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hangmox · 1 year

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HangMox: An Audience of One

Warning: This is a very erratic essay about a feud that means a lot to me, personally. Posting to a sideblog because I’m trying to keep it clean and separate.

Word Count: 8.6k. A doozy. Please understand that I speak on Hangman and Moxley from their first moments in AEW, and I even provide a bit of background from before. Their feud did not start, for me, at the end of September 2022. This is a story that starts from the very first PPV.

Writer’s Note: This has not been revised. If you are a newer fan of AEW, this will help you to understand both mens’ journeys up until this point, and it also helps to express and tie in some ideas and concepts I have for them about blood, beer, and speaking their truths. I hope it makes sense!

After five years of watching weekly WWE television and Pay-Per-Views, my husband and I could not take it any longer. We were looking for an alternative. On May 25th, 2019, we found it, in the form of All Elite Wrestling: Double or Nothing.

It wasn’t the flashiest show we’d ever seen - there were a couple lulls in the show where it felt like the timing was off, the crowd wasn’t as energetic - but we knew why. This was a brand new product, the start of something new for a set of independent wrestlers that we’d heard about very rarely, but enough to maybe know some of their names. In the summer of 2018, I had took it upon myself in the wee hours of the morning, after my grueling 10-hr night shifts at the local chicken plant, to experience life outside of WWE for the first time in the form of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s G1 Climax. This is where I learned that wrestling could be quick, energetic, and still somehow feel like every fist, every high spot, could hurt viscerally. And it is here where I saw Hangman Adam Page on my screen for the very first time.

I was deep into my Red Dead Redemption era in 2018, and this guy hit all the boxes. He was handsome, he was funny, he could actually fucking wrestle, he was a cowboy, and most importantly, he was telling me a story. The known muscle of the Bullet Club and member of the Elite, this was the guy who was looking to prove he was more than just the guy who took the pins so his comrades wouldn’t. He was looking to win the damn thing. But that wasn’t all it was about - no, he had found a way to weave another thread into this tournament: he was going to pull the REAL Kazuchika Okada out of whatever hole he’d been hiding in. He was going to pull the Rainmaker out.

You see, Okada had just lost his IWGP world heavyweight title to Hangman’s friend and Bullet Club leader, Kenny Omega, and his life had taken somewhat of a comically downward spiral. He dyed his hair clown red, he walked out to his entrance music with shapeable balloons. At the time, we took to calling him the “Balloonmaker.” He walked out with a smile on his face, to hide the sorrow of his failure. But this wasn’t the guy Hangman was expecting to wrestle in his block of the round-robin tournament. No, he was going to make sure that if he beat Okada, one of the most legendary wrestlers in the history of the company, he was going to beat the BEST version of him. And if he lost? Well, at least he gave it his all against the best. The problem with New Japan, however, was the unbelievable amount of hours we would have to dedicate to the product. I think I ended up watching five full days of the G1 Climax, out of a possible 20 or so.

Around the time that Hangman took on the grueling month-long tournament against some of New Japan’s finest, another wrestler was making his re-debut on WWE television. After an elbow injury and a terrifying staph infection that nearly killed him, Dean Ambrose was back on Monday Night Raw, alongside his friend and enemy, Seth freakin’ Rollins. But this wasn’t the same Dean Ambrose we had witnessed for the past couple years, the hyperactive little shit that wouldn’t stay down, no, this was prison-break Ambrose. He came back swole and with a mean mugging look that would make a bulldog cry. This was it, everyone thought, we’re gonna get the heel turn of a lifetime.

Only, it wasn’t exactly what we expected. First off, it was late, and at the heels of an announcement that turned WWE on its head - Roman Reigns was taking time off for his 2nd battle with leukemia, and Ambrose chose now to turn on Seth Rollins. Maybe if the motive had made a little more sense, it would’ve been enough. After all, Rollins and Ambrose had a long, storied history together - if Ambrose could just explain why now, maybe I could be on his side. I wanted to be on his side. The WWE put out one of those documentaries for Dean that followed him for months, throughout his time out on injury, and then his subsequent return. We got backstage moments with him where he divulged his feelings, seemingly telling us what was going on in his head. And yet - nothing. It never truly felt like he had told us WHY. Now, years later, I’ve read Mox’s book, and I know how he felt about the whole thing, so I know he was just as frustrated as I was, if not more (definitely more, actually).

So Ambrose left the company, and my husband and I dropped the WWE. I don’t know if it was coincidence or fate, but there’s going to be a lot of that comin’ around in this story. Ambrose wasn’t even my favorite - Sami Zayn is my WWE favorite. But something about the way it all went down with Ambrose, and also largely in part the way that WWE treated Sami Zayn, is what finally made us break our ties.

Almost immediately after Dean Ambrose left WWE and cashed in his chips, a video dropped on his largely unused twitter account: a video of Jon Moxley breaking out of jail, with a shot of the numbers 5 & 25 found in the video - which just so happened to be the month and day of the first Double or Nothing AEW Pay-Per-View.

I would love to say that I was anticipating that day, but to be honest, I completely forgot about it until the day of, when my husband dragged me downstairs to the living room to figure out how to buy our very first pay-per-view on cable television, about five minutes before the buy-in aired.

But once I saw that precious cowboy come out as the Joker in the first ever Casino Battle Royal, I was hooked. I turned to my husband, pointing at Hangman on my screen. “That’s the guy we saw in the G1 last year! He’s in the Bullet Club!”

He smiled at the screen, knowing it was too late. I had found my favorite.

Hangman won the battle royal, earning him the first shot at the inugural AEW world championship at the next Pay-Per-View. Who he was slated to go up against, though, depended on the outcome of the Double or Nothing main event: the Alpha, Chris Jericho, versus Kenny Omega.

“Do you think Mox will show up?” I asked my partner, my entire body tense with anticipation.

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up. If he doesn’t show up, it’ll ruin it for you.”

“He’s showing up,” I insisted, “I’m like 99% certain he will.” I’ve never been one to make guarantees, but this was as close to one as I could manage. I could feel it in my soul, and I was dying to see Mox live up to his potential.

I was bouncing off the couch when I saw Mox stalking through the crowd and into the ring. My adrenaline was pumping and I thought it was the best way to end their first PPV. My husband and I turned to look at each other - yep, this was enough. This was definitely enough to intrigue us.

I would spend the summer of 2019 watching everything I could about AEW - I finally got into Being the Elite, I watched the summer events, and I searched Hangman’s name on youtube as much as I could to get more of a semblance of his character. He was now important to me, and I was determined to understand him as best as I could. Through this, I met and connected with brand new friends, as well as dragged my WWE friends into it as much as I could.

One friend in particular was an EXTREMELY avid Mox fan. Even in his Ambrose days, they spoke about the old CZW Moxley often, and so I had an idea of what this new and improved version would probably be like. I also found myself a friend that had been following Hangman Page for the past few years and knew substantially more about him than I ever could. With them and a couple other new friends I found that also adored Hangman, we became a tiny little stable of our own.

And so, the brainstorming began.

Before All Out 2019 even happened, I had posed the question to my friends: “What do we think about Hangman and Mox? Wouldn’t that be a badass combination?”

The noted Mox fan and the seasoned Hangman vet were the first ones to perk up. The Mox fan agreed immediately, and the Hangman vet said they had already started working on an idea to bring them together a couple days after Double or Nothing, when Mox had done his interview with Chris Jericho on his Talk is Jericho podcast.

“Hold on a minute - a podcast?” I asked, curious.

Enthusiastically, they told me that Jericho had asked Mox who he’d like to get in the ring with now that he was in a new promotion. Hangman’s name had been the first out of his mouth, said nonchalantly, very much like it wasn’t a big deal and Mox was just naming names to name them. But it was too late - this was now my obsession.

Three episodes into AEW Dynamite, we got our very first chance to see them in action together. The two loners, Pac and Moxley, were taking on the team of Hangman and Kenny. This team was brand new at the time, both having suffered major losses at All Out - Kenny had submitted to Pac, and Hangman had lost his shot at the inaugural title to Chris Jericho in the main event. The tag match made sense - for the most part. Mox had gone for the biggest fish in AEW at the end of Double or Nothing, giving Kenny Omega a Paradigm Shift that got the entire wrestling world talking. Pac and Hangman had beef that started in the early days of the promotion, the story told almost entirely through Being the Elite at the time. Kenny had just lost to Pac. And yet…there was no motivation here for Hangman and Mox to be across the ring from each other. The lack of a story between them was louder than all the other storytelling here combined. Perhaps, I told myself, this was a story in itself.

No worries, though. We were about to see just how much chemistry these two had. This would be the first step in gauging what a potential feud or even partnership could be like. We were absolutely shivering with anticipation.

Hangman spent most of his own time in the match trying to get the drop on Pac. The first moment he was in the ring with Mox, he practically paid him no mind until he had Pac dead on the floor. Before the match was done, they’d interacted maybe twice as legal men in the ring, and once when everyone was on the outside. At one point, Mox had Hangman in a gorgeous Texas cloverleaf submission, which was quickly stopped by Kenny. Another point in the match, Hangman tried to give Mox a buckshot lariat that Mox ducked. Almost immediately, Mox ate a clothesline from Hangman akin to an Okada Rainmaker finisher, and it was fucking beautiful.

It was clear to me, from the grand total of about two and a half minutes that they spent in the ring together, that they were an elegant match.

Four months passed by.

Hangman went on a downward spiral, leaving the Elite but choosing still to tag with Kenny. He started to drink, courtesy of those silly little guys, Private Party. This ain’t water, indeed. By the time Revolution 2020 came around, Hangman was on a trajectory to meet his former best friends, the Young Bucks, in a tag team championship match, and Jon Moxley was slated as contender to Chris Jericho’s AEW world championship in the main event.

And well, let’s just say, the better story won the night, even if Jon Moxley closed the show.

Hangman walked out of his match a winner, his tag title still in one hand and a beer in the other, with Kenny Omega at his side.

Jon Moxley, newly won championship belt on his shoulder, excitement still pumping blood in his ears, would go on to say it felt like it was “beer o’clock.”

An awkward pause.

What? I thought.

The camera panned to the crowd.

Mox was smiling, tongue sticking out like a panting dog, looking somewhat towards the go-position.

No, could he be…? There was no way. I couldn’t believe it. Was Hangman Page about to show up right now?

Whoever was in production scrambled to put a stop to this. Mox’s music hit.

“Hey, what the fuck?” said the newly crowned world heavyweight champion.

Hold on. Were they…Oscaring him off the stage? Is that what was happening in this moment? Say ‘sike’ right now.

My hands were on my mouth.

Let’s just say that for the rest of the five hours that I stayed awake after this show, unable to sleep due to the sheer adrenaline running through my veins, me and the gang were viciously wondering what the fuck that was about. Maybe Hangman was supposed to come out? But how does that make sense when he and Kenny just retained their titles? Why would he go for the championship again so soon? But it makes sense for him to want it. That’s the title that he promised he would win on day one of the company.

But we didn’t get an answer.

Whether that was because of the pandemic that shut down the entire world for the foreseeable future a week and half later, or because that was just genuinely something that meant absolutely nothing, we’ll never know. Truly, we will NEVER know. Unless one of us ever has the guts to ask Mox about it. Until then, “beer o’clock” + awkward pause + staring at the go-position + Mox theme + “hey what the fuck” will likely haunt me for the rest of my life. Thanks, Jonathan.

Lots of things changed during this time. Hangman’s rocky relationship with the Bucks came back to a head again before All Out 2020, during a tag gauntlet match that would reveal the first contenders for Hangman and Kenny’s championships at the Pay-Per-View. It was down to the Young Bucks and FTR. See, FTR had come in at the beginning of the summer, and they ended up making friends with Hangman. Hangman was there when they signed their contracts, with a brand new bottle of whiskey in hand. They bonded over drinks. But they weren’t so friendly with the Bucks and Kenny, which obviously caused a lot of problems. By the time that gauntlet came around, FTR had Hangman convinced that if the Bucks won the gauntlet, Hangman would regret it. They worked him with his own insecurities. They just wanted a friendly bout with him, they said. He’d already had one with the Bucks, so wouldn’t it be fun to have a match with FTR this time?

So Hangman cheated, costing the Bucks the match. A few moments later, Hangman brooding over what he’d done in the Daily’s Place bar, the Bucks kicked him officially out of the Elite, throwing a drink in his face.

He and Kenny would go on to lose the tag titles at All Out to FTR. He would lose his tag partner in the process. He would fight him at the next PPV in singles competition for contendership of Moxley’s heavyweight championship. He would drop to the ground, land flat on his face, losing this first opportunity to fight Moxley to his own partner.

A microphone blast to the head. Blood gushing from the middle of Jon’s forehead (a sight well known to the AEW fans). V-Trigger. V-Trigger. V-Trigger. V-Trigger. Pull him in. One Winged Angel.

One. Two. Three.

That was how Jon Moxley lost his AEW world heavyweight championship to Kenny Omega. An absolute steal. A few weeks prior, at Full Gear, the Young Bucks beat FTR for the tag team championships.

Months and months go by. Hangman finds solace in the Dark Order, and the Dark Order finds solace in him in return. They bring each other back up, from sorrows greater than we could even imagine. The loss of their leader, their friend, their Exalted One. Our Brodie Lee. Though Hangman would deny them on separate occasions, eventually he would understand that friends don’t let friends do battle alone. And whether he joined them as a group or not, it wouldn’t matter. They would keep Brodie Lee’s offer and promise that he made to Hangman the year before, when he left the Elite. They would never leave him alone.

Mox would continue his quest to retrieve the title, challenging Kenny at Revolution 2021 in an exploding barbed wire deathmatch that would end…not precisely as intended. However, much like Hangman, he would find that he was not alone. He would find someone to watch his back, in the form of an old friend and foe, Eddie Kingston. They would challenge the Bucks - now firmly planted once again at Kenny’s side - for the tag team championships at Double or Nothing 2021. This, much like his shot at the world title, would be for naught.

In the summer of 2021, the Dark Order would prove worthy allies in the ring to Hangman, when they challenged Kenny and the Young Bucks to a multi-man tag, with the stipulation that if they were able to eliminate each member of the Elite, Hangman would get his shot at Kenny’s title, and they would receive a shot at the Young Bucks.

Now, I’ll be honest - I don’t remember what Mox was doing at the time, so I had to look this up. Uhh, he spent a lot of time on AEW Dark. But the match that stood out the most to me during this time was a Texas Deathmatch with Lance Archer…which he lost. And with it, his IWGP US championship.

