#but so glad to finally get this ref done so I can finally explode

[puffpawstries]

🍊Honno updated ref🍊

Extra info below!!

More Character detail/info for Honno + Expression sheet Voice Claim links: JPN VC - ENG VC Honno + Ship Playlist: Honno / Hanichi Want to thank @/flowerakatsuka for helping me out with finding the fonts I wouldn't have been able to finish this ref update without their help so thank you!! Plus this was also Inspired by your Kuroba Ref as well and also the Osomatsu-san Movie site

[fruitcoops]

I know this isn’t a prompt but can you please do Remus or Caps point of view after grayback took Leo down and Remus beat him up. I need to see some protective Loops. Thank you for writing all these!

It’s like one in the morning where I am but I couldn’t help myself and it’s almost 2k words. Cap’s POV will be out later today! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Credit for Coops/ Sweater Weather goes to @lumosinlove

TW for a panic attack, fistfighting, and ~spicy smut~ at the very end. It’s nothing graphic, but it’s there!

Remus had fucking had it. Cornering him, pulling apart his shoulder, and blackmailing him for four years was one thing. Targeting Leo Knut and wrapping him around his own goal posts for the crime of being better was another.

He saw the hit coming two seconds too late—by the time the collision happened and the stadium erupted, his eyes were set on Greyback and his vision went redder than blood.

He grabbed Greyback—no, Fenrir, he didn’t get the dignity of the name on his jersey—and hauled him off Leo, his right arm already in motion. His ungloved fist collided with the side of Fenrir’s face and he hit the ice hard. Remus went down with him.

One.

Leo in the PT room, shyly showing his rainbow bracelet.

Two.

The feeling of the mats digging into his cheek as pain exploded in his shoulder, too afraid to do anything but silently cry while Fenrir hissed in his ear.

Three.

Leo’s laugh over dinner with the cubs when Logan and Finn each pressed a kiss to his cheek at the same time.

Four.

You don’t get to have that.

Five.

You don’t get to have me.

Six—strong arms wrapping around his chest from behind, a voice shouting in his ear. “Don’t fucking touch my goalie,” Remus snarled deep in his throat, keeping his fingers locked in Fenrir’s jersey.

“Let go, Remus! You have to let him go!”

“If you even breathe on any of them again I swear to God—”

“Remus! Sweetheart, that’s enough!”

Sirius. Remus’ knees came off the ice and he released his hold instinctively as Sirius lifted him off Fenrir and practically dragged him to the boards. He was vaguely aware of spitting more low threats as Fenrir scrambled to his feet and stumbled to his own side, where the refs were waiting.

“—to breathe, Remus, take a deep breath.” Sirius’ voice shook slightly as Remus fought against his grip.

“Get off me, I’m not done with him yet.” He hardly recognized his own tone. He never spoke to Sirius like that.

“Yes, you are. Leo’s going to be fine and Greyback’s going to get kicked out. You need to stop before you do, too.” Sirius was unflinching, speaking in a low murmur that rumbled against Remus’ back through his pads. He sagged, feeling the fight leave him in a slow rush while adrenaline lit him up from the inside.

"Leo—Leo, he was around the goal post—”

“They took him off on a stretcher. The game’s over, we won, he’s going to be okay. He was talking to the medics last I saw.”

Remus felt his knees wobble in relief. Talking was good. Talking meant Leo could breathe and understand what was happening. No brain damage. Likely no breaks. Probable bruising around his ribs and the soft tissue if Remus remembered his textbooks right. “Finn and Logan?”

“Waiting for news.”

“Lupin!” Coach Weasley walked over—when had they entered the bench?—and Remus could hear the fury in his voice. “What the hell were you doing out there?”

“Sorry, Coach,” Remus panted. Sirius released him slowly but kept an arm around his waist and one hand on his chest as he forced himself to make eye contact with the coach. “Wasn’t thinking.”

The rage reddening his freckled cheeks faded into concern and he frowned. Remus wondered what could possibly make the great Arthur Weasley look at him like that. He didn’t remember Fenrir getting any hits in. “Alright, Lupin, why don’t you head back into the locker room for a bit. Black, make sure he’s okay.”

