#Kratos was felling silly | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

danwhobrowses · 4 years

Text

AEW Double of Nothing 2020 - My Thoughts

Well that was a long night, it’s tough watching USA PPVs in the UK. But Double or Nothing is in the books and since I have free time I thought I’d talk about some stuff I liked and disliked I’ll have to note, I’m not a sole AEW fan, I like stuff from WWE, NJPW, Stardom, TJPW and DDT Pro too, dabbling in ROH, Impact and NWA from time to time and reminiscing fondly over the time Lucha Underground was great. But I say this because I don’t want people quickly pointing fingers at me accusing me of being a stan for AEW or WWE just because I like or dislike something they disagree with, I’m not playing bias I am literally working on impulse and sleep deprivation

Spoilers for AEW Double or Nothing 2020 obviously, watch, enjoy, look at some gifs maybe and come back here

The Buy-In:

Private Party vs Best Friends (Winner is No.1 Contender for the AEW World Tag Team Championship) Winner: Best Friends via Pinfall (Strong Zero to Marq Quen)

For a pre-show match it was fine, the Buy-In stream did start way too early and streaming and audio issues would plague both Fite and BR Live streams throughout. As for the match, it was a tad sloppy at times but it is worth reminding people that PP haven’t been wrestling in a while. And they weren’t terrible botches, just a few overexersions, people can’t be as crisp as Rey Fénix every match, especially since there’s more margin of error the more people involved in the spot there is. The match was very back and forth at times, and the highlight has to be the G9, PP (and Big Swole) had been wearing SG armbands in honor of Shad Gaspard, who tragically died in Venice Beach due to a rip current submerging him, I had been a big fan of Cryme Tyme (and PS4′s God of War which he did motion capture of Kratos for) when they were in WWE, so the nice homage of using their finisher was a nice touch. As for the result I didn’t mind either way, I had backed PP due to their ongoing BTE feud with Hangman Page, but the Best Friends have definitely been consistent enough to challenge and possibly even win the titles, it would be sensible for them to win it too since they have lingering feuds with TH2, Death Triangle, The Superbad Death Squad and Butcher and Blade.

Main Card:

Intermission build for Casino Ladder Match

It was mostly people explaining how and why they were gonna win, but I did have to make a separate mention for Jimmy Havoc, dressed to fucking drip. Man looks like a bond villain.

Casino Ladder Match (Winner is No.1 Contender for the AEW World Championship at Fyter Fest) Winner: Brian Cage An early point I wanna make, I think AEW are spying on me because I had much earlier thought up a similar idea of a ‘Bargaining Chip’ to work as a guaranteed contendership boon. If Tony Khan wants to pick my brain all he has to do is call, I still think all non-title ‘Double or Nothing’ matches should be worth 2 wins/losses in the spirit of the PPV name. I also didn’t mind the giant chip, would’ve been silly if it was regular sized. AEW has a winner with this format I think, the battle royale format was good for introducing a group of new faces, but in a more condensed format the Casino rules for a Ladder match work two ways, the early people have less opposition to win while the last people are fresh, the red ladders were a bit much for my tastes though. As for the match, it was still a bit messy but there were 9 people plus interferences to deal with, also since Fénix was pulled from the match we have to give benefit of the doubt in terms of the match narrative changing. It was an odd choice picking both members of SCU to start but we may be setting up Superbad Death Squad vs SCU tensions as well, adding Darby in the halfway mark was a good burst of energy but you really do wince with the stuff Darby ragdolls through. OC was his usual hilarious self, the low-effort reach attempts, the brief pause with Cabana. The frenetic energy of Janela resumed the pace from the comedy segment until the super heavyweights came in; I did find that Luchasaurus did prioritize a fight over the match itself, but it worked for his heavyweight mentality and after being undone by Allin’s sunset bomb, gave us the space for the final entrant. Brian Cage, I love that man he is just nonsense talented, his moveset is unique and malleable and his power is insane. What a way to debut as well, completely ripped apart a ladder, murdered Allin with a ‘F-5000′ (Props to Excalibur as always) and was running roughshot - aside from OC, who almost hilariously piggybacked a win - until most of the competitors basically flattened him under a bunch of miscellaneous objects and a giant poker chip. This gave Luchasaurus some time to have some fun as the ‘Big Man’ too, really did enjoy the Marko mini-ladder and OC channeling the Hurricane with the chokeslam attempt, I do appreciate that Best Friends and Jurassic Express still have that rivalry, also Janela’s running DVD to OC on top of the pile of miscellaneous objects was a great spot, but it was all leading up to Cage bursting out and squaring off with the Dino, more of this! There was a bit of wobbly knees but the powerbomb on the ladder with gnarly, and we are due a hoss match for Luchasaurus since his feuds with Wardlow and the Butcher fell through due to COVID. But this was Cage’s time, I thought Allin was gonna sneak it for a moment but then I remembered that Cage winning was much more story-based. The ladder spot was brutal and a bit too much for the finish but the result I am still quite happy with. Before Fénix was pulled I backed him to win because I felt that the world title picture needed some speed after the methodical match with Hager, but Cage does have the speed and the power to put on a good show, he’s a proven world champion at Impact and he has been on AEW’s radar for a long time, injury keeping him out.As much as one can complain that this was just a gratuitous spot fest there was storyline; the faction conflicts of SCU, Superbad Death Squad, Best Friends and Jurassic Express was apparent but the main story by the end was the story of Allin and Tazz, Tazz was angered by Darby’s hostile response to his offer of managing him after his loss to Cody, so he’s taken Cage under his wing to enact some payback. It’s a solid looking pairing too, using the legends as managers is something AEW does well and using Tazz as Cage’s manager with his promo skills and their physical similarities is an interesting combination.

Jungle Boy vs MJF Winner: MJF via Pinfall (Modified European Clutch) This was one of my favourite wrestling matches on the card. The back and forth between MJF and Jungle Boy had some great athleticism and technical wrestling. This can easily be a top tier feud between the two later down the line, they are like two sides of a coin. The match had great storytelling in the fact that MJF worked Jungle Boy’s arm, which allowed him to escape situations like the crossface and hold on to the final pinfall, MJF was pulling great heel works and trickery while trying to work Jungle Boy into the Salt of the Earth finisher, the knee injury fakeout was great. But Jungle Boy also rallied with the babyface resilience, the explosive anger in the face of MJF’s undermining and proved his strength. I appreciated the finish as well, MJF won clean but Jungle Boy looked excellent, and it avoided Wardlow ex Machina. MJF continues to look more and more like world champion material and I can see him stealing it from Moxley.

TNT Presentation with Mike Tyson

Okay, I don’t like the belt. I’m sorry, I know it’s unfinished due to COVID so there’s room for improvement but it just looks too simple on the main plate. It seems like every other belt AEW releases is a bit lacking. The World and Tag titles are sublime but the Women’s title is far too small and the TNT title just lacks detail, it’s also hard to not think it looks like the WWE Raw Tag Titles mixed with the 24/7 title, I have never been a big fan of plastering the name in BIG DISTRACTING LETTERS in the middle. Granted, I get why silver was used for a midcard belt, and not every title can be Big Gold, Winged Eagle, NXT UK, IWGP or the ROH world title, but it could’ve taken more inspiration from the IC white strap, NXT NA title, AWA Southern Heavyweight or even the NJPW US title if you’re so adamant about the bright red strap. Frankly I was just disappointed that AEW presented such a weak design.

TNT Championship Tournament Final Winner: Cody via Pinfall (2 Consecutive Cross Rhodes) The finals for the match started off impressively, Archer looking like a total monster even bringing in some poor sod to decimate in front of an entertained Tyson before striking early with his finisher on Cody. Cody fought from under Archer’s offence to get some licks into his core. Sadly not all the cuts to Tyson were great, the one that’ll dominate media being the one where he was caught yawning. Before smarks jump at it, people are allowed to yawn, it’s not always a sign of boredom, given that Tyson is 53, has been hitting the gym hard and it was past 10pm, every other time they went to him he looked like he was loving the match, especially Archer’s heel intensity. The match didn’t have enough of Arn and Jake for my liking, given what was hinted at during Dynamite, I didn’t mind them being ejected especially since Arn was playing dirty too. Cody did pull out some storied offence with the Stringer Splash and Dustin’s Final Reckoning, but the ending kinda felt like the wrong result. After Jake was scared away by a Ripped Tyson from bringing his snake to the ring, Archer just became undone by Cody wriggling out of the Black Out and nailing two Cross Rhodes (third of the match) for the W. It was a bit iffy, I mean Cody has used the double Cross Rhodes to win a few matches already, so it felt like for me if Cody was to win then he’d need to pull off something extra. One Cross Rhodes made Archer kick out at one after all. Many people will use this as ‘Cody is an EVP of course he books himself as champion’ trying to liken him to Triple H or Jeff Jarrett, but while I disagreed with the result, I don’t think it’s bad that Cody wins a midcard title. He is never going to win the world title, he’s been a consistently great babyface for the company too and put MJF and Jericho over, as a wrestler you can’t have Cody not win a title ever. But that being said, I think defeat did hurt Archer, he was so in control of the match and just came undone right at the end, there was a heavy contrast to the Archer that started the match and the Archer that finished. It doesn’t mean he’s lost his aura completely, but winning the title would’ve done him more favours than it would have done Cody at this current time.

