#brawl stars world finals 2024

[kryannoy]

girl we need more sitetampo content please🙏🙂‍↕️

genre: fluff

warnings: this is absolutely fictional!! i have no idea what sitetampo was like before he appeared in tournaments

a/n: i love how this sitetampo guy suddenly became popular for whatever reason and now everyone's tryna find fanfics of him, including me

It wasn't written in your life to be dating an obsessed gamer.

In school, he was the kid that sits at the back of the class with his head resting on the table. People would think he's taking a nap but no. You saw him and the light flashing his face. He was playing video games on his phone. You weren't sure what game it was but by the looks of it, it seems intense. His fingers smashing on the screen to the point his shoulders were vibrating.

And when he finished the game, his head rose and he'll lean back in his chair, stretching while brushing off his bangs from his face, revealing the red dent on his forehead and some sweat.

You giggled a little but he heard it. He looked at you and you looked away. This gave a bad impression of you. He thinks you're one of those girls that laughs at him for being a certified 'loser'. But it was the opposite, you got giddy not just because of the redness on his forehead or the sweat, it was because he looked damn good when he leaned back to his chair with a sigh of relief.

The next day, he still had his head on the table. Still an intense game you guessed. You tried to get a peek of what game he's playing but it was hard to see it from your seat. You only saw bright colors from the screen.

And again, when he raised his head, his eyes made contact with yours and once again, you looked away.

He's starting to get uncomfortable with you meanwhile you overthink what game he's playing that was so intense for him.

And again, the next day, he played games like usual with that same concerning posture of his. But this time, you brought a napkin with you from home and approached him.

"Hey."

He looked up. His small eyes looked so cute to you even when they're hidden behind his bangs that you feel like you want to brush it away or cut it off because it seemed like it hurt his eyes but frustratingly, he looks so good like this too.

You put the fluffy folded napkin on his table close to the edge, where he usually rests his forehead.

"You're gonna get a dent if you keep sitting like that. Also, don't your shoulders hurt from that posture?"

"If I don't, I'll get caught," he said, talking about hiding himself for playing games in class, but he started to stretch when you mention his shoulders. He decided to ignore you and continue playing when you have nothing left to say.

"What game are you playing?"

"Brawl Stars."

"What's it about?"

He took his sweet time in answering this but his thumbs are smashing the screen before he groaned out as he raised his head again. You saw the word 'defeated' plastered huge on the screen. His look of disappointment on you did not go unnoticed.

"It's like a battle, match, thingy. Shoot other people down and be the last one standing."

"Is it fun?"

"Yeah, I guess."

But his actions were very contradicting to his words right now.

It's been years already since that day, and now he's in his fourth Brawl Stars Tournament. You never thought Brawl Stars was such a serious game to be put in as an eSports competition, not to mention live on TV.

But here you are, in the crowds along with other Crazy Raccoon fans cheering for his team. You can't believe how far he's gone from being a kid who loves to play video games in the back of the class to last year's world champion who once again entered for this year, placing 2nd after HMBLE. His team may didn't get the winning streak however, you're honestly still proud of him no matter what.

Back in your shared apartment, he already took a shower and landed in your also shared queen-sized bed next to you. His eyes wants to sleep but his mind and obsession wants to play games again. But of course, desires are stronger than needs. He chose his phone and propped himself on the bed with his leg crossed on the other. You watch him tap on the skull icon and flipped his phone in landscape. Your head found its way nuzzled in the joint of his neck and shoulder. His blond hair tickling your face a little, you can smell his shampoo.

"Is it fun?" You ask.

"Yeah." Ever since you're dating him, he has become more expressive towards you. He's not scared of showing his emotions, of how honestly excited he is to talk about his favorite games.

While he's on his first match, you quietly installed the same game on your phone and also flipped your phone to landscape. The familiar sound of the game company made him spin his head to your phone screen. He couldn't hold back his laughter seeing you finally picking up on the game he's been playing for years. He never asked you to play it with him because he doesn't want to trouble you but deep inside, he wanted that to happen; you and him on the same team.

He watches you instead, doing the tutorial until finally you can add friends so he tells you to add him. He invites you to the same lobby and you both played a few rounds. It doesn't matter if you sucked at it or are good at it, the action of you playing his favorite game—playing with him, especially—is what makes him love you more. The whole time, he had stupid a smile on his face that he couldn't stop himself.

"Is it fun?" He asks.

"Yeah." You answered with a breathy laugh.

[theuntitledblog]

WWE Clash at the Castle (2024) - REVIEW

WWE's third UK PPV event in recent years is an interesting one. The card for me wasn't quite exciting as the previous Clash in 2022 nor did it quite compare as either Backlash or King and Queen of the Ring during the last couple of months. What I did like was that the event offered opportunities for newer talent to stand out such as Piper Niven, Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn and most of all, Damian Priest. Priest in particular may not necessarily be new but this was his first main event showing against a proven main event star and it offered an opportunity for him to finally click as World Champion.

I did not like the result of the main event on Clash at the Castle in 2022, I felt McIntyre should've gone over but it was an event overall that provided quality matches and surprising moments. Clash in 2024 for me didn't quite deliver like the event in 2022 but that's not to suggest it wasn't fun.

MATCH 1 - I Quit Match for the Undisputed WWE Championship

Cody Rhodes (champion) vs. AJ Styles

I wondered whether WWE might pursue this feud after the stellar match they had at Backlash and to be honest it felt the right call to intensify the feud this time as well as adding the 'I Quit' stipulation. This was also the right match to start the show and it was a match of the highest quality both in terms of wrestling and moments. What was noticeable for me was that Cody went through his standard arsenal of moves early on in the match which told you it was going to be different from the first. The match utilised brawling in the crowd, weapons, blood and even Cody Rhodes' Mum which felt somewhat random though fun. The slaps to Styles got a huge pop but I felt something of a disappointment as I felt this was something that perhaps should've been held back for the teased feud with the Rock down the line. If there was one thing counting against the match itself then that would be that the result was never going to be in question but that didn't take away from another memorable clash between the two which could've been the main event on any other PLE.

4.5/5

MATCH 2 - Triple Threat Match for the Women's Tag Team Championship

Biance Belair & Jade Cargill (champions) vs. Zoey Stark & Shayna Baszler vs. Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn

This was a very fun match that felt well put together and was helped along by a vocal crowd who injected it with extra life. Bianca and Cargill are on another level in terms of look and physicality and they dominated to the point where Baszler/Stark and Fyre/Dawn teamed up to take out the champions. This was a smart move and allowed Baszler/Stark and Fyre/Dawn to have the best moments as a wrestling match. The high spots and power moves from Belair/Cargill are truly spectacular although there was a noticeable botch from Cargill involving the top rope and a few sloppy moments. I'm not always a fan of dominant displays such as this as I feel it can make the competition look weak. So it was a surprise for the hometown team of Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn to overthrow the dominant champions and give the Scottish crowd a reason to cheer and celebrate which they did.

3/5

MATCH 3 - Intercontinental Championship Match

Sami Zayn (champion) vs. Chad Gable

This is a feud that has been steadily brewing since WrestleMania, carried over into King & Queen of the Ring and has seemingly been settled here. In my review for King & Queen of the Ring I noted how pleased I was to see that the Intercontinental title was still being utilised in a noteworthy fashion and this has only continued under Sami Zayn. Chad Gable deserves credit for his as well as his heel turn and abuse of the Alpha Academy has made this storyline a must watch of Monday Night Raw. Also given that Gable has recently signed a new contract with WWE, I was expecting Gable to win the title on this show. That he didn't marks one of the major surprises on the show. I don't think the match here was quite on point as the triple threat match the previous month, but this still a enthralling match with an injection of drama involving Otis and Maxxine Dupri that only elevated it further. The result makes me wonder what's next for Chad Gable and if this is it for him in terms of the Intercontinental title for now, then this was a entertaining story indeed.

