#baby on a rampage

[tmekpr]

Made patches of some bands i used to love to see when i was in the bay area.

[steamclouds]

Local drow absolutely delighted by the weird furred creatures that roam the surface

Cue an "Everyone Approves" joke

[zais-zafu]

nepo baby mindset‧⁺ ˚★

⭐ yes, I am a nepo baby. I was born rich and I will grow richer. it's all true. I was born to be famous and to be successful. and yeah it is true that I am also overwhelmingly beautiful and that I was admired by everyone since I was an infant. all that is said about me is true. since I was born, I was spoiled. I was always pampered, it's like I have been treated like a royal !! everyone treats me well, and with respect ofc. I very much get whatever I want from anyone around me. this world, with all of its living creatures, literally exist to serve me.

🪐 yeah, I do get what I want every single time. I ask once for it and it materialises. I set my mind on something and I instantly get it. I don't have to try hard to get what I want. since I desired it, the whole universe's full time job has been to give it to me. I don't care how hard or extraordinary my desire is, I will have it. spoilers! I am the main character here, so I am gonna get it cos I said so. the mere fact that I was born made me worthy of it. my desires are easy requests, they're never too good to be true. I received much more in the past anyway so I am sure I will get more. my desires are not above me. I am the one on the pedestal here!

💛 it is true that I was born with immense privileges and I am so so grateful for that. I am thankful every day to be born into this amazing life. my life has been fun and quite remarkable since the day I was born. confidence was instilled in me since day one by everyone around me, especially my family. one of my biggest blessings is growing up around very ambitious people who fueled my own ambition and drived me to be even more successful! I am also so thankful to be surrounded by an incredible support system that gives me a sense of security and confidence when navigating life. honestly, my family and network have always provided me with great opportunities that allowed me to shine like the star I am!

(this vaunt was inspired by this post)

･₊˚‧⁺･₊˚‧

[nuzzle]

early "baby, the stars shine bright" postcard art illustrations by fumiyo isoba and designs by takahiro kouyama featured in "FRUiTS" magazine, volume 41—10/23/2000

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 78

 “So let me get this straight.” Mr Nightwing pinched the bridge of his nose, looking tired before motioning to Mr. Jason. “You were in a Pit episode, which if I remember right usually causes you to rampage-” Well that was rude. “-and instead of that happening it somehow latched onto them-” Mr Nightwing motioned towards them. “And now you’re… co-parenting. With the Pit rage.” Honestly he didn’t understand why Mr Nightwing was having so much trouble understanding. Mr. Pit (“Y’know what, we’re stealing our host’s middle name, call us Peter.”) was really nice and bundled them up in blankets even though they were failed clones and should have been terminated, and Mr Jason was really nice too and made them food, not the icky mush!

 “What the fuck little wing.” 

Bonus DCxDP crossover could have the clones be some Danny Phantom characters. Maybe reincarnated, maybe through a wish, maybe just ghost shenanigans, who knows

[elitehanitje]

The wrestling world is known for its creative costumes and storylines – and now two female rivals are modelling themselves on the Bette Davis/Anne Baxter classic.

Inspired by a young fan, a veteran performer takes the woman under her wing to nurture her as an understudy. But the route to the spotlight inspires cut-throat behavior, and the protégé upstages her mentor to replace her entirely. For those familiar with cinematic history, this sounds like the plot of All About Eve – but in this case, it's actually the arc of a feud between two of the best women's wrestlers of the moment. 

A quick rewind to this time last year: London played host to one of the biggest, if not the biggest, wrestling events in the country's history with All Elite Wrestling's All In, which filled out Wembley Stadium, a pretty remarkable achievement for a wrestling company that's only five years old.

For those unfamiliar, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) owned by Tony Khan, is a relatively young entrant into the world of US professional wrestling. Matches are pre-determined, and rivalries between wrestlers are scripted using long-running fictional "storylines" over months or even years. The bouts are still legitimately physically fierce, but the result is an artistic dance between narrative planning and live improvisation.

Since being founded in 2019, AEW has rocketed to prominence thanks to the strong alternative programming it offered to the behemoth World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which was at a creative low point at the time (they've since bounced back).

