#Kip Martin

[the-kipsabian]

[dsannito]

[denimbex1986]

'Thanks/blame for this article’s existence must go to DMovies founder and editor Victor Fraga, who offered me the opportunity/challenge to write a response to his ‘Oppenheimer’ write-up after we crossed swords about it on Twitter, the primary cause of our schism being the argument at the core of the piece, summed-up in his original tweet:

“It is downright insulting that someone should make a film about the alleged suffering of the creator of the atomic bomb, while blatantly and entirely neglecting the suffering of the victims”

Being a narrative film and not a documentary we cannot approach Oppenheimer as being the literal truth of an event, we should however take into account Christopher Nolan’s well-documented quest for realism in his films. This is a filmmaker who collaborated with theoretical physicist Kip Thorne for 2014’s Interstellar to ensure its mind-bending, time-altering events remained within the realms of scientific reality. With Oppenheimer, Nolan wrote the screenplay with authors Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin, who had previously both written books on the atomic bomb and its use against Japan, later collaborating on the Oppenheimer biography that served as the basis for Nolan’s film (American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer). Spending 35 years researching the necessary details required of its scientifically complex, decade-spanning subject. None of this leads me to believe that Nolan is the kind of filmmaker who cuts corners when it comes to accuracy, so I should really be able to rely on his portrayal of Oppenheimer as being an accurate representation.

In one scene Oppenheimer blurts out “I have blood on my hands” whilst meeting with the president, the depth of his guilt growing ever-larger since the bomb’s use against Japan in 1945, these attacks are scenes we never explicitly see in the film. But the ghosts of Hiroshima & Nagasaki still haunt the film’s second half, with Oppenheimer experiencing nightmarish visions, including one standout moment during his ‘victory’ speech to the Manhattan Project members. In this scene a woman approaches Oppenheimer mid-speech, burnt skin hanging from her face and arms as she reaches out to him wraith-like, to drag him to the underworld. Another scene shows a group of scientists watching newsreel footage from Hiroshima as a narrator describes the aftermath of the attack, with charred bodies still littering the streets and the many still dying from deadly radiation that followed the blast. The camera never shows us the imagery we hear described, instead moving past the scientist’s faces as they react to what they are witnessing. When the camera reaches Oppenheimer himself, he looks away from the newsreel, overwhelmed with the guilt of his actions, he cannot bear to witness the horrible reality shown in the footage. One of the key criticisms in Fraga’s piece was that because the film is so subjective in its focus on Oppenheimer himself, it can therefore not show the objective truth of these events. I might be able to entertain Fraga’s perspective, were it not backed up by his assertion that the film was:

“One of the most unabashed and toxic apologias of American Imperialism I have seen in my life, cunningly camouflaged as historical reflection; it seeks to to justify the unjustifiable by brushing over a crucial fact, and by robbing victims of their identity”

My main argument against this point being that taking on the subject of the Manhattan Project, its many scientists, their frantic race to create the atom bomb before the Nazis and the bomb’s eventual use against the Japanese, is more than enough to fill a movie’s running time. But Nolan as ever, is not short of ambition, so adds into the mix the life story of Oppenheimer himself, who he was, how he worked, how/who he loved, and the forces that fuelled him and his work, all leading to his hobbling by the US government in unceremonious final years. It sounds like a lot and it is, but even at 3 hours long, the film doesn’t feel bogged-down, with Nolan’s masterstroke his ability to structure a long and densely-detailed historical drama like a thriller. Not one where the thrills are without emotional stakes, but where the sheer weight of events nails you to your seat, the world-altering scenarios and life-or-death decisions being made by terrifyingly-fallible real people. In one scene a scientist, during the make-or-break first atomic test in New Mexico, is given the unenviable task of keeping watch over a radiation monitor and ordered to initiate the test’s self-destruct mechanism should this dial go above a certain level, resulting in the destruction of not just years of work, but of America’s entire stockpile of radioactive materials.

This atomic test sequence leads to another aspect I clashed with Fraga on, namely his insistence that because the film showed that initial test explosion but not the subsequent bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, it ignored the horrific reality of those attacks, instead choosing to present the atomic bomb as something glorious or ‘cool’ (Fraga’s own words). My argument being that the test sequence marks the culmination of years of hard work by the scientists, many of which are European Jewish refugees, to create a weapon to defeat Hitler ultimately end the war. In this test sequence the Manhattan Project scientists see first-hand the incredible destructive power they have collectively unleashed, an opening of Pandora’s Box made astonishing reality. The film is so firmly subjective in its handling of events that were it to suddenly cut to Hiroshima mid atomic blast in an attempt to quantify these events, it would be so against what we had experienced of the film thus far. I could imagine a more conventional telling of this story, cutting to Japan to show the attacks in an orgy of expensive but hollow CGI, but that type of generic storytelling is just not Nolan’s style. He’s such a specific filmmaker and despite his film covering the lives of many fascinating real life characters and momentous world events, it remains a story about Robert Oppenheimer. And expecting a film so focused on the telling of such a rich and complex story to also feature the myriad other possible perspectives involved in it’s events [sic], is not just ridiculous in terms of basic filmmaking logistics, but also in its assumptions of what audiences require to achieve a relevant understanding of such events, or indeed what filmmaker’s duties may be with regard to this.

Fraga also stated in his writing that America’s use of the bomb had “nothing to do” with Japan’s surrender in August 1945 as they were ready to do so before the bomb’s use, but the evidence surrounding the matter is complicated and requires much analysis. Was Japan’s surrender 100% down to the atomic bomb? If pushed for a yes/no answer I’d have to say ‘no’. With Stalin preparing an invasion from the north and the Japanese government in turmoil with members of the military assassinating politicians who spoke up in support of peace talks. Combine these factors with the general state of Japan at that time, its infrastructure and cities decimated by constant bombing, huge death tolls (both military and civilian) all leading to economic ruin and widespread starvation, with all remaining resources going to the war effort etc. We must acknowledge that without a definitive surrender by Japan, there was always a very real chance of ground invasion by American forces, thanks to repeated assurances by Japanese leaders throughout the war of their no surrender stance. With the Americans having already fought a gruelling war in the Pacific against the Japanese, experiencing their barbaric treatment of civilian populations in battles on the islands approaching Japan and understanding all-too-well the horrific potential for casualties on all sides were the invasion to become reality.

