#I DONT CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS HE DESERVED THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

[versatancore]

imagine being a rookie f3 and f2 champion and some guy named max verstappen calls you BUBBLES

[is-that-another-soulmate-au]

@mypureessence

Korrasami/wuko/oc insert soulmate au part idk at this point

"No, no, Tahn, here" Lee shifted his stance so it was closer inward "take a breath and imagine your fire not as a flame but as boiling water coursing through your veins" she then reached her hand to his face "now close your eyes and imagine it"

Tahn nodded and did as she told him, taking a deep breath before shifting his stance and punching out a blue flame just as he opened his eyes, his face turned from doubt to unfiltered glee as he punched out two more blue flames. Turning to Lee who was smiling ear to ear "I did it"

"Im so proud of you" she said only to be caught in a tight hug. Which was broken apart once Tahn realized his mistake and clearwd his throat.

"Sorry, captain"

"It is not a problem, you deserved a little hug for that. Now, everyone else, do just as Tahn did just then" she had been demonstrating fire basics for a good week and a half now and Tahn was the first to accomplish lighting a blue flame, but by the end of that week every single firebender in that room was capable of bending blue fire and blocking small explosions.

Lin was incredibly proud of her and went to say as much by asking her to join her for dinner that evening. But Lee's smile and excitement to say yes faded into a look of fear with an attempted mask of irritation "Im flattered, and I understand we're soulmates but we should really focus on work right now. I'm sorry."

Lin stuttered for a couple seconds, honestly shocked at the response "I figured you'd be excited to go out to eat as a celebration, it doesn't have to be a date"

Lee sighed "but you'd look at it as one"

"No, no I wouldn't, its just... two colleagues who happen to be soulmates going out to eat as a celebration for reaching a goal" Lin offered a hand "what do you say?"

Lee looked at her hand and then at Lin and let out a sigh "Lin, I appreciate the offer, but I have to decline. I'm sorry, maybe another time"

They managed to tiptoe around eachother until the day that Amon announced his demand for the probending tournament to be canceled. That day Lee marched into the council hall with Lin who interrupted the gavel drop Tarrlok was about to do.

"And what exactly does little mousey have to do with this?" Tarrlok mused

Lee smirked "firstly three tails, its Foxy, and this is what I have to do with it," she nodded to Lin and then Korra who both nodded back.

She tossed up a remote controlled bomb and Lin pulled out the remote for it, catching the council members off guard just as Lee jumped up onto Korra's palm, then Lin's shoulder and finally off Korra's head to light a blue flame as the small explosions started. She quickly engulfed the explosion with her own blue flame and slammed it onto the ground as she came back to the floor with a bang.

Lifting up the hand that deflected the explosion she crumbled a small box into ashes and stood, dusting off her jacket "With Lin's metal benders and my bomb squad, the arena will be perfectly safe."

That is certainly what they thought. The night of the championship came and Lee was about to do rounds on her floor with Tahn but was stopped by Lin grabbing her arm. "Lee, I know you've got this, but please... if anything happens to you and you can't get out, kick, flail, scream do anything you can to get the attention of my metal bendersz Tahn or myself"

Lee gave her a smile and a nod "alright, you got it chief" and with that they had separated and Lee went with Tahn to their floor.

She was expecting a quiet walk but Tahn had other plans "say, Captain Fox, I noticed you and Chief Beifong are soulmates" Tahn leaned forward while he was walking and gave her a look.

She flushed and cleared her throat at the mention of the obvious "you didn't notice, I announced it the first day of training with you lot"

"Right right, but I did notice that you've been avoiding being affectionate towards her, and I also spotted a gold speck in your other eye when I hugged you that one day"

Lee froze in place, she forgot that others could see it if they got close enough "that-"

"Was from a soulmate passed? I know, I have one too, and I was in a similar situation with you and the chief, only, He didnt back down and made me open up about why I was avoiding giving him love." Tahn reached out a hand "I know you care about her and you know she cares about you, she's never been gentle with any one as she is with you."

Lee sighed and looked up at him "I dont want to ask how they died for you, but do you mind me telling you?"

"Of course" and with that response she took his hand and then linked arms instead as they continued to walk

"The bar I worked at is owned by a father and son, and they pulled me and him off the street when we had nowhere to go. Things were okay, I already sang as a comfort and they taught me how to properly sing while teaching him tap dance. He was a nonbender and thats why is parents put him up for adoption like my parents did for me." She paused "thats how we met in the first place"

"At the orphanage?"

"Yeah, before it blew up with only him and I surviving on the slim chance that I managed to develop blue fire on a survival instinct." She took a breath "anyways, while we worked at the bar I earned the title white fox and him the title of black fox, for obvious reasons, there were and still are alot of people there that had a strong distaste for either me or him." Turning to Tahn she frowned "and there were many attempts on our lives, they assumed he was a firebender and I a nonbender and often times went for him first but we normally had body guards and what not."

"Except for one night" she looked at her feet "one night after we both turned 19 they let us have a night without a body guard to fool around. When we finished we went to sleep. I dont know all of what happened because its kind of blury, but all I remember was waking up to him covered in blood and attacking and killing the woman who hurt him." She released his arm to wrap herself in a self hug sort of move.

"I can still smell it" she whispered

"Smell what?" She shook his head to the question "I cant talk about it anymore, Im sorry"

"No no, youre okay, Im glad you managed to talk about that much, but you'll trigger a ptsd attack if you keep up, hey, would a hug be alright? You look like you need one"

She did need one, so she nodded and was wrapped in a tight hug, that somehow was just what she needed to relax. She smiled "thank you Tahn" he pulled back and gave her shoulder a pat.

"Anytime, I dont have a big elaborate story on how my soulmate passed, she was hit by a car and died in the hospital with me there holding her hand" he gave a sad smile "Im sorry about what happened to you Captain, but just know I'm always here to talk, and so is Lin."

And thats when it clicked in Lee's head. She was running from accepting the fact that she found Lin in an effort to never love her and lose her, but in that effort she was already failing. She already loved her and she could lose her either way. She nodded "I'll keep that in mind"

They managed to get to their separation point and Lee nodded to Tahn "stay safe and remember to keep an ear, eye, and nose open at all times"

"Yes captain" he nodded back and they went their separate ways

Walking down the hall she could still hear the championship going down and she smiled knowing Lin was there with Tenzin and she was safe. However when she passed a set of doors she felt a zing of electricity hit her fingertips and she turned quickly to open the doors and took an attack stance.

"Well well!" A man said while standing up from the small box he had in his hands "guess a little mouse found me, I wonder how you managed to, I was so quiet, and only firebenders can sense that electric shock I used just now" hs smirked but only his mouth was visible, so she couldn't read the rest of his expression. She just narrowed her eyes and coughed out a small bit of blue fire while not breaking her glare at him

"Ah! So youre not a little mouse" he chuckled "a little fox then, oh what a trickster you benders are" she lunged at him but he just dodged and spun around and out of the room "have fun blowing up dear, I have somewhere else to be" and with that he ran off.

She spun around when she heard a click and managed to deflect the explosion from the box he was by in time but it sent her back into a large filing cabinet the started to tip. "Shit" she yelped and went to run from it but it still fell and pinned her by her left leg. She screamed when it fell and a loud crack could be heard. Her eyes welled up with tears and she tried to get out but it was useless, she was pinned and her leg wasn't going to budge. "Lin! Tahn! Korra! Someone! Help!" She cried out, but it was a fruitless cry. There were very audible explosions happening elsewhere and they were preoccupied.

She turned to look at her pinned leg and quickly turned away from the sight, there was a good amount of blood pooling around and she bit her lip. She had to cauterize the wound soon or she'd bleed out before anyone had the chance to find her. "Okay Lee. You got this" she moved her hand down and took a breatj "this is gonna hurt" was all she whispered out before lighting a bright blue flame on her leg for a good ten seconds before extinguishing it and resting her head on her other arm. "Hury Lin"

By the time the whole Amon performance went down and everyone was safe and evacuated from the building Lin found Tahn helping a young lady calm down. "Tahn, where's Lee?"

Tahn looked up from the girl confused "what do you mean? I heard the explosions start and thought she had already joined you guys, wait-"

their eyes went wide "She's still in there" they said in unison and hurried towards the building

"Korra! Come with me! Lee might need a healer" Lin shouted as they reached the building. She lifted her leg and slammed it back down to locate her, once she did they were off, running up stairs and down a hall. Where they heard sobbing. "Lee!" Lin shouted as she slammed the doors open.

"L-Lin?" Lee's strained voice came from the floor.

When Lin's eyes finally settled on Lee they grew wider than before and she gasped "Lee!?"

Lee gave a half hearted chuckle "you found me" immediately after the words left her mouth Lee collapsed and blacked out to Lin, Korra and Tahn shouting her name.

She was set up with healers for a good two days before she woke up, the entire time Lin either stayed by her side or had Bolin watch her if she was busy, and Tahn took over the bomb squad as temporary captain. The morning before she woke up Tahn came to check on Lin and her.

"Chief?" Tahn called quietly, managing to get her attention enough that she turned to look at him "may I come in?" She nodded and he entered the room with a bowl of soup in his hands "here. You need to eat.. I also wanted to tell you something"

He sat down and set the bowl on the small table beside Lin "what is it?" She asked in a grumpy but attempted gentle voice.