The standout story this year, one which has played out across months of weekly television, and will now climax at All In with a title match for the Women's World Championship, is the conflict between the wrestlers "Timeless" Toni Storm and "The Glamour" Mariah May – and in their rivalry, they have been drawing from classic Hollywood, a unique accent to their narrative.

Khan, who as well as being AEW owner is also responsible for the creative direction of many of the storylines, has directly cited Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve as inspiration, calling them "two of [his] favorites". Lyric Swinton, freelance wrestling writer/creative and host of the Maps & Graps Podcast thinks this storyline may go down as "All Elite Wrestling's best work so far". "The investment in this story from both an administrative and fan perspective has been unprecedented for a women's feud in AEW, and every risk has paid off" she continues.

For a while, Toni Storm quoted Sunset Boulevard directly, saying "Mr Khan, I'm ready for my close up!", before defeating her opponents

A lot of wrestlers use wider popular culture as a jumping-off point for their characters but usually, such direct homages are contained to ring gear and walkout looks for big matches (one of my favorite examples: Kenny Omega walking out dressed as Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII, accompanied by the character's theme). As a result, even through those little nods, the shows become a fun nexus point of the other interests of wrestlers and fans alike.

It's not standard, however, for wrestlers to make cracks about Turner Classic Movies or use the infamously salacious (and mostly made-up) Kenneth Anger book Hollywood Babylon as a sight gag.

"Wrestling takes from itself just as much as it does from its current cultural moment," says Katie Stebbins, a film zine creator and co-host of the Clean Finish podcast. "But harking back to the golden age of a different medium altogether feels like its own homage, acknowledging professional wrestling as its own constructed, heightened, and totally unique form of storytelling.

How the story has developed

The storyline, which has been playing out over the past year across AEW's thrice-weekly programming, really kicked off in the lead-up to the 2023 All In, when Storm lost her title. This sent her into a spiral, her character gradually changing in a series of backstage interviews. Previously her styling leaned rockier, but now she was turning up talking like a washed-up, Golden Age Hollywood actress in the twilight of her career à la Sunset Boulevard's Norma Desmond (made funnier by the fact that she's only 28). The live interviews typically ended with her rambling loudly and throwing a shoe at her unsuspecting coworkers.

This developed further, as Toni's every on-camera appearance would be presented in black and white, complete with fake film grain. Now, her entrance music sounds like a classic film overture, she's billed as being "from Stage 7 of Warner Brothers Studios", her outfits have changed to silk gowns, and her in-ring gear looks like something Ingrid Bergman might wear to the beach. She got a butler. For a while she even quoted Sunset Boulevard directly, saying "Mr Khan, I'm ready for my close-up!" and pausing for a quick camera zoom before defeating her opponents. And, despite being a millennial from New Zealand, Toni speaks of Jayne Mansfield and other Hollywood icons like she spent time in the trenches with them, all in the kind of transatlantic accent that actresses from the time might have.

Stebbins highlights how the "feud playfully remixes a general 'Old Hollywood glamour' with the specificity of two stone-cold classics", Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve, while also noting that these reference points aren't required reading for fans. "If you recognize them, it's great but if not, it doesn't impact the enjoyment at all". It may even encourage people to seek out the films for the first time.

Eventually, in November 2023, entered Mariah, the doe-eyed fan, who in backstage segments claimed that she came to AEW for Toni, and to follow in her footsteps – this is where the story got its All About Eve angle, with Toni starting to seem like Bette Davis's old-school star Margo being pursued by Anne Baxter's super-fan Eve. What followed was weeks of Toni shrugging Mariah off, as she fought for her attention. She finally won it by dressing up as Toni, walking to the ring with her idol's old theme music and wearing her old ring gear – and later, her own variations on it – and then, to complete the betrayal, vanquishing her.  

Their sparring even gained a romantic subtext, not least through another rivalry between Toni and Mariah's old tag teammate from the Japanese promotion Stardom, Mina Shirakawa. It was effectively a battle for Mariah's heart (Swinton also notes how the trio has invited comparisons to film of the moment, Challengers).

