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miss-andromeda · 1 year ago

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Morning, Her Place

Universe: TMNT 2012

Turtle of Choice: Donatello

Prompt: “We should kiss. Right now.”

Song Inspiration: You Are In Love (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

Completely non-canon, though Andi and Donnie are in a relationship. They’re quite a bit older, about 23. Slight suggestive content at the end, but nothing too explicit or warranting of an NSFW warning.

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As the morning light hit Donnie’s face, he stirred as his hands blindly searched around for her. And when he didn’t feel her warmth (or more realistically, her body), he frowned and his eyes creaked open, blearily looking around. She wasn’t in bed with him, and for a split second, he was concerned. Call it the ninja, or rather the protective streak in him, but when she wasn’t with him, he wanted to know where she was.

But then the rationality kicked in, reminding him that she was probably awake and doing what she needed to wake up; make some breakfast, take a shower, or-

Or stand on the fire escape in her favorite satin robe, holding what looked like a little white teacup in her hands.

“Andi…?” Donnie muttered as he started to sit up in her bed. It wasn’t unusual for her to wake up before him, especially when he stayed the night like this, but it was a bit unusual for her to stand out on her fire escape in her robe.

When she turned around to see he was awake, she smiled and pushed up the window, carefully stepping back inside her bedroom (she was grateful she decided to leave her black pajama pants on to avoid accidentally giving Donnie an eyeful at 8:00 in the morning) and walking over to him. “Good morning, hon.” She murmured, setting the teacup down to kiss him.

Donnie smiled as he kissed her back, pulling her down so she could rest on his lap. “Good morning.” He whispered back once she pulled away. “What were you doing outside?”

Andi chuckled to herself as he sleepily rested his head on her shoulder. “Just wanted to take in the morning air. Kind of hard considering how polluted the city air is, but you know, got to make do.” She admitted with a little shrug, smiling softly when he laughed tiredly. “And honestly, it was…kind of nice.” She kissed the top of his head as she got an idea. “Would be nicer if you went out with me…”

Donnie glanced at her with a little smile - though his eyes showed a hint of mischief. “You don’t have to act coy with me.” He chuckled as she jokingly gasped, putting a hand on her chest. “I’m not being coy with you!”

That made him laugh - music to her ears - as he nodded. “All right, all right. I’ll make some coffee and meet you there.” He then threw a glance at her nearly-empty cup. “And I’ll refill your tea, if that’s okay?”

Andi beamed at him. “Please.” She left another kiss, this time on his cheek, as she got off of him and walked back to the window. “The kettle is still on the stovetop.”

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She would’ve jumped if she wasn’t expecting him to climb through the window. And if he didn’t knock beforehand and give her that adorable, gap-toothed smile. He was always like that with her, considerate and gentle with her feelings.

“There you are.” She gave him an appreciative look as she took the white cup from him, careful not to spill the warm green tea all over her robe, or onto either of them. “Thanks, Don.” She added as she took a slow sip, her smile growing at the taste. It was completely void of any additives, and that was just the way she liked it. He only nodded with a smile as he took a lazy sip of his coffee, and Andi couldn’t help but chuckle at the clear inclusions of milk and sugar. “What, you want nothing but sweetness and caffeine in the morning?”’

“If that’s a crime, then arrest me for over 100 offenses of such.” Donnie smirked at her as he took another sip, then put his arms around her and squeezed her hips slightly. He reveled in her soft chuckle as he watched the sun start to peek over the tops of the apartment buildings. There was something oddly tranquil about watching the light come through and start to bathe them in its soft golden hue. And there was something undeniably beautiful about watching Andi drink her tea as she breathed in the air - before wrinkling her nose at the tinges of smog or carbon dioxide she would pick up on.

But then she would breathe out again and her face would relax.

She was so beautiful. His ray of light…the better part of him.

“Don, what are you doing?”

Her voice (and the chuckle that followed) broke his thought process as he shook his head. “Nothing, just…” A little smile graced his lips as he pulled her close, being careful not to spill his coffee or her tea. “...admiring how pretty you are.”

Andi started to blush, but let out a breathless laugh as she rested her face against his plastron. “Feeling a little cheesy today, aren’t you?” When Donnie only gave her a coy smile as he tapped his fingers against her back, she grinned up at him - a prominent sparkle in her eye.

“We should kiss. Right now.”

Now it was Donnie’s turn to blush and titter. “A-And…why’s that, hon?”

“Because you look pretty like this yourself. And admittedly…” She then bit her lip, a smile (with the faintest sense of longing) threatening to form as she stood on her toes. “...I want to savor it for as long as possible.”

Not wanting to keep her waiting any longer (as if she was waiting for days for such a thing,) Donnie smiled a hand absentmindedly brushed away some stray hairs on her face - before leaning down and finally giving her what she wanted.

Andi’s face broke out into a grin as she placed her cup on the windowsill (and took his mug to do the same,) before her hands moved up to his face. She never grew tired of feeling his face, even after being together for seven years; there was a softness to it that constantly reminded her of what home felt like.

And holding his face like he was her entire world (which, admittedly, she often felt like he was,) reminded her of what mattered in her life. Instead of dwelling on the past or chasing after people that she knew would never end up being in her life anyway, she needed to focus on the people that were in her life - and the ones that would end up sticking by her throughout everything.

And at the center of it all…was him.

He was there for her from the very beginning; helping her with her concussion, comforting her during her first panic attack around him, helping her through all the trauma with reliving her past…everything.

And he never stopped loving her throughout any of it. That, to her, was the greatest gift anyone could’ve given her…but for some reason, the impact was magnified a hundred times more since it was from him.

Maybe it was because she was so used to rejection from her family, but to have someone love her throughout everything, and love her unconditionally…it only made her feelings for him intensify - and made her want to keep him safe from everything.

He was her everything, the love of her life…her better half.

Once she broke the kiss and peeked at the sun, smiling softly at the rays of light she was now being bathed in, she turned her attention back to him. “How ‘bout we go back inside?” She then bit her lip as a little smile graced her face. “I know of a good way that we can start our day.”

“What is it?” Donnie asked with a smile as he collected the cups, handing her the teacup and escorting her inside.

When she finished her tea and set the cup down, she grabbed his hand and gave him a slightly mischievous look as she walked him to the bathroom. She laughed as his face turned a scarlet hue as he understood what she was implying, but nodded almost instantaneously. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine with this…m-more than-mmm…”

He was cut off by Andi kissing him again and lightly pressing him against the wall.

And before he knew it, she had lightly pushed him into her bathroom and closed the door, locking it for good measure.

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Here's my submission for STS Takeover! 💜🩷

@post-apocalyptic-daydream @leosgirl82 @thelaundrybitch @tinkabelle19 @eveandtheturtles @red-phoenixxx @happymoonangel @android-cap-007

Wanna be added to the taglist? Just let me know 🩷💜

#STS Takeover Challenge #tmnt 2012 #donatello #oc andi rhodes #oneshot #all's fair in love and science

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my-own-au-my-way · 1 year ago

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Prompts used: "Is there something you not telling me?."

Character A:"You need to start embracing your mistakes."

Character B immediately hugs Character A.

Okay sooo I need me some cuteness. Here is my CynoXEmiko![my OC named Emiko by the way.]

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Emiko was just finishing up the laundry, feeling she had forgotten something. Her memory always gets the better of her then realised she had forgotten to tell Cyno something about her accidentally getting water all over his latest reports. She internally screamed at the thought of him getting angry with her. They had only known each other for at least 5 months afterall, she is still learning more about him every day.

Suddenly she sensed someone was at the doorway of the laundry room,"Ah Emiko. I finally found you."

Those words from him made her panic and whirled around and noted him actually looking relaxed?.

Emiko Sighs in relief making him raise a brow,"Is there something you're not telling me?." He queried her, earning a literal squeak from her and she had gone pale.

Now he has his arms folded, giving her that look until she told him what happened. Though he was not in the least bit bothered about the few ruined reports.

It was now Cynos turn to sigh,"You will need to start embracing your mistakes."

However what happened next even stunned him, the former General Mahamatra. Emiko hugged him, and her height difference just made him actually blush, her face only reached his abdomen. She was always a bit self conscious of her height. However he was not bothered, this moment though when he tried telling her to embrace her mistakes and hugs him has left him a flustered mess.

Emiko has forever broken the former General Mahamatra by hugging him in a serious moment. He was trying so hard to show her that he was not mad, but the situation did a whole 180 and he forgot completely about what actually happened up until now.

"Uh...well...lets discuss this later. For now you are no longer under my judgement." Cyno told her. The absolute Innocent look she gave him was his undoing. He picks her up and draped her over his shoulder.

He was going to cuddle her and not let her go for the rest of the night, for been so cute.

@androidships007

@leosgirl82

@thelaundrybitch

#sts takeover challenge #genshin impact #CynoxEmiko #CynoxOC #cuteness

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ash-and-books · 11 months ago

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Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb: Sometimes, when you ask the universe for your soulmate, you wind up with your hate mate instead.

On Nami's 30th birthday, she’s reminded at every turn that her life isn’t what she planned. She’s always excelled at everything – until now. Her fiancé blew up their engagement. Her pride and joy, the tech company she helped to found, is about to lose funding. And her sister, Sora, is getting married to the man of her dreams, Jack, and instead of being happy for her, as she knows she ought to be, she’s fighting off jealousy.

Frustrated with her life, she makes a wish on a birthday candle to find her soulmate. Instead, the universe delivers her hate mate, Nami’s old high school nemesis, Jae Lee, the most popular kid from high school, who also narrowly beat her out for valedictorian. More than a decade later, Jae is still as effortlessly cool, charming, and stylish as ever, and, to make matters worse, is planning a hostile take-over of her start-up. Cue: sharp elbows and even sharper banter as the two go head-to-head to see who’ll win this time. But when their rivalry ignites a different kind of passion, Nami starts to realize that it's not just her company that's in danger of being taken over, but her heart as well.