Another scene in the film has a group of Manhattan Project scientists holding a meeting about their reluctance to proceed with the bombing of Japan. Having created the bomb to be used against the Nazis, but with Hitler now dead, what was to be gained from using it now against Japan. Oppenheimer then gives an impassioned speech to assure them of its importance that the bomb is still used, his argument being it is not just a tool to win wars, but one that could end all wars. With only the actual use of this weapon showing the world the obliterating power they had created there, meaning that no one would be able to attempt what Hitler just had, ever again. We now know of course that Oppenheimer was subsequently proven wrong about this, but that does not change the context of the choices made within that very specific historic moment. What we can say now is perhaps Oppenheimer’s biggest mistake was not in his creation of the atomic bomb, but in his belief that the American military would do the right thing with it and that his government would act in the best interests of humanity, instead of what actually occurred, as powerfully depicted in the film’s chilling final moments.

Perhaps Fraga’s most brazen claim is that Western civilisation is so warped in its appreciation of Oppenheimer (the film and the man) that plans could already be underway for an Oppenheimer-related theme park attraction:

“I could almost see an Oppenheimer Disney ride soon, magnificent with pyrotechnics and sound engineering, the pinnacle of bad taste, but not a sign of what it was like to be on the ground of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the time. It seems that the American company may already be moving in that direction.”

Fraga’s speculation on this topic was further fuelled by an article from unofficial theme park fan-site, who reported that in wanting to jump on the Barbenheimer bandwagon, Disney employees had added two faux mediaeval scrolls to a lesser-seen area of one of their parks, featuring the words “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”. (For the sake of context and anyone not already aware, the Barbenheimer phenomenon started when Warner Brothers sent a message to recently-departed golden-boy Nolan by planting the release date of their upcoming Barbie (Greta Gerwig, 2023) movie on the same weekend as Oppenheimer’s. The resulting media fallout quickly evolved from the two films being seen as pitted against one-another to becoming an essential cinematic double-bill. With what had started out as a grassroots trend becoming ever-more studio-supported as it grew in scale and scope as Warner Bros and Universal realised what could be gained by leaning-in to the ever-growing Barbie-Oppenheimer mania. The outcome of all this being huge box office for both movies, with Oppenheimer making back eight times its original budget, a previously unimaginable achievement for a three hour, R-rated, historical drama and an one in no-small-part thanks to the turning-up of cinema-goers who would previously never considered a film like Oppenheimer, were it not for the accompanying Barbenheimer hype train.

The relevance of this being that with the world still very much in thrall to Barbenheimer mania, of course some people would end up treating these two very different movies as somehow equally meme-worthy. Does Fraga really believe that this silly but harmless article somehow validates his accusation of America’s rotten soul? And of Disney/Warners/Universal’s worship of Oppenheimer (and Barbie too presumably?) as idols of the blood-soaked, imperialist industrial complex? He might not be a million miles from the truth! But it’s those important details that differentiate Fraga’s vision from reality that ultimately I’m interested in. I like my films and film criticism full of what I guess I myself strive for in life; to take on big topics, immerse myself in the details, try not to get overwhelmed by everything – and, regardless of whether things end up subjective or objective in the end… What matters most is that they’re well-intentioned, grounded in reality and full of all-important context.'

[rwpohl]

geschichten aus dem wieder wald, michael kehlmann 1964

[jjspina]

Books Read and Reviewed in March 2024!

Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of March of 2024. Here are the 6 books I read and reviewed for March. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews. I love sharing my eclectic reads…

[monochroma-reviews]

TV REVIEWS I: Kip and Rory (BTVCkids/BTVCmini/BTVC)

If you had a certain upbringing, Kip and Rory were an instrumental part of your childhood, and in my eyes there can be no higher praise. If you didn't have that upbringing, I can only pity you.

For the uninitiated, Kip and Rory was a show about the titular brothers (at the beginning Kip was 4 and Rory 7), exploring the world and making discoveries. They were joined in this noble quest by their parents, their cousins Millie and Ben, and of course the best character, Sponge the cat.

What set it apart from other shows at the time was how fine-tuned it was to itsaudience; it expected them to be at the age of Kip, and as the audience got older the characters got older, with the show itself moving to a later timeslot on a more mature channel when Kip turned 8.The whole show itself was just insanely clever and well written, and ahead of its time if you're talking about stuff like queer rep and more mature themes (Rory's friend Martin, introduced in episode 2, talked about how great it was to have two dads. This was in 2009. How they got away with that I have no idea)

The show has just concluded its 14-year run last week with an incredibly emotional send-off (with Kip taking Rory's place at uni), and everyone I know was just bawling at the finale. It was just an all-round amazing show.

So, in general, Kip and Rory gets a 8.5/10, and my final words are the entirety of the theme which I can't post here because it's too long and y'all probably would have heard it anyway

[clemsfilmdiary]

The Honeymoon Killers (1970, Leonard Kastle, Martin Scorsese, Donald Volkman)

4/26/23

[littlemagicalstardust]

AEW All Atlantic -- AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy (Every challenger he successfully defeated in both reigns) First Reign: 31 Defenses Second Reign: 12 Defenses Total: Orange defended the title 43 times He currently holds the longest reign and second longest reign for the International title in AEW First Reign: October 12, 2022 - September 3, 2023 1. Three Way: Rush & Ten 2. Three Way: Luchasaurus & Rey Fenix 3. Katsuyori Shibata 4. Lee Johnson 5. Jake Hager 6. Lumberjack: QT Marshall 7. Trent Seven 8. Trent Beretta 9. Kip Sabian 10. Jay Lethal 11. Lee Moriarty 12. Wheeler Yuta 13. Big Bill 14. Jay Lethal 15. Jeff Jarett (The name changed to International) 16. The Butcher 17. Dralistico 18. Buddy Matthews 19. Gabriel (Gabe) Kidd 20. Bandido 21. Daniel Garcia 22. Kyle Fletcher 23. 21 Man Blackjack Battle Royale: Ari Daivari, Bandido, Big Bill, Brian Cage, Chuck Taylor, Dustin Rhodes, Jay White, Juice Robinson, Keith Lee, Kip Sabian, Komander, Lee Moriarty, Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix, Ricky Starks, Swerve Strickland, The Blade, The Butcher, Tony Nese & Trent Beretta 24. Swerve Strickland 25. Four Way: Daniel Garcia, Katsuyori Shibata & Zack Sabre Jr 26. Lance Archer 27. AR Fox 28. Johnny TV 29. Wheeler Yuta 30. Aaron Solo 31. Penta El Zero Miedo Longest Timed Defense: 21 Man Blackjack Battle Royale Second Longest Timed Defense: Penta El Zero Miedo Shortest Timed Defense: The Butcher Second Reign: October 10, 2023 - March 3, 2024 1. John Silver 2. Claudio Castagnoli 3. Jon Moxley 4. Angelico 5. Bryan Keith 6. Rocky Romero 7. Dante Martin 8. Preston Vance 9. Komander 10. Tomohiro Ishii 11. Seven Way Scramble at RevPro UK: Cameron Khai, Flash Morgan Webster, Richard Holliday, Sha Samuels, Shigehiro Irie & Spike Trivet 12. Nick Wayne Longest Timed Defense: Claudio Castagnoli Second Longest Timed Defense: Tomohiro Ishii Shortest Timed Defense: Seven Way Scramble at RevPro UK