"There's a reason she had walls up for you" Tahn said softly while looking at the sleeping Lee "Im sure you've seen that speck of gold in her eyes"

"Yes, I have"

"And you've seen my blue right?" With a nod as a response he continued "you both were meant to have another soulmate, she had met them and lost them. Just like I had known another soulmate but lost them. I lost mine to a car accident, but she... she had them killed right beside her while she slept."

"I- why didn't she just tell me?" Lin narrowed her eyes at Tahn "and why would she tell you?"

"Because I asked and I managed to put two and two together and show a connection with knowing" he sighed "Im not saying this to act like I know more about her, Im saying this so you understand why she's hesitant to let herself fall in love with you. Just, be patient with her, she'll come around"

Lee stirred in the bed and made a small whine "bright" she whispered

"Lee?" Lin whispered

"Lin?" Lee slowly opened her eyes to look at Lin and Tahn "I can't.. I can't feel my leg" she looked down "Oh my gods! Where's my leg!?" She sat up quick and held her head when it started to pound

"Woah now, easy there Captain, you were aleep for two days, let me get you some food and water"

"Tahn? What... what happened to my leg?"

"It was crushed under a filing cabinet and the healers couldnt save it" he frowned "Im sorry. I'll be right back with some food and water"

"Just get her water, I'll share the soup" Tahn nodded at Lin and headed out to get the water while Lin pushed some pillows behind Lee so she could sit comfortably.

"Lin... I.." Lee stared at her hands, trying to form her words "I'm sorry"

"Your apology is accepted, though Im not sure what you're apologizing for"

"For.. avoiding you as a soulmate? I don't.. I dont want to tell another person the whole thing, but I just... we had another and he.. he was" she held her chest while she tried to breathe

"Hey, hey, its okay, Tahn told me, you don't have to retell it. But Im glad you felt safe to try. And don't worry, I'll be patient with y-"

"Can you kiss me?" Lee blurted out

Lin blinked a couple times and stammered for a moment before managing out a "are you sure?"

"More sure than I've ever been, I know youre not too touchy feely and what not, but just once can y-!!" She didn't manage to rant much more because she was silenced by a pair of lips against her own.

Lin held her cheek when she pulled back and grinned. "You talk too much" and sealed the distance once more.

[ariyadaivaris]

im giving this very minimal editing. this is a very long post because i thought about gold standard last night and had an out of body experience. it is not very good because i wrote it and also it was like 4 in the morning and i was unwell. i don’t know why its worded the way it is it sounds like i was trying to sound professional and thoughtful or something and i dont know why the fuck i tried that how embarrassing cringe and fail blogger. i am posting it anyway because this is what i do is embarrass myself online. thank you <3 

  Tony after being betrayed said he was hurt, but he knew what teaming with That Guy offered, what the benefits were, and why someone would do it. This is the thing: WHY did the betrayal happen? It happened because Tony stood up to That One. Tony stood up to Enzo specifically because Ariya failed, and when Enzo chewed him out for it Tony stepped in. This was both righteous and kind, and it made everything harder.

  Ariya participated in the betrayal because of this. BECAUSE Tony was kind to him! Because Tony saying the way Ariya was being treated was wrong, and if Ariya believes that, then he is suddenly in a LOT of danger at the champion's hands. Ariya has feuded with a few people already. He has been humiliated for no reason. He has been beaten down by someone who wanted it more. Ariya isn't in a great place to think he can leave and make it. Ariya made a deal with the devil, he's safe as a goon, he cannot fight what happens to him now. Tony and Drew have each other, if it breaks bad, and they're both friends with Ariya he guesses, but not in the same way. He has nowhere to go and no way to fight.

  Tony, however, DOES fight. Tony challenges Ariya's idea that he has to suck it up and deal with it. If it's all three of them against him, then maybe they could get out. Ariya gets his idea about the shape of the world, the place everyone has in it, challenged. And he rejects it! He can't accept it! Tony is fighting to protect HIM! And he denies it!

  And the thing is, this is something Tony understands. Tony confronts Drew instead of Ariya, because--well because dubya weighs their importance differently because of the racism but because Drew hasn't bought in the way Ariya has. If anyone is OVER enough to challenge Enzo at this time? It is Mister FUCKING PowerPoint babey!!!!!!!! Drew gets onboarded and accepts because it might make him more popular, more able to gain traction for his bullshit no fun allowed ideas! Ariya is backed into a corner of his own design, and its not good and it doesn't make him betraying Tony FINE, but Tony understands what happened. Why Ariya did that. In a way, he understands Drew, too, of course. The influence is too appealing, he knows that. But Drew /chose/ to join in when he was given a chance to help Tony. 

  Maybe Drew needed to regain confidence too, maybe he needed to get back on his stupid little feet, it's been awhile since I've seen that storyline play out and I dont remember all the details. But I think the other thing is...Tony and Drew were literally closer at the time. Ariya was still their friend, OBVIOUSLY, even if the canon was noncommittal about saying it, but Tony and Drew were like. I mean. YOU know. You were there. Drew turning on Tony, after all that they'd done together, held so much weight behind it. Tony doesn't demand an explanation from Ariya. But he NEEDS to know Drew is sorry. He needs things to be okay between them. But they're not, and they never are again.

  This is...another thing. Drew doubles down on this to the point it turns him into something else entirely. Tony demands an apology from him, and he /refuses/. He offers some small, pathetic I'm Sorrys during the match, as long as he's getting hurt, as long as Tony has the upper hand, but when push comes to shove, he breaks in the other direction. He's not sorry. He didn't do anything wrong. Tony held him back, if you really think about it actually, because why would Drew have ever done anything wrong? Really, this is Tony's fault if you think about it (it was not Tony's fault)

  Ariya isn't given a chance to apologize in the same way. Tony and Drew clash during the tournament. Ariya gets knocked out in round one, gets injured soon after (which breaks up a potential feud with Mustafa as well and every fucking day it makes me want to scream, I would do anything on this earth for them to feud, please God take me back) and spends most of 2018 out of action. There's just no time, and even if there was, its questionable if dubya would even care about the opportunity. The next time they meet, it's when Tony's the champion and Ariya has finally decided hes better off alone anyway.

  Tony is different. He's the champion, and he's a face, at that. He's earned the title by seeking vengeance against someone who wronged him, and he found it. He's lost in a lot of ways, but he's trying to be confident, and he is trying to become the kind of person who can represent the championship. Not just as someone who got it on the way to a kind of small interpersonal victory, but as a Real Champion. The kind 205 (usually) fosters. The kind that didnt ruin his life.

  Tony is also the same. He's Ariya's friend. In the middle of a sea of changes, Ariya is familiar. They can pick up where they left off, if Ariya wants. If Ariya just...if he just changes alignments for Tony. If he accepts that Tony wants him. 

  Ariya is different. Alone after abandoning Kenta during a failed attempt at vengeance against a mutual enemy. Akira, who Kenta discarded after a few too many losses. Akira, who beat Ariya in pursuit of the title, a loss that Ariya never really came back from. Ariya loses to Akira again, even playing support for someone else. And he lashes out. And he works on his own, because he doesn't trust anyone to help him.

  Ariya's also the same. He lashes out, and he doesn't trust anyone to help him. Ariya carries his career around on his back. He carries, in reflection of someone else's experience, a chip on his shoulder. It weighs him down. When Tony offers him understanding, he does what he has always done, and he rejects it. Tony faces Drew, the ghost of their shared past, and Ariya is there to remind him exactly why he exists as he does now. "I didn't hurt you, but I could have. I just wanted you to know." Tony cannot trust Drew anymore. He shouldn't trust Ariya, Ariya warns him.

  Ariya doesn't say sorry, because he can't, because he's too busy sabotaging his last remaining friendship for Tony's own good, for his own good, for him to convince himself he never cared in the first place, but he regrets it. He cuts Tony off because it's easier than apologizing because this motherfucker will NEVER admit to having problems, he will drink water with a lemon slice and that will fix everything, thank you, but he does this to warn Tony off before Ariya can hurt him again. Ariya lashes out. It's what he does. Its better this way, where Tony can't get hurt.

  (Ariya, who doesn't put himself in harm's way for anyone, who has Evasion as his middle name, who sneaks around conflicts every chance he gets, flattering and tricking and taking opportunities because he doesn't trust his own skills to get him wins, Ariya thinks he's protecting Tony. But maybe he's still protecting himself. Ariya saw Tony and Drew, saw them again, saw how they have something that he doesn't. Ariya can't trust anyone the way they trusted each other. Ariya will never, ever be to Tony what Drew was. The sooner Ariya prevents even the chance for that comparison to exist, the sooner they can forget it ever happened, the sooner he can stop thinking about it like Tony could want to be his friend all the same. Like Tony could be thinking he's just not a threat the way Drew is. Like Tony could know everything about Ariya and forgive him anyway, like Ariya could ever do right by that forgiveness. Like Ariya could /ever/ earn anything.)

