#you have a guy named Bird Hunter on your Bird Team and you get rid of him. what the fuck

[tkachukisms]

THE DUCKS TRADED THEIR GUY NAMED FOWLER? dude this is why that place sucks

[ive-got-99-problems]

In The Woods (Rocket x OC)

Max, the hunters, and the characters in the town, the rest belong to Marvel! <3

The art is also done by me.

------ Chapter 3, Into Town ------ Rocket grunted as he hopped onto the passenger seat of the old beaten up truck Max owned. He sat down with a sigh and pulled the door shut with a clang, jumping when Max tossed her backpack down at his feet.

"Hey, watch it," Rocket snapped as he lifted up his feet.

"Sorry," Max smiled before starting up the truck, the engine roaring to life as she put it into gear.

Rocket looked out the window as the trees started to pass by slowly, Max's cabin becoming smaller and smaller the farther they got.

"So you sure the humans will be alright with me just walkin around?" Rocket questioned as he looked up at her and scratched his throat.

Max sucked on her teeth, "Yeah, I was meaning to talk to you about that."

"Oh boy," Rocket mumbled as he turned to look out the window, the river that sat next to Max's cabin still following close by their side.

"There's a high chance that the guys who chased you will be in town, hunters like them always like to hang around the bars and strip clubs. Not to mention you're a walking and talking raccoon so everyone will be trying to talk to you and shit. So I was thinking that you can either stay in the truck or you can just chill in my backpack while I shop."

Rocket raised a brow, "You're serious?"

"Yeah, sorry dude."

He sighed, "So much for stretching my legs."

"You can always walk on all fours," she smirked.

"Hell no, ain't no way I'm doin that," he snapped, "So if I play stupid I'd be allowed in the shop?"

She nodded, "This is a tiny ass town in the country, Rocket, people here aren't as picky when it comes to animals in stores. Hell, the one day I saw a guy carrying his skunk around in his cart."

"What's a skunk?"

Max glanced over at him with a confused you, "You don't know what a skunk is, how?"

"Look, kid, I've been on this planet for about a year now and most of that year I've spent at the Avengers base. The only animal I know about is raccoons, dogs, and birds."

Max slammed on the breaks causing Rocket to hit the dashboard.

"Ow, what the hell-"

"You've been to the Avengers base!?" Max questioned, her eyes wide with shock.

Rocket grunted as he rubbed his head, wincing as he touched it, "Yeah, why does that-"

"You've met people like Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers-"

"Yeah, yeah, I've met all those idiots," Rocket grumbled as he waved his hand, "Don't see why they're so important."

"Wha-" Max shook her head in shock, "They saved the Earth from an alien invasion! They stopped a robot from taking over the world! How do you not find that important!?"

Rocket just scoffed, "Kid, my team and I saved the galaxy twice, saving one tiny little planet isn't a big deal."

"Saved the galaxy, how, from who!?"

"Oh, Jesus, just keep driving, I'll tell you about it later."

Max sighed and reluctantly started driving again.

Rocket crossed his arms and looked up at her after a moment of silence, "So, what's a skunk."

"Oh, right," Max said, her eyes glued to the road, "Um, a skunk is a fluffy animal that's black with a white stripe down the middle. They have this defense mechanism that when they're scared or trying to ward off predators they'll aim their butt at them and spray this nasty smell. My dog would always get sprayed by them, we had to stock up on tomato juice all the time."

"And why would someone keep that as a pet?"

She shrugged, "Because some people find them cute when they tame skunks they usually de-spray them."

"How?"

"Not sure, I've never been a skunk person."

Rocket scoffed, "Don't see why anyone would be, what was with the tomato juice?"

"That's how you get rid of the smell, normal shampoo doesn't work. We nicknamed our dog Tomato because of it, every time he saw a skunk he had to chase them, never learned his lesson."

"Uh-huh, and where's the dog now?"

"Don't know, disappeared the same day my dad did. I heard that both animals and people disappeared, pet owners would come home and there would just be a pile of ash on the floor. I think that may have happened to him."

Rocket looked at her, his one brow raised, so she could accept her dog being snapped out existence, but not her dad? Rocket found that to be a little odd but then again he thought all humans were odd so he may have just been biased.

"You shouldn't have to take any of your clothes off," Max said, "I can just tell people that you're a good boy and like dress up," she said with a grin.

Rocket winced, "Never call me that again."

Max turned her gaze to him, a devious smirk crossing her lips, "What, good boy? Who's my little good boy?" Max cooed in baby talk as she reached over and tried to rub his head.

"Stop it, don't make me bite you!" Rocket yelped as he pressed himself against the door, pushing her hand away. "Now keep your eyes on the road before you get us both killed!"

Max giggled, "I am, relax! I'm just playing around."