So Hangman and the Dark Order are unsuccessful. They beg him to keep trying, but at around this time, Hangman decides that he needs some space. He comes up to the ring at Daily’s Place, the first Homecoming show since AEW’s two month long tour away (when the entire world decided that the pandemic was finally over). Tony Schiavone is with him, and it seems like maybe Hangman is going to tell the crowd that he’s gonna take some time to himself or let some things off his chest, when the Elite show up. At one point he tells Hangman that perhaps maybe he would consider allowing Hangman to come back to the Elite - upon which a young woman in the crowd in a cowboy hat and a teal bandana yells, “Never!” (me). Yes, I got to watch live as the Elite beat Hangman down and the Dark Order could only stand back and watch.

…This would be the last time we see Hangman for two months.

While he’s gone, though, Jon Moxley brings up his name, in a backstage promo where he calls out the newcomers. At this time, AEW was seeing a surge of new talent entering its ranks - people like Daniel Garcia, Malakai Black, CM Punk. Mox questions whether this talent thinks that it’s easy to be at the top here - Kenny has an entire entourage surrounding him at all times just to keep the title around his waist, and Hangman can’t “get over his high school drama, BTE emo bullcrap long enough to get the job done.” He says that Hangman “ain’t no cowboy,” and he could “drink his ass under the table.”

Oh, I think. You mean like beer o’clock?

Mox was pulling wins around this time every week, and it was clear he was due for a push. This was the man who put the world title and the company on his back during an unprecedented time not just for the promotion, but for the world as a whole. And it was clear that he was due his flowers.

But very odd, to me, that he would bring up Hangman. Especially when they had nothing to do with each other.

Fast forward to October 6th, 2021. A fucked up time in my life. Probably the worst I’ve ever felt.

It was only fitting, then, that my favorite cowboy would show up and give me a small glimmer of hope. The roar of the crowd that night touched my soul more than I can ever say.

The last time he was the Joker of a casino match, he won. This time would be no different.

Except that Mox was in this match. And Mox was the one in the ring waiting for him. The moment they collided with each other, I was screaming. I was crying. My heart was thumping out of my chest. After two years, they were finally back in a ring together. Almost two years to the day.

One of the funniest moments in this casino ladder match is seeing Hangman drop Pac from the top of a ladder with a deadeye, pull himself up onto the ropes to celebrate with the crowd, only to turn around and get spiked on his head with a Paradigm Shift from Jon Moxley, receiving the double birds.

But it didn’t matter. The path was clear - Hangman was going to win this ladder match, setting up his final encounter with his old friend, Kenny Omega, for the AEW world heavyweight championship. And there wasn’t a damn thing Mox, Pac, Andrade, or Lance Archer could do to stop him.

Hangman, at the top of a ladder, guzzling a beer, closed out the show. The casino chip lay ominously on the mat, forgotten.

The next couple of weeks would see Hangman in the most confident state he’d ever been in, relaxed and sure of himself, breathing deeply and opening his heart to the fans. He was - in a word - beautiful.

Mox, however, was absolutely despicable. Ten days later, he would have his first bout with Wheeler Yuta, dropping him in less than two minutes and storming back out of the ring. He would continue his rampage all the way into the eliminator tournament, which would come to a head at Full Gear. All the booking made it clear: this man was aiming for the world title…and Hangman Page was going to be the one wearing it.

That would all change, however, when Jon Moxley decided to put his health first. His fight with alcoholism had finally resonated enough within him that he said enough was enough, and he pulled himself out of the tournament. In an odd way, his real life story and Hangman’s story on the screen were more similar than we could have expected.

And once again, like ships in the night…they would pass each other by, never knowing how close they had come.

I won’t go on a long tangent about how much Hangman winning the title meant to me, so I’ll just say this: Hangman Page winning the world title meant a lot to me.

Another similarity - both Hangman and Mox bled in the match where they won their world championship.

From here, we arrive in 2022.

“Nobody, no matter who you are, should be afraid to stand up in front of the whole world and bare it all, everything that makes you who you are, scars and all, and say ‘hey, this is me!’” - words Jon Moxley spoke when he made his return from rehabilitation.

I love these words. Because they’re very much in line with something that Hangman himself said in the post-Full Gear scrum two months before: “Fuck it, I’ll just say what I feel. I’ll just be me. And if it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, I came by it honest.”

As the champion Hangman Adam Page bled and bled and bled his way through his title matches, Jon Moxley found himself in the Blackpool Combat Club - a group consisting of himself, Bryan Danielson, and William Regal, as well as (eventually) Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli. This was a group that prided itself in one thing - bloody violence.

The alcohol would be replaced, in both the champ and the former champ’s minds, by blood.

A sidenote: Hangman would have a Texas Deathmatch with the very same Lance Archer. Unlike Moxley, though, he would go on to win the match and retain his championship. And boy, was it a bloody scene. Two months later, Hangman would challenge Adam Cole to a Texas Deathmatch as well - and win.

We arrive at Double or Nothing.

A good friend of mine would meet Hangman Page at a meet and greet the day before the show. The limited edition print Hangman signed for her was a graphic of him, surrounded by a border that resembled a playing card. His sign - the Ace of Diamonds. Curious, I looked up the meaning of the card. Now, this could all be bullshit, but at the time, it meant something to me. It specified a message that was soon to come, or in a broader sense, a new perspective. I felt like this fit Hangman perfectly, and it solidified something in my own head about him - he was, in fact, an Ace in the company. At a time when I heard often that Jon Moxley was the top guy, when there were whispers that Jon might fight Tanahashi soon at Forbidden Door, I was dead set on maintaining Hangman as the One. And this, this was a sign. For me.

All those hopes and dreams would come crashing down though, obviously, when Hangman lost the title to CM Punk. After 198 days of being overshadowed by the explosive feud that was Maxwell versus Punk, Hangman’s reign would come to an end.

But as luck would have it, Punk would be injured about four days later, leaving the title picture up in the air.

“This is mine,” Hangman had declared, that night at Double or Nothing. “You will NEVER have it. This. Is. Mine!”

Those words, it seemed, rang nearly true enough.

The month of June would become a month so confusing, so convoluted, that even now I cannot remember what exactly the fuck happened. There was a battle royal to pick an opponent for the number one contender to the interim title, Jon Moxley, but the problem was that Hangman already had a match set for the night. I thought, surely he can pull a double. He’s the former world champ. Surely, they’ll let him do it. The only problem was, that double was actually pulling a triple, because the match between the winner of the battle royal would face Mox on Rampage, which was taped the same night.

I, and the rivalry I so desperately held to my chest, would have to wait once more. Another near-crossing. But I could feel it: the lines were drawing closer.

Mox would face Tanahashi and win the interim world title. Hangman would follow a confusing path to the IWGP heavyweight championship and lose against three other men. Hangman had another opportunity at a title shot in another battle royal, but he got dunked out of the ring before he could win it. By the middle of July, I was getting antsy. I wanted to know what the future held for my favorite guy in AEW, and by god, I was going to get some answers.

Comicpalooza - Houston, TX. July 16th and 17th, 2022. Hangman Page and Adam Cole were set to appear. They were going to have panels, autographs, and professional photos with fans.

And I, resident Hangman girlie, was going to be there.

Here’s where the shit gets interesting.

Cole ended up having to cancel, I’m assuming due to not being medically cleared after the concussion he suffered at Forbidden Door. Which meant that both days became wide open to meeting Hangman not once, not twice - but four times. Twice for photos and twice for autographs. And of course, the panel.

As a girl who’s never once met a celebrity that she actually cared about, this was a big fucking deal, and I was - hoo boy, was I nervous. The first chance I got was the first autograph signing, right before the photo and about twenty minutes before the panel. I could hardly look him in the eye. I was about as skittish as a horse, and super quiet. He tried to get light conversation out of me (complimenting my pearlsnap - which matched his own, mine was cream and his was brown - shirt, my belt, and my boots), and I ended up mentioning that I would see him again in a few minutes for the photo and then the panel. It was going to be a busy couple hours for him. After that was over, I saw him at the photo. I was the first in line.

“Hello again,” I said. He replied with a smile, and he seemed much more awake and excited than he had a few minutes prior. I noted that he must like taking photos with everyone. His cheery aura calmed me down significantly, and I was much more comfortable speaking with him. I asked for a hug, and he obliged me. He asked me what kind of pose I’d like to do, and I told him I wanted to do finger guns. In my head, I was imagining us back to back, like a movie poster, but he suggested we whirl into it, like we’re about to shoot at the camera. He asked if this was okay. I was so starry-eyed that I said yes immediately.

Once the camera flashed, he pulled me over to the photographer’s screen of the image. He said he wanted to make sure it looked good, and asked if I liked it. It was an amazing photo. I know it was amazing, because I actually thought I looked good in it.

Now, I debated on mentioning this part but I figure I may as well - at this point in time, I asked him if I handed him a letter, would he read it. He said, “yes, of course!” I handed it to him, and he quickly asked me if he should read it now, to which I yelled, “no! Nuh uh! Not right now!”

“You sure?” he asked playfully. I shook my head. It was too long a letter for him to read at the moment, and he had a line to get through and then a panel to get to. I was not about to hold him up. Plus, I had tapped out all my remaining courage for this particular moment. I was not about to watch his face as he read the feelings I bore on those pages. Knowing I was strong enough to put the letter in his hands was enough for me. He said okay. I thanked him as I left, saying I would see him at the panel.

The audience at the panel was small, way too small for the ballroom they had set up in. But it didn’t matter, because I was in the front row anyway. I brought a little sign that said “Hangman Gang,” which was the name of my group of wrestling friends. The mediator of the panel pointed it out to him when he sat down at the table in the front of the room.

I had never attended a panel before, but I knew the basics of what it was like from a couple of panels I had watched on youtube. At some point, there would be a Q&A where fans could go up to a microphone setup and ask him a question.

I had thought about what I would ask him for weeks. But by the time the day came around, none of the questions I’d thought about were sticking in my mind as The One. I had questions about the meaning behind some of his gear, questions about the Elite, questions about Adam Cole. But none of them felt…right. When I finally got out of my seat to take my spot in line for the microphone, I was in “fuck it” mode. I knew what I was going to ask, even if I wasn’t sure how I was going to ask it. Plus, I needed to tell him happy early birthday.

“Hi,” I said shyly. He responded with a quiet “hello.”

And so it began. I wished him a happy birthday, barely stopping to acknowledge his thanks before continuing on with what I was there for. I prefaced my question by saying that I knew him and Mox had only fought twice in the past two years, but never in singles. And I believe, if my memory is correct, that I said: “Is that on purpose? Or like, are you dodging Mox? Or is Mox dodgin’ you?”

A chuckle from the mediator. The absolute audacity of my asking my favorite wrestler in the world whether he was afraid of another wrestler must have really gotten to him.

Hangman replied, as I recall, very eloquently. He remembered that first match at the beginning of Dynamite’s run, and he remembered the casino ladder match. But as for why they hadn’t met again, he could only chalk it up to…”fate.” Fate was what kept them apart. Fate took Mox out of the tournament, fate took the belt off Hangman, fate kept him from these opportunities all summer long. It was out of his control, but he would love to fight Mox. He certainly wasn’t dodging him on purpose. He would love to do a match with him.

At this, the mediator prompted. “...Texas Deathmatch?”

Hangman’s eyes looked out into the ether, weighing those words. “Yeah. Yeah, Mox likes deathmatches, right?”

My entire body started vibrating at those words. I thanked him and sat back in my seat.

I would not stop thinking about those words until the end of September, when Hangman won the battle royal at Rampage Grand Slam. The newly crowned NOT-interim world heavyweight champion, Jon Moxley, was set to do battle against Hangman Adam Page.

This was an important match for Hangman, as it would be his first major shot at the world title since losing it a few months back. From the moment Hangman walked out to meet Mox face to face in the front of the ring, I was hooked on every expression, every set of their jaws, every word from their mouths.

“Three years of AEW Dynamite…three years of watching you, three years of studying you because I knew this was comin’...three years of us circlin’ each other…”

The camera cuts to a wide shot of the two in the ring, dancing around each other.

The image in my head is of Raymond Holt from Brooklyn Nine Nine shouting, “VINDICATION!!”

“You know, between the two of us, we’ve probably beaten everyone there is to beat…except each other…on October 18th, there will be one Last Man Standing here in AEW.”

The first pearl of foreshadowing dropped. Texas Deathmatches, at their core, were considered ‘last man standing.’ Mox goes on to say here that he was going to choke Hangman out, because Hangman was in the way. In the way of Mox being, once and for all, the Top Guy in AEW. Just like I had been told. He goes on to say that he respects Hangman as a competitor and as a person. At one point, after Hangman goes too far, he calls him a ‘sweet kid.’ But at the end of the day, he was going to put him down, no matter what.

The next week in the ring, Mox mentions that being world champion means having a target on your back. Many “crumble under the pressure…some faster than others.” This is, very clearly, a knock on Hangman and his reign. Though Hangman bled, and bled…and bled to keep his title, the story of his reign was a tough one. Having finally beaten the man whose shadow Hangman felt trapped under, there was nothing now to fight but the weight of being the champ. Keeping the gold that symbolized his worth had been, as Mox points out, too much to handle.

And now, he had to get his worth back.

When Hangman walks out to meet Mox here, he begins by telling Mox that whatever he has to say to Hangman, he can “say it to his face.” This would be the first, of many times, where he says this to Moxley in the months to come. He goes on to say, “but actually, you said it all last week.” He mentions how Mox said he respected him in the ring and as a person, and “[he] would be lying if [he didn’t say] coming from [Mox], that meant the world to [him].” He says that Mox was a damn good father, husband, champion, and that he looked up to Mox and wanted to be like him. But the moment that Mox called him a kid last week, all of those things vanished, in Hangman’s eyes.

“Is that what you think of me?” He demands. Mox takes the mic and says it’s exactly right. Because the Hangman standing before him now is not the same guy who knocked him off the top of a ladder a year ago to cash in his shot at the title. The Hangman of now, broken and aimless, won’t be able to pull the trigger if given the chance.

Mox’s observation here was sound - Hangman had many opportunities as champion to end someone in the most brutal way possible. During the Texas Deathmatch with Adam Cole, there’s a wonderful shot of Cole tied to the ropes while Hangman debates hitting him with a steel chair. A similar shot was shown the night he lost the title to CM Punk - where he holds the title in his hands while no one is looking, and debates whether he should use it to knock Punk out. He had a similar choice the day he won the title, but he chose not to and won.

In every instance, he has a shot at ending it. He refuses every time, out of some sense of nobility. It’s clear here that Mox disapproves.