Intermission: Britt Baker Injury Update To prelude the Ford/Statlander match, there was a small bit explaining the nature of Britt Baker’s injury. It was kinda decent to still sell Britt’s gimmick by the doctor admitting that she’s being a handful, but the 6-8 week time frame is a shame, that’s only competing though, it’ll be interesting what they do with her on next Dynamite, she may get herself an enforcer too (Nyla could work, or Sadie Gibbs since she’s due a re-debut).

Penelope Ford vs Kris Statlander Winner: Kris Statlander via Pinfall (Big Bang Theory) While Penelope only had brief involvement in the Casino Ladder Match (she did have a weird space of just standing there for a bit as OC started to use 0.5% of his full power), hers and Kip’s entrance did put a smile as Kip sold the ladder match hard, as did Kris’ booping to the crowd and the joyous reactions of Nakazawa, Austin Gunn and Suge D/Pineapple Pete from it. The match itself was okay, this stage felt like a palate cleanser if anything. Ford and Kris did work pretty well, there was a nervy suicide dive where Kris’ head almost went into the barricade but we also got some great strikes, a good hurricanrana from Ford and a solid end as Kip tried to break the pin using his crutches. Ford has been lowkey great for the women’s division, her surprise win over Riho is proof of that, but Statlander was due a win. I felt like against Britt she was due a loss but now it feels like we can expand on that feud a bit, it’s good signs from AEW’s weak spot and it just needs a bit more faces - which of course is limited by COVID but I do really miss seeing Bea, Allie, Swole (who almost every heel in the crowd seemed to wanna rile up), Anna Jay, Shanna, Riho, Emi Sakura (who streamed her reactions of the show) and personal favourite Yuka Sakazaki in the ring, as well as hoping for returns from Ivelisse, Jamie Hayter, Sadie Gibbs and Awesome Kong for the Women’s Division, also maybe bring Vickie into the fold as a manager, she was a presence in the crowd.

Dustin Rhodes vs Shawn Spears Winner: Dustin Rhodes via Pinfall (Final Reckoning) Sadly this was the weakest match on the card. Started pretty well though, Spears was heeling it up a la Booker T in KOTR when Angle wasn’t cleared to compete and still demanded that they be counted out. There was also the HBK Montreal music fake-out which was pretty good, but he did wait a bit long to pull off the smile. Brandi halted the count allowing for Dustin to pull a sneak which was made great by the camera movement but from there it started to devolve into a weak spot. Comedy matches are fine, but times and place work for it, and Shawn Spears’ continued pursuit against Cody should not have been a comedy match in my opinion. I never dig the strip bit as well, there’s only so much you can suspend disbelief and Shawn being stripped to his boxers that have Tully Blanchard’s face on them is over that line. If Dustin was to win then I wished it wasn’t this way, sadly Spears has been hit with a revolving door of gimmicks, the Chairman was good but lacked intensity, the needing a partner looked to be going somewhere until COVID limited his options (and sank Brandon’s push) and this new anti-Cody gimmick has suddenly became a joke, it’s not a good spot for him especially when he had a pretty good match with Cody in the TNT tournament. We know through MJF that he can do comedy, but the key to comedy is timing and Shawn’s character should’ve been looking towards him contending for Cody’s newfound TNT title rather than being humiliated ass-cheeks out on TV...at least Peyton has something to giggle about at home though. Pre-Match Tribute to Hana Kimura (1997-2020)

I was glad that AEW took a moment to tribute Hana’s death. After the homage to Shad in the Buy-In I was hoping that they would reference her before the women’s title match and my hopes were realised. Reading the headline of her death yesterday morning put a horrid pit in my stomach, I had always felt that Hana was one of the most talented women in Stardom, as ‘Dark Hana’ in Oedo Tai, ‘Rave Hana’ when feuding with Kagetsu, ‘Death-Hana’ when teaming with Yama and of course as the TCS leader, I easily saw her in a few years time being the face of the company, her faction was on a high, she partook in Stardom’s first ever Tokyo Dome match at Wrestle Kingdom, she had wrestled in guest entires for DDT Pro and ROH, and I also hoped to see her in an AEW ring one day (Brandi had Stardom ties after all). Her dedication to the business was palpable as she even went into a reality show to try and get more eyes on wrestling, and yet cyberbulling drove her to feel so sub-human that she likely took her own life. It was a horrible, horrible thing to read about, and I really wanted to vent this out yesterday but didn’t due to the fact that I didn’t tribute Shad’s death and didn’t want it to appear that I only cared about Hana’s death. Shad’s death was sad of course, he nobly prioritised the rescue of his son and sadly time was not on his side against the elements, it’s obviously terrible that he died and the world is poorer for his loss as well, but Hana’s death hit me harder for different reasons. For one, she was 22, 5 years younger than me, her career was bright and her smile wide, and yet anonymous sadsacks were able to torment her enough for no reason other than so they could bring a young woman down to make themselves feel better, as a person who underwent a lot of bullying at a young age - I was forced to eat dirt once in primary school - this did hit hard for me, because despite both deaths being tragic: Shad died because of the elements nobody can control, Hana died because of people, sad, despicable people and even though I never knew Hana or would’ve even been able to reach her, it sucks feeling that there was nothing we could do to help her. In conclusion, bullying sucks, and Excalibur put it aptly as many others have, it doesn’t cost a thing to be kind and if you’re struggling there’s people who’ll be there for you.

AEW Women’s Championship (No DQ or Count-Out) Nyla Rose (c) vs Hikaru Shida Winner: Hikaru Shida via Pinfall (’Three Count’ Knee Strike) Perhaps one of the best women’s matches AEW have put on, I was very looking forward to this matchup. I am not one of those people who disliked Rose winning the title, she (yes she, grow up) was a good, dominant heel and I bloody love that jumping knee strike. But I also love Shida, she’s been a consistent force in AEW, being a part of most of the Women’s Division’s best matches, also she as a person is very likeable. I have to add a note that while I’m not too familiar with Final Fantasy (Tumblr seems to think I am mind you), I did like the small Tifa Lockhart cosplay in Shida’s attire. In general the fancy entrances and attires were sadly limited by COVID, but when you did see them it did make it a little special because of its rarity. The No DQ stip was a good one, I did worry it would lead to Shida’s downfall but the storytelling revolving around Shida’s tenacity, Nyla’s brutality and the coveting of the kendo stick all really meshed together well. There were some solid spots and some proper brutal strikes. I appreciated the attention to the fact that Nyla’s arm and Shida’s leg were weakened and that came into play as they landed their big moves to a near fall. The finale though was good, following a beautiful sequence of an Avalanche Falcon Arrow and the weak-legged ‘Three Count’ at two, Shida’s resiliency proved too much for the native beast as she laid her out with a Kendo stick to the head and one more ‘Three Count’ for the eventual namesake. While Nyla’s reign was long, COVID did sadly prevent her from defending much and that was a shame, her only real defense being against Statlander, but it was the right call to pull the trigger on Shida. Like Asuka in WWE, she has been a consistent fan favourite with star aura, being No DQ also aided Nyla in saving face; Shida only won due to her Kendo strikes and out-of-ring spots, so it made her strong that it took that stipulation to bring her to her limit. I do welcome the type of storylines they’ll have to build opponents for Shida too, with Britt in recovery it gives her time before they can renew hostilities, which grants a platform for other heels to develop and challenge. Also do appreciate that the top titles were carded back-to-back, speaking of which...

AEW World Heavyweight Championship Jon Moxley (c) vs “The Exalted One” Mr. Brodie Lee Winner: Jon Moxley via KO by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) While the build to Moxley and Brodie started abrupt, one had to appreciate jumping at this matchup sooner rather than later. Both men were lacking a strong feud to go with since the Inner Circle were still involved with The Elite and SCU were being preoccupied with the TNT title. The Dark Order had gained a resurgence with the mystery of the Exalted One, and with some impressive squashes by Brodie and Preston Vance impressing as his new protegee ‘10′, things were looking decent for the faction, but this still remained a risky angle. For Brodie this would be a make or break moment for his character, he had already gotten some disdain as people compared his gimmick to a Vince McMahon caricature and questions rose on whether he was ready for this spot, if he wasn’t then the Dark Order would’ve fell to square one. But that didn’t happen. From the moment Brodie came out with his horde he exuded a brilliant amount of heel smugness, feeling as if being champion was already a certainty (I do also love how previously he had a minion carry the belt for him like a boxing entourage), the mind games already on display before the bell even rang. Moxley also looked raring to go, his usual swaying self with a bit of purpose and a lovely gold sprayed jacket as he strided to the ring, separated by a row of security to sell the animosity between the villain and the antihero. The match was very strong, a really enjoyable world title match that meshed the brawling styles of both men, the advantage going to and fro as Brodie used his power to gain advantage while Moxley used his unconventional assault - even grabbing Lee’s beard for a headbutt - and the outside of the ring with a lovely Paradigm Shift through the ramp that brought some believable (in the context of the spot) colour to Brodie’s face. The finish increased the pace in brilliant fashion as Brodie shockingly kicked out of the Paradigm Shift at one, from there Moxley looked desperately to put Brodie away before he could rally, hammering at the head wound before cleverly bringing Brodie down with a Rear Naked Choke. I was surprised a lot of people didn’t like that finish, it kept Brodie strong that he didn’t tap out and a rear naked choke is a great finish, it has legitimacy since it ends many UFC fights, it was smart as well because Brodie was bleeding, so on top of blood loss making him light-headed Moxley cut off his blood flow to his head to knock him out. You also have to appreciate this incorporation to Moxley’s moveset, adding submission means there’s a new way he can win and it comes from the MMA background of Hager, like the Gotch Piledriver adopted from Minoru Suzuki (and I have to say Kaze ni Nare whenever I see him do it), seeing Moxley adapt his moveset is a nice little tidbit that helps Moxley feel more studied in his experiences. Also side bar, god bless Leva Bates. In the past two matches she kept in-character and rescued a laptop from destruction. Her wrestling does need a bit of fine tuning but her character work is undeniably great. Overall, like Jungle Boy vs MJF, it did help the match not to have interference, it was two people decking each other to see who’s best and Moxley proved himself more ferocious. Brodie showed himself as a main event quality wrestler who looked good with the title on, pushing through assault multiple times to only be eked into defeat (unlike Archer). Hopefully his story furthers in either respecting that even he must strengthen or lashing out because of his weakness.