3.5/5

MATCH 4 - WWE Women's Championship

Bayley (champion) vs. Piper Niven

Receiving a high place on the card, this was not an instant classic nor was it to the level of quality that we saw between Bayley/Naomi/Stratton at Backlash. It was however a great showcase for new talent as Piper Niven looked good against the veteran Bayley and they produced a good match that kept the crowd vocal throughout. Also adding was some fun interludes by Chelsea Green for good measure. Another predictable result perhaps but Bayley looked strong heading into what seems to be an inevitable clash with Nia Jax at SummerSlam.

3/5

MAIN EVENT - World Heavyweight Championship

Damian Priest (champion) vs. Drew McIntyre

When all is said and done, this match will be remembered for the noisy crowd, Damian Priest's determination following a painful botch and of course the ending. During the match it almost felt like a forgone conclusion for McIntyre who looked so dominant in front of a very friendly crowd to the point that Priest almost felt like an afterthought. This however was Priest's best match as champion especially following an embarrassing but painful looking mistake with the top rope that looked like it caused an injury. Ironically the match became more competitive after this with Priest in particular putting in a strong effort despite being in obvious discomfort. Drew McIntyre is a proven main eventer and with this performance, Damian Priest showed he could also deliver. The result is a testament to the long term storytelling approach of current WWE and CM Punk's interference was masterfully done on tv with the perfect choice of camera angles and only intensifies what is an already incredibly story brewing between McIntyre and Punk. Yet it is the same outcome for Drew McIntyre as it was in 2022, screwed out of a world title win due to outside interference.

4/5

OVERALL

With Clash of the Castle in 2022, we had the classic between Gunther vs. Sheamus, the betrayal of Dominik Mysterio and the debut of Solo Sikoa costing Drew McIntyre the title. Clash of the Castle 2024 for me isn't quite at that level, the I Quit Match was the best match on the night for me and that CM Punk moment was certainly fun but didn't hit quite as hard as Sikoa back in 2022. Clash 2024 for me represents another solid PLE from WWE with the 5 match formula seemingly working for them, but this was the weakest of the 3 for me since WrestleMania.

[cherrynasb]

GOMLX defined Aang's future

There are many certainties in life, death, taxes, and most importantly getting hit by Aang’s charged Up Air. This last certainty couldn’t have been proven more than by Hockey at his recent run at Get On My Level 2024. Featuring top players from around the world, NASB2 @ GOMLX was absolutely staked. Despite how many great players there were, only one could walk away victorious, and that’s exactly what Hockey did. 

TOP 8 - Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2 - GOML X (Aang Jimmy Spongebob Ember Garfield) NASB2 Tourney

Hockey stuck to what worked as per usual breezing through his first few opponents using his air bending master Aang the whole way through his bracket run. Defeating Ry-X, Spiral, and even Sundra 2-0. However this would only be the first Aang ditto hockey would play as he would go onto top 8 and immediately fight Pixie Gangstereo. Hockey who at one point was coached by Pixie, became the master defeating Pixe Gangstereo 2-0 by sticking to the same consistent simple yet effective game plan he had been using the entire tournament thus far. Hockey’s combo game all revolves around hitting Charged Up Air. Comboing at low percentages with Light Up Air or Up Throw as the starter, and at higher percentages going for UpThrow Up Special Slime Canceled Charge Up Air. Pixe, often resorted for some of the more optimal Aang starter combos one of his signatures being the double grounded Up Charge not working effectively, due Aang being so floaty he actually was able to di and escape the multiple multihits. 

Hockey wouldn’t meet a true challenge until his Winners Final opponent Senpac. These two meet constantly in online weekly tournaments with a respectable 16 sets being played against each other. While Hockey led in sets won over Senpac, it was Senpac who had won 2 of the 3 most recent sets they had played. This set would mark the start of hockey deviating from his gameplan thus far of simple yet effective, as Hockey would start using options like Slime dash Up Special, and the effective “Neutral Skip” Technique. To do this you start by using Aangs Neutral special and then slime canceling into forward strong to have an unpunishable approach + damage option. This opening of different play ended up securing game 1 in what would be an otherwise challenging best of 5 set.

After two dominating games Senpeezy would show signs of life, using Jimmy’s best pet Goddard to help him keep ahead. The various uses of Goddard from using him as an explosive combo extender to having lazer shots snuff out aangs recovery options were just enough for Senpac to keep ever so slightly ahead of Hockey. Forcing a game 5 set that unfortunately ended with Hockey resetting back to the effective basics and just wiping the floor with senpac in game 5. This wouldn’t be the last time we saw the loveable Senpeezy, who made quick work of Revilo2112 with a 3-0 win proving he was the one who deserved to be fighting against Hockey in Grand Finals.

Once again Hockey would start by forcing Senpac into the spincycle that is Charge Up Air, and forcing Senpac down 0-1 into game 2. For Game 2 Senpac would choose to play on Food Dreams. This stage gave him a large enough space with tall enough blast zones to avoid for the most part what Aangs charge up airs intended to do to his stocks. Similar to Winners Finals, Senpac had to get creative with how he landed his own finishing moves using mechanics like slime dash and slime cancel to chip hockey into the blast zone. Finally with each on their last stocks, senpac mid aerial scramble, Senpac hit hockey with a trusty upair SC into light down air. This would tie up the set 1-1 and cause hockey to go to his fav counter pick stage, Pariahs Keep. This flat no platform stage normally is great for extending Aangs combo game thanks to the lack of platforms to interfere. This definitely was proven true once again because as soon as hockey took his first stock from senpac hi just didnt stop. With multiple Zero to death combos dragging senpac from the right to the left with charged up air into up special. In response we saw Senpac answer in game 4 with his own busted stage in Mericle City Valcano. Where Jimmy can thrive thanks to the large stage, triple platforms, and smaller side blaszones aiding in early Kills via Fair Fair Slime dash Fair. This forced a game 5 where Hockey went back to Pariahs Keep and Senpac had to once again fight the bald demon at his strongest. This final game displayed a fully awoken hockey. Finishing stock 1 of senpacs with a trusty neutral skip, only for Senpac to continue to fight and quickly answer with his own Strong charge air, forcing hockey to ONCE again finish a stock of hockeys with strong up airs. These two went back and forth nearly 0 to deathing each other twice before hockey put a stop to it via a smart neutral skip. Hockey followed this up with potentially one of the biggest war crimes ive seen. Comboing Charge up air 4 times into itself across the entirety of PK to finish off senpac and win game 5 last stock against Senpac. 

Overall Hockey had alot to prove with this tournament, he was fighting to secure himself as the best Aang in the world which he did beating the likes of, Pixie Gangstereo, and Sundra, as well as win his first Offline NASB2 Major. There couldn’t have been a better time to do it too considering this was the first of two majors that would bookend this second season of competitive NASB2. Hockey also proved something else to the world that day. He provided proof that Aang is not a pacifist and instead is an evil war criminal. Oh how his ancestors would detest his actions. Roku offers his wisdom to Aang on the Giant Lion Turtle

So there you have it, another major finished for NASB2, what were your fav moments from GOMLX? Make sure to to let us know in the comments below what you enjoyed the most, and don’t forget to like and Subscribe to cherrynasb for more platform fighter content. 

[cai-tan]

Recently I started talking more about, as well as doing a little bit of prototyping for, that character action semi-RPG game I've mentioned before, called HYPERNULL.

The thing about HYPERNULL's concept, being a setting primarily inspired by MUGEN cheapies, is that I have very strong concepts for the game's "superbosses" right off the bat (borrowing the term from the Kingdom Hearts series for optional sidequest boss fights, usually more difficult than main quest combat) simply by basing them off of notable real-world cheapies as cameos.

Two such characters that stand out as superboss concepts for HYPERNULL are oaev (aka οαεν) and Already Broken (specifically 0.49).

oaev would be a "puzzle boss" of sorts. Any time in which you perform a Level 1 Super Attack, or at certain points in the fight regardless, she will immediately disable the stance it belongs to (recall that K-Terminal has three "stances": Claws, Brawling, and Gunblade), replacing it with the " D e l e t e d . " stance, rendering you unable to attack until you switch out of the stance. This also disables any ability in your deck linked to that stance. Essentially, this would encourage you to bring a deck that's balanced between two or three stances rather than relying on a single stance. Additionally, I would want to do the character's presentation as much justice as I can; with an unsettling introduction cinematic hanging on her featureless face for an uncomfortable amount of time before flashing to a "normal" face as she berates K-Terminal before the fight. Plus, a Non-Standard Game Over when being defeated by her with a recreation of her victory screen... possibly taking a creative liberty here to actually fill the victory quote box with a taunt that hints at how to beat her gimmick ("Maybe you shouldn't be so careless as to devote everything to a single combat style, pitiful Null.").

