#(PROMO) Glory and power runs through you

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Rick Pidcock at Baptist News Global:

Growing up as an independent fundamentalist Baptist, the highlight of each year for our church was the weeklong revival meeting, where we began each night with songs that prepared our hearts for a sermon by a fiery evangelist who then gave an altar call to get us to commit our lives to the cause. So, imagine if that same formula were applied to the 2024 election by a group of conspiracy theorists who openly admitted their plan was to be a “Trojan Horse” at polling stations in order to “make history this November.”

What might the worship look like? What would the sermon be about? What would the altar call be for? And how concerned should the rest of us be? Unfortunately, we don’t have to imagine because that’s exactly what is happening at The Courage Tour, which is branded as a “revival in seven key states … marking the dawn of our nation’s Third Great Awakening.” The Courage Tour has been organized by Lance Wallnau, an independent charismatic apostle who is popular in the New Apostolic Reformation and a promoter of the Seven Mountain Mandate call for Christians to dominate every part of society. According to Matthew Taylor, author of The Violent Take It By Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy, Wallnau is “Donald Trump’s most effective spiritual propagandist.” In addition to Wallnau, the Courage Tour also features speakers such as Lou Engle, Allen West, Marjorie Taylor Greene and many others. Meetings this year have targeted Michigan, Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin, with additional swing states slated in the coming months.

[...]

The sermon

With hearts prepared to celebrate kingship, resistance to demons, a God who fights, victory and enemies drowning, the worshipers listened to the likes of Wallnau, who took the stage with the power and authority of a traveling evangelist.

The promo video includes clips of speakers saying:

America is under a spirit of delusion.

America has abandoned God.

Women are being used as pawns, which is exactly what the Left does.

We’ve given the keys to our church to the government and said: “Government, you run this church. You make the decisions for me.”

When we vacate the public square and leave that to chance, something fills the void.

When liberty hangs in the balance, and your children, your grandchildren, your nieces and nephews come to you and they say, “Where were you when tyranny knocked on our door,” what are you going to tell them?

What’s it actually going to take? Seriously, what kind of trigger point will cause the church just to come out of this zombie stupor and say: “OK that’s it. I’ve had it”?

The church shouldn’t be in a bunker waiting on the rapture, but it ought to be invading the mountains of influence for the glory of God.

We have to save our nation. We have to save our children.

We don’t have the luxury of disunity.

Fighting for liberty and freedom is difficult. It is hard. Choose your hard.

When the mothers suddenly see and perceive the organized threat against their little boys and their little girls, then they will rise up.

You’ve got a nation to save. You’ve got grandchildren to save.

Remember, those are the comments they were willing to highlight in their promo video. One wonders what may have been said they weren’t willing to highlight.

Common themes include spreading conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 election and the January 6 insurrection. At one of the events, Wallnau said: “January 6 was not an insurrection. It was an election fraud intervention.”

[...]

The ‘Lion of Judah’ election workers

But perhaps the most concerning call to action at the Courage Tour is their recruitment of election workers through Lion of Judah, an organization that assists Christians to register as election workers with a cause. “Just imagine. It’s election night. Chaos is happening. The polls are closing. They go and the volunteers are getting kicked out,” Lion of Judah’s founder Joshua Caleb Standifer told the Courage Tour crowd. “But what if we had Christians across America and swing states like Wisconsin that were actually the ones counting the votes and making sure it was happening?” Lion of Judah is composed of election deniers who say, “What happened in 2020 can never happen again!” This is precisely why they were so popular at the Courage Tour. Taylor noted, “I was present throughout the Courage Tour event on Monday, and it was rife with 2020 election denialism from the stage, in conversations among attendees and in the literature at the booths.”

Rick Pidcock writes for Baptist News that far-right election denial and conspiracy theories linked to Christian nationalism are a big concern, such as The Lion Of Judah outfit whose goal is recruitment of election workers in support of subverting fair elections.

[cosmiccannibalcamille]

Cosmic Weather Forecast: 2024 Leo Season

     Say au revoir to the weepy, shrinking-violet ways of Cancer season and let your inner exhibitionist come out and play. On July 22, the Sun shifts into the feisty, fun and so freaking fabulous fire sign Leo. With this solar shift comes a shift in focus, as Leo Season brings an influx of heat, light, willpower and star-power to the area of your life ruled by the fixed fire sign.  

     Leo season, which runs from July 22 through Aug. 22, is a season of pride, confidence, showmanship and charisma. Leo has a deep need to be seen, appreciated, and applauded by others for its creativity and self-expression. This is why the season is so flashy! It’s also why it can be a time of increased  vanity, arrogance, hot-headedness and force. So, you know, be mindful of that, I guess. 

    Anyway! With the Sun in the Royal sign of the Lion, you want to be not just seen, but also recognized and applauded. Which is why everything done during Leo season is done with purpose and flair. You don’t just go to the beach in a swimsuit during Leo season, you go in a star-studded bikini with gold-plated shades and a leopard print parasol. This is the season to do anything and everything to catch people’s eye and grab their attention. If that means, grinding and gliding on the dance floor in a hot-pink fuchsia bra, panties, and ankle boots SO BE IT. 

    Naturally, this is a great time of the year for self-promotion and purposeful passionate pounces towards your desires. It’s also a wonderful time to pursue your passions with equal parts glam and gusto! (because Leo always looks good while going after what it wants.) So, if you're aiming to be the next social media star or top Substack writer, now’s the time to lay it all out on the line and risk being seen in ALL of your glory. Confidence is in YOUR corner. 

     Just don’t forget to celebrate others! Yes, Leo season urges you, me, and everyone around us to shine and be seen, to sparkle and shine, but it also encourages you, me, and everyone around us to applaud one another. Which makes sense: Kings and Queens always acknowledge the people whom they serve.  

     That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun or do creative things during 2024 Leo season. In fact, Leo is the sign of arts and entertainment. (Don’t believe me? Check out “Leo: the Headliner”, my ebook on the fire sign.) So, why not fuse a little bit of fun and Hollywood starlet energy into your everyday life? Think of your next job interview as a promo for your next TV show; your next date as a much-anticipated cameo, and your next backyard BBQ as a red carpet appearance! Let your hair down! Get creative! Act, sing, dance, and give yourself full permission to SHINE.

Get your FULL Leo Season Forecast on The Cosmic Almanac

[wrestlezon]

aew dynamite 10/26/22 liveblog containment zone

starting late again today (i was taking a nap and one of my friends works late on wednesdays now)

i saw a bit of the moxley vs penta thing earlier! im really excited for that!

i saw an extremely average guy in the crowd and paused to point at him and my friends marveled at my ability to quickly notice and identify the most basic of bitches in my defense he looked like shane from stardew. the pattern recognition part of my brain is always active and running, at all times

[jericho and garcia vs claudio and yuta]

hager embracing his new gimmick as the purple hat guy holy shit william regal LMFAO "melt in me" everyone gawking and excalibur just being like "i told you we're starting off hot guys" claudio special ability: pick up man angelo parker (err-- cool hand ang) cradling and kissing garcia's head?? how tender the guys are fighting we're not particularly invested in this fight so we're talking about other things wait! murder yuta! maximum aggro!! for a second we really thought jericho was going to eat the pin from yuta claudio with the ass caress technique he is so tall. oh no! the bat! finally someone counters the cheat move omg claudio is so strong. lmao even aubrey was like O_O WHAT lmfao the dude with the filipino flag limmylaughing.jpg at the dude who got steamrolled out of the ring yay blackpool combat club won. danger averted

[backstage with bryan danielson]

oh gosh… bcc won… will danielson lose to sammy… uh oh! hes mad the people are disrespecting him!! including yuta!!! who is right here!!!!!! and actively and openly disrespecting him!! oh my!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the girls are fighting claudio is so tall. break it up, boys.

WHOA WHAT [VIDEO SEGMENT SHOWING KENNY AND THE BUCKS BEING DELETED FROM AEW HISTORY]

ok listen i DETEST worked shoots HOWEVER THIS SHIT IS SO FUNNY BECAUSE OF HOW GOOFY AND UNEXPECTED IT WAS (so long as it has an appropriate amount of levity) theyre finally mentioning kenny and the bucks by explicitly mentioning how theyre not talking about kenny and the bucks hangman page's "my old friends have disappeared" bit from his promo vs moxley............. im legit excited to see where theyre gonna take this.