Review:

When your high school nemesis comes back into your life years later only to try and take over your company... but he also seems to want to win your heart. Nami's life is not how she imagined it going, she thought she would be married and living the perfect life with a great job by now... but her fiancee cheated on her, her tech company is about to lose funding, and Nami is feeling so alone. When she gets a text from her old high school nemesis she just knows her life is going to be turned upside down. Jae Lee is egotistical, handsome, wealthy, and bored. When his company is planning a takeover of a start up he is surprised to find that his old high school nemesis works there, the uptight, rule-following, party mood killer, Nami. Nami gets under his skin like no one else, no one else can make him feel excited or even get a fire going in him, no one challenges him like her... and finding out that she's back in his life, he will do anything to be near her again. Nami and Jae can't seem to be in a room without arguing... yet there is something different, there's an undertone of passion between them and both of them can't seem to stop wanting to kiss each other. Yet working on opposing sides, and Nami's beloved company at stake and Jae knowing something... can their relationship survive this company takeover? Nami and Jae felt so immature as individuals, I get being high school rivals and all but come on both of you are grown adults dealing with a company and being in charge of people's jobs and livelihoods but can't stop acting like children. The third act breakup/makeup was meh, I honestly was hoping for a better make up between the two of them after the big breakup. There were some aspects of the book I just didn't vibe with but overall it wasn't a bad read. If you enjoy rival romances then give this a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #the takeover

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ninaforplace · 4 months ago

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July 29-August 2, 2024 | ASPEN ART FAIR AT THE HOTEL JEROME WITH K CONTEMPORARY DENVER

Group exhibition at the Aspen Art Fair, Jerome Hotel Room #117.

The Aspen Art Fair -- a new modern and contemporary art, design, and cultural takeover -- is being staged at the historic Hotel Jerome. Set against the stunning backdrop of Aspen, the fair will present 30 international exhibitors and curatorial projects from more than 12 countries.

The first edition debuts July 29 - Aug 2, 2024 and serves as the annual Aspen Art Week kick-off.

Inviting self-led discovery, K Contemporary brings playful touches and a hint of mischief to the rooms of the Hotel Jerome.��Selected works by artists like Elizabeth Alexander, Marc Dennis, Viktor Frešo, Shawn Huckins, Daisy Patton, Marielle Plaisir, Kevin Sloan, Nina Tichava, Anne von Freyburg, Matthew Tripodi, and Taylor Anton White have been spirited away, waiting to wow unsuspecting viewers. Surprising and delightful placements of artworks gently prod our sensibilities, challenging preconceived notions of where art belongs and how we should interact with it. 

Vernissage Monday, July 29 5 pm - 6 pm | Early preview for VIP guests only 6 pm - 9 pm | Cocktail reception and general entry Fair Hours Tuesday, July 30 - Friday, August 2 | 12 - 5 pm Location Historic Hotel Jerome 330 E Main St, Aspen, CO 81611

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influencermagazineuk · 5 months ago

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FTSE 100 Dips: Mixed News from Sainsbury’s, Shoe Zone, and US Rate Talks

The FTSE a hundred index ended decrease today, laid low with blended information from exclusive companies. Sainsbury's income rose however had problems with Argos, at the same time as Shoe Zone confronted higher charges. Jerome Powell from the Federal Reserve stated interest fee cuts will take time. Hipgnosis’ chair Merck Mercuriadis is stepping down, and HSBC is cutting charges. House developers saw gains earlier than the election, and retail income stay unsure. FTSE 100 Under Pressure Today, the FTSE a hundred index, which tracks the pinnacle a hundred companies indexed at the London Stock Exchange, ended decrease. It dropped through forty-six points to eight,121. Various information affected the marketplace. Sainsbury’s Sales Up but Argos Struggles Sainsbury’s, a big supermarket in the UK, suggested an increase in income. However, its subsidiary, Argos, had vulnerable income, inflicting Sainsbury’s inventory to fall. Argos struggled because of low call for and hard opposition. Victoria Scholar from interactive investor said that Argos isn't a priority for cash-strapped consumers right now. Additionally, Sainsbury’s faces robust competition from Aldi and Lidl, which provide decrease costs, and from Waitrose and Marks and Spencer, which have better top-class merchandise. Shoe Zone Hit by Higher Shipping Costs Shoe Zone, a series of shoe stores, warned that its income might be lower due to accelerated transport prices. This information negatively affected its inventory price.Hipgnosis Chair Steps Down Merck Mercuriadis, the chair of Hipgnosis Song Management, announced he could step down after Blackstone completes its takeover of the organisation. Mercuriadis stated it became the right time for him to shift his cognizance to advocating for songwriters. He expressed self-belief in the organisation's future beneath Blackstone's help. Federal Reserve to 'Take Time' on Rate Cuts In the United States, Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, spoke approximately hobby prices. He said the Federal Reserve might take its time in cutting hobby fees. Powell stated the strong labour marketplace as a reason for being cautious. His feedback impacted international markets, together with the S P 500, which started out the session slightly lower. Pound Rises Against the Dollar The British pound improved slightly towards the United States greenback, achieving $1.2666. Traders had been looking for clues on while the Federal Reserve might reduce interest charges. Upcoming US jobs data can also affect foreign money markets. Wall Street Awaits Jobs Data and Powell’s Speech In the US, Wall Street turned into careful beforehand of upcoming jobs facts and a speech by using Jerome Powell. The S P 500 became predicted to fall slightly. Investors had been searching out suggestions about while the Federal Reserve might cut hobby fees. The upcoming Independence Day holiday and jobs statistics delivered to the careful temper. House Builders Gain Ahead of Election In the United Kingdom, house developers noticed their stocks upward thrust as a general election approached. The Labour birthday celebration, which changed into leading within the polls, promised to cut purple tape and construct 1.5 million homes in 5 years if elected. This news boosted shares of businesses like Barratt Development, Taylor Wimpey, and Berkeley Group. HSBC Starts Cost-Cutting Measures HSBC, one among Europe’s largest banks, commenced cutting charges. The financial institution bogged down hiring and asked funding bankers to reduce tour and entertainment fees. Outgoing CEO Noel Quinn targets to curb costs, and some business regions were instructed to pause hiring. High Street Retailers Face Challenges Retailers like Argos and Shoe Zone faced problems. Argos suggested a 7.7% drop in sales, in part due to bad climate and occasional customer call for. Shoe Zone issued a earnings warning, which hurt its stock charge. The normal retail marketplace remains unsure, with various factors affecting income. Mixed Performance on FTSE a hundred The FTSE 100 index noticed a mixed performance. While a few corporations like BP and Shell benefited from growing oil costs, others like Marks and Spencer and Unilever struggled. The index ended the day down by using 49.97 factors. The FTSE 250 also fell, with insurance companies like Lancashire Holdings and Hiscox experiencing declines. Read the full article

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iheartchv · 1 year ago

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STS tumblr takeover September challenge

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୨୧ hosted by the lovelies: @thelaundrybitch , @leosgirl82 and @post-apocalyptic-daydream 💖💗💕

୨୧ prompt:

୨୧ fandom/character(s): Rise of the TMNT; Leo

I kinda thought that this was a Leo thing to do x3

-- ୨୧ --୨୧ -- ୨୧ -- ୨୧ -- ୨୧ -- ୨୧ -- ୨୧ -- ୨୧ --

You saw Leo sitting hunched over in a corner

That was unlike him

You approached him and asked him what was wrong

"I... made a mistake... I keep making mistakes"

You motioned for him to go on

"I can't keep failing if I'm the leader of my team..."

...

"And I can't keep failing you, either..."

You wanted to help him

"Well, the first step to not failing is... you need to start embracing your mistakes."

He gave a moment of thought before smiling a huge smile and then... immediately hugs you.

You giggled

"Leo, what're you doing?"

"Embracing my mistakes."

....

TAG LIST:

"How am I a mistake?"

"Well... you aren't necessarily the mistake... it's not meeting you sooner that's the mistake..."

"You're... like, the bestest friend a turtle could ever have..."

You smiled and hugged him back

"Glad to help"

@turtle-babe83 @tmntspidergirl @leosgirl82 @angelcatlowyn @annaliaandtheturtles @pheradream-15 @exovapor @cowabunga-doll @bluesakurablossom @darksaphire2002 @foreignbrunette @greenprincess @half-shell-bo @lady-maria-the-wolf225 @moonlightflower21 @narwals14 @nikitaboeve @nittleboo @raphaelsrightarm @southernblossoms @thelostandforgottenangel @white-masked-beauty @roxosupreme @kawaiibunga @captain-kinda-trash @angelicdavinci @thelaundrybitch @yumefuusen @sivy-chan-blog @artsolarsash @turtlebeaa @crazedtmnt @raisin-shell @sacredwarrior88 @leosgirl82 @egg-on-the-run @ashleighclark98 @dilucsflame33 @tkappi @post-apocalyptic-daydream @happymoonangel @allybutton @android-cap-007 @androidships007 @turtallyawesome @doctorelleth @crazysarah-98 @phd-in-fuckery

Let me know if you want/don't want to be tagged

-- ୨୧ --୨୧ -- ୨୧ -- ୨୧ -- ୨୧ -- ୨୧ -- ୨୧ -- ୨୧ --

#sts takeover challenge #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise leo #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #leo x reader #xreader

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mistressofthecubicle · 2 years ago

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Which Kind of Witch?

"Mr. Lundie: They were indeed horrible destructive women. I dinna suppose you have such women in your country?

Tommy Albright: Witches?

Jeff Douglas: Oh we have 'em. We pronounce it differently." Brigadoon 1954

Katie with the red hair and Katy with the blonde hair were the best of friends. They did practically everything together. They lived in the same apartment complex and spent all their free time together. The pair even worked in the same office.

Katie Red and Katy Blonde, that's how they were distinguished by their co-workers, unless of course they referred to them by their other moniker, but it was always in hushed tones. Katie and Katy thrived on drama, sought out trauma and created monstrous amounts of havoc in the office.

They'd gotten even more out of hand when the new manager Mr. Leopold, forty-ish, non-descript, non-confrontational and unassuming, had been put in place. An hour wouldn't go by without someone bringing to his attention something that one of the K's had said or done.

He was at his wit's end on how to deal with them, but he didn't want to go to Mr. Feinmeister, the owner of the company. He couldn't afford that black mark on his managerial history. So, he tried, and worked and negotiated and pleaded with Katie Red and Katy Blonde, but to no avail. They were happy in their domination of the entire office and relished the sense of power that derived from the chaos they created.

