"Hey! Get the fuck out, now!" (Y/N) said with anger in her voice and stand in front of Billy.

"Ay, sweetheart. You’re here to protect your little guy?" Dell snorted and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him. "How about you and I get out of here and maybe I won’t give him another black eye?" he slurred, his grip tightening.

(Y/N) tried to pull away, her voice steady despite her fear. "Let go of me."

Dell laughed, a cruel sound that sent a wave of anger through Dalton. Before (Y/N) could say anything more, Dalton was there, his presence a wall of protection between her and Dell.

"She asked you to let go." Dalton said, his voice calm but firm.

"Who the hell are you?" Dell sneered.

"Dalton," he replied calmly. "And you're done causing trouble here."

Dell scoffed, but he released (Y/N). "What are you gonna do about it, Dalton?"

Dalton didn't respond. Instead, he moved with a speed that caught Dell off guard. In a matter of seconds, Dell was on the ground, gasping for breath and clutching his stomach where Dalton had landed a perfectly aimed punch.

The bar fell silent; every eye now was on Dalton. He looked around, making sure his message was clear. There was something about him that commanded respect. "This bar is under new management. Anyone who wants to cause trouble will have to answer to me."

Dell scrambled to his feet, fury in his eyes. He charged at Dalton, but Dalton sidestepped, using Dell's momentum against him. Dell crashed into a table, breaking it under his weight. The crowd burst into cheers, and a couple of regulars moved to help Dalton drag Dell's friends out of the bar.

Once Dell and the others were outside, Dalton turned back to (Y/N). She was shaken but unharmed, her eyes filled with gratitude.

"Thank you," she said, her voice a little shaky. "He’s been a problem for a while, but it was the first time he…" she tried to continue but felt a hand on her shoulders.

Dalton gave her a reassuring smile. "You don't have to worry about him anymore. If he comes back, he'll regret it."

(Y/N) nodded, relief washing over her. As the bar slowly returned to its usual noise and chaos, she felt a newfound sense of safety. (Y/N) handed him another beer, on the house this time. With Dalton around, she knew she could handle whatever came her way.

And as for Dalton, he couldn't help but feel a deepening admiration for (Y/N). She was strong and brave, and he was determined to make sure she never had to face trouble alone again.

#elwood dalton #elwood dalton x reader #elwood dalton x you #jake gyllenhaal #jake gylenhall x reader #jake gylenhall x you #jake gylenhall fanfiction #jake gylenhall imagines #elwood dalton fanfiction #elwood dalton imagines #road house

[blowflyfag]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: March 2024

THE LOCKUP

BY BRIAN R. SOLOMON

WHEN YOU’VE BEEN following this great sport as long as I have, you start to get a real sense for when something just works … when someone has something special, and is destined to make it big. Sometimes, it might take a very long time. And it might even seem like it’s never going to happen. But for some, it just takes longer, and, if they have the right combination of determination, skill, and luck, it happens.

LA Knight is one of those people. I’ve known it for years, but it’s nice to see the rest of the business finally catch up.

The year 2023 was a watershed moment in the 20-year career of WWE’s newest phenomenon. This marked the time when Knight finally broke through and did something that is so refreshing to see, but is so rarely allowed to happen in today’s industry: He got over organically. The fans made him into a superstar; not the office. He’s not a corporate product.

Quite the opposite! LA Knight is someone the office didn’t necessarily see all that much in, but the people felt otherwise. He won them over, and now it’s paying dividends, as WWE has a new main-event fan favorite on its hands. 

Yes, I’ve heard all the knocks. As this magazine goes to press, LA Knight just turned 41 years old. Guess what? That’s the same age as Asuka, Finn Balor, and Damien Priest. Cody Rhodes, who’s arguably made himself into WWE’s hottest fan favorite main-eventer in the past couple of years, is just three years younger than LA Knight. So are Sami Zayn, Charlotte Flair, and none other than Roman Reigns himself. Sure, Knight has a finite number of years ahead of him as a major, viable wrestling superstar. But you can rest assured he’s primed to make the most of those years. The idea that he’s somehow “too old” for the position he’s in is ludicrous.

[While some critics deride LA Knight for his similarities to Steve Austin and Dwayne Johnson, Brian R. Solomon suggests the rising superstar doesn’t get enough credit for making those influences his own.

PHOTO BY JERRY VILAGRANA]

It’s funny how one of Knight’s greatest strengths–his ability to tap into the best aspects of what made the stars of the Attitude Era get over–has also been called out by some as a negative. From when I first came to be acquainted with his work years ago, I enjoyed how he seemed to be a hybrid of the best elements of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock. If that makes him derivative, then he’s no more derivative than Ric Flair emulating Buddy Rogers, Hulk Hogan emulating “Superstar” Billy Graham, or Dusty Rhodes taking from Thunderbolt Patterson.

In other words, nothing exists in a bubble. The greats of today build themselves on the templates created by the stars of the past. That’s nothing new. And in 2023, a wrestler with the swagger and charisma of the Attitude Era actually stands out from the pack.

Most importantly of all, LA Knight believes himself to be a star, and that belief has spread to the people. He’s willed it for himself, because he knows he’s earned it. That’s what happens when you’ve been scratching and scraping for 20 years to achieve something that means the world to you.

[Eli Drake poses for a photo backstage at a taping of David Marquez’ UWN Primetime Live in September 2020. By that time, WWE brass certainly already had their eyes on the man who would go on to main event against Roman Reigns.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN COTTERELL/UNITED WRESTLING NETWORK]

Since the days of WWE’s Ruthless Aggression–back when TNA and Ring of Honor were in their respective infancies–the man known to his parents as Shaun Ricker has been making his way in the business, and he’s been learning every step of the way. He got his start in the 200s at Ohio’s Heartland Wrestling Association under the watchful eye of legendary trainer Les Thatcher. At the time, HWA served as a developmental system for WWE. Ricker actually made his WWE debut on an episode of Heat in 2006, teaming with another young unknown, Jon Moxley, in a handicap match against The Big Show.

In what would be the start of a pattern, he wasn’t quite able to break through. And when WWE ended its relationship with HWA in 2009, Ricker moved on, hitting the West Coast and becoming a standout of the California independent scene. 

Part of that campaign meant becoming a regular at David Marquez’ Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, then a flagship member of the NWA. This TV exposure started to show what he could do, and earned him a tryout with NXT in 2013. But his first run there would turn out pretty uneventful, consisting of half a year of house shows and dark matches. It just wasn’t his time yet. 

In 2015, the future LA Knight got his first big break in TNA/IMPACT, where he also took on the name many fans first knew him under: Eli Drake. He spent the next four years there, honing his skills against some of the best in the business, and even holding the IMPACT World championship for five months. For most performers with his age and experience, that might have been the peak. For him,it was just the precursor.

After leaving IMPACT in 2019, Drake reached a whole new audience as one of the cornerstone stars of Billy Corgan’s new incarnation of the NWA, where he held the NWA World tag team title with James Storm. But the pandemic put a crimp in things and halted much of the NWA’s production in 2020. By the time it started back up again, Eli Drake had been snatched up by WWE, sent to NEXT, and given a whole new name.

Even then, success was far from a sure thing, as fans know all too well. Saddled with the unfortunate Max Dupri persona–and even shoehorned into the role of manager by Vince McMahon, who just didn’t see him as a top player–the man rose above it all, proving that even Vince can be wrong sometimes.

Thankfully, Paul Levesque believed in LA Knight and, gradually, Knight took the reins. A feud with Bray Wyatt, in which Knight was positioned as nothing more than a stepping stone, instead proved the catalyst for his dramatic transformation into a superstar on the rise.