Hangman agrees. He’s not the same person. Hesitation cost him the title. Hesitation cost him the trios titles, as well, in September. His old friends were gone and his new ones were dropping like flies. “I’m angry, I’m depressed! The medicine is not working but I am STILL HERE because I am a man!”

Here’s where he ties in to Mox’s words. How could he be a sweet kid if he was a man? An adult? Someone who has been through hell and back? He’s lowered family into the ground, he’s helped bring life into this world, he’s been choked until he turns blue but he keeps getting back up!

At this point, Hangman gets so worked up that he beats his fist into his eyebrow so badly that it breaks the skin. And here’s the part that I love the most - “I have my shot, and I have my word. Tuesday, I take my shot, and tonight I give you my word.” He palms at the blood staining his brow, wipes it on Mox’s white shirt. “...That is my word.”

The week before Hangman won the title off Kenny, there was a contract signing. At this contract signing, Kenny Omega and Don Callis conspired to rough Hangman up to give him a disadvantage going into the match that Sunday. Hangman broke wide open, over the same. Fucking. Eyebrow. And what did Kenny do? He signed his signature to the contract in Hangman’s blood. And then he lost.

I guess you could say Hangman’s blood holds a lot of promise.

“And unlike him,” Hangman said, pointing to a lurking Maxwell in the rafters of the arena, “I wanted to make sure to say this to you face-to-face…man-to-man.”

Of course, Hangman would go on to lose the first bout, as he suffered a very real, very scary concussion, but my god, was that match a work of art before the finish. It’d been a while since Hangman fans saw him pull an orihara moonsault from high up on a barricade, but he pulled it out for Mox.

At this point, I sat and wondered. Would I get to see him again? How soon? They were set to have three shows in Texas come December, and I wondered if we would finally get the Texas Deathmatch that seemed all but a promise. Because I didn’t think he would be cleared, I didn’t go to any of them. I just watched, anxious and a little bit heated, as Hangman showed up to answer Moxley’s call at the beginning of the first winter month.

Moxley’s first reaction to this was to make a tone-deaf joke about how Hangman probably didn’t remember what happened the last time they had met, instead of waiting to hear what Hangman might’ve had to say. He was met with a sock to the jaw.

This would go on for weeks, with Hangman saying that this wasn’t how he wanted it to go at all, but Mox just HAD to goad him. Say something stupid. Meanwhile, Mox held firm in his belief that he didn’t know what the fuck Hangman was talking about, and he could fight him any day of the week, no problem. Hangman would go into a brawl with him nearly every week, not being cleared to wrestle in the ring on account of his concussion. In a segment with Renee, he would reveal to her that the night of their first bout, when he got injured, he forgot his own son’s name. So Mox making light of his memory loss was, of course, not at all funny.

By January 2023, a date was set between the two in California. All three Texas shows went by and not one mention of a Texas Deathmatch, which had me very confused. But no matter, because there were two more Texas shows now slated for February, and I was going to one of them. I hoped, even if it wasn’t the match I was hoping for, that at the very least the feud would continue.

Before this rematch, though, they had one last face-to-face. Mox would tell Hangman that all this whining about get knocked out made him absolutely sick. And Hangman, of course, would have to point Mox in the right direction. “You think that I’m mad at you because you knocked me out? Is that really what you think?”

See, Hangman was well aware that being knocked out was part of the job. That was never the problem. Condescendingly, Hangman continues. “You don’t seem like a guy for nuance, so I’ll put it to you simple…”

The night of Hangman’s return, Mox didn’t let him get one word in before he made a joke. He believed in that moment that Mox saw him as a threat. But Hangman had not walked out to Mox that night for a fight, though it was what he was here for now.

That part was so interesting to me, because I wanted so badly to know why Hangman showed up that night to face Mox in the ring originally. This goes back to Hangman’s need to say things to Mox’s face and wanting the same in return.

Hangman won the second bout in a great match. Mox suffered what looked to be an injury, with the way he asked, “What happened?” repeatedly. Almost as if he had suffered a concussion of his own. Hangman would leave the ring, concerned and most of all, ashamed. Mox had been right in October. He was much softer than was expected to be of a champion.

So now they were tied, 1 to 1. At this point, Renee conducted a couple of interviews with Hangman, one of which was very interesting.

Renee started by asking how he was doing, and then she told him something that Mox told her. Apparently, Mox believed that Hangman made him better. That he both “despises” and “cherishes” him.

The HangMox girlie in me was bouncing off the walls. Knowing that even after two fights, Mox still had a nice word to say about Hangman was everything to me. It was beyond anything I could have ever expected, and he turned visibly awkward here. This would be one of three times in the interview where his body language changed.

He answers by saying that if Mox wanted to say something to his face, he could say it to him, and Hangman would gladly knock him out again if need be. Again, bringing up speaking to his face.

Three days before this segment, someone asked me what I thought was next for Hangman, and although I didn’t have a clear answer, I knew that it would have to do with something from the past. “The only way he can move forward is by looking back.”

Renee asked Hangman the same question, and he responded with, “the more I look forward, I can’t help but see back.”

I yelped. This was insane. There was no way we were this in tune. Basically, he wanted one final match. To prove that his win wasn’t a fluke, to prove that at the end of the day, he was the better of the two. To put this feud to bed. He also says that something Renee said earlier (calling him and Mox “elite” level performers) reminded him of some friendships that needed mending. This is another time he visibly changes his body language.

Once the interview is done, Hangman asks how Mox is, truly. Renee says that he’ll dust himself off again soon. Here is the final time where he seems to become visibly awkward - he begins to ask Renee, “could you tell him -” before stopping himself. “Never mind, it’s stupid.”

He holds himself here to the standard he holds Mox by. He wants Mox to say things to his face, so he knows that he shouldn’t relay anything back to him through Renee either.

Their third match, while just as fun as the first two, ends in an anti-climactic finish. After getting his ass handed to him by Hangman for about eight or so minutes, Mox pulls him in for a deep cover and gets the roll-up win. Hangman is, understandably, pissed. He ends up getting in Mox’s face, with Wheeler and Claudio having to keep them apart. They exchange flips of the bird. Mox lays down and makes a snow angel, much like Punk did to him in September. Hangman responds with a burpee.

They are absolutely little fucking kids about it. And it’s great.

It’s clear that the dick measuring contest isn’t over.

Still pissed off, Hangman comes back the next week in an interview with Renee and he is positively livid. He is so livid that he almost, almost tells Renee to relay a message to Moxley, but he’s interrupted by Kip Sabian before he can finish his thought.

The next week, Hangman wrestles Kip Sabian. I’m in the front row, cheering my ass off. He wins, as expected. He leans onto the ropes, frustration over another match crystal clear in his eyes. I raise my poster up so he can see. “Cowboy, you stole my yee-heart,” it reads. (It was the day after Valentine’s Day.)

He sends me a little kiss, keeps his eyebrows angry and his lips pouting. He does it like he’s mad about it, and it’s oh-so-fucking funny.

Behind him, Mox and his friends pull up into the ring. My heart is pounding out of my chest. I am seeing Hangman and Mox in the ring together with my own two eyes, and it’s amazing.

Mox tells Hangman that it’s over between them, he won fair and square. But Hangman refuses. He takes the mic, saying that there’s no way either of them could be happy with the finish of that match. That it’s not how their story should end. Their story ends at Revolution, when they go back in that cold, dark alley and only one man is left standing.

There it is, I thought. Those words again. Last man standing.

Mox seems glad of Hangman’s pushy nature at this point. He admits he’s kinda glad that Hangman has no friends to talk him into a smarter decision.

It’s at this point that the Dark Order makes itself known. Evil Uno, mic in hand, asks if he heard Mox correctly. “Did you say that this man has no friends?”

This moment was insane. Absolutely astonishing, to see Uno walk into the ring, square up to Mox and tell his own friend, Hangman, to get out of his face. Uno even goes so far as to pie-face Moxley to get his attention, something very few people have ever done and gotten away with, if ever.

Refusing to see Uno as a threat, Mox looks past him to the upset cowboy. “Cowboy…Texas Death.”

That girl in the front row went absolutely insane (me).

After missing four separate shows in Texas, I still managed to witness the announcement of the Texas Deathmatch between Hangman and Moxley. It was like the entire segment, the entire feud, up to this moment, was waiting on me to become a part of it once more. To be their lone partner, standing witness to the wonderful feud that was unfolding in front of my very eyes. Because not only were Hangman and Mox going head to head with the stipulation I’d been expecting since it came out of that mediation’s mouth, springing from my own completely odd and batshit question, but now the Dark Order was involved with the now merciless Blackpool Combat Club. Which means that this is likely far from truly over.

I left that show an elated woman. I was finally getting what I wanted.

And now, two and a half weeks later, the match is here. After watching the Countdown to Revolution, I can say without a doubt that they’ve satiated me well enough with this build. This idea that Mox is an animal without mercy that craves violence, completely and totally juxtaposing the man that needs to put down this rabid dog even if he doesn’t want to, but is going to have to by any means necessary. He said that Mox would never be the same, but I think the opposite is true. I think Hangman’s going to reach a point that he hasn’t been brought to yet in AEW. I think this time, despite all other evidence to the contrary, he’s finally going to snap. That heavy heart that Mox couldn’t take from him, that heart that Mox couldn’t carry, might turn to stone, if only for a moment.

A few weeks before Bryan and Mox had their bloody match at Revolution 2022, Mox uttered these words: “I don’t stand side by side with nobody…till I bleed with him first.”

It’s very clear that this Sunday, these men are going to bleed together. But I wonder…will they end up standing side by side? Will they share non-alcoholic beers together? Will Hangman ever tell Mox how he really feels, or will he keep it to himself, as he’s so often done before?

I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

#hangman adam page #adam page #jon moxley #aew #aew revolution (2023)#hangman page #all elite wrestling #hangman x moxley #hangmox

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beeindaclouds · 2 years

Text

Attending Hogwarts w/ the DSMP: Year 4

Includes: Dream, Georgenotfound, Quackity & Charlie, Technoblade, Eret, Foolish

Click here before requesting, please ^^

Reader: GN - They/Them

* Disclaimer: Some characters appear in some years and some don't. Also angst, mention of death and this will probably be pretty long

Hogwarts Series || Previous Part

[I am sorry in advance for what I'm about to do]

*Oh, also, there will be a part 2 to this year, which will only concentrate on the Yule Ball

❝ Dream ❞

Dumbledore happily announced the start of the Triwizard Tournament that would take place at Hogwarts this year

In collaboration with Beauxbatons and Dumstrang

Everybody was hyped for it, the tournament being very famous among wizards for it's dangerous tasks

Unfortunately for you, Dream and Sapnap, the age limit was much higher then you three were

So you just complied with watching the tournament

Well, that was the plan at least...

As Dumbledore finished announcing the three competitors and was about to begin the feast, the Goblet's fire turned blue spitting out two other names

Everyone was on the edge of their chair. This had never happened before in the history of the tournament, what could this mean?

"Harry Potter and Dream Wastaken..." The principal mumbled, befote turning towards the students

Dream looked at you scared, he couldn't have possibly put his name into that. You two had been hanging out and actually getting to know eachother these past few years; and not even once had you seen him near the Goblet

As the two Hogwarts student were taken away by the professors, the Great Hall was filled with questions and boo's

The Triwizard Tournament had just turned into a Quintuple Wizard Tournament

You and Sapnap ran to your friend, asking what the verdict was. He told you that he had to participate, because his name was chosen

You three spent the rest of the evening trying to discover how or who put Dream's name in the Goblet, and what their intent was

When you had no answers, you three just decided to call it a day and concentrate on getting the blonde ready for his first task

Harry told Dream about the Dragons, sending you and your two friends in a panic

But all the quidditch training seemed to have paid off, because he was able to get the egg pretty easily

While preparing for the second task you three stumbled upon a Beauxbatons student

"You can use the bubble charm to breathe under water" a brunette boy, who overheard your conversation in the library, told you

He was wearing some blue robes, clearly indicating what school he came from

Dream turned to the boy, desperation in his eyes "Do you by any chance know the charm? Can you teach me??"

The boy nodded and you three thanked him, before asking for his name "Oh, my name is George"

Thanks to George, the second task was also easy. But you wouldn't know... because right after George agreed to helping Dream, you were called into the principal office just to wake up in the lake the next day

From what you understood, to Dream you were his most priced possession, which lead you to be chosen to take a potion that would momentarily freeze you

Between this, and the events that happened at the Yule Ball, ypu two couldn't be closer

And as the third task was approaching, you couldn't be more nervous for Dream

You two spent all the nights, leading up to the third task, on the astronomy tower. Just talking about your time togheter and your future plans, eventually falling asleep in eachothers arms

Then came the day of the third and last task. The maze looked sinister, and the weather wasn't helping you calm your nerves. You held onto Sapnap, as him, George and Punz were trying to calm you down

In the maze it wasn't any better. Dream had to knock down Technoblade to wake him up from whatever spell he was put under, only to be dragged away by the maze with him

When he came out, with the pink haired man in his arms, you couldn't help but be happy

F*ck the tournament and the win. Your boyfriend was alive and that's all that matters

While you and Dream collided into a hug, you heard the cries and shock of the other students. As Harry Potter came back with the cup, and two other lifeless bodies...

❝ Georgenotfound ❞

George wasn't really interested in the tournament

On the contrary, he despised it.

Putting wizards in danger just for a cup and recognition? Idiotic.

So, as the first task went on, he explored the Hogwarts castle; ending up in the countyard

You walked there a few minutes later, surprised to find someone else there

"I wasn't expecting anyone here, because of the whole tournament" you spoke behind the boy, who turned to you

"It doesn't really interest me. What about you?" He asked as you sat down near him

"Big crowds aren't my thing" you answered, to which he nodded

You two introduced yourselves and started to get to know eachother

You showed him around the castle, near the Forbidden Forest and lastly the quidditch pitch which was were the tournament was being held

You two got out of there pretty quickly

But you learned a lot about him in that little time, like the fact that he was an animagus!

