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independentartistbuzz · 3 years

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Good News, Good Music 1.0

Here we are at the end of 2020. We don’t need to tell you that this has been a very hard year. We are feeling beaten down by the bad news and music is the one thing that lifted our spirits again and again and saw us through. We have partnered with our friends at Cyber PR Music to bring you a series of GOOD News from artists who carried on making music in spite of all of the insanity that was happening and continues to grip us. We have cried listening to some of the tracks, felt deeply inspired and yes we laughed as well. What we have seen is the Cyber PR artist community is rich and varied - there are artists from all across the USA included as well as Jamaica, Australia, South Africa, France, Sweden, The UK, Germany and Scotland.

So - we bring you part 1 of our 4 part series GOOD NEWS, GOOD MUSIC.

Please Follow the Spotify Playlist below to hear all of these amazing tracks.

Thanks to all of the artists who shared their music AND their good news.

JVMIE & Lionel Cohen | “We Will Rise Again”

Started A Collaboration From A Quarantine Hotel Room and Got Nominated For A Major Award

We had a crazy year but some great things came out of it! I was forced to leave LA and head back to Australia until things ‘calmed down’ but started a remote collaboration with LA based film composer Lionel Cohen - we received a grant from HOTA (Home Of The Arts Gold Coast) to create an album and we were just nominated for a HMMA Hollywood Music In Media Award :) The whole process of collaborating and talking every day was what helped me keep my sanity throughout this crazy year!

Perle Vybz | “Electric Dancefloor”

Almost Lost Her Partner To COVID And Took The Leap Of Faith To Release Music

My debut single 'Electric Dancefloor' was released on Dec 8th, against the odds. A few months ago , my partner almost lost his life (to COVID). He was hooked up on a ventilator and had a really rough time. At the same time, I lost my main source of income and so, during the pandemic lockdown I had more time on my hands to focus on my music. So I'm glad that in spite of what was happening around me I was able to take that leap of faith and get my music out there.

Arielle Silver | “What Really Matters”

Became Music Connection's Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists and Bands and Top Prospects 2020 lists in their year-end issue

As COVID shut everything down in April, I leaned into my commitment to authentic connection and inspiring creative expression with the creation of two weekly livestreams: Tomes & Tunes, a weekly show where I interview songwriters about books, and Arielle's Acoustic Happy Hour, both of which are going strong. In June, I released a new album, A THOUSAND TINY TORCHES, along with two official music videos (one shot entirely during quarantine), which have been featured in American Songwriter, Music Connection, and more.And in September, in the wake of closing studios, my sweetheart and I launched a new online yoga studio, Bhavana Flow Yoga, with online classes, workshops, and retail.

Alongside my own sorrow at the pandemic, I have been living a year of creative expansion, and was recently featured in Music Connection's year-end issue on both their Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists and Bands and Top Prospects 2020 lists.

Hannah Judson | “Deep Sea Diver”

Launched The Backwards Record Release Concept And It Worked!

The 2020 lockdown was an exploration of new ways of doing and connecting. Everything became an experiment as new processes were developed to replace the no longer actionable old ones. I launched the Backwards Record Release for "Stingray," a rock/folk collection of songs. The 8 week campaign started with a socially distanced concert in a chateau courtyard, was fueled by my new podcast the Hannah Judson Beat, conversations with women in music, and concluded with a capstone edition of MUSEfest Online, a music festival I normally produce in major cities that promotes women in music, film, art and culture. I stayed connected with colleagues and fans, envisioned future projects, and maintained momentum and enthusiasm for creative projects, present and future.

Evan Mazunik | “Comfort and Joy”

Funded, Recorded & Released A New Holiday Album

I’m grateful that I was able to successfully fund, record, release, and sell my new holiday album this year.

Eli Lev | “Anywhere We Can Go”

Released A Touching Global Fan Driven Music Video

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I had a powerful experience this year when my music community from all across the world helped me create the music video for 'Anywhere We Can Go.' I was in happy tears editing it and seeing all these wonderful faces come together and make something truly special. Here it is and I hope it brings some joy to folks.

Jeff Oster | “Five Great Mountains”

Found Solace (And Music) In Mother Nature

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I was lucky to spend three months in the fall of 2020 up in Vermont. In the midst of all of the turmoil, Mother Nature just kept on shining. I was able to create this video on my iPhone, in an attempt to capture her beauty.

Beca Dreams | “Calm Before the Storm”

Had A Creative Burst That Resulted In Ad Campaigns & New Singles

It’s been a very challenging year, and yet I’ve somehow managed to have some awesome wins I am super grateful for.

Partnered with Bounty to write/perform Quicker Picker Upper, currently streaming on all major platforms and has gotten over 7M views on Tik Tok and 150K streams on Spotify so far. Composed/performed song for an ad campaign for fashion designer Asher Levine on launching his new groundbreaking LED outerwear line (who’s recently worked with Doja Cat, Lil Nas, Lady Gaga). I also released 2 singles “Calm Before The Storm” and “Taking Time For Myself” and most recently was featured on “Dance Party In The Living Room” by UK producer Fritz von Runte, about making the most of the quarantine.

I feel so lucky to be making music and doing what I love, which has been a huge silver lining during these dark times.

AfriCali | “The Struggle”

Turned An Eviction Into A Special Retreat & Healing Place

Our landlord lost her pilates practice and couldn’t afford her Oakland home so

Our family of four with a baby due any month now had to figure it out and find the humanity in moving out before the lease was up. In the magic of mother earth and without knowing we were blessed with a beautiful place to be away and seven thousand feet above the mountains where we could have this beautiful bundle of joy. Which would turn into a special retreat healing place after our departure this past October.

Akira AK | “Pearl”

Completed His New Release Remotely Over Zoom

My "good news, good music" story is simply how I was able to release 2 major projects this year despite everything that is going on: putting out my second EP and my first music video. The EP in particular had been in the works for 3 years and was SO CLOSE to being done when everything started to shut down, so with the work of my engineer, we set up remote sessions via zoom that helped put the last song over the line and get the release out there! From there I was able to promote it with it's adjacent merch.

As far as my first music video is concerned; I was able to safely show up in person in NYC and film it with the help of a great videographer. The conceptualizing of the video is very special and I think speaks to the experiences some of us have had about going to that special place inside your head where you feel most powerful/comfortable/fierce to deal with whatever is going on externally. The promo for the video was also a success in terms of being able to schedule it on time and put it out there to hype the video itself. And once it was out it was really (unexpectedly) well received!

Those are just my personal success stories and I'm excited to see others' as well!

Monsterboy | “Ain’t Worth the Dime”

Played 60 Livestreams That Reached 7,000 Households

When my husband and I found ourselves without gigs and our small business closed, we decided to go live with our music and stay in touch with our fans. We cobbled together equipment from our home studio and gigging rig, going live in that first week. We really didn't know what to expect. The messages we got from people were so heartwarming, we built a little community for them night after night, reconnecting with existing fans and finding new. In total, we did over 60 live streams during the shutdown and reached over 7k households on some streams. Entertaining and interacting with people was our way to do our part for our community. A podcast found us via the streams and started hiring us to produce music for their shows from it.

Artist: Crotona P., Producer: Pablo Brownbeats | “Silk”

Forged An International Collaboration South Africa and the USA via A Chance Facebook Meeting

I'm Pablo Brownbeats, a producer who has been producing since my youth and creating music for the last 12 years. I just released my new Ep with Crotona P from Rochester New York featuring Street Da Villain, Dj Shawn Touch, KING Flamez all from Rochester New York and SOLO MAJITA from Free State South Africa. The African Ep is available on digital stores and Bandcamp. I enjoyed making this project and it will be an honor to share the leading single Titled Silk.

This project was recorded during the early days of Covid19. Me and Crotona met over Facebook and exchanged some few words and he agreed to do the single (silk) then African EP was born.

Scott Whitfield | “A Bi-Coastal Christmas, Vol. 1, by Scott Whitfield & Friends”

Released A Christmas Album That Features Artists Who Have Passed That Started Recording in 2004.

Despite the challenges, I was able to release a Christmas album on Bandcamp! It's available as a digital download OR a physical CD. This is the culmination of MANY years of work (some tracks date back to 2004, and, sadly, a few of the artists who played on them are no longer with us).

John Maksym | “Drinkin’ & Thinkin’”

Worked With 22 Collaborators Spanning 7 Countries and 16 Cities

I kicked off this year as a solo recording artist for the first time in my life and had an ambitious goal of releasing music every 5 weeks. When the pandemic struck, I had just started recording my 4th single in the studio and everything got shut down. Within a couple of weeks I was able to pivot and invest money into building my own little home studio, to continue to create. With every musician in the world stuck at home, I was able to connect with a dream team of collaborators who helped me finish the song that I had started and go on to record 8 more songs through remote session recording from their own home studios. All in all I worked with 22 collaborators, spanning 7 countries and 16 cities, which I would never have thought of doing had the world not been in lockdown. It also allowed me time to revise my original release plan and build a more robust plan to release a number of singles and eventually an album throughout 2021.

Stay tuned ...There’s more Good News Coming!

#2020 #2021 #independent artist buzz #indie music #music blog #spotify #spotify playlist #positive vibes #good vibes #cyberpr #cyberprmusic

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almasexya · 4 years

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Monster Monday: Godzilla

Well, I’ve decided to do it.

I’m going to go through every Kaiju movie that Toho has put out, front to back. We’re in that phase of quarantine y’all, and I’ve got an entire shelf full of these. I’ll try to keep the general structure of these write-ups fairly similar, with an overview and review of the movie, along with how I watched it and if I’ve seen it before.

So we might as well start at the beginning, and that beginning is of course, 1954′s Godzilla, or Gojira if you prefer the Japanese pronunciation. With 36 Japanese-language releases and two American remakes, along with multiple cartoon shows, the Godzilla series is one of, if not the longest-running film series out there, and it was starting up what we’d now call a “cinematic universe” way before Nick Fury showed up at the end of the first Iron Man.

Toho, the studio behind the Godzilla series also made other kaiju movies, and by the fourth Godzilla sequel they started tying these other creatures into their cash cow franchise, and before you knew it, there was a whole continuity. There have been different directors, writers, actors, monsters, you name it, but Godzilla himself is always a constant. While the continuity may at times be tenuous or outright bizarre, it is very much present, and it's what makes these movies so fun.

Though you won’t see any of that in the original Godzilla. Aside from possibly Shin Godzilla, there’s no other Godzilla movie that even comes close to the original, either in its bleak tone or in its stellar quality. This is probably my fourth or fifth time with the original Godzilla, and this time around I watched it on the 15-film Criterion set, though there’s also a single DVD/Blu Ray release of the Criterion edit as well.

The film begins with a fishing ship being destroyed by a strange, bright flash from under the sea. No ones survives, and countless more ships go missing, (in a fashion that absolutely evokes the Lucky Dragon incident, which in 1956 was still a painful memory) and a vicious typhoon strikes nearby Odo Island, an expedition travels there to try and find out what’s happening. Among the crew are three of our main characters, Ogata, a salvage ship captain, (Akira Takarada) his girlfriend Emiko, (Momoko Kochi) and her father and renowned paleontologist Dr. Yamane (Takashi Shimura). The trio encounter Godzilla, who rampages through the island before returning to the sea.

Yamane presents his research back in Tokyo, concluding that Godzilla is an ancient dinosaur disturbed by H-Bomb testing. Lines are drawn, with many wanting to kill the creature, and others, prominently Yamane, who wish to leave the creature be and study it. This conflict brings in our fourth protagonist, Dr. Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata) a reclusive scientist working on a dangerous project.

Afterwards, Godzilla attacks Tokyo, first briefly and then in full force, destroying buildings and incinerating countless civilians with his atomic breath. Nothing the military does has any effect on the beast, and he levels huge swaths of the city before returning to the sea. In the aftermath of the attack, scores of people are dead and even more are sickened with radiation poisoning. Emiko and Ogata convince Serizawa to use his creation, a weapon known as the oxygen destroyer, to try and kill Godzilla. Ogata and Serizawa dive into the sea and release the oxygen destroyer, after which Serizawa cuts his line to the ship and dies with the monster, so that his research can never be used again.

The film itself is a grim, bleak metaphor for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with a giant radioactive dinosaur standing in for the atomic bombs. The carnage Godzilla causes is played completely straight - hospitals are crowded with victims, and in one poignant scene that eventually wins over the reticent Serizawa, a children’s choir sings a stirring dirge for the dead, and it’s a scene that can’t help but stay with you.

Ishiro Honda’s direction is the deft, with sweeping shots of Godzilla that convey power and menace that none of the sequels can match up to. Scenes of Tokyo burning with Godzilla silhouetted against the flames have a chilling effect, and the camera lingers on them for just the right amount of time.

The stirring, bombastic score by Akira Ifukube deserves special mention as well. Many of the themes that would become franchise classics were born here, and they have an optimistic, brassy quality that lend excitement to the military scenes, as well as dread to the scenes of destruction.

Eiji Tsuburaya’s effects work is also stellar, especially considering this was their first real test of what would become a winning formula. The model cities are top notch, though there are a few shots of falling cars and trucks that have a toy-like quality to them, they’re gone in seconds and don’t detract from the experience. The Godzilla suit itself, a 220 lb beast that suit actor Harou Nakajima could only wear for around three minutes at a time without fainting, looks fantastic, though it’s clearly bulky and difficult for the actor to move in. The same praise can’t be given to the hand puppet used for the close ups of Godzilla, which looks clearly nothing like the suit and is really the only outright failure of the film. Later sequels would handle it better, so it’s difficult to fault the team too much when they were still finding their feet.