  It took a long time for them to get where they are even now! Tony and Ariya danced around the idea of teaming with each other for a long time, talking around it and avoiding each other and not thinking about it. Now that they are, we can actually see HOW their relationship has evolved since then. Ariya and Tony have remained a team, and Ariya has begun to risk things for people. He was doing it a bit before, with someone who definitely didn't deserve it, but Ariya is now trying to actively protect Tony in matches, after matches, when he's hurt. Ariya hasn't asked for Tony's help or really accepted it on a level deeper than Win Match yet (and honestly Ariya probably realistically needs more help than anyone can give him, help that has to come from himself), but he's offering his own. And when Ariya realizes he's not winning on his own, when he had his little Moment at the beginning of the year where he got ready to sabotage and run because he can't start depending on people and especially not on Tony, the LAST person who needs to be looking after Ariya again, when that happened, Tony took a step back and let Ariya work on his own. When Ariya does what he needs to to feel In Control, which is usually a little murder but I like him so it's okay, Tony leaves him to do it on his own or plays support for him instead. 

  Its like... there is a healing in the rift between them in the specific way it needed to heal, y'know? It's not perfect and there's always a chance the writers get bored again and do some bullshit, but like...tony and Ariya specifically have like. One of the most interesting relationships in wrestling right now. It's like. God. I could just die thinking about it. I care them

[zanguntsu]

zangetsu, nel, and tatsuki for the ask thing if you wanna!! :3

hell yeah!

im going with both zangetsus bc i cant tell which one since it really depends if you call zangetsu shiro or white or just refer to old man zangetsu as zangetsu or not

Favorite thing about them: zangetsu is just a feral tapeworm and omz is ichigo’s dad and thats what i love

Least favorite thing about them: there isnt really anything i dont like about them tbh? i guess i wish he had more screentime and character development. this applies to both

Favorite line: the horse king speech slapped and its Iconic and its too long too

for omz, it’s everything he says in 541 bcause it makes me Emo and i wanna cry because omz loves his ichigo! hes a proud father! im crying in the club

Brotp: all the zangetsus relationship with ichigo is so good theyre just a dysfunctional family

Otp: i cant really imagine any of them in a relationship. zangetsu is just constantly feral and the idea of omz in a serious relationship is like thinking too much into your parents relationship so its just Weird

Notp: any of them with ichigo tbh because theyre all one person and are reflections of his soul

Random headcanon: zangetsu and omz are like a father son relationship and omz is a tired dad

Unpopular opinion: the idea of zangetsu being all suave and Like That is wrong because he shovels leaves into his mouth and would probably give you rabies. he’s just a funky feral lad

for omz Deserves to be just as important as zangetsu. he was there from the start, he actively helps ichigo and is a complex character if you really want to go into his relationship with yhwach but fuck yhwach lol. the fandom just sleeps on omz

Songs I associate with them: i do have a playlist for both of them but for specific songs i associate zangetsu with dark matter by les friction and omz with the call by regina spektor

Favorite picture of them

for omz its this which i call Dadgetsu

and this is distinguished tapeworm

Nel

Favorite thing about them: shes just so fun and hilarious and acts exactly like a 6 year old i love her shes babey.

Least favorite thing about them: her sudden adult transformation which is gross and shes just heavily sexualized

Favorite line: that time she called nnoitra a beast was so fucking good destroy him

Brotp: nel and her fraccion are Big family and i love their bond and how much they care for her. i also love ichigo and nel because theyre so similar

Otp: if i Had to pick one it would be harribel but i dont ship nel with anyone tbh

Notp: nel and nnoitra Definitely. he’s so disgusting and she deserved better

Random headcanon: she’s at least an adjuchas before arrancar

Unpopular opinion: nel should have kept her baby form and not has the adult form Or have been introduced with just her adult form because i Hate It when kubo does the babey turns into hot adult tm thing its gross

Songs I associate with them: the song that gets on everyones nerves. she Would sing it

Favorite picture of them

she says heck

Tatsuki

Favorite thing about them: shes so strong and brave! i love how strong willed she is and that she’s the 2nd strongest girl in japan

Least favorite thing about them: the fact that she didn’t have development or story importance because she’s ichigos and orihimes childhood friend Cmon kubo give her rights

Favorite line: that time she punched ichigo. really fealt that

Brotp: tatsuki and ichigo! they’re childhood friends and they’re really similar to each other! love them!

Otp: tatsuhime is Canon. You cannot change this.

Notp: uhhhh there really isnt any but i saw grimmjow and tatsuki once and i wanted to die

Random headcanon: she competes in karate championships when she’s older and is pretty well known for that.

Unpopular opinion: tatsuki deserves powers. its not an unpopular opinion but i really dont have any

Songs I associate with them: headstrong by trapt is tatsukicore

Favorite picture of them:

We Could Have Had It All

[vettelcore]

so what do you think about Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel? :D

thank you for asking anon!! those are some good choices lol 

MARK WEBBER: all I can remember from him was from the years that he was teammates with Seb at redbull so you can imagine how much I liked him back then lol

but nah, I think he’s the typical solid midfield driver that can win a few races from now and then (*ehem* val *ehem), a good driver but definitely not championship material imo 

definitely not a good number two driver, but I think that was just for Seb since he had no problem helping Fernando out on Brazil 2012 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

nowadays i think he’s a nice guy, he realised that his rivalry with seb was stupid because the bad ones were always Christian and Helmut, not his teammate, although those were really fun days ngl i would have loved a netflix series to be a thing during those seasons lol

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LEWIS HAMILTON: hands down the best driver in F1 currently (im sorry seb but its the truth lol) he barely makes any mistakes, he’s fast, consistent and idk if anyone here has watched kuroko no basket??? but theres this thing in that anime where the REALLY good players got in the “zone” and they were practically unbeatable??? like out of this fucking world shit. Anyways when Lewis gets in his “zone” I bet he even gets the sparkly eyes with lasers coming out of them like they do in the anime lmfao 

I think the guy gets WAYYY too much shit because of his more personal side, like idk to me he just seems like an easy going person who just wants to be nice, hence the “you guys are the best crowd ever!” meme from a few seasons back lol

lewis has had so much shit thrown at him being the 1st and only black driver in f1, I remember when he was teammates with Fernando, during a GP in Catalonia, some “””fans””” dressed up in blackface, he was constantly called the n word equivalent in spanish by fernando’s fans, and afaik this racism wasnt only from non uk countries, like even in his home country he was still getting racist attacks bc he “wants to be from the hood” and shit like that, only because he likes to do other things outside of f1, it’s honestly insane

like idk i’ve always had a soft spot for lewis, i have never been his fan, but I can appreciate him as both a driver and a person

also my appreciation for him went up when he went vegan, and from a social issues pov, he’s probably one of the most decent guys in the paddock, even though he says a lot of dumb shit sometimes lol

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SEBASTIAN VETTEL: if I say he’s underrated, will anyone kill me?? but let me explain

he won his 1st race and pole on a rainy weekend in monza in a TORO ROSSO, people love to downplay this because “well to be honeeeeest the STR was a really good car in 2008 so it wasn’t that much of an achievement

he became a world champion on his 3rd full season in f1, becoming the youngest WDC in history, on a season where 5 different drivers could have won the title and it went down to the last race, people still love to downplay this bc “well to be honeeeeest only him and fernando could realistically win the championship and the ferrari was a horrible car”

he went on to destroy every other driver in 2011, obviously only thanks to newey

he beat fernando fair and square in 2012, again, obviously only thanks to newey and because the ferrari that season also was a really bad car

once again he went on to destroy every other driver in 2013, “thanks to the car”

4 championships in total, on a row, and beating drivers like Fernando Alonso who many consider even a better driver than Schumi

but no, he never deserved any of them because he won only because of the car, of fucking course

when he moved to ferrari, SO many people think he did it because he was “afraid of Ricciardo” and was only running away, and they all ignore the fact that

1. it was always seb’s dream to emulate what Schumi, his idol, did in Ferrari, his all time favourite team

2. he had a precontract since early in the season and he had been talking to ferrari for Y E A R S  before anything was made official

and now since he moved to Ferrari, he gets shit because “LoL vEtTeL bAd He SpInS”, I could go on a whole different rant over this lol 

Overall, I have NEVER seen a fucking four time world champion get as much shit as he does, be doubted as much as him, and be so fucking underrated as him, it’s fucking insane

like... I was gonna say “you’re only as good as you’re last race”, but I dont think that even applies to Seb because when he has a good race, so many people still say shit like “well duuuh, his team threw his teammate under the bus to let him win”

you dont fucking win 4 world championships if you’re not a fucking good driver, for fucks sake, how is that so difficult to understand??

on his personality, him and romain are the two sweetest and most caring drivers in the paddock lmfao 

hes the king of dad jokes and no one else can beat him at that you can’t change my mind

i also see so many comments on reddit saying that “they used to hate him back in redbull because he was so stuck up and a crybaby, but since he moved to ferrari he’s become such a funny guy” like??? no??? what the fuck???? he’s always been a really good and funny guy? did these people watch any of his interviews or press conferences back in 2010-2014? what??? how the hell do you think he’s the only driver to have had befriended kimi lmfao like just say that your bias against him made you not see how fucking funny he is, it’s fine

at the end of the day, no matter what seb does he is doomed

if he wins, it’s because of the car

if he loses, it’s because he’s a shit driver

if he moves teams, he’s just running away from his teammates

if he breathes, he’s wasting people’s oxygen 

if he doesn’t breath, he’s a dumb idiot because he’s gonna die

also he cares so much about his team and the sport, is super down to earth and will jump to any journalist’s throat if they ask something inappropriate to other drivers or to himself