Rocket grumbled as he said back down, "Yeah, while drivin, real smart."

Max just grinned as she laid back against the seat, "We'll be there soon, do you want to stay in the truck or come with me?"

Rocket was silent for a moment, fears of those hunters being in the town running rapid in his mind. Maybe it was a bad idea he had come, either way, he'd be in danger. If he stayed in the truck it'd be easy for them to spot him and break in to get him, but if he went with Max they would spot him a lot easier, but then again Max would be the barrier between them and him.

"If you come with me you can pick out your own food," Max said, interrupting Rocket's thought process.

Rocket slowly nodded, "I guess I'll come with you."

-------------------

The truck halted to a stop once Max was satisfied with her parking spot, she leaned over and picked up her backpack, pulling out her wallet before shoving it into her pocket. Rocket's heart beat loudly against his chest, anxiety rising as he thought about the hunters. He watched in a daze as Max dumped out all of the candy wrappers, notebooks, and pencils from the backpack and into the backseat. She sat the backpack down in front of Rocket, she paused when she saw the worried look on his face.

"Rocket, you doing ok?" Max questioned, a look of concern on her face as she held open the backpack, "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"No, no, it's fine,"  Rocket quickly replied.

He slowly climbed into the backpack and made sure he was in a comfortable spot before Max zipped up the backpack up until only his arms, shoulders, and head shown. Max opened the truck door, it squealing as it swung open. Max jumped out of the truck before pulling on the backpack and slamming the door shut. Rocket pulled Max's curls away so he could see over her shoulder. The shop was surprisingly big for such a small town, a few people hung around the outside of the building, some smoking, some talking, and some begging for money.

"A lot of homeless around here," Max said under her breath, "The cities are too chaotic, people are scared and when they're scared, they become violent. Its the rich and the homeless they automatically go after, the homeless because they're easy and the rich, well you know why they'd go after them."

Rocket stayed quiet, he hadn't really thought about what the humans were going through. He mainly focused on his grieving and trying to survive. He heard some of the remaining Avengers discuss the tragedies the humans were facing but most of it went through one ear and out the other.

"Morning Max."

Rocket snapped out of his haze as a women spoke, he turned and saw a woman only a couple of years older than Max behind the counter. She leaned over it as she looked at her phone, not even bothering to look up as Max walked past.

"Hey Lesa, ever get a text back from Jeremy?"

The woman scoffed, "No, jackass refuses to talk to me, runs off if I so much as look at him."

Max smiled before shrugging, "Well there's always the next guy."

She just gave an affirmative grunt, her dull expression becoming shocked as she looked up from her phone and saw Rocket.

"Oh my god, you have a raccoon now?! And look at him, he's wearing a little scarf!" She cooed as she rushed over to Max. "What's his name?"

Max frowned, sensing Rocket's unease, "Oh, it's uh, Rocket, I just found this little guy one day and he seemed tame so I just kept him."

"Aw, he's such a cute little thing!"

Max's eyes widened as she brought her hand towards Rocket, she could hear a faint growl admit from the back of Rocket's throat which caused her to jump back.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lesa," she laughed nervously, "He's a little skittish, probably shouldn't pet him."

Lesa frowned, a look of confusion on her face, "But you just said-"

"Y'know it's getting late, I really need to get my groceries and head out," Max said before quickly grabbing a cart and pushing it down the aisle.

She sighed in relief as she went down the aisle, she could feel Rocket relax, just a little.

"Thanks," he mumbled, catching her off guard, "Didn't want that women's hands anywhere near me."

Max gave a small smile, "No problem, now, what would you like to eat? I usually get things like frozen pizzas, ramen noodles, soup, cereal, and sometimes those microwaved meals."

"Well, I don't really know anything about human food so just get whatever," he replied quietly, not wanting any more unwanted attention.

"Oh, alright, but if you see anything that you'd like to try just let me know. I got a little extra from the fish I caught when I pulled you out of the river so I have a little more to spend."

Rocket remained quiet as they went through aisle to aisle, his eyes roaming over all the food products and taking note of all that Max added to the chart. No one gave them any trouble, some just gave looks and whispers, some would come over and coo about how cute he was, and some just straight out ignored them. The ones that ignored them were Rocket's favorites, it took every bone in his body not to snap at those who stared and tell them to 'fuck off.'

Rocket sighed softly, hoping that Max would be done soon and they could head back to the cabin. That was when he saw a man, it was one of the men from the forest. His heart stopped and he felt like he was about to throw up, Rocket prayed to any god that existed that the man wouldn't see him. He slouched down and pushed Max's hair in front of him, trying to make sure the man didn't see him.

Max felt him move her hair and could feel his small body shaking, "Rocket, what's wrong?" She whispered, turning her head to the side to try and see him.

"We need to leave," he whispered back.