Overall, the original Godzilla is a tour de force, and it’s damn hard to find anything negative to say about it. The performances are great, and the human story draws you in, waiting for Godzilla to finally appear (though unfortunately his first on-screen appearance is in puppet form, which lessens the gravity a bit). The haunted Dr. Serizawa deserves a special mention here, a clear nod to the legacy of the atom bomb, he is torn apart by guilt that his invention (that he created on accident) could be used to cause yet more harm to the world. Dr. Yamane, in his desire to see Godzilla protected, is clearly wracked with pain seeing this creature that humanity unleashed have to die, yet he knows even more suffering will follow if it lives.

The story is tight and a joy to watch - there’s a palpable sense of dread whenever Godzilla is onscreen, and Nakajima moves slowly and deliberately, like a confused animal reacting to the world around him. Unlike many of the American monster movies from the same time period, the cast have sympathy for the monster, and there’s no great victory in killing it, only sadness both for the sake of Godzilla and Serizawa, who couldn’t bear to live in a world that would abuse his invention.

If you haven’t seen the original Godzilla, or if you’re more familiar with the campy 60s and 70s sequels like Godzilla vs. Megalon, do yourself a favor and watch this one. Clocking in at 96 minutes, there’s no scene wasted, and it’s a real thrill to see where the king of the monsters came from.

The film ends with a melancholy Dr. Yamane ruminating on the possibility of another Godzilla out there, waiting to be released if humanity continued its nuclear testing. That Godzilla, and not the original, would be back, much sooner than the good doctor expected.

#godzilla #monster monday

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fivzen · 5 years

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So with that little change in mind, here are the few Characters in Persona Asphalt I have right now:

Elee Leigh (Later Changed to Elee Esperer), Fool Arcana: Main Character and leader of the Heroes Union (the team in Asphalt). Has an opened personality as a front, but is actually worried all the time about the world crumbling around her. Gains her persona in a battle against a fake version of her Shadow. Her initial/base Persona is Sento, based on the story of Kamen Rider Build, her soul shows what she wishes for in the world most: Love and Peace. She fight her true shadow by the end and releases her Ultimate Persona KiRyuuga, based on Cross-Z Build, her truer self shows that she wishes to learn from herself and others as she strives to a live of love, peace, and hope. Has had a connection to shadows since she was 6, since the place she was abandoned was actually Okinawa. A certain pair of siblings of blue and red/pink and their team were the ones to find her.

Roddy Etchings, Magician Arcana: Second Party Member and best friend of Elee, (also potential love interest). An aspiring fashion designer, he wishes to make stylish clothing for those he cares about, but the people in charge of the tech focused fashion stores in Neotech only wish to use him for his talents, instead of hiring him. He nearly falls into a despair over how no one will truly like his work, which he avoids when he meets Elee and faces his fears, granting him the Persona: Katsumi, based on Ultraman Rosso from R/B showing his love of fashion firsthand. When he unlocks his ultimate, it is through how he finally realizes that fashion is actually okay to mix with subjects, his favorite being science, unlocking his Ultimate: Minato, a full amount of Greube from the R/B movie but Persona-fied.

Bree Survi, The Chariot Arcana: Third Party member (and a love interest of Elee). A girl with a passion for performing magic, she had escaped a toxic relationship before the events of asphalt. When her past comes back to haunt her in Neotech, she begins to lose hope that she’ll ever be able to grow stronger. Through only a little push from Elee, she stands up for herself and fights back, unlocking her Persona: Futari (A persona-fied mix of Cure White). When she finally admits to herself that idea of a relationship with others is somethings she’s been wanting for a while, but she was scared of being hurt again, she unlocks her ultimate: PreCura.

Lia Kingly, Empress Arcana: Fourth party member. Neotech Academy’s resident “Queen”, she secretly wishes for nothing but the love of real friends and the chance to go wherever she wants. Gains a real friend with Elee as a Relation Connection, before joining the party when she faces her shadow in the Net (and becoming another Love Interest for Elee, and is the closest to being canon). Her Persona is Shishi, and it evolves into Orion (based on Shishi red’s forms).

Wilson “Webby” Crimson, Star Arcana: A program originating from the Shadow Net, later revealed to be the once though missing son of Shad0wTech’s CEO. Acts as the groups navigator before he gets his own Persona, to become the fifth member of the team. His is an automatic Relation Connection for until you max it out (he’s also a potential love interest). Unlocks his persona after facing his shadow and learning the big truth of his past. His wants to find the truth grants him the Persona Janperson. When he reaches his max link, his persona grows into Gavan.

Max “Fang” Fangsen, Emperor Arcana: The sixth Party Member and second Navigator. Thought to be nothing but a punk by many of the other students, is actually a very smart person who works hard on his looks so no one will pick on him. Faces his shadow and begins his Relation Connection with Elee (another love interest, though it’s hinted he also has feelings for Roddy). His persona is 2Bat, who later evolves into Kivat (based on Kivat the 2 and 3 from Kiva)

Akira Ryuusou, Tower Arcana: Seventh Party Member, and an aspiring business studies focused student. He had once believed that business had to trample over everyone that could interrupt it, but saved himself when he remembered his morals were not worth compromising for the sake of money. His relation connection is learning to deal with his once terrible tendencies, and growing past them (continues the trend of being a potential love interest). His Persona is Zanget and his ultimate Persona is Kachidoki Zangetsu (it should be clear who that’s based on.)

Elise Knighting, Priestess Arcana: Eighth and final party member. A girl with royal heritage, she feels she trapped in a fate of only having her name tied to a past she wants nothing to do with. She faces her shadow and despair, regainning her hope of being able to change her family name into one of pride. Her Relation Connection is her first steps to becoming a recognized name. (Also a potential love interest, though she also has potential feelings for Webby.) Her Persona is Dull-Ga, and her Ultimate Persona is Bright-Garo (based on the Golden Knight Garo and what little I know of that series.)

Heroes Union, Fortune Arcana Relation Connection: The name of Asphalt’s team. They believe that as long as they stick together and keep their hope, Fortune will shine upon them. Earned their name from how Heroes were made to inspire hope to all. Updates automatically.

Mr. (Roger) Scripten, Strength Arcana Relation Connection: Elee’s Theater Teacher. Starts out as cold and closed to all, but actually cares about the students he teaches. As you become close to him, he slowly opens up to others, and becomes more cheerful. Eventually reveals that the reason he closed himself off is that one of students had an accident when working in the tech shop, and he was scared of getting close to students after. He provides Elee with help on her theatrics skills, in turn helping her dancing in the Shadow Net.

Molly Esperer, Hierophant Arcana Relation Connection: Elee’s adopted mom, she’s the head of the R&D area at Shad0wTech and a caring person. She’s very young to be a parent, at 27, but she wanted a child because she had felt that her home was too empty without a family, one that she wanted, despite not looking for any partners currently. She supports Elee in whatever she does, and provides info about shady tech dealings when she learns about the Union.

Mitsuru Kirijo and Yukari Takeba, Justice Arcana Relation Connection: Elee’s other ‘Moms’. Were the two who visited her the most when she was still in Japan. They still keep in contact with her, but eventually she gets to see them again when they move to Neotech for their work (Yukari getting a new role in a show being filmed there, and Mitsuru wanting to set up new works for the Kirijo Group in Neotech.)

Rise Kujikawa, Sun Arcana Relation Connection: The famous idol herself is living in Neotech for the next year and a half due to her work. Meets Elee when the girl interns at a production studio. She becomes quick friends with her, and is especially interested by the fact that she seems to know both Yukari Takeba AND Mitsuru Kirijo.

Barista From Japan, Ren, Moon Arcana Relation Connection: An aspiring professional cook and barista from Japan, Ren seems to know more than he lets on. Meets Elee when she enters his current workplace and he mentions wanting to see some Labyrinth Movies with a friend again someday. Later reveals himself as THE Ren Amamiya, once leader of the Phantom Thieves (Elee remembers meeting him once upon a time somewhere. Perhaps a Movie Theater? Or was it a Maze? She can’t get the letter Q out of her head.)

Elizabeth, Death Arcana Relation Connection: A mysterious woman who owns the Blue House book rental. She reminds Elee of those two from ten years ago (due to how she was the attendant for them). The persona Elee can fuse by the end gives her a sad feeling, as if those two are with her again (Messiah and Thanatos).

Eli Simmers, Temperance Arcana Relation Connection: The man who runs the toy shop (and provides the Heroes Union with their weapons). Imports toys from overseas and bonds with Elee over their shared love of Featherman and Kamen Racer (as it’s called in that world). Wants nothing more in life than to share his joy of other cultures with Neotech, and his Connection is all about that.

Manuel Imborglione, Devil Arcana Relation Connection: Neotech Academy’s resident prankster, who also happens to be the star history student. Every prank he pulls is planned out with a historical event in mind and is often in the middle when it comes to win loss ratios for these pranks. His story is his want to make people learn from the past, as he had learned from his own growing up. As another student he is a potential love interest.

Mabel Enforcra, Judgement Arcana Relation Connection: Another Student at Neotech, Mabel is an aspiring comic writer and is Asphalt’s succesor to Mishima, as the moderator of the Heroes Union Site, the place that all of the dances of the HU are uploaded too. Her story involves her want to prove her worth as a writer, and Elee being there as a support. As a student, she is another potential love interest.

Stella Reclu, Hermit Arcana Relation Connection: Stella is Neotech Academy’s top astrology student, with the habit of pushing everyone away who tries to get close. Elee manages to stay despite her pushing and learns that she was being pushed because Stella didn’t want her parents to try and threaten anyone for interrupting her studies. The Heroes Union saves her grieving heart and she finally stands up to her parents. As a student, she is another potential love interest for Elee.

Wilbur and Charlotte, The Lovers Arcana Relation Connection: The attendants of the Velvet Room, a married couple who live in the city and owe Igor a favor for help from a long time ago. They offer assistance to Elee when they see her, and handle the Persona Compendium.

Igor: The series staple caretaker of the Velvet Room, he offers his assistance with Persona Fusion and fortunetelling services. He loves the current status of the Velvet Room, as a hero group headquarters, stating it fills him with great pride as an over looker of the hopes of humans.

#persona asphalt #ask to tag

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thecorpulentbeagle · 5 years

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Okujima Week 2019: Angst/Comforting

Here is the second day of this challenge. I’ve actually been experiencing some shoulder pain recently, so it was easy to write that part of this story realistically!

Interestingly enough, the new dancing games helped me a lot with this story, because it’s apparently cannon that not only is Makoto talented at aikido (which was kind of evident in the main game), but she has apparently won tons of trophies. And evidently, her sister is even better than her, which is slightly terrifying!

Here is the fanfiction.net link.

Please enjoy this next part of the Okujima Week 2019 Challenge!

Okujima Week 2019 Challenge:

The Healing Touch:

Angst/Comforting

-Haru-

“A toast to our champion!” A cacophony of cheers erupted at this declaration. Glasses were clinked, and a chorus of laughter followed.

“Please.” An embarrassed Makoto sat stiffly, her face slightly red. “There’s no need to go all out or celebrate. It’s just a win.”

“A win? Makoto, you just won the whole damn tournament!” Ryuji exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table.

The recently disbanded Phantom Thieves were currently engaging in a party of sorts at the usual hangout space of Leblanc, an unusually cheerful Sae accompanying them. The strategic advisor of the group had participated in an aikido tournament just hours earlier, and she had advanced to the final round before ultimately winning.

Makoto had insisted that it was no big deal, and that she had won plenty of matches and tournaments before, the irony of that statement being a topic of conversation. How could one be modest enough to say it wasn’t a big deal before mentioning all of her previous wins in an off-handed way? It seemed that only the student council president could.

Haru knew that Makoto was not falsely boasting either. Having been to her girlfriend’s room several times, she had seen firsthand the numerous trophies lined up on her shelves. Completely in character, Makoto had waved away Haru’s admiration, though the gardener could tell by her blush that she was flattered by the well-earned compliments.

“Yes, Makoto. This celebration truly is well-deserved.” Sae raised a glass at her younger sister, winking at her from across the table.

“See! Even Sae-san thinks it’s a big deal!” Ann nudged the embarrassed senior’s right side, giggling.

“Th-thanks, Sis,” Makoto muttered, tucking some hair back behind her ear.

Sitting on the girl’s other side, Haru leaned on her shoulder. “Yes. You truly were remarkable!” She nuzzled into her, conveying just how proud she was of her girlfriend.

What Haru did not expect was for Makoto to growl slightly and pull away. It was subtle enough that no one else saw or heard it, as Haru deftly moved her head away to make it seem like her action had been meant as a quick one, rather than actually settling her head there for a few minutes.

But it concerned Haru. Sure, Makoto did not like public displays of affection, but she was usually comfortable enough to engage in them around her close friends. In fact, the two had even hugged and kissed in front of the others once the initial teasing had died down.

She looked at Makoto to see that she was not looking at her. She… didn’t seem embarrassed, but why else would she have pulled away?

“Congratulations, Makoto.” Haru lost her train of thought to look up at their leader. Akira appeared as disheveled as always, his black hair askew and his glasses slightly off-kilter. He had been particularly invested in the outcome of the match, seeing that he had used it as a reason to visit.

“Thank you, Akira.” The student council president smiled, acknowledging his compliment.

“So now that we’ve officially gotten Makoto to actually accept some praise, we should have another round!” Futaba jumped up from her spot in the booth, waving at Sojiro. “Another round!”

The owner sighed and shook his head as he walked over with some more drinks for everyone. “You’re a bit too excited about ordering this, Futaba. It’s not like it’s alcohol or anything.”

“Ooh! Now that ya mention it, could we get a couple of beers or somethin’? I mean, it’s not every day we get to celebrate like this.” Ryuji’s eyes gleamed.

“Are you sure you’d like to say that in front of a person of the law, Ryuji?” Yusuke asked calmly, his hands folded together on the table in front of him.