Tired of getting so close but falling short of where he knew he belonged, LA Knight took control of his own destiny. After all these years, the taste of success is that much sweeter. Now, everyone is saying his name, and likely will be for some time to come. 

#La knight #max dupri #PWI #pro wrestling illustrated #eli drake #magazine scan #magazine transcript

[tricitymonsters]

hihihihi! please more info about the side characters babies?

CERTAINLY

Basically the side characters are each products of the main three's routes in some way and I'm hoping to include them as part of those stories as more detailed elements of their overarching arcs.

readmore cause i'm long winded oops

Kazu first showed up in canon in a Yakuza themed AU short story I wrote for Patreon to be Mori's right hand man and bodyguard. He's 6'5" and built like a brick shithouse (charm point: huge tiddies and a tiny waist, very Dorito coded). Kazu's a fun combination of Stoic and Confident- he's an expert martial artist so he's kinda got that meathead/jock swagger- but also a delightful degree of socially inept and has a constant intense resting bitchface. He would beat someone into a paste for threatening you without blinking but if you cried in front of him he would have zero idea what to do. His personality is very Guard Dog? He always reminds me of a very mean doberman, alert and ready to react Severely and also absoLUTELY unswervingly loyal to people he's decided to trust. With Mori, the dynamic is especially funny as it took Kazu a while to respect him enough to take orders from but now that Mori's proven himself, Kazu would do basically anything he said, though they do share the Warrior's Bond and have to brawl a lot to work out the tension or solve disagreements.

Kazu used to be in a biker gang and spent time in prison (he also used to be super skinny and didn't bulk up until his mid twenties). He runs a mechanic shop during the day where he customizes cars and bikes and also built his custom bike, Kanōbo, from the ground up. He also loves J-Idols + has an anime figure cabinet and worked in an izakaya/pub for a number of years so he can actually cook. Vital funfacts: He enjoys beating people up, loves steak, is a junior high dropout, and nearly qualified for olympic level judo.

As of now Kazu doesn't have a demon deal but no promises for the future :)

Selection of Various Kazu Arts care of @epoch-smog @coyoxxtl and @booket-png (thank yall so much for drawing my idiot meat man)

Raath is almost comically complex for his role as a side character and is actually a redux of an OC I had in another fandom many years ago. Canon took a direction i didn't like and for a long time Raath sort of simmered but I love his Assholish Behavior and found a great role for him in TCM as Amir's parent's go-to hitman.

Raath is, above all else, brutal and carnal to the core. He was raised in a really fucked up way that cut him off from any semblance of a normal human childhood as part of an dark-entity-worshipping, off the grid assassin cabal. He was raised essentially as a child soldier and pushed because of his prodigy and proclivity towards assassin skills. He's socially inept but in a weaponized way, unafraid to flagrantly disregard social norms to say or do whatever he wants.

Raath is about 6'3"ish and lean/lithe. He's muscular but built for dexterity over strength- though don't let that fool you, he's immensely strong. While he doesn't know his origins, he was born in Greece to Cypriot parents. When he was a young teen, his cabal master had the revelation that Raath was the link back to their supernatural patron and decided to ritually mutilate him (in accordance to the old ways) as a sacrifice. The ordeal was utterly brutal (think legends of the old norse Blood Eagle) and by all accounts, there's no way he should have been able to survive. But miraculously, somehow, he did and the cabal considered that a sign to continue his training.

Raath doesn't have a demon deal. However, in the world of TCM, there are different orders of "demons" (not all supernatural entities use that word to describe themselves, its more of a human POV type label). Mori, Amir, and Akello are all humans-turned-demons via contracts made with other demons. Tor, from Akello's chapter, is a full demon and had never been anything else. Raath is something different altogether. Essentially, Raath is a human vessel for the phonos of bloodlust, Aimvoros. In Greek mythology, phonoi are deities that are the literal personification of a human emotion/experience and they're the children of Eris, the goddess of discord. Aimvoros is a play on the Greek words for Blood Hunger. So ESSENTIALLY, Raath has a demon of a Particularly potent caliber in his head somewhere, who's slowly and quietly trying to take him over and regain a physical form. Raath, however, is wild and unpredictable AND a lot more cunning than he seems. So the baseline for Raath is that he's playing a mental game of cat and mouse with a minor god inside his own head and winning. Its a long and arduous process but it sets the stage for Raath becoming the new blood god while retaining his human consciousness.

For his day job, Raath is an assassin/hitman who specializes in out of range sniping and making a huge mess of his targets. He's the guy you send in when you want to send a message, not have a kill go under the radar. As such, he's been very useful to Amir's parents for their dirty business and political maneuvering, though he's only as loyal as the assignments are engaging. Amir and Raath dislike each other a lot but they both acknowledge that the other is Useful in their own right.

Some lesser-seen Raath arts (thank you @mineshaft-birdie you have such a way with this bastard)

Marcel is, by comparison, the freshest TCM character on the roster and so I'm still kind of feeling him out a little bit. He's gregarious and loud, generally friendly and well liked by classmates, coworkers, and teachers. He's very much that Star Football Player Who's Best Friend is in Band- he could absolutely be an asshole with the social position he's had as a high performing athlete going into college on a sports scholarship but his swagger and cockiness is more charming than offensive and he doesn't let the college sports environment get TOO much into his head.

He is, however, very confident and sure of himself. Growing up he got in trouble for backtalking to teachers almost constantly, and always had a comment for any given situation. He has an incredibly loud, unique laugh that you could pick out in a crowd and even now on the college campus him and his friends are usually the most animated group in the quad at any given time.

Marcel works hard and takes his studies pretty seriously or rather.... as seriously as he has to. He keeps his grades up to maintain financial aid but is always ready to party and now that he's on his own and establishing his adult life, he's ready to experiment and try new things.

Marcel found out about the demon infestation in the city on his own and was willing to make a deal with one for information on the accident that "killed" Akello but has so far managed to avoid actually taking out a contract. Akello and Marcel were very VERY close before the accident, however, and now they're sort of trying to figure out how to go back to that. Akello's big Parental Fear is that Marcel will have a Party Whore College Boy (like HE DID) phase and lose track of his academic pursuits.

For now, I'm lacking in Marcel concept art but Atlas' headshot is fucking dreamy so here it is again.

I THINK?? THATS EVERYTHING??? ALL THE BASIC DETAILS? I love my side characters very very much and I'm hoping the KS unlocks that sprite package so I can get them some official tcm sprites! (I blatantly made it the first stretch goal cause i want it SO BAD).