Stadium Stampede Match Winner: The Elite, ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy & ‘Hangman’ Adam Page via Pinfall (One-Winged Angel on Sammy Guevara) Well, that was surely something. Not to be outdone by MITB, the storied rivalry of The fractured Elite, Hangman and Matt Hardy against the Inner Circle went hilariously wild and creative with the Stadium Stampede and I loved every single second of it. I’ll try to remember everything in the match to praise so here goes; the Inner Circle’s entrance like an NFL team was great fun, would’ve liked them to jump out of a paper symbol of the Inner Circle but it didn’t take away from the entertainment value. The Elite started without Hangman as they charged at the IC to meet in the middle, some fighting in the ring and some out. Hangman won the entrance game though by ominously strolling on horseback as Sammy Guevara quickly read between the lines and bolted, only to have shaken off Hangman to return for a missed shooting star press on Matt and then a very nearly uncaught one out of the ring too. Not to be outdone, Matt Jackson - broken ribs and all - pulled off a crisp moonsault off the goal post of the stadium while the Bucks tussled with ‘Le Sex Gods’, Santana and Ortiz tussled with Omega and Hardy and Hager went to search for Hangman, who had since dismounted after locating the lobby bar. Kenny had a rough double powerbomb table spot which was quickly cut to replay in order to mask either Santana and/or Ortiz losing his footing on the table and fell off it, but the cut allowed that moment to be skipped as the tag team focused on Hardy. Broken Brilliance would ensue as the team would try to drown Matt in a swimming pool(!?) that happened to be a pool of reincarnation, surfacing Team Extreme ‘Classic Matt’ and then ‘V1 Matt’ with graphics of ‘MATTer of Fact’ that Santana and Ortiz hilariously acknowledged with confusion, all the while an underwater cam would film Matt still happily doing his Team Extreme/V1 hand gestures while drowning. Damascus resurfaced from the pool to deal with the duo, sending both through a table, immobilizing Ortiz by ringing a bell with his head inside and taping him to a ‘chair of wheels’ and then getting his own back by locking Santana in an ice box. I will have to say, while this was great fun with Matt, I do worry a little for Santana and Ortiz. The former LAX were one of the best tag teams in the world leaving Impact and I had hoped they’d take the tag titles in this feud, but they’ve been kept from it like the Bucks have, between the Lucha Bros, SCU, Best Friends and rumours of FTR, the pool does have a lot of strong teams and it’s easy to get lost in the fold. But back to the action, Hager finds Hangman enjoying a whiskey, after a brief ceasefire to drink the bar brawl hits the right notes of great western tropes, including cue stick strikes, Hager dragging Hangman across the bar stand and table spots. Hager looked really strong here, taking on Page and the arriving Omega before being sent wobbly by multiple bottles of bubbly to the head, followed by a V-Trigger and a Buckshot Lariat over the bar as Kenny platformed for Page’s flip, a nice resolution as the tag team get on the same page, sharing a whiskey and a milk. Stories returned to the stadium as the Bucks and Jericho had their own mixture of creative spots and comedy; Matt did a ‘100 yard’ chain of Northern Lights Suplexes onto Guevara while Jericho demanded a VAR replay on a 2 count from Aubrey Edwards (I love how involved Aubrey gets as well), Le Champion also sent Nick through a Jaguars jaguar head’s mouth and did a Judas Effect on the team mascot while Matt was penalized after his touchdown dance referencing Alan Wright, leading to the ref being Superkicked. The Bucks then were able to isolate Jericho and lay him out with Nick doing a bonkers splash through a table starting from the steps of the stadium all the way down to the field, added insult to injury following as Hangman drove over Jericho with a chalk liner But the star of the match had to be Guevara. That kid is a literal star, his expressions and delusion is so on point as well, Spanish gods bless him and his 1000+ lives. After recovering from the 100 yard suplex run, he collapsed onto sprinklers which turned on, his mindset loopy as he started celebrating thinking he won, his face slowly dropping perfectly as the return of the Golf Kart gave him flashbacks of a past death of his in the Tag Street Fight on a previous Dynamite. Sammy was a little wiser and faster though, escaping into the seats out of the Kart’s reach, he slowly ended up being cornered by Matt and Kenny as the Bucks and Hangman watched below, Guevara fended off Matt, but was distracted by Vanguard-1′s reincarnation, NEO-1, for Kenny to daze him. The finish coming as Kenny One-Winged Angel’d Sammy off the ramp to a crash mat below at an incredible height, Aubrey needing to climb a ladder to count the win. Afterwards, the Elite celebrated with Matt and Hangman, hinting that Hangman has reconciled with the Elite as graphics appeared again on the stadium, closing out the PPV. Fantastically bonkers match, but once again this match had a great story in the terms of how the Inner Circle lost. For weeks, the IC ended consecutive Dynamites with the advantage due to their masterful use of the numbers game, but in the Stadium Stampede they are defeated because they split ranks, together they were strong but alone they were broken down, it’s only when the likes of Hager, Jericho and Guevara were isolated did the Inner Circle begin to lose the tide. There was also the recurring elements of the Icebox, Matt’s Broken character, Nick’s prior injury by the IC, Kenny bringing the broom and Hangman’s Cowboy Shit and strained relationship with Kenny and the Bucks, not to mention the many deaths and PTSD of Sammy Guevara. Say what you will about the Elite favouring spots, but you cannot deny that even in this Inner Circle feud, they have made stars out of Guevara and Hangman, it isn’t just self-indulgence. I will say though, I was surprised not to see FTR make a jump, we already had the IC and Elite have graphics on the Stadium so I hoped that the final one would be FTR, but maybe they’re saving it, after all, Blood and Guts is still waiting to be used.

Final Thoughts Outside of the matches itself it was unique that foley crowd sounds were added in to add to immersion, if it weren’t the Empty Arena era of course it would be a down but under the circumstances it made the PPV feel bigger having at least some white noise. The roster as a crowd continues to be good as we saw various personnel react but not steal any spotlight. We do have to appreciate that AEW acknowledges some shortcomings such as the TNT title’s unfinished model and the injuries to Fénix and Baker. Production issues should not have persisted as long as they have, and while it may not all be AEW’s fault due to COVID and the alternate streaming services they must be aware that this will continue to be treated as a blemish, unfortunately whatever AEW does will be compared to WWE - like the Women’s and TNT title have or the respective pushes to select wrestlers. While the current wrestlers are doing well and Dark is providing a platform for local talent - some like Jay, Suge D, Vance and Angels capturing the eye of AEW - it’s worth not forgetting the roster still there; Janela, Kiss, Swole, Avalon, Leva, and practically anyone in the crowd of shows should be able to compete right? All of personnel are tested for COVID so I do appreciate the attention to safety but from a fan’s perspective you do hope that talent get proper exposure. I will also say that I think we’re reaching a threshold of ‘Legends managers’ for the singles men’s roster, we’re fine for now but you don’t want to overdo it. But, overall Double or Nothing was a solid and enjoyable show, had some fun moments and strong matches. While I found the Archer finish and the Spears match disagreeable, it wasn’t too much of a down to ruin the show, the highs still outweighed the lows and there was still a good amount of variety, decent pacing due to good card positioning and nothing overstayed its welcome. We’ve got intriguing directions now too as we build to Fyter Fest; a feud between Moxley and Cage, Cody and the TNT title, fallout for Brodie and Archer’s losses, Best Friends in the tag title hunt, Britt Baker on promo and new champion Shida waiting for us in anticipation of the next show.

6 notes · View notes

darkhymns-fic · 5 years

Text

Magic Swordsman, Expert Tailor

Lloyd has to come to terms with Kratos being his father... Luckily the detailed cloak he was wearing made this a lot easier to deal with.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters: Lloyd Irving, Kratos Aurion, Colette Brunel, Dirk Mirror Link: AO3 Notes: Inspired by @moldy-mold‘s cursed/blessed art. Forgive me...just wanted to make something silly and it’s been so long since I tried writing Kratos. Also since this takes place during the Kratos route, certain deaths can’t be avoided whoops.

---

“Lloyd,” came a voice that lingered in the air. It made him turn.