Already Broken might be a more straightforward high-speed humanoid boss fight with intricate attack patterns... once the fight actually starts, that is. Rather, the moment you enter her arena, before you're even given the option to check what command deck you have equipped, she instantly launches into a lengthy and complex desperation style attack, sort of like... well, I know it's quite on the nose and cliche to bring this up in 2024, but basically like the Sans fight in Undertale. Only after you've survived this initial onslaught would she finally appear, blaring a distinct eurobeat battle theme and taunting you during the boss introduction screen. There would be a Non-Standard Game Over, but only during the opening desperation move.

Also, if you're thinking about characters like Infinite Soulabyss or Undefined Universe, well... There's always the idea of making a Bloody Palace / Olympus Coliseum style optional battle arena starring the two as a couple, pitting you against waves of common enemies and occasional boss refights.

[laresearchette]

Monday, April 01, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: VANDERPUMP VILLA (Disney + Star) THE SYNANON FIX (HBO Canada) 9:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT?: 2024 iHeartRadio MUSIC AWARDS (FOX Feed) LOVERS AND LIARS (CW Feed) ALL AMERICAN (Premiering on April 08 on Showcase at 8:00pm)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA ALLAN QUATERMAIN & THE LOST CITY OF GOLD AT CLOSE RANGE BLAME IT ON RIO BLOODSPORT BREATHLESS BULLETPROOF MONK CASINO CLASS DARK BLUE DARK ANGEL DR. SEUSS’ THE CAT IN THE HAT EYE OF THE NEEDLE FLAWLESS FLESH+BLOOD HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE MARLBORO MAN KOYAANISQATSI THE LAST WALTZ LOL: CHI RIDE E FUORI (Season 4) MOBY DICK NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER THE PARTY ROLLING THUNDER TOP GEAR (Seasons 14-25) THE TRAIN VALLEY GIRL VAMPIRE’S KISS WARCRAFT WHITE NIGHT

CBC GEM DYLAN’S PLAYTIME ADVENTURES

CRAVE TV LITTLE JESUS THE SYNANON FIX (Season 1, Episode 1)

DISNEY + STAR VANDERPUMP VILLA (Three-Episode Premiere)

NETFLIX CANADA THE MAGIC PRANK SHOW WITH JUSTIN WILLMAN

CURLING (TSN/TSN5) 8:00am: LGT World Men's Curling Championship: Canada vs. Italy

NHL HOCKEY (SN) 7:00pm: Panthers vs. Leafs (SN Now) 9:00pm: Oilers vs. Blues (TSN3) 9:00pm: Kings vs. Jets

MLB BASEBALL (SN1) 8:00pm: Jays vs. Pirates (SN Now) 10:00pm: Giants vs. Dodgers

NBA BASKETBALL (SN Now) 8:00pm: Suns vs. Pelicans

MURDOCH MYSTERIES (CBC) 8:00pm: After a man dies in a drunken brawl at the Starbright Lounge, Murdoch's suspect is another detective.

WARDENS OF THE NORTH (Discovery Canada) 8:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): Conservation officers crack down on boaters not complying with the law; a routine fishing patrol has officers tracking down over-the-limit anglers; a kayaker is reminded that lifejackets work best when worn, even when close to home.

SOCIAL MEDIA MURDERS (T&E) 8:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): Alex Rodda, a 15-year-old teenager, is murdered by 18-year-old Matthew Mason in December 2019, six weeks after they first exchange messages via social media.

SECRETS IN THE ICE (Super Chanel Fuse) 8:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): A grim discovery in a Swedish lake reveals ancient practices; in the Canadian Arctic, the fossil of a previously unknown mammal is found; bizarre ice formations in the Antarctic Ocean; a discovery off the east coast of Canada.

BELGRAVIA: THE NEXT CHAPTER (CBC) 9:00pm (SEASON FINALE): As Frederick grieves the loss of Clara, Enright receives a letter that pushes Frederick to confront his past; Clara and Davison adapt to life in the North, as Clara grapples with happy memories of home.

OUTBACK OPAL HUNTERS (Discovery Canada) 9:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): The Bushmen bring in an explosives expert to blast through the toughest rock in Grawin; plus, a brand-new team brings cutting edge technology to the opal fields.

SPOOKED IRELAND (DTour) 9:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): The team ventures to Charleville Castle, where they face a multitude of spirits who seem to have turned against the castle's current occupants by trapping them in cupboards and keeping them up at night with screams and singing.

EXPEDITION X (Discovery Canada) 10:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): Phil and Jess explore the world's most haunted forest near the site of the Dracula legend and where Josh Gates had his most terrifying experience; during a night investigation, Jess finds herself being watched by someone or something sinister.

THE PLAYBOY MURDERS (Investigation Discovery) 10:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): In the late '90s, Playboy twins Sandy and Mandy Bentley's fame soars until an affair with a Vegas High Roller leads to a fall from fame, stolen jewels, a shadowy buyer and a brutal double murder in the Hollywood hills.

MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA (CTV Life) 10:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): A group of 12 home cooks will compete with 12 former contestants.

MURDER AT MY DOOR WITH KYM MARSH (documentary) 10:00pm/11:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): The story of 17-year-old Thomas Griffiths, who killed his girlfriend and arranged the crime scene to look like a suicide after she broke up with him. In Episode Two, 19-year-old Mundill Mahil lures a young TV executive to his death in an act of revenge following an attempted rape six months earlier.

[frontproofmedia]

Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto: Pacquiao’s Greatest Performance?

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Published: November 14, 2024

Throughout the four decades, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao made the squared circle his home; numerous memorable battles captivated audiences in the arena and watching at home. The Filipino Pacman has a plethora of fights on his resume that not only suggest but validate he is one of boxing's all-time greats.

For some, his thrashing over Marco Antonio Barrera for the lineal featherweight championship in November 2003 firmly laid the foundation and trajectory of his career. Pacquiao was the underdog and had only made his way into the United States two years earlier. At the time, Barrera was rated as one of boxing's best fighters pound-for-pound. Others may prefer his mainstream star-making performance against Oscar De La Hoya in December 2008, where he fought the perfect fight against the right opponent, putting the six-division champion who moonlighted as a promoter straight into a full-time job. 

Pacquiao was also part of arguably the most significant rivalry of the century against Juan Manuel Marquez. The duo participated in three razor-close fights, which almost ended with three knockdowns in the first round of their first encounter, followed by a knockout for the ages by Marquez in the fourth and final fight.

But which of Pacquiao's fights truly changed the perception of him? Which fight changed him from being viewed as an exciting fighter to one of the best to lace up a pair of gloves? It may be his performance against Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto in November 2009. 

BACKGROUND

After making his splash into the United States as a late replacement against Lehlo Ledwaba in June 2001, Pacquiao entered into a series of fights at featherweight and super featherweight with the Mexican trio of Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Erik Morales. Following a loss to Morales (March 2005) in a classic back-and-forth brawl in Pacquiao's first headling pay-per-view (PPV), the Filipino started to progress from the wildcat one-handed brawler to more of a complete fighter. 

Pacquiao would avenge his loss to Morales twice, stopping the Mexican fighter in two rematches. It was in 2008 that Pacquiao truly began his ascent to the top of the boxing world. Starting in March 2008, Pacquiao walked away with a split decision victory over Marquez in a fight where a knockdown in the third round made the difference on the judge's scorecards. Although the fight could have been scored for either fighter, both fighters' showing made for another classic battle. 