He would sometimes turn into a cat, just so he could sleep near you and not get questioned to why he was sleeping at weird hours

You found it absolutely genius

Around the second task, you and George found yourself in the library

You wanted to find a book about animagus, so that maybe you could try becoming one too

But instead you stumbled upon one of the contestants, Dream, and decided to help him with the bubble charm

After the tournament ended, and the spirits were down because of all the commotion, it was time to say goodbye

You both honestly didn't want to be separated

Yes, you had known eachother only for a few months, but you both could clearly tell that something was there

He hugged you closely as the Beauxbatons carriage arrived. Thanking you for the amazing time he had passed with you and hoping to see you soon

He left you with a kiss on the cheek, you touching the spot in hopes of seeing him again

❝ Quackity + Charlie ❞

You had unfortunately distant yourself from your two best friends

You see, near the end of the first task of the tournament, Wilbur Soot had asked you out

Charlie was happy for you

But Quackity didn't like the news of you dating Wilbur

You didn't know why, butt he always said he had a bad feeling about him

He thought Wilbur would just use you and be done with you by the end of the year

When in reality, it was the opposite

You liked Wilbur, you really did, but not as much as you liked Quackity

You two had been friends for years, he always cared about you more then anyone else and you trusted him more then anyone else

But he had been talking about his crush on Cho Chang gor a while, and you couldn't stand listening to him talk about another women

So you decided to move on

This caused Quackity to be distant towards you, and Charlie going with him because he knew you'd be ok with Wilbur

After the Yule Ball, things seemed to go back to normal. You two talked things out and were now on a road for something new

But because of the broken friendship, you two had failed to notice what Charlie was going through

From what little Dumbledore had told you. Charlie was never a muggle. He was adopted by muggles, but his real parents are wizards

They apparently had helped imprison Barty Crouch Jr in the past

And since this year he was back, disguised as Moody, he took advantage of Charlie's loneliness

Charlie, as requested by Moody, was sent to keep guard of the cup until one of the contestants came to get it.

But, once Harry and Cedric arrived, they were all transported infront of Voldemort himself

And you know where this lead too

Harry came back with two bodies that day. Cedric and Charlie's

You and Quackity couldn't believe the sight infront of you. Your childhood friend was death, his life was taken away at such a young age

Dumbledore adviced you to not be too hard on yourselves, but you two couldn't help but feel guilty. If only you had paid more attention to him...

Needless to say that the loss had brought you two closer...but at what cost?

❝ Technoblade ❞

The pink long haired man had all eyes on him as he walked into the Great Hall

The Dumstrang student was well known. Not only for his looks, but also for his amazing quidditch talent and relation with Phil, Tristin, Wilbur and Tommy

You, like all the other students, found him absolutely fascinating

He walked confidently like he owned the entire school, not a single emotion shown on his face giving him that mysterious vibe that everyone loved

He was almost scary

But as soon as his family came to talk to him, you could get a glimpse of a very small smile on his face

You encountered him a few times during the year

He helped you get a book from a high shelf in the library and even caught you when you accidentally bumped into him

These moments may seem all cliche, and trust me they are, but maybe they were meant to happen for a reason

You managed to talk to him at the Yule Ball, and you were pretty happy about it

But by the end of the year all that hapiness dissapeared

You weren't able to say goodbye to him in person, since a crowd of fans surrounded him as he got onto the boat

But he gave you a small smile when he found you in the crowd of students

And that's all you really needed

❝ Eret ❞

They were the most eye-catching veela anyone had ever seen

Students of all gender drooled over them and even tried to get a chance to get to know them

But, unfortunately for them, they turned all of them down

After a while everyone realized that they had their eyes on one specific student, who happen to be you

Eret had only seeb you a few times in the first month they had been there, and they were already very intrigued by you

They tried everything to get your attention, well except approaching you

You made the curly haired man so nervous, that they were scared of not saying anything once they were infront of you or saying the wrong thing and making a fool of themself

But they had to get over their fears, and the Yule Ball gave them an opportunity to spark up a conversation

Eret approached you one day, while you were reading a book at the astronomy tower

[You'll have to discover the rest in the other part haha]

❝ Foolish ❞

Like his fellow classmate, Techno, Foolish had all eyes on him

He wasn't as famous or popular as Techno, but he was attractive enough to catch the attention of the Hogwarts students

In a matter of months a fan club had started just for him and he happened to stumble upon the group one day, only to be followed around the whole castle

You happened to be getting out of the charm classroom, because you forgot a book, just when Foolish and his group of fans were about to pass by

Noticing the uncomfortable look on his face, you grabbed him and hid togheter in the nearest broom closet

You two were basically chest to chest, the closet being smaller then you anticipated

"I'm sorry for the...lack of space" you mumbled embarassed. The boy shook his head, grateful to have been saved

"It's all good, you basically saved my life. I swear I heard one of them scream 'give me a piece of your hair'! It was mental!" He exclaimed quietly, mimicking a girly voice which caused you to laugh

"Bloody hell...well you owe me then, huh?"

#dreamsmp #dsmp #mcyt #dream smp x reader #dsmp x reader #mcyt x reader #dream x reader #georgenotfound x reader #quackity x reader #technoblade x reader #foolishxreader #beescenarios #dsmp hogwarts au

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bapydemonprincess · 5 months

Text

Public School Arc but with Ash and Angela

Heyyyyyy so happy new year ect ect I made this sloppy drabble thing and I have done what I could, but also had to stop because I'm muddy headed trying to reach the conclusion I wanted but like, having to work up to it.. So, just being honest, this ends in cliffhanger territory and idk if I'll continue immediately.

Also spelling might be in shambles because IDC I am too tired and this is no professional fic grhrtdjyfkugyl

So enjoy what I managed, the sebash, the angelamey, and the hints of sebamey... And the rare MeyAsh...????? If you can call it that!

Ash and Angela stay with the servants as the Earl and Sebastian Michaelis go to Weston College.

It's nothing of consequence. A school of miscreant youthful boys, and the cursed boy and the demon going in to look for a missing student in particular.

...

Plus Mey Rin is still with them.

Angela wins all arguments as always.

And so the time passes and passes and because the infamous Earl and Queen's Guard Dog is missing no intruders arrive.

And things are calm and boring and Angela is happy with Mey Rin and Ash is moping but behaves and sees no reason to cause a scene.

What's the point if Sebastian isn't there to shut him up?

Exactly.

....

And then they all receive a letter (Well, it's addressed to Tanaka..) from Sebastian himself, giving them all a full report on the progress at Weston, and that currently, they are preparing for an annual cricket tournament.

"Although it is in your best interests to protect the manor at all times, one or two of you could come to see the event if you so wish. The young master is going to be playing in this tournament as well after all."

Thus there is a big discussion next on who should go and who should not.

...Except almost everyone WANTS to go.

Everyone except for..

""We won't mind staying behind at all, if need be, to watch the manor," Emily says.." Snake pipes up hesitantly, ""schools have always been quite intimidating for us.""

And thus the rest happily approve and agree and prepare for the trip.

And Angela is nagging her Other the whole time they pack.

"It'll likely be a one day affair. The trip to get there will be long, then a few hours of cricket, then we'll be returning."

A few hours is enough. Give me at least this much. It has been.. FOREVER since I have seen him...

"And yet.. you know he will be busy with whatever he and the boy have been doing all this time.."

Angela.. j-just LET ME HAVE THIS..

"...And so you resort to a tantrum finally," She huffs, snapping their suitcase shut.

Back out of the room Mey Rin is seen, fiddling with a cute little hat for the trip in a hall mirror.

"Ready to go?" Angela purrs, forgetting her irritation (with the sobbing voice in her head) completely.

"O-Oh yes, I think I am, I do!" the maid chirps, whirling about and fiddling anxiously with her long dark maroon skirts.

"I can't wait to get to Weston, no I can't.. I hope young master and Sebastian are doing okay so far! I-I mean from the letter it appears so, but.. I just.. I.. um.."

Mey Rin reddens, smiling in embarrassment, unable to look up at her angelic love.

"Sorry, Angela, I'm just happy to get to see Sebastian again, I am, I-I can't help it.." She admits timidly.

The angel sighs but certainly doesn't look put out. How can she with Mey Rin?

"You and Ash both," she simply replies, and gets a giggle for her trouble.

...

And Ash quiets down for now.

Good.

______________________

Now at Weston, and on the sidelines of the cricket tournament's field, all the servants are a buzz.

Especially Ash...

Where is he?? Do you see him, Angela?? Where is he, I can't see him from here, is he not going to be out here with the rest? He said he was a Professor of one of the Houses. Blue House. But I don't-

"Is.. e-everythin' alright, Angela?" Mey manages to somehow interrupt Ash's long barrage of griping.

They are both settled nicely on the picnic blanket set up for them via the chef, sitting side by side together to watch the match, and the maid takes a moment away from observing the goings on to place a hand gently on the other woman's.

"...It could be better," Angela admits as their head throbs thanks to Ash as well as the rowdy crowds of excited humans around them.

Angela especially prides herself on being up to snuff on socializing in public when need be.

But this is pushing it...

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I am. M-maybe we shoulda stayed back with Snake, we should.."

The sweet maid takes Angela's hand fully in both hers and squeezes it, as if to make up for not being able to hold the other woman here and now.

Angela's delicate high cheeks flush, as they are known to only do because of Mey Rin.

"Maybe, but even then we likely wouldn't have.. It was inevitable that we'd all bustle here to see these events.. and those we miss."

Once again the little mortal woman flushes up to her ears and looks down bashfully.

Angela swaps their hands so she is squeezing the maid's.

The match goes on and the best most of the servants can make out is the Blue House's team is losing..

And then somehow the American chef Bardroy comes through to explain what is all going on.

And also that he made a special meat pie for the occasion.

As Mey and Finny begin to openly fret over the young fiancee of the Earl sitting among them being poisoned by the chef's meat pie, the angel suddenly senses...

Sebastian???

"Huh? Is Sebastian here??" Mey asked, perking up from her worry and looking over at Angela.

Angela blushes, a hand over her lips.

You've made me slip up.

But Sebastian is-

SHUT UP.

"F-forgive me, I.. thought I saw him, but no, it was merely one of the more fancier dressed nobles up there, in those upper-class seatings.."

She points in the location described..

...And then realizes she also senses another non human presence from EXACTLY that location!

Is that... a grim reaper up there..?

What in God's name is going on at this cricket tournament.

______________________

The second half of tournament becomes quite peculiar too, when during one round, the Red Team seem to all abruptly come.. under attack?? No.. Poisoned?? No... Sick from something they ate..

And thus the Scarlet Fox House forfeit and the Sapphire Owl House wins.

Most of the Sapphire Owl House themselves seem baffled by this.. All except the little Earl Phantomhive, smirking away.

While most of the Earl's servants are confounded, the angel Angela shakes her head, lilac gaze looking out, directly at the boy, with judgement as usual.

______________________

Another break arrives.. and somehow the chef's meat pie has been changed.

A perfectly made pie is in its place, with arrangements that look and smell very familiar- if unconsciously -to the servants.

As usually the angel doesn't need to eat..

But...

A small piece is offered, from the maid's own fork.

Angela is ready to apologize and deny the offer, when-

Ash dives in, snarfing the piece from the presented fork, and chewing like a man whose starved of hunger for ages.

We cannot taste food as a human.

We never have.

We do however taste well prepared ingredients at their core

And sense the energy of the one who prepared this food.

The demon..

"I-Is... it good?" Mey asks, as before her Angela's closed eyes start to... weep.

"Y.. yes," Ash's familiar deep voice answers at first, choked up, and then as a hand goes up to rub at their drowning purple eyes, Angela's voice chokes out next, trying to answer normally, "I suppose it is, for.. a ah.. pie of meat."

Mey Rin simply giggles and offers a napkin.

"Between us, I think Mr. Tanaka some'ow got a meat pie from Sebastian, he did," she whispers to the angel.

And is met with a shaky sigh and laugh.

"..We think you might be onto something," Angela whispers back, dabbing at her eyes.

______________________

The Green House defeats the Purple eventually, and so it is down to Green vs Blue.

And while things are starting up in the last round, the audience anticipating a grand and interesting last event...

The angel is bored.

Starting to question if this was worth it, only to see the mischievous little Earl Phantomhive and his Blue House pull little trick after trick to get through this...

And...

There has been no sign at ALL of the demon!!!

Mey Rin blinks, as suddenly Angela flops down, head in her lap.

"A-Angela??"

The woman's eyes close.

And she openly pouts in a way very unlike her.

"We want to go. This wasn't worth it. Who cares about hitting a ball repeatedly..."

It's Ash's voice.

Mey Rin is stiff, uncertain...

Ash and her are on agreeable terms and even at times amiable.

But.. if Ash is in a mood this bad that he is griping through Angela...

Mey carefully puts a hand on the crown of white hair in her lap.

"I'm sorry you think that, Ash. It has been a long day, it has, but I'm sure once the cricket tournament is over proper.. we can see young master and Sebastian right away! ... A-at least.. I hope so too..."

Overhearing the sad and dour crack in the mortal woman's voice, Ash opens their eyes and slowly rolls over to face the maid.

She isn't looking right back, though.

Mey Rin appears also quite down, eyes away, distant, uncertain and emotional.

Her lips quiver but she tries to keep up the tiniest sad smile.

Ash's eyes widen, and the angel feels this familiar sting in their chest.

Of.. of regret...

Not in the way he has in times past; pulling off a stint of foolish proportions in order to gain attention and then proceeding to regret it when the attention gained was anger and yelling and unfortunately not sex and then a punishment of being left alone to think of what they've done.

But some kind of deeper regret, of just unknowingly not thinking- not realizing- something...

And although this is Angela's body still, Ash and she both move arms to wrap around the woman's waist, and hug her firmly.

"It'll be alright, Mey," Angela coos.

"... I hope so too," Ash murmurs.

Again Mey Rin's little hand is in their hair, stroking soft white locks.

Suddenly, a band across the field starts to play...

There has not been music this whole tournament, but suddenly someone has decided to start something up.

And it's something fast and very upbeat and Ash and Angela grimace...

While they distantly hear the maid gasp for some reason.

"I-Is that... 'Old on now.." She mumbles, and fumbles with her spectacles.

And then GASPS again!

"IT'S... THAT'S... IT'S SEBASTIAN!!!" She cries, over the loud roaring music.

"WHAT??"

Both Ash and Angela's voice cry in unison, and the angel shoots up from the maid's lap to look around urgently.

"There!! Look!! The one conductin' the band!!" Mey shouts again, one hand on their shoulder and one pointing in the proper direction.

And finally the angel sees.

The demon.

Across the way.

In front of a musical band of students, turned away, in some kind of robe or cape.. (i-is that a..) ...snapping his hand around in the air briskly to the beat of the music with a conductor's baton.

"Ohhh, Sebastian's so talented, he is!!" They manage to make out Mey Rin squealing, "Who knew he could conduct music, too!!"

"Yes, quite a feat," Angela manages distantly to answer, almost honestly...

And yet why is he do this...

But that answer becomes clear as they catch on that every clash of cymbals, one of the Blue Team hits a ball.

But before the angel can roll their eyes at this new gimmick, it's already ended, the Green team having still outwitted them, and also..

The conducting demon is gone..

Leaving behind the band standing there in confusion and a young fellow student holding the baton now.