Sirius led him past the team and into the tunnel in a blur of motion, ignoring any and all questions. “I’m okay,” Remus said, weakly pushing at his hands. “Sirius, I’m—”

His legs gave out and he crumpled against the tunnel wall with a choked noise. The adrenaline vanished so fast his head spun and he squeezed his eyes shut; his hands shook too hard to properly grab anything, so he braced them on the wall and prayed he would pass out soon.

“Bad,” was all he managed to say. “Bad, this feels bad, oh my god I hit him.”

“You did.”

“Sirius, I hit him. I’m not scared of him, I’m just so angry.”

“I think you’re a lot of things right now, honey, so just open your eyes.” It took a couple tries, but he finally blinked and Sirius came into focus, kneeling in front of him and holding on to his upper arms. “You’re in the tunnel and it’s just us here.”

“Fuck, there is so much happening right now. I can’t stop shaking.” Remus was coming apart at the seams. He was terrified for Leo and the fact the he couldn’t remember getting to the tunnel. He was burning with rage at Fenrir. He was panicking over the fight and somehow so breathlessly relieved. Fenrir Greyback couldn’t touch him anymore and now he knew the consequences of coming after Remus’ team.

Sirius began slowly rubbing up and down his arms and his skin tingled as feeling returned to his hands. His knuckles stung. “Take your time, you’re okay now.”

“Why do I feel like this?” he gasped, frantically grabbing at Sirius’ elbows for support. Every breath raked his throat.

“That’s a lot of trauma to work through in a very short period of time.”

“It is, it really is,” Remus laughed, leaning his head back against the cold concrete wall. His laughter quickly transformed into huge, hiccupping sobs that tumbled over each other as Sirius gathered him into his arms and made soft noises of comfort. “I hate him and I feel so much better.”

The world faded for a while after that. Remus didn’t know how long they stayed locked together; once, he thought he heard someone else talking, but Sirius’ embrace never faltered for an instant as he let every bottled emotion flood out. They went straight to the car after that, not bothering with the locker room or anyone who might still be lingering, and Remus rested his pounding forehead against the cool glass all the way home.

Doors opened, keys entered locks, a dog licked his hand, and then they were in their bedroom. It was unchanged since that morning, even though the rest of the world had tilted on its axis. Remus’ fingers trembled as he undid clasps and buckles, but Sirius’ were steady, and they were down to their skin in record time.

The heat of the water brought Remus back into himself a bit. It scorched away the sweat that had built up from playing, fighting, and the fear-induced adrenaline that had been keeping him going for hours now. He closed his eyes and let the warmth soak into his bones until a hand smoothed down his back. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah, it’s good.”

“…are you okay?”

Remus paused for a moment as Sirius washed his back and shoulders. “I think so? I feel lighter. I don’t know yet. Did I scare you?”

Sirius laughed a little behind him, clearly surprised. “What?”

“Your voice was shaking when you pulled me away. I was worried.”

“You scared me a little, yeah, mostly because you didn’t seem like you.” Sirius moved on to his neck and Remus sighed at the feeling. “You were fighting me like I was going to hurt you, and then in the tunnel you just kind of dropped. I was expecting something to happen once the adrenaline wore off, but it was really fast.”

“It felt fast. Oh, that’s nice.” Remus leaned into Sirius’ palm as it ran through his hair. This closeness was wonderful, soft and warm against the cold hard ice of the game. He could live in it forever. He turned around and cradled Sirius’ face between his hands, looking into his silver eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Remus rested their foreheads together and Sirius’ hands ran down his arms, leaving a trail of honey lavender in their wake. “Are you using my soap?”

“You always complain about mine.”

“It does have an intense smell,” he admitted. It wasn’t his fault Irish Spring smelled like toothpaste on steroids, though. “You make it work.”

“Thanks?”

Remus laughed, then placed a kiss to Sirius’ nose.

One.

Hidden glances across locker rooms and ice rinks and dinner tables.

Two. His left cheekbone.

Pre-game kisses on the bench.

Three. His right cheekbone.

Spine-melting nights in tangled sheets, both gasping at the closeness and the all-consuming love.

Four. His jawline.

Walking hand in hand, Sirius still snickering at a bad pun as Remus swung their arms casually.

Five. His lips.