The scruffy blonde’s head whipped over to said attorney. “I… uh…”

Sae shook her head. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. But no alcohol. Is that understood?”

Morgana hopped up from where he had been on the floor. “Now I see where Makoto learned her behavior from.”

The group laughed. Seeing the confusion upon Sojiro’s and Sae’s faces brought even more laughter.

The gang celebrated in this fashion for another hour before finally calling it quits. Though it was the end of the week, the Phantom Thieves still had one more day of school before a free day, so they couldn’t go completely overboard.

After Futaba, Akira, and Sojiro waved the group goodbye, they walked the streets until arriving at the subway station. The group further split up, with Haru, Makoto, and Sae staying together. It had been decided earlier that Haru would spend the night, since the couple had planned a day together once school had ended for the week.

On the way there, Haru continued to notice Makoto’s odd behavior. She seemed to be using her right hand for everything, from swiping her subway pass to holding onto the handles of the vehicle. Which, in and of itself, wasn’t completely unusual, seeing as the girl was right-handed. But the way that her left arm hung limply at her side, and that she seemed to avoid any and all contact on that side… was strange.

Haru thought back to the tournament, as she hadn’t been acting that way before. She had been knocked around throughout the event, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. They had all suffered much worse in the Metaverse, though, that might not exactly compare to real-world injuries.

She’d suffered a particularly nasty fall in the semifinals, but she had recovered and had ultimately won the match. She’d even defeated her opponent in the finals, so clearly, she wasn’t seriously injured.

Even so, Haru couldn’t help but worry.

The three made small-talk as the subway made its way to their destination. Haru didn’t want to worry her girlfriend now, but she did want to discuss her behavior in private. She thought it might be best to have that conversation away from Sae, just in case.

Eventually, the three made it back to the Niijima apartment, where Sae quickly unlocked the door and let them all in.

The girls discarded their bags onto one of the couches in the living room, Haru noticing that Makoto appeared to be moving very slowly and deliberately. It had to be an injury that was making her move like this… right?

Haru looked over at Sae to see if she had noticed, but the woman was currently scrolling through her phone, no doubt doing something work-related.

“I’m going to go change. Haru, I have a set of pajamas for you to use as well. I’ll let you change once I’m done.” Haru turned her head back towards her girlfriend to see her smiling tightly, almost mechanically. It appeared to be a grimace.

“Okay, Mako-chan. I’ll make sure to keep Sae-san company.” She winked at Makoto, who chuckled slightly before turning on her heel and heading into her room, closing the door behind her.

“You’ve seen that she’s in pain, I assume?”

Haru jumped slightly at the sudden voice. She looked back at the only other person in the room, and saw Sae giving her an intense look. So, it seemed that she had noticed something off with her sister after all.

Realizing she should give an answer, as Sae was waiting for one, she responded, “I have. I… didn’t want to bring it up. She seemed to not want me to even know about it.”

The gardener was slightly surprised to see the woman smirk. “That would make sense. Makoto has always been stubborn when it comes to toughing out an injury. Though I have to admit, she really isn’t that skilled at covering it up. She practically jumped through the roof when you laid your head on her shoulder.”

Haru tilted her head. “You saw that?”

Sae nodded. “I see everything.” At that slightly creepy statement, Haru merely stared. Sae shook her head. “Kidding aside, I do notice a lot when it comes to Makoto. My career path, plus her being my little sister gives me an acute awareness of such things.” She put a hand to her chin. “I can only assume that being her best friend and girlfriend affords you similar insights.”

Haru nodded. Though Sae had accepted her dating her sister rather easily, the woman was still very intense, and Haru was sometimes nervous when it was just the two of them alone. Makoto had a bit of an awkward side, which was one of the reasons Haru liked her so much. Her sister on the other hand, seemed to be constantly serious, with little to no instances of physical or verbal stumbles. To put it simply, Haru was sometimes intimidated by the older woman. She could see why Makoto (in her own words) struggled to live up to her expectations.

There was a moment of silence as the two said nothing. Haru wasn’t quite sure what needed to be said, and she quietly hoped that Makoto would finish quickly so that there was a bit of a buffer.

A slight chime rang through the air, and Haru watched as Sae lifted her phone up closer to her face, the device having never left her hand. Her eyes darted around the screen, her expression becoming somewhat serious.

“You’ll have to excuse me.” Sae picked up her recently discarded bag and slipped her phone into it. “Something’s come up that needs to be taken care of tonight.”

“Sae-san?”

Sae had made her way to the door, turning at Haru’s voice. “I will see you two tomorrow morning.” Gripping the door handle and pulling the door open she gave a slight smile. “Please take care of my sister for me. I’m counting on you.”

Haru gave a slight gulp, but grinned nonetheless. “I plan to.” Sae simply nodded and left, locking the door behind her.

Haru gave a deep sigh, but her smile remained. Though she was nervous about living up to Sae’s expectations of her, she felt a rush of pride at having the strict woman trust her so easily with a loved one’s care.

“Where’d Sis run off to?”

For the second time that night, Haru jumped at the unexpected voice. She turned around to see Makoto in her pajamas, which featured the round and bubbly face of Buchimaru-kun. Haru thought she looked completely adorable in it, and she enjoyed the fact that Makoto felt comfortable enough around her to dress in it, as the character itself was somewhat childish.

“Oh. She had to run into the office to deal with an important matter.” She walked over to the other girl. “She didn’t say what it was, but that she’d be back in the morning.”

Makoto nodded. “I see. I’d hoped she’d take at least tonight off because of the tournament. She really does work too hard sometimes…” The student council president looked at the closed door, clearly worried about her sister.

Wanting to ease her pain (both mentally and physically), Haru placed a soft hand on Makoto’s face. “She’ll be fine, Mako-chan. She can definitely take care of herself.” Smiling at the way Makoto leaned into her hand, she moved on to the main issue. “But enough about Sae-san. I’m more worried about you!”

Makoto gave her a questioning look. “What about me?”

Haru moved her hand from Makoto’s face to her left shoulder. Pressing it slightly, she was rewarded with a sharp hiss from the other girl, who quickly stepped back.

Haru did feel bad to cause her girlfriend pain, but she had to prove to Makoto that she knew she was hurting. “The fact that I can’t even touch your left shoulder without you wincing in pain.”

Makoto chuckled. “Ha. I guess I should’ve known you’d pick up on that.”

“Of course!” Haru nodded. “So now I’m going to take care of you, whether you want me to or not.”

The other girl sighed. “It’s really nothing. I’ve had this type of injury before.” She rolled her shoulder and winced. “I just need to put some ice on it for a while, and I’ll be all set.”

“Hm…” Haru looked at Makoto, thinking. She wasn’t sure how much of her worry was an overreaction, and how much was valid concern. It didn’t help that Makoto was literally attempting to shrug off the injury.

Makoto blushed slightly. “Haru. Y-you’re staring quite a bit.” She looked away, clearly embarrassed.

“I can’t help but be concerned, Mako-chan!” Haru tapped her girlfriend’s nose, which caused her to look up, startled. “You’re precious to me, so it pains me to see you hurt.”

“Ah. Trying to guilt me into letting you take care of me, huh?” Makoto smirked.

Haru gave a slight huff, irritated that Makoto had caught onto what she had been attempting so quickly. “Enough of this!” She darted behind the other girl and began pushing her towards the couch in the living room. “I will make it my mission to heal you!”

Makoto seemed to not expect such a sudden and strong response. She spluttered comically as she forced herself to move, lest Haru inadvertently shove her to the ground. “Haru! Please be careful. I’ve fallen enough times, tonight.”

Now that Makoto was moving, Haru eased up slightly. They made it to the couch, where Haru gave the other girl a light tap on her non-injured shoulder to indicate that she should sit.

As she did so, Haru made her way over to the freezer. “You just get comfortable, Mako-chan. I’ll be over with the ice in a moment.”

She could hear the grunts of pain from the student council president as she adjusted herself. Though Haru had been overdramatic moments earlier in order to have Makoto accept help, she truly did feel slight pain at the thought of her girlfriend being so uncomfortable.

Having experienced minor injuries in the past with her ballet, Haru knew somewhat how to treat them. She assumed that Makoto merely strained or bruised her shoulder. Had it been something more serious like a dislocation, she would surely have been in much greater pain.

Pulling open a drawer in the freezer, the gardener scooped out some ice and deposited it into a plastic baggie that had been taken from one of the cabinets. Having been over several times before, Haru knew where practically everything was in the kitchen.

She snapped up a dish towel that had been hanging on the freezer handle, wrapping it around the ice bag so that it wouldn’t make direct contact with Makoto’s skin.

“You’ve done this before.”

Haru looked over to see Makoto watching her, her eyes curious.

She smiled. “Yes. I’ve dealt with some bruises and sprains in the past.” She walked over to Makoto. “I used to practice ballet when I was little.”

“That makes sense. You are very graceful.” Makoto seemed to think for a moment. “That sounds… familiar. Have you told me that before?”

“I’m not sure.” Haru sat down next to her girlfriend. “I don’t usually talk about it, but I suppose I could have.”

Makoto made to reach for the ice, but Haru pulled back, setting it down behind her. “Ah. I’m going to treat you, remember?”

The other girl gave a confused look. “But you got the ice for me. I can handle putting it on my own shoulder.”

“Maybe. But I have another idea.” Haru’s eyes grew mischievous as she leaned closer.

“U-um…” Makoto stuttered but didn’t move away. A slight blush formed on her cheeks.

Smirking, Haru reached up towards Makoto’s collar and took hold of the top button. She slowly eased it out of it’s hold, her shirt opening up slightly.

“H-Haru!”

“Yes, Mako-chan?” Haru asked innocently, halting her progress.

“W-what exactly are you doing?” Haru moved her focus away from the girl’s shirt towards her face, which was now extremely red.

“Unbuttoning your shirt?” Haru said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“B-but why?”

“So that I can place the ice on your bare shoulder of course!” Haru smiled, enjoying how easily her girlfriend was flustered.

“Oh.”

It was such a short and simple response, with a hint of disappointment, that Haru couldn’t help but tease her further. “Why, Mako-chan? Were you expecting something else?”

“N-no!”

Haru clicked her tongue in mock disapproval. “Mako-chan. I can’t believe where your mind went. I’m just helping my girlfriend feel better.”

Makoto’s face somehow got even redder. “I-I… I mean… clearly you were…”

Haru giggled. “I was what?”

“N-nothing.” Haru was slightly disappointed to see Makoto give up so easily, but she could always tease her later.

She returned to unbuttoning the next few buttons, enough to be able to pull the shirt aside and expose Makoto’s shoulder, but not enough to see anything else. As she pulled the shirt away, she murmured, “Perhaps if you’re feeling better later, we can finish what you started in your mind. Unless, of course, it was nothing.” Haru leaned forward and placed a few gentle kisses on her shoulder.

After she had finished, Haru looked up to see Makoto nodding her head slowly. “I… think I’d like that, Haru.”

The gardener smiled. “Good!” Reaching behind herself, she lifted the ice bag and hovered it over Makoto’s shoulder. “Now, I’m going to place the ice here. Let me know if it hurts, okay?”

Makoto nodded again.

Haru slowly draped the bag over Makoto’s shoulder, a slight tremor running through the other girl. “Easy now…” Haru whispered soothingly.

Once it had been placed, Haru gave Makoto’s lips a quick peck before pulling back. “That should do it.” She looked at Makoto. “How are you feeling?”

The student council president sighed. “Better. It’s stiff, but the ice is helping with the swelling.”

“I’m glad.” Haru leaned back into the couch, taking hold of Makoto’s hand. “Now how exactly did you get this injury? Was it when you were thrown in the semifinals?”

Makoto shrugged, which caused her to wince. “I suppose. To be honest…”

“Hm?” Haru squeezed her hand, subtly encouraging her to continue.

“Well… I had hurt it a bit during practice yesterday. Training gone wrong,” she joked, chuckling. “Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling stiff, but I figured it would clear up. That throw in the semifinals exacerbated it, and by the time I reached the finals… I wasn’t sure if I’d make it.”

“Mako-chan…” Haru leaned over and gave her another kiss, this one a little more passionate. Pulling back, she continued in a worried tone, “Why didn’t you withdraw from the tournament? The worst thing you can do when you’re injured is exercise it more.”

“I…” Makoto sighed. “I didn’t want to quit. I mean… Akira made the journey all the way from his hometown to watch. And Sis took off work early, even if she just went back tonight. And…” She trailed off, looking away.

“And…?” Haru wasn’t going to let her girlfriend not speak her mind.

“And you were going to be there, cheering me on.” Makoto looked back, her eyes slightly teary. “I didn’t want to disappoint you. I… wanted to impress you. You’ve seen all the trophies I have, and how hard I fought back when we were Phantom Thieves. I… didn’t want to… be weak in front you. I wanted to prove to you that I can protect you!”

Haru was shocked at her unexpected emotional outburst. The two had just been kidding around moments before. She had no idea how important this particular tournament had been for her girlfriend. And what exactly did she mean about protecting her? Surely, now that their Metaverse days were over, there wasn’t anything to protect her from? “Makoto. I would never be disappointed in you. Ever.” She squeezed her hand. “And… what would you be protecting me from?”

Makoto sighed. “It’s… hard to explain. I don’t understand it fully myself. But,” she squeezed Haru’s hand, “ever since… my father… died… I swore that I’d protect my loved ones with everything that I had. I couldn’t… bear to lose anyone else. That’s why I trained so hard, every day.” A tear escaped from her eye, slowly rolling down her cheek. “I practiced aikido, I studied law, anything to be able to prevent criminals from hurting others.”