[ejzah]

Would you be interested in writing a little something related to Kip and Deeks? I’ve always wanted to read about how Deeks tells Kip about Kensi. Obviously he knows a bit of his feelings/attraction based on how he was teasing Deeks. Would love to read a few small snippets of conversations between them.

I love your writing. It makes my day to see a new post.

A/N: Hi anon! That’s so sweet of you. Thank you!

I probably have written a version of this before, not that I recall exactly what (😂), so if this seems familiar, I do apologize.

***

Just Between Two Friends

2011

Deeks first met Kip Brigham in sixth grade. Back then, Kip was a skinny little kid five inches shorter than Deeks and on the quiet side. They played basketball every chance they got; sometimes with Ray or a couple other guys, but mostly just each other until they got on the high school team in ninth grade.

Since then, their friendship had experienced ebbs and flows. Before NCIS, Deeks hadn’t seen Kip in months due to his undercover work.

Now, they were spread out on Kip’s couch—a ridiculous leather thing that probably cost more than all of Deeks’ furniture combined—after spending the morning surfing.

“You know, if you hadn’t been all about pursuing justice and all that crap, you could have gone pro,” Kip commented, slouched in one corner with his feet up on a glass table in front of him, an overpriced smoothie bowl in his lap. Deeks didn’t begrudge Kip’s success at all, but he certainly didn’t mind the perks.

“I’m glad you think so highly of my former professional aspirations,” Deeks said, grinning to let him know he didn’t take it to heart. “You know if I’d try to surf full time it would have ruined it for me.”

“Right, because you’re too good to be rich, Saint Marty Deeks.”

Deeks dodged Kip’s elbow jabs, digging his phone out of his front pocket as it buzzed twice. There were two texts; one alerting him to a new case and the other asking if he wanted a ride.

“Who’s Kensi?” Kip asked, peering over his shoulder. Deeks shoved him away.

“Hey, personal space, man.”

“You didn’t tell me you had a new ‘ladybird’.” Nodding in approval, Kip held his hand up for a fist bump.

“I don’t. She’s my partner.”

“Ah, partner. Is that the new term for friends with benefits?” Kip said, smirking.

“No, and if she heard you say that, she’d knock you down without breaking a sweat and smile the entire time,” Deeks warned him.

“Ooh, she sounds like my kind of girl. Is she hot?”

“I’m done talking to you,” Deeks informed him, standing up.

“Oh Marty-Mar, don’t be like that. I won’t tease you about your girl anymore. Sit down and finish your smoothie bowl.”

“Once again, she’s not my girl and I have to go to work.”

“You keep telling yourself, brother!” Kip called after him.

***

2012

“And that, my friend, is a slam dunk, and you owe me five dollars,” Deeks panted, basketball tucked under his arm as he jogged back to Kip. “Pay up.”

“You were a much better winner when we were 15,” Kip informed him. “I told you I tweaked my calf yesterday, right?”

“Uh-huh.” Deeks held out his hand, waiting until Kip slapped the money into his palm.

“Whoever wins this round, buys lunch.”

“Since you’re a professional NBA player, that seems slightly unfair, but alright,” Deeks replied dryly. He paused to check his phone for any missed messages. It was a Sunday, but that meant little when it came to bomb threats and international incidents.

There was a string of texts from Kensi, and he chuckled under his breath as he read them.

“Alright, who’s making you smile like that, Martin A. Deeks?” Kip asked suspiciously.

“It’s just Kensi,” he answered reluctantly, anticipating Kip’s delighted grin.

“Oh really? So what did your “partner” say to make you look happier than the day you got accepted into law school?”

“She was just telling me about this professional development training she’s at.“ He couldn’t get much more specific than that since the topic was interrogation techniques. “Apparently she made one of the guys in her group cry.”

“I take it that’s a good thing,” Kip guessed. He paused a moment. “What’s this Kensi look like?”

“Brown hair, brown eyes, little taller than average.”

“Oh man, you gotta give me more than that. Is she pretty?”

Deeks huffed the softest of laughs; Kensi was the most gorgeous women he’d ever met. “She’s gorgeous,” he allowed.

“Alright, now we’re getting somewhere. Now tell me about how she looks in a bikini—”

“And it’s time for round three,” Deeks interrupted, ignoring the flashes of Kensi in said bikinis flashed through his mind.

“Oh, you got it bad, man.” He heard Kip say from behind him.

***

Early 2013

Deeks glanced around the bar, noticing the peeling wall paper and rickety tables. He and Kip used to come here all the time backs when Deeks was a broke college student and Kip hadn’t made his millions yet. Somehow it seemed a lot more depressing now as a fully grown adult.

“You know my partner, Kensi?” he asked, twisting a half-empty beer bottle between his palms, head lowered so he didn’t have to see Kip’s expression. He’d only had a couple, but it was enough to encourage his already melancholy mood.

“You mean brunette, makes you laugh like a school boy and go all starry-eyed Kensi?” Kip confirmed, rolling his eyes when Deeks looked up in surprise. “Man, you only talk about her every time I see you. Kensi likes sushi, Kensi is so pretty. Kensi beat up a guy twice her size and I thought it was really hot.”

“I did not say that,” Deeks protested. He took a long drink of his beer, holding up a finger. “Though she admittedly has beaten up a lot of guys.”

“Like I said.”

Deeks shifted uncomfortably, hunching over the table. He didn’t know why he’d brought Kensi up here and now of all places.

“So, what about your Kensi?” Kip prompted, and Deeks didn’t bother denying that Kensi might be his.

“I think I’m in love with her,” he sighed. Kip outright laughed at that, slapping his knee.

“Well thank god you finally figured that you. Took you long enough. What finally tipped you off?”