Long and slow, water coming down around them as the world righted itself. Sirius’ hands on his hips without anything but contact on his mind. Remus’ arms resting lazily over his shoulders, silently thanking him for being there.

“Are you ready to go to bed?”

“I’m not tired yet.”

Sirius smiled against his lips and squeezed his hipbones lightly. “Okay.”

They only bothered with a towel to get the majority of the moisture off their bodies and away from the sheets—Sirius shook his head like a wet dog and Remus laughed as the droplets hit him in the face. His dark hair lifted up at the ends as he guided Remus to the mattress, interlocking their fingers and pressing their hands down above his head before kissing the breath from his lungs.

Remus arched up, pushing their hips together in a slow roll that made Sirius’ abdomen jolt against his own. Sirius released his hands only to wrap a palm around them both and slowly tug; Remus’ head fell back into the pillows and he hitched one leg around Sirius’ waist on reflex. He wound his fingers in those ink-black curls as a hot mouth attached to his pulse point and bit down gently before soothing it with a slow lick down to his collarbone.

He whined as Sirius left a hickey in the hollow of his throat and moved back upward to pepper kisses everywhere but his lips. Sirius’ other hand was a constant pressure around him, pulling and sliding until Remus felt a familiar buzz spread all the way to his toes. “Baby—Sirius—Sirius, please—”

The bed disappeared. The world disappeared. Remus’ hands tightened in Sirius’ hair as he shook apart with a series of short gasps, melting into the heat that surrounded him. Distantly, he knew he was babbling some string of “I love you” and “fuck”, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

When he came down from the high, he was more exhausted than he had ever been in his life. The fog of terror and fear from earlier had long since dissipated, and the euphoria of being pressed and pulled until he fell to pieces left him sated. He felt more like himself than he had in over a week.

“You with me?” Sirius asked, his lips in the divot of Remus’ shoulder.

He smiled. “Yeah, I am.”

[the-nysh]

AHHHH! Just got back from finally seeing Heroes Rising! 8D Oh man, that was definitely a big-screened flashy action movie to experience, with great class cohesion and teamwork, and especially with Deku and Kacchan as the stars. Going in, I already knew what was going to happen (couldn’t resist spoiling myself silly), but it still had me chuckling along to all the fun nods/refs to things and grinning like a huge idiot by the end of it. :D More details and extended impressions as follows:

It really gets me that nowadays we can just…waltz into a theater and watch subbed anime movie screenings (which was the version I saw) alongside other current films. :O That’s just amazing to me. Cause gosh, back in the day, that was either completely unheard of, or you had to drive 100miles to a fancy arthouse theater just to see dubbed releases of -only- Miyazaki movies (with month-long reserved/ordered tickets). This is so much preferable now (it’s a very good thing!), and I certainly hope this trend for more accessible anime content continues!

Anyway, saw the movie with family: sister (only watches the anime) and mom (never seen any bnha, but wanted to be included anyway~) At first we had the entire theater to ourselves at a 9:45pm showing, until like 5 min before, then several other groups came in. (So hhhh ;o; had to refrain from making any loud reactions/commentary otherwise.)  

Some of the best comments from my mom were how she kept leaning over to me and asking where the ‘guy with the wings’ (Hawks) was. X’D This is great and hilarious to me. He only showed up a few times to investigate the villains, figure out what’s wrong, and fly over with pending professional help to the island. So to my mom, it was a matter of ‘when will he come to save the kids!?’ Aha nice. His Japanese voice was deeper than expected, but I could still hear the Mumen Rider (opm) inflections from his voice actor. :D Definitely excited to see more of him formally animated in the series. Later, my mom also commented how the villain (Nine) was good-looking, buaha! (I mean hey, Shiggy was there too! 8D) I’d given her a crash-course on bnha lore before the movie, so it’s amusing to me how these were some of her unique takeaways. She also felt how after Deku told the kids ‘you can be a hero,’ that they already were cause they demonstrated that same bravery. :’)

