#FUCKING KINGSTON CROWN

[milesworld96]

EDDIE FUCKING WON, ALL HAS HEALED THE WORLD IS BETTER WE CANNOT GO DOWN FROM THIS

[agp]

the nukes are aimed on ottawa but that house in the west end with the two bougie bitches playing god is being evaluated a lot more than my ass over there. my little brother the lords favourite and audrey the peoples favourite is so easy guys but come on hes not even answering his dms lol

[blackdragoness]

⛽GASING YOU UP, BABY⛽

YALL NOT READY FOR ALL DIS' GASSSSS. Lemme gasssss yo lil fat head up, okayyyy. This PICK-A-PILE is for you!

"somebody call 911, shawty fiyah burnin' on da dance floor." -sean kingston

Pile 1 -

Pile 2 -

Pile 3 -

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Pile 1: Show Stunnah 🌻

Overall Tarot Card: The Devil 😈

Channelled Song: Pretty Girl Rock by Keri Hilson

⛽ The gasssss on you is....⛽

🚨🚨ALARMS GOING OFF. YOU SHUTTING THIS SHIT DOWNNNN. LESSSGOOOO 🚨🚨

First of all, you muthafucka's is FINE as hell! I'm talking about FOIIINNEEEE as hell. Body on fleek, face card never declines. As soon as you walk into the room, all eyes are on you and all your competition starts to die a little inside 😂 You are the talk of the town, the talk of every circle, babbyyy 🤤 But y'all been knew dat, 😏

"BEEN that bitch, still that bitch" - Megan The Stallion

Natural beauty with the confidence to match

Confidence of a lion(ess)

Honestly, physically, you got it muthafuckin' going on dawg, what the fuckkkkk. Out of all the piles, this one wins in the Looks Department LOL sorry to the other piles

I'm seeing a face that is so fucking beautiful and angelic. Forever youthful.

Your beauty never dies and it never ages.

I have this huge urge to gasp in awe! You make people gasp with your beauty, ermagerrrdddd this is too cute! I feel like I'm melting in your presence 🫠. It's like everytime people see you in person, you take their breathe away and all they can do is gasp in awe at your undeniable beauty 😂😂😂 it's so fucking corny bro, but damn. That was a channelled message for someone's fine ass out there. You got it like that Mami/Papi, *snap snap snap*

A literal fucking goddess/god. Like you make men want to turn all romantic and old school, writing poems and singing outside your window in the middle of a full moon & shiiit. Or for my men, you make a girl wanna break all her rules and go buck wild for you!!! Like this shit crazzzyyy!! But this is what you be doing to these people lmaoooo!

I'm sure you're a great person on the inside and all, but there is so much emphasis on your physique that I apologize if you feel exploited right now 😂😂 and tbh, you might know the effects your body causes on people so you might be a person with strong boundaries. But damn Papi, what dat body do? 😏

With the devil card crowning your reading, people are OBSESSED WITH YOU!!! Bitch, who tf are you? Why is everyone so fucking obsessed with yo ass!? Lmao

"I can do bad all by myself." You're very independent but you may have many friends too.

Imma just say it flat out: YOU GOT THAT GOOD WAP BABYYYYYY. THAT GOOD WOOD, ya know what I'm sayin' 😂 rumor has it, you can fucking werkkkk it. You got people THIRSTY AF out here, mayneee. Chilllllllll.

You got this hella chill vibe to you though. Like laid-back. Relaxed. Not about the shits or the drama. People can try to ruffle your feathers to get any type of reaction out of you but you stay unbothered AF and that's what draws them nearer to you.

You have a gift for social interactions. Most people have social anxiety but you maneuver and work the room with ease and calmness. It's very admirable.

So many people want to marry you dude, I'm not even kidding. But I'm sensing that you are just focused on yourself and your goals. Relationship isn't a priority in your life right now. But that also is what turns the thirst factor UP when it comes to you.

SEXY, SEXY, SEXY, SEXY, SEXXXXX-Y.

Rich girl, city girl, material gworl vibes

"You always got dem eyes on you" - people love to watch you and stare at you. Sometimes people zone out in conversation with you because your beauty distracts them 😂 you could be talking to them in perfect pronunciation and speed but they won't hear a damn thing you said lol I guess your beauty is deafening too 😂

As beautiful and as sexy as you are, you also have a tender kindness when you interact with anybody. Your beauty shines both inside and out and that's why you are the mf GOAT.

You turn heads every where you go. You got bitches jealous wishing they was you. Ermahgerrrddd, I'm getting a rush of energy from tons of people who fantasize about what it would be like if they had your life. Honestly, that sounds like I'm over hyping y'all, but it's the truth lol. Maybe knowing this information will help you see the beauty of your own life and appreciate it for what it is. Because from folks looking on the outside into your life, they would literally trade spots with you in a heartbeat. Heck, they are already doing it in their daydreams. Recognize that YOU ARE THAT BITCH.

You may come from a great family life. Or people think you come from a super good looking family judging based off of your looks alone lol

A lot of people want to be tied to you in some way. People feel that being connected to you gives them "brownie points" in popularity 😂😂 some people may try to befriend you for clout. I'm not even getting social media vibes, although y'all may be big on social media too. But I'm sensing like real life clout, which is ten times better than social media clout, ya feel me. It's almost like knowing you in real life makes people feel more important in real life.

Y'all are the IT GIRL/ IT BOY. Everyone wanna be you, do the things you do, talk like you, walk like you, fucking everyfannnggg!!! I cannot with y'all. You guys are unreal but thats why we are so fucking obsessed with you, booo. Keep doing you and keep being you 🌻

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Pile 2 - Cutie Pie 🥧

Overall Tarot Card: Ace of Cups

Channelled Song: My Bestie by Lloyd ft Sevyn

⛽ The gasssss on you is.....⛽

🍯🍯CUTENESS OVERLOAD!!!!!!! YOU ARE THE CUTEST FUCKING THING EVER 🍯🍯

Everyone wants to hug you, squeeze you, love on you. Stick you in their pocket and take you home. This vibe is so mushy and gooey!

Everybody's little sister. You provoke a very protective spirit in those around you and those close to you. You are looked at as something that needs to be protected at all costs.

I dunno what it is about you but people will go to bat for you no matter the situation or the time. If ever you are in trouble, you have a whole gang of people who you can count on to drop what they are doing and prioritize you. Even if they are pissed off at you, they would lay their differences to the side and come to your rescue.

You make people feel very emotional when it comes to even just the thought of you. You are so special to people I don't think you realize that!

You are that person in people's lives that they cannot imagine ever losing. Like an angel in disguise who needs to be protected from this cruel world.

You attract friends like flies!!!!! This pile is SOOOOOOO popular and you don't even have to try. You could actually be a more introverted and reserved person but constantly have a crowd of people with you.

Sooooo warm and soft. Feels like I'm sinking in an ocean of really warm honey. That's how you make people feel.

People LOVE hugging you, cuddling you, and feeling you. Your presence is very calming and motherly.

You have great motherly instincts and people trust you with their children and animals. Kids might naturally flock to you and easily trust you because of your kind nature.

You may only consider a small group of people as friends but there are so many people who consider you as one of their best friends. You may make some friends jealous because they envisioned some type of exclusive friendship with you. However, a lot of people need you in their life and so that's something they need to come to terms with.

A lot of people feel like they can confide in you with confidential matters, knowing it will be kept safe. You also give really great advice that helps people progress further on their life path.

You are a very necessary presence in many peoples life stories. If every human soul had a book about their life, there would be at least one chapter about you in multiple life books. While most people are only focused on writing their own book, they are scarcely mentioned in other stories. But you, you are very necessary in the development of other people's life journeys. Like you make an impact on their story for the better. Wowwwww. I can only imagine that this role comes with a lot of positive karma for you and your generations to come.

You beautify every place you enter, every floor you walk on, and every person you meet. You are a contagious ray of light that shines everywhere you go even in the darkest of places.

You very rarely compete or get jealous of people and that's why many consider you to be their best friend. They feel completely free to be themselves around you with no judgement, guilt or shame.