Deeks glared at him, but didn’t have the will keep it up for long. “I guess I’ve known I had feelings for a while. I convinced myself that we were just friends, and colleagues, but she makes me happier than I’ve ever been. She makes the suckiest day better and,” he stopped, raising his hand slightly as he tried to find the words to explain exactly how much Kensi meant to him. “When I’m with Kensi, I feel like I’m not just some broken, screwed up guy.”

“It sounds like she’s a good woman.” For once, Kip didn’t go for a joke and Deeks appreciated it.

“She is. She has the most amazing smile.” He looked slightly beyond Kip, smiling himself as he imagined the way her face lit up, and how much he adored it when he was the source of that happiness. “And she has the most insane laugh. It’s like a cackle. It’s crazy, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. I’d do anything for her, which is kind of terrifying if I think about it too much.”

“Oh brother, you’re really gone,” Kip commented.

“Yeah,” Deeks agreed softly. He didn’t add that he’d willingly followed her into bomb-rigged buildings and would jump in front of every bullet if he could.

“So what’s keeping you from taking the next step? Don’t tell me she’s not into you.”

Deeks shrugged. “Sometimes I think she’s interested, but uh, I think she might be as scared as I am. Besides, it’s kind of frowned upon since we work together.”

“Well, that’s a load of crap,” Kip declared bluntly. He took a long drink of his beer. “Ok, here’s what we’re gonna do. We finish these beers, take my limo over to your lady friend, and then you express your undying love to her.”

“Oh god,” Deeks groaned. “Kensi would kill both of us.”

“What if we throw in a couple dozen roses and a trip to my bungalow in the Caribbean?”

“That’s a wonderful offer, but I don’t think we’re just ready for grand declarations of love.”

“Well, when you are ready, my bungalows and limousine are at your disposal,” Kip told him, raising a slightly unsteady finger. “With the promise that you tell me all about it.”

“You got a deal,” Deeks agreed, because he doubted that moment would ever come.

***

A/N: I hope I did Kip, and his and Deeks’ friendship, justice.

Thanks for the prompt!

[kipsbat]

INTRODUCTION!

Hello! My name is Evelyn or Evvy, I'm 15 and have been in tcc for 3 years now. I make edits, memes, i shitpost, and infodump very often. Ive had many tumblr accounts before, but id like to keep this one for awhile and mostly keep it as a rant and informational blog. My "fav cases" are: Kipland kinkel, Barry loukititis, Michael carneal, Columbine, Evan ramsey, Smile bomber, Austin serial bombings, Vladislav roslyakov, Peyerl martin, Wayne Lo, and Adam lanza My fav bands are: Nine inch nails, marilyn manson, flatsound, teen suicide, TOOL, Alice in chains, Slayer, Lil peep, $uicideboy$, Rage against the machine, KoRn, KMFDM, :wumpscut:, Nirvana, Hole, Sunny day real estate, Hum, Slowdive, Superheaven, Narrow head, All under heaven, The smashing pumpkins, Failure, La dispute, Eminem, Spit mask, Unter null, Cavetown, and bones. My favourite movies are: Bang bang you're dead, zero day, zero hour, natural born killers, fight club, the postal movie, coraline, and Archies final project. I love sables (and squirrels), the colour green, orange, pink, and grey. fall. making bracelets, and bombs. playing airsoft. shooting guns. writing in my edgy little diary. trolling the forums. and im working on an album. I heavily relate to Kip Kinkel and Michael carneal, I have schizophrenia and bipolar with violent symptoms, please be ware if you want to be my friend (futurekipland on discord) I currently have 3 penpals, one is Michael carneal.

[westofessos]

Let’s discuss Best Friends because I’m so mad.

Best Friends (Trent & Chuck) have only won 5 matches as a tag team in 2023. None of them were on Dynamite or Collision, and only one was against non-jobber opponents.

April 19 (ROH) vs Joe Ocasio & Mookie Summers

March 23 (Rampage) vs Kings of the Black Throne (Malakai Black & Brody King)

March 8 (Elevation) vs Olumide & Starboy Charlie

February 8 (Elevation) vs Aydan Colt & Frank Stone

January 4 (Elevation) vs Chaos Project (Serpentico & Luther)

They’ve lost 6. All were against non-jobber opponents.

April 12 (Rampage) vs Aussie Open

May 24 (Rampage) vs Big Bill & Lee Moriarty

July 26 (Dynamite) (Three Way) vs Lucha Bros, BCC

August 3 (Rampage) vs BCC

August 30 (Rampage) (Tag Team Battle Royal)

September 20 (Rampage) (Four Way) vs The Righteous, The Hardys, The Kingdom

September 30 (Collision) vs The Kingdom

As a trio (with Orange Cassidy, Rocky Romero, Bandido, or Danhausen) they have won exactly 2. Both were on dark matches against SAP.

January 2 (Elevation) w/Orange Cassidy vs Spanish Announce Project (Luther & Serpentico) & Zack Clayton

May 3 (Dynamite - Dark Match) w/Rocky Romero vs Nick Comoroto & Spanish Announce Project (Serpentico & Angelico)

As a trio, they have lost 6, all against non-jobber opponents.

January 25 (Rampage) w/Danhausen vs Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, and Satnam Singh

April 5 (Dynamite) w/Orange Cassidy vs House of Black

May 10 (Dynamite) w/Bandido vs House of Black

May 17 (Rampage) w/Bandido vs BCC

June 7 (Dynamite) w/Rocky Romero vs BCC

June 14 (Rampage) w/Rocky Romero vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher, Will Ospreay)

As a team of four or five, they have won 6. None of these were on Dynamite or Rampage, and only one was against non-jobber opponents.

February 15 (Elevation) w/Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno, John Silver) vs The Butcher & The Blade and The Firm (Ethan Page, Isiah Kassidy, Matt Hardy)

April 7 (Rampage - Dark Match) w/The Firm (Isiah Kassidy, Matt Hardy) vs Kip Sabian, The Butcher and The Blade, and Zack Clayton

April 26 (ROH) w/Action Andretti, Darius Martin, and Stu Grayson vs The Kingdom & The Varsity Athletes

August 27 (All In - Stadium Stampede) w/Orange Cassidy, Eddie Kingston, and Penta el Zero Miedo vs BCC, Santana, and Ortiz

September 2 (ROH) w/Action Andretti and Darius Martin vs The Outrunners and The Workhorseman

October 4 (Rampage) w/The Hardys vs Angelo Parker, Matt Menard, Daniel Garcia, and Jake Hager

As a team of four or five, they have lost two.