Haru’s heart ached from the anguish that her girlfriend was now expressing. “Makoto…”

“If anything happened to Sis, or to you…” Makoto gave a small sniff. “I don’t know what I’d do. And as for what I’d be protecting you from… you’re the heiress to one of the most successful fast-food chains in the world. There could be any number of people who would try to harm you for any number of reasons.”

Haru sighed. That was a fact she knew all too well. Being in the public eye like she was meant that she received all kinds of attention, most of it good, but some of it terrible. There were many people who still hadn’t forgiven her father for his lapses in workplace safety, and that ill will had transferred over to her. So far, no attempts had been made on her life, but she knew that could change at any time.

“Makoto… I don’t want to tell you that there’s nothing to worry about, because you’re right. But,” Haru reached out a hand and cupped her girlfriend’s cheek, stroking it with gently with her thumb, “I know that you’ll protect me. Even if you lose a match every once in a while, I’ve seen how hard you work every day.” She wiped away another tear that had been on Makoto’s face. “You don’t have to be perfect. You’re amazing just as you are.”

“Haru…” Makoto sniffed again, attempting to regain her composure.

“There’s no one I trust more. And besides,” she decided to throw in a joke to lighten the mood slightly, “I am a Phantom Thief! Even if I don’t have powers anymore, I can still hit back!”

“True enough, Haru.” Makoto smiled. “I apologize for losing myself for a moment. Perhaps… this injury is bothering me more than I thought.” She reached up and shifted the ice pack.

“Makoto. You’re allowed to express your feelings. Honestly, it makes me feel good to know that you trust me enough to talk about your insecurities.” Haru gave Makoto’s face a light pat before returning her hand back to the other girl’s intertwining their fingers together.

“Thank you, Haru. I’ll try to do so in the future.” Makoto’s face fell. “And… I apologize for bringing up my father. I know… the pain is still fresh for you.”

Haru winced. Her girlfriend was right once again. She’d avoided really thinking about it due to her concern for Makoto, but now that she had pointed it out, it was difficult to ignore the throbbing pain in her chest that surfaced whenever she thought about her late father.

“It… does still sting, it’s true. But… it’s starting to sting less and less, as time goes on.” Haru felt a tear drop from her own eyes. “Perhaps we’re both hurting more than we’re letting on.”

Haru was surprised to find Makoto’s lips on her own. The two kissed for a brief moment before the latter pulled away. “Even so, it’s a comfort to know that we’re each here for the other to lean on. Time heals all wounds, as they say, but having someone to empathize with… heals a great deal more. So, thank you again, Haru. For healing both my physical and emotional wounds.” Makoto squeezed her hand.

Haru nodded. “You’re welcome. And thank you as well.”

The two smiled at each other, enjoying the deep feelings that had resulted from this conversation.

Deeming that they’d had enough of this type of talk for one evening, Haru decided to switch gears. “Now then. While it’s been very nice talking through our problems, I believe that we had something else in store for tonight?” Her eyes twinkled.

Makoto tilted her head. “Did we?”

Haru leaned forward, removing the ice bag from Makoto’s shoulder. “Something like this, perhaps?” She moved her lips to the girl’s exposed shoulder, kissing her gently as she had before. This time, though, it seemed to have a much more profound effect on her girlfriend.

The gardener could feel Makoto jolt. “I-I thought that was going to be later?”

Haru raised her head, smirking at the other girl. “It’s been a few minutes. I believe that constitutes as later.”

Makoto wearily shook her head. “After the tournament and our conversation… I honestly don’t think I have enough energy.”

Haru giggled. “Fair enough. My exhaustion’s catching up to me as well.” She gave one last kiss to her shoulder before beginning to button up the student council president’s shirt. “Besides, I don’t want to make your injury even worse.”

“Hm…”

Haru gave a quick peck to Makoto’s cheek. “I’ll go change, and then we can simply go to bed. How does that sound?”

Makoto smiled warmly at her. “Perfect.”

There we go! I do not claim to know more than some basics of aikido, so if there are any mistakes/misconceptions, I do apologize. Hopefully, the rest of the story (especially the angst/comforting parts) will make up for it!

The tournament that Makoto participated in here is based off of Toshu Randori of the Tomiki style, though there are many other forms. From what I researched, aikido is not really supposed to be used for a traditional “competition”, but more so a demonstration of principles in a controlled environment. But I stretched the purpose just a little bit so that Makoto could be feasibly hurt outside of practice.

Also, for those who have played Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, the conversation in this story that Haru and Makoto have about Makoto wondering whether or not Haru told her about ballet stems from the fact that what happens in that dreamworld is forgotten by everyone when they wake up. I headcannon that they remember it on a subconscious level, hence the déjà vu feeling they experience here.

Hope you enjoyed, and see you tomorrow!

#okujima #okujima week #okujima week 2019 #makoto niijima #haru okumura #makoto x haru #haru x makoto #p5 #persona 5

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placetobenation · 4 years

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As we hit the Memorial Day Weekend, we hit what traditionally is the start of the Summer season around the World. Of course, this year is not your normal year due to the COVID-19 crisis, so instead of looking forward to a bunch of big shows and some outdoor wrestling events, we are left to wonder when the next show with ANY type of crowd will be.

With all 50 states now easing restrictions in some form or fashion, it’s only a matter of time when we will see that first event. Sure, the first will be small and measured in the number of fans that attend. But it will be a start. And of course, when it comes to the WWE, we wonder what will become of SummerSlam. We know by now that government officials in Massachusetts are not going to let a big scale event like that happen in their state with fans, so it’s just a matter of where Vince McMahon will take it. Will it be a replacement for WrestleMania in Tampa, Florida where things are moving faster than most other states? Or maybe it’s just allowing fans in the Performance Center or Full Sail again? Time will tell, but for sure, that time is coming as the public is just inching to get back to some form of normalcy.

Now, having said that, the industry could surely use the shot in the arm. Empty arena shows aren’t the biggest hits with TV viewers no matter what wrestling show you are watching. While it is giving TV time to those who may not have received it due to some talent not wanting to be at the tv tapings due to the on-going health crisis. I just wish that the WWE would acknowledge the reality of what’s going on outside their own four walls. It would help them and give them some needed flexibility. But then again, that’s just one man’s opinion and right now, the only opinion that counts is one Vincent Kennedy McMahon. So, I am guessing we won’t get that change anytime soon.

Backlash PPV

WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley

Universal Championship Handicap Match: Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison

The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever: Edge vs. Randy Orton

Star of the Week:

… You haven't watched Chapter 2 yet? #TheLastRide @undertaker WATCH NOW

https://t.co/eY8TodLHk1 pic.twitter.com/Y8yJhCOLaW

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) May 18, 2020

The Undertaker, Part 2 – This is the best thing going right now from WWE! Amazing that after all these years and a storied career, we got self-doubt from The Undertaker after his WrestleMania match with Roman Reigns. It was a wonderful look inside the comeback to face John Cena the following year at WrestleMania, in a match that even UT thought was too short after all the planning.

RAW

RESULTS

Murphy defeated Humberto Carrillo

Charlotte Flair defeated Ruby Riott

Bobby Lashley defeated R-Truth

Women’s Tag Team Title Match: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross defeated The Iiconics (DQ) to retain titles

Submission Match: Shayna Baszler defeated Natalya

Kevin Owens & Apollo Crews defeated Andrade & Angel Garza

Aleister Black defeated Murphy (DQ)

Non-title WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre defeated King Corbin

What we loved:

Takeaway: @FightOwensFight is a good listener.#WWERaw @Zelina_VegaWWE @AndradeCienWWE @AngelGarzaWwe @austintheory1 pic.twitter.com/KLhBhcKlTA

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 19, 2020

Welcome back KO – It was a good sight to see Kevin Owens back in the Monday Night RAW mix this week. Not only did we delight in the one-line quips directed at Natalya wrecking his KO Show set, but we also got some in-ring action in a tag-team win with Apollo Crews. We also like the continued push for Crews.

Bobby Lashley – THIS is the strong, monster-driven Lashley that we’ve wanted for some time. Aligning with MVP is a good thing. Now, I’d like some other superstars to join the stable as well!

#WWEChampion @DMcIntyreWWE gives King @BaronCorbinWWE a royal thrashing on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/ARxe1qZm10

— WWE (@WWE) May 19, 2020

Wrestling – From Murphy vs. Carrillo, Murphy vs. Black, Baszler vs. Nattie, the tag matches and the main event of Drew vs. Corbin, it was a solid in-ring presentation. I say that despite the fact I hated that they spent the first 30 minutes of the show with only in-ring promos.

Will @EdgeRatedR vs. @RandyOrton at #WWEBacklash be THE greatest wrestling match ever? https://t.co/zsycDlf5WD

— WWE (@WWE) May 19, 2020

Legends Promo – As normal, anytime Edge and Orton get to go head-to-head on the mic, it’s usually very good. Monday night was no exception. I would’ve liked to see Edge’s acceptance of the match dragged out a bit longer though. Now, what do we have left for the build-up? I’d like each of them to pick a solid “wrestling” opponent for them to face over the next few weeks to keep it interesting. Oh yeah, by the way, I have NO hopes that it remains a complete “wrestling” match throughout.

Meh:

mood—— pic.twitter.com/aziJpfitKx

— NattieByNature (@NatbyNature) May 19, 2020

Nattie’s Turn? – So, I guess here comes the frustrated Natalya heel turn after breaking up the KO Show set during her tirade from the tapping out to Shayna Baszler in the submission match. Samoa Joe said it best. It’s no shame to lose. Accept it and move on. This seems like all the turns we’ve seen before. I hope we are wrong.

Charlotte/Ruby – We love Charlotte Flair, but we don’t need to see her every show, do we? The match vs. Ruby Riott didn’t really do much for either, but I do like that The Queen is facing someone new each show. There was also NO WAY she was going to lose before a Champion vs. Champion match against Bayley on SmackDown Friday night.

50/50:

Austin Theory switches teams – In a matter of 30 minutes, Austin Theory gets beat down and thrown out of the Zelina Vega faction with Andrade and Angel Garza to joining Seth Rollins and Murphy (and the Authors of Pain when they come back) as the Monday Night Messiah’s newest minion. Seems a bit forced, but I’ll roll with it. I do like that we have two heel factions now facing off it seems coming up. That, I’ll give a thumbs up too. Shades of the Attitude Era showing up in 2020.

Didn’t love:

DQ finishes – Having Bliss & Cross and Aleister Black win on another shady DQ finish seems lazy. We’ve seen run-ins all the time without ending the match as well as a superstar not heeding a ref’s warning without a DQ. Why now? Let it continue, especially in the case of the Women’s Tag Team Title Match. I’m sure that’s just to get to a stipulation for the Backlash PPV match. Just not a fan of the DQ finish folks.

Better left unsaid:

The Street Profits vs. The Viking Raiders in an axe-throwing contest to fulfill the “E” part of WWE I guess.

NXT

RESULTS

Karrion Kross defeated Liam

Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament: El Hijo del Fantasma defeated Akira Tozawa

Mia Yim defeated Santana Garrett

Roderick Strong defeated Dexter Lumis

Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan defeated Ever-Rise

Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament: Drake Maverick defeated Kushida

Io Shirai defeated Rhea Ripley (DQ)

What we loved:

.@NXTCiampa is not about to 𝒓𝒖𝒏 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 from @WWEKarrionKross… The match is official.#NXTTakeOver: IN YOUR HOUSE#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/r9oMxlcWyw

— WWE (@WWE) May 21, 2020

Opening Bang! – Starting the show with Karrion Kross & Scarlett dominating and then being welcome to NXT by Tommaso Ciampa was exactly what Ciampa deemed Kross & Scarlett – SPECIAL. It had that BIG feel to it, didn’t it?! Can’t wait until In Your House to see these square-off.

PURE ELATION.@WWEMaverick defies the odds as he defeats @KUSHIDA_0904 to keep his place in the #NXTCruiserweight Championship Tournament! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/96xoecRnRh

— WWE (@WWE) May 21, 2020

Drake gets his due – Kudos to Drake Maverick for doing what few thought he could do – WIN! Not only did Drake upset Kushida to stay alive, but he now has a shot to get into the Cruiserweight Tournament Finals with another victory next week – a three-way dance with Kushida and Jake Atlas.

Brewing:

Lee vs. Gargano – The current North American Champ, Keith Lee has interjected himself into the Mia Yim vs. Candace LeRae squirmish by taking on Johnny Gargano. Will it be a championship match next or some mixed tag-team action? Either way, it should be entertaining.

Shining everywhere:

3 shows, 0 problems. All hail #TheQueen.

@MsCharlotteWWE #WWENXT @RheaRipley_WWE @shirai_io pic.twitter.com/28pX6CisVX

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) May 21, 2020

The Queen – Of course, Charlotte Flair stands tall on her own show as the NXT Women’s Champion takes out Io Shirai in the main event to give Rhea Ripley the loss as a precursor to Friday night’s battle with Bayley on SmackDown. Not a fan of the DQ finish, but it does help the story of the future three-way dance between the trio, which is now officially set for NXT TakeOver: In Your House in June.

Middling:

Lumis vs. Strong – A good match between these two leaves Strong with a sneak victory and brings back The Velveteen Dream into the mix to help Dexter Lumis from a post-match attack from Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish. We can see where this one is going….

Is it me or……

The Undisputed Era – Has some of the luster gone off TUE lately? It seems like the dominance just isn’t there. Adam Cole says there could be a celebration next week as he hits the one-year mark of being the NXT Champion. I just wonder who’s next to face Mr. Bay-Bay for the crown.

The Masked Mafia – I have no clue who they are or when they will be revealed. This week’s target – Akiro Tazawa. Maybe it’s part of Drake Maverick’s grandiose plan to save his job in NXT/WWE? Or maybe El Hijo del Fantasma.