The storyline is a genuinely original meeting of cultural phenomena, which has won over a lot of wrestling fans, given Mariah May some absolutely star-making time in the spotlight (Stebbins calls her "fully worthy of being the 'Eve' to Toni's 'Margo/’Norma'"), and provided an incredible revitalisation for Storm's character. As Stebbins puts it, "in real time we experienced Toni go from a placeholder women's champ indifferently received by audiences to losing the belt and gradually re-emerging as 'Timeless' Toni Storm. In real time, we experienced Toni the performer come remarkably into her own within Toni the character. It's part of what makes pro wrestling so endlessly fascinating, that the role of character and performer is always a simultaneous parallel and fusion." The same is true of Mariah, her newness to AEW adding to this immersive blend of fiction and person.  

Why the fusion works so well

When it comes to Toni Storm, the initial (and delightful) absurdity of a wrestler acting as if they're from the 1950s has developed layers, with Toni slowly but surely developing seemingly real vulnerability as her rivalry with Mariah has progressed. Stebbins posits that being able to see these incremental changes in personality has added to the fun: "So much in wrestling is about timing, and the effect that the passage of time has on both performer and audience and Toni / Mariah have utilized both in a way that doesn't often happen. We're with these performers week in and week out, watching performers evolve (or not), develop (or not), get over things (or not)."  

The narrative drama has also been helped by the fact that Toni and Mariah are so fundamentally skilled as physical performers: as Swinton notes, beyond "the clever video packages and heated [live] segments, these are still two of the best in-ring workers in any women's division worldwide". Indeed, the introduction of Mariah exemplifies how great wrestling storytelling can be built in large part through physicality – where outside of the ring she's a fawning and excitable sycophant, once she steps through the ropes she reveals her capability to be a vicious bully towards an opponent who doesn't quite know what they're in for.   

As the storyline has developed further, it has pulled in yet another Golden Age Hollywood reference. Following her (rather brutal) betrayal by Mariah, Toni returned angrier and more erratic , now seemingly nodding to another Bette Davis-starring film, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, as she channelled Davis's appearance as bitter former child star Jane Hudson, both through her gown and severe makeup.

Toni and Mariah's storyline is pretty unique, and it's unlikely to spark a "classic cinema" trend in wrestling: Stebbins sees it as having a "lightning-in-a-bottle quality". But it nevertheless underlines the appeal of professional wrestling more generally. It's a showcase of its varied potential, fusing a heap of narrative elements – shared with theatre, comic books, soap operas, and in this case, classic cinema – with combat and extraordinary feats of athleticism. And it's fun to see how the wrestling world draws on specific bits of pop culture to forge connections with audiences and create its own unique art form in the process.  

[arecaceae175]

Lightning, with Sky please?

“What are those lines on your arm?” Wind asked.

Sky glanced up from his carving project. Wind was crouched in front of him, looking at the lines on his arm. Sky has his sleeves rolled up since he was relaxing in the sun, and his scars stood out strikingly against his tanned skin.

“Lightning scars,” Sky said.

“Lightning!” Wind exclaimed. He scooted closer. “Can I…?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Sky said. He held out his arm for Wind to examine.

Wind gently ran his fingers over the lines, tracing the fern-like pattern from its start on his hand to the branches up his arm.

“I’ve seen lines similar to these on boats after a storm,” Wind said. Sky nodded.

Wind didn’t ask how he got the scars. There was an unspoken agreement in their group to stay away from any questions that might bring up sensitive topics, unless the information was offered freely. Sky didn’t mind showing the scars, but he was thankful he didn’t have to talk about how he got them.

It was too heavy for such a nice evening, Sky thought.

“Sky?” Wind asked.

“Hm?”

“These are cool.”

Sky burst into laughter. Wind joined him, eyes shining and smile wide.

[sandpapersnowman]

I had been worried that cutting my dad off and distancing myself from him would put me in a difficult position with his side of the family but I've actually reconnected with a couple family members over how shitty he's been and it turns out I'm not the first one to stop talking to him, he's been blocked by like two of my aunts And my cousin

[karlyboyyy]

Episode 8 has convinced me that the opening song isn’t just about how the guys feel about Miri, but also how Rei feels about Kazuki specifically.