Their co-workers were in dreadful awe of the pair, occasionally one of them would attempt to dethrone the troublesome duo, however if they were honest in their attempts and pleadings, the pair would simply double down and insist upon their own superior innocence and would then call down additional turmoil and drama onto the vocal ones, the ones who had dared to challenge them.

All employees knew that the pair were terrible, awful human beings who would exact revenge if they felt their power threatened by any attempts at reason and compromise. Lord help the person who even contemplated walking up to them and calling it like they saw it; "Hey Katie Red, Katy Blonde; you two are real bitches!" It's like they had a sense for anyone fomenting rebellion.

So Katie and Katy were allowed to continue with their hostile takeover of the office. Until one day when the sad and oppressed employees went above Mr. Leopold's balding head and complained to Mr. Feinmeister, summarily informing him through phone calls that; "Here be bitches."

Mr. Feinmeister was an old man, from the old world of Germany, people whispered rumors that perhaps he'd seen both world wars. He was that ancient. He appeared in the office one day, soon after the appeal had been made and a hushed, and reverent silence spread through the office. One of baited breath and a glimmer of hope. Mr. Feinmeister is here...at last, an end to the reign of terror!

Mr. Leopold had not expected to see Mr. Feinmeister and was shocked, yet he did his duty and scurried over to assist him. Mr. Feinmeister was bent nearly double with age and topped with white hair and beard, like an ancient St. Nicolas stepped out from children's nursery stories.

Though old and frail, he was not a patient man, and to be disturbed by the rumors was trying to his thin, stretched out single nerve that he still possessed and guarded jealously as a young man with a one-of-a kind top-of-the line, fast as lightning sports car.

Mr. Feinmeister was hard of hearing, honestly nearly deaf as a doorpost, but he chose not to recognize it as a liability. He expected and demanded that all others cede the floor, or explain slowly and repeatedly to him as if they were speaking a foreign language to him and he was asking them to communicate in his native tongue.

He shuffled into Mr. Leopold's office leaning heavily on his hand carved cane and gestured for Mr. Leopold to close the door behind him. He positioned himself behind Mr. Leopold's desk but remained on his feet, opting not to denigrate himself by sitting at someone else's desk. No sooner than it was shut, Mr. Feinmeister began his rant; "How is it I'm hearing tales of witches invading my company? I'll not stand for it! I want you to chase them out immediately!"

Mr. Leopold nearly choked on surprise and laughter but knew of Mr. Feinmeister's hearing troubles and hurried to correct him; "No, there are no witches. There are two employees who are behaving terribly and...ahem...a lot like bitches."

"That's what I said, witches. We have to destroy them!" Mr. Feinmeister insisted, lifting his cane and smacking it against the top of Mr. Leopold's desk, causing Mr. Leopold to jump slightly.

Mr. Leopold didn't want to correct Mr. Feinmeister again, and figured that whether he really got the concept or not was not inherently the most important part. What Mr. Leopold was more interested in was the possibility of a resolution.

Now that Mr. Feinmeister was here, and Mr. Leopold was no longer able to hide his inability to manage the troublesome pair, he was not personally offended. He'd spent the last few weeks fighting a battle that he couldn't win, and instead of worrying over a black mark on his record, he was ready and willing to accept Mr. Feinmeister's intervention and an imperfect record was a very small price to pay.

He gushed his gratitude, happy to unburden himself; "I'm so happy you're here. I've been trying, but I'm at my wit's end on how to handle these two."

Mr. Feinmeister replied; "Summon them. You should've called me much sooner. Witches are a tricky lot and are very hard to get rid of." Mr. Leopold smiled ironically at what he perceived was Mr. Feinmeister's odd, yet somewhat hilarious misunderstanding of the situation.

He hustled to call Katie Red and Katy Blonde into the office. The two had been waiting impatiently, and they flounced in, brushing past Mr. Leopold as if he were a non-entity. Katie Red lifted an eyebrow and smirked at Mr. Leopold as she arranged herself on one of the chairs opposite Mr. Feinmeister who had remained standing like a gargoyle behind Mr. Leopold's desk. It was a "You are going to get it now!" kind of look, and Mr. Leopold was more than happy to close the door and wait in the hall.

This was not a battle he wanted to watch, though he already knew the outcome. The K's may be strong and powerful, but Mr. Feinmeister would not yield and they would hopefully be out on their rear ends by the end of the day.

Katie Red began her diatribe, oblivious to the pointed stare of anger that Mr. Feinmeister directed at her. Katy Blonde's attention was focused on her friend, so she missed his telling glare as well.

"Mr. Feinmeister, we are so glad you're here, Mr. Leopold is very tiring and we can't stand the way...

"Did you curse him?" Mr. Feinmeister demanded slamming his cane on the top of the bureau again, the sound echoed and reverberated around the room, and Katie Red turned crimson with embarassment.

"No?" Katy Blonde replied with hesitation, "We didn't curse him. Why would you say such a silly thing. We simply disagree with his management style and we were hoping that you would see fit to reprimand him or replace him if need be." Katie Red nodded her head in agreement and smiled in a cheshire-like way.

"Do you have anything else to say in your defense?" Mr. Feinmeister demanded. The two stared at each other; "Um... I guess not." they both confirmed. They'd heard strange and bizarre things about Mr. Feinmeister but assumed that he was simply testing them. They glanced sidelong at each other, buoying each other up, or rather they intended to but they rolled their eyes at each other, communicating that they both thought the old man crazy and that they would most likely not get any satisfaction from him.

Mr. Feinmeister's sharp steel blue eyes picked up their less-than-subtle communication; "What kind of sorcery is that?" He shouted, lifting his cane and setting it counter to his now horizontal arm, in effect he'd made a cross that he was holding up as defense against the pair.

"We didn't mean anything by that look." Katie Red stated, her face flushed cherry bright. Katy Blonde nodded her head apologetically and the two slunk out of the office.

"LEOPOLD!" Mr. Feinmeister's belted out. Mr. Leopold shot back into the room, he'd heard enough of the interaction to know that the K's were going to be ousted and quickly, he only needed Mr. Feinmeister's blessing and a specific path to follow.

"What's it to be? Thirty day probation? Verbal or written warning? Do I need to cut them a final paycheck and hand them their pink slips?" Mr. Leopold spit out as many scenarios as he could think of, hoping that where he'd failed in the first instance of his managerial role, he could make up for it by apt resolution in the second instance.

Mr. Feinmeister lowered his arm and the cane, dissolving his impromptu cross. He shrugged and grasped his cane in both hands, placing it firmly on the ground in front of him. A statue of resolve and monolithic immovability;

"Fire!"

"Okay," Mr. Leopold smiled giddily, "I'll get right on that, and have H.R. to draw up the paperwork to get them fired."

Mr. Feinmeister shook his head in irritation, as a bull with a fly hovering around his head, distracting and infuriating him. "No, you misunderstand me. Fire! Burn them! They need to die!"

"But..." Mr. Leopold gulped. "You can't possibly mean that." The whites of his eyes wide as an ocean.

"Don't I?" Mr. Feinmeister queried, his voice dark and calm. "Let me be succinct. It is my determination that they are in fact witches. And what do you do with witches?" He spoke to Mr. Leopold in the same tone of voice that you would use with a wayward child that you're trying to teach a lesson to.

"You burn them?" Mr. Leopold's face was a pale shade of ashy gray. He gulped, nearly choking on his next statement; "And how, exactly do you want me to go about this?"

Mr. Feinmeister collected himself; "That would be your job. You're the office manager after all. I expect you to handle this, and if you can't then I will unfortunately have to let you go." Mr. Feinmeister gathered himself to leave and had already shuffled out of the door of Mr. Leopold's office when he turned back briefly to relate his final piece of advice; "And next time, Leopold, it would be best if you didn't hire any more witches, and we can avoid all of these unpleasant conversations."

Mr. Leopold felt it useless to mention the fact that he'd not hired the bitches in the first place, they'd simply come with the job.

Mr. Leopold slumped into his chair, unlocked his computer and typed "How to burn a Witch." into the search engine and sighed at the amount of results it spit out. "I'd better get overtime for this!" he sighed and plunged into plan making.

#my writing

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hellopopculture · 3 years ago

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Top 20 Female/Joshi Wrestlers of 2021 (Part 2)

Description: We’re a long way away from the “Women’s Revolution” and in some ways the treatment of female wrestling talent in the West has reverted back to the “Diva Era”. In contrast, Joshi Wrestling at companies like STARDOM, has not only been able to stay afloat but grow during the pandemic. Not to be outdone though; the women’s divisions of WWE, AEW, Impact & ROH still put up and good fight and overall made it a competitive year for women in Pro Wrestling.

8. Thunder Rosa-Rosa came in to AEW as a champion in 2020, holding the NWA Women's Title. She challenged a few of the top talents in the company eventually making her way to Dr. Britt Baker. Britt would cost Rosa the NWA Women's Championship in a rematch with Serena Deeb on November 18th, 2020, as their feud would grow more and more heated. AEW's women's division was struggling at this point. Before Britt had beaten Shida and taken the title off of her she had suffered some injuries and even though she was making her presence felt as a heel after her turn, the division wasn't faring well under Shida. She had kind of exhausted a lot of the best opponents that the company had to offer so when Rosa came in and Britt finally beat Shida, that was seemingly the turning point for the division. While it's still struggling, the Unsanctioned Lights Out Match in March of 2021 @ St. Patrick's Day Slam showed us all the possibilities for what this division could produce. I don't think it's even debatable..this was the greatest women's match in company history. For this company it will probably be like Sasha Vs. Bayley @ Takeover: Brooklyn where all the best matches following it will be compared to it.

7. Deonna Purrazzo-After being released by WWE in 2020 without really being given a chance to show what she could do on the main roster, Deonna has been plenty busy. She signed with Impact in 2020 and kind of became the focal point of The Knockout's Division. Deonna prides herself on her technical wrestling ability and which just wasn't going to work out in "Sports Entertainment". The Virtuosa made her in-ring debut in Impact on June 9th of 2020 attacking Jordynne Grace. By Slammiversary in July of that year she had taken the Knockouts Championship off of Jordynne, winning her first title in the company.