I just fucking love sebastian so much why am i like this dhldsjhdkjghdfg 

oh my god this post is so long sdhflsdhfsjk 

[red-sterling]

thanks for answering!! i hope you don't mind if i send more charas...how about green and/or lillie?

fhgjkfdg aw yea thank u!! hopefully this doesn’t publish before i’m done typing lol

also this definitely needs a readmore bc i got emotional abt Green oops

Green

favorite thing about them

first of all: the fact that Green canonically has a rivals to best friends arc with Red fills me with so much joy and YES they are on their alolan honeymoon you cannot convince me otherwise

okay like. gen 1 Green just perfectly encompasses what it’s like to be a ten year old in a way? like ofc he’s written like a kid bc he is a kid, but i feel like the writing on him just feels so genuine as compared to some of the other 10 yr old rivals you get in other regions. even though he’s kinda a brat at the start, he kinda eases up a bit as you go along your journey and starts giving you progressively nicer/more praise-y end lines when you beat him (going from “i picked the wrong pokémon!” to “so, you are ready for boss rocket!”) but still retains this childlike rivalry and competitiveness and i love that about him

and like. fucking beating him at the Indigo League still completely breaks my heart because even after he did become the champion at age 10 the first thing that happens is you beat him and Prof Oak just yells at him for being bad at things and like. ow. 

this is why i headcanon that Red actually took awhile longer to get to Green like please. please give my boy a chance to be happy and proud

also Red was caught up with Team Rocket anyway so i imagine he must’ve fallen a little behind at some point? anyway

the development on him across regions is so choice!!! he’s so much more mellow and even kinda melancholic when you find him in gsc/hgss, like he’s calmed down over a few years and he obviously misses Red so much but like, it’s clear that Red is kinda the reason Green does settle down and he seems to have worked on his character and become a nicer person - and he still has that sassy flair to him! he’s just got that gradual slope from asshole rival to kinda aloof gym leader to friendly/sassy battle legend and aaaaa i love my boy so MUCH

also huge point: he’s so fucking driven??? he’s got the most drive and the most passion for battles/pokémon in general out of all the rivals i feel. he’s only closely matched by Silver, but Silver seems to be more aggressive than passionate, and somewhat out of necessity too (like, Giovanni abandoned him what was he to do), whereas Green just really like. he genuinely just cares so much about battles and about pokémon in general! he literally calls you in hgss and just rants about how many different kinds of pokémon there are in the world!!!

also in Alola he’s like???? just so sweet?????? he congratulates you and is like hey you’re really strong lets battle like!!!!!!!!! supportive boy!!!!! he has come so far over so many generations and i cry

also on Four Island when you play frlg he legitimately says “Be smelling ya!” when he leaves and how do you not love this idiot

least favorite thing about them

i mean. while i get that you beat Green right after he becomes the champion in the kanto games i feel like there should’ve been more pomp and circumstance for him and i’ll never forgive gamefreak for giving this boy his dream, then making you rip it away from him, and then watching his own gramps yell at him for fucking up like. again it’s that drive, i get why Red keeps such good pace w Green but i just feel like he worked so hard and he deserved so much better than that

also while i’m very biased towards him bc Big Emotions, i feel like if i knew this boy irl who was constantly i’m so great and you’re a loser i would probably punch him eventually lmao. in theory it’s kinda endearing but as a real person that’d be grating 

favorite line

on one hand, “smell ya later” is so fucking iconic, but on the other - 

“I’m Blue. Man, this guy called Red brought me down in a heartbeat. I haven’t seen him in a long time…I wonder where he is and what he’s up to… Come to think of it, you look a little bit like Red. Yeah, you do. Just…Just a little bit. Whatever…”

my namelessshipping heart

ALSO NOT CANON BUT GREEN RANTING TO YOU ABOUT RED AND GETTING SO DISTRACTED THAT HE FORGETS TO GIVE YOU THE POKÉDEX????? BIG GAY

brOTP

for long elaborate headcanon reasons, i see him as being a good brotp with Kris - i headcanon her as also being really driven the way Green is, but more quiet about it, she’s kinda a good balance to him and they probably do pokemon research together. i also feel like she kept him sane while Red was still missing/before they found him on a fuckin mountain

OTP

do i really need to tell you that i’m 100% namelessshipping

like they perfectly balance each other. Green has all this energy and all this spunk and Red is just like… so opposite of him y'know? he’s quiet and he’s more measured in his behavior i feel, he doesn’t really rush into things as much, and yet they both really just took Kanto by storm when they were kids, and i like how they have this foil dynamic and are both still so successful? they’re so different and they complement each other in that way, and they both find success in their own ways

like one of the reasons i hate that Green’s championship gets undersold so much is that he did beat you to the punch, and he has been one step ahead of you, and there’s so much passion there and it’s so loud - and yet you as Red are just as driven, you take down Team Rocket, you’re always right on his tail, so close but not quite there, you’re the only one who can keep up with him and you’re the only one he cares enough about to slow down for

so like. idk with even all my headcanons about namelessshipping aside (and i can infodump those another day lol), i feel like the in-game representation of them just works. they just work so well together, they balance each other without ever holding each other back, and there’s something really beautiful about that in a relationship y'know

…..i feel bad abt not putting as much infodump about isshushipping now but oh well

nOTP

i don’t really have a notp with him? i kinda like. i basically just do namelessshipping, but i don’t get a visceral eugh when i see other ships with him, just kinda a well it’s not nameless so i’ll be on my way. idek what other ships w him are popular?? i’ve been in nameless hell since 2012 so 

random headcanon

while Red is still living on Mount Silver, Green is not coping well with having him so far away, and so Green massively overworks himself to the point that he keeps just not being in his gym sometimes bc he’s bouncing between the gym, training multiple teams, pokémon research, and ofc going to visit Red whenever he can. this leads him to be kinda temperamental after he’s been working on 2 hours of sleep a day for like a week until he just has an emotional meltdown and crashes, and then he gets right back into it because he has no self preservation

…….. nicer headcanon; Red can only cook two (2) foods, so Green cooks all the food for them when they move in together. he has attempted to teach Red how to cook, but Red pretends not to understand so Green will keep making him food. Green knows Red is faking it and doesn’t call him out bc he thinks it’s cute

unpopular opinion

look i’ve played through classic red version a few times and when i say he wasn’t that much of a jerk, i do genuinely mean he was not that much of a jerk. he’s like ten. ten year olds are just Like That. i guess this isn’t too unpopular anymore but it was Back In The Day and in some parts of the fandom he’s still seen as a jerk and like Bro He Is Ten In RGB/FRLG cut him some slack

also genuinely unpopular - Green is taller than Red. i know namelessshipping has fallen into the bara Red and twink Green trope but i refuse to let go of tall Green/short Red fuckin fight me why dont you

song i associate with them

a lot of the Pray For The Wicked album by Panic! at the Disco gives me Green vibes, more for the sound than for lyrics necessarily, but for some reason Roaring 20s just like. has the sound of Green to me. it’s somewhere between flamboyant pride and underlying insecurity that i think really encapsulates Green (or at least his subtext)

favorite picture of them

i genuinely love his let’s go concept art he’s such a sweet good boy?? 

and for the life of me i cannot find the op source on this but this is my fave pic of Green/namelessshipping in general that i’ve had saved since like 2012 maybe???

yeah if anyone can help me source that i’d appreciate it bc reverse image search only brings me to pinterest and random wattpad links :/

update: source seems to be the artist くる (pixiv id=982894) on pixiv, even though the original post got taken down (ty anon!)

Lillie

favorite thing about them

by now i guess you know im a sucker for character development, but i think they did a really good job with her!! i feel like her turn is a bit more in moments than it is with Green, who gradually evolves (lol) over the course of Kanto/all the gens overall. you see more discrete moments where Lillie starts to shift and gain confidence in herself and i am so proud of her ???? like the way she gets excited when she sees Olivia doin’ her z-move stuff, she starts buying her own clothes and getting ahead of you, etc etc

and like, she still has moments where she’s scared, there’s still some fundamental Lillie in there yknow? you don’t lose any of that softness that characterizes Lillie, she just like… she gets better, she develops without losing her Lillie vibe and i love that abt her. she overcomes a lot of the shit she had to deal with when she was stuck with Lusamine, she stands up to Lusamine eventually, and ghfdkjsg gah she’s a sweet gorl i love and appreciate her

also like. the writing on her backstory is so subtle in-universe. like yeah she literally looks like Lusamine’s daughter and you see her in the opening cutscene leaving Aether, but as the protagonist - like as Selene lets say, there’s little hints about where Lillie came from, and if you suspend your disbelief and put yourself in the pc’s shoes, there’s subtly to her character arc that i like 

also like. when she changes her outfit and starts being more protagonist-y, like more confident and kinda bubbly instead of shy??? love that shit it’s so cute can i have custody of this child pls

least favorite thing about them

i like. sometimes feel like she’s too soft of a character for me to really get into? like i love her and Hau, they’re sweet good friends, but i tend to personally gravitate towards characters that create a little more tension (ie Green and N)