Max looked around the store and saw the man, his beard thick and curly, his hands rough and had dirt under his nails. He held basket that held beer, a small packet of ham, and a pair of pliers with some rope. Max tensed up and her heart nearly stopped when the man noticed her, she quickly looked away and began to push the cart, her heart pounding in her chest.

"That's a cute raccoon you got there."

She winced, "Yeah, uh, thanks."

"Never seen one with a scarf before."

"Yeah, he's one of a kind," she responded with a nervous laugh.

"Oh, I bet, kind of looks familiar. I've never really seen any brown raccoons with a scarf before, well, other then three days ago that is."

"Oh really, well a lot of crazy stuff has been happening lately, maybe there's a whole swarm of brown raccoons with scarves running through the area?"

The man remained quiet as he stared at Rocket, "How'd you come across this little fella?"

"Oh, I've had him for years, had him since he was a baby."

The man nodded, his eyes still locked on Rocket.

Max cleared her throat, turning her body so Rocket would be hidden behind her, "Well, it was very nice to meet you but I need to get going."

She could feel his eyes as she walked off, her body shaking as her heart bashed against her ribcage. She was quick to leave after the encounter, neither her or Rocket saying a word until they got back into the truck. Once in they both let out a sigh of relief, Rocket falling against the seat.

"Fuck, I nearly pissed myself when that dude started talking," Max muttered as she ran her hand through her hair, "You alright?"

He nodded, "I'll be a lot better when we get back to the cabin."

She sighed before putting the keys back into the ignition, "Yeah, me too."

[vulturehound]

Hi, and welcome to SteelChair’s Top 50 Tag Teams of the year. In previous years, we’d given you only the Top 10 teams but tag wrestling has just been so damn good this year, that we had to expand the list by five times (five times, five times, five times, five times). Here, we count down the 50-11 positions, covering the best talent that male and female tag team divisions around the world have to offer. When you’re done here, do check out the Top 10, when it’s live, to see if your favourite made it. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Words by Laura Mauro, Steph Franchomme, Humza Hussain, Tom Mimnagh, Tom Beasley, Joe Raczka, John Dinsdale, Dave Adamson, Bradley Tiernan, Stephen Goodman, and James Truepenny.

From 50 to 26

Click on a pic to open the gallery

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50 – Bea Priestley & Jamie Hayter (STARDOM)

49 – Boys II Men/Crashboat (Pop Punk Kid & Jack Bandicoot) – UK Wrestling

48 – Erick Rowan & Daniel Bryan (WWE)

47 – Cody & Dustin Rhodes (AEW)

46- Diamond Vogue Collective (Jinny & Mercedez Blaze) – EVE

45 – Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) – UK Wrestling

44 – Mei Suruga & Mei Hochizuki (SEAdLINNING)

43- Mercedes Martinez & Cheerleader Melissa (SHIMMER)

42 – Stronghearts (El Lindaman & T-Hawk) OWE/AEW

41 – Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) – NJPW

40 – Yuu & Chihiro Hashimoto (Sendai)

39 – Crazy Lovers (Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto) – BJW / Japan Wrestling

38 – The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) – Impact Wrestling

37 – The Young Guns (Luke Jacobs & Ethan Allen) – Futureshock Wrestling

36 – Bullet Club (El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori) – NJPW

35 – Birds of Prey (Will Ospreay & Robbie Eagles) – NJPW

34 – The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) – ROH

33- Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) – AEW

32 – The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel) – Impact Wrestling

31- The IIconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay) – WWE

30 – Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight) – WWE

29 – More Than Hype (LJ Cleary, Nathan Martin & Darren Kearney) – OTT Wrestling

28 – Club Tropicana (Captain Sexsea & Aidan) – OTT Wrestling

27 – South Wales Subculture (Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster) – NXT UK

26- Tokyo Cyber Squad (Jungle Kyona & Konami) – STARDOM

From 25 to 11

25 – Queen’s Quest (Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita) – STARDOM

One of Stardom’s most dominant stables, Queen’s Quest have been no stranger to championship gold this year. Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita held the Goddess of Stardom Championship until July when they were divested of their gold by Tokyo Cyber Squad. But fear not! With the help of stablemate AZM, Queen’s Quest went on to claim the Artist of Stardom Championship.

24 – The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) – WWE – Were #3 last year

The New Day’s inclusion in the list of best tag teams may partly be due to their tenure, but despite Kofi’s singles run taking up most of New Day’s time in 2019, when called upon, they have continued to deliver in the WWE tag team scene. A perfect example being their great PPV outing with The Revival at Clash of Champions.

23 – Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) – WWE

The booking of the Viking Raiders has been questionable, and that dates back to their debut under the name ‘The Viking Experience’. But since consistently performing on Monday nights, Erik and Ivar have won over the crowd with their unique and breathtaking style (nicknamed “305 Live”), and this was clear for all to see in their fantastic title victory on RAW.