For my sister, by the end she was like, ‘they should have just done fusion!’ Noting how Deku and Kacchan already went with the dbz looks, so heh why not. :P She noted how odd it was that Kacchan could use OfA immediately (when it took Deku several hours to…digest the hair before it could set in), so I had to clarify it was transferred by blood this time. She also wondered how Deku could gain even greater power with OfA after transferring it, and welp it’s mostly movie magic so whatever, but I could not resist flat-out saying, ‘BECAUSE THEY SOUL-BONDED~’ (And that’s as far as I was openly willing to push it with the bkdk agenda, guahaha.) Lingering convos included stuff about OfA mechanics (more odd inconsistencies with the vestiges somehow willing it back) and me mentioning Hori’s original idea to end the series with, all that good stuff. But most of all, to even have the movie tie back into the main (manga) storyline cleanly somehow, these types of explanations/solutions to things had to be done anyway, so it’s honestly another whatever/no big; it works as a self-contained flashy movie. (And honestly not as bad as some impressions made it seem; instead, how certain things wrapped up here felt negligible to me.)

As for ME, woohoo oh I definitely liked it and had a fun time! :D I didn’t know if I’d get the chance to see it in theaters (schedule conflicts) but ayyy I felt it was worth it! Immediately from the intro car-chase with Endeavor (yooo), it was all high-budget, quality action movie stuff. The two kids were endearing with active roles which I appreciated. I was also greatly impressed by how cohesive and responsible all the classmates were. You could just tell how closely they knew each other (and their quirks) and could work efficiently as a well-oiled unit when disaster strikes. Evacuating and providing for the islanders and coming up with elaborate battle plans, and all without any adult heroes present. :O Each had their moment to shine, with some very cool class combo moves too. Favs were Uraraka and Sero’s boulder throwing spam, and Kiri bodily shielding Todo from a hugeass high-beam laser like in Evangelion (YOOOOO?!?! that was cool!) Dark Shadow with wolverine claws was pretty sweet too.  

Of course, personal favs were the Kacchan (+Deku) moments. Deku was a good babey throughout but…but KACCHAN. ;A; Featuring the shades of Kacchan I love to see. :’D (Also Denki said a line like, ‘Kacchan of the Bakugous’ buahaha wtf!) When he’s silently observant (listening to Deku talk to the kid about their hero dreams, to the point his popsicle melts off ;o;), intensely serious (making it very clear to the kids he’s for real about efficiently working as a hero after they mess around/cry wolf with him), gruffly supportive (encouraging Deku in his own way to ‘make it his own’ asap :’3) and…he’s still got his signature short fuse temper of course (that explodes in comical ways, heh even my mom laughed at him) plus the awesome moments when he frees himself from a villain then promptly beats his ass. 8D But…I personally loved the smaller, but very telling, protective moments. Like when the girl signaled Deku was in trouble, Kacchan was immediately RIGHT THERE to blast Nine in the face (omgg), how he caught/saved the girl when she went flying (while Deku was on the attack instead), AND my fav: how when they were both fighting Nine, Deku got distracted worrying about the other classmates fighting elsewhere, but Kacchan kicked him out of the way from getting hurt by lasers (so ahhh!! he’s actively looking out for Deku and staying on top of things so they both keep their heads in the game. :’D) Just MANY good Kacchan moments to appreciate. <3

AND then the big bkdk handhold, OfA transfer, epic + emotional team up. (Ever since the first previews/impressions, I’m still stunned they actually did all that on the big screen!) At this point I was internally squealing and had the dumbest grin on my face but didn’t even care. 8’D I WAS READY! Nakamura’s animation was like…byuuujjgghh *brain turns off* Honestly it was hard to even SEE what was happening on screen besides huge swathes of molten heat and green electricity flying everywhere, totally and awesomely over the top. Ahaha definitely worth seeing again just for that! I got feels for the ‘it’s fine if it’s you’ line :’))), and in the aftermath, loved it when Deku’s first thought upon regaining consciousness was to ask All Might if Kacchan’s ok. (omggg heh, Deku pls! :’D)

Overall, the movie had a simple, straightforward storyline to follow, fantastic action and teamwork to enjoy, and plenty of tidbits and character moments for current fans to heartily eat up. No question about the Kacchan and bkdk service as well. Left me feeling very giddy as a fan and glad I was able to catch it in theaters. Now I can’t wait to see when gifsets of all those fun moments get made!