You are unapologetically yourself and it's a big turn on for the opposite sex.

Many people wish they could possess your unapologetic nature but they are realizing it is a lot harder to mimic than they thought.

"I walk like this cuz I can back it up. I got a big ego" -Beyonce

You been through a lot and it shows through how sweet and caring you are. And because you put out that energy, people wanna love you the same way in return.

You really tug at people's heart strings when they think of you. I'm hearing "a heart of gold and titanium". So valuable and indestructible.

You have been placed on this throne by a lot of people. Very very respected and admired. I'm hearing you proved yourself. Your true colors shown and they worked in your favor.

An example for others to follow

A true royal

SELF-CONTROL, SELF-CONTROL, SELF-CONTROL. You have so much self control and people are both envious and admiring that trait of yours. "The one with the most control over themselves is the one with the most power in the room."

You might be a very adaptable person. You literally can chop it up with anybody you want! No personality is too hard for you to adapt to.

You have such a knack for resolving conflict. You can de-escalate any situation with your soft spoken voice and level-headedness. Things always run smoother when you are around.

People take you seriously and really listen when you speak. You may not vocalize your opinions as often as others, but when you finally do, it shocks people, so they listen.

A deep well of wisdom.

Honorable. Highly respected. Highly trusted.

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Pile 3 - LEGEND ⚜️

Overall Tarot Card: 8 of Pentacles

Channelled Song: One Call Away by Bina Butta

⛽ The gasssss on you is.....⛽

🥶🥶 YOU OUT HERE GIVING US THE SHIVERS WITH YO ICY FINE ASS 🥶🥶

BOSS BITCHHHHH. I see you focused on that bag and getting that bag!!! If you chose this pile, YOU LOOK LIKE MONEY, HUNNY 🤑

"came through drippin *drip drip*"

You are a hard ass worker. I'm getting strong energy coming from the workplace you work at. You got a lot of people dumbfounded at your work ethic. For some reason, I'm getting that they didn't think you were going to be the type of worker that you are.

You may be known as someone who bosses up every time you experience a hardship in life. It's actually pretty phenomenal to watch.

Phoenix rising from the ashes.

You are that one character in a movie story that never dies 😂 it's like no matter how many battles you fight, you never fucking die lol it's annoying to your haters but so inspiring to those who witness this inner strength of yours.

You are a LEGEND! Some people think that your life experiences are too good to be true. But they just ain't ever met nobody like you before thats why. I'm hearing that behind your back people try to investigate the validity of your story just to be humbled when they find witnesses who retell the same story.

People want to know the depths of your life experience. I'm getting that people view you kind of like Indiana Jones who is well travelled with many stories and adventures to tell for many days.

You inspire people to think outside of the box. To want more for themselves and be open to newer opportunities that can make them feel free and alive again. You make them want to explore life again.

You walk around like a large ball of life force energy. Anything within a 5 foot radius of you starts to be influenced by your vibration.

A lot of people speak about you!!! A lot of people have your name in their mouth. It's very positive though. I'm hearing a lot of praise, chanting your name. Celebrating you!

I sense you might be hermit mode or really just focusing on yourself. People can see the changes that are happening through your physical appearance . Your hardwork and focus shines through your countenance.

You have a lot more people who support and love you. Im feeling that for this pile, the support isn't as apparent as it was for Group 2. I'm feeling like this pile stands alone with lots of silent supporters. Something about you being very intimidating or being closed off to a connection is what's blocking people from showing their support but it's like they understand why you are closed off and respect your boundaries.

People feel like you are going very far in life and will hit it big in the future. They want to see you win and are silently watching until then.

The way you carry yourself is top notch alpha type vibes. Specifically for my feminines, this is so sexy about you. You carry this masculine energy in such a sexy feminine way it intimidates and submits even the strongest of men. Very BAWS BOSS like.

RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR 🦁

BOSS, BOSS, BOSS, BAWSSSYYYYYY

"Dat ass, dat ass, dat ass, dat ass" 🤨🤨okaaayyyy, someone clearly has a nice juicy ass that needs to be pointed out 🤷🏾‍♀️

You must have a very strong presence in your work place because the energy keeps taking me to a work environment. Either that or you think about work all the time 😂 you really are such an independent woman. Some may call it hyper independent but do you honey. Set the standard as high as you want. Don't let their intimidated ass opinion shrink you 😉

Maybe you own a lot of businesses or aspire to own your own business. People see the potential for you. But I'm getting indecisive energy. You are probably really talented at SOOO many things and are weighing out your options. However, you know that once you have made your decision, there is no stopping you from reaching the top. Everyone else knows it too and that's why they are silently watching you.

You are a rare human. You have an imagination that is so active. Anything you imagine, you create in this world. You were probably a very imaginative kid and highly active. With how hard you work coupled with your crazy active imagination, you actually have the power to manifest whatever you want into existence. Maybe you are aware of that. Maybe you aren't. But channelling this energy feels very magnetic and strong. Keep your imaginations alive. Keep your dreams alive. Chase them.

People wonder how you gained such a bright imagination. They wish they could have that light that you have. You heal a lot of people's inner child by giving them experiences to exercise their imagination. Maybe you enjoy conversations about the trendy things from people's childhoods or you like to talk about the future a lot. You spark creativity and imagination for people and it gives them motivation for life again.

You lead by example. Lots of people are out here running they mouth but you stay steady on your grind proving your worth through your life.

You have silent supporters because you are a silent leader. You don't do much talking. You just do the damn thing and later on people find out what you did and are completely shocked.

You are a bombshell. Not only do you look great but you're like a ticking time bomb in people's minds. You constantly have people stewing over you and then boom, you do something that blows everybody's minds lol. I like this vibe. Very spontaneous and fun to be around

[muffin-man-marq-lynch]

My World's End Prediction is that Eddie Kingston returns and while Mox is trying to convince him to join him he grabs the mic and says "I don't give a fuck about all that, where the fuck is Omega, I'm gonna beat his face in for talking shit about my Triple Crown" and that's when Kenny's music hits

[alltimefail-sims]

I present to you all... Wren's family!

Are you reading The Familiar by @mangosimoothie? You should be reading The Familiar by mangosimoothie and rooting for my baby Wren. (I'm mostly kidding - rooting for Wren is optional, but reading the Familiar is not 😉.)

This was probably self indulgent, and I definitely spent way too much time making them, but even if no one else cares... I'm pleased! I've been wanting to do this for way too long! First we have Wren's father, Dr. Abdou Opara and Wren's mother, Dr. Latita Opara (née Wiley). Then we have Wren's siblings Kingston and Angelique.

Want more info on them or to see their full-body outfits? Fear not...

Many details below the cut! ↓

If you read Wren's original post you already know that Abdou, Wren's father, is a retired engineer and tech investor while his wife, Latita, is the current and very popular mayor of San Myshuno. But I didn't really get to go into detail about Wren's siblings so I'm gonna do that real quick!!

Wren's oldest sibling, Kinston (30 y.o.), has a doctorate from Foxbury in biology, but he was also the captain of the robotics team and has a passion for engineering just like his father. After graduation he combined his two passions and created a bio-tech company that focuses on creating innovations and improvements in the medical field, particularly for surgical procedures and daily disability maneuverability and pain management. Wren thinks he's an absolutely insufferable ego-maniac, but they're not a completely reliable narrator because Kingston's just kind of a nerd with a little bit of a superiority complex (oldest child syndrome), but Wren's parents have always lifted up Kingston as the example and that's annoying as fuck! Oh and if Latita has a favorite child, it's Kingston (she's never proclaimed a favorite out loud but like... it's pretty clear).