“Did…Did someone just call my name?” Lloyd asked no one. He had been so distracted by the falling snow outside his window that the voice had made him jump. He felt a little embarrassed about it… but also that voice was very familiar.

So with little time to spare, he left the inn room, walked down the halls and out into the balcony where the stars hovered bright in the sky. Sound felt muted in Flanoir, so hearing that voice so clearly had caught his attention and curiosity.

No one was outside however.

“Huh. Guess I was just hearing things…” Also, it was really cold outside. He hadn’t brought a cloak with him or anything…

“Lloyd.”

He turned, already expectant to find him, and he did. The first he saw was Noishe, his great ears flicking with each snowflake that fell over his green fur, his tail wagging with excitement. Then next to him was Kratos… looking… kind of similar?

Wait… what was he wearing?

“I apologize for calling you out here, but I deemed it was probably the best time.”

Kratos was wearing a cloak, one that was a mixture of light and dark green. That wouldn’t have been so weird if the color hadn’t been arranged in patterns that were exactly like Noishe’s fur. And as if to make sure Lloyd wasn’t imagining things, the hood of Kratos’ cloak was shaped like a certain dog’s head… complete with long, fringed ears, the tuft of dark green fur at the top, and even buttons that served as the eyes and snout…

“Uh,” Lloyd said – it was the only thing he could say.

Kratos seemed to understand his son’s speechlessness. He pulled at the collar of his hood, looking away and giving a small cough. “The snow in Flanoir can be cumbersome. My own clothes are not sufficient enough for it. Speaking of, are you not cold yourself?”

“Uh,” Lloyd repeated, staring at that hood. How did he get it… so detailed? The question finally registered. “Oh! Um, I’m not really cold. This jacket’s good enough! It’s all well-insulated and stuff!” At least that was what his dad would say…

It was so damn weird seeing Kratos look at him with the usual serious expression while basically wearing a cloak version of Noishe’ face. He had never seen Kratos wear this before? Had he always had it?

…Could he get the same kind of cloak if he asked?

Kratos walked up to the balcony next to Lloyd, and started to talk about his reasons for staying with Cruxis, how he knew Lloyd to be his son, and even, with obvious pain in his voice, related the death of Lloyd’s mother. But through all of that, Lloyd still could not take his gaze away from the hood of that cloak.

He got the ears perfect. Did Kratos make this? At times, he had to switch from looking at Kratos to Noishe, who was still standing in the snow, tail wagging and panting, despite it being cold.

“…And then, I killed her,” Kratos said, closing his eyes as he relived the terrible memory of slaying his past love. “After that, I fought off Kvar and his men, but couldn’t find you. I thought there was no way you could still be alive.”

“…Huh? Oh, y-yeah, that’s great,” Lloyd said off-handedly. It was way too hard to pay attention to anything that he was saying right now. “Hey, uh, could I like… how do you have that?”

Kratos raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?”

“Like, do you sew or something? You even got the eyes right!” He was pointing straight at Kratos’ head, before realizing he was talking kind of loudly.

That and Kratos was staring at him – still wearing that cloak.

He lowered his hand. “Er, sorry.” Then scratched the back of his head. “It’s uh, kind of cool, I was trying to say.”

He saw a hint of red in Kratos’ cheeks – probably from the cold. The man looked away for a moment. “I’ve lived for over four millennia – much longer than any human should live for – and I’ve learned a few trade skills along the way. It helped pass the time, so to speak.” He cleared his throat again. “So I learned tailoring, and I seemed to have enough of a talent for it. It was something I learned slightly during my thespian days.”

“Your wha?” Lloyd was gonna ask him about that because it was really confusing him… but he shook his head, still pretty impressed at Kratos’ skills. Kind of a coincidence to have another dad that could also make stuff! Dirk could do a little tailoring too but not on this level…

“Thank you for liking my work, Lloyd,” Kratos said then. Was that pride in his voice?

“Oh! Yeah, you’re welcome! I want one of those now!” Man, how cool would it be to get a cloak like that to match with Noishe? But he realized he was acting kind of excited for what should have been a very serious conversation. He rubbed his hair, dispelling away any stray snowflakes from it. “Heh, just being silly.”

Kratos smiled at his son, looking probably more happy than he ever did. It was kinda strange, especially with the Noishe-cloak on him…but Lloyd was finally starting to understand the man who had been his mentor, and now father.

“It is no trouble at all, Lloyd.”

---

After their conversation, Lloyd had gone back to his room at the inn, a little tired, and actually pretty cold. He had a feeling his jacket wasn’t supposed to be that insulated, more meant for chilly nights back home and not a snowstorm. So with a sneeze, he waved goodbye to Kratos and instantly collapsed on his bed.

When he woke up the next morning, he found a letter enclosed with a pendant – one that housed pictures of Kratos… and his mom, along with himself as a baby. He stared at the important item in silence, feeling so moved that Kratos would give something this valuable to him.

Then his eye caught the sight of something else to the right of him that was on a chair… something green.

"Whoa..." Lloyd breathed as he instantly went over to grab the Noishe-cloak in his hands. Did Kratos actually make more than one of these?!

Lloyd worried it might be too big, but when he put it on, fitting the hood just over his head, he found that it was the perfect size for him. But how? That was when he saw another letter placed beside the cloak, and quickly went over to read it.

Lloyd,

I must confess to you that I had worn this style of clothing on what you could say was a hunch. This design I had made while living with your mother. I would wear this while letting you ride on my shoulders and you always seemed to enjoy it. You were particularly fond of the ears and kept pulling at them. It put my stitching skills to the test so that they should no longer be prone to tearing. I made one for your mother as well, but it was unfortunately lost on the night of her death.

I also once started working on a similar cloak for you when you were young. I have adjusted it accordingly to fit you as you are now. Please accept this.

Sincerely,

Kratos

After reading the letter, and carefully putting the hood to fit better over his head, Lloyd had only one thing to say.

“Man, this is the coolest thing ever!”

And of course, right after getting it, he had to show it off to everyone as he made it down to breakfast. Sure, it made people wonder just where he got it from… but he couldn’t just hide this away! Also it was still kinda cold in Flanoir!

“Lloyd! That looks so cute on you!” Colette was saying, starry-eyed, hands clasped as she looked over the cloak. “Did you make that yourself?”

“Well… I’ll tell you later!” he said quickly as Genis stared suspiciously. “And this makes me look cool, not cute!” He politely corrected her on that, hands on his hips, chest swelling with pride as the wind tugged at his Noishe-cloak’s ears.

“Oh okay! Yeah it does look cool on you!” Colette was hopping on her toes. “I wish I had one too…”

Hm, maybe Kratos could make one for Colette? But he’d have to find him again… “You can borrow this one later if you want!”

“Bud, that looks awful,” Zelos was saying, his tone a little harder than usual. “Where’d you even get something like that?”

“It’s not awful! It’s really cool!” He stood proud, the wind pulling at his cloak dramatically, or so he thought it must have.

Presea was tugging at the hem, looking at it curiously. “There are no paw pads,” she simply stated, then turned away.

“I think paw pads would be weird on this,” Lloyd tried to explain. Noishe came up from behind to bump his large head against his back, whining slightly, but tail wagging at rapid speed. “Yeah, you also think it’s cool, don’t you, Noishe?”

And though he would never admit this out loud ever… sometimes, he thought Kratos could be really cool too…

---

In the Tower of Salvation, Zelos laid in a puddle of his own blood as Lloyd knelt to his level. He was panting after the fight, having long ago let go of his swords. “Zelos…”

“Hurry and get to Colette,” Zelos was struggling to say. “You don’t have long… Heh, neither do I, I guess…”

“Come on, don’t talk like that!”

Zelos faced Lloyd again, at the friends that surrounded him… then glared sharply. “You really had to keep wearing that during our fight, didn’t you?”

Lloyd blinked, absentmindedly tugging at one of the ears that flopped against his face. “Well, you didn’t give me time to take it off! And Colette liked me wearing it earlier…”

“Uh huh…”

“Also, it really matches well with my jacket, doesn’t it? It’s not even that heavy! Were you wanting one too?”

“…Bud…”

“You kept staring at it before! Is that what this was all about?” He looked expectantly at Zelos who now decided to not answer at all this time. “Hey! Zelos!”

“Uh, Lloyd?” Genis said, standing next to Lloyd. “I think he just died.”

“…Oh…”

---

In Torent Forest, the group came upon Kratos who was seated on the ground, looking deep in thought, clasping a bright red sword between his hands. He looked as somber as ever, and it set the air with a tension that Lloyd could feel all around him.

Raine sighed, saying in a whisper to an equally frowning Regal. “Is he really wearing it too?”

“For old time’s sake,” Kratos said, hearing the whisper clearly with his attuned hearing. He got up to his feet, the cloak shifting in the breeze, along with the long ears. “I see you had a similar idea, Lloyd.”

“Well, yeah! Why wouldn’t I?” Lloyd was saying, shocked that Kratos thought he would be any different! He turned back to his group that was full of confused faces. “Everyone, leave this to me.”

“You’re going to fight alone?” Kratos asked, face half hidden in his hood, the sun catching the beady eyes of the cloak.

“Lloyd won’t lose!” called out Colette, eyes bright now that she got to see two of the coveted Noishe-cloaks! “Especially not when he’s wearing something so cute…”

Lloyd had long ago came to terms that at least to Colette, the cloak looked cute on him, but he still stood tall, as cool as he felt! “And while I’m wearing this, I’m gonna show you just how much I’ve improved since last time!”