[backstage with the jericho appreciation society]

the mic is broken and theyre trying to power through the audio issues EVERY CHAMPIONSHIP EVEN THE WOMENS CHAMPIONSHIP JERICHO WILL TAKE IT ALL

[swerve in our glory vs ftr]

what the, is this a three way oh no the acclaimed are just here to be the peanut gallery for the battle for #1 tag contendership oh my god keith lee just vaulting over them i love swerve in our glory because not only does swerve have a maximum amount of style but keith lee is also very cool beyond just being "big strong guy" he is a big strong guy that can also pull off surprises picking up cash by his neck! lmfao the gunn brothers are here in cosplay. i didnt see them earlier i love swerve lmao so cocky whoa. mic feedback throughout the whole arena for a hot second i forgot ftr bald is dax. i got them mixed up again. its been a while since ive seen them in a match tho. forgive me very cool high german suplex oh no! cash is going to get owned they cant do a third swerve in our glory vs acclaimed match so soon. thatd be ridiculous. right??? come on omg what a kick on dax though i thought they were gonna have that pin be the winning one whoa nice catch by dax. sick moves alert hell yea this match is bumpin omg i thought they were going to do the "knocked out guy falls on other knocked out guy for the win" bit theyre doing a LOT of near falls here. the tension! finisher! oh no! swerve pulled him away! oh no!! keith lee friendly fire attack again!! what the!!!! secret low blow from swerve!!!!!!!!! gunn club with the assist!!! holding back ftr hair!!! gasp swerve in our glory wins! oh my.

the acclaimed coming in to save ftr from the gunn bros… SIOG is everything. i love their duo. their chemistry. please dont break them up

[backstage with saraya]

oh no britt is interrupting fun catchup time between saraya and renee with her britt-ness

[in the ring with mjf]

renee is interviewing instead of tony schiavone. wait is mjf going to be rude to moxley's wife crude! what LMAO HIS MOXLEY IMPRESSION mjf is so good renee is also so good. not a punching bag the audio issues. i can hear it. the distant ringing... LMAO HES BACKING DOWN ON WINNING CLEAN ooohhh hes promising to not use his ring to win against moxley i trust mjf to keep a promise as much as i am confident in my ability to pick him up and throw him and? i am very weak. i live in fear of mjf aew champ. he will become evil. he will have a reign of terror OH MY ITS STOKELY MJF IS NOT AMUSED BY HIS ANTICS theres so much tension going on here. i dont know whats going to happen!!! there are so many things that could happen!!!!!! WHAT IF MOXLEY IS GOING TO LOSE THE BELT???? i mean not to mjf i mean to penta. mjf didnt say anything about penta or "the winner" going into full gear at 110%, just moxley, right? thats just if you want to mess around and be complicated with technicalities. i do wonder what stokely is going to though… he might just simply Not Take Orders From MJF he certainly has not been hiding it

[sammy guevara vs bryan danielson]

dude im afraid that bryan might lose this match. like hes too much of a good sport and popular to actually get buried but that means the opportunity would be there for him to lose! oh god this match starts off with me afraid hes gonna get squashed by SAMMY GUEVARA LMAO help!!!!!!!!! im not even a danielson superfan but golly he doesnt have that much of a ego, i think. maybe. hes too busy being a weirdo for me to tell if he actually has an ego my friends are wailing about how much they love mjf i cant tell if bryan danielson is following through with his threat to go sicko mode on sammy because we're talking about mjf mjf. mjf. mjf that camera cut made it hard to see that knee strike sammy with the insane move (backflip off the top rope onto the outside) remsburg kick her out!!!!!!!! dang he is so lax wow this match is Q U I E T people dont even hate sammy enough to boo him theyre just fed up. or just generally tired since we're midway through the episode. where is the dead part of the shows? is this the dead slot? this is like the audience of a dark match tay melo is legit getting more boos than sammy here "you stupid dragon! i hate you" LMFAOOOO SAMMY THAT WAS SO BAD OK BECAUSE OF THAT THIS MATCH IS GOOD NOW oh just in time for danielson to get fired up too!! the crowd didnt hear sammy's terrible insult but i did. i love apocalyptically lame insults oooh! spanish fly by sammy "spanish fly" guevara i love the multi flip roll away thing. its one of my favorite spots sammy with the jump up to the top rope. thats such a cool move but i imagine its infinitely hard to pull off which is why nobody dares to do it busaiku knee! here is the danielson violence! sammy defeated. the crowd cheers! i cheer! in relief!

lmao taz "you gotta take care of your group there regal" taz telling regal to keep his house in order. him. from taz of all people. taz of team taz fame

[backstage with alex abrahantez and rey fenix]

fenix: i am confident penta will win the world championship. alex: and you should be a double champ too. with the all atlantic oh! its christian cage and hes saying luchasaurus is the one who deserves fighting for the all atlantic title, moreso than fenix! orange walking in: hey are yall talking about me? are yall talking about my title? wanna have a three way? im sitting on my hands. im not going to say anything about how orange is just walking around, having three ways, i mean it does make sense from a competition standpoint. you technically do less work because you can let the other 2 people fight each other. my god. hes a genius who is also into three ways

[riho vs hayter]

YEAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! im so excited for this match. i love: riho. i love: hayter. riho's outfit very cute and frilly and i love the iridescient silver coloration on hayter's outfit oh! hayters outfit is slightly new too. theres less danglies and the design is difference wow! what a bodyslam from riho! snap suplex! dude hayter's ass is unreal. taunting her!! nobody should fight against someone in the britt baker squad without backup. its bad news! choking. cool. i wish the camera wasnt blocked by the rope schiavone: "how do you spell google" excalibur: "two gs and two os. not in that order" lmaooooo omg hayter grabbing riho to stop the roll move but then succumbing to it eventually! so cool aew la show (crying sobbing) why do they keep selling tickets for la shows at the worst possible times for me financially. also me and my two friends DID all get covid from going to the last show... wait, theres wrestling! code red! sick moves. booo riho lostttt but hayter won… im conflicted

tony storm appears! she is so bronzed. and also? her outfit

[renee backstage with eddie]

whaddup eddie omg lmao shes talking about the intervention last week eddie: me? im great. :) i love eddie so much. he rules omfg "everyone else? leave me alone." STARES AT THE CAMERA

[black and white video segment with darby]

he... broke up with sting? well. ok jeez who is jay lethal's secret friend who knows darbys weakness darby vs lethal is. certainly gonna be. a match me and my friends: ehh… shrugging… ok..........

[DADDY ASS BIRTHDAY BASH ANNOUNCEMENT]

me and my friends: HELL YEAH!!!! WOOOOO!!!!!!!! NOW THATS WHAT I CALL WRESTLING

main event time!!! [jon moxley vs penta]

my friends: mjf is gonna be watching this match right me: if stokely fucks with his match… you know, eddie is friends with both of these guys thats me. im always working the kingston angle. my friend is trying to work the max caster mjf angle so bad. via the gunn club connection and the tweets nuzzling to start it off. hell the yea lmao penta took that guy's hat oooo cool backstabber by penta WHOA THAT CORNER SUPLEX MOVE WAS FAST jumping slingblade move! whoa did he pull off the armsnap move? gasp wow that kick had a hell of a sound oh god i couldnt tell whos leg was whos there on the steps LMAO augh i guess the armsnap didnt stick lmao that kickout was uh… i am respectfully looking away and into the instant doublefinisher and the winning pin? i am respectfully forgetting--

GASP! ITS THE FIRM ohhhhhh mjf is gonna be so mad omg the bcc is locked into their locker room!!! oh no! who will help moxley will mjf help moxley…….. HE IS HERE HE IS SO CONFLICTED HE RUNS IN omg the firm should beat mjf up-- THEY ARE lmao THEYRE STRIPPING HIM "please take off my shirt when you beat me up. i need the world to see the abs i have cultivated in my absence" me: what if max caster came out to save him my friends: shut the fuck up. stop talking omg they killed him. faceturn mjf? :) every time i say "faceturn mjf" i know my friend adds 10 more percent to the gloating levels for when he eventually reveals he was pretending to be a good guy the whole time

can you imagine if there was some sort of 4d chess plot where mjf and stokely agreed to do a "pretend to betray me really hard" plot or if there was a 4d chess plot and regal was the one who made a deal with stokely to light a fire underneath mjf im also fine with stokely being an independent troublemaker too. stokely is very cool one of my friends said the most insane thing would be if cm punk was involved which is like the most "never gonna happen" thing of all time but if it did happen (it wont) i'll yell for real (because it would be the most outlandish thing to happen) (hes so fired. im not even playing around here)

[prdigy]

                        WE WILL NOT BURY YOU THE BONES OF OUR YOUTH              THEY STILL GROW UNDER OUR SKIN    THEY’RE BREAKING THROUGH       

                                    PRIV. SEL. Crisis Core Sephiroth as loved by Serberus (A.C)

[thevindicativevordan]

Here is a challenge: What would you do with the Legion of Super-Heroes?

Now that is a challenge given all the reboots they've gone through.

Not sure how qualified I am specifically to speak on this though. I like the Legion of Superheroes fine enough, but mainly as "Superman's team" like what the Outsiders is for Batman, or what the Justice League Dark is being positioned as for Wonder Woman. Superman having childhood pals he went on adventures with, except they're from the future and he doesn't remember them because Saturn Girl wiped his memory after each adventure, is a very Superman take on childhood friends that I love. As a separate independent entity I have only casual experience with them. Grew up watching the Legion of Superheroes cartoon and I loved that! Such a bummer it was cancelled in it's second season, if it had gotten to keep running, maybe the Legion would be in better health today. Johns Superman & the Legion of Superheroes arc was my first introduction to them on the comics side, and I love that story. Read the first volume of Waid's reboot and I really enjoyed that, need to track down the other volumes and read them at some point. Read a few of the Silver Age Legion stories, their introduction where they gaslight Superboy is hilarious in how Silver Age fucked up it is. Very accurate to kids behavior though.

But I've never read the Levitz run which is apparently their "Claremont X-Men" in terms of definitive storylines. I've had the big reveal spoiled for me of course, so that kind of put a damper on my interest in reading. The other roadblock is how convoluted their continuity has gotten, specifically when Byrne fucked them up by yanking Superboy out. That was the beginning of their decline as I understand it, necessitating the convoluted "Pocket Universe" work around to not destroy their continuity. That ended up being pointless given they were rebooted down the road anyway, each reboot fracturing their fanbase until what was once DC's most popular team is now a shadow of itself.