....

"What??? Why did he leave so fast??"

"....Hm, maybe to plan another tactic."

"But... then why... what was the POINT.. that.. THAT STUPID DEMON, I AUGHT TO FIND HIM AND-"

"He was wearing a ferraiolo cape..."

".....What."

Ash's voice had snapped out from Angela's lips harshly at this observation his Other had made.

And yet he could not refute it, for he too knew what it looked like, and it and he had been wearing all black from top to bottom, and he had said in his letters he had become a professor and...

Weston College was known to hold a long standing history of... Catholicism...

"The demon... dressing not only as a teacher but as... a.... p-p-p... priest...."

Ash was uttering in a low voice.

"...I do think I saw a rosary 'round his neck at one point, I did,"

Mey Rin muttered.. behind her hand. As if she herself was afraid of what her sharp eyes had managed to see.

"Th..... That..... that......."

"A-Ash.." Mey hesitantly warned.

"That.... damned...... DEMON."

Angela's form was standing, and storming off in a flurry.

And Mey Rin promptly covered her eyes.

"Oh dear.. This is probably why he didn't want all of us to come, he didn't.."

???? The End/ To Be Continued ????

#kuroshitsuji #sebastian michaelis #mey rin #ash landers #angela blanc #sebamey #sebash #angelamey #my writing

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selfindulgentsillinessbracket · 1 year

Text

A Huge Update Post!!!!!!

Hi everyone, @thattoastygecko (your moderator) here. It is me.

This bracket has been quiet recently but now it is time to resume it. But I have a buncha changes to make bc let's face it, this bracket? It's an unorganized mess lmao

Congrats to our last winners!

Also I was thinking of going back to doing 2 groups of contestants at a time again, y'know 8 votes at once. Because let's face it this bracket is huge & honestly some of the entrants I kiiiind of wish I didn't put in.

Example of what I mean: Hanamusa. Don't get me wrong I love that ship, they've brought me so much comfort. But honestly they got like 600 votes. & Something about seeing them bring in THAT MUCH ATTENTION but none of the other polls got anywhere close to that kind of attention & knowing they'll probably just completely sweep the entire thing makes me think putting them in was not a great move. If only because it's gonna be super unfair & also makes me a bit sad that none of the other parts of the bracket are gonna get that much attention. I SWEAR IF I EVER TOOK THEM OUT IT'S NOT BECAUSE I HATE THEM IM HAPPY IF THEY WIN ITS JUST

seeing the rest of the poll get ignored so hard in comparison just makes me sad bc i feel like it means i did a crummy job on the rest of the tournament when it doesnt involve them, it's entirely my fault & just how my brain is, so pls understand that

But ultimately I am gonna avoid doing this, because I also don't wanna remove anyone. I mean if any character is in this poll, its because they damn well earned the right to be in this poll. They all mean something to me even if its just very very barebones like "they look cool"

I mean I put my own OCs in this fucking poll ffs & I know all of those guys are probably gonna lose. I love Oddworld but that series is obscure & I know they won't win.

LOOK AT POOR BLINX. I LOVE BLINX BUT LETS FACE IT YOU GUYS PROBABLY DONT KNOW WHO THIS IS & HES PROBABLY NOT GONNA WIN THIS NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT HIM TO.

Please pray for this poor cat guys, he's gonna need it. Because he's struggled to get the love he damn well deserves & by god I want him to win at least one match on this poll. He deserves at least that much.

I'm gonna try to not remove them tho bc I would feel bad if I did too, bc it's my fault for not realizing how immediatley biased this site is gonna be in their favor. I think it's just on me for not thinking that through, but I promise you guys

I PROMISE YOU AINT GONNA BE LIKE THE MODERATOR FOR THAT SAPPHIC SHIPS BRACKET THAT CANCELLED THE WHOLE THING BECAUSE THEY WERE WINNING & THEY WERE IDK SALTY OR WHATEVER???? LIKE OK BRO BUT IF YOU DIDNT WANT THEM TO WIN YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE PUTTING THEM IN BUT IM AT LEAST ADMITTING ITS MY FAULT FOR PUTTING THEM IN HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE KNOWING HOW BIASED IT WAS GONNA BE GIVEN ALL THE CONTEXT BEHIND WHAT THE SHIP WAS BUILT WITH. Aka being kickstarted by a well known popular storyboard artist with a big following & being yknow on here of all sites and etc. Like yeah it's gonna instantly be a landslide in their favor to some degree. It's like putting Rise Donatello in this bracket & being angry when he is gonna start sweeping too. Because we all know Donnie is gonna be winning several rounds at least. I know he will. & I love Rise Donnie so I'm okay with it. Donnie Nation strong. I AINT GONNA BE A BITCH LIKE THAT OTHER POLL THO NO MATTER WHAT. Like No I aint gonna cancel the whole bracket over them, if Delia & Jessie win? Fuck it I mean I put them here I knew it was gonna end up this way the second they were in the limelight. But no matter what happens I ain't gonna disqualify them for existing. I guess it's more just the fact that they got so much more attention & I cvan't help but put myself down for it.

I just kinda wanted to vent about it a bit because I was being overly mean to myself & I know it's just my brain being a jerk. So I'm gonna keep my spirits up

Also I mean heck the attention picked up a bit. Rayman fans apparently felt seen in my statements so thanks rayman nation for that. I too am salty about ubisofts treatment. Speaking of:

Thanks to your votes: MURFY IS BEING PUT IN THE BRACKET!!!

AND THANKS TO ANOTHER BONUS

MIKU IS BACK!! & After discussing it with some friends in group chats, they told me I should team her up with one of my OCs. So I went with my MAIN OC ZOEY!!

Speaking of Zoey:

1. My blog @thornsboroughcomic is a thing Zoey is the protag also thanks for voting her it means a lot to me I cried a few times ngl

ZOEY GOT A FULL REDESIGN A BIT AGO: Behold Zoey's current design. :]

And now Hatsune Miku has been brought back from elimination after you guys voted her to come back!! And Zoey is a huge Miku stan so she's very excited to team up with her.

And while I'm here: I'm gonna reveal to you guys some of the new contestants entering the bracket!!

I might also consider bringing back more old contestants who got eliminated via voting & maybe I'll start having team ups happen periodically that you guys vote on. I want this bracket to be just, I'm gonna embrace what a total mess it is. It's unorganized, chaotic & nonsensical & I think we just gotta embrace the pure chaos of it all. So that's what we're gonna do!!

A FEW OF THE MANY NEW CONTESTANTS COMING IN!!

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kirchefuchs · 10 months

Note

Ceres help me it is 3:58am and I have been tossing and turning in my bed for the past 30 minutes and I can't sleep

anyway

Now that I've watched a few episodes (read: 2 episodes) of Trigun (the og 1998 anime btw–), I can officially deduce that the Trigun mf (I have no idea what to call him help ☠️ do I just call him Vash–) is 100% silly

I CAN'T TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY DUDE AND I LOVE HIM FOR THAT. REALEST ENERGY RIGHT THERE ☝️ I WOULD HUG HIM and probably get berated by the short-haired lady (I suck at names 😭) but wHATEVER I'D STILL HUG HIM ANYWAY and also give him a box of those donuts he got

but now

i have to ask—does Vash go Super Serious Mode™ in an episode that doesn't include a woman like Marianne (I think that was her name 😭❓ RAHHH I SUCK AT NAMES I'M SO SORRY)

if he d o e s tho,

and I ask you this politely–

describe why in the weirdest, most nonsensical way possible

"local florida man simply decided to wear a dino suit one day and was promptly screwed by the local government" type of nonsensical

and then type the episode

so that once I get to that episode, I'll finally understand the context and what you were trying to say :D

(context for this very unusual request: I tend to do this with @ann-aha (< on a temporary no-wifi vacation) whenever I get into a series that she is conveniently obsessed with (she also does this with me towards The Stanley Parable lmao–) andd I decided to do this with you cuuuz idk, ur a friend in my book)

— 🅰️non, on the very ungodly time between 3:58am and 4:14 am || 18/07/2023 [decided to change it lol– it's now DD/MM/YYYY]

I love my silly little guy so much. He truly means the world to me. And don't worry about the names, I suck at names too but you'll get used to them eventually.

(You have no idea how honored I am to have you consider me a friend ♡)

I couldn't pick just one, and maybe not all of them fit the "Vash going serious mode™" but most of them do so I'm putting of of then here. I just love Trigun so much. It's so good. I'm so excited to watch as you get further into it.

Anyways, here's those descriptions you asked for and the episodes they're from

Local blonde man shoots Goliath's fist five times to save moms that tried to kill him earlier that day. Episode 5

Hungover man and his supposed boyfriend (also hungover) win local quick draw tournament with the power of love and incredible amounts of guns. Episode 10

Supposed amnesiac strips naked and barks like a dog to protect found family from bandits. Episode 18

Wandering priest slaps victim of multiple bullet wounds, with the pretense that the victim is "just pretending" and "he's actually fine". Episode 18

Local priest has to be reminded of the commandment "thou shalt not kill" by infamous gunman toting a sixty billion double-dollar bounty on his head. Episode 18

Local priest and infamous gunman clear town of bandits in the most homosexual way possible. Episode 18

First person declared a human natural disaster has breakdown over donuts as he realizes his feelings for man doomed by the narrative. Episode 24

(I realize I did 4 for episode 18, but to be fair, it is one of my favorites)

#ask #🅰️non #kirche rambles #trigun #trigun 1998 #trigun 98 #vash the stampede #i also mentioned #nicholas d. wolfwood #in a few of the desc.#i love wolfwood so much

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daisy-the-spider · 1 month

Text

AU Cagematch: Doc, GiantFell, & Sprocket

[Me]: I sometimes like to picture all my guys across all AUs in a cagematch setting.

Like, for whatever reason, they’re all participating in an event where different pairs get pitted against each other. They can’t leave–or maybe they don’t feel like it if the stakes are low and nobody can die in the setting. But they can still take lasting damage. They can’t influence whatever force is administrating this, so they play along out of curiosity. None of them intend to really hurt each other anyway, treating it like sportsmanlike sparring.

There are three rules:

1) Any challenger must have an opponent, and one will be chosen at random if no one volunteers.

2) The challenger stays until they’re defeated. No one can interfere unless they’re tagged in.

3) The match doesn’t end until one or the other is defeated, which could mean getting tagged out or incapacitated or quitting.

[My friend]: omg the dbz tournament

[Me]: YES EXACTLY

Anyway, everything’s pretty chill until a very big, very mean Underfell!Papyrus arrives as a challenger.

This Papyrus is from a thing I made up called GiantFell, which is just Fell but more apocalyptically fucked up. Sans ‘n Paps have a real bad dynamic that usually ends up with them getting in a big fight and never speaking to each other again. So, that’s where this guy’s coming from.

And he looks like this:

He bares his teeth and barks and hurls insults at all the people on the bleachers, egging them on to provide him with a worthy challenge. His voice rumbles out like sharp heavy gravel. Chainmail shudders from under his gnarled armor with each step. Nobody looks eager to volunteer, but knowing that the weaker among them could be chosen instead makes them nervous.

Then, another huge lumbering Papyrus gets to his feet.

He goes by Doc. He’s a sort of perma-fusion of a Fell!Paps and an Outertale!Paps. He’s part of a settlement of survivors who had their worlds destroyed through various means, trying to carve out a living in a very expanded version of the Void on a floating chunk of land with some houses and part of the Core left on it. These two Papyruses never got along at first, but slowly grew to be best friends over time. When they developed a fatal corruption that slowly ate away at their HP and functionality, a friend stepped in to help. (It was Blinker, if you remember him.)

Blinker rewrote their code and made them one person in order to save their lives. And it worked. Largely. They’re plenty stable now–it just takes a lot of energy to keep them going. Being one was strange at first, but it allowed for an unparalleled level of introspection. He sees himself as a more complete version of the people he was before. The whole event also persuaded him to pursue physiological studies of magic and medicine, hence the name.

So, the two Papses inside this guy’s head take a look at this other guy and see the malicious insecurity and self-concerned overconfidence that used to plague them as individuals.

Doc is chosen and approaches the arena. His brothers, a Fell!Sans by blood (well, “blood”) and Mafia!Sans by circumstance, try to stop him. But he won’t listen and refuses to let either or both of them take his place. His opponent looks him up and down and smiles.

GF!Paps: What weak stock. A friendly challenge compels only a shambling amalgam to step forward as sacrifice.

Doc: Actually, it’s because I’m ashamed of you.

The challenger isn’t smiling anymore.

A bell dings.

[My friend]: SLAAAY GET HIS ASS

[Me]: The fight doesn’t last very long, however. Doc makes a few clever and surprising moves that needle the small weaknesses in his opponent’s brutal fighting style. But he gets hit, thrown, and stunned much more often. Despite being a little bigger than GiantFell, Doc just doesn’t have the constitution for this kind of seasoned predator. His brothers call forfeit before anything serious happens.

GF: You can’t do that. He has to call it.

Doc: I forfeit. I’m done. You win.

The unseen hand of the organizer pulls the victor away from his exhausted opponent. The latter grumbles as Doc’s family helps him back to the bleachers.

GiantFell stomps around the ring, calling for a real challenge. He acts unfazed, but Doc can’t help feeling satisfied with the chip he put in the ogre’s chin that must still be smarting.

Another spectator, Sprocket–

glances at the motionless crowd around them and stands up.

Sprocket: Sure, I’ll give it a shot.

Hearts sink into stomachs all around the arena. None of them know this guy, but they’ve been a really sweet and charming person in the time they’ve been here. Their matches have all been amicable, ending with handshakes. They even lost a couple by ring-out–just from getting shoved unexpectedly. The fact that they just witnessed the last match and are throwing their hat in like this is baffling.

The only thing easing the unrest is the fact that their… they must be their cousins…aren’t doing anything about it.

(Not that they could. Unbeknownst to the crowd, the twins are literally unable to FIGHT, ACT, FLEE, or do much of anything in battle. They always have been. They’re just bugged like that. And intervening now would technically count whether they like it or not.)

The two of them only raise an eyeridge and watch as Sprocket takes the stage. Sprocket’s metal exoskeletal body shines dimly in the light where it escapes the faded denim of their clothes. They must be made of very low-grade salvage. Dingy green and grey that’s been forged and folded a dozen times, and then polished to high heaven. Their plated shoes tink against the floor, like they’re made of aluminum.

GiantFell scoffs.

GF: Now what? Head of the goofball team?

Sprocket chuckles.

Sp: Hero of the Underground, actually. :)

GF: Hm. Are you sure you want to do this?

Sprocket lolls their head and shrugs.