Deonna dominated the Summer of 2020, and by 2021 she still remained the "woman to beat". While knocking down all the competition Impact could throw at her, she set out to extend the limits of her reign as one of the most commanding women in the sport by winning the AAA Reina de Reinas title from Faby Apache @ TripleMania XXIX making her a double champion.

Her reign in Impact came to an end when she was defeated by Mickie James @ Bound for Glory, but she became a Double Champion again by beating Rok-C for the Ring of Honor Women's Championship. At 27, we still haven't seen the upper limits of Deonna's potential but 2022 is a new year and i'm sure she has more to show us.

6. Charlotte Flair-In terms of accolades 2021 was a great year for Charlotte. With Sasha Banks passing the torch to Bianca Belair @ WrestleMania and taking a backseat to her, Bayley & Asuka getting injured and Becky Lynch being at home with her baby, Charlotte had plenty of room to shine. She didn't really do that great of a job of it with many of her opponents not being elevated and falling by the wayside, but she was still dominant at least. When she exchanged titles with Becky Lynch that made her a 6-Time Raw Women's Champion and an overall 13-time Women's Champion on the main roster.

5. Utami Hayashishita-Judo Black Belt, Utami Hayashishita only began training to be a Joshi wrestler in 2018. She was already getting high marks for her wrestling ability and won the tag league as well as the Goddess of Stardom Championship with Momo Watanabe in her first year. In 2019 she won 4 championships, The Pro Wrestling: EVE International Championship, The Future of Stardom Championship, The SWA World Championship & The Artist of Stardom Championship with her Queen's Quest stablemates which she held all at once. She won the 5★Star Grand Prix in 2020 and then the World of Stardom Championship. By 2021 in only a short time in the business, Utami had established herself as one of the top women in the company having main evented almost every STARDOM event that year. Her rivalry with Syuri had been building up to The big Dream Queendom show at the end of the year where her reign would come to an end but not before she had the first 5★Star match in Stardom history.

Utami is nothing short of amazing. Out of the 12 women that held the World of Stardom Championship, she has had the 4th longest reign behind decorated veteran Mayu Iwatani, Seadlinnng Founder Nanae Takahashi & The former Ace, Io Shirai. Although she's not the top Champion anymore, STARDOM’s future looks bright with her.

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miss-andromeda · 1 year ago

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Don't Call Me Kid, Don't Call Me Baby

Universe: TMNT 2012

Turtle of Choice: Raphael (Platonic)

Prompt: “I love you, and you’re hurting me.”

Song Inspiration: illicit affairs by Taylor Swift - Some lyrics are actually used in the story in Andi’s dialogue, and it goes without saying that I do not own the lyrics.

Takes place during season 3.

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The night air was crisp and clean as Andi stepped out of the farmhouse. She was grateful it was like this - living in the city made her yearn for the air that you could just feel coursing through your body.

It was just a shame that she was in no mood to enjoy it.

Taking a shaky breath, she decided to walk into the woods. She had her gun with her in case any wild animals decided to ambush her, but considering the most dangerous animal she had encountered so far had been a squirrel, she doubted there would be anything legitimately threatening.

But still, better safe than sorry.

The woods were quiet, with the only sounds she could hear being the crunching of her shoes against the leaves and twigs and the occasional hoot of an owl or tittering of a chipmunk. It was nice to be away from the chaos and insanity that the boys brought, and even though it scared her to be alone at the moment, she had to admit; it was a lot easier to be alone with her thoughts than to risk getting hurt again.

Before she knew it, she was out of the woods and at her favorite place on the property: the lake. She always found herself coming here after she woke up from the coma; it was serene, peaceful, and what she needed. Perching herself right at the edge, she took another breath as the wind started to pick up and make her hair dance with it.

Andi peered at her reflection and smiled tearfully; she looked like herself for a moment. Granted, with a few more cuts than normal, but it wasn’t anything to get overly concerned about. She still had her babyish face and that blemish on her nose from the winter air, and the dark circles under her eyes were starting to fade.

But then the wind lifted her top for a moment and she caught a glimpse of the bandages on her abdomen. Her smile faded instantly, being replaced with shaky lips, heavy sobs, and a broken look in her eye.

And when she looked at her reflection again, her sadness now mixed with anger as she saw her face there.

“Why? Why did you do this?” She whispered. When the face in the lake only smirked at her, she growled weakly as she started to cry. “Look at me! Look at this…this mess you made me! Look at the idiotic fool you made of me! I trusted you! And you do this to me!”

For a split second, everything was quiet. But then she heard her voice in her head:

I should’ve gutted you more than I did if you ask me.

“You…you don’t mean that…”

Oh, but I do, Andromeda. I meant it when I said you were my original target. Why I didn’t kill you that day is beyond me. Maybe it was to scare you, maybe it was because I just like you seeing you suffer like this. But what I do know is next time will be the last time.

“No…no, you can’t possibly-”

Did you not hear me before, little girl? I meant what I said.

As her face morphed back into Andi’s, the girl had tears streaming down her face as she covered her mouth with her hand. “No…” She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make sense of what she had just heard. But she couldn’t, she knew she couldn’t.

But what stung the most was what she whispered into the wind:

“You would do this to me…when you know that I’d die for you…I’d ruin myself a million times over just to make sure you were safe…and you, you do this…”

She violently splashed away the reflection of herself and forced her eyes shut again, the wind picking up and whipping her hair around.

She got so lost in her own head that she didn’t hear Raph approaching her with a perfect mix of confusion and concern in his eyes. He was walking slowly, so as not to scare her. He knew that if he did or said anything too suddenly, she’d get freaked out and definitely pull her gun out on him. So he talked softly, trying to get her attention.

“Andi? What’s goin’ on?”

Her head snapped up at hearing his voice, so she frantically tried to wipe her tears away and fake a smile at him. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

But the frown on his face told her that it wasn’t working. “You don’t look fine. What’s up?”

“Raph, seriously, I’m okay, don’t worry.”

He sighed in defeat as he sat next to her in silence. If she wanted to talk about what was on her mind, she absolutely could with him - and she knew that. But he wasn’t about to force her to open up about her feelings - especially considering mere minutes before, she looked like she was about to lose her mind.

After about a minute, Andi sighed as she started to crack. “Actually…no, I’m not. Can I, um…can I tell you about it?”

“I’m listening.”

Andi took in a shaky breath, feeling the tears start to well up again. “Let me start from the beginning…” She went on to explain what happened; she had come outside for some fresh air (as well as to build up some more strength) and walked to the lake. When she looked in the water, she saw her own face for a second - but then saw her face there (when she said her name, Raph started palming his fist and growling) and then heard her voice. Which caused her to end up in the state that Raph had found her in.

Raph was quiet for a minute, but his eyes were blazing with both hurt and anger as Andi buried her face in her hands. “Andi…c’mon, don’t-don’t cry…” He muttered to her, and when she looked at him with a face that made her look like a kicked puppy, he could actually feel his heart cracking just a little bit.

“I just…I don’t understand, Raph…how could she hurt me like this?” Andi whispered, feverishly trying to wipe away more tears as she sniveled pathetically. “Does she not understand that I’m practically telling her ‘I love you, and you’re hurting me?’” She shook her head and shakily exhaled, sniffling again as she stared at the ground. “Like…how do you do that to someone you’re supposed to love? Your own family? How would you feel if one of your brothers, or-or Splinter, just…outright turned on you? And…and tried to kill you?”

Raph shook his head in agreement. “It’s messed up, it really is.” He then grabbed her shoulders to make her look at him. “But listen to me when I say this: nothing’s gonna hurt you anymore. Not her, not Shredder, not the Kraang, nothing. And that’s ‘cause of two reasons. 1, you’ve gotten so much stronger in the past few years that we’ve known each other. Remember that first punch you threw at me in the kitchen? Barely phased me. Now you’re able to knock out Casey with just one punch, not to mention that gun you carry with you.”

He was so relieved when she gave him the tiniest smile possible. Progress was being made.

“And 2, we’re not gonna let anything get to you. None of us are. You know as well as I do that Donnie would take a hit without question if it meant you were safe.” He finally decided to drop the stoic look and give her a weak smile. “And I would too. ‘Cause…’cause you and April…you guys are like my little sisters. Over my dead body would I let someone get you.”

When her eyes widened a bit at the phrase, he shook his head at himself. “Sorry, bad choice of words.” He conceded but met her green eyes, his own holding as much sincerity as Donnie’s when he looked at her. “But I mean that. Nothin’ is gonna happen to you, not on my watch.”

For a moment, Andi didn’t know what to say. She was used to Donnie spilling his heart out to her. Same with April, to a lesser extent. But Raph… was a different story entirely. She knew he had a big heart underneath the tough exterior he always presented, he just…never really expressed it that often.

With him telling her that and meaning it so sincerely…it triggered something in her. Without another word, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. It was rare that she ever initiated something like that with anyone, but Raph told her that he considered her family and that he was going to keep her safe, like a brother would…it was something she had never heard before.

And she adored it.

His body tensed for a moment, not knowing how to respond. The only one that she was this outwardly affectionate towards was Donnie, and…he obviously was not Donnie. But then, deciding to drop the stoicism altogether, he put his arms around her to hug her back. He wasn’t the best with physical touch, plus…it did feel a little bit uncomfortable embracing Donnie’s girlfriend. But considering she seemed to be fine with him holding her like this, he figured he was in the clear.

“Thanks, Raphie…” She mumbled against his shoulder, pulling away to give him a weak smile. “I needed to hear that.”

Raph only nodded with a similar-looking smile, letting her leave his embrace and sit back down on the ground. “Anytime, shortcake.”

She rolled her eyes (though there was a tinge of affection there) at the name, before smiling softly at him as she looked ahead. “So how’d you know I was out here?”

“Shoeprints.” Raph simply replied, pointing to the prints Andi’s sneakers had left in the dirt path behind them. “It’s almost like if you walk on dirt and step hard enough, you’ll make a path.” He smartly remarked, making Andi chuckle. “Thanks, didn’t know that.” She replied sarcastically.