Then there's the Opara's middle child, Angelique (27 y.o.), who I promise does not just walk around in pageant crowns and evening gowns (although that would be iconic imo). Although a middle child, Angelique has never had to fight for attention and is Abdou's clear favorite (again he's never said it out loud but like... he's even more obvious). She has a distinguished psychology degree with honors from Foxbury Institute and graduated at the top of her class. The reason she's dressed in pageant-wear is because she recently won the title of Miss America (whatever the sims equivalent is called). She'll be competing for Miss Universe next because she's a bad bitch ig? Lmao. She just is very competitive. Wren thinks Angelique is generally less insufferable than Kingston, but the two of them in a room together is like nails on a chalkboard to Wren. Wren and Angelique are a little closer, but "close" as in like... they get along okay, they'll pick up *if* the other calls, and she nags Wren the least of any of their family members (but that's just because she "has better things to do"). That being said, she does call Wren "baby Wren" which drives them nuts (but she's being affectionate in her own way).

*Fun fact: all of the Oparas are Foxbury alum except for our dear Wren and they never hear the end of it!

*Also a fun fact but, needless to say, Wren's mom doesn't want to end her political career as a mayor: she's working her way up the political ladder to the presidential candidacy, babyyyyy!!! On the flip-side, Abdou has always been a strict parent who cares about "legacy" and that's why they're so anal about protecting the family's public image and why they're especially hard on Wren who thinks all of those things are kind of bullshit.

FINALLY, I do want to note that I didn't include one *technical* family member, Kingston's college sweetheart and fiancé Kasi who Wren actually enjoys being around and thinks is way out of their brother's league.

Anyway okay I'm done now here they are side-by-side as promised:

Irl I imagine their heights to vary (with Wren being taller than their mom but shorter than everyone else) but I was too lazy to use a height slider.

Okay NOW I'm done for real lmao byeeeeeeee

[dimension20pcbracket]

round 2 stats

while we wait out a week of voting to see who will be advancing to round 4, here's some numerical neatness from round 2!

total votes: all together, the 27 polls of round 2 received a total of 16,454 votes. hot damn!

largest percentage of votes: we didn't see quite as many astronomical defeats as we did in round 1, with only one PC winning more than 90% of the votes in any one poll (unsurprising, the choices get tougher every round!), but there were still some pretty large disparities to be seen.

Riz Gukgak (90.8%) - still only the third most brutal beatdown in the competition so far!

Big Barry Syx (79%)

Adaine Abernant and Sofia Lee (77.2% each)

Kristen Applebees (75.3%)

Thorn Vale (72.5%)

as noted in the round 1 roundup, the slimmest margin of victory went to Rue once again. as of right now, one day into their round 3 poll, Rue is beating Riva with their largest margin yet (4%), but it's still anyone's game!

polls with the most votes: the most voted-on poll in all of round 1 was the contentious Lapin v Pinocchio, so how do we keep that energy going? twice as much Zac Oyama.

Gorgug Thistlespring v Ricky Matsui (987 votes)

Sam Nightingale v Tula (769 votes)

Hunch Curio v Kristen Applebees (746 votes)

Evan Kelmp v Fabian Seacaster (727 votes)

K.P. Hobb v Kingston Brown (721 votes)

polls with the least votes:

Maggie v Thorn Vale (440 votes)

Cody Walsh v Jet Rocks (472)

Chirp Featherfowl v Liam Wilhelmina (480 votes)

Daniel Fucks v Sofia Lee // Bob Gainglynn v Rosamund du Prix (491 votes each)

Big Barry Syx v Twyla (520 votes)

as the pool shrinks, so the disparity between the most and least voted-on polls. in round 1 there was a very tidy difference of almost exactly 300 votes between the fifth most popular and fifth least popular polls; as you can see, in this round the difference has shrunk to 201.

winning PCs with the most individual votes:

Gorgug Thistlespring (601 votes)

Riz Gukgak (591 votes)

Kristen Applebees (562 votes)

Fabian Seacaster (482 votes)

Kingston Brown (454 votes)

the Bad Kids may be having a rough time in Junior Year, but they obliterated round one. and congrats to Kingston also, I guess he's an honorary Bad Kid now.

winning PCs with the least individual votes:

Jet Rocks (249 votes)

Chirp Featherfowl (254 votes)

Antiope Jones (292 votes)

Viola (305 votes)

Rosamund du Prix (307 votes)

not play favorites but... please. please Antiope Jones pull through I believe in you.

campaign stats:

the most to least successful campaigns, by % of characters that won their round 2 polls:

Fantasy High: 100% (6/6)

A Starstruck Odyssey: 100% (5/5)

Burrow's End: 100% 4/4

Neverafter: 75% (3/4)*

A Court of Fey and Flowers: 60% (3/5)

The Unsleeping City: 42.9% (3/7)

The Seven: 25% (1/4)

Mentopolis: 25% (1/4)

A Crown of Candy: 16.7% (1/6)

Coffin Run: 0% (0/1)

Dungeons and Drag Queens: 0% (0/1)

The Ravening War: 0% (0/1)

Escape from the Bloodkeep: 0% (0/1)

Pirates of Leviathan: 0% (0/1)

Misfits & Magic: 0% (0/4)

MisMag suffered by far the most drastic drop in success, plummetting from a 100% success rate that saw all 4 PCs winning their round 1 polls to a slaughter that knocked them all out of round 2. most other campaigns also had downward surges as the odds of any one character advancing got slimmer, although Burrow's End and Starstruck each managed to see all remaining PCs push through. surprising no one, Fantasy High is the only campaign with the entire cast still intact... although that looks like to change after round 3 👀

*Neverafter: while Gerard lost his poll against Rue, he was passed on by virtue of being the most successful losing character for the sake of keeping the pool even for round 3, meaning that Neverafter passed on 100% of its remaining characters by technicality.

[celticcrossanon]

Certain people here have been criticizing William and Kate for supposedly wanting to be more like celebrity activists. William has already made it clear he sees a different vision for the kind of work he wants to do. He says he wants to make more of an impact. I do think that this is an influence of Diana. Now the royalists who are loyal to Charles (well, I guess they have to be loyal to him as he is the king) have been criticizing William for not going to the memorial service for the late King Constantine. Even royal reporters have jumped on the chance to criticize William. But let us ask ourselves, is attendance to this memorial of utmost importance? Why is this memorial being given so much press? It’s an odd happenstance that the BRF is even hosting this in the first place. A lot of people have lost the plot. William has become enemy number 1. Even Andrew’s better than him. This is why it all still goes back to Diana. This is still a matter of the royal family (Charles? or Camilla? the lizard person behind the scenes? just kidding) vs Diana. William is caught in the middle. He can’t even win the general public (or should I just say citizens of the internet) because he doesn’t use the mummy card anymore, even though he is being attacked right now for reasons still connected to Diana. Harry has won that crowd because of his constant use of the mummy card. They accuse William of being an adulterer, even a wife beater, and worse, some are even suggesting murderer. And why? Because he continues to stand for the fucking institution, an institution that is now willing to throw him under the bus because he has his own ideas. I seriously hope William is still in a good place right now. I seriously hope he didn’t hurt Kate. Stop focusing on Harry and Meghan. The real enemy is Charles. The real enemy is the fucking institution.

Hi Nonny,

Prince William has plenty of loyal supporters and is consistently at the top of the YouGov polls for the royals, so I wouldn't worry to much about the noise on X. Empty vessels make the most noise and all that.

I don't think King Charles is the enemy, in that I don't think he is actively trying to smear the monarchy the way Harry and Meghan do. I think he may do things that will damage the monarchy, but that is because he is following his own desires and not really considering the affect of said desires on the institution.

I think that Prince William and Princess Catherine are as well as they can be considering the things they are dealing with (death of Thomas Kingston, King Charles's cancer, her surgery etc). I also think that they will continue to support the monarchy as they are loyal to the crown.

If you are so against the people who are attacking Prince William, why do you contribute to it by saying you hope he didn't hurt his wife? I don't think Prince William would ever hurt his wife or any other woman. Harry is the one with the rumours about beating up women, not Prince William.

[chungledown-bimothy]

P! Except it has to be a D20 season

P: Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

god i'm so bad at AU concepts. uh.