Kratos said nothing at first, merely readied his sword, eyes narrowed. “I’m not gonna hold back this time.”

Lloyd readied his own weapons, his expression also serious and tense. “I know… I won’t either.”

Genis groaned. “Guys, are you not worried that you’ll tear these up during your fight? I thought these were important for some reason!”

“But we have to!” Lloyd turned to his friend, looking more sure of this than anything.

Kratos nodded once more. “Please respect our choices.”

Raine facepalmed. “They are so goddamn similar it’s giving me a headache. How did I not see it before? It’s so obvious.”

Colette clapped her hands excitedly at now seeing two of the cloaks in action. “You got this, Lloyd!”

Noishe, who happened to be beside her, barked at seeing the familiar attire, while whining at the upcoming fight.

Few of the others could bear to watch…

---

At Dirk’s home, Lloyd carried the weight of his new sword set; one of the deepest azure, the other a bright crimson. A gift from each of his fathers.

“I’m sorry for putting everything on you,” Kratos said, feeling small as he stood next to the dwarf named Dirk. But Lloyd looked at each of them proudly.

“I have great dads. One made a ring for his son using the lost arts, and another risked his life to protect his son in secrecy.” Lloyd closed his eyes somberly as he thought on his words, then opened them with brightness. “That and now I not only have two cool swords by both my dads, but also two outfits! I’m so lucky!”

As he was, of course, wearing his usual red outfit – originally made by Dirk, numerous buttons and all – with the Noishe-cloak right on top of it.

Dirk looked at Lloyd with amusement, then shook his head with soft laughter. Kratos had long put away his own cloak (Dirk had offered to wash it with the next load of laundry), but he was sure Kratos probably wished he could wear it right now. “Yeah. You’ve got great parents!”

Now with two swords and two treasured outfits, Lloyd truly felt he was twice as strong as before!

---

And yet, after everything, it had been time to say goodbye. Lloyd looked to the sky where he had sent Kratos off for a long time before he headed back home, wondering on his decisions before he could finally settle with it.

“Are ya alright, Lloyd?”

Taking a deep breath as he turned around, leaving the grave of his mother to face Dirk, he smiled. Colette was standing next to him, with a similar look of concern on her face. face.“ I’m fine now.”

“I’m glad Kratos got to leave you a present in the end,” Colette commented, referring to the cloak he still wore. There was also the sword, Flamberge…. But she was totally talking about the cloak. He didn’t mind. It really was so cool!

“Heh, yeah! Me too.” Fixing the clasp to be a bit tighter, he stopped in mid-action. “Oh, I forgot some other stuff in my room. I’ll be right back and then we can go!”

“Okay!” Colette said cheerfully, while Dirk shook his head with a gruff smile. Lloyd went off in a flash of red and green through the door and up the stairs. He even felt faster with this cloak on! Well, Noishe was as fast as the wind, after all… maybe some of Noishe really was in this cloak.

When he went into his room, seeing the pack he had missed bringing back downstairs, it was then he saw something else – something that was placed on his bed.

Something that was a familiar green.

“No way…” Eyes shining, he reached for it to confirm it was real. And sure enough, it was another Noishe-cloak, just as well-made as the one he wore! But he could tell right away that it was a bit shorter? Not by much, but…

He saw a letter on the bed too, which he went immediately to read.

Lloyd,

I will have most likely left to Derris-Kharlan by now. But I wanted to finish making this for your partner during your journey in gathering the Exspheres. I’ve seen Colette stare at your cloak… Forgive me for assuming, but I had wanted to present this as a surprise.

Take care of each other. And don’t die before I do, my son.

Sincerely,

Kratos

Lloyd held both letter and cloak in hand, already imagining a certain familiar blonde-headed figure within the hood. She always seemed to love the ears specifically, and they had just the right amount of fringes on it – just like the real thing.

Hearing Noishe’s bark travel up the stairs, he was reminded he needed to hurry. He had the perfect reason to do so now.

“Colette! Look what I got!” he was already shouting, rushing back down the stairs, excited to see Colette’s happy smile on her face.

And as they both traveled down the road later on, donned in flowing patterns of green as Noishe followed along behind them, Lloyd couldn’t help but think, Kratos really can be cool sometimes…

#tales of symphonia #kratos aurion #lloyd irving #colette brunel #tales of #fanfiction #one shot #im gonna get these cloaks for my colloyd plushies and they're going to look amazing

19 notes · View notes

ladyemberswrites · 6 years

Link

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: God of War Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Faye/Kratos (God of War) Characters: Faye (God of War), Atreus (God of War), Kratos (God of War), Baldur Additional Tags: If Faye Live Au, Baldur has a lot of mommy issues, also he has a thing for strangling women, Faye is a ragamuffin, I kind of picture as half wild child but at the same time very wise beyond her years, she prefers to fight barehanded, I love me some soft husband kratos, Kratos has to hold her back sometimes Series: Part 2 of Faye Lives Au Summary:

Faye did not feel good, she did not feel good at all. Something was wrong, very, very horribly wrong. These past few days were rough with weariness, and a strange feeling of ominous clutched at heart. Her heart would race at every noise, clank, or animal scurrying around through the forest. The nights had kept her wide awake, her eyes darting, back and forth at every corner. She wouldn’t let Atreus far from her sight, as the days grew longer.

Faye did not feel good, she did not feel good at all. Something was wrong, very, very horribly wrong.

These past few days were rough with weariness, and a strange feeling of ominousness clutched at heart.

Her heart would race at every noise, clank, or animal scurrying around through the forest. The nights had kept her wide awake, her eyes darting, back and forth at every corner. It got worse, to the point where she wouldn’t let Atreus far from her sight, as the days grew longer.

“Aw, how come?”

She didn’t have the answer for why-but, she didn’t want to scare her child “the forest is amiss.”

“A miss, like something bad?” she tries her best smile down at him.

“No. Not quite. However, I rather be safe than sorry. So, no wandering until I say so.” He was dejected, she knew, she hated spoiling his fun, his thirst for exploration. But, she rather have her son alive, and in one piece, and until this feeling pass, she wouldn’t let him out her sights.

So, she hoped it was just a feeling, just a silly old feeling, but it got worse by the week, to where she even made sure Kratos didn’t wander too far from home. And that by far wasn’t the worst of her worries, there was something entirely much smaller one at present, and she hadn’t a faintest clue what to do.

0-0-0-0-0-0-

It was midafternoon, Atreus was busying himself with updating his journal, one that she had given to him for his recent birthday. He was far, from her leaning against one her enchanted trees. She was sitting upon the ground, her bare toes digging in the earth, and snow. Her head buried into knees. She was tired, so very tired. She desperately wanted to sleep, but she couldn’t.

“Faye.” She heard their front door open.

“Mhh.” she drew into herself a bit more.

“Faye?”

She heard the door close. Her husband’s hand big and warm settled onto her shoulder.

“Faye, we need to talk.” Faye felt herself snort beside herself. It was usually the other way around.

“Yes.” She peaked up to her husband’s searching gaze.

“You have not been well lately.”

“Oh.” He wasn’t sure how-to response to her rather apathetic answer. To him Faye was anything, but apathetic. She was loud, she was proud, and passionate. But, lately it seems she had lost her vigor. She seemed startled by every little thing. She would toss, and turn during the night, or she would just randomly get up, checking on Atreus, not strange in the least, she would draw up his covers, brush her fingers through his hair, and kiss his check. Normally she would crawl back into bed, but she didn’t. she poked at the fire before retreating to get more wood. On any other day, she would nudge him awake to do it. It was like she was doing it as any excuse to stay awake. He watched her scurry back, she fell onto her hunches, feeding the fading flames. He couldn’t make out her expression from looking over his shoulder. Her gaze wandered over the room, carefully checking everything. She got up, and left his field of view, but heard her jangle the lock of the door, and windows before she went back to sitting next to the fire. It was all very odd.

“Tell me, what is wrong?” his voice was low, as to not alert their son, however it seemed he was far too engrossed in his journal lodging than he was about his parents. Something both were grateful for, at the moment.

“Have I done something to upset you?”

“What! No. No. why would you think that?” she vehemently shook her head at his assumption. “It’s nothing you’ve done. I – I am not well.”

“Why?”

“I-I don’t know.” Well, partly she did now, but she wasn’t ready to reveal that little detail just, yet. She needed to be absolutely sure.

“Faye, you haven’t been yourself, as of late. You barely sleep, let alone eat. You nearly fall in hysterics if either Atreus or I so, much as leave your line of sight. Even, the boy is starting to notice.” She felt guilt swallow her whole. She expected her Husband to pick on it, despite his cold demeanor, he was observant, she knew she couldn’t hide her distress from him for very long, but she had hoped Atreus wouldn’t notice, and would have just shrugged it off, as his mother being slightly overprotective.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of creaking wood, and Kratos watched his wife nearly jumped straight out her own skin. Her eyes snapped towards their house, it was just the wind. It was just the wind.

However, this time Kratos had pulled her towards him, gripping her shoulders tightly, forcing her to look up at him. “Faye, what is wrong. This isn’t like you?”