Raph chuckled with her, then raised an eyebrow when she yawned to herself. “Want me to walk you back to the farmhouse?” When she only nodded, he helped her stand up and walked her back in comfortable silence. She looked better than before,, but Raph could tell that she wasn’t perfect - which was to go without saying. If he were in her shoes, he had a feeling he would be the same way as her.

All that he could do was just keep his promise to her.

Before either of them knew it, they were back at the farmhouse and walking back upstairs to their bedrooms. They were careful not to trigger any of the creaky floorboards; neither of them was willing to deal with a cranky turtle or a potential sleepwalker in Casey with a baseball bat.

And as Andi made it to her bedroom, she turned around and smiled softly at Raph. “Thanks again, Raphie.” She simply told him, before turning around and walking inside, softly shutting the door behind her.

Once she was out of sight, Raph smiled to himself and nodded, heading to his own room. “Anytime, shortcake.” He said again, more to himself this time as he made it back to his own room.

Anything for his little sister, after all.

----------

Here we are for August's STS Takeover Challenge! 🩷🩷

@post-apocalyptic-daydream @thelaundrybitch @leosgirl82 @tinkabelle19 @android-cap-007 @happymoonangel @eveandtheturtles @raphsmuneca @jasminarts01

#STS Takeover Challenge #tmnt 2012 #oc andi rhodes #donatello #all's fair in love and science

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my-own-au-my-way · 1 year ago

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This is my au that I made up.

The prompt is: "I wear the cape while you wear the hat!."

I added my own version of the bonus of the twist on truth or dare which is Trick or Treat!.

Meet my sweet lil OC Meixing. She is a lil neko-girl and Jing Yuans daughter. My OC Jiayi whos married to him named her. Mind you characters in my au are set up in my own way.

This is my Honkai Star Rail au. No hate please and thank you!.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

It was finally that time of year again, Halloween!. Meixing Jing Yuans daughter was finally old enough for trick or treat. He entrusted Blade and Kafka to watch over her. Lil Mei wanted to wear a vampire costume, but Kafka suggested a wizards costume instead.

"Oh okay! Then um Uncle Bladie can wear the cape and I wear the hat!." Meixing suggested.

Kafka snickered,"Oh even better he can wear the beard and cape."

Blade just gives Kafka a death glare as a response.

"Awww I wanna wear dat beard!. Lemme pwease?." Lil Mei begged with puppy dog eyes.

Kafka had to adjust the beard length otherwise she would trip either way.

"There is no ways anyone can resist your lil face when you beg is there?." Kafka said as she pinches Lil Mei's cheek.

"Heeeeey! Anyway maybe we pway a trick or treat gamy my friends pway. It like that um truth or dare!." Lil Mei suggested as they walked together.

Blade just sighed as a response as Kafka seemed rather intrigued,"Is that so? Well then lets see then I will go first. Bladie trick or treat?."

Blade almost choked on air when he was asked first,"I don't trust your tricks or treat ideas so ugh treat then."

Kafka chuckled at his response,"We then howabout this. I treat you to meet up with that girl you always talk so much about."

Blade froze realising this was probably a trick,"Don't you dare-."

Her expression was that of a cat that got her cream,"Aww Bladie, she misses you afterall. Now be good and text her."

Mei-xing was curious now,"Does Uncle Bladie have a girlfwiend?."

The sound Blade made as he covered his blushing face was evidently the answer.

"I wanna meet her too! Pwease?! Can I?."

Kafka just picks her up and places her up on her shoulders,"Maybe another time sweetie. Bladie here owes his girl some time alone."

Mean time Bladie was giving Kafka one hell of a look that says,-"Say anything more I dare you and I will kill you."- that only left Kafka laughing a little.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Enjoy!

@thelaundrybitch

@leosgirl82

@androidships007

@bombergrrl

#sts takeover challenge #honkai star rail #ocxjing yuan

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whumpiary · 4 years ago

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Darktimeline!AU continues. As ever, written in collaboration with the incredible @untilthepainstarts.

content warnings: referenced murder, referenced noncon touch, alcohol, mild violence, briefly referenced victim blaming

It took a lot for Cassius Bergen to feel unsettled. Usually he was fazed by so very little, an I’m-rubber-you’re-glue kind of guy, attitude loose and languid in a way that made it adaptable to any incoming occurrence, good or bad. There wasn’t any use in the feeling of being perturbed to a man who had already laughed outright in the face of the perverse, from twisted colleagues to the character that had raised him.

But when Viklund-Reid turned up on the doorstep of the estate this evening, bloodied and half-wild, Cassius may have felt the slightest twinge of it. No small amount of satisfaction as well of course, at seeing the gaping cracks in the man’s usually impenetrable self control—he had been wondering just how much pressure that nice guy facade could withstand before it popped, and mild-mannered house mouse Lev fell away to reveal Lev Alexander Viklund-Reid, criminal mastermind.

As it turns out, all it took was a single loose end.

"I think I killed Jacob St. Clair."

Standing in the doorway to the sitting room in his nightrobe and slippers, Cassius’ mouth drops open. He shuts it just as fast, but it doesn’t seem like Lev had noticed at all. If anything, the man seemed wrapped up in himself, eyes staring into middle distance, hands rubbing up along the outsides of his arms.

"Wait, you think you did, or you did did? Because—”

"I did," Lev restates. "He's definitely dead. And if he wasn't then… he is now."

It’s then that Cassius’ eye picks up the things he didn’t before. It's a warm November night outside and Lev isn't wearing his usual jacket, but rather a comparatively thin dress shirt, rolled up at the sleeves. It's torn a few inches in at the collar, the top buttons popped off to reveal the delicate golden necklace he always wears underneath. A trail—a spray—of blood sits across his face, from his cheek to the inside corner of his eye. And on his knuckles. And in his hair, in tiny little spots.

Cassius realises that he’s grinning. It feels sharp in his mouth. “Jesus Christ.”

“Yeah.” Lev’s hand reaches up to play with the gold chain. His eyes remain unfocused, staring somewhere between Cassius’ chaise and his china cabinet.

“Jesus Christ. So I guess we’re not going with ‘take him down quietly’?”

“Apparently not.”

Blowing air out through his cheeks, Cassius shakes his head. Leans in the doorway, He’s not that mad, not really.

Though Lev could have asked if he wanted a piece first, selfish bastard. A bit rich considering it all. If Cassius had known he was going to up and off the guy—

“Just say it,” Lev says, eyes flicking up to meet his in a tired sort of challenge. “We both know you’re going to.”

Cassius smirks and crosses his arms, “Let’s not rush it, Bergen. There’s no satisfaction in a quick kill, Bergen. Let’s savour the take down, rot him from the inside out…”

Lev’s eyes flick away from him, dark and blazing, as though he hadn’t just asked to be served what he was given. As if he didn’t deserve a little mocking for his hypocrisy.

“I know.”

Cassius shrugs like it doesn’t bother him, and really what is there to be all that bothered about? If St Clair was dead, he was dead. Not much they could do to wind back time now.

“So what happened, then?”

Lev eyes flick up and then away again, find the same middle distance he’s been staring into all night. His hand comes up, knuckles rubbing against the bare of his neck, just above the necklace. He could just be rubbing at the dried blood there. Cassius would bet half his house that he isn’t.

“What happened, Viklund-Reid?” he says again, a tiny tug back to earth. “Come on. You stole my kill, I deserve the story at least.”

“He called my guy yesterday, begging me for help with James and whatever takeover that little fuck is itching to pull the trigger on now, asking for a meeting. At first I thought about just telling him I had no wish to be caught up in that, shut it down, but… I figured it could be a chance at information. And frankly it was weird that he reached out to me directly, and at the moment James is being a right prick with my deals up north. So I went.”

Cassius nods along like the story is new to him, all while a sense of déjà-vu creeps slowly in. “But he didn’t want to talk about that at all?”

Smiling self-deprecatingly, Lev shakes his head. “He wanted to talk about me. Said I had done really well so far, better than he’d expected, but it was time to face the facts: that I’d never be what Martin was, that I’m not designed for this kind of life… whatever, you get the idea. But then when I made to leave, he stopped me. Physically. And I just—you don’t just do that, but he did—warned him too, said if he kept going like that, he’d have known if he’d just listened to me, I wouldn’t have had to, to, to—he just kept pushing, and pushing and then—”

The disjointed stream of a sentence ends in a laugh, tightly wound. Lev’s shoulders have drawn in, his jaw clenched, and he’s speaking at the wall as if it had been the one who’d wronged him, his initial audience all but forgotten in the room.

Cassius raises an eyebrow. He hasn’t seen him angry like this. Anxious like this. “Viklund-Reid?”

“—Wonder why no one likes you, fucker, sticking your nose into other people’s business, putting your hands where they don’t belong—”

“Viklund-Reid.”

“—Put down that fucking ego for twelve seconds—”

“Lev.”

“What.”

When he’s sure he finally has Lev’s attention, Cassius moves his eyes down to the knife that had appeared in his business partner’s hand and back up again, pointedly. It’s enough to make the man pause and take stock of what had seemingly been an unconscious fiddling, smoothly flicking it open and shut in rapid repetition.

It’s not the knife that bothers Cassius particularly. Lord knows he’s seen it enough. It’s the way he was holding it, fiddling with it. The specific grip to the handle. Unconscious maybe, all of it. But careful. Practiced. With intent. The same way a cat settled back and locked its gaze before striking prey. The same way a sharpshooter fiddled with a gun.

Lev clears his throat, before slipping the knife into his pocket. “I, uh. I’m gonna use your bathroom.” He pushes up off the arm of the sofa and starts walking away, but not before Cassius can cut him off at the pass.

“No you’re not. Kitchen’s closer. Has booze,” Cassius adds, before heading off in that direction, not waiting to check if Lev is following, and definitely not moving anywhere within striking distance. As much as he didn’t need Lev falling apart in his sitting room, he also didn’t particularly need a stab wound either.

Cassius steps into the kitchen and goes directly to the sink, turning on the water and letting it run before heading to the pantry and straight to the liquor.

“Is this a champagne or vodka sort of occasion?” he calls over his shoulder.