Crown of Candy AU where Lapin lives but Jet still dies, so we can see him and Saccharina interact about Bulbian stuff

Unsleeping City but they're all college professors. Maybe the Bad Kids are in some of their classes, why the fuck not.

Misty teaches history, Kingston teaches sociology, Ricky teaches nutrition, Sofie teaches phys ed (primarily self-defense classes), Pete teaches economics in the most leftist way imaginable, and as far as anyone can tell, Kugrash (a human, but still with the same energy) doesn't actually teach anything, he's just around all the time.

[wrestlingisfake]

Worlds End preview

MJF vs. Samoa Joe - Friedman is making his 11th defense of the AEW men's world championship. He already defended the title against Joe on September 20, but he needed a timely distraction by Adam Cole to do it. Adam got hurt doing that, so Max can't rely on that trick this time. During Cole's absence, MJF has been struggling to keep up with all the guys gunning for him, so Joe offered to provide assistance in exchange for this title match. MJF finally took him up on that offer on November 18, so now it's time to pay up.

For the past three months MJF's storylines have been in the shadow of The Devil, a mysterious masked figure that stole Max's devil mask and seems to want to ruin Friedman's life. For a while it looked like Joe and MJF had a common interest in thwarting The Devil and his goons, since Joe wanted the champ to be safe and sound leading up to this match. But then on December 27, Joe and The Devil revealed it was all a set-up--Joe let two of The Devil's goons beat Max for the ROH tag title, then he personally laid out the world champ with a chair.

MJF is hurting. Not just because Joe betrayed and attacked him, and not just because he couldn't keep his promise to Adam Cole about keeping the tag belts. He's said that he's working through a legit torn labrum in his left shoulder. He clearly fucked up his right hip when he did an elbow drop from the top rope to the floor in his last world title defense. On Thursday The Players' Tribune ran a long column by Max, where he acknowledged that he's banged up and probably shouldn't be doing this match. Everything about the column reads like he wants to get some stuff of his chest because he knows he's about to go away for a while. Of course, if anybody would know how to give that impression as a red herring, to build suspense for a wrestling storyline, it's MJF.

I don't expect to learn anything significant about The Devil on this show. But that's fine with me, because I've been hankering to see this match since before The Devil even showed up. For me the point is to see the people's scumbag square off with a powerhouse he can't outwit. Max has been an underdog in most of his big title bouts, but this time he's really behind the 8-ball, and I want to see how he faces that.

When these two first worked together in September, I never expected Joe to win the title. But since the first match, AEW has only pushed Joe harder, and built him up even bigger as an unstoppable final boss. He could play that role in the midcard, and he did for over a year as ROH television champ. But once he vacated that title, I became certain they don't want him to lose again anytime soon. My gut says this is the end of Max's title reign. He could certainly surprise me and retain, but I sure don't know how.

Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley - This is the final match of the Continental Classic tournament. By design, this match will decide the first AEW continental champion, but two other titles are at stake as well, since Eddie added his ROH men's world title and the STRONG men's title to the pot. So whoever wins will get three belts forming "the modern American triple crown."

Moxley won the Gold League with a 5-1 record, including a three-way semifinal against Swerve Strickland and Jay White. Kingston lost his first two Blue League matches, but since then he's been on a four-match winning streak. The last time these two faced off one-on-one was 2020, when Moxley beat Eddie in two world title bouts. Kingston has to be considered the underdog, but that's how he likes it.

Ever since Eddie put the ROH and STRONG belts on the line in this tournament, I've expected him to at least get to the final, and probably to win the whole thing. If you were just going to make up a new belt and put it on Moxley, there'd be no reason to bring the other two into this. So my gut says the plan is to build up Eddie as some kind of traveling champion who brings his triple crown to other promotions. But we won't really know what the continental title is for until after this match, I suppose.

Christian Cage vs. Adam Copeland - Cage's AEW TNT title is on the line. This is a rematch from December 6, where Cage beat Copeland to retain the belt, but he needed interference from Shayna Wayne to do it. This time Copeland wants no excuses, so the stipulation is that the match can't end by disqualification. Whoever ends up with the title after this will likely defend it against the winner of tonight's battle royale, at some point.

Cage's whole patriarch gimmick has really gotten over. I never expected him to retain against Darby Allin in October, or to win the first match against Copeland. But at this point, I think the fandom is more invested in loathing Christian than they are in seeing Copeland jump over from WWE. The money isn't in giving Copeland a belt, it's in seeing what new low Christian will stoop to in order to maintain his power base. I actually think it might be a good idea for Copeland to lose again, which would have been unthinkable eight weeks ago. I'm going to say this could go either way.

Toni Storm vs. Riho - Storm is defending the AEW women's world title. The whole storyline is just that Riho returned on December 6, so now she gets a title shot. To be fair, Riho later scored key wins over Ruby Soho and Saraya, but that's still a bit backwards. Riho is popular, but Toni's gimmick has momentum, so I don't see a title change happening anytime soon.

Julia Hart vs. Abadon - Hart's AEW TBS championship is up for grabs. If they win here, Abadon would be the first non-binary champion in AEW. Not much story here except that Julia did the lights-out teleport gimmick and offered the belt to Abadon, and they were like "yeah, let's do it" but more like a zombie would say it. There's clearly some intrigue between Julia and Skye Blue, but I'm not sure it'll play into this match.

This is a big one for me, because I invested early in both of these wrestlers. Abadon's gimmick is the kind of thing you used to only see men do, and I like that they have the range to be hideous and disturbing and not simply "sexy zombie." I wasn't sure Julia had the chops to fit in with the House of Black, but she's risen to the challenge and made people take her seriously as more than just "cute kid." They've both come so far in the past couple of years, and it's just rewarding to see them both on this big stage.

I will just bet that all the wrestlers have a good time. But realistically Julia should win, and it's a step forward for Abadon to even be in a PPV title bout.

Ricky Starks & Big Bill & Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara & Sting & Darby Allin - This was originally Starks and Bill defending the AEW tag title against Jericho and Kenny Omega, but Omega was recently hospitalized with diverticulitis. Now nobody gets a title shot, I guess.

Guevara turned on Jericho back in September to join the Don Callis Family, but he suffered a concussion shortly thereafter. He finally returned on December 27 and turned against the group. Jericho made the save, mending fences with Sammy, but Bill and Starks attacked them. Then Sting and Allin showed up for some reason. So AEW announced an eight-man tag. Originally Hobbs and Kyle Fletcher were representing the Don Callis Family on the heel side, but then Fletcher was swapped out with Takeshita for some reason.

I think it's pretty clear AEW had to scramble to re-book this match after Omega was sidelined. I guess the goal is to pivot to Sting & Allin vs. Starks & Bill, because otherwise I have no idea why this needed to become an eight-man tag. Sting remains undefeated in AEW, and I don't think this is going to be his first loss.

Byran Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli & Mark Briscoe & Daniel Garcia vs. Jay White & Brody King & Rush & Jay Lethal - These are eight of the twelve men from the Continental Classic tournament. There's not much to this except that none of these guys have any storylines set up for this week, so we're just throwing them into one match. The outcome probably doesn't make much difference, although I'm thinking Danielson's team will pick up the win.

Swerve Strickland vs. Keith Lee - These two were a top tag team last year, but things fell apart. The split dragged out for weeks until December 21, 2022, when Strickland did a double foot stomp off the top rope onto a cinder block on Lee's chest. Then not much happened. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, Lee started bringing up the cinder block and wanted a blowoff match, but by that point I had completely forgotten what he was talking about. I mean, okay I guess. Thing is, if they'd done the match last year, Lee would be the heavy favorite, but as it stands right now I think Swerve has to win.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Miro - Miro's hot and flexible wife CJ Perry came to AEW in September looking for clients to manage, but every time someone signs up Miro beats the fuck out of them. Andrade, however, is not so easy to beat the fuck out of. CJ convinced Miro to spare Andrade during the Continental Classic tournament, but that's over now, so. I feel like Andrade should win to keep the story going. On the other hand, I'd rather just see Miro crush Andrade and get back together with CJ. So we'll have to wait and see.