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Non-Title Universal Championship Match: Braun Strowman defeated The Miz

Intercontinental Championship Tournament First Round Match: AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura

Champion vs. Champion Match: Bayley defeated Charlotte Flair

Sonya Deville & Dolph Ziggler defeated Mandy Rose & Otis

Intercontinental Championship Tournament First Round Match: Jeff Hardy defeated Sheamus

Overall this stacked SmackDown was easily the best show of the week! All quality and no fluff. Now, it may not show up in the ratings as it is the Friday night of a long, holiday weekend but it was the a good two-hours from the blue brand, continuing an upward trend the past few weeks.

What we loved:

'The Phenomenal' @AJStylesOrg is here to reclaim 'the house that AJ Styles built' as he advances in the #ICTitle tournament on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/2a7kaaeaBB

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) May 23, 2020

AJ’s back in blue – Fresh off a trade from RAW for a “superstar to be named later, AJ Styles’ return to SmackDown is a successful one as he takes part in the Intercontinental Championship Tournament. In a rematch from WrestleMania 34, Styles wins the first round match in another really good match between the two. Let’s be honest, these two can’t have a bad match, right?

By any means necessary, @itsBayleyWWE takes down @MsCharlotteWWE on #SmackDown! #ChampionvsChampion pic.twitter.com/8rZtTTSdip

— WWE (@WWE) May 23, 2020

Champion vs. Champion – Odd that this wasn’t the main event of the show, but nonetheless, it was very, very good. Thankful that they didn’t have a predictable run-in from Sasha Banks to ruin this match. Bayley takes home the victory, with help from the ropes, in a surprising outcome for the battle of heel champions. The storyline is there and getting better. Loved the smack talk and expressions too throughout the match.

Sonya & Dolph – Heels in top form here! Sonya Deville and Dolph Ziggler take out their personal vendetta against Mandy Rose & Otis and it makes me wonder – at what point does Ziggler try to push Otis to put up that MITB case up for grabs against him.

Have we seen this before?:

Another challenge by @TheRealMorrison to @BraunStrowman has been made. This time for #WWEBacklash! pic.twitter.com/ZKrwMysKin

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) May 23, 2020

Braun Strowman’s Championship Handicap Match – Didn’t we just see Strowman lose his Intercontinental Title to Sami Zayn in a 3-on-1 handicap match at Elimination Chamber? Sure we did. Now, we get another championship handicap match at Backlash with Strowman defending the Universal Championship against The Miz and John Morrison. Why? Strowman already pinned Morrison last week in a tag match with Otis and this week, he took out The Miz in a singles affair. There’s got to be a better way to showcase a feud for SmackDown’s top title. Although, it would be interesting seeing how The Miz and John Morrison would co-exist as co-champions. That would be the only good payoff but at the same time further tarnishing Strowman again with a gimmick loss.

Good stuff:

The Dirt Sheet – Despite losing to Braun Strowman in an impromptu singles match, The Miz and John Morrison put together a very entertaining episode of the Dirt Sheet with enough shade to cover both Otis as well as Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins.It made me laugh, as it usually does.

Hardy vs. Sheamus: Jeff Hardy gets the victory in a physical match. I don’t think it’s the last Hardy has seen of Sheamus though as I can see him getting involved in next week’s semi-final match vs. Daniel Bryan.

Parting shots:

Coming up this week:

RAW – Triple Threat #1 Contender’s Match: NXT Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya vs. Nia Jax – Winner to face Asuka at Backlash (someone will have to explain to me how Nattie, who lost to Shayna Baszler for the second time last week and Charlotte Flair are in this match for the RAW Title Shot).

NXT – Cage Match: Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher / Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Group A Triple-Threat Finals: Drake Maverick vs. Kushida vs. Jake Atlas

SmackDown – Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semi-finals: Daniel Bryan vs. Jeff Hardy / AJ Styles vs. Elias

#RIPShadGaspard

pic.twitter.com/P16bE5IKOf

— WWE (@WWE) May 23, 2020

RIP Shad Gaspard. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. Gaspard’s body washed ashore in Venice Beach, California after he and his son were pulled in by riptide while they were swimming. Gaspard instructed lifeguards to save his 10-year old son, which they did.

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots and Red Sox fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND!

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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thefoxholecourtgames-blog · 7 years

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GAME 04: PALMETTO STATE FOXES vs. BLACKWELL JACKRABBITS

PRE-GAME

It’s the Foxes’ second home game of the season, meaning that they have to make it through a full day of classes before the evening’s game. With Halloween so close, Palmetto is even more orange-covered than usual, and the campus seems ready for a home game to kick off what should be a riotous weekend—especially considering their team, so far, has been a winning one.

The Foxes arrive at the court an hour before first serve, and in their familiar locker room they don their home uniforms, done in the same bright orange of the walls of the Foxhole Court with white lettering. Once dressed, they convene in the lounge to talk strategy, and the mood in the room is one of slightly tense focus: the Jackrabbits will be the toughest opponent they’ve faced yet this season, and none of them want to lose.

On the court, the stands are packed with orange, the Vixens taking to their pre-game performance with exuberance: they, too, are glad to be in front of a friendly crowd, and the crowd seems happy to cheer for them as they wait for the game to start.

Half an hour before first serve, the Foxes are allowed onto the court for a brief warm-up. They line up in order of position—Strikers, then Dealers, then Backliners, then Goalkeepers, with Grant and Claudia in the front as Captain and Vice-Captain.

During the warm-up, Teddy finds a familiar face in the crowd—and an unfamiliar one. It’s his mother, who he’d met in person for the first time this summer; and his step-father, who he hasn’t yet met. It’s a surprise to see them both, and Teddy barely gets a moment to come over and say hello over the sound of the screaming crowd before he’s swept back up into the Foxes’ warm-up routine.

Once warm-ups are done, Grant and the Tornadoes’ captain meet at center court for the coin toss that will determine who gets first serve. The Foxes win, and the starting players enter the court for the start of the game while the rest of the Foxes take their spots on the bench—including Paxton who, after having to be led off the court by Abby last game, isn’t dressed to play tonight.

FIRST HALF

STARTING LINEUP:

Goalkeeper: Grant Rollins

Dealer: Claudia Jewell

Strikers: Kent Cheong, Brayden Sykes

Backliners: Colin Jessup, Lilith Price (Sub: Glory Hoskins)

The Foxes starting lineup enters the court for the start of play, taking their positions: strikers on the inside of half court line, dealers and backliners on the first court line.

Back on the court in her natural position as dealer after filling in as a backliner against the Tornadoes, Claudia takes her place at the first-court line for her serve. The buzzer sounds to signal the start of play, and Claudia serves the ball up the court, the players all breaking from their positions at once.

Though not surprising for anyone who knows him, the start of Kent’s season has been explosive, in both good and bad ways: the number of goals he’s scored is rivaled by the number of cards he’s received, including two yellows in the Foxes’ game against the Tornadoes that saw him ejected from the game.

Kent starts this game in much the same fashion: after receiving Claudia’s serve, he finds himself checked into the wall by one of the Jackrabbits backliners just second afterwards—it’s a hard hit that has his helmeted head knocking against the Plexiglass and the fans wincing in the stands, and though he shakes it off to continue play, the Jackrabbits have taken possession.

After a couple disappointing practices, the Foxes’ coaching staff shuffled around their striker pairs, and Brayden finds himself with a new partner on the court—and, after the hit the Jackrabbits laid on Kent, facing down two Jackrabbits backliners at once. He darts in to try and knock and the ball free from the Jackrabbits’ racquet, but the brief struggle ends with his racquet on the ground rather than the backliner’s, and the Jackrabbits continue to press up the court.

She may be stepping onto the court for his first Class I game, but nervous might not be the exact right word to describe Lilith. She knows that she’ll have eyes on her, and she’s determined to keep them there, to give them something to look at.

Her partner on the court is Colin, who has had an uneven start to his season, possibly due in part to the lack of a stable partner on the backline. Once again, he finds an unknown quantity in Lilith, and it leaves holes in the Foxes’ defense, putting the Jackrabbits a step ahead as they split the Foxes’ defense down the middle, giving them a path to the Fox goal.

The Foxes’ last line of defense is Grant who, all season, has head the pressure on him of trying to Captain the team to the Championships once again—to win in his last season. When the Jackrabbits striker takes the shot, he’s able to get his racquet on it—but it deflects into the goal instead of out, just barely on the right side of the lines that mark the Fox goal.

With the Jackrabbits the first to put up a point, the Foxes on the court are tense, and when the Jackrabbits serve to restart play, they hit them hard: Colin takes the Jackrabbits striker receiving the serve out, and carves a path to the half-court line to pass the ball off to Claudia, who moves it up the court.

The Foxes push into the Jackrabbits zone, until the Fox strikers and the Jackrabbits backliners are bunched up in front of the Jackrabbits goal. Kent takes some hard knocks: stick checks that catch his fingers underneath his armored gloves, elbows that knock into his cheek just underneath his helmet’s visor, all of this going unnoticed in the throng of bodies.

But Kent sticks it out, getting the ball in his net and firing a shot even though he’s on the ground a moment afterward, a Jackrabbits player seizing on his momentary distraction to knock him off balance—but it doesn’t make a difference, because the goal lights up red behind the Jackrabbits goalkeeper, putting the score 1-1.

With the players on the court bunched up so tightly, a shoving match breaks out after the Fox goal. Unable to get back to his feet, Kent gets the worst of it, but Brayden and Claudia are in the thick of it as well—and, with a mind to prove herself to her new team, Lilith joins in, and is the first one to escalate from shoving to hitting.

It takes all the referees streaming onto the court to break it up and, when they do, they hand out yellow cards to each of the Jackrabbits backliners for their role in instigating the melee—but a red card to Lilith for being the one to escalate it.

After starting her career as a Fox with a bang, Lilith exits the court through the doors, passing Glory on her way in—who has also already gotten one red card in her short tenure with the Foxes, and for whom just making it through the half without getting kicked out would be an improvement.

Claudia serves, and Glory is the quickest off her mark, barreling into the Jackrabbits striker as they fight for possession. Glory comes away with it successfully, and heaves the ball up to half-court to Claudia, who’s stopped in her tracks by the Jackrabbits dealer, turning the ball back towards the Foxes’ side of the court.

Colin and Glory are forced to drop back together in front of Grant in goal, gritting their teeth as they try to push the Jackrabbits back. The quicker of the two strikers feints around Colin for a shot on goal that Grant deftly deflects—and as Glory and the other striker both dart in to try and scoop up the rebound, Glory’s stick, purposefully or not, comes down across the striker’s shoulder.

Glory comes away with possession triumphantly, hoping that the illegal stick check might go unnoticed in the breakneck pace of play—but she has no such luck, and the referees are opening the doors and stopping play, the Jackrabbits striker clutching his shoulder to really sell the hit.

Glory bites her tongue hard when she’s given a yellow card, and even harder when the Jackrabbits striker shakes out his arm and declares himself fit to remain on the court. But she doesn’t have much time to stew, because play is restarted from where it was halted—much too close to the Fox goal for comfort, and with the Jackrabbits in possession.

It happens quickly: so close to the Fox goal, Glory and Colin don’t have much time or room to respond before the Jackrabbits are upon them and Grant, and the Jackrabbits are able to slip a goal past Grant, whose sightlines are blocked by the number of players in front of him. It isn’t a goal that’s going to make any of the highlight reels, but it gets the job done: the Jackrabbits are up by one.

The Jackrabbits serve to restart play and, with time on the clock running out, the Foxes don’t get another chance to score. Instead, play stays in their own zone, with a determined Grant denying the Jackrabbits another chance to score, preventing them from widening their point margin as time runs out.

The buzzer sounds to signal the end of the half, and the Jackrabbits have managed to secure a narrow lead: 2-1.

HALFTIME

The Foxes retreat to their locker room for half time, where being behind in points makes for a quiet, tense atmosphere. Forty-five minutes is plenty of time to turn the tide of a game, Wymack reminds them, if they stay focused and work as a team, then they can win it in front of their home crowd. The mood back on the court is a little rowdier: while the Foxes may not like a close score, it’s more interesting for the crowds gathered in the stands, and as they cheer the Vixens through their half-time routine, they don’t seem too worried that the Foxes won’t be able to take back the lead. After fifteen minutes, both teams are called back to the court, and they take their positions for the restart of play.

SECOND HALF

STARTING LINEUP:

Goalkeeper: Cameron Trask (Sub: Cecil James)

Dealer: Teddy Ryker (Sub: Adam Radford)

Strikers: Arlo Booth, Logan Trask (Sub: Akira Sato)

Backliners: Casey Hendrix, Jacob Feldman

The players enter the court and take their places for the start of play. Jackrabbits dealer serves, and the game is on once again, with the Jackrabbits pushing up against the Foxes’ defense.

Jake is looking for a much better performance than last time, and with Casey as his defensive partner once again, they’re tested early. Not wanting to fall short again, when play creeps closer to the Foxes’ goal, he decides to play dirty: using his body to block the referees’ view, he goes for a Jackrabbits striker’s wrists with his stick—it goes unnoticed by anyone besides the scowling Jackrabbit, who’s left behind as Jake scoops up the ball and runs up the court.

But a tricky play at the half-court line gives the Jackrabbits another opportunity: two Jackrabbits strikers against Jake as Casey finds himself behind the play at the half court line and unable to get back in time as the Jackrabbits fake out both Jake and Cameron for another point, extending their lead early in the half.

The Jackrabbits serve to restart play, and make another push. Jake and Casey dig in, doing all they can to hold the Jackrabbits back—but a heavy hit at the court wall takes Casey down and sends the ball rolling free, with the Jackrabbits much closer to it than Jake.

With the Foxes behind, Cameron hasn’t wanted to risk leaving the goal. But as she sees the play unfolding in front of her, she decides to take a chance, coming out from behind the painted lines of her goalkeepers box to try and head the Jackrabbits off—but as she gets to the ball one of the Jackrabbits gets to her, and both players go down in a heap.