Sp: Hey, I’m game. But you can back out, if you’d rather. No hard feelings.

GiantFell’s sour smirk grows wider. He sets his feet apart. So does Sprocket.

The fight begins. GiantFell throws some barbed bones at Sprocket, who ducks and hops around them with the flexibility of a wobble board. One of them narrowly misses their shoulder. They run half a circle around their opponent to get at an unprotected side, but he instantly clocks what they’re trying to do. He turns and rushes at Sprocket. Sprocket dashes back on their heel and tries hard to counter the savage monster that lunges with its claws over and over, closer and closer. His pinprick red eyes stare into Sprocket’s acrylic ones.

GF: I confess, I’ve never seen anything like you before. But I can guess at what’s hiding inside that ramshackle suit of armor. However much skeleton you may have in you, you’re just a paper-thin little ghost playing the brave knight.

A heavy clenching sound makes the spectating crowd jump. The two combatants stand at the edge of the ring. GiantFell towers over Sprocket with a claw wrenched down on their left arm. The same arm has its fingers wrapped around the giant’s breastplate in a desperate gesture of control. Their other arm is splayed to the side for balance. They’re leaned back past their center of gravity by over a foot, and their feet are an inch from a ring-out.

GiantFell leers for a moment.

GF: Don’t worry. I won’t let this end that easily.

He steps back to pull Sprocket in for more punishment.

Or, he tries. His legs go, but the rest of him doesn’t. He tugs harder. Sprocket doesn’t move a bit.

Still holding onto the ribcage, Sprocket takes two steps forward to straighten up. Each step lands with the full weight of Sprocket’s metal body–heavy thuds against the stone floor. Tiny pebbles leap from the vibrations. As the giant strains to retract, Sprocket pulls him closer as if to share a secret.

Sp: And ghosts… can float.

They reel up a knee and kick GiantFell to the center of the ring, letting him take the arm with him. A long attached chain simultaneously unravels from Sprocket’s shoulder. Then, it suddenly runs out, yanking GF harshly in the opposite direction. The crowd can’t help jeering a bit as the beast comes very close to falling on his face. Sprocket’s left hand lets go, pulling the chain away a little with their right. They wait for their opponent to regain his footing. He looks up with daggers where the pinpricks were. Sprocket looks back at him with a stone face and eyes laced with something all too familiar. Contempt. Ridicule. Scorn.

GiantFell snarls and raises a wave of sharpened bones from the floor that thunders toward Sprocket. Long before it can reach them, they send a signal down their chain-arm. In the blink of an eye, it expands, exposes a layer of hidden components, and reforms as a flail head. Sprocket draws it across the arena with all their might. It shatters the bones and almost catches the sender by the ankles. They throw it again. And again. They hit the giant. They miss. They hit again. It shouldn’t be this easy to hit a target this way, but Sprocket has clearly had practice. GiantFell slings a metacarpal dart whenever he can, but they all whiff. He tries to grab the chain once, but it’s electrified. The wrecking ball doesn't let up until a stray sweep lands it buried in the floor near some spectators. Everyone’s okay, though.

Sp: Oh! (Crap.) Sorry!

GiantFell has already taken his opening. He body checks Sprocket’s left side at top speed. They hit the floor with a short ear-splitting skid. Their shoulder is dented, and they’re disoriented. The chain struggles to retract. They get their wits back just in time to block a flurry of vengeful attacks. They keep it up as they slowly pull their arm back in place and get to their feet.

Combat becomes much closer quarters. They trade bones and blows with equal ferocity. Between the snapping of his jaws in Sprocket’s face, GiantFell finds time to banter.

GF: What a surprise! You’re more interesting than I thought.

He sweeps a leg at Sprocket, who springs back light as a feather.

GF: Your prowess is adequate and… creative, I’ll give you that. But what I want to know is where you got that look in your eye.

Sprocket ignores him.

The giant springs a floor trap of curled bones on them. They leap back again, less gracefully than before. The sound of joints finessing 2,000 pounds of metal rings out. Music to his ears. They’re getting tired.

Sprocket takes the defensive for a while, giving GiantFell more room to talk.

GF: You know, I think I like it here. Most of you weaklings will never know the true challenges of survival until a child with a knife comes to your door. But this at least gives you a taste of what it’s like to wonder when you’ll be thrown into the ring with death. They all cower and shiver and take their stand before me like they’ve already lost.

Sprocket bashes a barbed bone club with their wrist, raining white shards and dust before their determined face.

GF: But you… You get it, don’t you? What have you lost? What have you seen that killed the part of you that cowers?

Sp: You talk like a flower I know.

The two wind up in a grapple, struggling to overcome each other’s strength. Sprocket’s rivets and coils groan.

The giant narrows his eyes.

GF: Why hold yourself back?

He glances at Sprocket’s cousins, still watching placidly from the bleachers.

GF: It only weakens you further.

Sp: The people I protect are what make me strong.

The giant nods almost imperceptibly.

GF: While your resolve lasts. But there are bigger things out there. In the dark. You’ll see sooner or later, if you haven’t already.

Sp: You disgust me.

Sprocket gives him more of that cold stare. Then, it turns into a smile. A powerful electric shock cracks between the combatants’ palms, prodding GiantFell to back away.

Sp: Ha! I got you twice!

GiantFell recalculates as Sprocket approaches. Magenta lightning leaps between their cheek and temple, chin and chest, ribs and spine, and any crack he’s managed to make in their armor. Their black synthetic hair begins to stand on end. Their ruby soul glows hot in their chest.

This is where the fight gets feral. It’s a blur of magic, bones, boots, and fangs. The aura around Sprocket grows so heavy that it looks like GiantFell is trying to tear apart a dying sun. Electricity arcs everywhere, within feet of the spectators. The combatants throw all of their remaining strength and agility at one another, pushing themselves to top each other’s moves without thinking much about the one that comes after. GiantFell isn’t unused to this kind of reactive combat, letting instinct carry him through. It isn’t until he catches Sprocket’s eyes again that a full thought forms.

He can see the magic of their soul burning through the acrylic. His other opponent’s colors were green and blue. Kindness and integrity. Weakness. Anyone where he comes from would be afraid and ashamed to show anything but red–determination, survival, power. He’s seen lots of shades of red in his time.

He’s never seen a red quite like this.

Away from his line of focus, Sprocket prepares a sucker punch with white hot knuckles. It rockets toward him with as much sureness and weight as it can carry. GiantFell then leans–or falters, hard to say–out of the way and shoves his foot upside Sprocket’s jaw instead.

Steel bends and snaps throughout their torso. The crowd cringes with sympathetic pain.

Sprocket stumbles backward, holding their neck like it needs the help to do its job. They’re fighting to stay standing. GiantFell laughs maniacally.

However, before anyone can get too worried about Sprocket, the laughter trickles away. The giant passes out and lays still on the floor of the ring. Sprocket has won. The entire arena cheers.

As the unseen hand picks the loser up off the floor, the victor manages to find enough balance to walk. Being made vertical helps GiantFell regain consciousness, though he’s still groggy.

Sprocket approaches with calm light steps and extends with their better arm to shake.

Sp: Good match.

The giant just starts laughing again, maybe misunderstanding or unbelieving that he lost. It doesn’t matter. He’s out like a light again before Sprocket can put their hand back down.

They head to the bleachers, glad that’s over. Sitting down, their overworked armature finally gets a rest. The twins, free from the spell cast by the fight, instantly start assessing damage.

Kanover: You okay?

Cronus: Happy you got that out of your system?

Sp: Yeah, yeah.

Pretty much everything is bent or dented or scratched, but that’s no big deal. Sprocket’s always been a rough-and-tumble kid.

They look deeper. Sprocket rolls their eyes patiently as their head is pushed aside to make it easier to see down their collar.

Cr: Oh, wow. Did he detach your back muscles?

Kanover reaches in and pulls out a cluster of load-bearing contraptions of greasy rough steel as thick as your wrist.

Ka: Like three of them.

Cr: Okay, better hop out so we can fix it.

He taps Sprocket’s shoulder with the flat of his hand. A pink ghost with most of a blue skeleton inside phases out of the metal suit and hovers nearby. They wait, glancing back at the ring as the unseen hand removes GiantFell from the arena. After loitering quietly for a bit, they decide to leave and disappear between the bleachers.

This is when Doc realizes he’s been staring at them since the match ended.

He goes looking for them. There are corridors behind the rows of seats in this big weird unfamiliar space they’ve all found themselves in. He heads down the one where Sprocket went, follows it around a few corners, and finds the little ghost sitting alone against the wall.

They look… sad. Curled up with their head on what would be their knees, staring at nothing. Doc considers leaving them be, but they notice him before he can back away.

Doc: Hello, there.

Sp: Uh, hi. It’s you.

Their voice is so much higher and thinner without their body. Doc can’t guess them being older than 16.

He tries to be unintimidating (hard for a guy his size). He crouches down.

Doc: That was impressive. You’re a clever fighter.

Sp: Thanks.

Doc: And a brave one.

They look away.

Sp: I know a bully when I see one.

Doc: What’s the matter? Is it that you didn’t get the final blow?

Doc can remember a time when that would’ve kept him awake fuming all night.

Sp: No, I don’t care about that. The stuff he said was just stupid, that’s all.

Doc waits, sensing that there’s more.

Sprocket weighs what to say. Maybe this one, of all people, might understand.

Sp: He’s right, though.

Doc: About what?

Sp: I like fighting. I shouldn’t, but I do.

Doc: I don’t think that’s bad, necessarily. It’s been keeping us all sane here so far.

Sp: No, I mean… violence. You know? Whatever makes humans the way they are and makes us act like they do.

Doc was hoping they didn’t mean that.

Sprocket’s soft skeleton face twists bitterly.

Sp: My home is… We’re long past where we should have had our happy ending. Things are bad, and there’s no one left to save us. I have to be what people need and help them, but the harder I try the more this… evil thing comes out of me when I get mad. And I hate it when people know how to get it out of me. That guy was spoiling for an ugly fight, and I gave him one. He wanted to mess with me, and I let him. He won.

Doc: I doubt he feels that way now.

Sp: Then we both lost.

They bury their head in their knees again.

Doc watches them for a moment, then sits next to them against the wall.

Doc: Well, if being scared and frustrated makes you evil, I guess I’ve been pretty evil too. Even the part of me that wasn’t already like that guy in there.

Sprocket refuses to be cheered by that.

Sp: I have to be better than this.

Doc: Or else what? The world will end?

Sp: Basically!

Sprocket splays their hands with exasperation.

Doc: And nobody’s trying but you?

Sp: Of course everyone’s trying, but what if it’s not enough without me? Nobody has power like I do. I have to use it for something worthwhile, don’t I? Especially with all the problems and changes and… freaking evil flowers that keep attacking my cousins.

Doc: But then using that power too much makes you “evil”.

Sprocket gets quiet again.

Sp: I just don’t want them to see me not… not the way I want them to. I want to just be good. The twins kind of already know, and I don’t even know any of the people here. But there have been a few times at home where I almost got found out.

Doc: Found out being “evil”.

Sp: Yeah.

Doc: Found out feeling frustrated and scared in a time where everything is frustrating and scary?

Sp: …

Sp: I–But what if–

Doc: Do you wanna know the secret to getting under people’s skin? How they keep getting the “evil” out when they want it?

Sprocket just looks at him.

Doc: It only works if they know you’re scared of it.

Sprocket leans back against the wall as that sinks in.

Sp: Oh.

Doc: I used to be really afraid of what people would see. If I wasn’t all determination and power. Or if I wasn’t actually filled with as much boundless confidence and brilliant strategy or whatever it was I thought I was supposed to have. But even in difficult times, trying to keep all of it up ended up making me a much worse person than just letting people know what I really am.

Sp: And what are you?

Doc: Silly.

Sprocket can’t fight a smile.

Doc: And not always very bright or brave or tough. But I do get to be me more often, and I haven’t had any complaints or apocalypses yet. And I’m sure your cousins would appreciate not having to put you back together again.

Sp: It does kind of happen a lot.

Doc: So you agree?

Sprocket lolls their head to the side again, feigning deep thought.

Sp: Fine. You win.

Doc extends a hand.

Doc: Good fight.

They shake.

Sprocket heads back to their family, gliding through the air with youthful energy. It makes Doc feel the aches and age in his bones.

As he walks back, a thought occurs to him. Was there anything to that last thing GiantFell said? About Sprocket having seen something that would make them give in to malice entirely? Something the flower would know. Something outside the world they were meant to see. Sprocket’s reaction at the time makes him uneasy. As does the fact that they kept up a facade of weakness and naivety even before any real threat emerged. Just in case.

He looks up at the absent roof of the arena, at the endless blackness of the Void.

For the sake of his own family, who now live outside of any normal world, it may be worth finding out. But he supposes now may not be the right time to ask.

Problems for later, he tells himself.

He goes to find his brothers.

----

So this was a casual idea-vomiting session with a friend that got away from me real quick lmao. (My friend loved reading it, by the way. I didn't just leave them in the dust with thousands of words.)

As it turns out, I enjoy coming back to this era of au madness a whole lot. I may do it more often in the future.

Many of the characters I play with are regulars pulled from other people's aus and hcs. But Doc, GiantFell, Sprocket, the twins, and Blinker are all of my own invention (with consideration for obvious influences like regular Fell and Inktale). Feel free to play with them yourself if you want, though.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

#undertale aus #ut aus #au nexus #au cagematch #doc #giantfell #sprocket #papyrus #papyrus fusion #cronus #kanover #cronus and kanover #blinker sans #blue ink sans #ut au fics #ut au fanfiction

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duhragonball · 1 year

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Dragon Ball Super 086

Tonight: Dragon Ball Super meets MIR.

So I must have forgotten about this scene, but rather than simply tell Goku where to find Android 17, Dende puts his hand on the Lookout and makes it fly through the air like a blimp.

Of course, the Nyoi’bo is still connecting the Lookout to the top of Korin Tower, so Dende has to retract it first. The Nyoi’bo thing has always annoyed me, because the animators never seemed to be able to decide whether it’s still there or not. I think Dragon Ball Super has been consistent about it being in place, but we’ve only seen the Lookout a few times in this series, so that might just be luck. At least this episode acknowledges that it’s there, and that they have to disconnect it before the Lookout can move.

All I know for sure is that Dragon Ball Z kept flip-flopping on this, and I never understood what the “right” answer was supposed to be. I guess I should check the manga, but that might not settle anything either. We see Goku use the Nyoi’bo a handful of times after he connects Korin Tower with the Lookout, so the implication is that he didn’t just leave it there. And now that everyone can just fly or teleport to the Lookout, the connection serves no purpose, right?