“I -

“ I’m here, Faye.” He squeezed her tighter “Tell me.” His eyes were soft, his voice gentle, as she felt his fingers caress her bare shoulders. He was watching her with concern, and she had never felt safer, more secure. “Kratos, something-something feels wrong.”

“Wrong? Wrong how?”

“Like something bad is going to happen.” She sighs “Maybe I’m being silly. I’m just terrified something might happen to our son, or you.” She sniffs, wiping her nose with back of her palm.

Kratos didn’t say anything, he just listened closely to her ramblings, before he pulled her closer, resting her head against his chest, running his large fingers through her storm of long red, hair. He kissed the top of her head. “ It’s going to be alright.” It was strange to hear, words of optimism coming from Kratos of all people, but it wasn’t unwelcomed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

She didn’t want him to go, but they were running low on meat. He reassured her that he would be fine, and would not travel too far from the house, and that he would try his best to only be gone the entire day. It didn’t comfort her in least, but it was better than week.

She kissed him goodbye, while Atreus gagged at the scene. Kratos placed his hand on top his son’s head, and told him to behave, and not to give his mother trouble. Not that he did, Atreus was good child, though rather-sarcastic in his ways, he was obedient, and did his best to help around the home, despite his recurring illness.

0-0-0-0-0-0-

The morning was filled with the tedious errand of weeding the garden, but the good news was that many of their corps were ripe for the picking. So, their morning ebbed away, cleaning, and shucking, and storing their corps for the winter that was soon approaching. Though, from the corner of her eye she could see Atreus peeking up at her often, his eyes wrought with worry. He did his best to try and lift the heavy stuff for her, though she declined his offer most of time, reassuring him that she was going to be fine. But, that didn’t stop him from trying. Afterwards, they went to gather fresh water, the river wasn’t far from the house, but she insisted that they stuck together. She could still sense her boy’s worry for her, she did her best to distract him one her stories, which he was all too happy to listen too.

Much to her mortification that day went by without a hitch. Maybe she was being silly, maybe she was fretting over nothing. However, she wouldn’t be completely free of fear until she saw her husband safe and sound. Maybe, just maybe things will be alright for a change.

On their way back, a vase of fresh water in hand they made their way home with sun dancing right in the middle of sky, when she had heard a roar. A roar of a dragon. Puzzled, she hadn’t seen dragons in these parts of woods. A cold chill traveled down her spin. They were a few steps from their home.

“What was that?” Atreus wondered out loud, his eyes scanning the skies.

“Atreus. Come, we need to get inside!”

“Why? What’s wrong, mom?”

“I don’t know. But, we need to get inside, quickly!”

“Hold it, right there!” a voice shouted from behind them. Nonononononono. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t. She dropped the vase, her head slowly turning towards the direction of owner of the voice. Atreus was already clinging to her. The stranger wandered out the woods, his eyes looking like that of a mix of annoyance, and boredom. His eyes scanned the through the trees, and over to their home before settling them back on her and Atreus.

~ Well, this isn’t what I was expecting! ~ it was unknown to her if he was talking to them, or himself. More likely himself.

“Mom.” Atreus yanked her robes “do you know that guy.”

“Shhshh.” She planted a finger to her lips. Her son nods, keeping close, eyeing the man wearily.

~ I asked a question, you’re not answering! ~

“Who are you, and what do you want!” please, please she begged. Don’t be what think it is. But, she knew why he was here. Though, the only silver lining was that she wasn’t sure if he knew who she was, or what exactly, he was looking for.

~ Ah. Ah. I’m that one who should be asking you that question~ he crossed his arms, bare all his weight on this right foot.

She snorts loudly “You come to my home, demanding who I am. Has anyone taught your manners!”

~ Ohhh. Feisty. I like that in a woman~ the stranger strokes his beard thoughtfully, eyeing her up and down.

She scoffs at his eyeballing.

~ But, unfortunately, I didn’t come here to sight see, I’m afraid. ~

“Really, what a shame. But, if your done with your “Sightseeing” I suggest you leave. You are not welcomed here. So, leave me, and my child be. We do not have what you seek.”

~ I’m afraid I can’t do that ~ he strides closer, Faye walks two steps back with Atreus in tow.

~I think your hiding something ~

“Think what you will.” she snapped.

~ Oh, believe me I do ~ he stalked closer, and closer.

“Atreus, get inside.”

But- “

“ Inside.” Reluctantly, the boy detangled his fingers from her clothing, he wanted to protest, but he hadn’t the means of which to defend his mother, or himself, so he did as he was told. He ran inside, and slammed the door shut. However, he stayed put by the door, his heart hammering in his chest, and one eye able to peek out from one of the holes that adorn the front door. His palms were sticky with sweat, his breathe labored. He coughed into his hand.

The stranger was now in front her, a foot apart. Her nose wrinkled, he smelled of mead, and ale. Maybe that was way acted as if he were drunk.

~I thought you would be bigger~ he leans back a bit, Faye scowls, he was barely taller than her, perhaps by a foot, not mention he seemed quite skinny, for a man his age. However, she would not overestimate him.

He snatched her arm yanking her closer, she didn’t struggle. Faye narrowed her eyes, inhaling through nose. ~Odin’s been looking for you, my dear. ~

“I know not what you speak off.”

“Were playing coy, are we.”

“I am not playing coy, I have nothing to hide, I am not who you seek.”

He chuckles darkly ~ I think your hiding plenty. ~ his face inches closer, until his cold breath is brushing against her face. She sneers in disgust.

~ Perhaps you need an incentive. ~ his icy colored eyes, peer at the entrance of her home. All her patience shrunk, without another thought, without another hesitation her arm struck out, slamming her fist into the center of the stranger’s face, dislodging his grasp on her upper arm, and flinging him a couple of feet in air causing him to plummet into the ground. He groaned loudly, shaking his head from the impact, his fingers digging into dirt.

~ It seems that your bark, is just as painful as your bite.” He laughs, amused.

“You. Wil. Stay. Away. From. My. Son! she seethed through clenched teeth “Now, leave!”

~ Like I said before, I can’t do that. ~ He stood back up wiping the blood from his nose, and split lip. Ashame. She must be out of practice, she wanted to cave his skull in. His blatant haughtiness irked her to no end.

“You can, and you will. I will spare you mercy, if you leave!”

~ Unfortunately, for you I don’t mind a struggle ~ like a flash of light, she barely caught it on time, he launched himself towards her aiming for her face, she was able to ram her heel out slamming it right into his lower stomach, in the nick of time, in attempt to fling him backwards, but just her luck he expected it, and dug his heels deep into the earth, to keep from flying backwards. He tossed himself forward, tackling her to cold, floor, he tried to wrap his hands around her neck, but she swung her elbow into the side of his jaw, hard enough that a tooth soared out his mouth. Not the least bit phased, he changed tactics, and decided to go for her face again. She blocked hastily, but the impact nearly knocked the wind out her, quickly she wrapped her legs around his waist.

~ getting frisky, are we.” She spat in his face in response, flipping him over, and nailing her knee right into his cotch. She moved away from him as far as she could

~ Now, that was low blow~ she didn’t bother to answer him. Her mind was at a loss on what do. Her thoughts were racing. What to do? What to do? If her speculation about her condition were true, then she cannot fully engage in battle, secondly, if this is who she assumes he is, then victory was far, far from her grasp. No not victory, escape, she needed to escape, she needed to get Atreus and escape. First thing, first she need to get him away from their home.

He moved towards the house again, all thought, and reason left her, as she launched her on top him, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, he sputtered, and swayed trying to dislodge her, but Faye would have none it.

~ Your surprisingly heavy for a woman of your size~

Leave! My! Son! Alone! I will not repeat myself again! Baldur!

~ Oh, so you do know me. ~ he bent backwards, slamming her back into the ground, she grunted, as a low throbbing started in her back, her hold tightens.

~ Get. Off! ~ Baldur hissed.

“Then, Leave!” she bellows in his ear.

~ Not happening! ~ his hands grasp her wrist, he squeezes them forcefully, squeezing, and squeezing, she can her bones strain under his strength. She does not let go.

Suddenly, her world goes black, as the Aseir bucks his head with lighting speed against her face. She can taste her own blood, he does it again, and again until there’s a chink in her hold. She throws her off, this time she rams her whole body into his, knocking him off center, and slamming her foot in his blasted face. He doubles over. This time she runs Atreus, Atreus, Atreus. Her child the centerfold of her desperation, she nearly reaches the door, her feet were wiped from under her, she turns quickly, landing on her side, she hisses at impact. Bauldr flings her away from her door, her arms instinctively wrap around her midsection, as she hit one of her trees. Ah! She inhales through clench teeth to ward off the burst of pain. This time instead of going after her son, he’s kneeling in front of her. His expression has changed, from complete boredom, to something she couldn’t quite discern. His calloused fingers reach out, and tip her head back.

~ Tell me, woman why all the effort, for that defenseless brat, well not that it would matter once Odin gets his hands on you~ she growled at him.

“A mother would do anything to protect her child!” he paused for moment, as if what she had said had come alive and stung him.