The Jackrabbit striker gets to his feet quickly—but Cameron stays down. The Foxes on the bench are on their feet as the referees stop play, getting in between the Foxes and the Jackrabbits before a scrum can break out.

The fact that Cameron needs help getting back to her feet is maybe the only thing that saves Logan from starting a fight then and there despite the referees interference, as he helps her to the court doors and to Abby. When he turns back, he deliberately avoids Wymack’s intent gaze, which is doing all that it can to telepathically communicate to him not to do anything stupid.

The Jackrabbits striker is given a red card, and the Foxes are awarded a penalty shot, which Logan volunteers—though it’s more like demands—to take. He takes his position halfway between the away goal and the far-court line, and his shot is so fast it’s like almost no time at all passed between him winding up and the sound the shot makes as it hits the back of the Jackrabbits goal.

Players take their positions for the restart of play, with Cecil in goal replacing Cameron. With Logan’s penalty shot, they’re only down by one, but with his sister in the locker room being evaluated by Abby, tying up the score isn’t quite the first thing on his mind. As Arlo passes him on the way to his spot, he grips him on the shoulder, telling him to kick the Jackrabbits’ asses by scoring—and not by, you know, actually kicking their asses.

Teddy serves, and play resumes again. Logan ends up with the ball in his racquet. Instead of passing to Arlo when he gets both of the Jackrabbits backliner in his path, he doubles down and tries to push his way through, a struggle that quickly turns into something more like a fight.

Ready for something just like this, Arlo is there as quickly as he can to pull Logan back, Casey jumping up from the half-court line to help. Their quick intervention might save Logan a red card when the referees stop play, but it can’t keep him from getting a yellow. Not willing to risk it—when a red card would mean a penalty shot and a chance for the Jackrabbits to widen their lead, would mean that Logan would be out against the Jackals—Wymack pulls him, sending Akira on his stead, and also sending Adam on for Teddy.

The Jackrabbits serve to restart play, still ahead by a point. But they’re kept from extending their lead any further when Casey is able to divest one of their strikers of both the ball and their racquet, heaving the ball up the court for the strikers.

In practice, Akira has been training with a heavy racquet, hoping the added force will be the edge needed to make his shot even more potent, and this is the game he’s debuting it in. But under game-night pressure, the drag of a heavier racquet seems more noticeable, his aim and his timing just slightly off, making it more difficult for him and Arlo to make their passes connect, an offensive rush just a little bit more difficult to make happen.

After yet another misfire, Arlo puts some extra speed in his step to try and make up for it, battling with the Jackrabbits backliner for the ball. He comes up victorious, and when ten steps aren’t enough to put him within scoring distance, he passes to himself off of the court wall rather than to Akira, and at the end of those ten steps puts a shot on goal that lands home—giving the Foxes their first point of the half, tying the score.

They don’t get to enjoy it for long: Adam serves for the Foxes, but the Jackrabbits are faster off their marks, beating out the Fox strikers to the serve, turning the momentum of play so quickly that Casey and Jake can’t close ranks in front of the goal fast enough—and, just like that, the Jackrabbits slip a shot past Cecil, pulling into the lead again.

The Jackrabbits serve, and the mood among the Foxes is one of frustration, frustration that might edge a little too close to desperation. When the Jackrabbits push up the court again, Jake keeps playing dirty: jostling his striker mark with his elbows and the butt of his stick more than is technically legal when neither of them have possession, keeping it up when he keeps getting away with it.

It gives Casey the space to clear the ball out the Fox zone for Adam—who despite having been a Fox since the start the season, still doesn’t feel much like a Fox. On him, the Foxes’ frustration is something else: less for the team and more at the team and his own situation. But when he snaps, the difference doesn’t matter: from the outside, all Exy fights look the same: racquets on the ground and players shoving each other, other players being pulled in.

When the referees break it up, Adam takes his yellow card stoically—he knows that he’s stuck with the Foxes, a last chance he doesn’t want to screw up, and so he takes his position for the Jackrabbits’ serve with little protest, and the game goes on.

The Jackrabbits serve, but Casey is able to turn them back, taking out a striker with a heavy hit and heaving the ball up the court. And then, it seems like the Foxes get a lucky break: after struggling to generate offense, Akira takes a shot that seems to land just inside the upper corner of the goal, lighting the goal up red.

But the Foxes’ celebration is cut short when it’s announced that the Jackrabbits are challenging the goal: in Exy, goals have to land entirely within the goal lines to count, and the Jackrabbits want the referees to review what the sensors might not have been able to pick up: that the ball was touching the line, and therefore invalid—and, after tense minutes of debate, is exactly what they conclude. Akira’s point is taken off of the scoreboard, and the Jackrabbits are in the lead once again.

The Foxes are given possession and Adam serves again to restart play. Mounting frustration makes play even messier, and the Jackrabbits take advantage as much as they can. But the Foxes aren’t the only ones that are frustrated—the Jackrabbits have gotten sick of dealing with Jake’s dirty play during the half, and the next time his elbow digs in under one of the striker’s chest armor, they take matters into their own hands since the referees won’t.

As on-edge as his teammates, Jake rises to the bait, yet another shoving match breaking out on the court, too quickly for any of the players on the court to stop before the referees do. In the end, it’s a wash: a yellow card for both players, and play reset to the half court line with the Foxes in possession.

Adam serves and, as the minutes left in the game count down into the single digits, it becomes less of an Exy game and more of a game of catch: the Jackrabbits are no longer generating any offense, buckling down to defend their lead instead of fighting to extend it. Again and again, they clear the ball down the court; and again and again, the Foxes are forced to sprint for it. It’s an especially frustrating end to a frustrating half, and it eats up what precious time the Foxes have remaining.

Time runs out, and the score remains locked where it’s been for most of the half: 4-3, and the Foxes lose for the first time this season.

POST-GAME

Losing is never a good feeling—and it’s one the Foxes haven’t had to confront yet this season. It’s even worse to lose in front of a home crowd, most of which stuck around through the entire game, willing them to turn it around—and the score was so close, maybe if just one thing had gone differently, they would have been able to.

With the tension on the court palpable after a frustrating game, a number of yellow cards that could have easily turned into worse fights and red cards, Wymack ushers the Foxes through the customary handshake line as quickly as possible, eager to get his team back behind the closed doors of their locker room where they can air their frustration in peace.

One loss isn’t enough to throw the Foxes’ season off course: they’ve got three wins under their belts and two games left to play—but those two games are against their two most difficult opponents, and their chances of making it into the Championships will drop sharply if they lose another one.

They all know it, and so Wymack doesn’t waste his breath on platitudes, just tells the Foxes that he expects them back in practice on Monday with their heads on straight, that he expects them to leave this game behind them after tonight and focus on what’s more important: winning the next one. When he’s done, he sends Lilith and Grant to the foyer to speak with the press, while the rest of the Foxes retreat into their respective locker rooms to shower and change out.

It’s quiet, overall, as the Foxes gather in the lounge to wait for the rest of their teammates to finish—after wins, the locker room is full of making plans for after the game, and there’s nothing to celebrate tonight. Once Grant and Lilith are finished with press duty, they leave the court, spreading themselves out among their teammates car and fighting their way through the crowded streets of Palmetto back to Fox Tower—ready to lick their wounds however they may choose.

ADMIN NOTE: Thanks for sticking with me—sorry they can’t always be winners! As a reminder, you’re welcome to set threads during any of the periods listed above—(pre-game, expanding on the events of the game itself, halftime, post-game)—and I can’t wait to see what you come up with! As always, please let me know if you have any questions or feedback.

Because I don’t want to let the occasion pass without in-game fanfare, look out for a Halloween event, which will be dropping....sometime before Halloween, I haven’t decided exactly when.

Other than that, our next game will be an away game against the Breckenridge Jackals, and is scheduled for November 10. I may be taking another look at our schedule for the rest of the regular season, since this game got pushed back, and if I decide to make any adjustments, I’ll be sure to let you all know!

#foxholegames #game02:04

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bigyack-com · 4 years

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Petta to Peranbu: Here are 10 best Tamil films of 2019 where innovative storytelling was the big winner - regional movies

As 2019 comes to a close, we take a look at Tamil films that made an impact, went beyond entertaining audiences and managed to appeal to a large section of the viewers without requiring the backing of a star. From Rajinikanth’s Petta to Mammootty’s Peranbu, here are 10 best Tamil films of the year in no particular order.PettaIn what could be best described as a major throwback to 1990s, Petta is Karthik Subbaraj’s love letter to Rajinikanth and he portrays him in the most crowd-pleasing fashion in a really long time. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Petta is Rajinikanth’s best film since Enthiran, and it marks his return to form with trademark style and he does so by gracefully playing his age.

Rajinikanth in Petta.If there’s one thing Karthik Subbaraj’s Petta really succeeds in achieving, is that it lets superstar Rajinikanth be himself and have fun on screen. From a happy hop to an impromptu dance step and slow-motion walk to the flip of his hair with his own hands with panache; we see Rajinikanth in his element after a long time and boy it’s a joy to watch him do what he’s best at. Super Deluxe

Vijay Sethupathi has won all-round applause for his portrayal.Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s Super Deluxe is both the gutsiest and wackiest Tamil film of the year. A terrific social commentary on life, sex, gender, science, religion, alien invasion, spirituality, marriage and faith; this is Tamil cinema’s boldest attempt in recent years. Backed by very strong performances from its ensemble cast, Super Deluxe presented each of its actors – from Vijay Sethupathi to Samantha and Ramya Krishnan – to play characters they wouldn’t have dreamt to play ever in their careers.To-Let

To-Let won a national award.Chezhiyan’s national award-winning film To-Let is a story about urban housing problems. It’s also a story that focuses on middle-class dreams and reality. If there’s one aspect that really stands out in the film, is how it stays away from the norms of commercial cinema – which includes all the tropes that usually define mainstream Tamil cinema — and still manages to make something so captivating and praise-worthy. It’s for this aspect alone; the film truly deserves to be celebrated. This is, without a doubt, Tamil cinema’s first big step towards realistic cinema. Chezhiyan treats To-Let as realistically as possible. The world cinema influence is quite evident in his treatment and rich tributes are paid to the masters like Mrinal Sen and Akira Kurosawa among others.Game Over

Taapsee Pannu in Game OVer.Ashwin Saravanan’s Game Over is a spine-chilling tale of fighting one’s worst fears. It’s a tense invasion thriller fueled by a strong emotional core. Unlike most invasion thrillers, it’s isn’t generic, and that’s what makes it one of the best genre films. It’s layered and has more offer than one can imagine. The film marked Taapsee Pannu’s return to Tamil cinema in one of her most challenging roles and she couldn’t have played it any better. More than a thriller, Game Over presents itself more as a psychological thriller that’s both fun and torturous, extracting unimaginably good performance from Taapsee. Kaithi

Karthi In Kaithi.After making his solid debut with Maanagaram a few years ago, Lokesh returns strongly with Kaithi, a relentless, punchy action film that has its heart in the right place. On paper, it’s is a story that spans across a single night and it follows events that happen in a span of four hours. The film is set in a world where Kamal Haasan’s Virumaandi meets Die Hard meets Assault on Precinct 13. No Tamil action film in recent years has worked as wholesomely as Kaithi, and it’s unimaginably riveting from start to finish. This is a pure genre film and even though it panders to the masses with the way it has treated action, it’s still a refreshing departure from the doldrums of crowd-pleasing commercial cinema.House Owner

A heartfelt ode to unconditional love.With House Owner, filmmaker Lakshmy Ramakrishnan – one of the promising female directors of this decade - weaves a heartfelt ode to unconditional love and it’s devastatingly beautiful. No other mainstream Tamil filmmaker – at least in recent years - has handled love as beautifully as Lakshmy in House Owner which unfolds against the backdrop of 2015 Chennai floods. The idea of staying united gets magnificently conveyed in House Owner, which makes us realize the importance in the institute of marriage at a time when it is losing its significance.KD

KD explores the bond between an 8-year-old and 80-year-old man.KD, which has been written and directed by Madhumita, is a charming little film that beautifully explores life and its imperfections through the bond between an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old man. It’s one of the heartwarming films that hit all the sweet spots and makes you well up on a few occasions. As a film, it relies heavily on the camaraderie between the lead characters and the lead characters are a delight to watch on screen, especially when it comes to the humour.Peranbu

Peranbu is among the best father-daughter films in 2019.Tamil cinema has had its share of father-daughter based films but it’s going to be extremely difficult to find a film as affecting as well disturbing as Mammootty starrer Peranbu, and all credit goes to its director Ram for taking a road less travelled and giving us a film for years to remember and celebrate. In what can be described as a departure from his style of filmmaking, Peranbu is Ram’s quietest and most meditative and most rewarding film in years and it’s going to be really tough to replace it. The film takes a deep dive into the psyche of a helpless father who has just taken custody of his teenage daughter who has cerebral palsy. This is both a coming of age drama and a hard-hitting tale of survival in a world where everyone’s quick to judge.Monster

Monster stood out for its innovative idea.Nelson Venkatesan’s Monster is one of the most innovative films to have come from Tamil cinema this year. Cut from the same cloth as Mouse Hunt, the film is centred on the battle between a man (played by a terrific SJ Suryah) and a house rat. It’s a creature feature done well and it hits all the right emotional notes to leave one moved by the end of the film. It’s an innovative film because no other filmmaker has dared to experiment with a house rat as the central character in mainstream cinema.Sillu Karuppatti

Sillu Karupatti tugs at heartstrings.Halitha Shameem’s sophomore film Sillu Karuppatti – an anthology of stories on love, relationship, class-divide and companionship - tugs at heartstrings. It’s a film that’ll leave you smiling for a long time. It handles several sensitive topics in the most mature and humors fashion. It’s powered by amazing writing and questions several stereotypes without making the attempt seem preachy. Follow @htshowbiz for more Read the full article

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pendulumprince · 7 years

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Wow, Vrains is undeniably more violent than previous installments. I won't be surprised if someone from the cast will get killed later in the series. Out of everyone we have now who do you think might meet such a fate?