[hazyheel]

Monday Night Raw 4/8/19 Review

We started the night with our new Universal Champion, Seth Rollins, who got just about the loudest burn it down I’ve ever heard. He was showered with you deserve it chants, answering that the WWE in general deserves it. Rollins said that he feels like crap today from the beatdown. He referenced his low blow as questionable tactics, but said that Lesnar would’ve done the same. But then Kofi Kingston and the new Day came out. They all joked around for a while, until Kofi challenged Rollins to a winner take all match tonight. Seth accepted, and the match was booked for the main event.

Grade: B. A simple promo segment, and everyone in it had good chemistry and were quite funny. And it was an exciting main event to book, especially right after Wrestlemania.

Then we had a Raw Tag Team Championship match, a repeat from Wrestlemania, Zack Ryder and Kurt Hawkins vs. The Revival. It was similar to their match on the pre show, even with Hawkins feigning a leg injury to grab a roll up for a near fall. The Revival continued their hard hitting strategy, even hitting a sort of knee drop and burning hammer combo for a near fall. In the finish, Hawkins got a blind tag, and the Revival nailed Ryder with a shatter machine, only for Hawkins to roll up Dawson for the win once again.

Grade: C-. The commercial break really hurt this match, as it immensly disrupted the flow of the match. Without the fun idea of Hawkins getting his first win, this match suffered, especially for its lack of time. These teams can put on a good match, but not with this little time. Love Ryder and Hawkins, and I hope that they end up as good champions.

Baron Corbin was out next for a promo about his match with Angle last night. He basically dueled with the crowd through the entire promo, before saying that he deserved a medal. Kurt Angle then came out, kinda ruining the fact that I cried at his retirement last night. Angle acted like he was gonna wish him luck, but quickly hit an angle slam, locked in an ankle lock, to a huge pop. However, Lars Sullivan then finally made his debut, hitting Angle with the freak accident in an awesome debut.

Grade: B-. I was a lot more critical of this segment until Lars Sullivan came out. I was into that debut, we got Angle to put over two up and comers as he left

Now I don’t know what happened to set up this match, other than the vague idea that Alexa Bliss made fun of Bayley for losing last night, but the two had an interesting match. Bayley showed a much more vicious side, attempting to cheat at one point and also nailed a sunset flip powerbomb into the corner. However, Bliss quickly won with a DDT.

Grade: B-. Pretty good match, nothing more to say about that.

Next up, Becky Lynch came out to address her win from last night, looking very happy with her two belts. She received you deserve it chants. She couldn’t even get a word in as the crowd drowned her out with various cheers. She said that she will always find a way to win, no matter what the odds are, prompting “your the man,” from the crowd. She said that she would take down any challengers that came for her, prompting a Lacey Evans to do a catwalk. Except this time, she took a look at Lynch’s belts. Evans then finally did a wrestle, hitting her straight in the face, before the two brawl. It was a wild fight up the ramp, with Lynch coming out on top, probably because Evans was fighting in heels and a dress. 

Grade: B+. This was going to get a worse grade if it had just been the promo, because Lynch’s scripting has gone downhill since she was actually written as a face. But Lacey’s attack was actually great, and the brawl was very very fun. I am into Evans being the next challenger for the belts, whatever capacity that may be in. Hell, if they are willing to slow burn this, then Lacy could even beat Lynch for them. As along as they build her up first.

Backstage, Charly asked Rollins why he accepted the champion vs. champion challenge. Rollins said that while he is into the challenge, it was disrespectful for Kofi to invade Raw like that. This is his show, and he will defend its honor. He then said that B+ wouldn’t get the job done, so Kingston has to bring his A game. Awesome promo.

Then we had a tag match, Ricochet and Aleister Black vs. Bobby Roode and Chad Gable. Unfortunately, Black’s bored thing that picks him up didn’t work, but he waited for a good music cue to actually stand. The teams had a fast paced match, with each team understanding their rolls very well. While the teams clearly weren’t attempting to have a classic in the ring, they still did quite well. The fans were very hot for this match as well. Towards the end of the match, Gable bent the rules a bit as the ref was distracted and he pushed Ricochet off the top rope in an odd heel move. Roode and Gable then hit the moonsualt neckbreaker combo, before Black broke it up. Roode and Black fought outside the ring as Ricochet nailed a codebreaker for the win. It seemed like that would be in, but Roode landed a cheapshot to Ricochet. Seems like that was a heel turn, or possibly just teasing it for later on.