HOOK vs. Wheeler Yuta - This is scheduled for the pre-show. Hook's FTW is at stake; Yuta's ROH pure title is not. It's an "FTW rules" match, which just means the match can't end by count-out or disqualification, so anything goes. I figure one way or another we're going to get a rematch for Yuta's belt under "pure rules." So Hook should probably just win.

20-man battle royale - Another pre-show match. This is evidently a standard battle royale, so it starts with all the participants in the ring, and ends when all but one has been eliminated. Eliminations occur when a participant exits the ring over the top rope to the floor. The last man left in the ring is declared the winner, and will receive a shot at the AEW TNT title at a later date. None of the participants have been announced so far.

Assuming Christian Cage retains the TNT title, I suppose the most interesting challenger to set up would be his estranged henchman Killswitch (formerly Luchasaurus), but it may be too soon for that. If Adam Copeland wins the title, you need someone who can be a credible threat to him, like maybe Wardlow or PAC. Although I guess it'd be kind of funny if Roderick Strong won and found a new Adam to yell at. I dunno, I guess I'll go with Trent Beretta to win, since he'd be decent in a losing effort to either Cage or Copeland.

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Arranged Marriage Masterlist

Angel of the Morning (ao3) - boomercal Luke/Calum G, 900 

Summary: Calum has a wife to meet and he and Luke have an affair to end. 

Convivencia (ao3) - antisocialhood Luke/Asthon M, 4k

Summary: Everyone knows Kingston University is expensive, but Ashton has a plan. There's a rule, a clause, that gives a married couple attending the university a break, just over $50,000, and allows them to live off campus.

Ashton has his eyes set on attending Kingston, and he's willing to cross whatever lines he must to pay his way through. Even if that means marrying a complete stranger and trying not to fall in love.

Enter a freshly graduated boy named Luke that has an unhealthy coffee fixation and his own eyes set on Kingston

~

Or, Ashton and Luke find themselves twisted up in a fake marriage for a cheaper college tuition, and somehow, feelings come about.

Crowns and Riches. (ao3) - snickerz Luke/Ashton G, 9k

Summary:  Prince Luke meets Stable Boy Ashton, his mother informs him that he is betrowthed to be married, he agrees at first but starts to develop an untold amount of feelings for the boy which are later returned, he is faced with the dilemma of what he is expected to do vs what his heart and soul is telling him to do.

Everybody Wants To Rule The World (ao3) - TheRadioactiveWizard Michael/Luke, Luke/Ashton, Calum/Ashton N/R, 9k

Summary: "Since Lucas, King of Scotland, was a child the English have wanted his country and his crown. He is sent to France to wed its next king, to save himself and his people - a bond that should protect him, but there are forces that conspire, forces of darkness, forces of the heart. Long may he reign." 

or King Lucas of Scotland and Prince Michael The II of France are in an arranged marriage and eventually fall in love.

I need you to stay (ao3) - CutesyMe Michael/Calum, Luke/Ashton N/R, 10k

Summary: Apparently his parents have found a ‘perfect’ boy for him now, and apparently they expected him to woo this boy, win his heart over and marry him. Whether he liked him or not. How was that possible? It was the fucking 21st century and he was living in a country where he had rights. How can his parents arrange a marriage for him? This wasn’t Pakistan or India. He couldn’t believe that was happening, especially right after he met that cute red haired guy, and had lost him instantly but that wasn’t the point.

Oh, We Could Be Falling In Love (ao3) - malumqt (bunwuji) Michael/Calum, Luke/Ashton N/R, 9k

Summary: Michael Clifford is only prince of Australia. Calum Hood is the prince of New Zealand. Both are enemy countries and decided to have an arranged marriage to have peace. Michael doesn't want an arranged marriage. He's determined to hate the unfairly adorable New Zealand prince.

Once Upon a Dream (ao3) clamu_hnod  Luke/Ashton, Michael/Calum N/R, 9k

Summary: Prince Ashton is promised the hand of the next born Hemming’s child as a result of an agreement made between their fathers. When a tall woman in a dark cape arrives, chaos ensues and plans run a muck.

Princes Among Peasents (ao3) - magicalmadhatter Michael/Luke, Luke/Calum, Calum/Ashton N/R, 4k

Summary: Five years ago Michael escaped his kingdom in the cover of darkness with his friend and advisor Ashton. The pair of them have made a life for themselves in the lower city of the castle in the neighboring kingdom. But what if the past they thought they left behind wasn't so far behind them? Especially after they are uprooted from the life they have made and thrown into the hustle and bustle of what their past life was.

To Our Happiness (ao3) - heavenlytouch Ashton/Calum, Michael/Calum, Ashton/Luke G, 1k

Summary: Calum just know that his parents already planned this wedding before his was born.

under the blanket (ao3) - homoxavier Luke/Ashton T, 2k

Summary: They said it would be better to be married young; you would die longer. At age 21, Ashton had had made his decision. 

"I knew you were the one the moment I looked into your eyes. I made you cry bloody murder." "Oh, you sap."

[xazz]

once again fucking Brennan got me in tears

I'm watching the last episode of Unsleeping City S2 and god damnit Langston got me so good. He's just a little guy ;o; I'm so happy Kingston got to have his family with Liz

I know everyone is all about Fantasy High but I could not get into Freshman Year like... fuck High School I hated High School. Unsleeping City is my fave Dimension 20 with Crown of Candy being a close fucking second

Edit: ALEJANDRA! *weeping*

[cmpunkdilf]

No wait this is so fucking smart.

Specifically concerning the AEW World Championship, it takes the quality that is the most prevalent with the man that is holding it, corrupts it as much as it can, and even when they’re no longer in possession of the belt that corruption is still something that affects them.

Jericho - yearning for the rockstar glory days once more.

It’s no secret that the Alpha was on a bit of a slump when he won the title as AEW’s inaugural World Champion. (I’ll never let go of the “built like a baby mama” memes.) And as soon as he got another taste of the big gold, he immediately went off the rails. He got too crazy off (more than) a little bit of the bubbly, and even lost the title while at dinner literally just days after winning it. Of course the belt didn’t take kindly to this, and let Chris’s recklessness bite him in the ass. It wasn't immediate though, the belt took its time before wanting to exact its revenge. 

When Jericho finally lost the belt to Moxley, Jericho immediately wanted to be back in the spotlight. After all, he was such a big draw for the other promotions he worked I, why should he let that light go out so quickly? With the seemingly endless sagas of the Inner Circle and then the Jericho Appreciation Society, the championship let Jericho’s character be seen for what it truly is: even though he can put the other man over just fine and have great match while being in his fifties, he still wants to be The Guy, and the ONLY one at that. Thus, like Midas with his golden touch, everything Jericho feuded with after losing the title was ruined almost irreparably (The Pinnacle: didn't have a good feud after finishing up with the Inner Circle. Fizzling out of relevancy was a sad way for them to go. Eddie Kingston, PnP, and BCC: dragged out his hate for way longer than it needed to be and almost ruined each of them too. BCC recovered pretty well; Eddie and PnP, not so much).

Moxley - hard worker, sometimes too much.

Jon Moxley’s first AEW Title win was well overdue; the new man on top of the mountain in a company that was ready to give him the best treatment as such after years of not being seen for who he truly was: a man with dedication like no other. But then the pandemic hit and AEW were forced to film their weekly product in one place only and abide by incredibly strict protocols. But that didn’t stop Jon. He carried the promotion through its darkest days yet and refused to let anything put him down. So when he lost the title to Kenny Omega (via shenanigans) he didn’t want that to be the end. After once again losing to Omega in the exploding barbed wire death match, it was almost as if Jon had made his peace. But the belt took into account how hard of a worker he was, and wasn’t just going to let that go.