Anyway, while they’re heading for the island preserve that 17 works at, Dende tells Goku that Kid Buu has been reincarnated as an Earthling boy with phenomenal power. He’s too young to be of any help at the Tournament of Power, but Dende still thinks it would be a good idea for Goku to train the kid when he’s a little older. I’m not sure what the point of this is, unless they were worried fans would ask why Uub isn’t being recruited for the Tournament of Power. Also, Goku seemed to already be aware of Uub way back in Episode 29 or so, when he was trying to assemble a team for the last tournament.

Anyway, they finally arrive, and it’s this big island, which 17 apparently protects all by himself. Goku is surprised to learn that this is what 17′s been doing all these years, but Dende kept tabs on him ever since the Cell Games, and he says 17 got married and has three kids.

When Goku arrives, he finds 17 fighting off a small army of poachers. He explains that no matter how many times he defeats them, they keep coming back to the island.

Goku asks why poachers would be so determined to hunt on this island, and 17 shows him the minotaur, a mythical creature hunted to extinction for its horns. 17 speculates that the minotaur on the island may be the last one on Earth. And there’s other fantastic creatures living on the island as well, which attracts the attention of poachers who can’t find them anywhere else.

After showing Goku around, 17 asks him why he came here, and Goku asks to spar with him to test his strength.

And 17 seems to keep up surprisingly well. Dende told Goku that he had gotten much stronger since the Androids Saga. And Popo says that a lot has happened on Earth while Goku’s been having adventures in space.

17 can even keep up with Goku at Super Saiyan Blue, although it’s hard to tell who would win since they cut the fight short to avoid damaging the island. This whole power boost for 17 seemed kind of far-fetched to me, but I forgot about the minotaur, and that explains why poachers would go to such great lengths to attack 17, and how 17 would need to train hard to keep up. It still seems a little convenient that he would have gotten this strong, but whatever. Super Saiyan Blue was kind of an asspull itself, so I can’t fault Toriyama for letting the other characters “catch up” to it.

So they talk at 17′s ranger station, and Goku asks to see pictures of his wife and kids.

So 17 shows him, but not us. Now I see why the fans were so up in arms about never getting to see 17′s family. Normally when a character shows a picture to another character, the audience gets to see it too. I mean, unless it’s something unsuitable for broadcast. Maybe all of 17′s kids were making obscene gestures.

So Goku finally explains his business with 17, and then we cut to Beerus, who has finished eating what he thinks is his last meal, and now he’s gonna take a nap. This actually matters later.

Back to Goku and 17, they discuss the Tournament of Power, but 17 declines to enter. He can’t leave his post, not even for the two hours it would take to participate in the event. Goku offers to have Goten and Trunks guard the place while they’re away, but 17 isn’t comfortable with that. Goku also repeats his earlier lie about a ten million zeni prize, but 17 doesn’t need the money, since his job pays surprisingly well. Finally, 17 convinces Goku to tell him what he’s been hiding this whole time, and Goku admits that their universe will be erased if they lose.

But 17 still won’t join the team. The way he sees it, if the universe gets erased, it’ll be the obliteration for everyone, not just the weak and helpless. That’s a fate he can accept.

Meanwhile, a bunch of space poachers have arrived at Earth. Their leader literally says “time to do some poaching!” or words to that effect. This show isn’t known for its subtly, so I can’t complain.

#dragon ball #dragon ball super #2023dbapocryphaliveblog #goku #dende #mr popo #android 17 #beerus

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richincolor · 1 year

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Book Review: Daughters of Oduma

Title: Daughter of Oduma

Author: Moses Ose Utomi

Genres: Fantasy

Pages: 368

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Review Copy: ARC by publisher

Availability: Available now

Summary:

Eat. Dance. Fight.

This is the life of the girls who compete in the Isle’s elite, all-female fighting sport of Bowing. But it isn’t really Dirt’s life anymore. At sixteen, she is old and has retired from competition. Instead, she spends her days coaching the younger sisters of the Mud Fam and dreading her fast-approaching birthday, when she’ll have to leave her sisters to fulfill whatever destiny the Gods choose for her.

Dirt’s young sisters are coming along nicely, and the Mud Fam is sure to win the upcoming South God Bow tournament, which is crucial: the tiny Fam needs the new recruits that come with victory. Then an attack from a powerful rival leaves the Mud without their top Bower, and Dirt is the only one who can compete in the tournament. But Dirt is old, out of shape, and afraid. She has never wanted to be a leader. Victory seems impossible—yet defeat would mean the end of her beloved Fam. And no way is Dirt going to let that happen.

Review: *Sigh* I really wanted to fall in love with this book as I found it an interesting premise for a debut fantasy novel. It seemed very different from the typical “hero’s journey” type of story that has the chosen main character on some journey to save the world. In “Daughters of Oduma” Dirt’s chosen family is her world and she must save them. I expected a very different type of fantasy and I definitely did, but to me there was something missing. I initially could’t figure it out as I was reading as I struggled to connect to the story. It was later as I realized what took me out of the novel so many times was that the world building felt incomplete to me and I was struggling due to not having these answers.

Daughters of Oduma was set on some island country(?) on some world where children were split into groups of four communities (the Bower Girls, the Butterfly/Mosquito Girls, the Pusher Boys, and the Flag Boys). There is only one adult (Antie Yaya) who seems to oversee all of the groups (I think) but definitely knows more than she lets on. The Bower Girls are the sporty girls of this society and the novel focuses on the biggest tournament of their year, the God Bow Tournament. As you can see, I had some confusion about location and the structure of the society. Also, my teacher instincts kicked in and I was very troubled that there were no other adults around. The ages of the girls in Dirt’s fam range from 4 to 16, with no adult taking care of them according to what I understand of the societal set up and I couldn’t help but worry about the kids. This one concern kept taking me out of the story as I wondered “who initially taught the children to survive?” “Who taught the children all the rules of the God Bow tournament?” “Who built all the structures described in the story?” “How did a world without adults come to be?” I feel like this is where world building broke down because there was no mythos introduced that would help us make sense of this world; it was if we were dropped in a moment of time in Dirt’s life and we were expected to know the same information that Dirt did. And while that idea is usually true, in many fantasy novels establishing mythos is usually told through beliefs or stories to help orient the reader to the world of the novel. I feel like Utomi could have slowed down some of the action of the novel to establish his world more clearly.

On the other hand, Daughters of Oduma moved at a brisk pace. There were definitely some gut wrenching moments, specifically the event that has Dirt realize that in order to save her family she must come out of retirement to compete in the tournament. The relationships with the sisters was lovely and really showed why Dirt was willing to do anything to save her family. The stakes were truly very high for Dirt as she had two weeks to get herself in shape in order to compete, but also had to overcome her mental blocks, which I felt were the strongest aspect of the novel. Dirt was happy in her “retirement” because she really didn’t enjoy Bowing and to find herself in the position of having to fight or else is not just a physical battle but an emotional battle and the journey that Dirt goes on was written beautifully. There were many times where I felt with and for her as self-doubt can really harm us and hold us back. I was with her when she had to fight her inner demons, or the Whispers as they were called in the novel, in order to stand for her family. To me, Dirt’s inner life was the strongest aspect of the novel.

Overall, while I didn’t fall in love with the novel I do not see it as time wasted. I was into it at many points and connected with some of the characters. The story moved well and there were many wonderful moments that I truly enjoyed.

#book review #weneeddiversebooks

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sanchoyo · 1 year

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arc v 51-65 thoughts! JACK IS HERE FINALLY!!!! also crow. also, prison arc. they sent 14 year olds to actual adult prison! the gang learned about classism, corruption in the system and that you cant Beat Cops with Smiles, but with your Fists :)

-ok. in the back end of the reiji v yuya duel yuya seems surprised to hear yuzu is okay, just taken. and im like. OH IS THAT WHY HES SO UPSET?? HE THOUGHT SHE WAS /DEAD/??? I mean. you know what thats fair. being turned into a piece of paper/cardboard(?) cards. would usually mean death I guess and he did think thats what happened to her. I still think its silly for him to be so pissed at reiji who by all accounts is the nicest ygo rich guy in the entire serieses history imo. but reiji did withhold some info to test yuya a lil bit. but yknow. still.

-…reiji's mom…TOLD the WORLD about the war/invaders AND THEY CANCELED. THE. TOURNAMENT. THEY CANCELED IT AND PRIORITIZED THE WORLDS SAFETY. we ARENT getting a FULL TOURNAMENT ARC??? IN YUGIOH??? i am shocked. no way… (I know I said itd be really funny if a protag didnt win the tournament, but they CANCELED IT which is somehow even funnier to me) I cannot say I expected this at all but im not MAD abt it

-see the next ep when yuya v his mom we learn his mom was a former GIRL GANG BOSS??? WHERE HAS /THAT/ ENERGY BEEN THIS WHOLE SERIES??? instead of being a creep towards kids she couldve been characterized like this! the story abt her and yuyas dad is pretty cute but if /i/ i had a hot mob boss wife i wouldnt be telling her to solve everything with smiles not violence :) i would pick up a fucking bat with her. whatever its FINE

-god the lil montage of yuzu's dad dueling with her in a lil baby pouch on his back and pausing a duel to change her diaper was SO CUTE. TF BEST YGO DAD FOR REAL GOD. hes a duel school teacher!!! why!! cant he come to help!!!! why are they just letting an 18-19 yr old lead the lancers into anOTHER DIMENSION. i dont CARE that hes thee most responsible smartest guy ever or whatever. my god

-shun and serena are remarkably chill abt all of this, hope we see more of them talking and hanging out and stuff. like serena looks just like his sister and yuya looks like his bestie and u KNOW thats SO weird to him?? but also they were on oppisite sides of the war! i want! more interactions! (very funny theyre both kinda trailing reiji. tbh if /i/ was stranded in another dimension he would be the person id be latching onto out of this cast, too. very nice and level headed guy)

-MY GOD. yugo is SO sweet, his calm explanation to yuzu and them just sittin and talking was great. (his reaction to yuzu implying he loves rin was also very very cute. and rins design AUGH I love it SO much. yuzu is still best arc v girl for me but rins design is my fav. GREEN.) JACK!!! MENTIONED!!!

-while they were talking it sorta explained yugo v yuto was a huge misunderstanding bc yuto thought yugo was the Fusion Enemy and yugo thought yuto was yuri. very very understandable and funny. and also im starting to think everyone in this series is colorblind bc they cant tell any of the yuzu/yuya counterparts apart by hair… (also, speaking of yuri, where did he GO. whts HE up to. weve barely gotten any of him and id like More Please)

-it's…been a minute since I watched 5ds. years. and I only watched it once, so I know im probably going to get details wrong, but aside from jack and crow, all other charas so far are arc v originals? like melissa and Guy that Looks Like This :>/ arent in 5ds right… the city kinda looks different to me, but maybe its just the animation looks newer… are we going to get an explanation to where yusei is? bc if jack and crow are in this…like, none of the protags are in arc v. are they busy. is this a universe without them.

-I forgot how dystopian 5ds was! stupid rich ppl calling the cops on yugo and yuzu for LOITERING and acting like the lower class is a Threat is a lil too real…damn. yugo is so nice immediately just pulling her along to help while shes with him ;_; personality wise hes my fav of the yu boys so far… (I feel like such a traitor for this. sorry to yuto bc zexal is my fav series. but we barely got to see him. whenever he comes back im sure we'll get..more... and sorry to yuya bc I Love Clowns….but I love silly lil bikenana boy…willing to bet when we get more yuri he might fight for that spot bc i LOVE a good villain too…we'll see…)

-YUZU'S REACTION TO YUGO DWHEEL DUEL IS SO FUNNY SHES LIKE. SO RATIONAL THO. my GOD she kept saying he should stop to duel on foot and yeah. playing yugioh (or, any card game) on a bike would be insanely hard. like you have to basically have your cards ALL memorized bc you gotta keep ur eyes ahead to drive, right, so ud only be able to glance? everyone in synchro world has insane memorizing skills. (I know to a degree you'd be able to make the d-wheels have a sort of autopilot, but no, we see them steering themselves and accelerating themselves…)

-the animation kept cutting to 3d models while they were dueling on their bikes and it did Not Look Very Good. it was still very fun.

-yuzu Learns About Corrupt Police and Society Today! She once again is the Real Protag to Me. reporter cowgirl ladys design is cute!

-what was the point of the duel if the cops were gonna just set up a blockade anyway tf. the entertainment aspect is SO fucked lmao bored rich ppl. too real. yugo u dont need to rise in society u gotta burn it all down its all fucked. -_-

-YUZU HAS BEEN IN SYNCHRO WORLD FOR (1) DAY AND IS NOW A WANTED CRIMINAL!!! HOT GIRL SUMMERRRRR. (and by proximity, yuya and serena lol)

-LAYRA SAW COPS AND FLIPPED OUT. understandable but also WHO HURT U. SHINGO IMMEDIATELY NOT GIVING A FUCK AND IS READY TO DUEL THE COPS. SERENA TOO. honestly very iconic of everybody great job. except yuya who is just baffled and not 100% ready to throw down. Get with the PROGRAM yuya u cant fight cops with smiles.

-you know I understanding theyre tryin to duel their way out of it but letting ppl from synchro see: fusion, action cards, and pendulum in ONE GO seems DANGEROUS.

-sorry, but shingo being arrested while yuya is like YAY ACTION DUEL LET ME ENTERTAIN U ^_^ IS THE FUNNIEST THING EVER. and everytime he asked layra if theyre okay they look like a goddamn espurr like O__O clearly NOT OK. VERY SCARED WITHOUT REIJI. WHY DID U BRING THIS TRAUMATIZED CHILD!!!

-there was a scene when yuya was like 'look at these beautiful ladies!" n his hippo girl monsters danced for an uncomfortably long time and the cops face kept being zoomed in on and he was like O__O this ep…i cant tell if its TRYING to make me laugh but it is, my god yuya u are making ME smile if no one else. for absolutely the Wrong Reason. the CHEERFUL TONE he takes on in this situation is SO NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THE GRAVITY OF BEING. ARRESTED. this cop hes dueling is also the most tirest man ive ever seen which makes it so much better

-crows entrance was absolutely INCREDIBLE. WITH THE MOODY THUNDER AND ALL!! HOLY SHIT. just the sound of revving in the distance building up to it CROWWWWW I LOVE U. still probably most excited for jack but STILL.