He then followed up the rematch with Marquez with what can be described as three nearly flawless performances. Pacquiao demolished David Diaz over nine rounds for the WBC lightweight title and then retired Oscar De La Hoya in a welterweight contest over eight rounds to end a historic 2008. Pacquiao then moved down to junior welterweight to face the lineal champion Ricky Hatton in a fight that was thought to be a test for the fighting southpaw. However, Pacquiao dispensed of Hatton in two rounds, scoring the most memorable knockout of his career. After the Hatton fight, Pacquiao set his eyes back on the welterweight division and a fellow promotional stablemate at Top Rank. 

Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto was the heir apparent to the boxing throne of his island nation. After making six defenses of his WBO junior welterweight title, Cotto made his way up to welterweight, establishing himself as the premier Puerto Rican fighter of his era. Wins over Carlos Quintana, Zab Judah, and Shane Mosley in massively entertaining clashes, two of which occurred at Madison Square Garden in front of rowdy pro-Puerto Rican fans. 

Cotto was on the path to becoming one of the sport's genuine superstars but ran into a speed bump against Antonio Margarito in July 2008. Cotto would succumb to Margarito's relentless pressure and iron chin over 11 rounds after being forced to take knees as he was left with a bloody and bruised face. Of course, in retrospect, Margarito's victory has a proverbial asterisk as most believe he cheated with suspect hand wraps against Cotto. 

While Cotto stayed out of the ring for the remainder of 2008, he returned the following year, picking up where he left off. Cotto picked up the vacant WBO welterweight title by stopping Michael Jennings in five rounds. He then went straight back into the fire against Joshua Clottey in the summer in another extremely strenuous fight where he suffered a cut above his left eye. A knockdown in the first round with a jab ultimately made the difference in the judge's scorecards. Cotto was once again a world champion and had proven the Margarito fight hadn't stopped him from being one of the best welterweights in the world. 

Pacquiao was in attendance for Cotto’s fight with Clottey. And while there were some moments of apprehension, Pacquiao-Cotto was next. The fight, promoted as Fire Power, was set for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on November 14, 2009. 

TRAINING

It wouldn't be a Pacquiao training camp without dysfunction. The Filipino training camp was held in three locations, two of which were in Pacquiao's native Philippines in Baguio and Manila. The camp was filled with distractions, with Pacquiao's continuing political career taking his full attention from boxing. Even inside his camp, his strength and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, and advisor, Michael Koncz, were constantly at odds. 

Also, the Philippines had been ravaged by typhoons, flooding much of the country and leaving many displaced without homes. The typhoons only added to the pressure of Pacquiao's success against Cotto to maintain his status as the country's hero. Once Pacquaio landed back in Los Angeles, training at the Wild Card Gym, his focus was primarily on preparing for Cotto. 

Cotto's training camp wasn't the most ideal. Following Cotto's win over Michael Jennings, Cotto's relationship with longtime trainer and uncle Evangelista Cotto ended on bad terms. Cotto switched trainers to Joe Santiago, a relatively unknown assistant on the former Olympians’s team. Santiago proved himself worthy in the fight with Clottey; however, many maintained that Cotto was running the show, not him. 

While the new trainer and the loss to Margarito were all considered factors heading into the fight with Pacquiao, the most disputed and controversial aspect was the 145-pound catchweight. The catchweight was enforced by Pacquiao's camp, specifically, his trainer Freddie Roach, who felt that given his fighter's smaller stature and relative inexperience at welterweight, a catchweight was fair. While the catchweight wasn't egregious, it was unnecessary. Pacquiao would have three other catchweight fights in the future against Antonio Margarito, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Chris Algieri. But, all of those seemed to benefit both combatants.

Fortunately, at the weigh-in, Cotto did not look weight-drained and was in one of the best shapes of his career. He didn't look anywhere near the likes of Erik Morales at 130 pounds in his rematch with Pacquiao, which wasn't contested at a catchweight. 

THE FIRST FOUR ROUNDS

No matter the anticipation or promotion, more often than not, most fights don't live up to expectations. In the case of Pacquiao-Cotto, the first rounds are among the most exciting of any fight that has been the main event of a major PPV. 

"This is what we came for!"  -- Larry Merchant after the second round.

It was apparent from the start that Cotto wouldn't be steamrolled in the fashion of Ricky Hatton as he looked just as fast and ready with a gameplan as Pacquiao. The first two rounds were filled with exchanges where each fighter had their moments. At the beginning of the third, Pacquiao scored a knockdown using a two-one combination ending with a right hand. Cotto, however, wasn't hurt and won the remainder of the round. The knockdown seemed to invigorate Cotto as he continued to pump the jab and push Pacquiao against the ropes. 

With less than a minute remaining in the fourth round, Pacquiao allowed Cotto to gain confidence while he was against the ropes, only to turn the tables on the Puerto Rican. Pacquiao landed an uppercut combination as Cotto advanced, putting the former junior welterweight champion down. Cotto was hurt and lucky to get out of the round this time. 

THE REST OF THE FIGHT

The remainder of the fight had nowhere near the action as the first four rounds. Almost every round resembled the next as Cotto retreated while throwing some combinations with jabs, while Pacquiao applied pressure, landing counter punches and combinations. By the ninth round, it was clear that Cotto was taking a beating, and the fight was heading toward its conclusion. Referee Kenny Bayless ended the fight in the 12th round after Pacquiao landed another straight left hand. 

With the victory, Pacquiao became boxing's first seven-division world champion and held the WBO welterweight title. In the span of two years, Pacquiao had broken out of being considered boxing's most exciting fighter to the sport's number one pound-for-pound position. 

"We thought Manny Pacquiao was great; he's better than we thought. "  -- Larry Merchant

CONTROVERSY 

Following Pacquiao's win over Cotto, the enthusiasm and anticipation for a fight between him and Mayweather was at an all-time high—however, negotiations between boxing's two biggest names ended with drug testing. Mayweather wanted the testing to include random blood testing until the fight, and with Pacquiao believing that the blood withdrawal would affect his performance, he negotiated for a 24-day window. To this day, Pacquiao has never failed a drug test, including for the Cotto fight, but this decision to ask for a window of any kind led many to believe Pacquiao was hiding something. To this day, some believe this period of Pacquiao's career is questionable. 

Mayweather and members of his team were some of Pacquiao's most well-known detractors, believing that Pacquiao's ascension to the top through so many weight classes had to be unnatural. The Cotto fight, in particular, fueled the fire. 

"It took me years to get to here—years," Mayweather said. "I'm going up in weight, but I'm not walking through no damn fighters. Pacquiao is 106; now he decides to walk through (Miguel) Cotto? Cotto can't knock down Shane Mosley, but he can?"

Former Cotto opponent and two-time titleholder Paulie Malignaggi has never been afraid to express himself, and his thoughts on Pacquiao have been well documented. Malignaggi initially believed Pacquiao had no chance against Cotto, even stating he may be the best fighter in history if he won. 

"If Manny Pacquiao beats Miguel Cotto, I'm telling you, man, he might be the best fighter ever, said Malignaggi. I'm telling you. At this point, he's beaten Oscar and Ricky, and I don't think Ricky's as good as people give him credit for. 

But, regardless of the fact, if Manny Pacquiao beats Miguel Cotto, you have to consider him maybe the best fighter in history, man, because now he's done it. And it means he's done it all. Really, he's done it all. I mean, this is a welterweight who might be the best welterweight in the world in Miguel Cotto-and legitimately." 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Every perfect performance has a caveat. For Floyd Mayweather, many consider his win over Diego Corrales to be his best performance. Many would say Corrales was weight-drained and returning from a jail stint.  Bernard Hopkins' win over Felix Trinidad occurred two weeks after the September 11th attacks, leading Trinidad to stay in New York to promote the fight while Hopkins left for Philadelphia to continue training. Even Terence Crawford's win over Errol Spence can be criticized as Spence was inactive, weight-drained, and arguably never the same after his car accident. 

Pacquiao's win over Cotto isn't without faults. The unnecessary catchweight, Cotto's inexperienced trainer, and the Margarito fight, which only took place a year before, are all legitimate reasons to criticize the victory. However, Cotto's style of being a left-hand dominant fighter, much like Barrera and De La Hoya before him, would have likely led to losing to Pacquiao in the same fashion. 

