#db watches skip beat

[ambelle]

What I don’t understand is how or why that one kiss between DB in the present constituted any type of response (emotional or otherwise) when DK weren’t together at the time? SERIOUSLY! He couldn’t in good conscience even take her on a proper date because he was too busy flirting with Kory and obsessing over Red Hood and Scarecrow. Dick literally had Babs threatening to eat her pet goldfish; suggested them skipping the gala and hunting down Jason. He was so determined to find them that he was using Tim (a strangers) leads; saw Jason and ended up in an accident (on his motorcycle when Bruce Wayne has a fleet of cars). Let’s not forget, Dick was with Babs several more times after that kiss: the hospital, her office (where they both heard the bogus video that Scarecrow made to discredit the Titans) the bar where they used to hang out and created that stupid plan for the team to surrender themselves to GCPD 🙄 However, they never kissed again - not even when he left Gotham. Whatever was supposed to be going on with them is in delusional people’s minds and per the narrative was over before it even started. The vision of Mar’i in the Lazarus Pit was just the nail in the coffin for DB as it gave Dick renewed hope to try (again) with Kory.

Hey anon, I feel your frustration radiating through my screen.

long answer sorry

My conclusion is that some people deliberately ignored how undercooked and one-sided Dickbabs was on the show. Why? Your guess is as good as mines. Maybe one of my previous guesses was correct and they just enjoy being pissed off.

No one can say if the show had done Dickbabs they would have pulled out all the stops...because they did do Dickbabs...and it was embarrassing at best. They fought a majority of the time and "dated" for 2 eps never actually making it on a date. The ship never even sailed. They for real butted heads did a lot of case work, kissed once, then broke up. And seeing Mar'i made him so giddy he came out the pit a brand new man and started flirting with her mom.

But doesn't it feel like beating a dead horse repeating this sometimes? Like we all watched the same show yet somehow their takeaway is Dick was dead serious when he told Babs she could always come with him. That exchange between Dick and Babs is called tonal aporia. Similar to a rhetorical question the answer is known and they don't really want one. It's just being said as a funny gesture. Not everything is literal which is why they were both basically laughing as they said it.

I don't even dislike Babs and I'm glad there was no love triangle or humiliation or overlap here for Dick Babs and Kory. Had no desire to see Kory crying over them like people claimed she should have been.

But hey at least the discourse over this half-assed ship is almost done for good right?

Almost to the end now hang in there LOL

[wideouts4life]

NFL Week 11

This weekend brought out many exciting plays from the wideouts. After compiling my first half of the season top-10 and due to a short week this weeks post will not be a long one. The wideout of the week goes to Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders. Adams had a few drops that I won’t harp on but boy was he amazing. What I don’t understand from defenses is how they keep allowing Adams to beat them on that front pylon post that half his touchdowns have come from. It really baffles me as I break down the tape each week. But aye I’m on the side of the wideouts so Davante keep doing what you do and we appreciate the 7 catches 141 yards and two touchdowns you gave us.

With Ja’Maar Chase Your Dreams sidelined his counterpart picked up the slack. Tee Higgins had a monstrous game catching 9 balls for 143 yards. Higgins caught a ball from damn near every route on the route tree. Hitch, curl, out, slant, dig/speed in, fade, basic and had a real good catch on a comeback route. One hell of a game by the 3rd year pro out of Clemson. 

While Tee Higgins was running the gamut of routes, a name I have never heard of seemed to catch the same routes against the stout San Francisco 49ers defense. Greg Dortch of the Arizona Cardinals ran 5 out routes, a slant, spot and two screens to end the afternoon with 9 catches for 103 yards. I believe he can add to inconsistent wideout core when star quarterback Kyler Murray returns. The 2nd year pro adds the speed and quickness the Cardinals need in the slot especially with all-pro tight end Zack Ertz sidelined with a knee injury. 

Next up is another name I’m seeing for the first time in Demarcus Robinson. What’s even worse is when you click his name on NFL.com the website jumps to a blank search screen. I’m sure if the kid keeps making plays that will be updated. Robinson had a solid outing against the Carolina Panthers. Robinson caught all 9 passes thrown his way and finished with 128 yards. He opened with a nice catch on a bang 8 that was thrown slightly behind. He caught two outs which were not the prettiest of routes but followed those with a beautifully ran slant route that he almost scored on. Robinson also made some tough sidelined toe touch catches and looked nimble on a screen for his final catch. 

This next wideout had one of the best college careers you can have. Amari Cooper was a beast at Alabama. It’s funny to watch him in Cleveland especially when I listen to Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless talk about how in Dallas he would sometimes show up or how he would fake injured until a play he liked was called. And then I watch his tape. He’s the best slant runner in the game and its not even close. He has obliterated defensive backs on press releases all year. I believe he’s mastered the game. Yea he looks a little heavier than I think he should play at but it appears he uses the slow game to surprise db’s when he wants too. His first touchdown was a corner route that he showed tremendous concentration with the db draped over him. Cooper’s next tub came on a quick fade at about the 7 yard line. He finished the game with 8 catches for 113 yards and 2 TD’s. 