#thank you so much for asking! #long post #kazu #marcel #raath

[cupidssrosses]

i care about this too much

hangman and roosters relationship follows, BEAT. FOR. BEAT. the ‘ex’s getting back together’ plotline i’ve seen in 100 other films about straight relationships. 

the first scene, where hangman swaggers up to rooster, stands like five inches from his face, smirking the whole time while they insult eachother. they’re glancing at eachothers mouths, everyone around them is watching them like this interaction is nothing new. 

rooster telling him he looks good as hangman plays pool veeery slowly and somehow antagonisingly. you can feel how much hes showing off. hangman leaves and pheonix goes up to rooster and says ‘he hasn’t changed’ and rooster is STILL just STARING in his direction and says ‘no he hasn’t (or something like that lol)

then their always making eye contact in the meetings, bantering while their flying then

omg THEN

roosters about to get into the plane and maybe never come home, and this SHOT i swear. it’s like, romantically coded cinematography but a canonically platonic relationship?? and it drives me CRAZY. the camera follows rooster as he walks, and hangman enters the shot and their still for a second. 

they don’t. know what. to say. this could be a goodbye for all they know. the warm lighting, the eye contact, the tension, all of it. 

then finally hangman SAVES HIS LIFE and they say the ‘you look good’ ‘i am good’ lines again. HE LITERALLY IS THE REASON that rooster is still ALIVE. rooster comes home safe, he gets off the plane, hugs EVERYONE ELSE except of the main character and RIGHT here

right here is where after 20 years of watching movies my brain has been trained to expect the love interest to appear and for the romantic subplot to resolve. (idk why how to train your dragon is all i can think of rn but do you remember at the end!?! its the SAME SCENE. hiccup is greeted by a crowd of secondary characters, he talks to them for a second, then the music changes, the crowd parts, and astrid comes up and they have their little ‘thats for everything else’ moment, anyway)

here is structurally where in every other movie the next person to talk to rooster would kiss him. and what do you know hangman arrives, everyone steps back, there’s this importance you can feel. the music changes, so does the tone. this isn't just another character, this interaction means something. god and the way they’re smiling at eachother it gets me everytime. but of course, like he considered going for the kiss but decided against it, hangman offers his hand for a handshake. 

ALL of these scenes. ALL these interactions would have read as romantic if one of them, was a women. its crazy to me. they use the same cinematography, the same type of dialogue, the same direction that you would expect to be used for a romantic subplot, but use it for a platonic subplot. 

a man and a women could interact once with the slightest amount of tension and people would without a second thought assume they’re love interests. these two were out here saving eachothers lives, having the most flirtatious interactions ive seen in ages, but no, they’re just really close friends. 

EDIT/ADDITION: I’ve seen so many people say that rooster and pheonix were ‘clearly fucking’ or ‘clearly had history’ and you know what?? i totally see it!! so valid. plenty of tension. but if you think they had chemistry but rooster and hangman didn’t, the only difference between the two is that they’re the same gender. they had the same amount if. not. more chemistry/tension than either of them did with pheonix

oh also, another example of romantically coded techniques/tropes being used in apparently non-romantic plotlines is the tv show suits. its not every episode but mike and harvey have a bunch of scenes that would read as HEAVILY romantic if either of them was a girl (eg. harvey running in slow motion to stop mike from putting himself in danger was very ‘running through the airport’, but oohhh no they were ‘brothers’ )

#i never thought i'd care so much about two random fighter pilots but here we are #hangman x rooster #jake hangman seresin #bradley rooster bradshaw #hangster #top gun maverick

[gojuo]

Hi.... If you don't mind, can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from Jujutsu Kaisen? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this before.....

gojo -> i've written so much about him already what else is there to say anymore omg... i just love his open and goofy personality so much under which he tries to repress his deep loneliness and sense of alienation all because he has been dehumanized by the entirety of jujutsu society since his birth!!! yet he still powers on and continues to do the right thing BECAUSE he is a good person!!! because he cares!!!! ahhh it's just such a refreshing way to write a "the strongest" character. and of course it's not like he's the first one to be written with a cheery personality, but he just hit all the right spots for me. after years of madara and aizen and meruem types etc. i just love that he still tries to make human connections and still tries to make the world a better place and still tries to be good.... ugh i love him so much

toji -> shakespeare himself could've never written a character more tragic than him.... and if there's one thing you need to know about me it's that i fawking love a good tragedy

yuuta -> listen after being depressed for over a year bc of The Great Bleach 686 War and everything i ever believed in being ripped apart and eradicated right in front of my eyes in real time (i literally turned into a kpop blog bc of bleach 686 back then fucking hell....) ... i saw this announcement of a new mini serialization in 2017 and i thought .... wow ... reminds me of the early bleach art so much ..... and then i read the first chapter of tokyo metropolitan curse technical school, as it was called back then, and i was like ...... okkotsu yuuta is my son, my baby, my child whomst i have carried inside for 9 months and have birthed ..... okkotsu yuuta is ME & GOJO'S SON !!!!!!

yuuji -> he's just a good kid man 🥹 he's just a child ... my child .... mine & gojo's 🥹🥹🥹 his character arc in shibuya.... truly shakespeare levels of writing i miss the HI/SI ghostwriter/editor gege used to have so much he needs to come back asap

yuki -> MY WIFE !!!!!! if it wasn't obvious by now i love open and friendly and amiable characters. also i want to be her. also i want to kiss her. also i want her swagger. also i want to be her spouse. aghhh she's the quirky outsider with a whatever i am free attitude YET she still cares about the world she lives in and tries to do good .. by thinking outside of the box and guide the world into a cursed energy-less era which directly opposes the antagonists' interests on a different level than how jujutsu society/the school/our main protags do. WHICH IS SO INTERESTING !!!!!! AND THEN GEGE KILLS HER OFF RAAAAHAHHHHHH HE NEEDS TO BE IN PRISON. WE NEVER EVEN GOT A YUKI/GOJO OR YUKI/TODO INTERACTION IS HE FUCKING CRAZY >!!??!?!?!?????? she's so badass. she's a foil to gojo if you think about it. they're both special grades and live quite outside of the confines of jujutsu: yuki in a i've abandoned the life to do my own thing (research on how to end jujutsu directly against the interests of the elders); gojo in a i stand above it all so i will do my own thing (raise a new generation of sorcerers with a new instilled creed that directly opposes the elders). very interesting analysis if someone else wants to go deeper into it...

top 5 moments:

hidden inventory in its entirety but especially the final fight between gojo and toji... those two rocked my world

hey, what's your name? / ...fushiguro... / not zen'in, huh? good for you

gojo vs sukuna (minus 236)

yuuji's entire arc in shibuya, from losing gojo sensei to getting wrecked by choso to sukuna taking over and destroying the city only to then mentally torture him over it to watching nanami and then nobara die to breaking down completely to todo coming to save him to him beating mahito to the "i'm you" scene .... god what a good fucking arc

yuuta vs yuuji. the real mc jokes back then were so fawking fun aghhh you just had to be there </3

#thanks for asking ♥ #jjk #dnana-2809-blog #answered

[ottoslab]

Otto please I have to hear about these ANTAGONISTS PLEASE why are they antags? What threat do they pose to others??? (Warning I'm so sorry but this will be very long)

LIKE CHLOE my gohd it's design is absolutely the bomb I I I my mind explodes. She looks like she's working with some type of dark..matter..thing she may have invented OR MAYBE she specialises in Shield Power I figured cause the super pretty purple swirly stuff u drew in its glove is the same colour as the badge from PN 1

OR MAYBE I'm overthinking it completely BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS SHIELD POWERS cause. Space? Like she can incase herself in a shield cause you need a protective bubble like— it makes sense in my head trust. AND ITS ROBOTIC ARM IN THE LAST PIC?! HELLO??? Is that psitanium in the middle of its palm to make her more of a menace?! I MUST KNOW WHAT HER MOTIVES ARE PLEASE!!!! Chloe seems like the most threatening out of the lineup I'm guessing hrm hrm hrm...

Maloof, Mikhail, and Elka all seem like the big honcho boss men (and lady), Elka Doom being an oracle-like psychic and all that! AND MALOOF AND MIKHAIL! AAH! LOOK AT THEM THEY HAVE SO MUCH SWAGGER NFNDNXE RAAAA!!!! I feeeeeel like they would have a sort of odd "partnership" with the Psychonauts, a sort of aliance, yknow? Like how sometimes batman will team up with catwoman, smth similar? I dunno, I'd love to hear what you have in mind with all these funky little guys 👂👂pls and thank you 🙏 🤲

PIWI i am so sorry for taking so long to respond to this i tried so hard to do some funny art to go along with it bc this ask makes my brain bark and howl (positive) but im trying to save my art fight energy.