(though on that note, Hau can be kinda savage. he just calls Faba out and sarcastically calls Gladion “a ray of sunshine” at some point i think?? Lillie is just very tender and i will support her forever, but i think that also makes her almost too soft to keep me fixated on her yknow. it’s not even a flaw in her character but just not something i fawn over as much)

favorite line

“I’m so glad I got to meet everyone. I’m so glad I got to meet you.”

like that ending kills me but that line almost feels like. I Feel That So Much like i feel so happy to have met all these new characters and to have played these games, and i feel like some of the player’s energy and enjoyment of the game is channeled into this last line of hers 

also GET IN THE BAG

brOTP

probably her and Hau?? idk, i don’t have a specific brotp for her but i like her just hangin around w the other Alola kids, so like her, Hau, Gladion, and the protag kids. they’d raise hell together and Lillie continues to be the only one with some impulse control

(Gladion also has some impulse control but keeps getting annoyed by Hau and so he gets dragged into their nonsense anyway)

OTP

Selene and Lillie is. Good. idk what the ship name is but it’s canon

nOTP

i dont even know if people ship her with Gladion but incest is a big no-no in my house

random headcanon

when she goes to Kanto, i bet she’d pick Bulbasaur as a starter if she was given the opportunity - and if not, she’d probably catch a wild Vulpix 

unpopular opinion

idk if have any unpopular opinions for her?? 

song i associate with them

i have no reason to associate this with her but the Rainy Day theme from acgc just. has a vibe about it. i think a lot of ac music feels like it suits her

favorite picture of them

i found this art of her through a lofi remix of her theme awhile back and it’s so pleasing to look at? her hair is nice and the colors are so warm n happy gjhkfdgf

if you read this far, congratulations!!! and i’m sorry

[andymull]

WWE Wrestlemania 35 - Preview & Predictions

Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey (c) vs Charlotte Flair (c) - Winner Takes All

And here we go...... the women have finally produced a feud and wrestlers that have gotten theirselves into the main event of the biggest show of the year. The addition of Ronda to the company has been MASSIVE, both to the product in terms of matches as well as to the financial side of things with her being a big factor in the WWE’s new tv deals. And as well as Ronda we have Becky, who has really clicked with fans over the past few months, with the image of her with a busted face on Raw being the image fans now see the second they think of her which was vital in her progression.

This then leads us to the third wheel of the match in Charlotte, im not sure if that’s a knock on her or not, oh well its the truth. There was a big backlash around her inclusion here as many feel it wasn't required in the slightest, but really taking a step back and thinking about it this added an extra factor of heat to the feud which was kinda needed as they've messed up so often during the build to this bout. Whoever the winner beats to win then sets up another big match with the person not involved as they weren't beaten, then you can also have the loser climbing their way back to another bout giving it another layer of development to it all. Another of the problems in adding Charlotte was that very recently it seems Vince found out that Charlotte hadn't won a tv match this year, this was the reason for her randomly taking on Asuka and beating her for the title to show there was a big reason to add her in the main event as more people were questioning how bad that stat looked. And at the same time doing that has destroyed the plans for the Smackdown women's championship and Asuka’s big pay day.

Remember, they arent just building to this match, they are building for the future. And the above will see them easily through to the Survivor Series with a heavily heated title feud on one or both shows depending on how they handle the winner having two titles......

Which then leads to their decision, do they continue to have two women’s champions OR have one champion that travels to both shows to align things with the women’s tag titles? 

I see Becky winning beating Charlotte to take both belts, it lets Ronda have some time off setting up a big money match on her return while Becky leads Raw in her place - LYNCH

The New Daniel Bryan (c) vs Kofi Kingston - WWE Championship Match 

Another match where the build has been all over the shop, but in this case injuries have changed and dictated the directional moves in which wrestler would be making the step up to challenge Bryan for the belt. The last change that stuck was moving Kevin Owens out of the match and adding Kofi after his reaction in the Elimination Chamber, after he was added to that match after Ali was injured and lost his spot there too, busy to keep up isnt it...

This really should be an easy to predict outcome with Kofi finally getting his big shot and winning the title for a first time, the actual question should be how long will he hold the belt for? Once the Wrestlemania buzz dies down and management begin to look critically at his ratings and sales how long will they persevere with his reign?

I just hope they dont split The New Day up during his run, we need them to keep the group together and show friendship in a solid way, instead of the usual ways of them turning on him with poor reasoning. If they want to challenge him for the belt have them ask for it and say they are willing to prove theirselves first, then challenge him as friends as whoever wins it doesn't break the connection as they all support each other.

Daniel Bryan will not lose much in dropping the title, he’ll quickly move into another fun feud with whoever he wants and asks for, this is exactly the method to Bryan’s current run and its great......get Pete Dunne ready!!! - KINGSTON

Brock Lesnar (c) vs Seth Rollins - WWE Universal Championship Match

Too many matches on this show, so ill be quick with the ones that SHOULD have an easy to predict outcome.

This is the perfect example, Seth goes over strong, Brock takes some time away and finally gets a date for his return to the UFC and gets in fighting shape. Rollins then returns to Raw as champion and moves into a feud with Drew McIntyre who deserves it and will have some solid bouts, the only problem there is Drew is up against Roman and I doubt he wins at Mania over him - ROLLINS

Triple H vs Batista - No Holds Barred Match

Also if HHH loses he has to retire and cant wrestle again which should ring bells for the outcome, I love that Big Dave is returning for one last match and if you know him you’ll know he isnt here to have his hand raised. 

Triple H wins, hopefully quickly after seeing his last few bouts, then I see them both hugging straight after or even on Raw just making a mockery out of this fake build up to the feud - TRIPLE H

Shane McMahon vs The Miz - Falls Count Anywhere Match

Toilet break time.

I really have no interest in this in the slightest, even as a team I didnt care, seeing Shane wrestle as a heel doesn't appeal and Miz acting as a bad ass baby-face cant get me to act interested.

I love Shane as a heel boss but it doesn't carry over to wrestling, as a face his whole act is building to a big spot/jump but that really is counterproductive for a heel, and if they do so then dont be surprised to have him get cheered over Miz - MIZ

Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre

I really want Drew to win here as he’s so ready for the big push but the whole story to Roman’s return cant possibly see them plan for anything other than a Reigns victory. I can only imagine them doing a multi person match on Raw for the next number one contender as a way to have Drew get there without pinning Roman - REIGNS 

Tamina/Nia Jax vs Bayley/Sasha Banks (c) vs The IIconics vs Beth Phoenix/Nattie - WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4 Way Match

All I can say here is that the Sky Pirates NEEDED to be in this match for my interest.

Lets get rid of Nia and Tamina quickly in a heap of rubble at ringside then let the others work, there’s no doubt in my mind that the champs are keeping their belts. They then will defend on all shows including NXT, hopefully, but lets keep the titles on teams that can work well and not with the gimmicky teams please - BAYLEY/BANKS

AJ Styles vs Randy Orton

This should be a very solid bout but at the same time is really the beginning of the feud so may not get the most time and could have a cheap finish to let this continue. But saying that these two could be guys high up on the list of people that potentially could get moved around in the draft, especially Styles after his long run with the title on Smackdown - STYLES

Samoa Joe (c) vs Rey Mysterio - WWE US Title Match

Another match that has changed multiple times or morphed into other planned feuds, this particular match blatantly wasn't planned at the time of the last PPV as they had Joe choke out Rey which doesn't make any sense to have him now challenge here.

For me Joe needs a long run with the title mowing through guys and gaining back the killer image he should have, let him do this for months with the whole purpose of it being to ultimately get him ready to be moved back to the main event scene as a legit challenger and the champion.

Rey has looked great since coming back and should really have been having a bout against Andrade tonight with the mask vs hair stipulation added to it but oh well, not sure if Dominic will be ringside and involved but I feel he may and may be the reason for Joe retaining, be that by him being a distraction for his Dad or even turning on his Dad, who knows.

What I also will say is that Rey actually does have a slight injury which he seems to be fine with,but, I wouldn't put it past them to alter this and add others to the match AGAIN just to get people on the show and save Rey’s ankle if its still in pain - JOE

Bobby Lashley (c) vs Finn Balor - WWE Intercontinental Championship Match

Finn’s going to be in Demon mode, simple - BALOR

Kurt Angle vs The Baron - Angle’s Farewell Match

Man, what a let down this is if it actually is the planned match, and not only that but Angle is broken down now sadly to the point where they shouldn't be putting him in the ring, who knows how he passes their tests to see if he is fit enough to be in there.

The big story is will someone take out The Baron when he makes his way to the ring for a HUGE pop and take his place against Kurt, the popular choice with people is seemingly John Cena. Now, im not sure anyone can drag Angle to a great match anymore and bringing in someone who isnt a full timer and hasn't been wrestling in awhile is a bad choice for me, id rather he be involved in the Elias angle where he can come in and nail an F5 for the easy pop. 

Im actually lost for who should take the role and it work and more importantly someone who isnt already in a match on the card. If I could take it back afew months I would have never had the Drew McIntyre match in November where he destroyed Kurt with his own move, if they built Drew as a force upto this point then had a super competitive match with Angle ending in the same way as November I think you could take tons from it. Angle doesn't need to go out on top, he will be left in the ring after the match for the applause and potentially taking off of his boots to leave in the ring. But it will also do wonders for someone to beat him, hell if its Drew it would have been easy to move him straight to the title scene rather than a lose to Roman. 