22 – Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) – NXT UK

Zack Gibson has always been one of the best antagonists on the microphone and NXT UK has rewarded the fans in spades! James Drake is a consistently strong performer and has become the perfect wingman to Gibson. Intense in-ring ability, a naturally dislikeable temperament and supreme confidence, Grizzled Young Vets have come to define NXT UK’s tag team division.

21- Woke Queens ( Debbie Keitel & Valkyrie) – EVE

You have to love Debbie Keitel and Valkyrie. Ireland’s enormously entertaining Woke Queens have only been operating as a dedicated duo since the beginning of the year, but they’ve made quite an impression already. Making their Pro Wrestling: EVE debut in June, the popular coffee-chugging, ABBA-loving pair fought off stiff competition to become the second-ever EVE Tag Team Champions.

20 – Santana & Ortiz (Impact Wrestling/AEW)

What is there to say about Santana and Ortiz? The former LAX have done it all in Impact Wrestling. They dominated Impact as a top draw and held the tag titles in several high-class feuds. Now they have branched out into AEW as Proud N Powerful and look set to do it all again going straight for the Young Bucks.

19 – Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) – WWE

It has been a hell of a year for this high-energy duo, who won gold for the first time on the developmental brand before making the step up to the main roster. After several weeks as an enjoyable Greek Chorus on Monday Night RAW, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins have finally got in the ring, where they’re tearing it up.

18 – Anti-Fun Police (Chief Deputy Dunne & Los Federales Santos Jr) – UK Wrestling

Chief Deputy Damien Dunne, Los Federales Santos Jr, James & Leigh Obstruction (aka The Hunter Brothers, a team who could top this list on their own) and Cadet Joe Nelson have upheld the law in 2019 making sure there’s been no fun (aah) while easily stealing shows up and down the UK and Ireland. But never having fun, no fun, nada.

17 – Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) – WWE

The formation of the Kabuki Warriors was rough at best but now they look set to be a dominant force in the Women’s Tag Division. A vicious streak and ignorance of the rules have made them a threat to any woman on any show. They have rid themselves of Paige and are carving their own path of carnage through RAW.

16 – Villain Enterprises (PCO & Brody King)

This somewhat unlikely pairing has become one of the hottest teams in the US Indy scene. Winners of the ROH tag titles, the returning Crockett Cup and the NWA tag titles, Brody King and PCO have gone from strength to strength. And that doesn’t even take into account their success as the ROH 6-man champs along with Marty Scurll.

15 –  Reiwa Ultima Powers (DASH Chisako & Hiroyo Matsumoto)

DASH and Matsumoto are a true force of nature. Between them, Mika Iwata & Chihiro Hashimoto and Medusa Complex, 2019 has seen a resurgence in Sendai Girls’ tag division. The capper to this has been Reiwa Ultimate Powers claiming those Sendai Tag-Team titles. A fitting reward for a team that has pushed the art of tag wrestling like few others.

14 – The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) – WWE

The Top Guys were NXT darlings. They had promo skills, a classic style and the ability to put on excellent matches. Now they can finally do that on the main roster too as they were trusted with Tag Titles and some proper usage. They aren’t quite the joke they had been and should continue to be pushed as top guys.

13 – Best Friends (Chuckie T & Trent?) – AEW

Best Friends, Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor (and sometimes Orange Cassidy), have a friendship so powerful it has encapsulated the love of many AEW fans. Their patented hug alone is a force strong enough to make any hard cam zoom backwards. Whilst they were unable to progress in AEW’s tag team tournament, they have captured many hearts this year.

12 – Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy & Marko Stunt) – AEW

Take Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy, and add Marko Stunt to the equation. It’s divided some AEW fans, yet it works! The wise guardian Luchasaurus is an impressive combination of hard-hitting and high-flying, Jungle Boy with a marketable look and talent to match and Marko Stunt as the annoyingly talented little guy who everyone remembers. Wrestling fans, get on board the Jurassic Express.

11- Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) – NJPW

That Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa perennial IWGP champions and contenders had another banner year. They took the IWGP titles in February and moved on to the ROH/IWGP title match at MSG as double champions. While that may have been an artistic disaster, they’ve been power players ever since. World Tag League will define their 2020.

All pics courtesy of WWE, NJPW, OTT, ICW, Beyond Gorilla, Sendai Pro Wrestling, Stardom, SHIMMER, ROH, NWA, AEW, Grapple Wrestling, Progress Wrestling, EVE, SEAdLINNING, OWE, Machida Pro-Wrestling Festival, Laura Mauro, and Oli Sandler

SteelChair Magazine's Top 50 Tag Teams of The Year 2019 - Part 1