Johns "Retroboot" felt like it had the potential to return them to their glory days, but in typical Johns fashion, he never got around to doing a run on them with Gary Frank like he had planned. So they fell through the cracks, and then their teased return in Doomsday Clock ended up not happening because of how long it took Johns and Frank to finish the damn book. Now I'll throw those two a bone and say that Didio probably fucked them over just for the hell of it by having Bendis reboot the Legion again.

Bendis' reboot seems to have gone over like a lead balloon, although he's going to be doing a Justice League vs. Legion of Superheroes arc in his JL run coming up. We'll see how that shakes out. Personally I wish that Bendis had gone with his original intent of this being the 31st Century Legion. I would've made it explicitly a Legion composed of descendants and replacements of the Legion from the 30th who were Clark's Legion. Makes thematic sense right, Jon the Son of Superman teaming up with the kids and inheritors of his dad's Legionaries as they chart their own destiny? Would've allowed Johns to still bring back the Retroboot so you could still have Clark go on adventures without breaking continuity again. But I guess Didio just couldn't pass up the chance at another reboot.

My guess is any outside adaptions will keep the Bendis race changes, but draw on the older versions in terms of stories and characterizations. I don't mind the race changes, a team set in the future shouldn't look lily white, but did we really have to make the electric powered ginger black? Really? Isn't that a little on the nose? Couldn't we have made Cosmic Boy black instead and made Lightning Lad Native American, Latino, or Asian to switch things up and not be cliché? That's my only complaint, especially since it seems to have been changed at the last minute given a promo was put out with regular white LL.

As for what I'd do specifically with them... look what I'm about to say causes me physical pain. But in this current era of DC, I think they need a Batman connection. God typing that out makes me sick. Luckily there's a solution that doesn't involve something idiotic like Bruce's descendant getting on the team because he's just so awesome that they make an exception to the "must have powers" rule, that also solves another problem they have. The Legion needs a "Superman" that's theirs, that they can hold onto no matter what continuity bullshit is going down in the present day with Clark or Jon. How to solve these two problems at once? Bring in Superman X from the Legion cartoon.

His origin from the cartoon is that he's a weapon made to defeat Imperiex, so changing the origin to say he’s a hybrid clone of Batman & Superman just adds on to that. In addition to Superman's DNA, he's also got Batman's DNA, making him the "son" of both. Now you've got a Batman connection that doesn't replace Superman, and doesn't require the Legion breaking itself to accommodate that DC has trained a generation to only give a shit if Batman is involved. Given X was already an angsty moody dude who only cared about his mission, the Batman connection doesn't really change anything major about him and actually compliments him. The specifics of how he came to be really don't bother me, he can be something that Clark and Bruce both willingly made, an illegal experiment like Conner Kent, or whatever. But he gives the Legion a connection to DC's two biggest heroes without them getting screwed by editorial deciding that Clark or Jon should not have been a member and yanking them away.

Frankly I'm kind of surprised no one else has come up with this idea, seems patently obvious to me. While we're at it: give them a cartoon, or a HBO MAX show, something in outside media to get people to care about them again. DC's let the brand languish for so long that I feel like any attempt at a comic revival without an outside media push is doomed to failure at this point. They're going to be showing up in Young Justice S4, hopefully with a focus on the Superfamily to go with them, so maybe that will be the big push they need.

[sonofprodigy]

                                                       I’m only HUMAN can’t you see                                                                                   ---                                                                 I’ll never be like you

      Priv. Ind. Pre-crisis Sephiroth                                     as written by Serberus

[fandom-collective-writers]

Reader x Ieyasu Tokugawa - The Sound of Loving

Title: The Sound of Loving

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Character: Ieyasu Tokugawa

Genre: :( + fluff

Warnings: trigger warning for minor mentions of violence and blood (war/front lines of fighting scene), injured character

Intended Gender Audience: Female Audience

Word Count: 1186 words

Requested by: Anon!

Quote: Angst/fluff quote “What the hell were you thinking?”

Shameless self-promo: check out my page!

Other comments: u asked for pain so i give u pain ((sorry its late, and thank you @snow--blanket for the help with the title and ending))

You have never seen Ieyasu mad, but you assume that it looks something like this. His cheeks are flushed, and his knuckles are nearly white as he grips the hilt of his sword with a strength you didn’t know he had. He is quick to raise his voice at you, likely thinking that you’ll hear him better if he does that.

         Really, you should listen to him, but then again, you owe everything to Nobunaga – serving at the front lines against the rebel forces would be a way to repay him. Ieyasu disagrees, arguing that a woman has no business on the battlefield.

        Deep down, you hope that he is only saying this because he wants to keep you safe.

        He does little to hide the worry clouding his eyes. Usually, they are as green as fresh rice stalks, but now they are glazed over with anger. Ieyasu’s blood is boiling, and if he could, he would likely be spitting steam out of his ears.

        Again, he interrupts you, his voice cutting through your words with the power of a powerful storm. It drowns out the sound of your pleads, and you take a step back.

        Ieyasu scares you.

        Upon seeing your now terrified expression, the warlord straightens his posture and swallows hard. And then, his voice changes completely. He is calm, but still forceful. “You are not leaving this castle until the fighting is over. That is final.”

        He leaves without saying anything else, his golden robes fluttering behind him as the sliding door closes. A shadow appears on the other side of the screen, and you immediately know that Ieyasu has stationed a guard to keep you from leaving.

        Your heart aches, and you want to cry.

        That would not solve anything though. Furthermore, you refuse to be obedient. If there is another reason as to why he wishes to keep you safe, he had ample time to explain. Still, he chose to shout at you and scold you.

        Exhaling slowly, you gather yourself and pat away a small tear running down your cheek.

        There might be a guard at the front of your room, but you have seen Sasuke escape through the ceiling more than enough times to know how to reproduce it.

You must have missed the base camp somehow, and now you find yourself growing closer to the front lines.

        This isn’t what you wanted.

        You only wanted to help the medics treat injured soldiers. Instead, you witness the fury of neighbors unfold on a battlefield running red with spilled blood. The stallion whinnies and bucks as arrows whiz past you. In the distance, you hear gunshots and people screaming for the glory of their lord.

        Why?

        Gripping the reigns tightly, you pull the horse around and set him into a gallop. However, every which way you go is met with more arrows, more gunshots, and more red. The horse stands up on its hind legs, and you fall off. Your harsh landing snuffs the oxygen out of your lungs and sends pain rippling down your legs.

        But there is no time to sit and count the trampled blades of grass.

        You scramble to your feet and look to the horizon, searching desperately for the nearest Oda flag. The atmosphere is heavy with crimson smoke, making it hard to breathe or see.

        Which is probably why you don’t see the arrow coming towards you.

        It does not occur to you to get out of the way.

        No.

        You close your eyes.

        At the last second, you are pulled upwards, onto another horse, and a paid of arms secure themselves around your waist to keep you from slipping off. The grunt that sounds in your ear is unmistakably his.

        Ieyasu is just about ready to strangle you.

        “What were you expecting?!” he demands as the horse shoots off towards the trees. “For me to leave you there, in the middle of hell, without any help?”

        Before you can open your mouth to respond, Ieyasu cuts you off again. It isn’t like earlier though. He’s blabbering, likely to cover the fact that he is running solely off of adrenaline. “I tell you to do one very simple thing and you still don’t listen to me.”

        He’s scolding you like always, but you don’t mind.

        You can feel the warmth of his touch and the rapid bumbumbum of his heart.

“Are you even listening to me? No. You’re not. As usual. I’m taking you back to camp, and you will not touch anything so help me, Buddha.”

        “Okay, Ieyasu.”

        When he hears his name roll off of your tongue, he inhales sharply. His arm around you tightens as he presses you to his chest.

        The two of you make it back to camp, and Masamune helps you down from the horse. Ieyasu descends after you, and he gives the reigns to a soldier to take away. He wants to ensure you don’t escape again.

        He wants to say something because he opens his mouth.

        But he freezes.

        His mouth hangs open in a perfect o shape.

        And he collapses.

        You hadn’t seen the arrow until that moment.

When Ieyasu stirs from his sleep, you shoot up and place a hand on his cheek. He is still running a fever, but at least Ieyasu has stopped trembling.

        Tears brim in your eyes, and when you look down, they fall onto the futon. You beat yourself up mentally for not listening to him earlier. It would not do either of you much good now, but guilt bubbles in your stomach.

        He could have died.

        You are ready to surrender yourself to the horrible what-if’s, but Ieyasu cups his hand over yours. His eyes flutter open, and the strange thing is, he’s smiling. It isn’t some cute half-grin either – it is a full-teeth beam like he is the happiest person on the planet in the moment.

        “Ieyasu,” you mutter. “Ieyasu, I’m so sorry.”

        But he shakes his head.

        You wonder if the medicine has gotten to his head. He doesn’t usually act like this. In fact, this is the first time you have seen him smile like this. You have to admit though: he looks beautiful. Despite the soot and dried blood matting his golden locks down and the bruises dancing across his porcelain skin and the bags hanging heavy under his eyes – despite it all, he is beautiful.

        “Will you listen to me next time?”

        His voice is soft and endearing, just as you are used to.

        “Yes, of course. Anything… I’m sorry…”

        Ieyasu sits up and groans. The wraps around his chest stretch, and you are pretty sure the bleeding has started again. He looks down to inspect the bandages before clicking his tongue. You think he’s about to criticize your poor medical skills, but instead he cups your face, his calloused fingers brushing over your tear-stained cheeks, and he kisses you.

        It’s sweet and slow, but he tastes like smoke, like he had been breathing through his mouth for some time. Again, you don’t care and are happy to be with him.