CLAPS MY HANDS TOGETHER THOUGH. These are all really good let me get my thoughts in order

Chloe and Benny are a duo! I mentioned it before in my other posts abt her, but Chloe is definitely just sort of doing its own thing, and that just happens to cross paths with the Psychonauts a lot. She’ll work with them when she can, and work against them when they try to shove her into a box with all their “rules” and stuff. Benny is her “guy in the chair” and usually stays back at the lab unless she really needs the extra hands on deck.

i really like the idea of its main power being shield!! I didnt really think about the color coordination but youre so right to be honest, and i think it would work really well for her. Aside from her shield ability, she’s not a very naturally powerful psychic. It uses psitanium to grant itself power-ups during battle, and the big robot arm is basically a super-powered gauntlet that it can harness strong psychic energy into, using it for very powerful psi-blasts and the like..

Maloof and Mikhail are similarly not very for-or-against the Psychonauts, but definitely a lot more antagonistic. But theyre pretty much the lowest threat on the list. Maloof is sort of a goofy b-plot type villain, doing “evil” for the sake of “evil”, and Mikhail is just there to make sure Maloof doesn’t blow himself up.

They’re also the “guys” that Lili knows! Like, whenever Raz and his team need some inside info or resources and Lili mentions that she “knows a guy,” Maloof and Mikhail are said guy. Collectively. Raz greatly disapproves of the fact that Lili hasn’t turned these guys into the psychonauts yet, but she thinks that theyre harmless yet useful enough to let them roam free without it backfiring that much.

Elka is. A special case. Probably one of the ones that could be considered the most objectively threatening, but her antagonistic role is much more of an extension of a greater threat to the psychonauts. She’s the “daughter” of a psychic villain, Dorian Doom, who is attempting to use the ability of precognition to make himself some sort of future lord by giving him the ability to manifest potential futures into reality as he seems fit. She’s sort of a henchman/figurehead role, interacting a lot with the Psychonauts as if she were the main brains behind the operation to shield suspicion from him.

She’s definitely given the psychonauts a lot of trouble, but I think as of recently she’s under observation after being taken down during a big fight against the psychonauts. Mayhaps she’s building a trustworthy repertoire by using her foresight to give Raz and his team little helpful hints when they go rush into missions.

She is Definitely building a very trustworthy relationship with Dogen and definitely not trying to get him to let her out of whatever observation chamber/system they have her in. It’s totally cool and normal.

#Agent aquato and co au #asks :0]

[animehouse-moe]

High Card Episode 1: One Shot

So, High Card, an "anime original". Sort of. It's a proposed mix media project that has, currently, this anime with an original story airing, and a side-story manga that started serialization in August of 2022 (High Card -♢9 No Mercy, in Square Enix's Manga Up!). Though a manga and light novel adaptation have already been announced.

How is the first episode of the anime though? In a word, good, really good. The series takes its inspiration from Poker, and plays with it to produce a Persona-esque combat format, where specific cards from a very special set are able to produce various abilities and powers. It's a really fun approach, and I'd say they make full use of it.

Gambling, risk-taking, it's all a facet of the first episode as we follow a mystery leading to the dispersal of these powerful cards into the world, with the main goal being assumed to be the reclamation of the cards before they can cause too much damage. It sets itself up for a very broad scale, and I think that's a good thing.

However, the overall appeal of High Card is far more narrow. It targets that niche that is inspired by gambling, by the suave men in suits that always have a quip or something witty to say. It aims for the electric feeling of jazz and of a saxophone over an intense car chase, or of the funk of a bass guitar to add swagger, or of gratuitous slow motion and bloody action.

High Card goes all in on a single bet with its first episode: style. It doesn't try to wow with an incredible story, or pull you in with crazy stakes or hints or anything like that. It sucks you in with how it feels to watch. It's sitting in the corner with an expensive suit on and wearing a pair of sunglasses inside. Highly cliché and enough to somewhat get you to roll your eyes maybe, but there's an undeniable air about it, something that makes you want to go over to that corner and find out why it is they called out to you.

And I think that is a pretty great reason to check it out. It doesn't offer any guarantees, it doesn't do anything to prove it has the ability to last through its season. But, it has more than enough to make you want to watch that one episode. Plus, it just looks plain good. Bright and contrasting colors, unique and fitting character designs, and some really solid animation work.

#high card #anime recommendation #anime review #anime original #anime #anime and manga #ハイカード

[adamwatchesmovies]

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Big Trouble in Little China is an odd duck that blends several different genres together. It may not be for everyone but it’s got a lot of personality and is certainly memorable. It’s got such a unique feel that those who like it are sure to call it a new favorite.

Trucker Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) is accompanying his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) as he travels to the airport to meet his fiancé after years apart. After landing, Miao Yin (Suzee Pai) is immediately kidnapped by a Chinese street gang. When our heroes learn that she is to be wed to an ancient sorcerer named Lo Pan (James Hong), what choice do they have but to infiltrate his lair and rescue her?

As soon as you meet Jack Burton, you know this will be a different kind of movie. Kurt Russell’s performance, his dialogue and his swagger make this protagonist an instant icon. He sticks out even more once we're properly introduced to the story because he doesn’t belong. He’s a no-nonsense meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. What does he know about ancient prophecies, a trio of warriors armed with elemental powers, or magic? It’s like the movie was originally meant to have Wang Chi as its protagonist but Jack stumbled in at the last second and stole the spotlight - which is precisely the appeal. He’s so out of place that everything feels like a surprise. The fact that everyone but him (and the audience) are “in the know” means that sometimes, this movie is just plain weird. There was no buildup to that monster! Where did it come from? Where did it go? If this was “Grave Dangers in the Great Kingdom” with Dennis Dun and Suzee Pai as the main characters, you wouldn’t question it. With Jack? it’s wild stuff.

Everything I’ve told you about this film so far should be a detriment. Instead, it’s a strength because this movie is effortlessly cool. Big Trouble in Little China does its own thing and is having a great time. You get the sense that everyone on set probably didn't understand what this was all building towards but they all got along so well and had such a great time that it didn’t matter. The enthusiasm is infectious. Though best known for his horror and science-fiction films, director John Carpenter’s mark is all over this movie. It's unmistakably his, even if it stands out among everything else he's made.

All that said, I wish I liked this movie more than I did. While it is fun, sometimes it can feel aimless and unpolished. Maybe it has a few too many characters. Jack and Wang Chi are joined by lawyer Gracie Law (Kim Cattral), an old enemy of Lo Pan played by Victor Wong, Wang’s friend Eddie Lee (Donald Li) and Eddie's love interest Margo Litzenberger (Kate Burton). Then there’s this other girl the villains mistake Miao Yin for… but then it turns out she also fulfills the role Lo Pan wants her to in the prophecy… and it gets to be a lot of a lot. It’s clear Jack Burton is not the kind of character that could ever learn any sort of lesson or change. He’s exactly who he needs to be now, and forever. That’s why you like him. Everyone else, however, is in major need of story arcs or character development, particularly in a story like this one that is under constant threat of being overwhelmed by its special effects, creatures and wild developments.