Grade: B-. Good match, but a very odd finish. I get having Black and Ricochet win, but when Roode and Gable attacked, I got confused. Black and Ricochet attacked the Revival after their matches all the time, but got no booing. So is that a heel move, or isn’t it? Just odd. Very good match though.

Backstage, Elias played guitar in a dressing room, before addressing the crowd about Cena’s burial last night. He said that he has a musical number for the night, which is fun. But he said that he would murder anyone who tried to interrupt him. I’m exaggerating, but if I got interrupted as much as him, then I’d probably kill someone too. After a commercial break, there was the weirdest promo for a debut ever, with a small bird thing in a box either laughing or coughing or some combination of both. The only thing I think it could be is the Gobbledegooker’s kid or something. I have no clue.

Then, Dean Ambrose had his final WWE match. It was him against Bobby Lashley, who said that he would take care of Renee while Ambrose was gone. Ambrose then attacked him all over ringside, even hitting a Dirty Deeds on the stage. He then destroyed the announce table, without even looking at Renee so that was weird. He then ate a spear from Lashley before being thrown through the table. Renee sat at his side while doctors ran over. The crowd chanted thank you ambrose, as he lie in pain. 

Grade: C-. Underwhelming segment, but they have been burying the guy for months, so I understand. But I liked having Renee actually involved in a story. Fun times, and I wish Ambrose the best in his career. Wherever you go, ROH, AEW, CZW or elsewhere, you will always be special in our hearts. Thank you Dean, hope to see you or Jon Moxley soon.

Mojo Rawley continued his weird promos, now with odd blue veins coming from his eye. Don’t know what that is about, but I don’t really care.

Out came Sami Zayn, returning from injury and immediately tripped. It was endearing. I love him, glad to see him get a face reaction upon his return. They even did the Ole chants, which was a fun throwback. He cut a promo, just being happy and so fun. I was smiling ear to ear. I really really like face Sami. Sami asked for a match, and new Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor responded. He made this a title match, and the crowd was thrilled to hear that. In the match, Zayn was not taking the match too seriously, but he did get some good offense in. As the match wore on, Zayn began to take the match more and more seriously, hitting some pretty violent strikes while Balor was in the ropes. Finn nearly hit Coup de Gras, but Zayn dodged and got a rollup. He hit the exploder suplex into the corner, but missed the helluva kick and ate a coup de gras in his return. After the match, Zayn soaked up some applause, and cut another promo. He was pretty gassed, and he made a very odd heel turn. He ripped into the crowd, saying that they made the WWE toxic. He then said that we only get enjoyment out of being critics, which felt oddly personal. It was really weird to be called out for being too judgmental as I reviewed his heel turn. But anyway, he took shots a the crowd, and told everyone to go to hell.

Grade: B. Pretty good match. Loved to see Sami back in the ring, and even though he lost, I am sure he will get back on track sooner rather than later. I am looking forward to seeing what they do with him in the coming weeks, and I hope that he wins a belt. Although, I think that he should be a babyface before he gets it. He is a much better face, and I was bummed when he turned heel. And he hurt my feelings, so that sucked :(. Leave me alone, Sami. Let me wallow in my self pity, and judge you for being a asshole without any repercussions. I hide behind a keyboard for a reason, dick. It’s because I am scared of the truth that I don’t have any real talent. This grade got away from me a bit. Good match, upsetting turn.

Backstage, a new interviewer named Sarah talked to Dana Brooke, who said that she was in the running to fight Becky, sooner rather than later. Very clunky promo, but I love her so it is okay.

Then Elias’ concert, where he immediately fired back at John Cena, saying that he is garbage and riding Elias’ coattails. He then tried to rap, which was funny. He was very bland when delivering not great lines, and it was enjoyable. He then said that he would kill anyone who interrupted him, and Undertaker came out! This was a surprise, I assumed that he had retired for good this time. But he got a big pop. Elias tried to stand up to the deadman. but he got beat up with a chokeslam and tombstone.

Grade: B-. I have softened on these types of segments happening to Elias, because his role is not one that can really be damaged with losses. He will eventually get a midcard title, and getting beat up by the Undertaker isn’t going to hurt that. And it was fun to see him again.