       So you press your other hand to his chest and listen to the beat of his heart. It isn’t thundering like when he shouted at you, nor is it trilling like when he whisked you away from the front lines.

        No–

        It is a steady strum that makes you feel loved.

[thesinglesjukebox]

LADY GAGA WITH ARIANA GRANDE - RAIN ON ME

[7.21]

A collaboration of two raining pop stars...

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: When was the last time you felt queer joy? a friend recently messaged me. It's not the only message that I've gotten like it, coming from someone reflecting on how hard it is to find love in our queer identities when the spaces and support networks we've spent our adult lives creating are no longer easily accessible. Lockdown is hard for everyone, but queer people have it especially rough. I have friends who chose to stay alone rather than return to uncomfortable family situations; friends who chose to find shelter in other countries rather than go home; friends in nominally progressive, loving environments who still feel constantly micro-aggressed against. Due to COVID, I've been forced to live with my parents for four months now, during which time we've managed to avoid a huge confrontation about my sexuality--but I still feel so lonely and unseen. "Rain on Me," however, sees me. This song is big and dumb and flawed, and probably designed as fan-service, but it is so, so gay. The more-is-more sound, the delightful camp aesthetic of the promos, the millions of memes, the outrageous Chromatica merchandise are all as extra as I wish I could be. For God's sake, at one point, Ariana literally sings the words, "Gotta live my truth, not keep it bottled in." Two of the biggest gay icons in the world coming together to sing about their traumas in the pouring rain would have been cathartic pop under any circumstances, but under these, it feels like nothing short of triumphant, torrential queer joy. [9]

Tobi Tella: For the Gay Event of 2020, that beat drop is cribbed right from 2013. The two work well together, and the result is hard not to like, but I'm also finding it hard to love. [6]

Will Adams: "Stupid Love" worked as a return to form for the maximalist Gaga of yester-decade. "Rain On Me" works even better for the sweet surprise at how much energy she injects into filter house, a genre whose recent re-emergence has often felt lifeless. The growl she adds to the "RAIN on me" that punctuates the instrumental break does plenty on its own. The presence of Grande and the alternate chorus at the very end implies that there could have been more but what was left on the cutting room floor doesn't really matter when the final 3-minute product is this electrifying. [8]

Joshua Lu: At times "Rain on Me" feels like two separate dance tracks spliced together: one with Lady Gaga's hefty vocals serving as the backbone for a groovy instrumental, and another with Ariana Grande's lithe voice adroitly dancing on the pounding synths. Either can succeed on its own, but when they mix, they hamper one another. It's most evident on the bridge, where Ariana's breathy delivery clashes with Gaga's campy deep voice, which shouldn't be used there regardless -- hearing it for an entire section makes it less powerful when it pops up as the pre-chorus. [5]

Edward Okulicz: This Lady Gaga single is okay to pretty good, but the chorus is basically just "Rain Over Me" by Pitbull. [6]

Scott Mildenhall: Not everything has to be "Telephone," but Gaga's statements about "Rain on Me"'s personal significance hit home how run-of-the-mill the song feels compared with something so conceptually walloping. The deep personal connection Gaga felt with Grande is sadly inaudible, and the boldest it all gets is with her spoken delivery of the title, an appreciably camp touch in a song that is content and perhaps correct to colour within the lines, however brightly. [7]

Katherine St Asaph: Did not expect my first thought upon hearing a Gaga song to be Shut Up Stella. This shrinks a bit after hearing Chromatica, which has more massive tracks. [6]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Gaga and Ari are pop music's two greatest theater kids. Every note, every line on "Rain on Me" is perfectly calibrated to demonstrate this, to make clear their skill at acting out the role of the pop star. The musical frame of the song is sturdy enough (it's not "Fade" or "Electricity" in terms of '90s house pastiche, but it grooves deeply enough to not seem lightweight), but "Rain on Me" is driven by their performances. It's most obvious on the song's bridge, where the combo of Gaga's imperial declarations and Ari's upper register meld together in kitschy glory. "Rain On Me" isn't a perfect song-- it's a bit underwritten, and the water metaphors don't fully come together-- but it's a near-perfect performance. [8]

Ryo Miyauchi: "I'd rather be dry, but at least I'm alive." It's a hook that's surely, and most likely unintentionally, informed by post-COVID life, but it also reminds me of the apocalyptic pop that flourished about a decade ago when dubstep was in full swing. That subgenre's structure still lives on at a elemental level, with the chorus devoid of lyrics, just now swapped for a chic, Justice-style electro-house. While any hint of doom might be more the beckoning of the current time, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande's eager sense of abandon taps into now as much as it does to a recent past, and I hope it will speak to us in a similar way in the future when our world seems to be collapsing again in whatever context. [7]

Jessica Doyle: The more I listen to this the less it hangs together. Is the rain heartbreak or guilt? Is Lady Gaga the victim of it or using it for her own destructive ends? (Rain can be healing; tsunamis never are.) Why does she throw that cold, commanding "Rain. On. Me." refrain into a song that's supposed to be about vulnerable acceptance? And why isn't it "I'd rather be drunk, but at least I'm alive"? (Darn it.) I'll cede some power to the image of Gaga and Ariana Grande, both wounded and relatably self-aggrandizing, stomp-dancing around together in the rain, but stripped of pop-gossip context the song won't stick around. [5]

Leah Isobel: Lady Gaga is pop Jenny Holzer. She doesn't write lyrics, she writes slogans. I'D RATHER BE DRY, BUT AT LEAST I'M ALIVE isn't quite on the level of I WANT YOUR WHISKEY MOUTH ALL OVER MY BLONDE SOUTH, but the contrast between her severe consonants and Ariana's airy open vowels provides enough scaffolding that it works anyway -- and it doesn't hurt that the bass hurtles around that line like a Ferrari. If Gaga's oeuvre is a monument to the power of sheer determination, "Rain on Me" is what happens when she wills her sadness into release, her trauma into mere prelude; it's American pop myth-making at its purest. In that sense, it's an old-fashioned kind of triumph. [8]

Oliver Maier: Lady Gaga is too much of an auteur to really relinquish control. This is why her me/us-against-the-world cowboy songs suck, because she is at her best when she rules the reality that the music inhabits. On the strongest of her imperial-era singles, desperation and desire are either crystallised into museum exhibits or performed with such dark melodrama that they feel more like elaborate theatre for which she plays both director and lead role. "Rain On Me" is about giving in and letting herself cry, but the drop hinges critically on the spoken command that opens the floodgates; it's catharsis issued with total precision. Ariana, the reigning pop queen of emotional honesty, is at home on her confessional verse and then, having run out of stuff to do, sticks to ornamentation (it's funny that she gets a "with" credit for what is very much a "feat."). There are smart decisions -- the compact runtime, the way that the aqueous filtering drives the imagery home -- and then there's the simple, house-beats-go-brrrrr monkey brain joy of dance music that sounds this sure of itself; what it's doing, where it's going, how hard it slaps. [8]

Alex Clifton: Was this designed to get me through my next run? Through the next time Louisville is pelted by rain for days at a time? Through the pandemic? I'm not sure, but I've sold my soul to Gaga and Ariana for the above reasons and am more than happy with the results. [8]

Jackie Powell: I didn't really understand how this collaboration was going to work until I remembered the similarities that Grande and Gaga share. Besides the obvious that both are Italian, both have witnessed trauma in real-time and in front of the world. "Rain On Me" is a conversation that manifests in the music itself but also in all of its accompanying media, such as promotion its Robert Rodriguez-directed video. The moment when Lady Gaga pulls the knife out of her leg is purposeful Right as Gaga forcefully hauls the knife out of her thigh, Grande begins her verse. We can't move through pain and trauma alone; that invitation into conversation and togetherness is part of the healing. The melody of "Rain on Me," which I'm assuming was written mostly by Grammy-winning Nija, was orchestrated as an internal battle-cry that is designed to be spouted out. Gaga begins singing as we expect her to, with a deep darker belt in her sweet spot. But once we hit the pre-chorus goin into the chorus, she switches into bright head voice, which is where we expect Grande to be. Ari then sings deep in her chest, around the pre-chorus and into the chorus. There's a pattern. During the bridge, they switch again, and then again in the outro. As to what's going on with Gaga and her vocal fry in that bridge and the last phrase of the chorus, some say it's just classic Gaga, The Fame Monster Gaga. While that's correct, she uses it as a tool with multiple functions. It serves as a "c'mon let's go to #Chromatica" statement, but it's also a transition that facilitates the journey. It sets up the glorious bassline that not only explodes into the ears, but was directly interpolated from Gwen McCrae's "All This Love That I'm Giving." But back to the pre-choruses: They give the listener the track's thesis and its heart. In the first pre-chorus when Gaga belts that she's ready for the rain, she's not fighting it anymore. All of that emotion is happening. The second pre-chorus is the reformation of the feeling. It's not comfortable, but we need to just let it out, let it fall, and let it be felt. "I'm ready. Rain on me." [10]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[nookincgetaway]

Island-wide Broadcast: Q&A

In case this is your first time hearing about us then please check out our original promo! For quick reference, @nookincgetaway​ is an upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons Discord-based MFRP.

We’ve received 54 responses from our questionnaire and just a few questions were sent in, but we’re here to answer them early! We’re putting this under Read More since this is a rather long post... Thank you everyone for taking part in our questionnaire and for all the well wishes, excitement, as well as the encouragement to get this going! ♡♡♡ Thank you, thank you!

If you’d like to give us some suggestions for island names then please reply to this tweet: Click Here!