It's rare for a fighter to have near-perfect showings. Notwithstanding the rematch with Marquez, Pacquiao had four in a row against Diaz, De La Hoya, Hatton, and Cotto. In two years, 2008 and 2009, Pacquiao catapulted himself from a Hall-of-Famer to an all-time great. In those two years, he had a finish-line win over Floyd Mayweather to win the BWAA's Fighter of the Decade award for 2000-2009. It wasn't without its share of controversy or issues one can dispute, but Pacquiao's win over Miguel Cotto was an example of true greatness in action.

(Featured Photos: Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)

[reelreviewing]

Madame Web (2024) - Review

Director: S.J. Clarkson | 1h 56mins | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Cassandra Webb, a New York paramedic, starts having visions of the future. While trying to save three teenage girls from a deadly threat, she must confront her past at the same time. 

Since the MCU brought Spider-Man into their multiverse Sony have struggled to keep a grasp on their rights to the character. Gone are the days of the Sam Raimi web-slinging films as Sony painfully tries to create a new spidey-world of their own. We’ve had two Venom films that were particularly underwhelming and Morbius was one of the biggest disasters of 2022, but, Madame Web may just take the mantle as the worst of the bunch – an incoherent and nauseating experience that seems to have been a production and marketing nightmare. 

The term for these Sony films can only be described as ‘mass-produced’. Instead of artistic achievements they feel like generic stories pumped out at the end of a production line with no flavour or personality. It’s an extremely low-bar to meet but somehow Madame Web can’t even get the basics right. There are small moments of terribly uneven ADR, barbaric editing and even a split second where Dakota Johnson seems to actively walk into the camera. These mishaps aside, the film still fits the mould of a flavourless production – not really knowing what kind of film it’s trying to be. 

Cassandra Web is a paramedic working in New York who becomes clairvoyant after a near death experience. As she tries to adapt to the weird, incredibly jolting, visions she must also save the lives of three young girls who are being threatened by a man called Ezekiel Sims. In the first few minutes of the film, we understand that Ezekiel has a connection of his own to Cassandra and is the reason her mother died. A simple narrative in some respects, but one that is overly told and convoluted in execution. It’s amazing that, for a film that uses dialogue as a constant barrage of exposition, there is very little sense to make from it all – essentially understanding the core concept but never really giving us any reason to care. 

You as an audience member will probably care about as little as Dakota Johnson seems too in her performance. While she’s not the first star of a film to look actively uninterested on-screen (Daniel Craig in Spectre is a prime example), Johnson takes it to another level. In some scenes she can barely get through the cringe-heavy dialogue as Cassandra obtusely exposites to herself or someone else – even in the scenes with Adam Scott (who plays Ben Parker), there is an obvious fabrication to their banter. Nothing feels natural and Johnson, who in the right role is an excellent actress, seems to know it. 

Joining Johnson is Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced and Celeste O’Connor. All actresses who have tremendous talent but are sadly wasted with fiercely underdeveloped characters. One is smart, one is awkward and one is a rebellious teenager. That, in a nutshell, is all the access we are granted to these three seemingly important characters. Very little is known as to when they eventually develop their spidey-powers but it’s safe to say we may never find out, as judging from the response of audiences Madame Web may never be revisited. As for the villain, who is played by Tahir Rahim, he seems to be taking it a little more seriously but still succumbs to horrendously manufactured writing. 

A last minute decision was made to market the film as a ‘suspense thriller’. Maybe in a bid to offer something new in the superhero genre, which last year proved tiresome with audiences, but that promise is rarely met. The film injects multiple moments where it should find tension – cars dangling off of bridges and a subway brawl are just two examples – but unfortunately the jittery editing takes any sense of thrill or suspense from every scene. Even the grand finale, in which the protagonists fight the villain atop a giant Pepsi sign, becomes a hot mess of underwhelming writing and uninspired visual effects – really rounding off an experience that you’ll be praying to end. 

There seems to be so many things about Madame Web, both in the intrinsic detailing of the film making and the manufactured feeling of the script, that play a part in the disaster that is this film. Even in the niche group of people that seek out films that are ‘so bad they’re good’, this will be a complete disappointment – a film that objectively fails to achieve the most basic checkpoints for making a coherent final product. Based on everything we’ve seen and heard surrounding the film this seemed doomed to fail and I can imagine Sony will be doing everything to forget this disaster in the future. 

1/5

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony’s Stupid Daily Blog (772): Sun 28th Apr 2024

Checked out last night's edition of Collision. The show started with Swerve coming out to celebratehis title win which was good but this should have happened on Dynamite and I don't think Swerve should have been booked in what was essentially an exhibition match, it just made it come across like AEW are already shifting their focus elsewhere other than the fucking WORLD CHAMPION. I was delighted that they had Claudio Castagnoli interupt Swerve's promo and then challenge Swerve to a title match in the main event. Every addition of Dynamite and Collision should be like this i.e planting the seeds for the main event and then building to it throughout the night. Next up we got Bullet Club Gold vs Top Flight and Action Andretti. This was a great match but Tony should have still decided and announced that Bullet Club Gold's match will be at the next pay per view and this match should have built towards it. Next week on Dynamite Adam Copeland will defend the TNT title against one member of House of Black but won't find out which until match time. I would have Copeland hold an open challenge again, have House of Black keep interrupting Copeland’s matches and then eventually when Copeland says he wants the HOB they say they will only fight him in a gauntlet where if one member of HOB pins him they win the belt. Rey Fenix returned to AEW next in a match with The Beast Mortos who is the former Black Tourus from Impact. Again another good match but should have been the start of a storyline. What I would have done is have Jay Lethal attack Fenix afterwards and on the next show explains that he saw tributes pouring in for Fenix telling him to get well soon all the while he was busting his arse to ungrateful fans. Throughout the night we got teasers for the upcoming Parking Lot Bral between Chuck Taylor and Trent Baretta. I liked this even if it's teasing a match between two wrestlers I have no interest in seeing ever again. They could’ve had a segment where Kris Statlander and Orange Cassidy try to talk Chuck out of the match and then Sue begging Trent not to go through with the match. Next up Rush  destroyed a jobber. If it was me booking the show I would do an angle where Rush destroys jobber for a couple of weeks then gets on the mic and complains about the lack of competition then when he and LFI are beating a jobber after a match one week Hangman Page comes out and the two have a pull apart brawl setting up a feud between the two. Next we got Toni Storm vs Anna Jay. They should just put Anna Jay with Jack Perry. She’s hot as fuck but she always loses and needs a bit more credibility. After the match Serena Deeb came out and declared she would beat Toni. I would expand on Deeb's gimmick of "The Professor" by having her squash a lower card ladies wrestler then take her backstage to her "classroom" and conduct a class where she expains why Toni Storm can't win. Then they could have the lower card woman become Deebs "Star Pupil" (I think I might have stolen this storyline idea from Windom Earle & Leo Johnson from Twin Peaks). We then got The Acclaimed vs the debuting Grizzled Young Veterans. I was really surprised to see them lose but then if they're presenting this as real then it is quite believable since a good percentage of UFC fighter and boxers must lose their debut fights. After the match I would’ve had a backstage segment where GYV go to Tony Khan and ask for another shot at The Acclaimed. Khan says that maybe they’ll get another shot down the line. As they’re about to leave Arn Anderson tells them to follow him and heel show them how to get Khan to notice them. Finally in the main event Swerve delivered an absolute banger of a match against the great Claudio Castagnoli and it took a Swerve stomp and a House Call to finish him off. Another great match but nothing happened afterwards. They should have taken the opportunity to show us who Swerve's first feud will be with going forward. 

[buttterknifeee]

How long is forever? - Teen Titans x Aquagirl!Reader

Masterlist

Request: "Hello, May I request an episode insert in the Teen Titans episode 'How Long Is Forever?'"