“Vodka,” comes the mumbled call from the sink. “Definitely fucking vodka.”

By the time he comes back, near-full bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other, Lev is sitting on the kitchen bench, frowning at his knuckles, rubbing at them absently with a piece of blood-pink paper towel.

“You look rattled,” Cassius says mildly.

“I am rattled.”

Cassius snorts a laugh and Lev looks up at him with something a little too tired to be a glare. “What?”

He shrugs. “Nothing. Just didn’t think I’d be spending my night talking through baby’s first murder.”

“Not my first,” Lev mutters with a scoff. “Jesus, of course not my first. Just first like this. First where I… lost control.”

Cassius frowns barely and looks Lev over, eyes narrowing in curiosity while the other man’s gaze is diverted. He’d always kind of thought… well he’d assumed how it must’ve gone down with Martin. But apparently he was going to have to ask for that story one day too.

He offers out the vodka, leaves the glasses on the bench behind him. “Drink.”

Lev takes a generous swig and returns the bottle to the bench, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Did he try that with you?”

Taking his time ripping a bit of paper towel from the roll, folding it into a square, using it to dab away the little streak of blood on Lev’s face, Cassius ponders his answer. Decides to let the other do the work. “Try what?”

Lev’s lips press together in a thin line. “If I’d known, I’d have taken care of it from the start. Or at least… wouldn’t have told you to wait.”

The image of St. Clair flashes up in front of Cassius' eyes—furious, yes, but from the other side of the table over lunch. Looking like he’d wanted to leap over it and strangle him, but hadn’t in the end. Just called him the usual—little Bergen whore—and left.

“No, he didn’t. Just ran his mouth.”

Lev’s face falls slightly, as if that wasn’t the answer he’d wanted. He leans backward, eyes narrowed, calculating.

“Sorry, did I just relieve you of some preconceptions?” Cassius says drily, feeling annoyance stir somewhere underneath the surface. He had no right. “Or did he need to have groped me a little for me to be able to be mad about it?”

“That’s not—”

“Because if I recall, I wanted the fucker gone months ago and you kept telling me it wasn’t smart. So now I’m just trying to figure out where the double standard fits into all of this, or whether I now get to present my own TED talk on self-control.”

“If he had kept his hands off of me—”

“You think I haven’t had people put their hands on me?” Cassius spits. Lev looks away. Cassius burns. “How is it that when I do this shit it’s stupid and impulsive and—”

“It is stupid and impulsive.”

“And when you do it, it’s what? Righteous?”

Bringing his fingers up to pinch the bridge of his nose, Lev heaves a sigh. “Shut it, Bergen. Shut up.”

“Or what? Your cleaner’s going to be hitting up my place later too?”

Lev moves his hand away, looks like he’s about to bite back a response, before he pauses. Blinks, hand hovering in the air. Mouth open, then shut, and the tension fizzles slightly in the room as he flounders.

For the second time that night, Cassius feels a shark-like smile creep across his face as he puts two and two together. “Oh, you’re kidding. You’re kidding,” he says through bared teeth, tone dangerously low.

Dark eyes lock with his as Lev looks at him. “I fucked up. I know I fucked up.”

Cassius’ annoyance shifts gears right into anger, revving hot at the half-admission. “Say the fucking words, Lev,” he challenges, incredulous.

When the only response he gets from the man in front of him is a sheepish look and a phone pulled out of his pocket, Cassius scoffs, grabs the vodka on the bench. He’s furious, can only hold it in for long enough to take a swig straight from the bottle, and for Lev to start dialing.

“So. Just so I’ve got all of this perfectly fucking clear. You murder a guy, right, guy you told me specifically not to. Then you get in your car. Drive forty minutes here. Come into my house—”

“I know, alright?”

“—And you haven’t called your fucking cleaner yet?”

“Don’t yell at me Bergen,” Lev warns, frowning.

Laughing, Cassius gestures at him with the bottle—how dare he? Keeps his voice at the same level, because fuck this. “I’ll talk to you how I damn well please. You are in my house. You are putting my arse on the line here.”

“I’m getting it sorted,” he says with a pointed glare, phone to ear.

Cassius laughs again, eyes wide and furious. “Cutting it kind of close, don’t you think?”

Lev swears under breath as the phone clearly hits voicemail, starts to redial.

“Perfect,” Cassius scoffs, taking another swig. “Fucking perfect.”

“I’ll handle it.”

“You have the fucking murder weapon sitting on my bench, Lev,” he says, swinging his arms wide. “Are you trying to get this pinned on me?”

“I said, I’ll handle it.”

Cassius doesn’t let up. “Is this what you get off on is it? Getting friends in high places dragged down to low ones?”

“Of course not.” Lev spits, real fire in his eyes.

“Well fuck knows you don’t seem to be getting off on anything else.”

Lev’s feet hit the floor as he surges forward, and the next thing Cassius knows are two hands curled in his shirt and his back hitting the wall, vodka splashing up out of the glass neck on impact. He opens his mouth to command Lev away, but hesitates on the thought of meeting the business end of that knife—he’s already right on him, and could likely pull and engage it in a split-second, before he could even name him and finish the words.

Cassius searches the eyes of the man pinning him to the wall and for the first time since their meeting, Cassius is certain Lev Viklund-Reid could kill him.

So when Lev rushes forward all at once, Cassius can’t help the gasp that leaves him. He’d almost be embarrassed by the shocked sound of it if the noise wasn’t stolen from his lips in half a second by Lev’s own.

Lev kisses him hard. Hungry and desperate. Like he’s trying to tell him something words aren’t enough for. Cassius feels like he’s stuck a beat behind just trying to decipher it. And then just as he starts to melt forward into it, just as he brings his hands up to touch, Lev’s gone again, the weight of his body disappearing as completely as if he’d turned to smoke while Cassius’ eyes were closed.

“What-” Cassius blinks his eyes open, hand almost reaching for a man who isn’t there anymore.

Lev’s standing a few feet away, wide-eyed and halfway horrified. “Shit, I’m so sorry. You- I’m- I’m an idiot. ”

“No, it’s-” Cassius brings his hand up and back to his lips, silences himself, stops the words that want to come out. The kiss still feels trapped there, just beneath his fingertips. “It’s fine.”

“Shit,” Lev repeats. “Shit, shit, shit.”

“Lev, just-” come back here. Do that again. “Calm down, a sec.”

“Jesus, I- I’m losing it,” Lev says, and alright well that stings just a little. Cassius keeps his place on the wall, tucks his hands behind his back and presses them flat against the plaster.

“I’m fucked.” And there’s that mad laugh again. A torn out, twisted thing that hardly suits him but still seems to fit. “I’ve fucked this.”

“Lev…”

“No, I’m-“ he makes a pained expression, like shame and apology all wrapped up in one scrunch of the nose. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I shouldn’t have come here, I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking-“

“Probably that you need an alibi,” Cassius says evenly, shrugging a shoulder as he pushes forward, risks a step or two closer. “I’m a good one. And the staff all love you. They’d vouch for you even if I don’t threaten them.”

He doesn’t get too close—who’d approach a wild animal with its hackles still raised? But still makes himself available. Approachable. He could be the lantern in the distance if the man needed it, but he knew it wasn’t wise to press, even after Lev had initiated. Maybe especially so.

This time when Lev crashes forward, head landing heavy against Cassius’ chest, Cassius manages to catch his gasp before it betrays him. The aftershock runs through him like a thrill and settles alongside his heart, pounding like a bass drum right beneath where Lev’s head is pressed. He wonders if Lev can hear it. If he does, he doesn’t mention. Cassius, in turn, doesn’t mention the way Lev is shaking.

"St. Clair was right. I'm too… too…"

Unbidden, Cassius brings his hand up, resting it gingerly on the back of Lev’s head, bottle of vodka still hanging from the fingers of his other hand. “Shut your mouth.”

It falls quiet around them. Between them. The echo of the sink dripping, the sound of the clock from the hall, Lev’s breathing as he steadies himself. That’s all. Cassius keeps expecting Viklund-Reid to shove him off. For the feeling of a blade pressed to his gut. It never comes.

It feels strange, dangerous even, holding a man who barely an hour before had killed another for daring to do less. But he’d be lying if he said it doesn’t feel good as well. And that’s wrong, maybe, after the night that Lev’s had. To enjoy holding him like this. To feel soothed by it.

Cassius closes his eyes ever so briefly. Maybe he’s the one who’s fucked. Oh well.

"Look,” Lev says, after a minute or two. “I know we're probably even now, but just in case... if you tell anyone about this, I'll gut you. And all that."

Cassius blinks and laughs, feeling the sound reverberate along his own ribcage and out through Lev’s back. “Sure. As long as you call your cleaner up after.”

And he has no idea where the fuck the impulse comes from, even less so why he listens to it, but he turns his head, presses a kiss to Lev’s hair.

Both men tense. Breath caught. Moment frozen.

Lev pulls back to look at him, expression indecipherable, and Cassius opens his mouth to say something – I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that, please don’t stab me – he’s not sure what, and then Lev’s phone rings. Like a spell’s been broken, they both flinch away.

“That’s my-”

“Yeah.”

The air feels electrically charged and all at once Cassius can’t figure out how to hold himself in the room, ends up pressed back against the wall where Lev had left him a few minutes earlier as Lev walks from the room, phone pressed to his ear.

“Winters. Sorry to bother you this late—yeah, it’s alright. Would you mind crunching some numbers for me?”

Cassius tips his head back against the wall and exhales through his teeth, blowing his cheeks out, fingers tapping against the plaster.

It took a lot to get him unsettled. And this wasn’t that, he wasn’t unsettled exactly but he was… something.

He closes his eyes, takes another swig and wipes his mouth clean with a rough hand. Shakes his head at nobody but himself. This is stupid. Three hundred and sixty degrees of stupid. Dangerous. That’s what it is.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

When exactly had he developed a crush on a mobster? On the untouchable, inimitable Lev Viklund-Reid?

He lets out a laugh, wild and bubbling, hopes that Lev can’t hear it from the other room.

Oh, Jesus. Alrighty then. So. He’s fucked.