As always, if you have any questions or anything then please send a message here or here !

Question 1:

You all might be wondering what we’re going to do with the AU version vs Canon version question, so which will we go with...?

This has been a steady tie for quite a while and it’s currently 28 to 25. After thinking on it and seeing how everyone has voted for things thus far, it makes the most sense to have an AU premise that puts all of our characters on equal grounds with one another in terms of powers and ending up in such a peaceful world at that. But at the same time, we also feel it’s unfair to force our characters to give up on the character development they may have gone through in their own world (or another world...? of the MFRP variety) which leaves us somewhere in the middle of wanting to please both sides of this equation.

Which is why we’ve decided to have reincarnation as part of our premise!

Now what does this entail...? How can one keep their character development if they were born into this world? Well, that’s going to be up to you for the most part! The main idea will be that our characters may feel déjà vu when it comes to meeting the soul of someone they once knew or coming across something that may remind them of something from their past life... Those pieces of their puzzle will be something to fall back on to help explain their quirks and nature, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come up with a new twist of their backstory since they have been living in the Animal Crossing world for quite some time! If you need help with figuring things out and seeing what may or may not be acceptable, then you can always send an ask!

You can also choose to have preexisting connections with your canon cast-mates without worrying about losing them, so long as you talk to them about it, of course. (Isn’t it great to meet your best friends or soulmate again in another life?)

On that note... Since plotting is possibly going to be a big necessity to square things away, we’re going to open up a portion of our Discord server to everyone who needs the space to plot things out! (When the time comes, not yet ready though.) This will be a permanent feature going forward so this space will always be there even if you aren’t an official member of our RPC! We hope this will soothe any worries out there, but feel free to send a message if you have any questions about this!

Here are some key notes:

All characters have been reincarnated to live a new life in this world. Their canon development will still carry over in certain ways, it isn’t being entirely erased from their history, but you’ll still have to put together a backstory for their new life.

Their reason for accepting the Getaway Package will be your choice.

Everyone will have the opportunity to plot things out via our Discord server upon sending a reserve. We will still expect you to follow our guidelines whether or not you’re an official member here.

You can make preexisting connections with other characters, canon cast-mates or otherwise. Just be sure to ask for permission and communicate with one another!

It’s your choice if your character is ever going to recover vague memories or feel some sort of familiarity with others.

You also get to choose if your character will be a human or animal villager! The animal type will be up to you as well.

We will most likely give the option to reserve NPC Villagers and if that’s the case, then they will have no idea that other worlds even exist so it may be best to keep things hush-hush if anyone ever figures that out.

NPC Villagers would have the opportunity to toss odd (ridiculous) requests on the Bulletin Board... Which means the adventurous types will have to go do some hunting! Who could resist helping them anyway?

--

Question 2:

We were asked if there will be an age restriction for muns and characters...

Muns: 16+

For potential mature language (such as using curse words while Out of Character). However, this only means speaking casually will not come with warnings attached so long as you’re being respectful of everyone else. This is Animal Crossing, so anything that’s specifically nsfw will need to be kept outside of the server anyway.

There’s also the chance that some character’s canon background information might have mature themes that aren’t suitable for a younger audience.

Characters: No age restriction.

Some plotting may have to be done in order to explain why a child may show up on the island though.

--

Question 3:

We’ve received a few questions in regards to our Mod team and we couldn’t answer quite yet since this initially started out on a whim on my part (yes, hello, I’m Celeste!) but there are some kind folks who have volunteered to help wherever they can! (They have my thanks and appreciation for signing up!) I will confess that this is our first time running an mfrp, but all of us do have some mod experience from working with other rp communities in the past. In any case, we’re hoping to make this a fun and safe experience for everyone!

Now to present the Mod team...! (Official page will be made later!)

Celeste

Ash

Forecast

Valor

--

One last piece of news for the day!

Upon your arrival at your Nook Inc. Island Getaway, all new island residents will receive their very own NookPhone and one physical copy of the Tortimer Archipelago Map (click here to see the full map in all of its glory) that showcases the surrounding area. The NookPhone also comes preloaded with apps (as well as a virtual map) that will assist you in your daily life on the islands, so be sure to take good care of it and do not lose it (or the map, for that matter).

We do plan on bringing out another questionnaire in the coming days, so keep your eyes peeled for that! You’re still welcome to fill out the current one if you haven’t had the chance to. In the mean time, we hope that you are having a good week and that you’ll be looking forward to your stay with us in the near future!

As for a good note to end on, in Tom Nook’s own words:

I'm sure some of you have already decided to make the move. Others might still be thinking it over.

I hope all of you use the time until our getaway-package flights begin to imagine what your life would be like!

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 109: Last One Out of Beach City

“What if I told you that the world was gonna end, and you had fifteen minutes to spend with me or your friends?”

Steven and the Stevens and Hit the Diamond are my two favorite episodes of Steven Universe for reasons I’ve written about at length, but beyond encapsulating the essence of the series and characters and all that, it should be noted that they’re just plain fun. Last One Out of Beach City is smaller in scale, zeroing in on one of the show’s earliest defined relationships and basking in its evolution from a feud to a deep friendship, so it’s harder to use as a stand-in for the show as a whole. But even if it isn’t my third-favorite episode of the series, it stands hand in hand with my top two when it comes to the charm factor.

Last One Out of Beach City is a delight from start to finish. Jesse Zuke’s legendary “Bad Pearl” sketch comes to life in the best way imaginable, and Deedee Magno Hall solidifies her place as my MVP of a killer lineup of voice actors. Actual human being Mike Krol gets tossed into this alternate universe like it was nothing. Crimes are committed. Swears are censored by screeching tires. Juice is spat. Cups, spilt.

This is the promise of Zuke’n’Florido’s brilliant opening sequence of Beta fulfilled: Steven and some Gems hanging out not for half an episode, but an entire one. It’s got sight gags aplenty, supplementing some of the best comedy writing in the series, mixed with the soul-warming joy of watching characters we love getting along. So lest I just turn this review into gushing about individual jokes and lines and moments, let’s dive into why each character we see is terrific, starting with the scofflaw herself.

Last One Out of Beach City does for Pearl what Back to the Moon does for Amethyst and Mindful Education does for Garnet: we see the result of her character growth in Act II, and even if the Mystery Girl looks a lot like Rose, it’s still a huge step forward for our lady of perpetual mourning to develop a crush on someone new (and to be so low-key polite to Greg). The romantic subplot alone could drive an episode, but Pearl gets so many more hats than “girl with a crush” here: she’s a nerd, a badass, a criminal, and a middle-aged mom all at once. She vacillates between genuinely cool and desperately uncool until she fuses these extremes together to become a confident square; it’s perhaps Deedee Magno Hall’s best Pearlformance that doesn’t include singing, and that’s saying a lot. Between her voice acting, the lines themselves (“This is why we buckle up”), and the sheer sense of catharsis from seeing her choosing to move forward with her life, this is my favorite Pearl episode. And that’s saying a lot.

Pearl has always had a weird relationship with humanity. She's distant from modern culture compared to Amethyst, and her misunderstandings about human stuff is often played for laughs, but she’s also a crack car mechanic and is enamored with human concepts like knighthood. She’s not completely removed from society, but chooses not to engage unless something in particular catches her fancy. So it’s fascinating to see her associating moving forward with performing more human activities; she’s embracing Earth as it is, not as it was when the Gem War was raging, and she’s not letting lingering envy from Rose’s love of humans like Greg get in her way.

The reason this works so well is that it’s clearly performative, rather than an actual sudden personality shift. She’s still a homebody who likes puzzles and hanging out with her kid. She’s still snooty, both with her friends (dismissing the idea that anyone could be nostalgic for something as “new” as suburbs) and with her crush (“By the way, I saved your planet and your species and you're welcome”). And she’s still nervous as all get-out, but brave enough to push forward anyway.

Pearl’s maternal nature isn’t ignored, but used as fuel for her attempt at rebirth. There’s a huge difference between an awkward person putting themselves out there for the first time and a semi-retired hellraiser who, after settling into a comfortable groove, seeks to relive her glory days. She’s been dwelling on the negative for so long that she feels out of touch with her adventurous side, to the point where wearing pants and drinking juice is adventurous, but because we know Pearl so well by now we can actually appreciate how big of a deal these minor accomplishments are for her.

While it’s refreshing to see Pearl moving on from Rose, it’s perhaps even greater to see how far her relationship with Amethyst has come. While their longstanding rivalry softened during the Week of Sardonyx, we haven’t gotten them alone together since, and it just feels so nice to see Amethyst ribbing Pearl with that extra burst of sisterly affection, and Pearl loosening up enough to not take every slight personally.

As with Pearl, Amethyst works here because her personality hasn’t been erased; again, she’s still ragging on Pearl. The plot gets rolling because of Amethyst’s well-established fascination with humanity, and Pearl’s decision to see the show is prompted in part by wanting to impress Amethyst, something she never would’ve cared about in Season 1. And for all her teasing, Amethyst encourages Pearl every step of the way, not just out of solidarity but because she’s legitimately impressed.

And in a world where Pearl and Amethyst are egging each other on, Steven has to step up and be practical. I appreciate that his sense of responsibility and realism doesn’t make him a jerk or a brat, but more of a peer than ever among his fellow Crystal Gems. When pointing out the pink-haired elephant in the room, he’s not condemning or teasing Pearl: he’s just clearing the tension, and showing that he’s more aware of the situation than a younger Steven might have been. In this episode, Steven is the friend who looks for a gas station when his buds are freaking out about running out of fuel.