I was hoping a second viewing of Big Trouble in Little China would make me fall in love with it. Looks as though this movie just isn’t my thing. That makes it sound like I don’t like it. I do like it. It’s just that everything I see on screen tells me I should fall head over heels in love and I'm not. A funny thing happened when I did view it, however. Someone else in the room did fall for it completely. Their instant enthusiasm makes me wholeheartedly recommend the picture. I hope it turns out to be your kind of thing. Even it isn’t, there are a lot of laughs, surprises, and memorable moments in Big Trouble in Little China. (April 7, 2022)

#Big Trouble in Little China #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #John Carpenter #Gary Goldman #David Z. Weinstein #Kurt Russell #Kim Cattrall #Dennis Dun #1986 movies #1986 films

[goshdangronpa]

Formulating an analysis of how so many characters in Danganronpa V3 seems to believe and act like they're the main character of the game (Spoilers obviously)

The obvious ones are Kaede "Decoy Protagonist" Amamatsu and Kaito "You're My Sidekicks" Momota. The former takes matters into her own hands in a bold and decisive act to find and defeat the villain, only to die believing that she had become a villain herself. The latter spends almost the whole game strutting with protagonist swagger, even dying an extremely melodramatic death

This applies to killers too. Miu schemes to get everyone killed because she can't stand to see the world go on without her and her inventions. Kirumi is the de facto prime minister, making her the main character of a whole country. (Korekiyo and Gonta are different, mostly carrying out the perceived will of more commanding figures)

Rantaro is a curious case. Surviving a previous killing game makes him seem real protagonist-y, but he can't remember anything and bites it before we really get to know anything about him

Tsumugi created the whole killing game scenario, of course. Being in control of just about everything the happens can give someone a big ego. On that note, she takes on the guises of every character from the previous games, including their respective protagonists!

Shuichi IS the main character, of course, but he's reluctant to accept the role for a long time. Then, in the last trial, he REJECTS the idea of playing any role in the story that cast him, taking down all of Danganronpa

How does he achieve that? By ceding the main character role to his fellow survivors. All of them briefly become playable. DRV3 is excellent in using the game's mechanics to forward its story and convey themes, and this is just one relevant and striking example

Once they realize the nature of their situation, the students have a new goal: convince everyone watching the game to stop. The audience members are the main characters of their own lives, seeing the students as fictional. The students can only win if everyone else can be convinced to stop being selfish and start caring a little about them.

What does it all add up to? Well, what is becoming the blackened if not deciding that your life is more important than the lives of so many others? Escaping the killing game requires everyone to shed the egoism of their survival instincts, working together rather than slaughtering each other. It's what Kaede tries to achieve, and what Tsumugi so deviously and aggressively crushes for her own selfish wants. It's what Kaito tries to achieve, albeit with the social and rhetorical clumsiness of someone who's sure he's always right. It's what Shuichi only achieves by sharing the role with Maki, Himiko, and K1-B0 in a combined effort to eliminate the need for a main character at all.

#danganronpa #danganronpa v3 #killing harmony #drv3 #shuichi saihara #kaede akamatsu #kaito momota #tsumugi shirogane #miu iruma #kirumi tojo #maki harukawa #himiko yumeno #k1 b0 #kiibo #rantaro amami

[spw-art]

If you have OCs... could you perhaps make a masterpost-link thing with them that I could save up to check them out/save to go back to if I forget anything on them? (Bonus points if u have potp/dragon ocs smiles)

ALSO your art slaps hell yeah 💪

Looks at you with big wet eyes. My tag #my oc should have all of em.

POTP is a universe in which I feel like it’s both difficult and impractical to make an oc for unless they exist before or after the story.

I fucking love dragons I haven’t drawn any dragons in so long. Besides Pokémon dragons.

And now I’ll see if I can remember all the tags of all my ocs. Or at least the main ones.

All of the links will just lead to their tag.

Harte Sekioka - Pokemon breeder and ex-magma admin from an amino roleplay that took place in 2017. Currently he’s used in a roleplay with friends because I didn’t want to make a new character for it. Just went ahead and decided he’s 20 years older now. Self-proclaimed sexmaster. Annoying. Single father of two. Should not be a father.

Claudia - A Ditto masquerading as a human from Harte’s universe. She’s helped him out with speeding up the process of selective Pokémon breeding. She’s also extremely important to Harte’s universe’s Team Magma.

Sif Saph - My BG3 character, I haven’t been able to play BG3 in forever. Not much info on him besides he’s the cousin of my first ever D&D character, Sif Krymsul. And he has blue dragon ancestry on his father’s side. Really really really hoping to draw him more I miss him so much.

Divo Success - Pokémon oc. He’s the platonic idea of a cowboy the same way The Stanley Parable’s Narrator is the platonic ideal of divorce. He hasn’t even seen a cow in his life. But he does have a gigantic horse that everyone is afraid of for her Stamina Iron Defense Body Press swagger. He has weird fucking abilities that allow him to be a western movie character. Every time he rides away on his horse it’s into the sunset. No matter what time of day it is. He can always appear in a cloud of dust or smoke. He operates entirely on rule of cool.

Daylight Under Outsmouth - A Call Of Cthulhu campaign that unfortunately never came to fruition. It’s about a universe being consumed by an oppressive darkness with the center of its terror being Earth. Things keep getting darker. Stars disappear from the sky. Aliens and extradimensional creatures find their way to earth as refugees. I reaaally want to make a comic or something with the story.

Aoife and Padraig - Characters made for my friend’s series called Analog Files. They’re the same person from different worlds. They’re married. They’re fucking weird. Aoife is dying of Cool Guy Cancer that’s turning her into a bug and then into a pile of flesh. She wants to be studied while she dies. Padraig loves studying her. They’re great.

Legally Distinct - A glam metal band made up of monsters from Universal Monster movies. I had made them for Art Fight, they’re quite silly, they have so much sex and do so much drugs. And rock n roll of course.

Nigellians - A type of creature made of music, glamor, passion, and magic. They’re born of human creation. Think of Eddie the Head if he was less powerful and less aggressive and more of a little fairy spirit.

Herb - An utau made by my friend NyxQuentiam who is voiced by me. I need to record a new voice bank so badly. He’s an artificial angel who harvests energy from other angels by killing and blending them. He then goes to the angel black market to turn mortals into angels: a high he should not be doing. But whatever, he’s having a good time.

Ward - Cringefail rich boy accidental racist fire genasi who sucks. Used him in a D&D campaign until it fizzled out due to the DM being weird. I don’t think I have much stuff with him here (I think it’s just one post) but he’s my beloved little shitstain. His sword is incredibly blunt. It does bludgeoning damage. He’s whining the entire time he’s adventuring.

Those are the main guys. Hope that helps! :)

Always feel free to ask more questions! Yippee yahoo yippeeeee

#my oc #spw talks #may as well use those tags!

[jacquelinemerritt]

Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Episode 36 Review

Originally posted January 15th, 2016

Goku is benched, and Vegeta takes his place.

So far, Dragonball Z: Abridged has worked its way through two arcs of the original story, and in the new arc as well as the previous two, there have been plot contrivances designed to keep Goku out of the battlefield for as long as possible, given how powerful he is. I didn’t mind it in the Saiyan Saga, since he literally died and spent most of that time training, and I didn’t mind it in the Freeza Saga, because the “contrivance” was a mixed body situation that led to him experiencing some pretty severe injuries.

Now, however, “heart problems” being what takes Goku off the battlefield feels frustrating more than anything else, because as much as I understand that there isn’t a story if he’s just wailing on the bad guys until he wins, I feel like it should be something more significant than basic medical issues that prevent him from fighting (though a potential thematic significance might undercut that critique1).