~ A mother knows best, huh ~ his voice goes dangerously quiet. She eyes him carefully. ~ A mother knows best.” He whispers “Even if that means stripping you of everything, taking everything from you. ~ she hadn’t the faintest clue what he was rambling about, but she didn’t dare move. ~ even if that means forcing you live a meager existence, unable to feel nothing! Mother knows best! What do you know, woman! ~ apparently, she had touched a nerve- his hands grasped her throat, she choked, instinctively her hands clawed at his arms. He pulled her off, the ground, slamming her into the tree, some leaves fluttered about, and bark chipped, and scraped against her bare skin.

~ I promised daddy, I would bring you home alive, but he was exactly specific about what state you had to been in. ~

“You are a coward.”

~ I’m the coward, me ~ he gestured towards himself “I’m not the one hiding in the middle of nowhere~

“Some leader you are, Laufaye the Just, what a joke, no wonder your people are nothing, but plant fertilizer, these days.”

She spat in his face again. This time it enraged him, the pressured increased, white spots fluttered about her eyes. She ripped his skin, and flesh, in desperation, however, she was only met with cruel laughter. Her lungs burned, and failed like a fish out of water. She gritted her teeth, and screwed her eyes shut, it felt like days, were passing in pure, agony, but the pressure was suddenly ripped from her, and air made its way back into lungs in such a rush in made her head spin, and stomach quake.

“FAYE!” Kratos. In the blink of an eye, Baldur’s fowl face was replaced with that her husband’s terrified one. She had never she Kratos so, scared, so fragile, as he checked her for serious injuries.

“Mom! Mom! Mom! Are you okay, I was, so scared!” Atreus’ tiny arms enveloped himself around her, he was coughing, loudly.

“ Atreus, let your mother breathe.” He admonished softly.

“ Oh, Sorry.” He releases his hold.” Both her husband, and son’s hand are braced on either side of her shoulders. Her eyes dart around, until she found a Baldur shaped crater within a mountain of rock adjacent their home.

She places her hands on her throat, checking, there were no hands there anymore. However, relief was the furthest thing from her mind.

Her gaze met her husband’s “Leave. We need to leave!”

“Do you know that man?”

“ Yes, and no. He is dangerous. He’s a god, a Aseir god!

“A god?” Kratos seemed startled, he leered over at the Baldur shaped crater. The man hadn’t reappeared, yet.

“A god, you mean like father, a real god, an actually Aseir god. What does he want with us!?”

Faye shook, it was hard to swallow. “ Kratos, we need to leave. If Baldur is here, who knows who else will show up.”

He snaps out of his daze, his previous state of freight has all, but disappeared.

Can you walk, Faye?”

She tries to stand, but her feet wobble, he snatches her up with much effort. He makes one glance towards the Baldur shaped crater before, gesturing for Atreus to climb on his back. They made their way to one of their boats, and either family member turned to look back.

#gow #god of war #gow 4 #god of war 4 #Atreus #kratos #faye #baldur #my fanfic #my writing

10 notes · View notes

starlitghosts · 7 years

Note

Oh look it's me again but okey BIGBANG & VIXX

u cant quit me i see c;this is long so:

Bigbang:My first bias: Top. I liked him instantly. The first time I saw him was The Fantastic Baby MV and it was like ??? bro what an aesthetic ???? THAT HAIR COLOR ?????????? AMAZING. His rapping is out of this world and I totally fell for that. Then learning more about his personality really solidified him as awesome in my book. I like that he has a lot of layers.Your current bias and why: Daesung. I still love Top and he’s a close second favorite, but it eventually kind of hit me how amazing Dae is. I love him for his amazing singing of course, but what set him apart for me is just the kind of person he is. The way he’s been through such tough things and came out still smiling and wanting to make other people happy is so… profound? He inspires me. His faith really speaks to me as well. He’s not as loud about it as Youngbae but reading how he talked about it when he had that period of struggle really did touch me.Favourite song: This is hard to answer… so I’ll give my top five? No order: Last Dance, If You, Fantastic Baby, Haru Haru, um… Tell Me Goodbye… Bang Bang Bang… that’s more than five… :)Favourite MV: I’m gonna sound stale if I say Fantastic Baby but… that what it is…OTP: I don’t do shipping stuff so I don’t have one, but I’m always happy when I see Dae with Top.Member you think has the best smile: K A N G D A E S U N G. But they all have cute smiles.Favourite choreography: I KEEP SAYING FANTASTIC BABY TO EVERYTHING BUT I LOVE TO DO THAT DANCE IT’S SO FUN. If I can cheat I’ll say I like the choreo for Ringa Linga a lot.Favourite era: Alive era!Do you own any merchandise: Alive Top ver., some posters, photos, a shirt, a GD hat, and a cheap knockoff ring that looks like one Dae wore lol. I need more tbhhh. And I wanna get MADE but not being able to pick the cover I want is annoying. I want the blank one so I can do something cool with it. :cHave you seen them live: No. :( But I will someday! And I wanna go to Japan for a Dae solo concert too. I WISH I COULD GO TO HIS UPCOMING DOME TOUR. WAHHH.Favourite voice/singer: K̜̙̞ͥ̿̊̐̓̚Á̖͕̀ͥ͐̉̋ͅN̩͇͎ͩ̒̏ͣG̤͛ͦ̄ͤ̐ͩ͑ͥ ̰̩͎̬̊̈́̍͋͂D͕̻̬͓ͧͨͣ͊͂̉A͙̩̞̖̰͓̩̫ͮ̔͒̾E̱̼̽S̞̪̮̱̩̙̫̲ͬ̍͑ͥ̽͂̒U͓̜̟͓̺̗͈̪͈ͫ̃ͭ́̒N͉̹̫̼̖̦͓̦̆ͪ͌̾̽͆G̯̮̓ͪ̔ Favourite dancer: Choom Top.Vixx:My first bias: Hongbin. My first Vixx MV was Error so that probably says it all lol. I really loved the story and his acting in it. I also tried to learn the choreo and I didn’t even realize I was following him at first – I PICKED HIM BECAUSE HE HAS A COOL SHIRT IN THE PRACTICE VIDEO THAT’S IT – but then I connected the dots and was like. Oh. WELL. YEAH I GUESS I LIKE THAT GUY.Your current bias and why: Keken aka Jaehwannie aka Jyani aka Kenjhumma aka DEOP. At first I didn’t notice him as much but once I started watching things besides MVs and stuff I came to love his personality. I’m always drawn to silly, funny ridiculous people so I couldn’t help it. I was in denial for a little bit though because I felt like I was betraying Binnie… BUT I JUST. HAD TO ACCEPT MY FATE. Honestly, he makes me smile and laugh a lot with all the goofy little things he does (+ his cute aegyo but that goes without saying) and every time he sings it blows me away. I JUST. LOVE HIM AND WANNA BE HIS FRIEND U FEEL.Favourite song: I answered these out of order and left this one for last because how?? does one?? simply?? choose??? ONE??? I’ll do the same thing I did for BB and put top five in no order: Voodoo Doll, Fantasy, GR8U, Love Letter, O T T O K A J I….. if I keep going I’m going to list all of them eventually. :CCCCCCFavourite MV: I gotta go with Fantasy. It came out VERY shortly after I became a fan (I’m outing myself for how short a time I’ve been on this ride but w/e), and it really solidified that I wanted to be a Starlight. It just has that kind of atmosphere and aesthetic that really draws me in. I had SO much fun with the stories in all of the Conception trilogy and Fantasy was my favorite part.OTP: I don’t ship, but my fave friendship in general is probably just N and everyone. N and everybody. His role as mom is hilarious but also really cute. Actually. FORGET IT, I JUST LOVE EVERYONE BEING WITH EVERYONE BECAUSE THEY’RE A PRECIOUS FAMILY.Member you think has the best smile: I don’t… know how to pick? I mean, obviously Hongbin’s smile is bright enough to sustain planet earth if the sun ever dies but I like to see them all smile. c:Favourite choreography: Love Equation is a contender since it’s so fun and has a lot of cute moments. Fantasy is amazing but we all know that. THEN THERE’S VOODOO DOLL. So. Idk. There’s my top three.Favourite era: Kratos/The Closer, because it’s the first one where I was able to be present for the whole thing and experience it with other Starlights which has been a blast.Do you own any merchandise: For all the shorter time I’ve been a fan… a lot lol. Their latest CD autographed by Binnie (I ordered two so I’d get two autographs but got him twice LMAO), Kratos autographed by Ken, Ker, Boys’ Record, the travel diary, official posters, some little fanmade goods (pins, polaroids, posters, stickers, a bracelet), some PCs and postcards, two shirts and a sweater. I think. That’s it. Waiting for the Seasons Greeting 2017 to arrive though~ And I gotta buy Ravi’s mini-album soon…Have you seen them live: NO BUT I WILL. I HAVE TO.Favourite voice/singer: Can I just, like, say all of them? They each have a unique quality to their voice that I love a lot. I can’t pick out a single one on their own because they make such a nice whole. Favourite dancer: HAKYEON HAKYEON HAKYEON HAKYEON. Sometimes he’s so graceful and I’m just like OOOOOO:

… I talked sooo much. This is gross.

#ask meme #props to anyone who read this tbh #yokoisacoolname #asks

1 note · View note

darkhymns-fic · 7 years

Text

A Fashion Disaster

Is having a poor choice in clothing hereditary or learned? Kratos isn't entirely sure.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters: Lloyd Irving, Kratos Aurion, Dirk, Colette Brunel Rating: G Mirror Links: AO3, FF.net Notes: I dunno I thought this would be funny.