Summary: Starfire takes a trip to the future... only to find out that you and the other Titans have disbanded. Will she find a way back to the present, or will you live an unfulfilling life forever?? (from S2 EP1)

Pairings: None

Word Count: 3919

A/N: Hey!!! sorry this took a while, it was super hard to write it due to most of it being in Starfire's POV. Most of the episodes in the series are centered around specific titans, so if you have an idea for an Aquagirl centered episode, feel free to send it in!!! (theres also a grand total of one cuss word in there)

Aquagirl’s Room - 2004

“Where is it? Where is it?” you mumble, tearing your room apart. You were looking for one of your CDs that you were in the mood for listening to. You threw your clothes into the air, looked under your bed, and even checked inside of your fish tank, holding the water containing a few tropical fish above you until you gave up. You sighed, finally checking the clock. You realized that you’ve been in your room for an hour and you haven’t even said hello to the other titans. You quickly change into your suit and head to the living room.

You stretched as you walked in. “Hey guys-” you stop in confusion at the scene in front of you. Starfire was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, holding a bunch of necklaces and boxes and babbling something about “Blorthorg”, Beast Boy and Cyborg were brawling for a video game remote, Raven was reading silently and holding up a pair of nail clippers (?) telepathically, and Robin….

Anger bubbles up inside of you as you realize that he was in front of the stereo, blasting music. From your CD. You cross your arms as you march up to the Boy Wonder.

“Hey Rob, whatcha doing with my CD?” You say. “What, was Kelly Clarkson too quiet for you?”

Raven adds, “Yeah Robin, could the music be a little louder? I can still hear myself think.”

He glares at the two of you “I don’t listen- I only turned the music up to DROWN OUT ALL THE YELLING!!” He refers to the two boys. Cyborg now had Beast Boy in a headlock, holding the controller triumphantly.

“Whose turn is it now, tough guy? Whose turn is it now?” Cyborg taunts the green teen.

“Knock it off! I can't work with you two acting like idiots!” Robin yells.

“Work?? The only “work” I see you doing is stealing my stuff!” You snap.

“Great. More yelling will definitely stop the yelling.” Raven says, a sarcastic smirk on her face.

The three of you glared at each other, Cyborg and Beast Boy were still fighting, and one of Starfire’s necklaces broke, its beads tumbling onto the ground.

“STTTOOOOPPPPP!” the alien princess screamed. You stared at her in surprise. She took a deep breath and recomposed herself.

“ Friends must never behave this way, and especially not on Blorthog! Do you wish to invite the Rekmas?” she said.

“Gesundheit?” Beast Boy said, confused by her vocabulary.

“On my world, ‘Rekmas’ means ‘the Drifting.’” she explains. “The point at which close friends begin to drift apart, and their friendship begins to die.” She frowned. You immediately felt bad for all the yelling you did.

“Aw, come on, Starfire.” Cyborg comes to her side.

“We are so not Rek-whatever-ing.” Beast Boy reassures her.

“We're getting on each other's nerves a little. Big deal.” Raven says.

“Fighting’s just a part of life. As long as we resolve it, we’ll be fine.” You say.

“Yeah. This is just typical roommate stuff. We're not going to drift apart, Star. I promise. We'll all be friends forever.” Robin declares

“Forever?” Starfire asks. Before you could answer, Robin’s T-communicator beeped. The communicator was flashing red, and he turned to you and the others.

“Titans! Trouble!” he says. You all rush out of the Tower and into the city.

You find the “trouble” in the Jump City museum. It was a man wearing black and gold armor and a goatee: Warp. He was monologuing to a bunch of guards that he had frozen.

“I didn't journey back in time one hundred years to squabble, I came to steal.” You see him reaching for one of the clocks. “The Clock of Eternity. Valuable in the past, priceless in the future.” Robin steppeds forward, throwing his birdirang to knock Warp’s hand back.

“But for the present...you'll keep your filthy hands off it.” He says, announcing the Titans’ entrance. The man turns to the six of you.

"The Teen Titans. This is a treat. I read all about you in the historical archives. And now, you're all history!” He fires his laser at you all.

“Titans! Go!” Robin yells as you scramble to dodge his rays. He blocks Warp’s rays with his staff, but at the last shot the staff breaks, and he backed up. Starfire blasts her starbolts at him, but the bolts ricochet off of him and hits her, sending her to the ground. You and Beast Boy attack him now, a stream of water lifting you into the air by your feet. You put your hands in front of you and a jet of water blasts out of your hands, heading straight for Warp. He held his hand us as the water made contact with him, and froze the water. The ice traveled up the jet of water and onto your hands, encasing them in the long shard of ice. You fell, the weight of the ice dragging you down. You winced as you saw Beast Boy meet a similar fate, his animal form frozen in ice next to you. You struggled to free your hands as Cyborg and Raven both went down. Robin gives one last attempt to take Warp down, running towards him.

“You cannot defeat Warp. I am from the future.” He says, throwing disks towards Robin. He dove to the side as the projectiles exploded. “And your relics are one hundred years out of date." He grabs the clock and presses a blue lens from his armor. Suddenly, a blinding white portal forms in front of him. Your hands were still stuck so you had to squint.

“Ta-ta, Titans. I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very bright future ahead of me.” He sneers, stepping through the portal. You finally pull your hands out of the chunk of ice just in time to see Starfire slam into Warp, sending the two of them into the portal.

“Starfire!” Robin yells, trying to dive in after her, only for the portal to close and him to fall on the floor. You pull him up from the ground and look around. Starfire was gone.

Titan’s Tower-2024

Starfire couldn’t believe what was going on. After tackling Warp, she ripped off the lens on his suit and ended up in Jump City, 20 years into the future. She found Cyborg alone in the rotting Titans Tower, hooked up to a large battery. He explained that the day she left, the Titans fell apart, and disbanded soon after. He told her that the others can help her get back to the present, telling her where to find you, Beast Boy, and Raven.

She found herself at a circus whilst looking for Beast Boy. There in a cage, sat Beast Boy, changing into various animals. She approached the cage as he turned back into his human form. He was now a pudgy old man, with a great deal of hair loss. He looked at her with wide eyes through the bars.

“No way! It's you. But how?” he asked, peering at her with his wrinkled eyes.

“I require your help.” Starfire said.

“What kinda help?” Beast Boy asked.

“The future is not as it should be. We must find Warp. I will free you from this--” Beast Boy stopped Starfire from continuing her sentence.

“This cage isn't to keep me in! It's to keep those maniacs out!” he explained in a panicked tone, referring to a group of kids. “Look. After the Titans broke up, I tried the whole solo-hero thing. Got my butt kicked, a lot. So now, well…”

He turned into a chicken briefly to illustrate his point. “ Besides, I'm in the showbiz now.” Starfire could tell he wasn’t happy with where he was, but there was nothing she could do. She left Beast Boy and went to find Raven.

She found Raven in a room in a broken down building. She was standing in a pure white room, wearing a white cloak to match. Her back was facing Starfire when she arrived.

“Raven?” she squeaked, inching into the room. “Raven, it is Starfire, your friend”

“No such thing.” she groaned, her back still facing Starfire. Starfire’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Please, Raven I-”

“Just another figment. Don’t even look.”

“You must listen! I am here because-” she pleads, but Raven stops her.

“I’m never coming back! Go away!” she yells, Starfire backing up in fear. “It has to go away. Just like before. Just like all the others.” Starfire frowns in realization. She must not think I’m real; she thinks it's all in her head.

“Your mind.” she says softly, approaching the cloaked woman. “Without friends, you must have--” Starfire was about to touch Raven, but her familiar dark shield formed around her. She gasps, then eventually leaves the room in defeat. There was one last person she could try talking to. You.

She walked by the Jump City beach, the same place where you got your powers all those years ago. Suddenly, you rose out of the ocean, the water around you carrying you onto shore. Your face was stuck in a permanent glare, different to your constant smiles as a teen. You were taller, definitely had a few wrinkles, and you were wearing Atlantean clothing. Starfire flinched at your sudden arrival.

“Aquagirl! how-”

“I don’t go by Aquagirl anymore. I am Queen (y/n), ruler of Atlantis. And word gets around when one of your old teammates who had disappeared 20 years ago is roaming Jump City again, even at the bottom of the ocean.” You say coldly, eyeing her as she shrunk at the sight of you.

“What had happened to you, my friend?” she asked.

You sigh, recalling your memories. “After you disappeared and the team disbanded, I vowed to never be as soft and vulnerable as I was then. I moved to Atlantis, and was eventually appointed ruler.”