June 21 (Rampage) w/Rocky Romero and YOH vs Swerve Strickland and United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher, Will Ospreay)

June 25 (Forbidden Door - Zero Hour) w/Rocky Romero and El Desperado vs The Mogul Embassy

Their overall record in 2023 is 13-14

Which is piss poor for a tag team that has been with AEW since the beginning, and has been extremely over with the fans for all four years, especially since almost all of their wins this year have been on Rampage, Elevation, or ROH against jobbers. Against almost all of the opponents of significance, they’ve lost.

Stop. Treating. Best. Friends. Like. Jobbers.

[bonefall]

Got some cool generated names in lifegen (clangen mod) and though they’d be fun to translate! I’ll start with the protagonist and his family. Also sorry if the formatting is off tumblr was acting weird and i had to jump through some hoops to send this.

Rainbowember | Solysskip

Direct, Solyss (Rainbow) + Kip (Ember) I like this name because he’s an insecure healer who took a long time to pass his apprenticeship, so it seems fitting.

Ghostclover | Kepbachafa

I thought this name would make sense as a name for a suspected fading kit who lived. In game she’s a mtf trans Molly, but I decided that she was actually assigned a Gib at birth since the fading kit thing. She later figured out she contained Mollyness.

Tempestecho | Kychkarraoyaawo

This one was pretty direct too, and I think it’s a good candidate for a nickname due to the length. Maybe Kychaawo?

Fintwist | Sseoshigashig

Fintwist kinda brings to mind a fish twisting it’s fin to turn around for whatever reason, so I think dance works for that. Nickname could be Sseoshig.

Curlewback | Byyrbesaofa

Went with the sand martin to keep the shorebird connection! Also, used spine-mane since I couldn’t find a word for back.

Yellowdapple | Aweenkonpen

Direct, not much to say about this one, haha.

Tawnygale | Hrrua-ubafwu

Decided to go with the tawny owl over the color since he isn’t that color, and has a weather suffix. ‘Bafwu’ seemed the closest to gale to me so I went with that.

Logblaze | Chok-kafyar

No I don’t know what this name means either? Sounds like an off-brand Lionblaze.

Fallenbird | Fewlwheer

This name struck me as an Honor title, and he spawned in with a bite scar, which makes that fit even more. I like to think his original names prefix was Wheer, so the Honor title represents how the swift fell, but got back in the air.

Riverlotus | Sbasspowo

I’m glad I managed to find the word for the waterlily, I wanted to show this name off, I love it.

Falconlaurel | Mweeliliprraponma

This was an interesting one, for sure! I wanted to go with an actual falcon species, instead of just going with Raptor/Yassga. This guys a mediator, so I went with the merlin. There wasn’t a word for laurel I could find but I thought that I could translate the vibe, since laurel brings to mind honor and triumph. I decided that, for a mediator, Prra-ness would be an associated feeling/goal, so I chose Primrose (Prraponma) as the suffix because of the winter association example. So his name, could also be translated back as Merlinprimrose, or just Merlinrose for short. Nickname could be Mweeponma?

Springbreak | Mwarussmimanaw

Honestly I just wanted show off that I got a cat named Springbreak. Anyways I went with it being Spring as in the season, and decided that I would use mimanaw (lounge) instead of anything related to breaking/shattering, to make it so that her name basically means a break in Spring. Though, Springbreak could be a good Dishonor title, Yiaokerroch. Jump-shatter, you hurt yourself by springing. Anyways nickname could be Mwanaw.

Branchripple | Baryennipa

I decided to use the future tense of ripple, to make the name mean that she will make the branches ripple. She graduated early, so its to say that she will make an impact.

Fintwist is absolutely drawing me in, fantastic use of the brand new "fin-wing." I've got an image in my mind of one of them decorative dragon koi, swirling around and around.

Koi aren't common in Clan territory, and when they ARE seen they're dealt with, but it's also possible for this one species I like a lot to have a light, shining morph. I should make a special word for that color of Tench when I get there...

Also congrats on Springbreak that's AWESOME I love it. And Logblaze? Sounds like a big bonfire to me! Maybe your cats like to BBQ ThunderClan-style!

ANYWAY, MISSING WORD TIME

Curlew = Urloop I just named this one over here, after you'd already sent this ask!

Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) = Skoka BY the way, in my Willow Quest, I learned something heartbreaking....... bay willow doesn't grow here. I misidentified a willow. God have mercy on my soul Bayshine's name is BAY LAUREL-Shine, Skokashem. Oops. I will be repurposing the Wawa word in the Lexicon to a different type of willow.

Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) = Reyoka Both of these are made into laurel wreaths btw, and the wood is burned because it smells nice. This one has red berries and less uses in general, but smells nicer when burned.

Gale = Harloo A very strong wind.

White Clover (Trifolium repens) = Glem This is the one you think of when you think of a classic three-leaved clover. It has short, round petals, and its flowers are typically white. This one is favored by grazing animals.

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) = Powglem This one has pinkish flowers with longer petals, and is used for medicinal purposes. This is the one used for Cloverfoot's name.

[denimbex1986]

'In most auteur filmmakers' bodies of work, there exists a movie that functions as the summation of their particular themes and interests, a film that essentially "unlocks" all of their other movies, throwing them into a new light. Sometimes these movies arrive late in a director's career, acting as more of a true culmination, such as Steven Spielberg's revelatory "The Fabelmans" from just last year. Other times, these films act as statements of intent right out of the gate, as I'd argue Steven Soderbergh's first feature "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" does.

It's not unusual, however, for such a movie to arrive somewhere near the middle or back half of a director's career; after all, Martin Scorsese didn't make "The Last Temptation of Christ" until he was 46 years old and 11 films deep. In other words, these kinds of films arrive when such an artist feels both comfortable and ready to reveal themselves in a big way.

"Oppenheimer" seems to be exactly that film for Christopher Nolan. Of course, such a claim could be disproved by whatever his very next feature turns out to be, but for now, the film appears to put together as many elements of Nolan's prior work as possible while also blending it with aspects of his personal life. In this way, "Oppenheimer" — the 52-year-old's 12th film — is the most "Christopher Nolan movie" that Nolan has made.

It's tempting to call Nolan a science-fiction filmmaker, especially as a large number of his movies concern such out-there concepts as people making clones of themselves ("The Prestige"), carrying out heists in other people's dreams ("Inception"), traveling to distant worlds ("Interstellar"), and stopping an invasion of "inverted" material from the future ("Tenet").