Kratos felt a tugging at his waistband. He looked down to see a one-year old child latching onto him.

“Lloyd?” He bent down to be as close to eye-level with his young son, but the boy ignored him, keeping his tiny hands firmly around one of the leather belts that made up Kratos’ outfit.

“So, you are interested in my accessories.”

Little Lloyd pointed at the belt, then to himself – or more accurately, at his clothes.

“You would like some belts of your own?”

Lloyd nodded.

“I do not think your mother would approve.”

Lloyd then proceeded to chew on said belt vigorously. Probably something he had picked up from Noishe.

With a barely perceptible smile, Kratos gently extracted Lloyd from his clothes. “Come on. We promised your mother we would meet up with her in the market.” He hefted Lloyd up, seating him atop his shoulders so he could hold onto his legs. Lloyd’s hands grabbed at Kratos’ spiky hair, pulling at it excitedly until, when he grew bored of that activity, he went on to try eating the hair instead. He mouthed around Kratos’ scalp, getting saliva everywhere.

Kratos didn’t reprimand him, instead following down the cobblestone path of the village they had stayed at today, ignoring some of the smiles and laughs from the people around him. I suppose I could order Lloyd an outfit similar to mine, he thought wistfully, and with some pride. Though he still wore the trappings of Cruxis, he had come up with the design himself, and was almost disappointed that he would have to do away with it in order to blend in with the Sylvarant population. He wondered if his son would want the straps on the sleeves of his own outfit as well, to match his father’s. The boy is observant. It’s good to know he will have a proper sense about things as well.

When young Lloyd ripped out a patch of his hair, Kratos barely reacted. He was already imagining what else Lloyd would learn from him.

“Dad! Dad!”

“Boy, I’m right here. Ya don’t need to be yelling my ear off.”

The eight-year old slammed his palms on the table, staring hard at the dwarf’s back as he worked on his project, cooling some freshly-molded steel. “I want a really cool outfit!” He brought his hands up to the air, fists clenched. “A really cool outfit that heroes wear!”

“Well, if that’s what ya want, I can’t argue.” Despite Dirk’s main talent in metal-working and wood-crafting, he was well-versed in many other areas, such as cooking, reading and writing, and tailoring. It was in the Dwarven vows that a man must learn to be self-sufficient, a lesson he had trouble teaching his adopted son. “I’ll give ya an outfit like mind! Be just like your old man!”

Lloyd shook his head. “But I want something…” He visibly struggled for the right word. “I want something way cooler! Like people have to see it, and know that I’m a hero!”

Dirk would have to tell him later that it was dangerous to be a sword-wielding hero nowadays, but maybe the boy would grow out of it. And what harm could there be in making a silly outfit for him? “So, you need to choose a heroic color then. One that can be seen for miles around.”

Lloyd’s eyes were wide. “Red!” he shouted. He jumped on the table with his dirty shoes. “I choose red!”

“Lloyd, get yer feet off the table! We eat there!”

The boy complied, only to rush over to the dwarf. “And! And belts! Lots of belts!”

Well, that came out of nowhere. “Why belts?”

“Because…” Here, Lloyd concentrated on the thought, his forehead scrunched. “Um, I dunno. It just seems like something heroes would wear. Right?”

Dirk wasn’t sure, but he then nodded his head – to humor the boy’s fantasies. “Of course. But, well, we don’t have to go overboard with the belts. Just have them on your pants like most people.”

Lloyd frowned. “But that’s boring! I should, like, have belts on my arms, and like,” he made frantic motions with his hands, “around my chest and all that!”

“Now, Lloyd, I have the next best thing..” Dirk went over to a corner, retreating something from a pile of junk. He then pulled out what looked like straps, much longer than a regular belt would be.

“A real man wears suspenders! They’re like belts, but meant for your upper body, so you can look sensible, but still heroic.”

Lloyd stared at the proffered suspenders, his own body draped in an overly-large shirt and loose trousers – hand me downs from the dwarf. Then his eyes sparkled, and his mouth grinned wide.

“Yeah, that’s perfect!”

“…And that’s how I got my outfit!” Lloyd concluded, crossing his arms over his chest, nodding proudly.

Colette was clapping her hands excitedly, seated next to him on the log. “Wow, that’s great, Lloyd!”

Genis, cross-legged on the sand, was less than impressed. “Colette, we already know this. He always tells us this story every month.”

“But it gets better every time!”

Lloyd shot a fist in the air at her praise. “Yeah, it totally does!”

“Children, that’s enough for now. Time to sleep.” Raine walked over, dragging her little brother by the arm to send him to bed, ignoring his whines. “Kratos will be taking the first watch, so there’s no excuse for any of you to be staying up.”

“Ahh, but I can’t sleep now..”

“Lloyd, do you think your father would make me a cool outfit, too?”

“Hey, yeah! We can dye it red just like mine!” Lloyd turned around to face Colette fully, his eyes bright. “We can have matching belts and everything!”

As Kratos walked towards a sleeping Noishe, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the Chosen and her very loud, very brightly-dressed friend.

He had denied the possibility of Lloyd’s origins for a while now, but once both him and Genis caught up to them in the Triet Desert, he had to come to terms with his knowledge. This was his and Anna’s son – he even shared her last name. Features that echoed familiarity were not lost upon him. And even if that weren’t enough, both the sight of Anna’s gravestone and Noishe’s existence drove home the fact that his son was alive, happy, and well.

And that he had a terrible fashion sense.

It was such a selfish notion, but Kratos always indulged in his self-pity. A vital failing of him, he knew. Still, the delightful ideas he had harbored once, that Lloyd would one day share Kratos’ clothing choices, came crashing to the ground.

Suspenders…he thought in non-belief. Is this what happens when one is raised by a dwarf?

“I’m going on a journey,” Lloyd told him. “I’m going to collect all the Exspheres remaining in this land. So that no one can ever abuse them again.”

With both of them standing in the ruins of the Tower, Kratos nodded to that plan. “And I will discard all of Cruxis’ Exspheres into space… I’ve dragged you into this until the very end.”

“That’s okay,” Lloyd responded, his voice sincere.

Kratos knew he should be embarking soon to Derris-Kharlan. It was useless to drag out farewells, but his selfishness peaked again, making him search for other avenues of conversation that he could share with his son. It would be the last memory he would have of him, he needed to make it worthwhile. Perhaps he could give him some advice?

“The journey will no doubt be difficult, especially as there will be those who refuse to part with their Exspheres.”

“I know,” Lloyd agreed. Then he smiled wide. “But I won’t be alone. Colette’s coming along, too!”

“Oh?” Kratos raised an eyebrow, noting the air of happiness that surrounded Lloyd. It set his old heart at ease. “That is good to hear. So you are both prepared?”

“Yeah! She’s already at my, um, Dad’s,” here Lloyd paused, as if afraid Kratos would take offense. No, Dirk had every right to be Lloyd’s father. Maybe more. “And she’s helping getting things ready, like our food and clothes and – oh yeah! Since we’re going on another adventure, we got her a new outfit, too!”

“A new outfit?”

“Yeah, yeah! She wanted a cool hero outfit like mine!” Lloyd was practically bouncing on his feet. He had apparently been very eager to share the news. “So I gave her one of my sets!”

Kratos felt uneasy suddenly. “Yours…”

“Now when people see us, they’re gonna see double the heroes!” Lloyd nodded with utmost conviction. “Colette actually has my old set. She seems to like it a lot for some reason.”

“Your old set?”

“Oh, well at one point, she fell into the river by my house, so I just gave her mine. I mean, uh, I guess it was weird for me to just strip in front of her like that now that I think about.”

Kratos had no words.

“But yeah! She likes the outfit a lot now. Dad says it’s too baggy on her, but she wants to keep it. And um, I think she looks really good in it!”

Kratos struggled to say something else. But it took too much of his mental power to process his son’s words. Now Colette would be wearing… bright red… with suspenders. And it was an old, worn-out version of the outfit as well.

I’m sorry, Lloyd… it’s because I wasn’t there to raise you…

“Hey, did I say something wrong?”

“No, not at all,” Kratos quickly replied. “Only… you are very fortunate to have someone like Colette help you on your journey.” And he truly did mean that.

Lloyd reflexively scratched behind his ear, his expression a bit more somber, but still content. “Yeah. I’m really glad to have her.”

After a few more encouraging words, Kratos finally deigned it was time for him to go. With a final look at his son, he took in the image of the young man that he knew would succeed in what he set out to do, no matter the odds.

And that he would do so in the most glaring outfit possible, with Colette mirroring his choices. (Multiple buttons that went nowhere, with two useless neck ribbons that only helped the enemy by giving them something to grab onto, and of course, the suspenders). They would be like two bright red robins fluttering through the forests.

Yet even then, it made him smile.

Lloyd, with a wave that brought to mind the excitable child that Kratos had once carried on his shoulders, shouted one last farewell. “Goodbye… Dad!”

He trusted Lloyd to make the right choices, no matter what they were. He was content in that knowledge.

Still…he mused once he was back on Derris-Kharlan. I can send a message to Yuan later… Perhaps he could give Lloyd some advice on color-coordination at the very least…

#tales of symphonia #kratos aurion #lloyd irving #colette brunel #dirk #fanfiction #one-shot

12 notes · View notes