None of that is to critique Team Four Star, oddly enough, even if the specifics of Goku’s illness are their invention (I think it is, but feel free to let me know). They handle Goku’s third “benching” pretty cleverly, with his heart attack coming right after (Yamcha lets him make) a mistake that give Android 19 a lot of his energy, and his reasoning for not taking his medicine being that “it was grape flavored.” Despite the bullshit that is exiling the main protagonist, they pull it off with humor and grace, making his departure feel mostly natural and driven entirely by his character.

The rest of the episode is all about Vegeta, and more importantly, all about making “Super Saiyan Swagger” the perfect title for the episode. Vegeta’s arrival and subsequent transformation into a Super Saiyan removes all of the tension surrounding Gero and 19, and what follows is one of the most satisfying beatdowns of a robot that I have ever seen

As Vegeta meticulously counts down from five the number of blows to deliver to 19, we’re left with the thrill of waiting to see just how Vegeta is going to destroy this machine as well as whether or not it will feel fear at its upcoming destruction. It’s one of the best scenes Team Four Star has made, and it’s ultimately sold by the confluence of music and editing with Lanipator’s unshakeable confidence as the Prince of all Saiyans.

Rating: 4/5

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Stray Observations

1To put it simply, it could be read as signifying the banal, ordinary things affecting us the most, with a Legendary Warrior’s greatest flaw being that he didn’t take his cholesterol medicine. But I don’t think that Toriyama or Team Four Star are interested in actually exploring this, which is unfortunate for Toriyama but probably a good call on Team Four Star’s part. (Yet again, I feel it’s necessary to mention that I haven’t read the manga or seen the original anime.)

Gero: “Why is dodging a subroutine!? It’s not that complex!” *Piccolo looks at Gohan*

Gero: “But enough about hypothetical erections. 19! Suck! Him! Dry!”

Gohan: “I thought you had to have a pure heart to become a Super Saiyan?” Vegeta: “My heart is pure. Pure, unadulterated, badass.”

Krillin: “Senzu bean!”

I always feel somewhat bad when I don’t include many plot details, but with this series, it’s kind of common, since episodes are short and often don’t consist of more plot than “Character A fights Character B.” Hopefully next episode is more conducive to detailed analysis.

#dragon ball z abridged #dragon ball z #team four star #tfs #dbza #film criticism #dbza ep36 #lol at past me complaining there isn't enough plot to summarize #i hate summarizing stories #and it's especially not conducive to reviews like these #where you can easily just go and watch the episode before reading it to refresh your memory #i do like having more to analyze #but given the short form nature of dbza #it makes sense that some episodes just wouldn't warrant many words

[thesinglesjukebox]

DRAKE FT. SEXYY RED & SZA - "RICH BABY DADDY"

Okay, we'll admit it. The main reason we came back is that, if we didn't, we would've gone a year where we didn't cover a Drake single, and that just felt so wrong...

[4.81]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: This should be the slammiest of all the dunks. Drake -- you know him, he's well past his peak but can still afford a banger when he puts his account to it! Sexyy Red -- the summer was hers! SZA, the biggest star out! Miami bass music! The title! All the names are on the poster, promising a good ass time, but we never get there. It's a summer blockbuster pushed to October for a reason, and is way too frigid to get this writer's ass moving. First kid on YouTube to upload a [BASS BOOSTED] edit moves this joint up a point, although the bass was the whole fuckin' point in the first place. [3]

Tim de Reuse: You can call it "a consequence of being overplayed" or "so many people copied him that now he sounds boring" or whatever. All I know is that trying to think of words to describe Drake in December of 2023 is like pulling teeth. It's standard atmospheric pressure -- it's a medium-sized red delicious apple -- it's a glass of tap water. I am listening as hard as I can, and I cannot hear anything. [3]

Andrew Karpan: The first thing I think about when I think about "Rich Baby Daddy" is the uncredited voice of Jessica Domingo, because it's literally the first thing on there. Processed to sound almost as if being sung behind a waterfall, Domingo's voice registers at the very volume and pitch of distance, a recurring gesture for voices like these in the Drake oeuvre. The best part about these songs is that they are always the sum total of their parts, so they can really be appreciated like this; something Drizzy himself realized a while back too, when he started sorting and rearranging them for curatorial effect. In a sea of wobbly fashionable Miami bass, the bars he picks up here from Sexyy Red don't feel out of place next to his own unrelated internal monologue, nor next to the patched-in haunted refrain from SZA, a miracle get that impresses because it is impressive. His otherwise unexplained deliberate misreading of a decade-old Florence + the Machine record that acts as a kind of perplexing coda eventually begins to make sense too, if you listen to it a few hundred times like I did. [9]

Katherine St Asaph: In three years we're going to learn that this was originally a SZA solo track that Drake hijacked for himself, like Rihanna's recording of "Consideration", right? I need to believe this so I can justify this score to myself. [5]

Michelle Myers: It's a dark truth that many of Drake's best songs involved vampirically swagger-jacking some up-and-coming rapper with local buzz or a viral track. Here, he attempts to harness Sexyy Red's gloriously blunt charisma and ends up utterly upstaged. Red lets herself soften against a skittery, femme club beat, her voice crackling warmly as she interpolates her own damn song. SZA sounds like a 1996 album-cut hidden gem sped up and resurrected by a Zoomer with 15 million TikTok followers. And then there's fucking Drake, increasingly bitter and out-of-touch, having long lost whatever soft-hearted charm I saw in him a decade ago. His verses are the musical equivalent of thirtysomething white ladies who write songs about skinny jeans and side-parts, embarrassing for all of us. [6]

Taylor Alatorre: A soundtrack to the approaching millennial midlife crisis that's so candid in its thirsty stabbing at relevance that I can't help but cheer for it, or feel sorry for it, or both. On a formal level, "Rich Baby Daddy" is nowhere near as elegant as its obvious predecessors, "In My Feelings" and "Nice for What," but after repeat listening, that messiness, that feeling of being pulled in several different directions at once, starts to feel like a deliberate choice. The guest stars, who were recruited with that in mind, go even further by alternately supporting and undermining Drake's intended displays of mastery over female sexuality. Sexyy Red pays her requisite homage unflinchingly, with a leisurely cadence more suited for a block party than a marquee album, while SZA disrupts the prebuilt Madonna-whore duality by crashing out of the gate with "I need a dick and conversation," all while sounding like she's being launched on a lily pad toward the heavens. The strip-club-in-a-water-level sonics add some emotional texture to what would otherwise be an explosion of untrimmed id, somewhat easing the transition into the stupid-on-paper "post-nut clarity" outro. As laughable as that concept may be, it evokes the yearning post-adolescence of "old Drake" as much as the Florence interpolation does, and just like Mr. Last Name Ever himself, I can't call myself immune to the periodic desire to go back, back to 2009. [8]

Ian Mathers: I know we're not predisposed to like Fucking Drake around here, but the processing on his chorus vocals is the most off-putting I've heard in a while. And not because they've cranked the Auto-Tune or whatever up too far -- I've heard and loved more pronounced examples of that -- but because they've somehow managed to produce the world's deepest whine. At least he's barely here, ceding most of the track to a high-effort-for-low-reward Sexyy Red performance. SZA is much better but barely shows up, which is probably the right move. And then Fucking Drake comes back to just "sing" Florence + the Machine for a bit! Every bit of shit we've ever talked was justified. [2]

Tara Hillegeist: Not even Drake sounding the most alive and enjoying-himself and hands down the funniest guest bars anyone's ever contributed to a Drake chorus can fully save this song from the depths of antipathy carved into my psyche by several years of Fucking Drake too many, but credit where it's due: I haven't left a track from Degrassi's own Jimmy Brooks feeling this genuinely entertained by what I just heard since "Started from the Bottom". And that's impressive, considering this is a track where I had to hear him mumble-singing soulfully about the emotional impact of post-nut clarity. [6]