Hey, I want to love, is this true love? Is just wanting to be loved insincere? What should I do? Oh, what should I do? As usual, the whole city is madly in love and excited. Extras like me just go home, but I’m not sulking at all. And then you appeared suddenly, as though you were ripping through those days with your smile that leaves me numb. You shattered my heart. Hey, I want to love, is this true love? Is just wanting to be loved insincere? What should I do? Oh, what should I do? How the heck should I know? I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but it’s not fair that you’re so friendly. Once again, I’m being swallowed up by your rhythm. There you go, you’ve got me wrapped around your finger again.

Their whole conversation in the car, talking about when they first started living together… they’re describing the song exactly. How Rei was alone, and had never experienced anything even remotely resembling love and affection. But then Kazuki comes blazing in and completely turns his life upside down. Kazuki immediately shows Rei that he is, in fact, worthy of receiving the love and affection he didn’t even realize he craved so much.

You didn’t matter much to me… but then you suddenly started cleaning.

I couldn’t stand watching you live like that.

I wanted to tell you to back off.

Yeah, I’ll bet.

But… it wasn’t so bad.

And now that Rei is confronted with the possibility of losing the life he’s built with Kazuki, he realizes just how much Kazuki actually means to him. And I think it’s suddenly dawning on him that he’s happy. And he’s absolutely going to do everything he can to protect his happiness. To protect Miri. To protect Kazuki.

[nixie-deangel]

✍🏻✍🏻✍🏻

✍🏻 insecure bradley - hangster

Letting out a groan, feeling aches along his shoulders, Bradley smacks his lips together and wonders why his body feels wrung out and pleasantly floaty with a furrow of his brow. Moving to bring his hands up to rub at his face but his brow furrows even more as his right arm is halted by an unexpected weight. Bringing his left up quick, he rubs at his eyes as he turns his head to stare in shock at the sight next to him. Bradley isn’t sure what sort of miracle he stumbled into or favor he pulled from the fates but he wants to do it again and again.  Wants to be able to see a sleep mussed Jake, with lines on his face from the pillow, hair soft and falling everywhere, every morning for the rest of his life. He aches because he knows he won’t.  Knows Jake won’t want much more from him now that they’ve shared a tumble between the sheets. Most people cut back on interacting with him once they’ve had his cock. Knows he’s not much past that for them. The ache in his chest tightens, deepens, because he knows what this means.  Knows he’ll be regulated to the outskirts of Jake’s orbit. Only to be talked to or interacted with in work settings or the absolute fringes of when the Daggers got together to blow off steam after a more brutal mission. Feels the ache grow and grow and grow and he hates it. Hates that he let himself be so dick stupid that he ruined his friendship with the younger man.

Make Nixie Write!

[elkitot]

MY POSTER FOR TONIGHTS SHOW a bit dented but the show must go on

[kaiju-wolfdragon]

Pov:

Rampage found you and will eat you

Rampage: you won't escape from a hungry demon like me.....

Hope: zzzz

[lord-traynwreck]

You know, when I think about it, I feel it's a bit strange Armored Core VI hasn't gotten a dedicated Time Loop AU yet.

I mean, it's got all the makings for one;

Main character (Raven/621) keeps resetting back to the beginning after every ending, with their AC intact,

They manage to change the future by making different decisions at key points,

They get to style on some poor sap infinite times in all sorts of ways just because we can (who the sap is is up to you),

Heck, there's even got an over-arching presence who seems to be completely aware of it as well (ALLMIND).

I'm just saying, there is ripe content to be made here, an absolute gold mine (or in this case, Coral mine).

[bbboar]

caught up with dungeon meshi and oh my god?????

i would commit so many crimes to protect Orc Baby

[dio-the-thot-exterminator]

The beginnings of my Rampage design 🫡 more on him later (maybe)

[elitehanitje]

Tony Khan was spotted with a neckbrace during the NFL draft