“Oh my, that sounds terrible!” Starfire exclaimed. “I need your help my friend-”

“No.”

“No?”

“No. It’s not terrible, I am quite fine just the way I am. And we were friends 20 years ago; things have changed.” You turn your back to her. “I must get going; there’s much I need to do.” Starfire stares at you in sadness as you walk back into the ocean, the water swallowing you up and the waves lapping like normal.

Starfire trudges through the snow-covered city, when a laser blast knocks her back. Her eyes raise to meet with Warp’s, his weapon aimed at her.

“What’s the matter, dear? Have I come at a bad time?” he snarls, opening fire once more. She dodges his shots and fires back, but the starbolts simply bounce off his modern armor. She tried to hit him close up but he held up his hand and ice formed around her midair. The large chunk of ice containing Starfire drops and shatters, leaving Starfire on the ground, shivering. She glares at Warp, who now has deeper wrinkles on his face.

“You have become so old,” she notes, still on the ground.

“That's what happens when someone steals my vortex regulator.” he says, holding out his hand. “The regulator, if you please. I really must get back to my future.” She stands up and takes the lens out from her belt. She couldn’t let him leave, especially when she’s stuck in a future like this. She held the disk next to her and warmed up a starbolt, as if to hold it hostage.

“If you ever wish to see your future you will repair the damage you have done to my past!” she yelled, anger bubbling up inside her. The villain laughed.

“Damage? Silly girl. There's nothing wrong with your past. One cannot damage history, because history cannot be changed.” He held up the clock and continued. “I went back in time to steal this because history says it disappeared. And history says it disappeared because I went back to steal it. Past, present, future. It's all written in stone, my dear.”

Starfire stood in disbelief dropping her glowing hand. No… this can't be the future we’re destined to live. Such terrible lives… she thought. Warp walked up to her shocked state and took the lens out of her hand.

“And nothing you do can ever change it.” he scoffed. Warp prepared to blast her when he was knocked into the alleyway by an unknown figure. Starfire snapped back into reality and looked around for you had knocked the villain back. A dark silhouette lept forward and threw Warp against the end wall of the alley. They threw disks at the villain, the area around him exploding. When the smoke cleared, Starfire could see that Warp had used a force field. He released his shield only to be met with the mysterious figure dropping down towards him. He stared straight at Starfire.

“Another time, perhaps.” he said. Before the shadowed person could reached him, he dropped into the ground. The person who had tried to fight him landed right where Warp had been, and as they straightened up, Starfire inched forward to see who it was.

“It’s good to see you again.” the person said. Starfire could recognize that voice from anywhere, and apparently, anytime.

“Robin?” she asked.

“I haven’t used that name in a long time.” he said, finally stepping out of the shadows. He looked nothing like the Boy Wonder she knew. His traffic-light esque uniform was replaced by a black suit with a blue bird on the front. He still wore a mask and he now had long, black hair.

“Call me… Nightwing.”

Starfire found herself in Robin’s (or Nightwing’s) base. She looked at a glass case of his old uniform, a feeling of melancholy washing over her. She was glad that he was ok, but the Robin she once knew was now nothing more than a mannequin display. Nightwing wrapped a blanket around her with a small smile.

Nightwing finally spoke. “So I’ve heard you’ve been looking for help.”

Starfire sighed. “There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do. The past cannot be repaired, the future cannot be altered, no matter how wrong it seems.”

“So it’s impossible.” Nightwing determined from her rant, walking towards a bunch of computers. “Good. If memory serves, we've done the impossible before.”

Nightwing’s words had surprised Starfire. None of the others had said anything as hopeful since she’d arrived here. A small fire of hope blossomed inside of her.

“I held on to this,” Nightwing says, pressing a button from a device. “...just in case.” Starfire’s eyes widened, realizing that it was a T-communicator. The communicator began to flash red, and to Starfire’s delight, so did her neck piece and wrist guard.

At the bottom of the ocean, you sat on a throne, talking to your advisers. As they left, your seashell necklace began to flash red. You looked at it in surprise, recognizing what it meant: it was an emergency signal that Robin had put in your necklace while you were still in a team. Even after 20 years, he had never used it until now. You began to get up from your throne when a group of your advisors came back, swarming you with scrolls and questions. You sat back down, a bitter feeling in your throat.

Beast Boy’s belt had flashed red whilst he was performing a trick in his animal form. He quickly jumped back into human form. He observed his belt for a moment before stepping back, hanging his head.

Cyborg's robotic eye flashed red as he sat alone in the Titans Tower. He immediately got up and started towards the door, only to be stopped by the wires keeping him alive and stuck inside the tower. He looks back at the power source.

Raven still stands alone in the room, her back facing the door. The brooch of her cloak flashes red, and without looking at it, she covers it with her hand.

Starfire and Nightwing venture to Jump City museum, where they find Warp, fixing his time travel suit. He wields the lens that he took from Starfire to his suit, whilst talking to himself.

“Tick-tock.” he laughs. “Just a few more seconds, and I shall finally--” his sentence was cut off by Nightwing knocking the tool out of his hand, revealing him and Starfire’s position.

“The future will have to wait.” Nightwing says, extending his staff. “You just ran out of time.”

Warp growls and fires laser beams at them, causing them to split up to avoid getting hit. Starfire shoots her starbolts at Warp again, despite them getting deflected by his force field. Nightwing however, jumped down on him again, using his staff to crush one of his lasers. He turns to face Nightwing, but Starfire lands a hit on his back with her starbolt. He tries to laser Starfire but has to dodge Nightwing’s staff attacks that barely strike him. He fights quickly and with fury, eventually knocking Warp flat on his back. The two heroes step close to him to inspect him. But Warp grins, and uses his second laser to blow a hole through the roof, snow and rubble falling onto Starfire.

“Star!” Nightwing yells, but Warp blasts him back with his laser. Warp runs over to the tool he dropped and started repairing his suit again as Nightwing helped Starfire up. Suddenly, he was blasted back by a familiar blue ray. Starfire and Nightwing turn to see Cyborg, his arm cannon smoking, but being able to function without any wires.

“Boo-yah” he says with a grimace.

“Cyborg!” Starfire exclaims, flying over to the half robot. “You are repaired!”

“Glad you could make it,” Nightwing says, joining them.

“Wouldn't have missed it. Now who said y'all could start without me?” Cyborg said as Warp stood back up.

“So sorry,” Warp said, holding up another device. “Perhaps I should finish you first!” Before he could use the device, he was attacked by a green lion, Beast Boy. Warp looked at the lens he was repairing, now crackling with electricity. In anger, he pointed a laser at him, but a jet of water shot up from the floor. You ran into view, a trident now in your hand.

“Heard you guys needed help!” you yell, a hint of a smile peeking out from your stoic face.

Before Warp could fall to the ground again, he is overtaken by magic, and thrown into the side of the wall. Raven materializes, still wearing a white cloak.

“Nobody hurts my friends,” she said, reminiscent of the first time you met her.

“Dude, that is so unfair,” Beast Boy whines, comparing his bald head to Nightwing’s flowing hair. The six Titans turn to see Warp, who has managed to create a wormhole, despite his suit being damaged.

“It seems my time has come,” Warp said, preparing to walk through the wormhole. Nightwing threw a birdarang at Warp, Warp throwing his own disk to intercept it. Starfire watched in awe as the birdirang sliced through Warp’s disk and hit him in the chest, right where the lens sat.

“Uh?! No! NOOOOO!” the six of you watched in horror as Warp regressed in age until he was nothing more than a screaming infant.

“Ok, I am not changing any diapers.” Beast Boy said, staring at the baby.

Cyborg looked at Starfire. “We gotta get you home. Come on!” he pointed at the wormhole, which was shrinking. He took the lens from the suit and put it in his arm cannon. He fired at the wormhole, making it bigger.

“Im redirecting the wormhole.” Cyborg said, turning to Starfire. “Starfire! Go!” She steps towards the portal and looks back at her friends. Their lives seemed so lonely and.. dissatisfying. Is this life they were destined to live?

“Please, must this really be our future?” She asked. The rest of you looked at her silently, sadness in your eyes. “Is there nothing I can do to change it?” Nightwing stepped up and looked directly into her eyes.