#noncon touch cw #alcohol cw #death cw #dark timeline au #cassius bergen #lev viklund reid #i love them so so much

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mirekat · 4 years ago

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Our party’s Shadowrun campaign having come to a suitably bonkers conclusion last night, I can now opine that:

1. Shadowrun, properly played, is a game system for people who hate fun

2. Apparently the more grimdark and crunchy a system is, the more we all rebel against it by trying to do impossible things, to the point where our GM had to throw out all the rules and make up new ones from scratch. Just for context, last night’s session involved:

our bard-equivalent insisting on visiting a soup kitchen the GM mentioned offhand, whereupon he roared like 60% of Henry V’s St. Crispin’s Day speech at the patrons (apparently off the top of his head?!), rolled a negotiation check, and walked out with a revolutionary army

the one party member with arcana knowledge transfiguring himself into a nasutoceratops, thus gaining dino-strength but losing the ability to communicate in any manner other than stomped responses to yes-or-no questions. Which, considering our main quest involved arcana knowledge, was...challenging.

my Bad Bisexual Rep(TM) character, forced to choose between facilitating their girlfriend’s multiverse-takeover plan and their boyfriend’s multiverse-takeover plan, panicking and doing both instead

“This is the way the world ends/This is the way the world ends/This is the way the world ends/Not with a bang but with Nickelback”

Love you Em, thank you for bearing with us <3

#shadowrun

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officemaster-ae · 3 years ago

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Office Furniture - The Way to Go

It has done so by continuously and very diligently adapting and readapting itself to the ground scenario that is transforming ever so quickly.

One of the most significant transformations that have impacted the insides of workplaces across occupations, professions, and sectors have been the advent of and the eventual complete takeover of our work lives by computers and information systems.

The other factor is the emergence of a work culture that never seems to allow you to say no to work. Long working hours and a highly aggressive approach to work are all having a direct impact on our health and it is pretty obvious that the effects need to be lessened as far as possible. Well, the office furniture industry seems to be doing a decent job on this front.

You do have more thoughtfully made and ergonomically designed office chairs and office desks adoring our enterprises these days. Having them does reduce the stress levels to a great degree.

Yet another factor is the cropping up of new fields and sectors opening up everywhere even as the more conventional industries are themselves undergoing a complete makeover. This development has obviously not lessened the challenges for the professionals serving in the office furniture industry.

When you look around you see office chairs, office desks, tables, corner tables, reception tables, settees, sofa sets, conference tables, exclusive chairs, and tables for the recreation area and the canteen - all of which are in such trend and progressive designs and colors and types that one cannot help but marvel at the sheer ingenuity that this particular sector has shown.

The recession that our economy is still not fully cured of meant that substantial numbers of employees left their regular jobs and instead set up offices in their own residences. The outcome was the great increase in the demand for home office furniture. There has, in fact, been a quantum jump of 34% in the sales of small office chairs, smaller work stations, more of those items that can be dismantled and reset, etc. And of course, the use of less expensive wood and other material too.

The road ahead for the office The furniture industry does look far healthier than some of the other industries.

Get the latest updates on modern office furniture, Meeting Tables, office chairs, office desks, Reception Desks in Dubai, for detailed office furniture, please visit our website officemaster.ae

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#office furniture #office chairs #office desks #reception tables #sofa sets #conference tables #home office furniture #small office chairs #smaller work stations #modern office furniture #Office Furniture Dubai

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wrestlingwithhistory · 4 years ago

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Muhammad Ali vs Antonio Inoki

For many people, they see the birth of Ultimate Fighting in companies like Pancrase which was founded in 1993 by Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. They embraced the method of mixed martial arts and gave an arena for those who wanted to pit style against style. But some people also reflect back to a time, far before Pancrase, where a meeting of two worlds lit a fire behind those who later went on to created modern Mixed Martial Arts.

In 1975, Muhammad Ali boasted in a meeting with amateur Japanese Wrestling association President Ichiro Hatta “Isn’t there any oriental fighter who will challenge me? I will give him one million dollars if he wins!”. This question hit the headlines of every major newspaper and sports magazine in Japan and was eventually answered by Antonio Inoki, who was the founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling established just 3 years earlier.

Muhammed Ali was coming off the back of a fight with Richard Dunn on 24th May 1976 which he won by knockout and was coming towards the end of his boxing career at the time of the proposed fight having fought in the famous ‘The Thriller in Manila’ on October 1st, 1975. His final fight would be only 6 years later against Trevor Berbick.

Antonio Inoki was, at the time, one of the biggest names in Japanese Professional Wrestling. As well as creating NJPW in 1972, he began his professional wrestling journey as a disciple of Rikidozan at aged 17 as part of the JWA (Japanese Wrestling Alliance). Following the murder of RIkidozan by the Yakuza in 1963, Inoki went on an excursion to the United States in 1964, where he continued training under the legendary Karl Gotch. With Gotch, he learned the Catch style that is now synonymous with the Gotch name. Gotch to this very day is still held in high regard and to many fans and players of Japanese pro wrestling is known as ‘The God of Wrestling’.

Following the return from his excursion in 1966, Inoki working with Tokyo Pro Wrestling and quickly climbed the ranks to become its biggest star, before the company folded in 1967. He then returned to JWA, where he stayed for roughly 4 years, becoming a dominant tag team with his future promotional rival Giant Baba of All Japan Pro Wrestling. Inoki was then fired in 1971 due to JWA officials finding out that Inoki was planning a takeover the company. The following year, New Japan was founded and is one of the biggest wrestling promotions today.

So, in March 1976, an agreement was made between Ali and Inoki to fight at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan, scheduled for June 26th, 1976. It is believed that the financial backers of the fight had to part with $6 million to convince Ali to take the exhibition fight and then began the press conferences to build the hype for this one-off spectacle between pugilist and grappler.

Ali, in his usual manner, would make fun of Inoki’s appearance, giving him the nickname ‘The Pelican’ due to his prominent lower jaw and chin. Inoki would then reply via an interpreter “When your fist connects with my chin, take care that your fist is not damaged”. Inoki also went as far as to present Ali with a crutch at a following conference ‘to use after he has been thrown from the ring’.

Ali’s demeanour during this time appeared jovial and not that he was not taking the fight very seriously. This angered Inoki who began to make more threatening statements to try and make Ali realise how serious the exhibition was to him and many around the world. Inoki said in one Conference “I don’t know how seriously Muhammad Ali is taking the fight, but if he doesn’t take it seriously, he could suffer damage. I’m going in there fighting. I may even break his arm”.

These statements from Inoki caused tension within Ali’s team, many of whom were concerned that going ahead with the fight was still a good thing to do. Ali however, continued with his boxing training but also worked with Pro wrestlers in the US to try and gain experience against a wrestler. He worked with The Sheik and sparred with wrestlers Kenny Jay and Buddy Wolf in televised exhibition matches, defeating both.

Due to the growing concerns within Ali’s team, they began creating a list of rules for this unique match-up. The original concept for the match was agreed to be a worked match, common in pro wrestling, but Ali never agreed to determine the winner before the fight had started. It has been speculated by Boxing Journalist Jim Murphy that the original plan for the match was for Ali to accidentally punch the referee and knock him out and while Ali tended to the referee, Inoki would hit him from behind with an enzuiguri (step up kick) or a roundhouse kick to the back of the head. The Referee would then come to and give a ten-count to the incapacitated Ali.

The result was carried out with the intention of both men looking strong, Inoki in front of his countrymen and Ali only losing as he was kicked from behind following the incident with the Referee.

After hearing that he would lose, Ali point blank refused this result and decided that they have a real one-on-one fight.

In the days building up to the fight, Ali’s team attended one of Inoki’s training sessions and were shocked to him using real kicks and grapples on sparring partners. This did little to quell the concerns of his entourage. Inoki has alleged in in interviews that after the training session, his team reported back to him and he asked Inoki “OK, so when do we do the rehearsal?” and Inoki replied “This isn’t an exhibition, it’s a real fight!”

The ever-nervous entourage then scrambled to change the rules once more. Representatives from both sides were called to negotiate the rules of the fight with less than a week before the fight. The list of rules were effectively things that Inoki was not allowed to do to Ali. He was not allowed to use throws, not allowed to grapple or tackle Ali and was not able to land any kicks unless one knee was touching the mat during the kick being performed. They also placed a stipulation that none of the rules were made public before the fight, likely to try and save Ali’s credibility.

Years after the fight, many have disputed the rules that were in place. Referee Gene LeBell denied there were any limitations on grappling or kicking, however Bret Hart, who at the time of the fight was an employee of NJPW, stated that the team working with Ali had said that ‘if Inoki laid a finger on their champ, they would kill him’. This statement was also backed up by former New Japan referee Mr. Takahashi who also said that all of the changes came from Ali’s entourage and not Ali himself.

Many professional fighters became discouraged with how credible the fight could look given all of the imposed restrictions, with notable correspondent John Roderick stating “…what is called by some the world’s first Martial Arts Championship – and others a multi-million-dollar sham”.

Ali arrived in Japan the day of the fight, swarmed by a mass of Japanese journalists all looking to get a soundbite from the Greatest of All Time. They were not disappointed as the ever-humble Ali made his way through the Airport proclaiming “There will be no Pearl harbour! Muhammad Ali has returned! There will be no Pearl Harbour!”. The fight was highly anticipated, by sports fans for the sheer spectacle of seeing 2 sports come together and for professionals and sceptics curious how the fight would be able to function with the level of suspected restrictions that were imposed.

It was estimated that the fight was viewed by 1.4 Billion people worldwide, broadcast to 34 countries. In New York, Vince McMahon Sr. Sold tickets for the fight to watch on a large screen inside Shea Stadium which drew a crowd of 32,897. The Budokan in Tokyo sold out with the most expensive seat selling for 300,000 Yen.

The Fight

Antonio Inoki was the first competitor to make his entrance. He was wearing his now signature purple robe accompanied by Karl Gotch, Olympic Judoka Seiji Sakaguchi, wrestling trainer Kotetsu Yamamoto and pro wrestler Kantaro Hoshino.

Muhammad Ali then followed to the ring, in a red and white robe, followed by his manager Herbert Muhammad, Trainers Angelo Dundee and Wali Muhammad, Cornerman Drew Bundini Brown, Dr. Ferdie Pachecho, pro wrestler ‘Classy’ Freddie Blassie, Taekwondo master Jhoon Goo Rhee and promoter Butch Lewis.