Yet while Nolan is undoubtedly intrigued and inspired by the dramatic implications of these fantastical concepts, he's equally driven by their grounding in real-world science and physics. This interest likely stems from his childhood: he obsessively watched Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" while attempting to make his own home movies, helped along the way by his uncle, a NASA employee who built guidance systems for the Apollo missions.

A large part of the character of J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) in "Oppenheimer" concerns his obsession with seeing a hidden world beyond the naked eye, one filled with fusion and fission waiting to be harnessed. In other words, a world of possibility that would have seemed like science fiction before Oppenheimer and his fellow scientists made it possible. It's that ethos that fuels Nolan's sci-fi, apparent in everything from those aforementioned films to even the "Dark Knight" trilogy, where a comic-book superhero like Batman is given tech and abilities grounded in science fact.

Nolan has even gone so far as to form a working partnership with an actual theoretical physicist, Kip Thorne, who himself was friends with the likes of Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan. Thorne has consulted on almost every Nolan film since "Interstellar," and "Oppenheimer" is no exception.

Ever since his first feature, Nolan has been obsessively pursuing new ways of experimenting with the storytelling possibilities of cinema. While some of these experiments have been resoundingly successful — we would not be living in a world where narrative films regularly premiere in the IMAX format without Nolan — others have been off-putting to some folks, resulting in even fellow filmmakers complaining to Nolan about his controversial sound mixes, for instance.

While every single Nolan movie is challenging enough to not qualify as something to watch passively (the man is too much in love with classic cinema to allow for the Netflix-ification of his movies), he's also not some smarmy snob looking to make an audience have a bad time. Each of Nolan's films essentially comes with an instruction manual tucked within the body of the movie itself, with the director dutifully laying out the rules of not just the story and its stakes but how the movie itself is to be viewed.

These orientation tutorials are different with each film. Sometimes they're literally exposition, as in "Inception," where orientation arrives in the form of a literal training montage, and in "Tenet," where the infodump is hand-waved away with a beautifully empowering line of dialogue: "Don't try to understand it. Feel it." Other times, these tutorials are structural instead: in "Dunkirk," Nolan provides a trio of on-screen titles indicating that the three plot threads in the film are unfolding over different periods of time, and in "Memento," the presence of black and white photography is a visual cue that those scenes are unfolding differently than the scenes in color.

It's these latter two devices Nolan intentionally revisits in "Oppenheimer," as the film's two interconnected perspectives are denoted by both on-screen titles at the beginning and the contrast of color and black and white film.

In "Tenet," Nolan used the fictional time-shifting tech of that movie to introduce the concept of what he calls a "temporal pincer movement," wherein forces from the past and the future converge on a single moment in time. For "Tenet," that time was the present, a period turned into a continual secret battlefield over the future of the planet thanks to an unnamed scientist in the future discovering a doomsday device connected to inversion tech and becoming, as one character succinctly puts it, "her generation's Oppenheimer."

For Nolan, the turning point in all of human history seems to be the events just before, during and subsequent to World War II. It appears to be no accident that the only two films of his career so far based on actual events are "Dunkirk" and "Oppenheimer," which both largely take place during the war. This idea is borne out within "Oppenheimer," as the film's structure — bouncing back and forth between the mid-1930s and the late 1950s, using the 1940s as its center — tends to resemble a "temporal pincer movement," with the creation of the atomic bomb an event whose gravity sucks everything towards it.

Another theme recurring in Nolan's work is the idea of an impending apocalypse or armageddon. In some instances, this apocalypse is literal: in "Interstellar," the citizens of Earth must find a way to survive the dying planet, in "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight Rises," Gotham City is narrowly saved from total destruction, in "Tenet," the unseen people of the apocalyptic future wage war on the past that created it, and in "Oppenheimer," the physicist foresees the small but significant possibility that testing the atomic bomb may literally destroy the world.

In other instances, this apocalypse is more metaphorical and internal, as seen in the moral rot of the characters of "Following," the loss of identity and purpose for the memory-loss protagonist of "Memento," the loss of the characters' sense of self in "The Prestige," the potential corruption of Gotham's soul in "The Dark Knight," and the total loss of reality in "Inception."

All of this stems from Nolan's childhood during the final years of the Cold War being fraught with anxiety over mutually assured destruction. As he told USA Today, "My friends and I thought we would die in a nuclear Armageddon at some point in our lives." It's fitting that Nolan has found a way through his art to face the man indirectly responsible for those deep-seated fears.

Perhaps the most major recurring feature in all of Christopher Nolan's films is the idea of a main character weighed down by an enormous sense of guilt. This may have stemmed from Nolan's initial trilogy of films ("Following," "Memento" and "Insomnia") being rooted in the traditions and tropes of film noir, a genre that includes flawed and moody protagonists as a prerequisite.

It certainly continued to crop up in various ways in all of his films after that, whether it was about a self-appointed superhero who couldn't save his parents (and maybe not even his city) from being victims of corruption, or a husband mourning his role in the loss of his wife, or a father knowingly leaving his family (especially his daughter) behind forever, or an army having to retreat.

In this way, J. Robert Oppenheimer is the ultimate Nolanesque flawed hero: a man who sought to unlock secrets of the universe and was only too successful, resulting in the realization that he may have doomed himself if not his entire species. He even has a "dead wife" to mourn (arguably the most memed Nolan trope) in the form of the suicidal Jean Tatlock (played by Florence Pugh). Just as "Inception" metaphorically details the efforts behind filmmaking, wherein a team puts together a spectacular narrative with the intention of eliciting an emotional response from an audience, it's possible that Nolan sees a similar kinship within Oppenheimer, where the scientists stand in for artists who don't realize where the corporate and political interests of those who've employed them will take their creation until it's far too late.

Yet there may be another deeper, darker, and more personal connection between Oppenheimer and Nolan then merely a metaphorical kinship. As it turns out, Nolan has both a younger brother (Jonathan, a screenwriter and producer of numerous films and TV) and an elder brother, Matthew. This latter brother is barely spoken about by Nolan in interviews and the like, in large part because Matthew has been accused of making his living as a real-life hitman.

Further complicating this connection is the possibility that, according to court records dug up by the site How Stuff Works, Matthew Nolan used an alias to make contact with his alleged target, going by the name "Matthew Oppenheimer." A coincidence, maybe, due to all the Nolan brothers growing up in the same household, with Matthew paying somewhat dark tribute to the anxieties his younger brother harbored since he was a kid.