If it actually stays as The Baron id love for it to be a double retirement match, or an Angle win - ANGLE 

Ricochet/Aleister Black vs The Uso’s (c) vs The Bar vs Rusev/Shinsuke Nakamura - WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship Fatal 4 Way Match

Id expect the Usos to retain, not sure the others deserve the titles just yet, maybe Ricochet and Black but I see them going singles once the Mania buzz dies down - USOS

Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

The main name included here is Braun Strowman and the guys from SNL, I cant see past Braun and there’s no real reason for it unless there’s a new guy debuting or a big angle that’s going longer with the SNL guys being able to get Braun eliminated - BRAUN

Women’s Battle Royal

I dont think all the names have been announced here and it will be decided just before the show on who’s around, yes I believe that fully. The front-runners should be Asuka, Mandy Rose and Lacey Evans, Asuka deserves it for how she’s been treated with the title and Lacey’s big push should be starting from here. Ill go with Lacey to eliminate Asuka to win and kick start her first bi feud on the main roster - EVANS

Buddy Murphy (c) vs Tony Nese - WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match

Again I say the same thing, not the time for Murphy to drop the title and not the opponent for it either, infact im alittle surprise Nese got the spot. He’s a good wrestler but I dont think much of his character work ‘look at my abs!!’ and that’s basically it? - MURPHY

The Revival (c) vs Zack Ryder/ Curt Hawkins - WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Match

There really is ZERO need for this match, ZERO. The challengers haven't been on tv, haven't won matches and have ZERO credibility.........but what about Hawkins losing streak......that’s literally the ONLY reason they have gotten this spot - REVIVAL

I hope everyone enjoys the show, please try and watch it in parts if you can avoid spoilers as this is WAAAAAAYYYYYYY too long a show AGAIN

Bye for now

Andy

[inarichi]

Short Story Challenge

Prompt: (Photo)

(a/n: hey guys! this was a challenge made by @life-n0t-knife aka. Lulu and the limit was 1k words. mines is a bit more than 1k words. oops xD but that’s okay. hope you like it! ^^)

In Reach. 

Everyone moves in a haze of joy, their eyes sparkling with happiness while running towards the championship team. Kyungsoo’s eyes travel aimlessly until he finds his favorite hockey player standing gleefully in front of a mic and camera. He sits bemused by the faint chuckle that leaves Jongin’s lips and sure enough what follows is a scratch behind his head with the squinting of his eyes. Rose colored blush tiptoes along Jongin’s cheek as he nods in a subtle bow, his standard reactions after being highly complimented. 

Kyungsoo sighs his relief through worried lips that soon turns into a faint smile. Seeing Jongin flustered eases his mind and allows him to laugh for just a moment. It’s nothing like his best friend to shy away from attention however, he doesn’t take it well either. There are many quirks and mannerisms Jongin does and Kyungsoo knows what every single one means.

His fingers begin dancing on their own, inspiration fluttering around inside his thoughts. With his notepad snug in his palm, he writes his article for their college newspaper about their win for the night. He notes how the hockey team nearly won and who scored the final few points. How their hardwork and dedication allowed them to win tonight but truly, he wants to write about Jongin. 

Not a day passes by when he doesn’t want the world to know of his best friend’s talent. That Jongin deserves nothing less than a grand stage to stand on while he spectates and writes praises about him because that is what Kyungsoo does best. Words are his lifeline yet verbal usage of them slips far and between the stutters that muster every time he speaks. And in the array of darkness that once was his bullying and mocking came a searing beam of light in the form of a loving smile from the person he’s liked for almost a decade. 

Having met Jongin has changed his life and if he could share that with the world, it would be a dream come true. 

“Kyungsoo?” Come Jongin’s third try as his hand reaches out to place a soft palm onto Kyungsoo’s shoulder. 

The journalist looks up, eyes falling onto his favorite person before a wide smile breaks from his lips. “J-jongin, g-g-great, g-g-game!” He yells before his gaze settles down onto the paper as crimson swarms his cheeks. He stuttered much more than normal there but his excitement couldn’t be contained.

“Thank you.” Jongin says with a chuckle and takes an empty seat beside him. “What are you writing this time?”

“An a-article a-bout you.” Kyungsoo flashes him a subtle grin which Jongin returns with one of his own. 

“Make sure to say nothing but great things.” He leans closer attempting to catch a glimpse of Kyungsoo’s notes. 

“O-of course!” He shies away a few inches because having Jongin so close is not good for his heart. 

“Don’t you have any questions for me? Since this article is about me after all.” Jongin winks, playful and teasing. It’s the type of wink that makes Kyungsoo’s heart jump and his mind drown but he remains afloat, hanging onto this precious friendship with everything he has.

“N-no questions...I k-know everything a-about you, J-jongin.” He shakes his head. 

“Oh yeah?’ Jongin’s eyebrows arch, a mischievous glint in his gaze as his lips form a smirk. “I doubt that.”

Kyungsoo knows him. No one knows Jongin as much as he does. So he takes the hockey player up on his challenge. “T-then a-ask me a-anything.” He straightens his back, confidence spiraling throughout his limbs in an attempt to look unperturbed by Jongin's claim. 

“My favorite colors?” Jongin smiles. 

“Red and b-black.” 

“That was an easy one...What about other sports I have played?” 

He places his notepad on his lap and begins counting on his fingers. “B-basketball...s-soccer...f-football...a-a-a-and hockey.” There’s a pause while he glances at Jongin, then a light bulb flashes. “A-and t-track!”

“Almost got you there.” Jongin chuckles. “You have good memory. I did track back in middle school. It’s been too long.” He sighs. “Do you know why I haven’t dated anyone since high school?”

Oh no. How could he ever know that. It has always seemed odd that Jongin, who was sought after by numerous people never dated. Many people questioned Jongin in the past, but their questions were left unanswered and Jongin would move the conversation to another topic. 

Kyungsoo doesn’t know. He takes pride in knowing everything about his friend, but this is something he’s wondered himself but lacked the courage to ask. Words have always failed him, but even moreso when it comes to this man who he’s loved with all of his heart. It’s difficult to express himself in fear that everything could blow up in flames. So he lies to himself over and over, trying desperately to rid these feelings but they fail to go away. His heart betrays him time and time again, what could he do?

“I...d-dont k-know.” He lowers his head, tightness swelling in his chest. 

Jongin’s eyes soften and his warm palm lands gently onto Kyungsoo’s thigh. “Should I tell you why?” Kyungsoo’s head sinks lower as he weakly nods. Jongin squeezes his thigh lightly. “It’s because there’s already someone that I love. Would you guess who that could be?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen as his head snaps up to find chestnut eyes staring into his. His throat runs dry with eyes on the brim of tears but he holds firm before his unrequited love and prays he doesn’t notice. 

“I...I—”

“Well, this person…” Jongin continues but Kyungsoo doesn’t want to know, he doesn’t want to hear who Jongin loves. He squints his eyes in an attempt to make everything a dream, a hallucination that’s different from reality. But it’s all for naught as his mind ushers him back to the present when damp but comforting fingers brush along his chin. Jongin lifts Kyungsoo’s head, causing their eyes to meet and he wouldn’t dare look away. “He’s clumsy, smart, caring and very very attentive.” Jongin chuckles and Kyungsoo feels the familiar tug of tears gathering in his ducts. “He followed me to college, lets me copy his homework and even when I’m being a brat, he’s always there for me, listening to all my troubles.” The tears are falling now, every one of them rolling down plush rosey cheeks as he comes to notice just who this person is. “He’s someone I can’t imagine living without. And most of all, he has the most adorable stutter I have ever heard.”

Kyungsoo chokes up. His eyes possibly swollen but none of that bothers him because having his love returned meant more than anything.

“I wanted to confess after we won. I promised myself I would.” Jongin’s hand reaches up to wipe the tears from Kyungsoo’s face, brushing them as they come, ever flowing and light.  “So what do you say? Would you be the boyfriend of this coward who couldn’t confess for years now?” Jongin dips his head a smidge to allow Kyungsoo to look into his gaze. But the journalist can’t seem to open his eyes in fear that this couldn’t be true.

“Kyungsoo?” Jongin’s worrisome tone prompts him to nod furiously, and then that searing smile which could compete with a thousand suns shines at him. He nods, and nods, and nods a bit more until Jongin is laughing loud and hearty, his eyes brimming as well.  

Kyungsoo is at a loss for words, but that has never mattered anyway. Words have always failed him and this situation is no different. However, because he has Jongin, there’s no need to speak, he’ll let his heart talk instead, for the rest of his life and into eternity.

[thiswebsiteisbooty]

On the EVO donation drive

If you’re reading this on Tumblr and still following me you probably know that I pretty much only come around to post about EVO and then peace out a few days later. I’m not sure how many of you that is because Im not 100% on how the new dashboard works but if you are here then you know I’m around a little early. But I’m posting *about* EVO anyway so there ya go.