And in the main event, Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston faced off in a winner take all match. The two squared off with various holds and armbars and such, just feeling each other out in the beginning. After coming back from commercial, the two champions began heavy chops against one another. At one point, Kofi had thrown Rollins off the top rope to the outside, and was about to go for some sort of flying move, but the Bar attacked instead. So, the match changed to a tag match, and I was much less excited. So was the crowd, who chanted bullshit. The Bar destroyed both champions, beating them down until Kingston got the hot tag. The Bar still got a lot of offense in, but Kingston and Rollins stood tall after a Curb stomp to Cesaro.

Grade: C+. This match was supposed to be epic, but quickly became just another tag match. So it begs the question, why advertise the first match? Just book this one and be done with it. If you don’t get our hopes up, we won’t boo as much. 

Overall Grade: C+. Even though there was nothing particularly terrible, there wasn’t a lot of surprises for a post mania raw. So that makes it suffer a bit.

Pros: Lars Sullivan Debut; Lacey Evans finally did something; Black and Ricochet vs. Roode and Gable; Sami Zayn return; Undertaker beatdown

Cons: Sami Zayn heel turn; straight up lied about the main event; underwhelming matches; 

And before I stop the review, I am going to give one last goodbye to Dean Ambrose. You will be missed.

[thethursdaythree-blog]

March 30, 2017 • For the Birds

There's a good chance I'll run into something. If I don't run into something, I'll probably trip and fall. I've been lucky so far.

It all started two Saturdays ago when I woke up before the sun, rolled out of bed, grabbed my rain jacket, laced up my Bean Boots, and drove to the parking lot of the Wild Bird Center in Chapel Hill. I pulled in – legitimately surprised that people actually did this – turned off the engine and stepped out of the car.

"Hi, I'm Brent," I offered. "I'm here for the bird walk. I've never done this before. Am I in the right place?"

One-by-one, the others gathered in that parking lot greeted me – each of us standing in a steady mist.

"I'm Tom." "Tommy." "Verne."

"It's nice to meet you." I was in the right place.

From there, the nine of us set off for Mason Farm Biological Reserve – a 367-acre plot of forests and fields home to birds and trees and bugs and all kinds of wildlife. We spent nearly four hours that morning walking a total of three miles – stopping every few minutes to listen and wait and watch. We'd take a few steps. Pause. Look around. Take a few more steps. Someone would hear something and point, and everyone else would simultaneously raise the binoculars to our faces and focus (in a super cool way) to try to spot the birds.

It was cold and rainy… and exhilarating. I know. It sounds ridiculous. And as I've shared with "friends" that I went on a bird walk, the responses have been hilarious:

"Are you fifty?" "Where's your stamp collection, Grandpa?" "There's no way that's cool."

But I'm hooked. I've signed up for two more bird walks already. (Let me know if you want to come.) I've upgraded my binoculars, too, and purchased a field guide that stays in my man satchel.

And I'm constantly walking around now with my eyes upward, moving from tree to tree, trying to catch a glimpse of a bird I've never seen before. That's why there's a good chance I'll run into something.

That day, we saw over forty species of birds. Thrashers and woodpeckers and pine warblers. I left my phone at home. (Unintentionally, but still.) And I was caught up in my new friends' excitement about seeing something rare. I was in awe of their ability to identify a bird from afar based simply on its song or how it was flying. Mostly, I was glad to be doing something that didn't involve staring at a screen.

As I've geeked out over the last week-and-a-half, I've experienced the joy of being able to name things around me that, until recently, had been hidden in plain sight. This amateur birder can now pick out a mockingbird call, tell the difference between a crow and a grackle, and never knew how many cardinals there were in his neighborhood (which is annoying for this Cubs fan). I've started to notice how rare it is to walk outside and not hear a bird singing. It's literally a whole new world.

So this week's Thursday Three is for the birds.

"The Tweetest Thing" – a 22-second sketch by Jennifer Moxley

+ Bird Man

I read this piece from Longreads about two weeks before I signed up for my first bird walk. Eva Holland tells the story of Noah Strycker who got into birding as a teenager. In 2015, he traveled the globe to set a world record, identifying over 6,000 species of birds in 365 days. The article is good for that story alone, but the author also describes how for so many, bird watching "satisfies a 'bone-deep, soul-deep need to classify and organize the world around us.'"