Cue the summer of 2022. The injury bug has just taken out a multitude of AEW competitors, including the newly crowned World Champion, CM Punk (we’ll get to him in a bit). Mox found his way back to the belt and had another great reign that, again, carried AEW through another dark age. When Punk came back and staked his claim for the title, Mox didn’t want to let it go. Hell, he flat out refused. He beat Punk in less than five minutes to become the undisputed World Champion. He knew that’s not what anyone was expecting to happen, and he was proud of it. Mox was the one who walked through fire and brimstone to make that belt feel special, and he didn’t want to let it go. He was going to continue doing so, even if it killed him. (Think, “If I can’t have you, no one can.”)

So Mox dropped the title to Punk just a few weeks later at All Out, and it finally seemed like he was going to get to rest. NOPE. The belt called him back once more to be the champion, like that one on-again-off-again relationship that just never seems to end their cycle. And that is exactly the dynamic Moxley and the AEW World Championship have had: Mox feels like the two are made for each other, and anyone else having that belt doesn't feel right. So Mox must continue to prove to the world that he is the hardest worker. Fuck a well-deserved vacation, fuck the injuries. Even after proving himself again and again and again, he feels it has never truly happened so that work is never done. Never. Ending. Cycle.

Omega - self-absorption and an already deep downward spiral culminating in a recipe for disaster.

Kenny Omega’s trials and tribulations with the AEW World Championship are arguably one of, if not *the* most complex. As one of the creators of All Elite Wrestling and a founding member of the Elite himself, it seemed inevitable the Best Bout Machine was going to have a world title reign one day. And when it finally happened, it was a climatic point in the Elite’s history in their promotion thus far. After winning the AAA Mega Championship in October 2019 and winning the tag titles the following January with then-member of the Elite, Hangman Adam Page (what felt like an odd pair considering the other career tag team in the stable, the Young Bucks), everything felt like it was going their way. But of course, Camelot had to go down in flames eventually. 

As Hangman and Omega lost the titles, the ties between those two, as well as each of their relationships with the Bucks, became more and more unraveled, especially after the four fought each other for those very titles at Revolution in 2020. The breaking point was Hangman screwing over the Bucks as they fought for the number one contender-ship to the AEW tag titles, causing Hangman to be kicked out of the group. The Elite were in a massive downward spiral after everything had gone so perfect for them, when was it going to end?

When Omega won the title at Winter is Coming 2020, he did so by cheating and hitting Jon Moxley with the belt. Again, this was another climactic point for Omega as this dark side of his was something that hadn't been seen for years, and that side was put away thanks to a man by the name of Kota Ibushi. (Come on, did you really think he wasn’t gonna play a part in this?) Kenny Omega himself said that he is not the truest version of himself if he isn't with his other half, his twin flame... his soulmate. Of course the world title of the championship he created of the promotion where his soulmate couldn’t yet join him was going to take advantage of this, how could it not? But the belt wasn’t the only person to take advantage of the hole in Kenny’s heart; an Invisible Hand was also at play.

Don Callis, one of the sneakiest little weasels in wrestling history, was planning for something just like this. As someone who knew Kenny even as a young wrestler just trying to make a name for himself, of course he knows how Kenny thinks, works, acts. Of course he would act in his friend’s best interest and assist Omega in cheating during his match with Moxley. But Don didn’t let it stop there. A few months after Kenny captured the AEW World Championship, he travelled to Impact Wrestling and took the Impact World Championship from Rich Swann in April of 2021. Kenny Omega now held not one, not two, but three world titles in some of the biggest promotions on the planet. And so The Belt Collector was birthed. 

So when it came time for his former stablemate and close friend, Hangman Adam Page, to challenge for the AEW World Title, of course Kenny wouldn't have it. Trying to screw Page out of a title shot, again and again and again, until Omega could no longer hide from Hangman when he won the 2021 Men's Casino Ladder Match, guaranteeing him a title shot at Full Gear. Every injury, every unraveled thread in the Elite’s history up until this point came to a head as Omega and Hangman went to battle. But Omega ended up crumbling, staying down for the count after two Buckshot Lariats. Having lost the Impact title in August and vacating the AAA title shortly after Full Gear due to injuries, the Belt Collector was no more.

Both Don Callis and the AEW belt corrupted Kenny Omega. By taking advantage of Kenny’s strained friendships, the absence of one of the people who means the most to him, and resurrecting a part of him that would do absolutely anything to prove he was the best, Kenny Omega went on a rampage as the AEW World Champion, having the longest reign to date. But with each defense, Kenny's body was growing weaker and he was piling injury on top of injury (as he had been since 2018). There was obvious mental strain from carrying the literal and metaphorical weight of the AEW World Title as Kenny was (and still is) an Executive Vice President of the promotion, but the time off proved somewhat helpful. After almost an entire year off, Kenny returned in August 2022 and became 1/3 of the inaugural AEW Trios Champions, with of course none other than the Young Bucks (as well as 1/3 of the first two-time Trios Champions!) But Callis is still accompanying the Elite, surely imposing some sort of will...

Page - a good man trying his hardest to break the curse and it becoming his undoing.

Hangman Adam Page’s story not only as the AEW World Champion but as a former member of Bullet Club/The Elite is one of a rogue cowboy hanging out with the “bad crowd.” But it turned into something more: a story of finding friends, the vicious ups and downs of those friendships, finding new friends who genuinely appreciate you, and finally getting to prove to everyone just who you really are.

Hangman's character work is undoubtedly some of the best in professional wrestling today, and a lot of that credit is due to how he does not shy away from talking about his mental health and incorporates it into his character. Hangman always fell into the background in the Elite’s escapades, and when he finally won a title in AEW with a close friend of several years in Kenny Omega, he was as close to being the forefront of the brand as he had ever been. However, Hangman was struggling with being what he considered “a good friend” to Omega and the Bucks and his copious alcohol consumption wasn't making things better.

When Hangman got kicked out of the Elite, he drifted around for a while until the Dark Order attempted to recruit him. Hangman had assured himself by now that he was no good for anyone and it was better if he was a lone wolf. But the members of the Dark Order refused to give up. They backed him up countless times, spent time with him outside of the ring, and showed Hangman what true friendship is like. Even when Hangman willingly distanced himself from the Dark Order, they were always in his corner. It was the first time Hangman felt he was loved unconditionally, and he didn't feel like he deserved it. But he reciprocated that love when he could.

Hangman Page winning the AEW World Title was a huge chapter in the lore of the Elite, and he had a wonderful reign as the champion. It was his first world title and he was finally getting the love he deserved, so of course he wanted to give it back in the form of a great title reign. But the belt had taken advantage of Hangman’s personal insecurities. A good and honest man who fought hard to get to the top of the mountain  as he deserved could easily be corrupted. This is why each of Hangman’s title defenses were so violent. He had proven himself to belong with the top guys and he would fight as hard as he could so he could keep that recognition, or die trying. Between title defenses against a veteran who discredited Page’s years of experience (Bryan Danielson) and a former stablemate who told Page he still wasn’t good enough (Adam Cole), Page proved his doubters wrong time and time again... until CM Punk came along.

CM Punk worked his way to the top contender spot in AEW after coming out of a seven year retirement from wrestling. It seemed inevitable Punk was going to go after the title, but the Hangman wouldn’t have it. When the main event for Double or Nothing 2022 was made official, Hangman told Punk he wouldn’t be just defending the belt against Punk, but the whole promotion. And when the match happened, the battle was intensely personal. When it seemed Punk was down for the count, Hangman grabbed the world title belt and was preparing to hit Punk with it when he got back up. 

But he hesitated. He looked back at the belt, back at Punk. He realized he had been corrupted like the champion before him, but threw the belt aside and took the high road. He may have been corrupted, but not as seriously as the belt thought. So he went to grab Punk, who countered Page’s attempt, hit Page with the Go To Sleep... and won. I’ll never forget how Hangman looked at Punk with the title and the call from lead AEW commentator Excalibur because it’s just so perfect: “We just witnessed Hangman Adam Page have a crisis of conscience right before our eyes, and it cost him the biggest prize in our sport.”

Punk - always feeling the need to prove himself as the absolute best in every facet and that burden becoming too much.