“I'm sorry, Star. There isn't time.” Nightwing said. He placed the clock that Warp had stolen in her hand and his other hand on her shoulder. He gives her one last smile before stepping back towards the other Titans, beckoning her to enter the portal. Starfire took a deep breath, and walked into the portal.

Jump City Museum - 2004

“Ta-ta, Titans. I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very bright future ahead of me.” He sneers, stepping through the portal. You finally pull your hands out of the chunk of ice just in time to see Starfire slam into Warp, sending the two of them into the portal.

“Starfire!” Robin yells, trying to dive in after her, only for the portal to close and him to fall on the floor. You pull him up from the ground and look around. Starfire was gone.

“Oh my god,” you whispered.

Beast Boy stared at the place the portal was. “Um, where did she-?”

Another portal opens with a brilliant flash between Beast Boy and Cyborg. Starfire falls out, curled around an item. You all rushed towards her.

“Dude!”

“Whoa!”

“Star! What happened?” Robin asked as the portal behind her closed.

“History said it disappeared.” Starfire said, straightening and revealing the clock warp had just stolen. “But history was wrong!”

The boys stared at her dumbstruck but you laughed, diving in for a hug.

You stood with the other titans as Starfire recounted her story. You covered your mouth in awe to find out what happened to you and the others in the future.

“Then Nightwing handed me the clock and I entered the vortex.” she finished.

“Woah,” Raven said, shocked by the recount of Starfire’s story.

“Bald?!” Beast Boy yells, grabbing at his hair. “You're telling me I'm going to be bald?!”

“Gosh, Star, all of our lives seem so terrible,” you say, thinking about what Starfire had said about you. You were a queen (which was cool), but you were also a cold hearted bitch (super uncool). You didn’t want that to happen, and more importantly for you to no longer be friends with the other Titans.

“Guess you were right about all that Rekmas stuff,” Cyborg said, slightly concerned.

“I don't want us to drift apart. Does it all have to happen? Isn't there anything we can-” Robin worries out loud, but Starfire stops him.

“Our friendship has already changed Warp's past. I believe it can also change our future.” Starfire says with a smile.

“Yeah I mean, the original reason we “broke up” was because of Starfire disappearing, and since she’s here now, we aren’t breaking up!” You chimed in, grinning at the other Titans.

Raven picks up the broken necklace with her telekinesis, stringing them back together.

“So… is it too late to do this festival-of-friendship thing?” she asks.

Starfire’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, it’s never too late!”

You all put on the bulbous necklaces Starfire brought in the morning.

“HAPPY BORTHOG!!!” Cyborg cheers.

“I thought it was Blort-Hog,” Beast Boy wondered.

“Okay, I feel like a wind-chime.” Raven groans.

“A very cool wind-chime,” you winked.

Starfire put the last necklace on Robin. He raises an eyebrow at her.

“So… Nightwing, huh?” he asked.

“Don’t even think about it bird brain,” you yelled from across the room, causing him to blush. You all burst out into laughter. The tower stayed cheerful the rest of the night.

[kryannoy]

stop im so excited for ur upcoming sitetampo content!! btw if u ever need ideas… maybe rivals to lovers where y/n is also a brawl stars e-sport player for one of the teams 🙂‍↕️ but thats just a thought😇 hope u have fun writing for him even if you havent known him for along time!!

-sitetampo anon🍥

genre: fluff

warnings: this kind of became friends to rivals to lovers, friendly rival-ish with sitetampo

a/n: i am having way too much fun

Let's say you are part of ZETA Division.

He was once a ZETA member but then he made his choice to join Crazy Raccoon and now, you guys became rivals.

In ZETA, he is a decent guy. Shy but fun to talk to. You saw his admirable skills and you have to admit it, a lot of times he has carried your team.

You have brawled against him for funsies/practice sometimes but never exactly brawled in a competition.

So, when it was a match between ZETA Division and Crazy Raccoon, you were quite nervous yet excited. You never thought a day would come where you and him brawled competitively to win the prize and the title of World Champions. It has always been you both winning together.

He made eye contact with you on the stage and he smiled. You were happy he didn't turn his back on you at all ever since he left ZETA. He still invited you in his lobby to play together.

Of course you return the smile.

And the match begins after you all have banned and chosen your characters.

With a few sets and scores, the results have finally revealed that Crazy Raccoon will be advancing to the finals.

You knew anyway, that he would definitely win and he was the MVP for the whole match. He was a formidable opponent and you really hate to admit that he's so good at the game that you felt like tears welling up for losing. And even more so to see Crazy Raccoon celebrating among themselves. Gosh, you aren't there. With him.

It was time to fist bump the opposing team and when it was to fist bump with Sitetampo, he saw your sad expression and immediately gave you a hug instead. But it was a short one, a few pats on the back and he moved on to your next team member to fist bump.

Backstage, he found you outside your waiting room.

"You did great out there," he says. He continues to cheer you up. But for you, his presence is enough. You missed that friendship of yours with him. It's not like it's gone, but in competitions, you both are rivals.

Years after years, you and him on stage are rivals. But off stage, you guys are best buds.

There have been times you won against him so you try to cheer him up like he did to you. But for him, he also doesn't need that. He already knows you're a formidable opponent and it was fun to brawl with you.

Days after the world's finals (and CR placing second), there is no way he's going to tell you this. But gosh, has he developed feelings towards you? But you're his friend and rival. Wouldn't it be awkward if both of you are dating yet rivals? And would you even accept his feelings?

Screw it, he'll shoot his shot. You never know.

After a celebration party you guys had and everyone's ready to leave, he stopped you. He asked if you had time and of course, you'd do anything to be with him.

Once he uttered his confession, your eyes widened. You couldn't believe what he said.

Your friend, your rival, the Sitetampo liked you back?

You couldn't hold back your joy and hugged him tightly. You feel his arms wrapped around your waist.

That night, he walked you to your hotel and he felt like he won.

[kryannoy]

wanna cuddle the bear, the bear in question : sitetampo

genre: fluff

a/n: i'm still obsessed with him. oh! and i was playing wuwa while putting his live in the background to pretend like i'm in a discord chat with him and his friend, and it felt nice! i don't watch his live but i just wanna hear his voice. would definitely do it again <3

He looks so cuddlyyyyy

You can't help it!

Every chance you get, you'd throw yourself onto him, not caring yet caring if he gets hurt from the impact.

Then you'd nuzzle your face into his hair or his chest, arms wrapped around his waist, squeezing him tight until he groans out an "owwwww!" in pain.

You'd loosen your grip and look up at him. He has a smile, wide, until it bursts open and his chest vibrates from laughter.

Gosh, you love your life-size, realistic, huggable bear.

Sometimes you would even throw yourself onto him when he's on the bed playing video games and hug him tight, taking a big whiff of his scent before getting up, leaving him still groaning in pain, to continue the things you need to do.

When he's washing the dishes or making something and his back is empty and tempting, you'd still hug him from behind and nuzzle your face in between his shoulder blades.

He'd jump from your sudden assault but his hand finds its way to yours and gives a few thumb rubs before he continues doing what he's doing.

When he's done and you're still attached to him, he wipes his hands and turns around facing you to hug you back. He walks forward while you walk backwards. He'll make sure you don't stumble and he makes his way to the sofa and drops both of you onto the soft cushion. Still hugging, of course.

If he has the energy, he playfully wrestles you around. Because he's stronger than you, he'll manhandle you like a life-size teddy bear instead.

Let's say you wanna tease him.

When you hug him from behind and he's left vulnerable, your hands sneakily went under his shirt to feel his stomach around. Either that, or you lift his shirt just to see his cute, subtle abs. Of course both ways end up with him abruptly leaning forward—bumping you a little too hard in the process, but that's the price you get—and pulling his shirt back down while laughing.

He'll turn around and try to do the same to you so you can understand how he feels. But that ends up with him tickling you because it was ticklish when you did it.

Most of the time, he really doesn't understand why you do it—like, why you suddenly jump onto him and held him so tight he couldn't breathe just to leave him alone again :(

He kinda needs some explanation TT