So I think we can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that Yusaku is safe. He’ll be put through the wringer, and almost died in episode-fucking-two, but he’s the protagonist. He isn’t going to die.

Everyone else is fair game, though.

You said ‘most likely’ but I’m going through multiple people because that’s just how I roll.

It’ll be on a scale of 1-10, 1 being unlikely (but possible) and 10 being expected.

Ignis (1/10)

Tbh, Ignis is probably going to ‘die’ at some point. Being an AI, what this will entail is anyone’s guess, but I would imagine that it’d have something to do with his programming being rewritten/corrupted/deleted.

Thing is, though, we already have two proficient hackers/code nerds in the cast who could potentially ‘fix’ Ignis if this were to happen (Yusaku and Shoichi). More still may be coming.

The chances of Ignis dying permanently are pretty low. YGO has never permanently killed the protagonist’s partner before, either, but… there’s a first time for everything. If this were to happen, it would for sure be either just before, or during the endgame duel. Just as Ignis was labled as a ‘savior’ both by himself and Yusaku in the first episode, I could only really see Ignis dying trying to save everyone else.

Aoi (1/10)

YGO has also never killed off the main female lead. Doesn’t mean it can’t ever happen.

I don’t think we know quite enough about Aoi at this point to predict how she could permadie. But if I could dictate how it went down…?

Make Aoi Zaizen a hero. If she has to die, I would want her to go down in a truly spectacular, Magical-Girl-esque fashion. As with any female character, it would be best if her death meant something aside from inspiring/enraging the dudes in her life. It would also be best if it happened in the midst of some heroic act only she could carry out.

I mean this is YGO so I’m not holding my breath, either for her permadeath or for a particularly heroic tempdeath. Still, this would be ideal.

Go (3/10)

Slightly more likely than Ignis or Aoi.

This past episode has me thinking that Go and Yusaku are eventually gonna develop that quasi-romantic best bro vibe, reminiscent to the one Yuya and Gongenzaka shared.

And it’s been established that Go, despite his flaws, is pretty golden hearted. He does everything to support the orphanage where he grew up, and only really wants to be the best for their sake. This suggests selflessness, and like Ignis, i could easily see Go sacrificing himself somewhere down the line.

Maybe it’ll be for those orphans he cares so much about. Maybe it’ll be for the citizens of Den City, or to preserve Link Vrains.

Or… maybe it’ll be for Yusaku. Like I said, I feel like this duel set it up for the two of them to be allies down the line, and eventual besties. So what would be more poignant if the first person Yusaku specifically doesn’t want taking on the KoH sacrifices himself for him, in the midst of that cause?

Revolver (3/10)

Revolver should probably be lower down on this list, if not for the fact that we know he’s going to heel-face turn at some point.

Like Aoi, I don’t think we know enough about Revolver yet to predict what his permadeath could look like. The only thing that most readily comes to mind is Specter taking him out in order to assume leadership over the KoH, or his father waking up from his coma (post Revolver’s face turn) and trying to kill his son for defecting/disbanding the KoH.

Akira (5/10)

You know what the writers could do to 1) invoke feels, 2) give a certain big brother his heroic moment of glory, and 3) set up Aoi/Blue Angel to go on a revenge quest?

Kill Akira.

Akira is a lowkey antag right now—he hasn’t done anything overtly evil, but he’s distant and aloof and even downright negligent (when it comes to Aoi and the safety of Link Vrains users). But we also know that by virtue of being the older brother of our female lead, the he isn’t going to stay this way.

The clearest path with Akira’s death involves him heel-face turning and going up against his bosses (all six of them). They would have reason to go after him if he did, as I’m sure that Akira knows a shitton of company secrets.

And I’m sure they know that the fastest way to make Akira bend to their will is by threatening his sister.

So the writers could have Akira duel them to protect Aoi. And he could lose…

Or if the writers wanted to put in a Pyrrhic Victory, he could win, but sustain enough injuries to kill his body in the real world.

Ema (7/10)

Wait, you mean the mysterious character who doesn’t have any clear ties to anyone has a high chance of being killed off? Who would’ve thunk!

With Ema, it could be just about anything. Unless a certain theory of mine comes true, she has no association with anyone besides Akira, and that seems to be a working relationship (mostly). So I can’t see Ema heroically sacrificing herself, at least not as she is right now.

Her death could honestly be in an accident, or in order to display the prowess of a particular antagonist. To be clear, I don’t want Ema to be ‘made an example of’ in this way. It’s just most likely to happen if she doesn’t go through a certain amount of character development beforehand.

Naoki (8/10)

It’s very simple:

Naoki admires Playmaker because he fights for justice. In episode 1, Naoki says that he, too, wants to someday be a duelist who fights for justice.

So Naoki’s permadeath would involve him doing just that, and dying in the process.

Shoichi (10/10)

I am here to break hearts.

Yusaku, our mean and distant protagonist, cares about Shoichi way too much. No matter how you interpret their relationship, Shoichi is Yusaku’s rock. He’s the only person Yusaku trusts, as well as the only character thus far not to display any overtly negative traits.

And that, right there, is why something awful is on the horizon for Shoichi.

And I can’t say what that could be. ‘Something awful’ could be Yusaku pulling away from him once he (Yusaku) starts making friends. ‘Something awful’ could be him finding out Revolver is his brother, or that his brother is dead and has been for years. Or that awful thing could be his death.

And like Naoki, there’s a very clear, simple path for it: he could die either protecting/saving Yusaku, or protecting/saving his brother. Extra bonus points if he saves one of them from an attack sent out by the other.

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gutwrenchradio-blog · 7 years

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Around the Ring with TCB “Summer Slam Edition”

By: Tom Block, contributor to Gut Wrench Radio SummerSlam, the WWE’s second biggest PPV, is descending on Brooklyn NY this Sunday evening. You have a kickoff show starting at 5 p.m. ET and the main show starting at 7 p.m. ET. There’s so many matches with this co-branding event, let’s get down to the matches and the predictions. Cruiserweight Championship — Akira Tozawa (c) vs. Neville (Kickoff Show) I’ll be honest, I’m one of those who doesn’t pay much attention to this division. Neville has done a tremendous job as the champion but it’s clear his time has come with the surprising decision to have Tozawa win on RAW. The rematch occurs and I can’t see a reason to do another title switch. I wouldn’t be surprised if Neville moves up the card. Prediction: Tozawa Jason Jordan & The Hardy Boyz vs. The Miz & The Miztourage (Kickoff Show) Strung together at the last minute since the Hardy’s had no challengers with Scott Dawson out with injury and you could tell Monday night on RAW this was probably going to happen. Make no mistake, Jason Jordan isn’t getting the rub WWE hoped for with this stupid Kurt Angle story. The Miztourage is too good to be in this match. WWE still wants to ride on this train with Hardy’s and Jason. Prediction: Hardy’s & Jordan SmackDown Tag Team Championship — The New Day (c) vs. The Usos (Kickoff Show) I love The New Day and the crowd loves The New Day. Don’t get me wrong, The Usos have very much stepped up into this role of being a great heel tag team but they just aren’t there yet for an extended run. You had them win clean against TND on Smackdown Live so I don’t see the title changing hands. The rivalry will continue though. Prediction: The New Day Big Show vs. Big Cass with Enzo Amore This is a match that should be on the kickoff show. The shark tank gimmick is stupid. Unless a heel turn from Amore is coming, I hope this is quick. Prediction: Big Cass and his big dumb entrance music Randy Orton vs. Rusev Remember when everyone thought Rusev would be a legit world title contender before his injury? Good times. Him and Lana have something in common in storylines, and that’s being losers and terrible gimmick’s. Orton isn’t jobbing on another PPV to someone who isn’t going anywhere currently. Prediction: Orton SmackDown Women’s Championship — Naomi (c) vs. Natalya Naomi has not been a great woman’s champ. The only GLOW I’ve been feeling is GET LANA OFF WRESLTING the champ for zero reason, which has set up where we are today. That and these multi-women matches for contenders. Anyway, Natalya wins and I don’t think Carmella comes out and cashes in her MITB. Seems too obvious but if she does I bet she Baron Corbin’s it. Prediction: Natalya John Cena vs. Baron Corbin Corbin got the LOL emoji’s after Tuesday night’s failed cash in. Corbin doesn’t excite me as a champion so I’m glad he doesn’t have that briefcase. If the rumor of Cena going to RAW is true, then give the win to Corbin for the heat as he “got rid of John Cena on SD Life” narrative. Prediction: Corbin Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt The demon king finally has been awoken for this match. He lost clean to Bray on Monday night so I see no reason to go for all this trouble in getting Balor in his makeup to loss again. I wouldn’t mind seeing this result create a new supernatural heel tag team. Prediction: Balor Raw Tag Team Championship — Sheamus & Cesaro (c) vs. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins Sheamus and Cesaro have done a great job as tag champs. Probably far exceeding anything I ever expected when it first came up. That time has come for them to drop the titles. You’ve had a tremendous build up to Ambrose and Rollins reuniting. I don’t see the WWE throwing a curve after all that. 2/3’s Shield winning seems like the direction needed and the money draw would be fantastic. Prediction: Shield Reunion Raw Women’s Championship — Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Sasha Banks I’m happy this isn’t Bliss vs Bayley. I’m tired of Bayley. Her character is stale and watered down. This match is now the two best women on the Raw brand in a title match I really don’t know who to pick. I could see Bliss winning and staying as champ for a few more months and Banks getting her chance to really shine as champ. I just don’t see WWE done with Bliss in the spotlight but Banks wins in some fashion that keeps Alexa hunting her down. Prediction: Banks United States Championship — AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee Here’s a wild statement – there will be controversy in this match. This will easily be the match of the night. And as much as I enjoy them, this is where the train needs to stop. AJ needs to retain and move on with KO probably fighting Shane in an upcoming PPV. Prediction: AJ WWE Championship — Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura Everyone who reads the dirt sheets, knows the WWE is coming up on a tour of India and the biggest draw for that money will be the Canadian Mahal. I love how Nakamura has been built up since his main roster debut. He deserves to be in the title spotlight but I can see Jinder continuing to sell the narrative that he needs to cheat to win. These two will continue on and I’m willing to bet after the India tour, the title will change. Prediction: Mahal Universal Championship — Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe I want nothing more than Samoa Joe to win this match. That’s a guy who has since day one on the main roster, done what has been needed to make him a legit top heel threat. I don’t see Lesnar losing and at the same time there’s too much money to be made on a Lesnar – Stowman match. Roman Reigns can go away. I feel bad for Joe in all of this because of how deserving he is. Prediction: Lesnar

#WWE #NXT #GWR

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brainbusterradio · 7 years

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Friday Falls Count Anywhere: The Brainbusters Predict WWE Fastlane

This week’s “Friday Falls Count Anywhere” is a combination of all Brainbusters putting in their professional perspective for the last stop on the Road to Wrestlemania for Raw.

Kick Off Show Cruiserweight Tag Team

By A Man Called Wired

The Cruiserweights kick it off! In what could have very well been two separate matches themselves, Noam Dar and The Brian Kendrick take on Rich Swann and Akira Tozawa. I will be one to say that I cannot believe WWE is giving away this match for free on the kick off show. Weeks of building have been coming with this one.

Rich Swann has turned Noam Dar’s game against him and is gunning for the now infamous Alicia Foooooxxxxx. Swann may say that Alicia “Can’t handle this” but it sure looks like she is willing to give it a shot.

The Brian Kendrick also continues on his path to cement his legacy in WWE by attempting to take Akira Tozawa under his wing. The problem? Kendrick sees himself like Ted Dibiase and Tozana has no plans on being Virgil.

Both Dar and Tozawa have resented their individual quarrels with their counterparts and now it is coming to its climax.

This match was pushed to the preshow to fill time and the little guys get the short end of the stick. Don’t fall asleep on the “little guys” as this match has the potential to be top 3 on the night.

Sasha Banks Vs Nia Jax

By Sir Mil Calzones

The last time these two athletes stepped in the ring, Nia Jax came out victorious. It was not a tough battle, but just a show of dominance by the semi newly acquired talent known as Nia Jax.

Sasha Banks, a three time Raw Women's Champion, who has been plagued with Injuries since her current run on Monday Night Raw, tries to redeem herself and possibly get another shot at the Raw Women's Championship.

This is not going to be an easy task for Sasha. She has to go thru probably one of her toughest opponents to date.

There is no doubt in my mind, whoever wins this match must clearly be the number one contender. Especially with Wrestlemania just around the corner. Many of you know I am ride or die when it comes to Sasha Banks, but we don't know if she is truly 100%. And the chances of Nia Jax going after Sasha's nagging injuries are a sure thing.

Nia Jax has been showing she is "The Next Big Thing" in the Raw Women's Division and I don't see that stopping any time soon. At Fastlane, although it will be a much closer affair, I have Nia Jax with the victory.

Samoa Joe vs Sami Zayn

by A Man Called Wired

This past week, Sami Zayn finally got the upper hand on Samoa Joe. After multiple sneak attacks and constant knock out blows by the Samoan Destroyer, Zayn decided to take his actions to Joe’s level.

Sami has been in the ring with some of the most dominant performers in recent weeks, and Joe is definitely in that same category. Samoa Joe comes into this as still a newbie on the main roster. This will be his first match on a WWE PPV and he is looking to make some noise.