As previously mentioned, CM Punk came out of retirement after walking out of the WWE in 2014 (due to low mental and physical health) and debuted in AEW in 2021. (I’ll never forget that day.) So many people were so excited to have Punk back, and Punk himself said he was excited to work with all this young talent. He was consistently on TV and had several good feuds and he proved he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And then Maxwell Jacob Friedman got his attention. I’ll go further into depth about the CMJF feud when we talk about Max, but that feud played such a heavy part in both CM Punk’s and MJF’s AEW runs as a whole. The fanboy who was betrayed by his idol wished to exact his revenge, and the idol in question took those blows but reminded everyone just exactly who the fuck he is: The Best In The World.

Shortly after the dog collar match, Punk’s status as the number one contender to the AEW World Title. The tension between Punk and Hangman was palpable, almost as if there was real life tension to back it up. During the promo where Hangman said he would be defending the honor of All Elite Wrestling from Punk as well as the world title, Punk responded that Hangman would be nowhere without Punk. The roads The Elite paved were only there because CM Punk laid the groundwork. The house The Elite built was crafted from the lumber of trees that Punk chopped down. Was there merit to his claims? Sure! But Punk wouldn’t let anything or anyone bring him down.

And so he finally won the title. CM Punk, after seven long years of proving his doubters wrong, was once again top of the mountain, where he knew he belonged. Then his worst nightmare came true. Just five days after winning the title, Punk announced he had broken his foot and needed to take time off to get it surgically repaired. It was such an unfortunate turn of events and it kicked off not the Summer of Punk, but the Summer of the Injury Bug. During an appearance for AEW at San Diego Comic Con the next month, Punk spoke about how the past few months had significantly impacted his mental health in a negative manner. When Punk returned to get back the title he never lost in August, the tension with the interim champion Jon Moxley proved too much to wait for All Out at the beginning of September, so the undisputed title match was scheduled for two weeks before the pay-per-view. As mentioned earlier, Punk lost in a spectacularly quick fashion thanks to twisting his surgically repaired foot. 

And so the next Dynamite there was an open contract for any man to face Moxley for the title at All Out. The man who grabbed the contract? Not a wrestler, but one of AEW’s coaches. And it wasn’t just any coach, it was Ace Steel. As in, one of CM Punk’s closest friends, Ace Steel. As in the man who trained CM Punk to be a wrestler, Ace Steel. This will be important in just a bit. Punk addressed the crowd, telling the crowd considering the new limitations because of his broken foot he didn’t know if his new 100% was going to be good enough for him. He let so many people down including himself. Maybe he wasn't good enough anymore. This is where Ace Steel interrupts. He talks some sense into Punk, saying this isn’t him. Echoing thematically what Punk said when he was first injured, “The get back will be bigger than the setback.” So Ace Steel shoved the contract into Punk’s chest, demanding Punk sign it and remember who. the. fuck. he. is. And Punk did. 

Punk recaptured the title in his hometown at All Out. That title he never lost. He remembered who he was, what he’s done, and didn't let an injury he sustained during the match take him out again after fighting for two months just to come back. Then the lights went out. The spotlight was stolen by none other than Maxwell Jacob Friedman, who had been out since the same Dynamite Punk was injured due to contractual issues. And Punk. Was. Furious.

(Not going to talk too much about this incident.) After All Out went off the air, AEW held a press conference where... Well, a lot happened. Punk took out his anger on EVPs Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, criticizing them for being awful managers of their company, as well as Hangman Adam Page for making a comment during their feud that was apparently a reference to Punk’s legal troubles with his ex-friend, Colt Cabana. Punk said that if anyone had a problem with him, to take it up with him personally. Of course, Kenny and the Bucks watched what Punk was saying and decided to go to Punk’s locker room and talk to him to see why he said what he said. What ensued (allegedly) was a six minute fight between the Elite and Punk who was assisted by Ace Steel. Kenny got bit by Ace, someone threw a chair at Nick and gave him a black eye... it was a mess. And it was announced on the following Dynamite that Punk and the Elite had all been suspended and their titles were vacated.

So, Punk was right where he was at the beginning of June, but in a much worse situation than before. He once again was deprived of the title he just won back, his tricep was torn (an injury that requires surgery and 6-8 months on average out of action), and he was indefinitely suspended from AEW. By rushing back to work from injury to prove an already made point, the AEW belt capitalized on this and didn’t let Punk win it back so easily. This made him want to prove his point even more. When he finally got the belt back, his spotlight was stolen from him by someone he put down months earlier. This was the penultimate straw that broke the camel’s back (the final straw in question being the question at the press conference that caused his infamous tangent). At the end of the day, the pressure of living up to the self-proclaimed title of The Best In The World proved too much for CM Punk, and he let his narcissistic tendencies take hold as the belt saw CM Punk for what he really is: just another wrestler not good enough to break the curse.

MJF - narcissism at its finest, like the champion before him.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is many things. And as the man himself has said, a good man is not one of them. The Devil. Better Than The Best In The World. Better Than You, And You Know It. Max makes his hate for virtually everything and everyone known on a daily basis (but as one can imagine, he wasn't always like this). Throughout his run in AEW, MJF proved himself as a massive thorn in the side of each of his opponents. Time and time again, Max would get victories by paying another man to do his dirty work with enough money from those pockets to shut anyone up, hitting the other man with his Dynamite Diamond Ring (the only winner of that ring to this day) or having one of his stablemates cheat for him. Max very rarely lost, and coming off a win at Full Gear, he was cocky as ever. Until he was interrupted by CM Punk. Someone Max looked up to, and for years was his idol. Max held out his hand to Punk, who smirked, turned his back, and walked away. Max wouldn't have that, so for weeks after this first encounter, wars of words ensued and Max sent crony after crony to put Punk down. Punk picked them off one by one until Max just had to give in and give Punk what he wanted: a one on one match, in Punk's hometown of Chicago, no less.

To no one’s surprise, Max cheated to win. Punk demanded and was granted a rematch, but it was to have a twist. The twist in question? Both men were to be connected by dog collars and a metal chain over ten feet long. Punk was a staple of the stipulation, and he knew he needed to humble young Max. So when he announced the stipulation, Punk also brought a photograph. It was a young Maxwell Jacob Friedman meeting his idol CM Punk at a meet and greet. Punk said to Max that was probably the best day of his life, but to him it was just another Friday. Just another day as The Best In The World. The following week, Max said that the day he met Punk *was* the best day of his life. Because young Max saw himself in Punk. Someone who was constantly put down, harassed, told he wasn't good enough. But when Punk walked out of the WWE in 2014, he didn't just leave the fans. He left a young Max without any direction. Max was taking steps to be like his idol, but if his idol quit, what was the point of Max going on? So he went to college like his parents would have wanted. But one day he saw a photo of his two idols, CM Punk and Bryan Danielson shaking hands in front of the WrestleMania sign. This is what motivated Max to drop out of college and once again pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler. And that he did. Wreaked havoc on the Indies and became one of the pillars of AEW. So when the man who turned on him threatened his honor, everything he had worked for, Max wasn’t going to let it go gently.

Punk went out on the last episode of Rampage before Revolution and tried to make amends with Max before their match, and they shook hands and hugged. It truly seemed like Max had taken that to heart. But he hit Punk with a low blow, cut him open, and had him choked out with the dog collar. He vowed to show Punk who the real Devil is. Ultimately, Max ended up losing that match after his bodyguard, Wardlow, gave the Dynamite Diamond Ring to Punk. At Double or Nothing, Wardlow demanded to face MJF so that upon Wardlow’s victory, he would be released from his contract as MJF’s bodyguard. After the hoops Max made Wardlow jump through proved to not be hard enough, the pay-per-view match was set. Max lost in a matter of minutes and was carted off on the gurney. This match almost didn’t happen though, Max almost flew home to Long Island from Las Vegas because he didn’t feel like he was being used to his full potential. So Max took some time off of TV.