Will Adams: So many elements working against this -- abrupt instrumental breaks; SZA's verse sounding like it was pasted on with Elmer's; left-field Florence interpolation; Drake in general -- but Sexyy Red's hook is indelible. Sometimes that's all you need. [6]

Crystal Leww: "Shake that ass for Drake, now shake that ass for me" are some of the funniest instructions ever doled out on a Drake song, which is an accomplishment if you consider how long Drake has been around. Drake is essential to this song if only for those lines. [6]

Aaron Bergstrom: I am willing to consider shaking my ass for Sexyy Red. Under no circumstances will I shake my ass for Drake. [3]

Nortey Dowuona: Drake is a bad rapper. No matter what his stans, Lil Yachty, DJ Wackademics, or me in 2013 will tell you, dude is an inescapably clumsy, artless witless hack whose only talent is in co-opting more complex and dedicated art to make it more comfy and accessible to people who would never sincerely engage with what he does. Kanye has been sadder and more earnest. Phonte has been more honest and clever. Lauryn Hill did his whole schtick so well both he and Kanye keep riding off her songs. The only thing he had is that he made music that women liked, that spoke to women in a way it could never do so for dorks like us. And now he's making flat, wan Earl Sweatshirt songs for people who hate Earl and people who hate women period. Sexyy Red's verse is clumsy too, but it's charming and earnest, and the SZA verse is entrancing, vivid and stunning. The line "I got a feeling this is more than what we both say" contains more genuine worry, fear and hope than this hack has done in his whole career. Please, pretty please, buy SOS on vinyl, buy a record player, learn a trade, call your mom and tell her you love her, tell her you are so grateful for staying with you and loving you. Hell, click off this website. Just do not play a song where the most heterosexual man on the face of the earth tries to convince you that he can teach you to -- [3]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: I've spent the past few months thinking about lovers' rock and pagode romântico through the lens of bell hooks' idea of "loving Blackness as political resistance." It was "Rich Baby Daddy" that made me start doing the same for Atlanta bass. Drake seems as good enough a launchpad for all this ruminating -- how often have I seen men refer to his "softer" songs as being "for the girls"? How much of romance is coded across gender lines? Of course, Drake is a manipulative shithead, and it's Sexyy Red who provides the most loving lyric we've heard in any of his songs: an ostensible call to embrace something approaching bisexuality. Too bad Drake opts for another beat-switch gimmick as an excuse to exert his fragile masculinity. Like, how are you gonna follow up, "Shake that ass for Drake, now shake that ass for me" with "You ain't even know how to suck it right." [5]

Brad Shoup: I know how this sounds, but this needed... more Drake? More of the first-verse Drake, anyway: skipping and bobbing, fully devoted on a threeway Miami bass ballad that has exhaling synths straight out of Cupid & Psyche 85. Hell yes, give me all you got. Instead, he dips until the beat switch gives him something properly sluggish. How do you fuck up a verse that interpolates Florence and uses the phrase "post-nut clarity"? He was positively panting earlier; now he's talking about sex like he's issuing a Q3 performance review. [5]

Alfred Soto: Drake drawls shit like "You ain't even know how to suck it right" like a PE coach in a locker room and disappears to let Sexyy Red shout undeserving orders. Nice life! [2]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Here, Drake turns his complete inertness into an advantage: he does his best Sexyy Red impression here and sings some truly brain-dead riffs on Florence + the Machine, but otherwise abandons his own song in favor of his more interesting guests. It's an interesting move from a guy once known for using features to take over songs completely -- interesting more in the meta-pop context than in the song itself, of course, but a decade and a half in to our coverage of Fucking Drake, we ought to be finding new angles when we can. [5]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

#drake #sexyy red #sza #music #music writing #music reviews #music criticism #the singles jukebox #Youtube

[dualityvn]

i promised a Tad theory and i have finally come to deliver. disclaimer, i am pulling All of this out of my ass. there isn't much to go on, so this isn't theory so much as just,, soul reading.

So first off and right away, imposter syndrome. Hes putting on an act of fake confidence and swagger to hide the fact that he is actually very insecure. why is he insecure? whos to say right now. The sliver of lore i just sold what little remains of my soul for is clearly a scene from a commercial of some sort, presumably for Wood Fired Pizza. And Tad doesn't seem to be very happy doing it, as evidenced by him having to force himself to smile brightly while saying the slogan and by how his smile falls immediately after finishing the scene.

This is important and noteworthy to me, because in everything we've seen of Tad so far he's been nothing but upbeat and 'radical', always pulling off some sick trick or cracking a joke. This demonstrates to me that this is all a vast facade and one that he seems to be able to keep up with well. But maybe the facade is starting to crack.

i lied i do have theories about Tad. i cant help myself ok. so i got two main ones right now, and both seem fairly plausible to me. Option one is that Wood Fired Pizza is the family business. Tad grew up with it being a constant in his life, his parents work there, his extended family potentially works there, its his legacy. And his family, sure their all nice people, but sometimes they can just be a bit much, and Tad has been finding it harder and harder to be able to match their energy. It all went downhill after he became the new 'Face' of the business, being as young and cute and energetic as he is he was a shoo-in for the role, easily adapting his personal vibe and style to fit that of the brand. But that's just it, he had to adapt. This isn't who he is. Hes not cool and radical like they want him to be and he knows it. but it makes his family so happy and he's finally fitting in with them for once, so he does his best to keep up appearances, but there's only so much a small-town pizza boy can do.

Option two places Tad more directly in the role of actor. Child star or acting prodigy, Tad spent most of his early years in front of the camera. This led him to feeling like he doesn't know who he is, like he doesn't have a true identity beyond 'actor'. Or it could be that he simply has passions outside of acting that he's never gotten to act on or attempt to see through because of his acting obligations.

either way, he feels trapped by the role he's been forced to play his entire life. his true happiness and identity lay outside of the realm of Wood Fired Pizza, but for whatever reason he is stuck where he is, unable to grasp onto what would really make him happy.

or Ren could just be messing with us and Tad just had a singular sad thought or stepped on a piece of gum or something, i have absolutely no clue

Oml, this sounds so cool, I have no clue if it's true, but that theory with the family business makes him sound like such an interesting character.

Pretty sure he was only made to be fun and sell pizza, pity

#duality game #yandere #dating sim #visual novel #duality tad

[agentnico]

Ted Lasso - Season 3 (2023) Review

Plot: In the 12-episode third season of Ted Lasso, the newly-promoted AFC Richmond faces ridicule as media predictions widely peg them as last in the Premier League and Nate, now hailed as the 'wonder kid,' has gone to work for Rupert at West Ham United.

Ted Lasso is such a unique show that no one expected to become as popular as it did. Heck, I’m sure Apple is trying every persuasive skill possible to motivate Jason Sudeikis to make more of it even though he’s been adamant that his show would only have a 3 season story-arc. The success of Ted Lasso shouldn’t come as a surprise though - it’s a show that is so refreshing in an otherwise outside world of hate. It’s hard not to look forward every week to a new episode filled with nuanced highs and lows. There is also an unrelentless charge of optimism, especially from the titular Ted, who only wants to see the good in everyone and is adamant in bringing out that good even in the worst of people. There can be an argument made that the first season of Ted Lasso is its best, as it’s simply dripping with that overwhelming feeling of positivity, with every moment feeling like you’re wrapped in a warm blanket surrounded by love and appreciation. The second and now third season go into more darker territories, however I personally think that the show doesn’t lose its charm in the process, as the message is still there that believing in Ted Lasso’s way will in the long run result in success and redemption for all. It’s literally the perfect feel-good show, and it’s a shame that this third season may be its last, but also as evident from the finale the ending is one that makes sense narratively, even though certain characters are left open to continue in their own spin-offs. I’m certain Apple is already writing up checks to make those spin-offs a reality.