Treylon Burks of the Tennessee Titans opened the game against the Packers with a skinny post. Burks caught a few shallow crosses and caught a streak that helped him have an 111 yard day on 7 catches. Josh Palmer is making his second appearance on the blog with 8 catches for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns. Palmer opened the game with a deep corner for a 51-yard touchdown. I like how agile he is for a bigger wideout. His second td came on a 12 yard over route. Palmer improves week to week and I like what I’m witnessing. 

Chris Olave showed his speed running by Taylor Rapp of the Los Angeles Rams for a 53 yard score. Olave finished with 5 catches for 102 yards and the lone td. Wandale Robinson had his first 100 yard game with 9 catches for 100 yards. Robinson is quick and shifty and I believe he’ll be a problem for defenses the rest of the year. 

I wanted to get this blog finished before the first turkey game between the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills. Happy Thanksgiving to all and may the wideouts be thankful for the opportunity to ball. Let’s Go!

[duck-era-lexi]

mcc 25 thoughts:

way, way better than mcc 24! i watched illumina again, he was on blue and he got 4th on a 9th place team. so obviously since they placed bottom half i would say it was generally very good vibes, but like this is not their fault cause... who likes losing. they had really good vibes considering they slid from 4th to 9th.

thoughts on blue: the first half was really fun and they did so good in grid runners it was so cool! their sg was really good as well. but in the second half it just wasnt good and they started getting 8-10 in games, when pkt got picked it was like super depressing; they were probably the most upset team about that maybe? i was personally also so upset because illu in sot is actually mesmerizing but yeah.

blue was not a bad team they just got their 3 best games skipped (build mart, sot, rsr). LITERALLY false and illumina’s best games it’s so unfortunate. i stand by my blue in second prediction pre-game announcement. I MISS SOT AND BUILD MART!!!

also i’m considering not watching illu live since i’ve watched him live for the past 3 mccs (kinda- in mcc23 he got subbed out so i like stream-jumped and hated it)/ aka all the mccs ive watched live. if i want consistency probably would be best to watch someone on the dteam or fruit but i dont like the dteam (in mcc) so idk. will probably stay bcuz he is my favorite streamer lol im just saying this because it is like. So stressful. he doesn’t really contribute to the team energy despite being a technical leader and it leaves a lot things up to chance. 

______

other stuff: 

im so happy for jojo!!! as a girl i’ve always wanted a female player to dominate in mcc and im very glad it’s jojo. this mcc didn’t have a overly dominant team and i know that her team struggled. so i think the best vod to watch is purple? 

i was rooting for punz bcuz im always rooting for punz (he’s literally the underdog) and i was watching them during pkt because blue was just like. no- 

in terms of teams i was supporting- or rather not supporting- the teams i was supporting did well! i was neutral about fruit’s team but i did not want red or cyan to win (also orange as well but that’s different). i was rooting sm for punz’ team to get into db (as i said above) and i really thought they had it! but rip. anyways, very glad they beat red.

fruitninja db curse is real even though i watched jojo. db was good- im glad it wasnt a sweep and also it was a funneling-less db which i loved. i personally just wasn’t that interested because i had been so invested in blue. illu dub maybe? maybe for the mcc18 anniversary??? i love mcc18 it’s my favorite mcc

probably will watch - purple (sylvee or fruit) - aqua (purpled probably) - yellow (punzo or antfrost) - red (just 2 c yk)

i kinda want to rank them on vibes haha

overall i’m happy w how this mcc turned out. life has been really rough lately and i also haven’t been following mcyt because i’ve been busy with other things but watching mcc is so, so fun. i have never watched a team that got 9th place; the lowest is probably last mcc with purple getting 3rd. yes ive only watched 5 mccs live. gonna watch a ton of vods maybe? maybe? idk? or vod review? who knows. seeya

tldr jojo slay

livetweet threads: p1 | p2

[dbzebra]

Surpassing the Strongest

Im back on Marten bs lol

This is something Ive wanted to do for a while now. A 28th World Tournament / End of Z retelling, which focuses on Goten’s plans to follow in his fathers footsteps like Goku originally planned back in the Buu Saga. Ignores DBS obviously.  Anyway this is just a oneshot for now but may possibly make it into a longfic.

Enjoy!!

May, Age 784.

Ten years of peace had passed since Majin Buu's defeat.

The cool spring air blew in from an open window of Orange Star High School. Son Goten was lost in thought as the lecture droned on from in front of him. He couldn't hear what the teacher was saying. Rather, he didn't really care. He wanted to be outside and enjoying the day. Flying around or out on a date.