By now Steven feels comfortable with his place in the team, and with his relationships with Amethyst and Pearl as individuals. A version of this episode placed earlier in the series might’ve been about Pearl and Amethyst fighting for his attention, or Steven vying for attention from either of them, but by now he’s happy to do a puzzle with Pearl and to go to a concert with Amethyst, and there’s zero conflict. Immaturity shouldn’t be a go-to character beat anymore, and I love that Steven is acting his age.

Mystery Girl turns out to be more of a device than a character, as we never see her again. But I honestly think that’s fine; what matters is that Pearl is willing to put herself out there, and the result isn’t a new relationship with a new love interest but a new relationship with humanity. The Pearl of Bismuth Casual, hanging out with a posse of human friends and showing off her Gem powers with glee, owes everything to the Pearl of Last One Out of Beach City, and thus everything to Mystery Girl. Perhaps they had a thing at some point. Perhaps they still do have a thing. We don’t know, because Pearl has new hobbies outside of being a Crystal Gem, and that’s the victory.

An in terms of the show’s greater plot, if our new friend never gave Pearl her number, Pearl never would’ve gotten a phone, so A Single Pale Rose never would’ve happened. Perhaps one day he would’ve learned the truth, but certainly not before Yellow and Blue Diamond arrived to wage war on the planet. So thanks for saving the world, Mystery Girl!

The use of music from our universe lends Last One Out of Beach City a uniquely realistic tone compared to the rest of the series; perhaps any such music would do the trick, but a garage rocker is an apt choice for setting a grounded mood. We get a glimpse of Greg’s life outside of being a dad, as he socializes not only with Amethyst but Barb and Vidalia. The car chase lurches to reality when we learn that Pearl doesn’t have a driver’s license, and explicit references are made to the DMV and Pearl’s citizenship. It’s like knowing Steven’s exact age, or having Greg break his leg in Ocean Gem instead of getting a nondescript injury, or hearing Dr. Maheswaran describe PTSD using terms like “cortisol”: these concrete details make these characters feel more like real people. And considering this is a character-centric episode in a show where characters are pretty much always at the center anyway, that realism gives us a deeper connection to what our heroes are going through.

Pearl is by no means a teenager, and the critical element of reclaiming her mojo muddles direct comparisons to a teen protagonist, but the emotional honesty of Last One Out of Beach City makes me feel nostalgic, and not just for the suburbs. Driving around, not quite following the rules, and bouts of chasing meaning when you’re not as interested in traditional adolescent social activities? Those were my teenage years. I don’t always miss them, but this episode brings out the best of my memories.

There’s really not much else to say. I could spend another few paragraphs incoherently gushing about the writing and the animation and the voice work, but I promise the time you’d spend reading that would be better spent rewatching the episode. While I maintain my comparison to Beta, Last One Out of Beach City does stand in opposition to Peridot’s first Meep Morp: it has no functional purpose, it just makes me feel good.

Future Vision!

I already brought up how Mystery Girl’s number prompts A Single Pale Rose, but that episode itself shows that Pearl’s a lot slicker than she thought she was. That’s a lot of codes!

I’ve never been to this…how do you say…school?

Not sure why we get a Halloween-themed promo for an episode that has nothing to do with Halloween and aired in early September, but this is me not complaining about that. (Apparently it’s actually a reference to a Japanese tradition but I don’t watch enough anime to know more about that.)

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

It’s not my third favorite, but this episode is really high up there. The cream of the crop are episodes that give me the purest emotional reactions: Mirror Gem nails dread, Lion 3 and Alone Together embody two different kinds of wonder, and Steven and the Stevens, Hit the Diamond, and Last One Out of Beach City just make me unspeakably happy.

Top Twenty

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

When It Rains

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

No Thanks!

     5. Horror Club      4. Fusion Cuisine      3. House Guest      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure

[polaroidofus-89]

‘Lover’ song-by-song breakdown [part 1]:

Long before @taylorswift joined Tumblr (and a billion thousand of Swifties with her), when this website was still unknown to most of mankind, I always made a post about my first thoughts on the album, writing down my opinion and rating each song at the end of release week. The first time I did this was with Speak Now and I created a chart to rate Lyrics, Chorus, Bridge and whether the song is a Skip or not. The only time I skipped this post was during the reputation era because of reasons I explained back then - if you want, I’ll send you the link to that post. 

This time, however, I must make this a two-part post because a) I just came back from my holiday today, b) I always listen to it three times before writing this post (right now I am on number 2) and c) this album is freaking long! 

So here’s the charts (chorus and bridge rated 1-5; lyrics rated 1-3): 

Chorus: 1- meh, nice; 2- good; 3- very good; 4- just magic; 5- PERFECTION

Bridge: 1- good, did better; 2- good; 3- quite perfect; 4- RIP ME. DEAD.; 5- BRIDGE CITY ALERT!!! (was previously BRIDGE HEAVEN... guess why it changed? lol)

 Lyrics: 1- good; 2- great; 3- AMAZING 

Also, since I have been more active lately and some very cute and amazing blogs started following me, I want you all to take part in this breakdown because I would love to read your thoughts and your ratings on each song!

So please, please, please join me in this adventure. Six months from this date (when we will all know the songs by heart), I’ll bring it back to see if anything has changed.

Anyway, here’s the first part of my breakdown... hope you enjoy it!

1. I Forgot That You Existed

Chorus: very good Bridge: good, did better Lyrics: good Skip? No Favorite lyrics: none in particular

Alright, say what you want but I am a sucker for sarcastic and provocative songs from Taylor; they always are filled with such irony and smart remarks… I just can’t help adoring them and memorize them from the first listen, going around humming the rhythm all day long. It happened with Mean, WANEGBT, Blank Space, Shake It Off, IDSB and TIWWCHNT… so it was obviously going to happen with this one too. I also think it would’ve made one hell of promo single – just sayin’. I am in awe of Taylor’s attitude towards people that hurt or badmouth her after being in some kind of relationship with her: she does not comment at first, letting them rant and have their little moment of glory. Then, when everything seems over and forgotten, she strikes back and I enjoy EVERY. SINGLE. MINUTE. OF. IT. This one I had been waiting for a long time because a certain someone DEFINITELY deserved it. The way a person behaves towards somebody AFTER their relationship ends says a lot about them and this particular individual proved to be childish, petty, arrogant and very immature – not to mention awfully mean. You can’t act that way about someone you’ve been with for ONE ENTIRE YEAR, someone you were supposed to be in love with. I hate this post-breakup kind of behavior and I had hoped so freaking hard that reputation would’ve had a song like this. But we have it now and secret sessioners were right: it is the most amazing way to start an album. What I love most about this song is the entire second verse: got out some popcorns as soon as my rep started going down, down, down/laughed in the schoolyard as soon as I tripped and hit the ground, ground, ground/ and I would’ve stuck around for ya/ would’ve fought the whole town for ya/would’ve been right there front row, even if nobody came to your show. I just know that it will make feel the person who inspired this song ashamed and won’t allow them any kind of response because it isn't hate, it isn’t love… IT’S JUST INDIFFERENCE. And I’m so proud of her for this.

2. Cruel Summer***

10/10 Chorus: PERFECT Bridge: BRIDGE CITY ALERT!!!!! Lyrics: great Skip? HARD NO Favorite lyrics: “Devils roll their dice; Angels roll their eyes” “what doesn’t kill me makes me want you more” “I don’t want to keep secrets just to keep you”

Secret sessioners were onto something again: Out of The Woods stans would be suckers for Cruel Summer… I can confirm that is, indeed, true. This track feels like summer sunsets, road trips and a sequence of lovey-dovey moments straight out of a rom-com. I absolutely adored the lyrics on this one! I mean “what doesn’t kill me makes me want you more”, “no rules in breakable heaven”, “devils roll their dices, Angels roll their eyes”, “and if I bleed you’ll be the last to know” … what are we even talking about here? And don’t even get me started on the bridge: once again the Swift-Antonoff combination proved to be a winning choice. It’s Taylor Swift at her best and I have nothing more to add. This track is one of my favorites of the entire album and I am hoping it’ll be her next single.

3. Lover*****

10/10 Chorus: magic Bridge: RIP ME. I DIED. DEAD. Lyrics: AMAZING Skip? NEVER IN ANY LIFETIME Favorite lyrics: “have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?” “I’ve loved you three summers now honey but I want them all” “My heart’s been borrowed, yours has been blue all’s well that ends well to end up with you”

When Lover first came out, I asked my boyfriend ‘do you think this will be my favorite off of the album?’ and he said ‘no’. He was not wrong at all: Lover and Cornelia Street are battling in my head and in my heart for ‘favorite song’ on the album - I swear it has never been so difficult for me to decide! This track is just pure magic; every time I listen to it, I have a picture in my head of slow dancing during my wedding day and it always (always!) makes me emotional enough to shed a few tears. Honestly, it just gives me poetry vibes – it is that beautiful to me. I absolutely adore this one. This track is also one of my favorite songs – if not my favorite at all.

4. The Man***

10/10 Chorus: PERFECTION Bridge: very good Lyrics: AMAZING Skip? NEVER IN ANY LIFETIME Favorite Lyrics: “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man”

When I read the interview in which Taylor played this song and explained it to the journalist, my excitement multiplied infinite times. Whoever said Taylor Swift is not a feminist should now go and sit in the corner, thinking about how idiotic such a statement is. This track perfectly summarized what a woman pursuing her goals in life has to go through daily and how hard it is when the world thinks you were born with the wrong attribute in the lower part of your body. It is very provocative and sarcastic, a real national anthem for women. I’m so very proud of her for writing this song, you have no idea. Of course, it has quickly earned a spot on my ‘top favorites’.