So, season 3 of Ted Lasso - does it hold up to the rest of the show? Short answer is yes. And for the most part this final season lacks that sense of finality (minus the last two episodes), with a lot of the episodes simply continuing their focus on developing all the characters in the series. It was evident from the second season with Ted himself taking a backseat, allowing the other side characters to have their moment in the spotlight. The third season puts its focus on the likes of Billy Harris’ Colin Hughes struggling with his identity; James Lance’s Trent Crimm (no longer The Independent) joining Richmond to write a book about their journey in the Premier League; Juno Temple’s Keeley having her own business and her struggles along the way; and of course Nick Mohammed’s Nate ‘the Wonder Kid’ traitorous decision to join Anthony Head’s Rupert in West Ham as their coach, and the ramifications of that decision. Heck, even Charlie Hiscock’s Will the kitman gets more moments to shine, and he’s only the kitman. Yet as the legendary Zava says to Will “I too worked as a ball-boy once for a club when I was just 11 years old. Your passion is why I play.” That reminds me - we have to talk about Zava!!

Let’s talk about Zava! So prior to this season the main narcissist of the Richmond team was the self-obsessed goal scorer Jamie Tartt (played by Phil Dunster). However through the show his character evolved and now has become a proper team-player that puts others before himself, however that means Richmond needed another self-absorbed player to fill that empty void. In cometh the one and only man, the myth, the legend John Wick.....errr...I mean, Zava (played by Maximilian Osinski)! Yes, that is his name. Known mononymously as Zava, this fictional football legend brings arrogance and swagger to the team. Upon his transfer and entrance to Richmond’s locker room, other team players are stuck starstruck as he carves out his own meditative space and shrine to himself in one corner of the room. Evidently the character of Zava is inspired by the Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is one of the most successful footballers of all time and his renowned for his inspirational quotes and attitude. Zava even shares the same hair-style with Zlatan with the pulled back slick man bun. Zava essentially is showcased as the God of football, and Osinski plays him as such, and look - everything with Zava is great! And luckily the writers don’t overuse him, he’s only in a couple of episodes but my oh my does Zava leave an impression! The one and only Zava!!

All the colourful cast return, with Sudeikis’ likeable moustachioed titular Ted a constant delight who you want to hug all the time; Hannah Waddingham (now a Eurovision presenter star) brightens the screen with her energy; Brett Goldstein’s Roy Kent provides his signature grunts throughout, and there’s a great ongoing gag this season with him screaming “whistle”. Anthony Head is devilishly evil as Rupert, and we get to see his home office that looks like the lair of Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars (which I guess makes Nate Darth Vader??). Brendan Hunt’s Coach Beard is an icon at this point, and Jeremy Swift, Cristo Fernandez and Kola Bokinni round up the colourful cast. 

If you loved the previous seasons you’ll enjoy the third season of Ted Lasso. It has the same charm and DNA of the previous episodes, and is a pure delight to watch, even during the darker moments as you know that in the end everything will be set straight. Even with Nate turning into the villain - we already know he’s going to have a redemptive arc, this is Ted Lasso overall. It’s about the journey and how he gets through that redemptive arc, and look, by the end of the show you as an audience may not have forgiven Nate, and most people wouldn’t. But sure as hell Ted and his crew do. So it is indeed with great sorrow we say goodbye to Ted Lasso, at least for the time being, and we shall miss all these characters we have grown to love over these past few years. It’s a bittersweet finale, but as Trent Crimm, The Independent stated back in season 1 - “If the Lasso way is wrong, it’s hard to imagine being right.”

Overall score: 8/10

#ted lasso #ted lasso season 3 #jason sudeikis #hannah waddingham #brett goldstein #juno temple #nick mohammed #maximilian osinski #ted lasso zava #ted lasso review #football is life #ted lasso season 3 review #football #comedy #drama #apple #apple tv #apple tv+ #tv show #2023 #2023 in tv #phil dunster #brendan hunt #anthony head #james lance #jeremy swift #cristo fernández #toheeb jimoh #billy harris #streaming

[yunalai]

draven steadily approaches qiyana, trying to look his usual, confident self carrying himself with swagger. all the lingering doubts he's had are hidden, only allowed to be seen by katarina. whom didn't grant him a clear answer, but raised his spirit a little more.

but he wouldn't let her status intimidate him. fancy titles never got in his way before, why would it now?

" princess. "

he greets her, this once having no sarcasm dripping off the tongue when calling her that. rather, there was some fondness coming off him. and draven found enjoyment in still using that word with such a casual demeanor. no curtsy or anything like that.

the noxian keeps his hands around his hips, his lips painting that overly exaggerated grin as if he currently was in the arena's pit. ready to take on the fiercest beast without flinching and with utter confidence in his capabilities. ( this once, he actually had his fears. how awful. )

" happy birthday t'ya. i won't lie, i had to think a lil' while as what to bring. i suppose it'll take more than an expensive bottle of wine you dislike to hit the mark? still didn't come here empty handed. an' don't'cha dare gettin' back at me if this doesn't follow the royal etiquette. for once, i ain't tryin' to offend ya here. "

long enough spiel. inadvertently making more excuses than he had wished to, in case things would go south. but the last part, draven meant it. more, even.

he hands out a plain, if fine forged case, with the main content resting inside. a pearl, cut from a precious stone. bright red, flickering like flames into the sun. fitting of someone so fierce. and while he did not go to the length of matching it with his crown's jewel (she already had teal stones all over here, anyways), it was suspicouscly similar to his belt buckle's ornament. with the exception that it could be fit to be bound to a necklace or wristband...

another?

Qiyana had barely recovered from the emotional impact of Katarina giving her a gift. one she was already wearing, adding extra jewelry to her left arm.

the shock of people wanting to celebrate her birthday and not ignore it or wish her well out of obligation was foreign, odd, and gave her a weird feeling in her stomach. a tingling warmth she couldn't quite put her finger on. something so strange that she didn't quite pick up on the hints of anxiety and discomfort in Draven's song.

" if you are bringing me a gift, I do not imagine you'd try to offend me with it, " she says, still half-stunned, but placing some blind faith in him. baby steps.

the case is taken in both hands before she opens its lid. her lashes flutter as she blinks, surprised at the fiery reflections of the red pearl. though ixtal bears its fair amount of beautiful gems, Qiyana has never seen something quite like it. the infernal colors reflect in her eyes, complimenting the almost golden brown of the pupils, and she takes in a ragged breath to find her words.

" where did— " her lips stutter, then stop. it did not matter. not only was it a willingly-given gift, but it was also a beautifully chosen one.

gratitude is not something she feels often. it is something akin to pulling teeth from the princess, but then again — nothing besides her power had been worth being grateful of. not until she reached Noxus. so it comes through in the way her hand, so often brutish when it came to touching him, applied weight on his shoulder almost delicate for her to come closer and place the lightest of kisses 'pon his face.

" thank you, " such a strange statement, in the noxian tongue or her own, but she still manages to force it out through that melancholic joy.

perhaps, she had belonged there this whole time.

#axewhirl #(( cries about qiqi being more appreciated and finding a home in noxus and developing relationships )) #⍙ — [ yunalai ] #⍙ — [ answered ]