The Devil arose from the ashes at All Out, revealing he was signed to an incredibly lucrative contract and winning the Casino Ladder Match that happened earlier in the night. (If you recall, that gives the winner a title match any time they want.) He made it clear that he was going after the newly crowned World Champion, CM Punk. Unfortunately, we never got to see Punk/Max III, due to the... previously mentioned incident. So Max waited to cash in his chip until the next pay-per-view, Full Gear. The champion he would be facing? Jon Moxley. The man who proved himself time and time again to be the man the company can rely on. The man who even successfully defended the World Championship against MJF at All Out 2020. Max said he was a changed man since that day, and he wasn't going to let that happen again.

Again, to no one’s surprise, Max cheated to win the AEW World Championship (the manner by which was actually not the Dynamite Diamond Ring, but a pair of brass knuckles slid to him by Mox’s stablemate, Sir William Regal). Max immediately changed the leather on the belt to match the print of his signature Burberry scarf, and as we enter the 83rd day of his title reign, Max’s self-proclaimed “Reign Of Terror” is well underway. But the effects of the belt’s curse have taken hold more than what may meet the eyes of the viewer. For now, the belt is just stroking Max’s massive ego. Like the champion before him, his idol CM Punk, Max is a raging narcissist. He has an obsession with being the best in the world. He has an obsession with making everyone see how great he is. No matter how much the fans hate him, they will see how great he is whether they like it or not. They. Will. Worship. Him. And the belt absolutely LOVES that Max has this mindset. His hunger for greatness will eventually prove to be his undoing. But how? Will Max crack under the pressure as his idol did? Will the devil’s reign of terror ever truly end? We’ll have to wait and see exactly how the AEW World Championship has cursed Maxwell Jacob Friedman, but the curse has absolutely already been cast.

(If you made it to this point, THANK YOU FOR READING THIS. I love you.)

It's basically canon that the world title drives men mad, right?

[cobalt-knave]

kingston crown stupid idiot motherfucking kingston crown biggest clown in the circus laughed out of town cowboy avatar of the whore i hate him so much why did have to take nick’s body why is he manipulating reid why does he do so many fucked up if true things

[gigawatt-conduit]

I love how the core D20 cast plays their characters across all seasons

Lou plays Kingston, Jammer, Amethar, and Fabian with such history and presence in the world that grounds things, even as they get so fucking wild

Siobhan’s characters have such a heart and earnestness to them that makes them lovable, even when they’re kinda low key dirtbags like Misty (or how Ruby gets for awhile)

Zac’s, oh Zac’s. They’re so beautifully dim, but also pure and just want to support anyone they attach themselves to. They help people be better, even without actually trying, like with Gorgug and Ricky.

Brian and his characters are all rooted in determination and kindness. Theo, Kugrash, and Riz, even Cody, all know what the right thing is and give so much of themselves to the act of being good for people they’re sworn to, people they’ve just met, people who the world doesn’t always think of.

Ally’s characters are often comic relief, but there’s a strong thread of rebirth across Pete and Kristen. (I haven’t finished Shriek Week and am a few episodes from finishing Crown of Candy as I write this!) When they become who they know they are, they become so much more free and a better person as a result, even as they fuck up along the way.

Sofie, Fig, Ruby, and Saccharina all yearn. It’s never quiet, but Emily plays it so earnestly and it’s so affecting that you can’t help but be charmed by her…and also she plays the most batshit chaotic people in existence, who the hell let this woman play D&D.

Splendid cast, great job gang

[disdoorted-crows]

First Campaign: Fantasy High: Freshman Year!

Number of Campaigns Watched: 9.94 (I'm in the middle of the finale of Starstruck right now)

Currently Watching: A Starstruck Odyssey and Never Stop Blowing Up

Favorite Intrepid Heroes Campaign: Assuming the bias toward Fantasy High isn't there, a toss-up between Unsleeping City and A Crown of Candy

Favorite Side Quests: A COURT OF FAE AND FLOWERS MY GOD! The Seven fucks hard also

Favorite Players: Lou Wilson, Ally Beardsley, Aabria Iyengar, Omar Najam, Emily Axford (more emily love please), Rekha Shankar, Izzy Roland

Favorite Intrepid Heroes PCS: Adaine Abernant, Amethar Rocks, Liam Wilhelmina, Pete Conlan, Kingston Brown, Margaret Encino, Skip, Kugrash, Madam Anastasia/Iga Lisowski, Sofia Bicicleta

Favorite Non-Intrepid Heroes PCs: Prince Andhera of the Unseelie, K.P Hob, Katja Cleaver, Evan Kelmp, Whitney Jammer, Sam Black, Ostentatia Wallace

Favorite NPCs: AYDA AGUEFORT! Aelwyn Abernant, Jawbone O'Shaugnessey, GARTHY O'BRIEN! Alejandro Ortiz, Nod AKA The Grey Orphan, Doug Meat, Stephen Sondheim, the dad in that one family that got really excited to see Misty in TUC 1, Primsy Coldbottle

Favorite Canon Relationships: Fig/Ayda, Jawbone/Sandra-Lynn, Evan/K, Kristen/Gertie for how short it was, Gorgug/Mary-Anne, BINX/Andhera, Hob/Rue, Sofie/Dale, Liam/Primsy

Favorite Non-Canon Relationships: Queerplatonic Riz & Fabian, Cody/Pete, M&M Polycule

Favorite Headcanon: Pete and Kingston being father and son, Cody also being trans, trans Evan Kelmp, Aro/Ace Adaine

open tags!

Get to Know Me (D20 Edition)

First Campaign Watched: Fantasy High FY

#Campaigns Watched: All but NSBU

Currently Watching: Rewatching ACOFAF (and slowly watching NSBU)

Favorite IH Campaign(s): Starstruck Odyssey, Fantasy High FY

Favorite Side Quest(s): Burrow's End, A Court of Fey & Flowers

Favorite Player(s)/DM(s): Siobhan Thompson, Aabria Iyengar, Erika Ishii, Emily Axford, Izzy Roland, Brennan Lee Mulligan

Favorite IH Campaign PC(s): Adaine, Ylfa, Skip, Margaret, Riz, Kingston

Favorite non-IH PC(s): Rue, Jaysohn & Lila, Antiope, Ava

Favorite NPC(s): Aelwyn, Wuvvy, Ayda

Favorite Canon Character Relationship(s) (Romantic or Otherwise): Fig/Ayda, Rue & Wuvvy, Rue/Hob, Adaine & Aelwyn, all Burrow's End inter-PC relationships, the Seven

Favorite Non-Canon Relationship(s): Rue/Wuvvy, Antiope/Danielle

Favorite Headcanon or Tidbit(s): Disabled Aelwyn

[aberfaeth]

top 5 d20 characters? (alternatively: top 5 d20 minis u would purchase if money was no object)

uhhhh

kugrash

kugrash

kugrash with crown

stephen sondheim

stephen sondheim with two broadswords

ok but actually top 5 d20 characters thank u bev

fig faeth my darling girl my wife. character arc of all time and also bringer of hilda hilda to the general populous. rock star hero with a phoenix girlfriend and fishnets made from a dead lady's hairnet. she is everything

kingston brown from uptown! you come for my family you come for my friends i will fucking drop you, i AM faithful i WAS faithful i would have CONTINUED TO BE faithful, lou wilson brought his 110% to this gem of a man and i adore him and i think of him every time i ride the bus. which. i think of him Often,

pete conlan! im making a pete sweater. it will get finished at some point. he and kingston are next to eachother on this list bc i did not want to separate them. his introduction scene is the most iconic in all of d20 history and his arc about finding community makes me weepy and god i just love him

kugrash :') sorry this list is like all tuc i just love tuc can you tell i love tuc. i have his little plush sitting next to me and hes scowling i love him. his little dance. deadbeat dad of the year <3 and also just driving force of some of the biggest gut punches of the whole season god he's such a fantastic character. peak murph grizzled knightdom

prince andhera of the unseelie court! a curveball i know, sidequest appearance 0.0 but like god from that moment at the end of ep 2 he just became my favorite guy in the whole wide world. every scene they were in was incredible and i want to see more of omar on d20 now pssst omar be on more d20 seasons