Still, with this information, it's easy to see "Oppenheimer" as not just Nolan's latest film but as a work of destiny, something the filmmaker had to finally face up to and address. Nolan's complicated family history turns him into his own Oppenheimer-esque guilty hero, a man burdened with knowledge of things he cannot change, who has a brother he must find a way to embrace as well as deal with. In addition, Nolan's own obsessions with theoretical physics, the future, and the love of his family have him seeing visions of potential, encroaching destruction not unlike the man who built the bomb nor his own childhood self. For all these reasons and more, "Oppenheimer" is — and may remain — the ultimate Nolan film.'

[cherrylng]

100 Albums To Understand Muse - Part 2 [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

ASIA Asia (1982) The first album by the supergroup that brought together ex-King Crimson's John Wetton, ex-Yes' Steve Howe & Jeffrey Downes and ex-ELP's Carl Palmer. The band's catchy melodies and dense sound were more important than their progressive experimentalism and grandeur. ‘Heat of the Moment’ was a big hit. -S

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA Tango: Zero Hour (1986) Produced by the brilliant Kip Hanrahan, the world's greatest bandoneon player and the most important figure who changed tango history with his unique compositions that added elements of classical and jazz. In the early days Matthew spoke of tango influences, but if you want to hear tango purely as music, start with this masterpiece. It is a whirlwind of intense sensuality and emotion. -S

BAUHAUS In The Flat Field (1979) The first masterpiece from Bauhaus, led by New Wave/Gothic Rock legend Peter Murphy. The band's songs such as the hauntingly intense ‘Double Dare’ and ‘Stigmata Mater’, with Daniel Ash's guitar sharply driving, do not sound old even today. Peter's ever-changing vocals are also a charm. -S

BIFFY CLYRO Only Revolutions (2009) The fifth album from the Scottish trio, two of the three brothers, who have often fronted Muse for their heavy guitars, emotional melodies and playing ability. Uplifting songs such as ‘Mountains’, with its piano intro and intense development, and ‘Many of Horror’, with its beautiful strings, shine. -S

BLACK SABBATH Paranoid (1970) I've never heard the Muse guys mention Sabbath directly as an influence, but for Matthew, who grew up on 90s grunge, it's a huge indirect influence. It's a great foundation for musicians who aspire to heavier music beyond the categories of hard rock and metal. The groove created by the throbbing bass riffs heard in the songs on this second album is similar to Matthew's music… -J

COLDPLAY A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002) Matthew and Chris Martin are said to be friends, although both have been aware of each other since they were expected to be Radiohead's successor bands. It is clear that they have at least been checking each other and inspiring each other. The solemn, classical influences of this album give the impression of a worldview more in tune with Muse's. -H

THE CLASH London Calling (1979) The quartet at the heart of the London punk movement that erupted at the end of the 1970s broke down the framework of the formalised punk sound and expanded their musical range considerably by incorporating ska, dub/reggae rock ‘n’ roll, calypso and more on this eclectic third album. Tight, hard-hitting, yet catchy, this album is renowned as a masterpiece of 80s UK rock. -I

THE COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE See This Through And Leave (2002) The first album from this talented multi-instrumentalist UK band, which split up in 2007. Loud guitars, bold synths and masculine vocals are fresh even today. Includes the exhilarating ‘Let's Kill Music’, reminiscent of Mansun, and ‘Been Training Dogs’ with its impressive three-beat riff. They also accompanied Muse on their ‘01 tour. -S

Translator's Note: I couldn't find the full album playlist for The Cooper Temple Clause's debut album on YouTube at all. Out of 11 songs, only 2 are available as music videos but the rest are hidden. So the Spotify link is my compromise. For what can be said, the debut album isn't available in my region on iTunes Store too.

[galaxy-brain-rasslin]

Thoughts on AEW: All In 2024

Just my thoughts on the show, as well as the Zero Hour preceding it. Obviously, there will be spoilers.

ZERO HOUR

16-Man Tag Match: Tommy Billington, Kip Sabian, Rocky Romero, Kyle Fletcher, Lio Rush, Action Andretti, and Top Flight (Darius Martin and Dante Martin) vs Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh, Anthony Ogogo, Ariya Daivari, Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen), and The Dark Order (John Silver and Alex Reynolds)

I'll be completely honest, I forgot this match even happened.

Tony seems to like to do these random-ass, giant, multi-man matches during the pre-shows.

I assume this is probably just so these guys could get a PPV pay day or something.

Absolutely one of the matches on the show.

Mixed Tag Match: Willow Nightingale and Tomohiro Ishii vs Kris Statlander and Stokley Hathaway

I love Willow. She's one of my favorites.

I'm still not over Statlander betraying Willow.

I have been loving Ishii just hanging around AEW having random matches

LMAO Stokely slammed Ishii.

Legitimately fun match. Willow and Ishii work well together, despite Ishii being just some kind of man-shaped refrigerator with no neck

10-Man Tag Match: The Von Erichs (Marshall Von Erich and Ross Von Erich), Sammy Guevara, Katsuyori Shibata, and Dustin Rhodes vs Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) and Cage of Agony (Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage, and Toa Liona)

lmao Sammy and Brian Cage both have Wolverine-themed gear. This feels like those scenes in shows where two girls show up to the same party wearing the same dress.

I am always a fan of Shibata wrestling on my television or other device.

Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona are so fucking cool.

I love that Dustin is walking around with two belts. And that he's still able to go as good as he does.

This was a fun match.

Interlude

Saraya and Harley Cameron are genuinely entertaining as heels. Nobody can harass the cameraman quite like Saraya.

I do not want to keep hearing Ronnie Radke. Please stop.

It's cool that they've brought Saraya's whole family back this year.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT JAMIE HAYTER IS BACK. LET'S FUCKING GO DUDE.

HELL YEAH. FUCK YEAH.

I missed Jamie a bit.

ALL IN

Four-Way Ladder Match, AEW Trios Championship: The Patriarchy (c) (Christian Cage, Nick Wayne, Killswitch) vs Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn) vs House of Black (Malakai Black, Brodie King, Buddy Matthews) vs PAC and Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta

Presumably PAC/Claudio/Wheeler was actually going to be Death Triangle originally. But with Penta and Fenix on their way out, they probably had to change that.

They actually did everyone's entrance during Zero Hour, which I thought was really cool.

This match was absolutely ridiculous.

Christian Cage ran to the back, like, immediately lmao

And then showed back up to try to climb a ladder.

HoB continues to be very, very cool and very scary.

Juice Robinson is still my favorite wrestling goblin.