5. The Archer***

10/10 Chorus: good (pre-chorus is what I really love) Bridge: BRIDGE CITY ALERT!!! Lyrics: AMAZING Skip? NEVER IN ANY LIFETIME Favorite Lyrics: “All the king’s horses, all the king’s men couldn’t put me together again” “awake in the night, I pace like a ghost, the room is on fire, invisible ghosts”

Ah, the power of number 5! This song is life! The thing I love the most about this track is the way it speaks so much on an emotional level, using very little actual words. With track 5 we always got a very descriptive song: she wanted to tell us about an extremely delicate, heartbreaking moment in her life and walked us through the entire story with the lyrics. The Archer doesn’t give us a story, doesn’t talk to us about a distressing moment in her life… it tells us about a feeling – more than that, it gives us that feeling. The anxiety you have when you suffered one too many bad knockouts in life and you are always ready for something bad to happen, always ready for someone to betray you or leave you alone again. It’s a paralyzing fear, almost like you can’t breathe and the fact that Taylor was capable of putting it all into words… I just love her so much, you guys! Though not my favorite Track 5, it does get both a spot on my top three Track 5 (All Too Well and White Horse are number 1 and 2) and on my ‘top favorites’ for this album.

6. I Think He Knows

Chorus: meh Bridge: good, did better Lyrics: AMAZING Skip? Sadly, yes.

Ugh, this is a moment I hate very much. This is one of the only two songs I didn’t particularly like on this album. It breaks my heart to say this because I love both the lyrics (which I think are some of the best on the entire record) and the concept behind this song. But the rhythm just doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t speak to me like all the other songs do… something is just off. That being said, it is still a very good song. Let’s just say, I wouldn’t mind at all if it didn’t make it on the Lover Tour setlist. I know a lot of you love this song and I tried very hard to change my mind about it, but I just know it will be a skip for me.

7. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

Chorus: very good

Bridge: magic

Lyrics: great

Skip? No

Favorite Lyrics:

“I’ll never let you (go), ‘cause I know this is a (fight), that someday we’re gonna (win)”

This one is absolutely incredible - also, my boyfriend’s favorite. It’s You belong with me older, more mature and melancholic sister. The bridge is what really made me fall in love with this track: one of the best she has ever written.

8. Paper Rings

Chorus: PERFECTION Bridge: quite perfect Lyrics: AMAZING Skip? Definitely no Favorite Lyrics: “I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this” “I like shiny things, but I’d marry you with paper rings”

OMG THIS SONG! This song is so so so cute! I love it! It’s fun and catchy and makes you want to dance so hard! I’m really looking forward to seeing this song performed live. And don’t even get me started on the chorus: I like shiny things, but I’d marry you with paper rings… are you kidding me? Tell me this is not the most amazing declaration of love you have ever heard! Once again, I agree with secret sessioners: it does give Stay, Stay, Stay vibes and I’m totally here for it. These are the kind of songs that I missed the most during rep era and I’m so happy that we got Paper Rings, you have no idea!

9. Cornelia Street*****

10/10 Chorus: PERFECTION Bridge: quite perfect Lyrics: AMAZING Skip? NEVER IN ANY LIFETIME Favorite Lyrics: (too many to count) “I rent a place on Cornelia Street I say casually in the bar” “that’s the kind of heartbreak time could never mend” “as if the streetlights pointed in an arrowhead leading us home”

When the tracklist came out and we found out about the Cornelia flowers Easter eggs I just knew that this song was going to hit very hard in the feelings: it was the only Easter egg she has repeated plenty of times, ever since Me! Came out. When we found out that she had written this one by herself, my expectation flew to the moon and back. It did not disappoint in any way: I LOVE THIS SONG! It’s so soft and romantic, my heart can’t take it! I also very much liked the production on this one. Seriously, one of Taylor’s best song for me. The reason I can’t decide which one between this and Lover is my ultimate favorite is that whenever I am finally convinced about one being it, I listen to the other and I’m stuck again. I don’t know if that was clear enough for everyone to understand but… yeah, I’ll let you know if I ever make up my mind.

[estboss4life]

Everyone has their favorite female wrestler in WWE, but it is absolutely undeniable that the backbone of this entire “Evolution” was and is Sasha Banks. As has been stated over and over again, Sasha Banks is the common denominator in all landmark moments for women in the WWE. Every single time she gets an opportunity to truly wrestle she blows it out of the water in a way that makes you go “this girl is special.” In NXT these performances were particularly poingant, because they elevated the perception of women’s capabilities in a real way. Sasha may not be the cleanest wrestler (that award goes to Asuka), or have the most explosive moveset (that goes to Ember), or have the best promo (Alexa can keep that), but she knows how to tell stories better than anyone. She knows how to marry all the great individual nuances about wrestling together and elevate them in a match. And she never underdelivers. Any of her matches that have ‘flopped’ have been due to shitty booking- and that was pretty much only in her forever series with Charlotte. The importance of Sasha’s ability to exceed expectations and kick into a 5th gear is remarkably underappreciated. NO other woman does that. Asuka is hailed as the best of today, but her entire run has seen only three matches that have matched Sasha’s body of work- vs Nikki Cross in NXT, vs Ember Moon at Brooklyn, and vs Charlotte at Wrestlemania. Charlotte is hailed as the best “Big Match” female wrestler, yet none of her big matches can stand toe to toe with Sasha’s (most of which were with Sasha involved). I’m not trying to put down any of these other women- they’re incredible. I’m just trying to point out that as good as they are, there’s a reason Sasha’s body of work is in a class of its own. Simply put, the reason is Sasha Banks! She has more than earned recognition for her contributions. She is the pioneer of this movement. •vs Charlotte, NXT Takeover This was Sasha’s coming out party. To this point she had been a nobody turned somebody turned hot prospect. It was time for her to prove her mettle, and boy did she! She and Charlotte displayed an athleticism and chemistry on a completely different level than anything women in WWE had ever done. The Boss had officially arrived. •The Four Horsewoman Fatal 4-Way, NXT Takeover: Rival Here we have a perfect storm of characters, story build and timing. The four women running their division in NXT and putting their peers to shame on a consistent basis found their worlds colliding. It was a beautiful explosion of crossed path’s, previous alliances and future wars that set the precedence for what was to be expected from women in the future. •vs Becky Lynch, NXT Takeover: Unstoppable At this point Sasha was over as a character and a worker. She could’ve just gone through the motions and delivered a safe, decently entertaining match. Instead, because she’s Sasha Banks, she delivered a tragically undermentioned classic that put Becky Lynch on the map. Three years later and it is arguably still the best match of Becky’s career. Not mentioned is how this match solidified Sasha Banks as a Main Event Superstar. Her skill could no longer be questioned, and neither could her star power •vs Bayley, NXT Takeover: Brooklyn Both competitor’s career-high match came together in a way that can’t be properly expressed. Everything from the history of women’s wrestling in WWE, to NXT’s growth as a brand, to the fact that it was NXT’s first Takeover outside of Florida, to the rise of both women in NXT, to the 2-year backstory of their feud was bundled into this great moment. Unsurprisingly, a Match of the Year contender came from this match, setting the benchmark for what women’s wrestling can be in the WWE if it is allowed to flourish. •30-Minute Iron Man Match, NXT Takeover: Respect Personally, I felt these two had already earned the Main Event spot at Brooklyn, considering the fact that their story was unparalleled up to that point- and not to mention the fact that Sasha Banks was riding out a career-defining run in the upper-echelon of NXT as a brand. However, if there were any doubts about where the women deserved to be on the card, Brooklyn destroyed them. Now, Sasha Banks & Bayley were clearly recognized as the Main Event by the company, and rightfully so. Both women were in peak form, adding a page to their layered story as Bayley came into her own as a force to be reckoned with and Sasha elevated herself in an attempt to cling to her glory in NXT. •Horsewoman Triple Threat, WrestleMania Three of the four Horsewomen made their debuts on the main roster and ran rampant on it. Sasha was kept in WWE’s back pocket as Charlotte made her way to the front of the division and Becky established herself. The three women would officially usher in a new era for women in the company by stealing the show. •vs Charlotte, RAW 7/25/2016 The crowd was white hot for Sasha at this point. She had never had a one on one title opportunity before this and things were finally coming to a head with her career-long rival. People ate it up as RAW began anew. •Falls Count Anywhere After months of back and forths, Charlotte and Sasha’s rivalry peaked in this match. Arguably Charlotte’s best showing to date (next to her match with Asuka), both women pushed one another to the limit, brutalizing one another. •vs Asuka, Post-Royal Rumble Having come off of a taxing near-hour run in the Royal Rumble, Sasha Banks had something to prove as she came up against the woman who won the match, and, to that point, had been unstoppable. Sasha made it to the very end of the match, losing only due to her ego. By breaking Asuka’s undefeated streak, Sasha could validate her belief that she was the best wrestling had to offer. Ultimately what transpired was a violent affair that ranks among all of RAW’s classics.

[theophenes]

The one where Mike talks about Wrestling, because writing plots for other people’s characters is easier.

fOkay, so I’ll be the first to admit that it’s been a while since I’ve actually seen more than friggin’ clips, but there are two things that have recently been trending, that have stuck in my brain:

John Cena wants and Undertaker match, despite the fact that Taker is getting too damn old for this shit.