If you’re reading this on Facebook then I know a lot of you guys probably only have at best a passing knowledge of what EVO is but you’ve seen me post about it, particularly Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 a lot, so I’m just gonna ask if you guys have any spare money please consider donating here:

https://www.generosity.com/fundraising/evo-2017-player-vote-ultimate-marvel-vs-capcom-3

Your money goes to the Make-a-Wish foundation, and you make a guy you know personally really happy as well.

And as a final pretense before I really get into this I’m just gonna be honest this is gonna be pretty rant-y, so it might not be a super focused read and will probably contain a few expletives so just be pre-warned.

Originally I was gonna come here and I was going to break down the poll game by game, essentially breaking down why I felt like each game shouldn’t be voted for and why Marvel should. But as it stands right now the winner is going to be either Marvel or Pokken, so this is mostly going to be centered around why I think Marvel is the most deserving game, and why I feel Pokken just might be the least deserving, or at least one of the least deserving.

And every time I look at that generosity page my stomach does flips because it’s literally like a best/worst case scenario. But the funny part about this entire situation is I feel like Marvel shouldn’t even be on this poll. Marvel absolutely *should* already have its spot. Regardless of how you the individual might feel about Marvel 3 in particular, Marvel vs. Capcom has been practically synonymous with EVO. Up until only last year Marvel, be it 2, 3, or Ultimate 3, has always been sort of the penultimate game for EVO, only behind whatever Street Fighter was out at the time. I don’t know if I agree with IFC Yipes in that Marvel made EVO (mostly because I haven’t been around *that* long), but I do agree that without it EVO never would have reached the point that it has. And you look at Marvel 3 specifically, and that game has been a staple of EVO through damn near every iteration of Street Fighter 4, even lasting long enough to share the stage with Street Fighter 5, outlived who knows how many Netherrealms games, Soul Caliburs, Tekkens, Personas, you name it. And that’s not to knock (most) of those games but to make a point that not even taking into account 2, Marvel 3 specifically has been a prefixture of this event for a long ass time

And never mind the countless moments that the game has given us. Back in 2013 what was one of the top things people talked about when EVO was over? Justin’s absolutely incredible run, beating odds on favorite Chris G and going on to nearly defeat Floker to win his first Marvel 3 EVO. Then there was the following year when he clutched it out against F Champ and beat Chris G once more to finally actually do it.

Hell even last year, Chris G, despite being the odds on favorite to win several years in a row, *finally* went ahead and took the one tournament that had alluded him for years. And the year before that when KBR (even though I dont much care for him) became the first non-American to win Marvel at EVO.

People have known for a minute with MvCI on the horizon that this was probably going to be Marvel 3′s last year at EVO, and so people were gearing up for it’s proper final sendoff and now you’re telling me that Marvel might not even be *at* EVO?

And I know there’s a lot of people who agree with me on this because every where I go, even from people who voted for different games, even for people who voted for Pokken, I keep hearing the same thing: “I’m voting for Pokken, but Marvel absolutely deserves to be there”

“Marvel shouldn’t even be a part of the poll”

“There shouldn’t even be a poll, Marvel should take that 9th slot”

And don’t even get me started on how tight I am that there are not one but TWO Smash games, games that barely even qualify as fighting games, games that a good chunk of the FGC never wanted around in the first place, at EVO, but Marvel might not. Especially since y’all are a good chunk of the people pushing for Pokken (which we’ll get to trust me). If I hear one more Melee player complain about Melee being on Saturday and not Sunday while Marvel might not even *be* at EVO I honestly might lose my shit.

And I mean no disrespect to my Smash 4 community, particularly the local Nebraska scene cuz y’all know I have nothing but respect for you guys. My problem really mostly is with Melee, that relic of a game that people just cant seem to let go of. But it’s so funny to me at how often the Smash crowd, particularly Melee, talks about how much they don’t need the FGC and yet they won’t leave.

But it isn’t even really about that. I could sit here and talk shit about Melee all day long but you know whatever. They have there spot and that’s fine. But suffice to say that if it were up to me, Melee would get booted in favor of Marvel in a heartbeat.

But let’s talk about this poll for an honest minute though. If you remember the donation drive they did a while ago and compare it to this one, the last one blows this one way out of the water. Every single game on that list was at least, you know, a fighting game, with actual communities that would absolutely show up to play. I mean there was Melee and Brawl of course but again shit, at least those two games are closer to fighting games than shit like Windjammers, and Nidhogg. There wasn’t goofy meme-y shit like those two, and ARMS. And dont get me wrong I’m excited to play ARMS but THAT GAMES NOT EVEN OUT YET (and before anyone brings up “Injustice 2 isn’t out either” just know that in my book that game can go fuck itself for about the same reason. BUT EVEN THEN, that game at least has a known community that will come out and play it). We don’t even know what community, if any, is gonna come out for ARMS, by that point, since it’ll be coming out 1-3 months before EVO (I’d remind you that ARMS doesn’t even have a set release date. Just “Spring 2017″), that game isn’t even gonna have any real advanced tech discovered yet, if there even is any to discover. Not that any of those stand a chance at winning at this point but the fact that they were included kinda pisses me off. I can kind of see Windjammers since a lot of the FGC likes that game but Nidhogg? Do most of yall even remember that game? And ARMS? REally?

I know someone’s gonna be like, “Well the last donation drive had Divekick, and Fighting is Magic”. And I was one of the first people to say that FiM was probably the weakest, meme-ist option put up there but you know, that was happened because the FGC is filled with trolls. If you remember, the only games that made the donation drive were games that got at least 500 votes on the Facebook poll and I’m pretty confident that 490 of FiM’s votes were trolls being trolls. And at least in Divekick’s defense, that game was made by a dude from that community, for the community. Divekick is basically one massive FGC in joke anyway so if Divekick had made it, it basically would’ve been a big thank you to one of the FGC’s own.

But I think what makes me the most upset about the whole situation isn’t even just that Marvel might not get the proper sendoff that it deserves, but that it’s Swan Song stands a strong chance of being snatched away by Pokken. And just, let’s review Pokken for a sec.

First off, this was the game that was being removed from Japanese arcades in droves because nobody gave enough of a shit to play it. And we’re talking about a culture that loves both Pokemon AND fighting games, and they wanted absolutely nothing to do with that game.

And then, when it came stateside, those of yall that watched tournaments saw that pretty much ever ad breakthere was a little vingette for Pokken. They tried their hardest to get people to actually care about this game, and yet... you pratically had to dig through the Twitch trenches just to find Pokken tournaments. People weren’t watching, and people weren’t entering. Then it got to EVO because Nintendo money, and it had one of the lowest entrants and viewer rates of any of the games there.

Then post EVO, a lot of majors didn’t even run the game because people weren’t entering or watching. And speaking of Nintendo, I would remind you that Nintendo themselves have since dropped Pokken from their Pokemon Championship Series. So not even the parent company gives a fuck about the game at this point.

So with all that being said, never in a million years did I think that Marvel would be neck and neck with Pokken. KI, maybe. MKX, maybe. Shit I figured even Windjammers had a better shot than Pokken and yet here we are.

And you might wonder where the fuck the money is coming from if nobody gives a shit about Pokken. Simple, its coming from Smashers (and you can go check smash websites, most of them are advocating super hard for Pokken), and people who are just fans of Pokemon and will throw money at anything Pokemon. And look I love Pokemon too. It’s top 3 favorite Nintendo franchise and might be top 5 favorite franchises of all time. But I have no doubt in my mind that a lot of the people throwing money at this, barely know what EVO is, probably don’t even know the dates of EVO, and have 0 intentions of watching that game at EVO much less showing up to play the game. Case in point, Shofu is out here on Twitter advocating and donating to this game, and you would think that Shofu, who runs one of the biggest Pokemon related YouTube channels, would probably have a lot of Pokken content right? Well guess when the last time he even posted a video about the game was. I’ll save you the search, it was 6 months ago. One of these videos were, ironically enough, entitled “time to come back”. And then there were two more videos within the same time span, and he hasn’t touched the game since.

And this is kind of the additude that I’m talking about. I read a tweet earlier that summed it up perfectly. About how people never want to watch or come out to support Pokken, and then want to wonder why there aren’t any Pokken tournaments. That game died forever ago. You might even argue that that game was dead on arrival but even if you don’t, then you have to agree that there hasn’t been a game that died out quicker than Pokken did. For all the shit people gave SFxT at least that game lasted a couple of years as opposed to about 3 months. And at least that game had some potential at release, instead of being booted from Japanese arcades Y’all are throwing money at this game and I have no doubt in my mind that it’s going to once again have abyssmal turnout/viewership.

And that’s to me, is the most upsetting thing. That Marvel stands a shot of being robbed by a game that people don’t actually care about, but has a fanbase that will throw money at anything with Pikachu’s face on it. If it were KI, I wouldn’t be super happy, but it would be ok. MKX, kinda upset because I hate that game but you know what, fine. Or even Skullgirls which to me would be best case scenario, if your top two games were SG and Marvel because easily and measurably those two deserve it. Skullgirls is a fantastic game with an ultra dedicated community that only got treated like shit by EVO. I have no doubt in my mind that had SG’s won the last donation drive that game would be one of the biggest in the FGC right now and might even still to this day be a mainstay at EVO. And so if *any* game was gonna be Marvel, I’d wish it to be Skullgirls. But at least I can say of any of the games I mentioned above, people would come out to play it, and support it. In the example of MKX, it would be the exact same people that would be playing Injustice but fuck, at least it’s *someone*.