KILLSWITCH HELD CHRISTIAN BACK FROM GETTING THE BELTS??

PAC, Claudio, and Yuta?? The PACPool Combat Club?? They're the winners?

I had fun. Everyone in this is great and genuinely entertaining.

AEW Women's Championship: "Timeless" Toni Storm (c) vs "The Glamour" Mariah May

This is still one of the messiest break-ups I've ever seen in wrestling.

Genuinely great match.

Mariah's sadistic bisexual gimmick is fantastic.

I assumed there'd be blood, because there was white clothing. I'm glad my assumption was validated. This match benefited greatly from bleeding. It added a lot to the, well, blood feud.

Toni not only lost the belt, but she lost to her own finishing move. The sheer disrespect done by Mariah was a thing of beauty.

I can't wait to see Mariah's reign.

I can't wait to see what Toni does next.

FTW Championship: "The Learning Tree" Chris Jericho (c) vs Hook

The Learning Tree is such a goofy gimmick.

If I wasn't just tired of Jericho, I'd probably enjoy this more.

Why is Hook wearing kinesio tape over his eye? Does he not know about eye patches?

I'm genuinely so glad that they both managed to avoid hitting any of those cricket balls when doing suplexes, etc.

HOLY SHIT TAZ PUT THE TAZMISSION ON BRYAN KEITH.

HOOK GOT THE BELT BACK.

I love seeing Taz trying to hold back being a Proud Dad during Hook's matches.

Three-Way Tag Team Match, AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks (c) (Matthew and Nicholas Jackson) vs FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) vs The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens)

I don't know who I want to win, but it's none of these teams.

Max being an obnoxious edgelord on the internet and in his raps has really soured me on The Acclaimed, which sucks, because they're both good.

This was a genuinely fun match.

As much as I'm kind of tired of FTR vs Bucks, and The Acclaimed, all six of these dudes are still really good and kept me invested in the match.

Not really surprised that the Bucks won.

Oh shit, Grizzled Young Veterans?? I've heard great things about them. I wonder if they're going to be the ones to take the belts off of the Bucks.

Casino Gauntlet Battle Royale:

Started off with Orange Cassidy vs Okada.

Okada's comedic shithole heel role has been fantastic and was put to great use here

OH SHIT WHAT THE FUCK NIGEL MCGUINESS IS IN THIS???

Nigel clearly is returning to action so he can personally retire Danielson himself

OH SHIT IT'S HANGMAD. AND JARRETT.

AND WHAT THE FUCK ITS RICOCHET. I knew he was signed, but it's still awesome to see him.

lmao Christian limping to the ring.

Killswitch is back to being Luchasaurus??

THAT FUCKING DINOSAUR JUST GAVE CHRISTIAN THE WIN LMFAO. What the hell is going on here. Where are they even going with this.

I still enjoyed it. I like the random times, and that it can effectively end at any time.

AEW International AMERICAN Championship: MJF (c) vs Will Ospreay

Find someone who loves you as much Will loves Assassin's Creed.

Max's USA gimmick has been the single most obnoxious thing in AEW for a bit, but I love it.

Ospreay is so fucking good, dude. MJF is so fucking good. These dudes are so good, dude.

OH SHIT DANIEL GARCIA IS BACK. Fuck yeah! I love Danny, and he's looking all serious.

WILL OSPREAY WINS BRUV.

AND THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS BACK TO THE INTERNATIONAL TITLE BRUV

Solid as hell match, Bruv/10.

AEW TBS Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) vs Dr. Britt Baker, DMD.

This match is a death spot, Christ.

Considering she had some serious back problems, and a mini-stroke, and has been out of action for 10 months, I'm genuinely glad to see Baker back.

Mercedes is such an obnoxious heel, I love it.

C O R G I S

Both Britt and Mercedes with the Eddie callbacks

Britt looking right into the camera to smile with Kamille gets ejected was beautiful stuff.

I am begging Mercedes to get a better finisher.

I don't know if it was ring rust, or a lack of real chemistry with the two, but this was not the best match.

I enjoyed it, but it was still definitely one of the matches of all time.

As I'm writing this some time after the event, I also want to say that I am so fucking sick of the discourse about this match being either "Mercedes is the worst wrestler ever' or "Britt is the worst wrestler ever'. This shit has nuance for fuck's sake.

Coffin Match, AEW TNT Championship: Jack Perry (c) vs Darby Allin

Jack's custom belt looks so cool. I can't believe the dude, like, forged that shit himself.

Darby fucking glued thumbtacks to his goddamn face.

Nobody dies like Darby.

This shit is brutal.

Jack has a fucking bag of glass lmao

THE "CRY ME A RIVER" CHANTS LMAOOO

Turns out the way to beat Darby in a coffin match is to bind him, put him in a body bag, and put the bag in the coffin.

The Bucks (with a freshly-shaved Nicholas) show up with gasoline to burn Darby and the casket.

IT'S STIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

I've said it before, find someone who loves you as much as Tony Schiavone loves Sting

Title vs Career, AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland (c) vs Bryan Danielson

Of course you give Danielson this fantastic video package about his career.

Of course you give Danielson "The Final Countdown" for his entrance.

Swerve Strickland continues to be the coolest motherfucker alive in pro wrestling today.

Swerve is working this match like he's actually trying to kill Danielson. It's beautiful.

Beating Danielson up in front of his children is monstrous. I love it.

Swerve took a busaiku knee and brushed his fucking shoulder off.

I love how Bryan does an Injury spot in every fucking match, and I know it's A Thing, but every goddamn time there's part of me that's like "Oh shit" because he's that fucking convincing.

IT'S HANGMAD AGAIN.

Oh shit, Bryan is getting the comeback.

Bryan absorbing kicks while fucking staring at his family and saying "I love you" was fucking glorious.

SWERVE TAPPED. BRYAN IS THE FUCKING AEW CHAMPION.

If this had been his retirement match, it would have been an absolutely perfect send-off for the man. Dude got the absolute shit kicked out of him.

I didn't even really want Danielson to win, but I was still, like, rooting for him toward the end there.

Like seriously, Bryan Danielson is one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. The dude is amazing.

I am still genuinely surprised that Tony somehow talked Danielson into winning the belt, though.

[wormthing]

ArtFight attacks 28, 30, and 29! My final attacks.

Jos for @space-salaman, Klar for @qotice, and Louis for @dottsuu; King of Worms (and my Kip) for @sapientstarstuff; and Martin for @electricbeanbag !

Thank you everyone for a fun month of fellowship over art! ::-]