What can Zayn Do to stop him? Absolutely nothing. Look for Samoa Joe’s theme to be cranked up a few notches and to show the world that there is a new destroyer in town.

Head-on Collision at Fastlane: Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman

By Jumpin’ Jacob J

It does not get much bigger than this folks… literally. Have you seen the size of the “Mountain of a Man” Braun Strowman? After running roughshod through local jobbers and mid-card underdogs from the underground, the “Abominable Strowman” is finally getting real competition in the form of Roman Reigns come this Sunday at Fastlane. This is a match both of these athletes wanted, but will they still be saying this once the chains are off and the bell rings on this colossal confrontation that would be more fittingly held on the roof of Cobo Hall?

I’ll be honest, when Braun got drafted away from the patriarch of the Wyatt family, I feared that he would go the way of a Mason Ryan or Ezekiel Jackson and be underutilized and miscast. Thankfully, Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley knew they had something special on their roster. While initially misunderstanding Strowman’s unquenchable lust for competition, the Raw brand is finally giving him the competition he deserves. Although it still may not be enough to satisfy Strowman.

But, I am not counting Roman Reigns out just yet, and nor should you. While the Roman Empire has shown signs of crumbling post Money in the Bank, the Big Dog wants to assure the rest of the locker room that this is still his yard and any and all who oppose him should stay off the grass. THE GUY is a multiple time world champion for a reason, (would have retained his title against 29 others [one of them being Braun Strowman] if it wasn’t for an unannounced entry that booked himself at #30)

What I am trying to say here is that this will be both men’s toughest challenge to date and as far as I am concerned, this is the main event. You can have your title matches, but the winner of this contest will forever be known as the most feared individual on either roster. I don’t know how to say it any other way, this is going to be like Ford vs. Chevy, lumberjacks vs. off shore oil drillers, flank steak vs. brisket. It is just too close to call, but you know you are in for something special when these two hook up.

A Torn Kingdom : Neville vs Jack Gallagher

By "The British Sensation" Sir Mil Calzones

I am pretty sure everyone is excited for the clear picture of Wrestlemania to be clearer and what matches will main event and so on and so on. But, this Sunday there is only one match that leaves a country torn. Adrian Neville vs Jack Gallagher! Two boys who grew up in England only dreaming of becoming wrestlers. Neville was born in New Castle Upon Tyne and Jack Gallagher in Manchester. Both cities less than three hours apart. I have been getting reports from The Queen herself letting me know the chaos that is running her streets. Hooligans wandering around beating up anyone who is not one of them. I know, "Sir Mil, why are soccer hooligans involved in this article?" Well it isn't soccer hooligans, it’s actually Nevillegans who go around dressed as kings and deliver 450 splashes to anyone who does not agree that Neville is the one true King. To make matters worse are the Gallaghans. The mixture of people dressed in fancy suits with wonderful manners and umbrellas. They go around offering tea and biscuits and usually end up flipping tables and someone getting hit with an umbrella. For that past few weeks, citizens of England have been living in constant fear of getting in the middle of one of these huge fights that seem to occur almost every day between the Nevillegans and the Gallaghans. This match puts Neville vs Gallagher but in the heart of England it puts brother Vs brother, father vs son, mother vs daughter. So for the future of England, this match ends in a Double DQ and there is no winner. God Bless the Queen.

Raw Tag Team Championship Match - The Club vs Enzo & Cass

by Long Alan Iced T

If there is one thing the Raw Tag Team Champions are good at, it's beating up nerds. This Sunday the Good Brothers have an opportunity to get their hands on the WWE's most lovable trash talking nerd, Enzo Amore. Unfortunately, for The Club, in order to get their hands on the nerd, they need to get around his good buddy, the 7 foot tall, "face of the New Era," Big Cass. Yes, he is indeed 7 foot tall and you can't teach that.

Nobody is talking about how, amidst this tag team revolution, we are seeing across the Pro graps landscape, Gallows and Anderson are quietly positioning themselves to be the faces of tag team wrestling. They hold the belts on the biggest show and they are mere weeks from a shot at laying the groundwork for their Wrestlemania legacy. The Hardys (we think) are not in this spot. The Young Bucks are fantastic but as great as they are, the stage they are on is nothing compared to where The Club can be.

The Club has it all right now too. With Gallows' wonderfully educated feet and Anderson's ridiculously hot asian wife. The sky is the limit for the "Omen in the sky." As for Zo and Cass? They have lost so many times in this situation, anyone betting on them is a damn fool. Cass might finally realize he needs to pursue singles gold full time after this one.

WWE Raw Women’s Cahmpionship - Bayley vs Charlotte

Nature vs Nurture

By A Man Called Wired

The number 16 is infamous with the name Flair. And now, it is for a different reason. Charlotte is 16-0 in title matches on the WWE Network. This is not a good sign for current Raw Women’s Champion Bayley. This fact alone makes Charlotte and overwhelming favorite to regain her 5th reign as champion. A fool would bet on Bayley at the odds that she is currently at. There is only one thing that can boost Bayley’s chances, and its pride.

Challengers, when going into a title match, attack the champion any which way they can. Anything to gain an advantage on the champion is key to a challenger’s success. We have seen tactics over the years that span from sneak attacks to kidnapping family members. Charlotte has pulled the old fashion attack on the morale of the champion. Making Bayley feel as though she doesn’t deserve what she has worked her whole life for is a tactic that brings doubt into anyone’s mind. Charlotte proclaiming that Bayley’s best friend Sasha doesn’t want to let the spotlight shine on her and demeaning her as one of the “Fans” is getting to Bayley. Bayley knows she has something to prove after her controversial win against the former champ 3 weeks ago. Will this be enough to push the most dominant performer in Pay Per View History? Probably Not…

Charlotte by far has the advantage here. No one is more of a Hugger than myself, but part of being a Hugger is understanding your role in the presence of greatness. Right now, nothing is keeping Charlotte from shinning when the lights are on. Come Wrestlemania, this might be a different story, but we aren’t quite there yet. To Bayley’s credit though, her time to shine is when everyone is expecting her to fall flat on her face.

Universal Title Match: Kevin Owens vs Goldberg

By Vinman

This Sunday, at the Fastlane pay per view event, the WWE heavyweight universal championship of the world is on the line! Now you are either thinking one of two things: this is either an epic clash of good versus evil, or an epic miss match. On one side you have the challenger, Bill Goldberg. After becoming a well accomplished professional tackle football player, Bill went on to continue his athletic career where the big boys play. Some have even called Bill the greatest professional wrestler in the history of World Championship Wrestling, right up there with the sport's icons such as "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Big Van Vader, Hollywood Hogan, Dusty Rhodes, Lex Luger, and A Man Called Sting. He had one of the most legendary undefeated streaks the sport has ever seen and held the real World's Title on multiple occasions. Upon returning to the WWE, Bill has defeated Brock Lesnar, become a role model for youngsters worldwide, and has set his sights on the big prize.

Now, I know most of you are probably asking the question, who is this Kevin Owens and how is he the champ? For those of you who don't know who he is, I'll tell you. He's a fat, low down, fat, no good, fat, back stabbing, fat, no talent, fat bum. This guy is nothing more than an indy wrestling enhancement talent, and he has no respect for friendship.

Not only is this a good guy versus bad guy match, it is a match that will not be close. Bill is going to demolish KO with a spear and a jackhammer. But as good as it will be to see all the children jumping for joy with smiles on their faces, it will be even better to see the marks crying in their beers and kicking snow. Finally, some legitimacy will be brought to the Universal Championship. Everyone will witness the coronation of a legend. Finally a champion we can be proud of. We deserve a champion we can look up to, not a champion we can relate to. Kevin Owens, if that's your real name, you're next!

Here are all the Brainbusters picks for this weekend’s Fastlane.

(Brainbusters from left to right: Vinman, JJJ, Sir Mil, Wired, Moose, Long Alan)

#wwe #raw #monday night raw #wwe raw #fastlane

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placetobenation · 7 years

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September 12, 2017

From the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV

Your hosts are Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness

Dasha Fuentes asks Rich Swann how he feels about facing off against friend TJP tonight. Swann smiles and talks about their rivalry then we see clips from their first match that Swann won. However, TJP interrupts and accuses both of selective memory and has the clip of him winning the second match air. After that, Swann says he will not lose tonight and leaves as TJP is upset.

Rich Swann vs. TJP

Swann works a side headlock to start as TJP tries to escape. After that TJP trips up Swann after a reversal sequence and attempts the knee bar but Swann escapes. TJP rolls outside after getting dropkicked then Swann hits a senton from the apron. Back inside, Swann boots TJP in the back then hits some chops in the corner. TJP is able to dropkick Swann off of the middle rope then he stomps away in the corner. TJP stays in control but is booted while trying a corner splash. TJP fights back and gets two with a basement dropkick then hammers away. He gets two with a back suplex variation that looked nasty before working a surfboard. Swann escapes then blocks a kick before starting his comeback. Swann hits a few kicks then tries a double underhook move but TJP counters that with a hurricarana then hits a springboard forearm smash as both men are down. They get up and trade strikes until knocking each other down again. TJP tries for the Detonation Kick but Swann rolls through and we get some more reversals until TJP locks on the knee bar. Swann tries to get out but TJP hits a chicken wing gutbuster for two. Swann fights off TJP then they trade pins until Swann hits a roundhouse kick then hits a fisherman’s buster, called the “Fantastic Voyage” as that gets two. Swann then goes up top and hits the Phoenix Splash for the win (12:02) ***1/4. After the match, TJP is upset as Swann offers a handshake. TJP shakes his head as Swann smiles before leaving. TJP then stops Swann and offers a half-assed handshake before leaving as the announcers wonder if Swann will now be in line for a shot at the Cruiserweight Title.

Thoughts: I feel bad for these guys as they had a damn good match but no one cared. Swann winning elevates him to a possible title shot as this feud is about ready to end.

Clips of last week’s Fatal Five Way Elimination Match where Enzo Amore became the #1 Contender. They highlighted the fact Cedric Alexander pinned three people until Enzo snuck up from behind for the win.

Backstage, Mustafa Ali is with Cedric. He wonders how he stayed this calm as Cedric says all he can do now is refocus and be where he wants to be but The Brian Kendrick interrupts. Kendrick tells Cedric if he keeps letting people walk all over him he’ll be kicked to the curb. Cedric says he does not know how things worked when Kendrick was younger but he is not going to lie and cheat his way to the top. Kendrick says that Cedric is spineless and there is a difference between keeping your head up and having your head in the clouds before he walks away. They sure did make Ali and Alexander sound like geeks with the lines they were fed, especially Ali who has been forgotten since his feud with Drew Gulak.

Gulak is in the ring. He talks about how last week he tried to entertain 205 Live with a Powerpoint Presentation but was interrupted by Akira Tozawa. Gulak says even a ground-based wrestler with skill lie himself can be thrown off by a chant. Gulak says that Tozawa is overseas so he will make the best of this and show us the rest of his Powerpoint presentation. We start with slide 3 of 277 that reads “no chants.” Gulak thinks wrestlers should wrestle in complete silence out of respect and stresses that to get boos. He then talks about banning “elaborate ring gear” and that he has a pair of trunks and boots, which is all you need. Next, Gulak tells us interrupting is rude and does not give the chance to get your thoughts out but the Fashion Police come out to interrupt. The crowd is into them but Gulak is pissed. They head inside and say they got a tip about an impersonator and were tipped off by “Captain Underpants.” The crowd starts chanting this as Fandango gets in Gulak’s face and tries to grill him until Breeze says they’ve gotten so many complaints they had to come here to 205 Live to address Gulak’s trunks. Gulak tries to leave and say they are not real cops but is threatened with charges of insulting a fashion officer as Fandango cuffs him but Gulak runs away and gets chased around the ring until tripped. A surprisingly fun segment that the crowd enjoyed. The Fashion Police act has been great and Gulak deserves credit too as he was a great foil to them and continues to embrace his character.

Clip from last night’s RAW where Enzo was berated on “Miz TV” then got laughed at backstage by Neville when he got his ass kicked by Miz and the Miztourage.

The Brian Kendrick vs. Cedric Alexander

The announcers put over Alexander’s stock and his Lumbar Check finisher. Kendrick lands the first shot but Alexander fights back. He hits an enziguiri from the apron and follows with a springboard clothesline that gets two. Kendrick grabs on to the ropes and tries to catch Alexander with the Sliced Bread but gets elbowed then Alexander flies out with a tope con hilo. Alexander throws some punches from the apron but Kendrick removes the covering from the steel cable in the corner and pulls him in as Alexander sells like he cannot breath. Jack Gallagher’s music plays as he runs out with his umbrella. Kendrick slides a bell into the ring then Gallagher steps on it and motions that he is hitting Kendrick with the umbrella but instead attacks Alexander for the DQ (3:43) *1/2. Gallagher then beats on Alexander as Kendrick watches from the corner. Gallagher drops Alexander with a headbutt and kicks him outside before offering Kendrick a handshake. Kendrick accepts and smiles as Gallagher nods as the announcers want to know what has happened to Gallagher.

Thoughts: Turning Gallagher makes sense to me. I’ve felt that way for a while since his feud with Kendrick has been awful and prior to that he was floundering since whatever plans in the work he had with Austin Aries were dropped when Aries quit. Plus, the heel side on 205 Live needed depth. However, aligning him with Kendrick after their mess of a feud is a head-scratcher especially since he was busted open in their match from two weeks ago. You could have Gallagher attack Alexander without the Kendrick pairing.

Final Thoughts: The Gallagher turn was big news and the Swann vs. TJP match was really good. Plus we had a fun Fashion Police segment in an abbreviated but solid edition of 205 Live. Cedric Alexander appears in line for a push soon too and it makes sense because he is the best overall babyface performer in the division.

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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