The term umwelt comes from the German word meaning, roughly, "environment" or "surroundings." But in this context it refers to a given species' way of perceiving the world around it: dogs organize their world by smell, bees by ultraviolet light, and so on. Carol Kaesuk Yoon, a biologist, proposed in her 2009 book, Naming Nature, that we humans, in turn, navigate through and organize our world via a system of ordering and classification of other natural beings, and that this system is remarkably consistent across history, languages, cultures, ecosystems, and societies. Our umwelt is "our shared human vision of life."

To categorize our world is to know our world. And – for better or worse – it's part of what it means to be human. We eat, sleep, breathe, and put things into categories.

Click here to enjoy this article from Longreads.

+ Invisibilia: Outside In

Last year's season finale of the _Invisibilia_ podcast featured an episode called "Outside In." The episode detailed stories of transformation by people who took on something and hoped it stuck – sort of a "fake it 'til you make it" approach. For instance, one of the stories describes how an ordinary guy fakes being a celebrity and is mobbed by "fans" who have no idea who he is.

But the story that caught my ear came near the end of the episode. The hosts interview Jim Verhagen who runs the blog, _Readings from the Northside_. Jim set out to spend more time in nature with the hope of experiencing transformation. So he went to the Jersey Shore to watch the birds. But that's where it gets a little weird. Jim would take pictures of the birds (normal) and then start making up stories about them (what?). He gave them names and personalities – Mac Daddy, Mr. Handbersome, Jack, Tufters – and then wrote about them and their "drama" on his blog. From the transcript:

This is not your average isn't Mother Earth amazing - photography blog. No, what Jim does is essentially create the TMZ or Perez Hilton version of a nature blog because alongside shockingly clear and intimate shots of Mac Daddy and the other animals on the beach, Jim is writing these really kind of gossipy reports.

The blog explodes. And the way Jim is transformed is surprising and real.

See, when you see it in animals, when you see the kind of constant anxiety as we'd describe it that they have to live with, you realize that it's natural, that that's - that that state of constantly being kind of alert and a little concerned and watching your back…

Is my wife going to wind up falling out love with me? Am I going to lose this big customer? Constantly putting out fires. That's actually the natural state for a lot of animals. And so in a way it is for us.

Observing these creatures and making up these ridiculous stories helped Jim find a semblance of peace with his own stuff. It helped him find some comfort in his own skin. Click here to listen to the episode. Click here to read the transcript. Click here to visit Jim's blog.

+ Such Singing in the Wild Branches

For your soul's comfort, Mary Oliver's poem, "Such Singing in the Wild Branches," rounds out this week's Thursday Three. May it leave you listening – wondering – "is it spring? Is it morning?"

It was spring and finally I heard him among the first leaves— then I saw him clutching the limb

in an island of shade with his red-brown feathers all trim and neat for the new year. First, I stood still

and thought of nothing. Then I began to listen. Then I was filled with gladness— and that's when it happened,

when I seemed to float, to be, myself, a wing or a tree— and I began to understand what the bird was saying,

and the sands in the glass stopped for a pure white moment while gravity sprinkled upward

like rain, rising, and in fact it became difficult to tell just what it was that was singing— it was the thrush for sure, but it seemed

not a single thrush, but himself, and all his brothers, and also the trees around them, as well as the gliding, long-tailed clouds in the perfectly blue sky— all, all of them

were singing. And, of course, yes, so it seemed, so was I. Such soft and solemn and perfect music doesn't last

for more than a few moments. It's one of those magical places wise people like to talk about. One of the things they say about it, that is true,

is that, once you've been there, you're there forever. Listen, everyone has a chance. Is it spring, is it morning?

Are there trees near you, and does your own soul need comforting? Quick, then— open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song may already be drifting away.

As always, thanks for reading and subscribing to the Thursday Three. I'm grateful you make this email a part of your weekly rhythm. If you dig it, I'd love if you'd tell your friends. Perhaps you'll consider forwarding it to your friends or using the share and tweet buttons below. And I'm always open to feedback, suggestions, or friendly correspondence. Just hit reply and write something. You know where to find me. Until next Thursday, find some birds.

Peace,

Brent