-ohh, yugo know doesnt what his parents look like huh…and yuzu doesnt know what her mom looked like? her dad, the most cheerful dude in the world never talked abt her? weird.. theres still the mystery of yuzu having her bracelet…id say maybe all the yuya/yuzu counterparts might be the same but no, yuya has both parents so…cannot rly do anything with this info rn…

-ok just a small thought, but in the op and the eps so far, the guy whos always looking over security (idk his name yet but he looks like this :>/) is implied to be the villain, and ig reijis dad might be one of the final villains, but we havent had any Very Present Active villains aside from GROUPS of invaders that are p much faceless…I want more like. Present Villains. does that make sense. dennis doesnt count btw hes just some guy whos hangin out.

-shingo just introduced yuya as his APPRENTICE. PLEASE. i love him so much hes the funniest guy ever. crow also immediately being like 'idk abt all this dimension stuff! but u guys can hang out here for however long u need to :)' LOVE U CROW

-my god DENNIS can juggle and do silly little magic stuff. ok. ive been very lukewarm to him but thats very cute. also 'gon-chan' PLS.

-also one of the bills he got as a tip had that little clown guy from 5ds on it. was he a …person who was important enough to be on money? i dont remember him very much except he had like. a clown wife. cannot recall his place in the plot or anything else LMAO

-yugo and yuzu just trying to convince randos on the street the WAR IS COMING AND THEY CAN TRAVEL DIMENSIONS. AND GETTING LAUGHED AT. HELP THEM.

-im running into traffic to defend gons honor. hes so mad dennis made him the villain in their silly little roleplay HAHA. dennis is like a campy little guy, even when hes outed as a traitor later I seriously seriously doubt itll stick or he'll be a real threat. hes a silly guy..also I just like his monsters designs a lot. (also, he outed xyz to synchro dimension too LMAO DUDE. now they have all the summoning methods u guys can use…)

-gallager is just. he introduces himself as a promoter but him and nico smiley are both like. pimps for duelists right. KAHSDKJ. love his outfit so much tho

-so…where the HELL did reiji land….mildly concerned about now, its been a few…eps and he hasnt been shown…where did he go……..is he ok…….is he with jack….

-ILLEGAL DUEL BETTING. GON IS SOOO OFFENDED TOO. AND THEN IT CUTS TO SHUN IMMEDIATELY IN IT. epic illegal bird moment. poor gon is having to play peacekeeper and is the only reasonable person of this trio

-crow explaining the tops STOLE riding duels and make commoners do it for fun..my god they gentrified riding duels

-very grateful yuya is the one kinda looking after layra in reijis absence. makes perfect sense since he kinda is a big bro figure to the kids at the duel school too! it adds a real softness to yuya that I like (ok lets be real hes already been pretty soft. gooey and warm center, like a cookie) for a second it panned to serena and i was thinking pls dont let the only girl in the group be the mother hen but no. she completely ignores layra and decided to go out on her own (shingo following her lol) bc shes sick of sitting around waiting and her main goal, in her Words is to Find Yuzu too. would it be weird to ship them since they..look the same supposedly….JSDKFJK its tht question of what ud do if u met a clone of urself/alt version of urself. would u kiss or kill them. serena is a Kiss the Clone kinda girl and I respect that

-'friendship cup' is the funniest name ever for a tournament. YOU HAVE TO ENTER. TO DUEL JACK. JACK IS THE PRIZE. TROPHY WIFE JACK. shun and dennis both want to fight jack sooo bad its so funny. me too (affectionate) the fact dennis and shun both took to riding bikes and dueling at the same time SO fast is. incredible. and their lil outfits….

-oh wait. this means the earlier tournament being canceled is just gonna lead into this one isnt it HAHAH i knew it couldnt be ygo without a full tournament arc….its fine. I actually dont DISLIKE these type of arcs even if they arent my favorite

-not sure if ive said it but I Must mention it: yuyas magicians have nonbinary swag

-who the hell is shinji. youre not yusei. bootleg yusei….where did they PUT YUSEI!!! are all the protags busy like DAMN!! WHERE ARE THEY!!! I understand on a meta level u wouldnt want them all in the series to take away protagswag from yuya but this series literally lends itself to a bbt style crossover! the whole series is a crossover! they shouldve had a lil movie or smth. I want. another bbt movie. but w the newer protags too. lke all 8-9(??) ygo protags...itd be FUN

-crow being such a DAD to a ton of kids is cute. and probably the best person layra couldve come to stay with tbh, hes obv concerned abt them ;_; babies. also him and yuya dueling bc crow thinks feeding kids is more important than making them smile…and yuya thinks making them smile is more important…no yuya i gotta side with crow here LMAO crow called yuya privileged too JDSFHKJ

-NINJA GUY!!! I FORGOT HE WAS WITH THE LANCERS?? i mean ive been seein him in the op but STILL. good he got layra outta there. the cops were going to arrest a CHILD. i mean ik yuya is a child too but layra is a CHILD child not a teen yk. omg jail arc???

-speaking of arcs. is this series called arc v. because. arc 5. as in fifth arc of the yugioh series. I was speculating to why it was called that last time and had the realization thats prob why JKSHDFK

-god we actually are getting a…prison arc…this is INCREDIBLE. why werent they given the prison uniforms everyone else has. btw yuya now would be the PERFECT time to bring ur inner demon out to break out

-the bosses absurdly large brick stack of cards is insane. ive never seen so many so neatly stcked in one place…bro what if someone knocked them over that would be a nightmare…

-the lil story with the boss was fun (and felt appropriate given hes dueling yuya, who is all abt Smiles and Entertaining and hed lost that…like gettin his spark back) …so the moral here is u can make friends with fellow inmates n have solidarity but the cops are always enemies. understandable and real

-so yuya should become the new prison boss. right. he beat the old boss. but whatever I guess they didnt want yuya to be a crimeboss...cowards

-so whenever someone tries breaking out, their friends/the ppl left behind get punished and taken somewhere they 'never return from'…thats…terrifying and would be pretty efficient to anyone with any kind of morals, but idk, i feel like anyone would get really desperate and try it anyway at a certain point if conditions are bad enough, their fellow inmates be damned..

-sorry but it has to be said though. this mans hair is a lizard straight up. with the little hands and everything. is anyone fucking talking about this.

-my god yugo cannot whistle at all. everytime i see him and yuzu im like. they are so funny i love them both so much SJADFHKJ we go a few eps w/out them and im so sad… btw..yuya is in jail, i kinda expected this friendship cup thing to involve them more heavily, but the :>/ guy said yugo and yuzu would be arrested when they showed up for it too and im like. is it even gonna be an Event or Not. i mean I LOVE prison arc but. Wondering

-'hey crow if ur gonna leave here (prison) can I come too..' YUYA. DO YOU THINK CROW OF ALL PEOPLE IS GOING TO LEAVE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS IN PRISON AND DITCH YOU ALL?? ITS CROW. CMON.

-yuya constantly looking like either the happiest dude ever (when its horribly inappropriate most of the time) or the saddest little kicked puppy alive makes me lose it. (and the third option of Murderously Possessed, but its been like 20 eps since weve seen that so..maybe the demon and yuto both peaced out. maybe they eloped. good for them)

-ok im going to need a gif of this PRONTO. shun how did you get there. HE SHOULDER DROPPED THIS MAN. XYZ BITCHES ARE BUILT DIFFERENT. XYZ REPRESENT!!!! he bodied like 15 more guards after this with his FISTS not even using his cards CMON LETS GOOO the prison break scene was AMAZING. also shingo grabbing some rare cards on the way out. best boy alert. why do his eyes glow in the dark.

-….hey shingo loses SO many duels its kind of funny. reminds me of watching manjoume from gx do the same thing. between them who has more losses. theyre both a certain…flavor of cringedude characters that i always end up liking…

btw Lightsworn Monster SPOTTED. I HAVE THIS CARD IN MY FAVORITE DECK!!! HIII FELIS!!!

-'what does a monster with 100 lp have to accomplish' -guy whos never heard of goddamn card effects. damn i thought these dudes were supposed to be the super efficient guards or whatever…anyway shun coming in with the literal xyz rescue was CUTE look at him functioning in a team ;w; good

-oh my god :>/ guy is named jean-michel roget. hes. hes french coded. u know wht i think i like my silly lil emoji name for him better. GOD DAMN they were SO close to escaping. CROW HAS KIDS AT HOME. ARGNH THEYRE TRYING TO SEPARATE SERENA TOO. BULLSHIT.

-REIJI FINALLY FINALLY SHOWING UP. WHERE WERE U. talking to a council I Guess. fucking negotiating. ok king of efficiency. he saved everyones asses with this. everyone say thank u reiji for everything, always.

-oh my god the friendship cup. theyre all being forced to demonstrate their abilities in the tournament . mandatory friendship cup. its a Full Circle. out of jail straight into the REAL tournament arc. i cant believe this.

-yuya vs jack. oh my god its going to happen. <- so excited to see jack i am going to throw UP

-crow called jack a traitor so. so they havent made up yet. I mean I FIGURED and yusei isnt HERE and i am :( I barely remember 5ds but I remember crow and jack bein silly together near the end…be FRIENDS or ELSE I will CRY

-yuzu's lil riding duel outfit is SO cute. pls. also yuzu crying with relief once she sees yuya is ok…baby ;_; theyre so Close to bein reunited….

-the problem with me trying to figure out how and why this series diverges from 5ds is that i remember Nothing Important from 5ds at all. i remember the dumbass details like that jack loved cup ramen JSDHKJ but its clearly an au (with..no yusei for some reason...) and im like. wondering if theyll ever explain WHY its an au from the original. or if im just supposed to Know. bc I Dont Yet

-I thought itd be really funny if jack DID defeat yuya in Three Turns like he said he was going to. and then he DOES. he beats him so hard yuya FLIES OFF HIS BIKE. AND BOUNCES. LMAO glad hes wearing a helmet at least. love u jack. also. i know it was probably framed in the way of jack being an asshole but I? kind of agree with him about this:

(I actually…said smth along these lines in my first arc v liveblog post:

almost word for word HAHA me and jack are on the same wavelength and he read yuya in like 10 seconds FLAT I am Amazed)

not that it's a BAD thing. he wants to make people happy, and it makes him happy in turn when theyre cheering for him! thats fine! (an irl example would be like, I enjoy making art for others to make them happy. but I also enjoy getting positive feedback for my own satisfaction!) absolutely nothing wrong with it!

HOWEVER. the impression I've gotten so far is that yuya gets upset when his opponent is the one being cheered for (a good example was the michio duel and that annoying trivia kid duel. he didnt seem real happy when the audience was rooting for them and not him!) as opposed to…I cant believe I'm comparing him to dennis but. the dennis v gon duel was a great example of what I think a more genuine entertainment duel should be…they were playing the roles of hero v villain, and dennis was great at improv there, quickly turning into the villain when Straight Man to his Comedy Guy routine Gon accused him of being the Real Villain in that situation. like he ROLLED with it and was perfectly fine with gon winning bc it suited their lil story and the audience loved it! I think entertainment dueling SHOULD be like that, like improv and acting bc you're entertaining ppl. ur a performer. u need to go w the flow more.

(Okay, this might not have been the best duel to show it off bc 1. hes dueling JACK of all ppl who declared hes gonna WIN and. he Will. 2. this is a situation where hes trying to showcase the strength of the lancers, so it wouldnt do to THROW the duel. but he couldve played into jacks dramatics a bit, made himself out to be more of a dramatic underdog, or a potential upstarter…for wanting to be an ENTERTAINER I want to see yuya channel his dramatics a LOT more than he does. esp w jack of all ppl!) to me it feels like yuya also ties a LOT of his self worth to how other ppl perceive his role in duels too which is Unhealthy (and again. is an extension of the 'smile when u want to cry' stuff imo, also pretty unhealthy) I…dont know if any of this is That Deep or theyre just trying to make jack seem like an asshole. I WANT it to be this deep bc its a REALLY interesting trait for a protag to have!

-kinda love how ppl in the Tops are dressed like old timey victorians. (also a lot of them have very western names) it just creates a very. unique vibe

-can I also just say i LOVE LOVE LOVE the trope in ygo of 'person does what they think is the final finishing move, then theres smoke and everyone is like :0 and when the smoke clears, the person is still standing in the duel because of some trap/spell/effect' IT HAPPENS SO MUCH IN ARC V AND I EAT IT UP EVERYTIME.

-...jack gave this random child servant a card and told him it suited him and the kids mad jack 'changed' and got mad jack compared him to a 'weak card'...first off its gonna end up being smth like 'even weak cards have potential, none of them are useless, its like u, u feel like ur a low level but u also have potential' (which. very yusei thing btw) but also if my hero gave me a card i would literally be SO happy this kid is dumb asf. jack literally wasnt even being RUDE when he gave it to him and jack is usually SO Rude like CMON. 'wheeh i had NO cards and jack gave me one but its WEAK so i dont want it' this is called being ungrateful. i know hes a kid so I shouldnt be so annoyed but damn its rude. its a REALLY cute card too (not one I recognize and the text is in japanese but its a cute lil cyber girl with pink hair and a tuning fork and bc this is synchro I assume its a tuner monster or smth?)

-...went from jail to bougiest penthouse in the world. lmao and locked in his room....ur a rich persons pet now...'if u lose ur out of the penthouse' willing to bet its the same for jack since at the end of the day hes still. u know. a commons Guy cosplaying a bougie. funnily enough, the tops are saying 'as long as he keeps winning hes not a commons, hes one of us!' and the commons are saying 'hes a traitor who sold out!' then another commons guy being like 'NO jack is still OUR hero he doesnt belong to the tops!' etc. its like he cant fucking win no matter what he does! insane. jack ilu tho.

-...actually, first match is gon v crow. calling it now, gon loses his Stand In One Place shtick isnt gonna work v a motorcycle. i kinda think I want crow to win this tournament actually to duel jack KJHSDKJ i know itll prob be yuya but cmonnnn. its PERSONAL for crow. btw does this mean gon will be homeless for the rest of the friendship cup stuff since if u lose u get kicked outta the penthouse. where will he GO. ...tbh since crow has kids waiting at home for him it might be better if he loses first so he can take the losers of this tournament back home w him so they dont. go to jail again? maybe? we’ll see!!

very very fun stretch of eps, I binged SO many last night and tonight :3

#sanchoyo liveblogs arc v #sanchoyorambles #JAAAAAAAACK MY FRIEND JACK HE IS SO FUN I LOVE JACK <- loves jack #also going to print out and frame that pic of shun elbow dropping a cop. its so dear to me. thanks buddy #arc v #ygo #this kind of turned into an essay at the end of me analysing yuya which #may or may not be completely wrong and i might be looking too hard into it #i actually think jack is being very chill compared to how i REMEMBER him which is like #this is clearly n au right. but how/why

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