And the current tag team champions are Bray Wyatt (basically some sort of yokel cult leader with a rocking chair who convinces everyone under him to rock beards) and Matt Hardy (Equally crazy, regularly changes personality by walking into a lake, pretty certain he thinks he’s some sort of God or something)

The reality is that Taker, as much as he is the original god-damned icon, and one of the longest standing people in this business, the reality is that he needs to retie. And frankly, he deserves to retire in fucking style. No amateur shit. No small-time stuff. Nah, he needs to o to hell in a balze of glory. Frankly, this would take msot of a year to set up, but it’d be good. 

It starts simply enough. We get a few of the usual promos leading up to Halloween, through September and October. Weird jump cuts, random shots of Taker shoveling dirt, dragging the coffin, et cetera, the usual stuff. All hype, no clear knowledge.

Mean while, the tag team belt goes up in August, and is lost to, crap, I dunno, Brand new day in a 3v3 (Not like they couldn’t get a third for this, we’ll say Wray brings back Randy Orton under the Freebirds precedent). Anyhow. Hardy blames Wray for bringing in “The Serpent, whose energy corrupted our team” and Wray “Questions the convictions of a broken man.” By mid october, they’re regularly not helping each other in tag matches. Wray decides to put Matt’s convictions to godhood to the test, pushing him to fight the symbol of his failing resolve: A tag-team of Jeff Hardy and Daniel Bryant, doing the team high-flyer bullshit that makes and audience roar. This becomes a feature event at the end of september. It goes badly. Wray manages a win, but he has to go dirty to do it, forcing Matt to snap between his personae to save Jeff from a near-fatal blow at the last minute. Bryant gets to be angry about a bunch of things, and looks good while the audience watches him get a dramatic fake injury.

First week of October, Cena gets a match against Seamus, makes a big monologue (he loves making fun of that guy, seems like a good warm-up) and the match goes on, but is interrupted by Kane, in the classic demon mask (You didn’t think Kane wouldn't get to be the last big Taker story, did you?). He bombs Seamus, causing Cena to lose by DQ. He then grabs a mic. “You demanded my brother’s head at Wrestlemania,” he begins, growling in his usual ominous routine. “You demanded the dead man. You claim to rise above the hate. To be beyond it. Above it. You are not above death, Cena. Death takes all. Death...consumes us. Empowers us. In order to defeat Taker, in order to earn it, you must first fight the true Demon. Slay the demon, and you shall have your match with death!”

Dramatic? Over the top? Damn straight. Bray Wyatt, lacking a tag team partner, gos back into singles matches. He gets into some okay fights, but cuts promos going back to creepy shit, occasionally cut by taker. Everyone knows the match. Bane and Cena doing a cage match. Bryatt, meanwhile, seems crazier than usual. Mumblings about prophecies. About angels and devils. Claiming that the only way to defeat the false gods is to slay a Demon, and taunt death. Everyone thinks he’s talking about Cena. He’s not.

In a few weeks, we get our pay-per-view. A cage match between Bane and Cena. No interruptions. But before it, a new match. Daniel Bryant versus Finn Balor Tables. Bryant decides to wear his cape, Fina goes out in his more normal get-up (the classic paint was nixed because fighting Marvel and Disney over the Venom resemblance seemed like a bad play a month after the movie). Bray Wyatt, shows up, interfering on Bryant’s behalf, although Bryant clearly doesn’t want the help. Ominous masked figures, doing the weird cult thing, grab Balor after the count, running with the body. Wray knocks down the security trying to stop him, and just grins at Bryant. Cena fights Bane, and wins in the rather boring way he usually does.

In November, he gets another promo, where he explains/sermonizes that the demon’s blood was strong enough, after being tested by the dragon. However, it required a cleasning, holy power to draw its true strength out.

After a series of escalating matches where Bryant ends up defeating multiple former members of the Wyatt family, and removing their “brain-washing” by kicking their ass in the ring, Bray and Daniel get a PPV feud going. Bray “summons” his demon Finn in a new look during the match after the lights flicker, and then they fight. The new “Demon of Wyatt” runs amok, and then the match ends.

The new, Wyatt-endorsed “Evil Finn” persona shows up, with perfectly normal Finn doing perfectly normal face stuff, and demon Finn doing weird heel stuff. They never acknowledge each other’s actions or bouts.

 In January, we get more Taker promo’s. Two weeks in, at Raw, Cena has a match, and it ends with the ring going dark. Taker emerges. He grabs the mic. “You have defeated my brother, and we are good to our word. At wrestlemania, we will fight.”

Cena hesitates. “We?“

Taker grins. “Soon, you will learn.”

Bray gets more ambitious, deciding to tag-team with Demon Finn for the tag championship. They win, but again, the stage darkens. Kane emerges, saying there can only be one demon. Only one monster. Bray agrees, and says the mosnter will fight on Raw, in February. However, each demon msut offer their flesh, to prove who is mightier. Bray spends time as Demon Finn’s “manager/handler” in the interim, while Kane occasionally shows up and power bombs somebody to prove his point. They get their fight. However, Kane, being a crafty, weird half-demon, decides to make it a tag-team event. “A demon should bring his sorcerer,” he declares, and who else comes out to confront Wyatt? Jeff hardy, wearing some bizarre, hell-fire outfit, chanting sorcerous lines. Hardy and Wray brawl. Finn and Kane fight. They lose the title, as demon-king Hardy distract Wray, causign him to lose “control” over Finn.

However, Wray has another dirty trick up his sleeve. The same masked cultists that kidnapped Balor appear, and take the weakened Kane and Hardy, overwhelming them with numbers, dragging them away, one of them helping a now-titleless Wray limp out of the arena, leaving the title in the air (this gives management a chance to use a 2v2v2 tag-team event to decide who should get the belt at a big pay-per-view or foreign show).

 Another week passes, and another. We get a new promo segment. In it, we have video of Bray holding the mask of Kane, and the hair of Hardy. He rambles on, about having stolen the mantles of the great demon and the false prophet, and now only needing death’s own head for his collection. He claims to have stripped them of their falsehoods, leaving them to rot.

A new, clean Kane that resembles the corporate look, no mask, no growl, and a weirdly sedate Hardy appear on stage for a few weeks. Jeff and Matt go back to being a tag team again, while the “new” Kane takes some time off for now. 

It’s almost March, we’re near to Wrestlemania, and people are talking. Where is Kane. Is Bray going to debut his plan at Wrestlemania? Why haven’t we heard from Taker all month?

Three weeks before the big night, answers come. Taker appears, alone, monologueing. Cena interrupts the monologue half-way through, because Cena never lets anyone else talk. Cena goes on about how he’ll take on the Undertaker, how he’ll fight and win, because that is what he does. Cena demands his match at Wrestlemania, and gloats about how he defeated Kane--and the lights darken, silently.

When the lights go back on, We see the ring surround by masked figures, the Wyat family’s strange enforcers we see Bray standing there, looking at the other too, smiling. He speaks about he too, has defeated the demon, and throws Kane’s mask at Takers feet, spitting on it for good measure. “You desire vengeance, dead man?”

Taker holds up two fingers. “Two coffins, then.”

Bray smiles. “I’ll bring one for you, your brother wasn’t using it.”

Wrestlemania. Half a year of build-up. Cena enters first, with his usual fanfare. He charges in heroically. He waves to the crowd.

The next entry is Taker, complete with the old entrance. The druids, cloaked and hidden, not seen for years, bring in the coffin.A brief montage of the dead man shows up, but he arrives at the ring confident. Angry. Ready.

Wyatt arrives, flanked by his cult. his champion, Finn, is pushing a different coffin, cast in what looks like iron. It seems to smoke. Finn is wearing what looks like a remodeled version of Kane’s face mask. It looks more like an Alice Cooper video, to be honest.

The match begins, Cena and Wyatt both charging for Undertaker. Taker holds up well--he still has the skills, but it’s two on one, both eager to put taker in the coffin. And then, right when it looks like Bray has the pin, Cena on the floor in pain, the gray coffin opens, and out comes Kane, charging over the ropes at Bray. Finn attempts to stop him, but gets knock to the floor. Kane alternates between fighting Bray and punching Taker, because if anyone is going to end Taker, it’s Kane, damnit.

This four-way clusterfuck lasts for over half and hour. Pins, chokeslams, stunners, lariats, the damn works. After an eternity of fighting, Cena and Kane manage to toss wray into the wooden coffin--and it breaks in two. He returns the favor, whipping Kane into the “stone coffin,” which shatters. Cena gets chucked through the Spanish announcers table, because it should never survive. Taker gets pinned by Wray. Cena pins Kane. They face each other. Wray, making a show over the fallen Taker, performs the Last Ride on Cena. Cean kicks out, attempts and STF on Wray. Wray has no choice but to prove himself as the Dead Man’s successor, forcing him to imitate the Tombstone piledriver.

After the bell is called, the four men slowly walk out of the Arena, happy to Retire the Phenom with a true potent successor. Bray, as tribute, starts wearing the dramatic leather from time to time. Finn occasionally uses the Kane mask during a PPV entrance. And both of these men get to retire to the hall of fame in style, knowing their legacies, of the undead cult-leader and his twisted demon-spawn brother, are celebrated and honored by some damn talented wrestlers in this generation.

[prdigy]

TAGS  -- )

[sonofprodigy]

                                   Breathe tragedy through ragged lungs -                                                               - While you bleed blue and gold

                                                 And god makes monsters of men

                                                               Written by Serberus