After the first bell rang, the whole arena was taken by surprise as Inoki ran and leapt across the ring towards Ali’s legs. Ali managed to sidestep this attack but Inoki stayed on his back, spending the round sweeping and kicking at Ali’s legs. This was within the confines of the rules and one of Inoki’s knees were always touching the ground at said time. Inoki did stand up momentarily to try and lure in Ali but quickly returned to the mat, throwing kick after kick towards Ali. Ali taunted the wrestler to stand up but Inoki refused taking the fight to Ali’s legs.

This continued on throughout the 2nd and 3rd rounds with Inoki furiously kicking at Ali’s legs with great volume and power. The tactic was seemingly paying off as Ali was not able to throw punches in his normal way meaning that Inoki was able to avoid many of them during the start of the contest. Ali would take to pining himself in the corner of the ring and lifting himself up out of the way of Inoki’s kicks and stamping downwards, which was deemed against the rules and quickly stopped by referee LeBell. A large wound opened up on Ali’s left knee during the third round and the crowd quickly began to boo due to the lack of action going on in the ring. Ali began to taunt Inoki shouting at him “Coward Inoki! Inoki No Fight!” and “One Punch, I want One Punch!”

By round four, Inoki had frustrated both Ali and the crowd within the arena. Ali would continue with shouting at Inoki “Inoki Girl” and “I thought Inoki could Wrestle”. At one point, Inoki got Ali trapped in the corner using his ground kicking technique and wildly hit a flurry of kicks towards Ali’s thighs, Ali trying to avoid by lifting his legs off the canvas while holding onto the ropes again.

In the fifth round, the same pattern continued by Inoki adopting the ground kick strikes to Ali, which paid off somewhat in this round as he managed to knock Ali off his feet with one of the strikes. Ali danced off the stumble in his inimitable fashion while simultaneously avoiding more kicks from Inoki. Despite the frustrations of what Inoki was doing, Ali was nothing less than himself, doing more than enough to keep the crowd entertained. During the same round Ali managed to grab Inoki’s foot after a failed kick attempt and dragged him across the ring but before Ali could do anything with this small advantage, the bell sounded and both men went off to their corners. The crowd were starting to warm up and appreciate the match for what it was, a clash of styles. They could see blood and bruising starting to appear around Ali’s legs due to the sheer amount and power of the kicks that Inoki was hitting Ali with.

During the 6th Round, Inoki continued with his game plan. One of his initial kicks of this round caught Ali in the groin. Referee Lebell stopped the fight momentarily and gave Inoki a warning about the placement of his kicks before returning to the action. He followed up with 2 more kicks before Ali adopted the same approach as the previous round. He grabbed the foot of Inoki with a view to immobilise him and launch an attack of his own, but Inoki being the proficient grappler of the two was able to grab Ali’s left shoe, wrap his right leg around Ali’s right calf and bring him to the mat. Inoki sat on Ali and attempted a leglock but Ali managed to kick his legs to the rope to force a break. Inoki was then issued with a further warning for throwing a back elbow towards Ali’s face during the rope break stoppage. He was deducted as point for this but as the fight restarted Ali was reprimanded for kicking out while holding the ropes.

To start the 7th round, Inoki became the intimidator. He tried to persuade Ali to meet him on the ground, but Ali refused. Ali threw a few missed kicks but then finally threw a long jab but Inoki was quick to knock him down with a sweeping kick which erupted the Tokyo crowd, but more so in favour of Ali. After the round ended, Ali’s doctor treated the wounds on his legs and Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee approached Karl Gotch to make them aware that Inoki’s leather boots were damaged, and a brass eyelet was causing the cuts to Ali’s legs. The boots were taped up to try and prevent any further cuts from taking place. They also taped the ends of Inoki’s shoelaces as they were tipped with brass.

The 8th Round. Ali had braggadociosly stated that he would end Inoki in the round during the press conferences, however the pattern of the previous rounds continued. LeBell gave Inoki another low blow warning after mistakenly believing a knock down was a result of another misplaced kick by the wrestler. One of the more uneventful rounds of the fight ended in Ali shouting ‘Inoki Nothing’ to his opponent.

Ali attempted to make progress during the 9th round of the contest, he tried to circle Inoki, looking for an opening to try and hit him with only his second successful punch of the fight. Inoki stuck to strategy and landed a huge kick which stumbled Ali into his corner. Ali was waning and his legs were showing the signs of the repeated damage caused by Inoki.

In the 10th round, Ali finally hit his second punch of the match, a jab which caught Inoki in the face. A good punch, but left Ali open to another leg kick. The crowd began to bellow for Inoki to fight standing and he graced them by charging at Ali who grabbed onto the ring ropes. The crowd were now Ali’s. Inoki’s tactics, although working well for him had not endeared him to his countrymen and they continued to chant Ali’s name as he spoke worryingly with his corner about the next 5 rounds.

After conferring with his cornermen, Ali adopted a different approach to save his beaten legs. It was suggested by Rhee, the Taekwondo expert, to block the leg blows using his arms to avoid further damage to his legs. This was successful but Ali was unable to capitalise on opportunities where he grabbed Inoki’s foot.

Before the 12th Round, Karl Gotch instructed Inoki to try and take down Ali and finish the match by pin or submission. A few have suggested that this was imparted due to Ali’s cornermen being obviously concerned for the Boxing champion. But after the last round, Ali came into the contest more confident after blocking many of Inoki’s blows with his arms. During this round, Inoki finally stood up and hit Ali with a low kick, although clean it was against the rules as one knee was not on the canvas. Ali’s corner tried to convince him to use this opportunity to attack the now standing Inoki, but he quickly went back to the ground. Towards the end of the round, people who were ringside had commented on how Ali’s left leg looked to be ‘double the size of the right’.

Ali took the centre of the ring in the 13th round, trying to push Inoki into the corner. Inoki would fake a takedown attempt, trying to force Ali into the ropes. Ali blocked him with his glove anticipating another kick, but Inoki charged at Ali grabbing a waist lock to attempt a suplex. Ali hurriedly grabbed the ropes, and the referee broke the hold and returned to the centre of the ring. During this clinch, Ali put all his weight onto Inoki which prompted Inoki to hit him with an illegal knee strike – which would also be Inoki’s 3rd warning for as low blow. After this instance, it looked as if Ali was going to leave the ring but was convinced by the referee to continue on. On the restart of the round, Inoki threw a kick but Ali responded by throwing 2 jabs which connected forcing Inoki back to the canvas as per the previous rounds.

By the 14th round, the crowd were expecting Inoki to follow suit with his tactics, but he came out throwing some bare-fisted jabs and faking a takedown before switching back to his ground kicks. Without any attempt of attack, Ali held onto the ropes which annoyed Inoki and both men exchanged taunts. Ali managed to land a jab before the end of this round, leading into the 15th and final round.

Both men shook hands at the start of this round which drew a huge ovation from the crowd. While many were optimistic about how the fight may end, they were seemingly disappointed that Inoki retreated to his familiar style for this matchup. Inoki managed to land a few kicks, Ali a final jab and the fight was over. The crowd were mixed at the ending of this match, knowing that it wasn’t the fight they were expecting and also being more vocal for Ali during the fight.

Both men shook hands after the fight and Ali declared himself the winner of the bout, claiming that Inoki’s ‘Cowardice’ lost him the fight. 2 judges, one a wrestler who scored in favour of Ali 74-72 and one a boxer who scored in favour of Inoki 72-68 left the decision down to referee Lebell, who given the points deducted from Inoki scored the fight 71-71 so a draw result was declared.

The fans were outraged and rioted within the Budokan, chanting ‘Money Back’. Janitorial staff for the arena took a full day to clean the areas due to the unhappy crown throwing items.

Ali’s leg was so severely swollen and bleeding that it led to two blood clots in his legs after an infection and amputation was discussed at one point though Ali himself downplayed this to the press saying it was nothing serious.

Inoki stated in the press sometime after the fight “I was handicapped by the rules that said no tackling, no karate chops, no punching on the mat. I kept my distance to stay away from Ali’s punches”

The fight grossed $20 million in closed circuit television in the US alone after 2 million or more PPV buys at $10 each, 54 million people watched in Japan as the day was declared a holiday for everyone to be able to watch the fight.

Years on from the fight, even though those involved had been divided over the fights legacy, but the impact that it has given to companies to learn from and engineer their own form of MMA has led to Pancrase, Pride, UFC becoming the giants within Mixed Martial arts during the 90’s. Only one of them now stand at present but the groundwork was laid by 2 legends in their respective sports.

Antonio Inoki went on to continue wrestling with New Japan Pro Wrestling, until he officially retired on April 4th, 1998. He did take breaks away from Wrestling to focus on Politics between 1989-1995 and 2013-2019. He successfully negotiated with Saddam Hussein the release of Japanese hostages before the start of the Gulf War in 1990. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010.

Muhammad Ali continued with his boxing career having 7 more fights before his final fight with Trevor Berbick. His is still regarded as arguably the greatest boxer of all time, his influence on boxing is still evident not only in performance but also, in the press conferences building to the events. He passed away on June 3rd, 2016 aged 74.

Both men, despite their in-ring differences on that day, they became friends later in life. Inoki started using Ali’s entrance music ‘The Greatest’ and in 1998, Ali flew out to watch Inoki’s retirement match against Don Frye. After Inoki’s victory, Ali climbed into the ring and hugged Inoki. Ali asked for a message to be read out to the Japanese fans.

‘It was 1976 when I fought Antonio Inoki at the Budokan. In the ring, we were tough opponents. After that, we built love and friendship with mutual respect. So, I feel a little less lonely now that Antonio has retired. It is my honour to be standing on the ring with my good friend after 22 years. Our future is bright and has a clear vision. Antonio Inoki and I put our best efforts into making world peace through sports, to prove there is only one mankind beyond the sexual, ethnical or cultural differences. It is my pleasure to come here today.’

#wrestling #boxing #mma #goat #japan #antonio inoki #muhammad ali #new japan pro wrestling #pancrase

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