And I know someone’s gonna be like “well what did you ever do for Marvel?” and yeah, I’ve never been to a major, because I don’t have money like that. But at least every time there is something local for the game, I go out and play. I took time off of work and drove an hour out one time just to get 0-2′d in Marvel on a couple of occasions, but at least I went out there. And I’m out here watching the streams, watching the VoDs; 90% of my “watch later” playlist is Marvel shit that I didn’t get to watch live.

And with that said, yeah I’ll admit that a bit of it is personal for me. Marvel is absolutely my favorite game out there right now. Without Marvel 3 I probably would not care about EVO and the FGC as a whole. But that’s why I don’t want to see it get robbed of a proper sendoff by a game that’s just gonna die out again the minute EVO is over.

[worldwrestlingfanatic]

Classic Review: WrestleMania 21

Now that we're officially on the road to wrestlemania I thought it would be neat to review some retro pay-per-views. Personally this is one of my favorite wrestlemania's of all time, so let's get started...

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

The night starts with the current smackdown tag team champions going one on one. Just a year earlier Eddie Guerrero was in a classic match against Kurt Angle for the WWE Undisputed Championship and this year, he opens the show with real life close friend, Rey Mysterio. While at times it can feel like the match was kinda slowly paced, this is truly a great wrestling match to start the show featuring two of the very best to ever set foot in a ring. Up to this point the story is Eddie Guerrero has achieved so much in his career, but he hasn't beaten Rey Mysterio. So a desperate Eddie Guerrero attempts to do all he can to add the name Rey Mysterio to the long list of legendary superstars that he beat. A lot of great near falls but ultimately, Rey Mysterio picks up the win with a roll up. Perfect storytelling to end the match. When it comes to this rivalry it perfectly shows how Eddie is always within inches of pulling off the win but cant quite do it. Perfect way to start the show.

Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge vs. Kane

The first money in the bank ladder match ever and this truly did not disappoint. Just look at the names involved, there was no way this match could fail. Its hard to keep track of all the big spots in this match, so you'll have to either take my word for it or check it out on the WWE network, this match was awesome. Ultimately Edge gets the win here after hitting Chris Benoit off the ladder with a chair. I remember being surprised at the outcome my first time ever seeing this but, honestly, for the first ever winner of the money in the bank ladder match, it was the perfect choice.

Undertaker vs. Randy Orton

Just listening to Randy talk in the video package played before the match reminds me just how charismatic he was, how he had a passion for what he was saying and what he was doing. He was a young, top star at the time and for good reason, no matter what he did, it was great. Plus with his legend killer gimmick and his cocky attitude, Randy Orton was an obvious pick to be the man to challenge Undertakers undefeated streak at this year's wrestlemania. At the end, it was Undertaker who gets the win here. It was the right choice to have Taker go over and I'm not upset at the decision but can you imagine if Randy Orton won this match? The legend killer gimmick, the heat he would've had moving forward. This loss didn't make Orton lose any momentum but if he did win, that would've been massive for Orton at this stage in his career and the character he was portraying. This was also a pretty fast paced match, which is refreshing to see, an Undertaker that can keep up with his opponent. I mean no disrespect at all, its impressive that he even still can step in the ring today, old age is just something that happens to all of us and with old age comes not being able to move as quickly or efficiently as you used to. All I'm saying is, seeing Taker be able to keep up with a young Randy Orton is a nice sight to see.

Trish Stratus (c) vs. Christy Hemme

I didn't care too much for this match. Did WWE, honestly? We know today some female wrestlers can easily outperform some of the male talent but that certainly cant be said for WWE's diva division during the ruthless aggression era. You had a couple gems like Trish Stratus and Lita but Christy Hemme just was not ready to compete for the title, against one of the top female talent, on the companies biggest show of the year. I don't remember if Lita was coming off an injury at the time it should've just been trish vs. Lita. Lita was in Christy's corner and already had an old rivalry with Trish that could have been reignited but Christy was the cover girl for playboy at the time and sex sales so I guess from a money making standpoint the choice was clear who they had to go with to compete for the divas title. It felt like WWE treated its women like the fans did at the time, the restroom break of the show. Trish won by the way, but with a match with so little thought put behind it, does it matter?

Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels

This match was absolutely incredible. Two of wrestlings absolute best going one on one in a wrestlemania classic and this match lived up to the hype and so much more. Really, I'm not just overhyping this match, if you haven't seen this match, it is an absolute must watch, these guys made every minute they were given count. The fierceness in Kurt Angle and the resilience of Shawn Michaels made for one of the best matches probably ever. The chemistry between these two was unreal, even if you have seen this match its deserving of a second, third and even fourth rewatch. Kurt Angle gets the win in this match but both men left this match looking even better then they did coming into it and honestly, isn't that the indication of a great match?

Sumo Match: Akebono vs. Big Show

I guess WWE needed a "fun" and "cool" and "unique" moment for wrestlemania. But up to this point we've seen segments including Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Piper, and Stone Cold Steve Austin so this just kinda comes off as another bathroom break moment. Kind of a boring segment to be honest. This time could have been used to give some other superstars some screen time.

JBL (c) vs. John Cena

First off, the buildup to this match was incredible, all the best feuds feel personal and just watching the video package before the match, this felt personal. Watching this feud build up on a week to week basis had to be some of the most interesting storytelling in recent years. JBL may not have been the greatest wrestler ever but that man can talk with a cockiness and intensity unlike most today. Plus you had John Cena still doing his rapper gimmick. In my opinion Cena was doing some of his best work ever during this time. He had an edge to him when he spoke, a hunger in him to get to the top and he wasn't going to let anyone get in his way. I'm a fan of this John Cena. Unfortunately the match didn't really live up though. Pretty slow paced and one sided for the most part. This was Cena's first Undisputed Championship victory though and the celebration was fun to watch. Him jumping in the crowd and overall just losing himself in the moment. Its small things like jumping over the barricade and celebrating with the fans after a title win that superstars dont do anymore and its just nice to see someone actually celebrate winning a title they worked hard to get to, you know, being happy your hard work finally paid off, crazy right? This win started the John Cena dynasty though. We know him today as the guy who tied Ric Flairs record for most major titles won and this is where it all began. The ride to get here was fun to watch since he debuted back in 2002, the hype to the match was great and the celebration was fun to watch. I just wish the match was a little better.

2005 Hall of Fame Inductees: "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Sheik, Paul Orndorff, Jimmy Hart, "Rowdy" Roddy Pipper (RIP), Hulk Hogan.

Triple H (c) vs. Batista

Firstly, if I was booking the break down of evolution I would've put Randy Orton in this position. I like Batista and this wasn't a bad match, I just feel Randy was the first one to get screwed over by Triple H after he won the world title back at SummerSlam so I would've liked to see it all come full circle and Randy win the title back in the main event of the biggest show the company has to offer. I would've went as far as to keep Batista apart of evolution for a little while longer before feuding with Triple H. But that didn't happen and all I can do is talk about what actually happened. Some get upset about Triple H holding the title for as long as he did and beating the talent that he beat but I dont mind it, its what the world title needed at the time. Triple H was the first world champion since WWE decided to bring it over from WCW to make it raws main title so you have to put some prestige on it and solidify it as a title worth winning. Triple H was on the weekly shows every week, could cut an amazing promo and could put on a great match. Triple H is exactly what the world title needed. Triple H bled and he bled alot in this match. I know blood isn't need to have a great match but it does have some added intensity. It says alot about a match, a championship and a rivalry. It says "I'm willing to bleed and give everything I have to offer to put on a good match, I'm willing to go through anything I have to in order to win or retain this championship". It was fairly back and forth but it felt like Batista got in the majority of the offense which is odd because typically you'd expect the current champion to get in most of the offense and the challenger have a big comeback near the end to signify he went through a beating but hes still standing because this match means too much to lose. But, it was triple H taking most of the beating. Like I said, he bled and bled alot. Batista ended up getting the win and earning his first major wwe title. We all know now how good Batista but like I said, at the time I would've given the shot to Orton. In my opinion at the time he was better on the mic and in the ring. Batista was no slouch, he could talk and he could work but I think he could have benefited from keeping the title off him for just a little while longer. Maybe wait until next years wrestlemania or that years SummerSlam? But what's done is done and the match was entertaining and seeing a young star come out on top is always a good way to end a wrestlemania.

Pros: Money in the Bank, Undertaker v. Randy Orton, Kurt Angle v. Shawn Michaels

Cons: Trish Stratus v. Christy Hemme, Sumo Match

From what I saw the good outweighed the bad by a ton. As good as the show was I was believe it was still missing alot. There was no tag team title match, united states title match or intercontinental title match. I don't even remember who held those titles at the time but there certainly could've been some segments and matches that could've been shortened or scrapped to make room for all the champions to get some screen time. This was the first pay-per-view I ever ordered and watched live so when I say this one of my favorite wrestlemania's of all time it's because it holds a special place in my heart. I definitely recommend checking the pay-per-view out if you haven't seen it and have the spare time, it's a fun watch with some great matches

Final rating: 4/5