Ya know, something that was actually fun.

Something, anything but being cooped up in a stuffy building all day on such a nice afternoon. If Goten closed his eyes, he could feel himself soaring through the clouds on the Flying Nimbus, the wind in his hair and the whole world below him. Ever since he learned to fly, it's been his absolute favorite thing to do.

"Man, I wanna go to the beach!" Goten whined to himself and continued daydreaming about the endless possibilities of summer fun when he heard two kids whispering from the back of the classroom that piqued his attention. Super sensitive hearing really came in handy sometimes!

"Did you hear? Mr. Satan won't be participating in the World Martial Arts Tournament next week. He announced his retirement yesterday."

"What, really?! Maybe I should enter then. Now I'll actually stand a chance."

"Noooo! Mr. Satan can't retire!" Another kid chimed in, slamming his fists down on his desk in despair. "He's my hero! The strongest guy in the whole universe!"

"It's true man. I saw it on TV. He's all bald now too. Mr. Buu is gonna sweep with him gone. He's unbeatable next to Mr. Satan!"

"Awww… Yeah, you're right. Buu is unstoppable! He's never even been touched in a fight once!"

Goten snickered to himself. If only they knew the truth. "Speak for yourself. Me and Trunks almost beat him when we were fused together!"

The more Goten thought about it, the more it intrigued him.

He always loved the World Tournament, ever since he was a kid. Growing up, Goten loved hearing stories from his dad, Yamcha and Krillin about their fights from the old days. He collected all tons of World Tournament merchandise over the years, most notably of which were figures of every finalist leading back to the very first Tournament. The premium edition figurine of his father as a teenager during the 23rd Tournament was his most prized possession. He had to send in like one hundred postcards to a sweepstakes to win. The day he got the letter in the mail saying that he won, he almost flipped.

The news of the upcoming Tournament re-ignited a fire in the young Saiyan.

"Maybe I should enter! I'll run it by Mar later..."

__________________________________________________________

The final bell rang as class was let out for the day.

Goten stretched his arms out wide upon walking out the front doors of Orange Star High with an extra pip in his step. It was finally the weekend!

He spotted his girlfriend leaning against one of the pillars at the front gate, sporting her signature twintails. She was waiting for him! He grinned and picked up his pace a little bit. Marron twirled a strand of blonde hair in her fingers as she absent-mindedly watched a capsule-plane go by from above. 

Being a sophomore, sixteen yer old Marron was on the cheer squad and wrote for the school newspaper. Like most girls her age, Marron loved shopping, but her true passion was writing. It all started when she used to read fantasy books and write in her diary as a little girl. She hoped to work for a big fashion designer as a writer when she got older.

"Hey there, gorgeous." Goten said while he snuck up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

Marron flinched in surprise, but lit up when she heard her boyfriend's voice. She swung around and jumped into his arms, planting a kiss on her boyfriend's face. "Goten! It's great to see you!" Marron said and kissed him again, just for good measure. He definitely wasn't going to object.

“You too! So how was class?

“Boring. I’m starting to see why you and Trunks skip all the time.” Marron huffed, and then playfully poked his chest. “I guess being a delinquent like you has its perks~!”

“Told ya!” He said with a cheeky grin, eager to tell her about what happened today. “Anyway, ready to go?”

Marron smiled and grabbed his hand affectionately. A date was just what she needed right now. "Sure! Where are we going~?"

"There's an ice cream stand near the park about three blocks that way." He replied, gesturing over his shoulder with this thumb. "I'm friends with the guy who runs it!"

"Sounds great! It's such a nice day out! And I don't have to be home anytime soon anyway, so we have the whole afternoon to ourselves!" Marron chirped and playfully pulled him along.

After a bit of walking, they reached their destination . It was one of the more popular spots, so there wasn't a surprise there was a line.

"If I don't get something in my stomach soon, I might just eat my own hand!" Goten whined, his stomach growled almost as if it was agreeing.

"I'd pay to see that." Marron laughed.

Soon enough, it was their turn.

"Well well, look who it is! My number one customer!" The man at the stand said. He was an older man, about Goku's height. He had a kind face with short grayish hair. "Welcome back, Goten!"

"Hey Mr. Sherbert!"

"On a hot date?!" Mr. Sherbert said as he winked at the two teens. "You'd better treat her right, you hear?"

"Yeah! I'd never do anything bad. Right Mar?" Goten grinned. Marron blushed a bit from next to him.

"So what can I get for you two kids today?"

Goten already knew what he wanted; he had thought about it on the way over. "You first."

"Hmm..." Marron scanned the options until she found just the right one. I'll take a medium sized scoop of mint on a waffle cone, please." Marron said, eyeing the green-colored ice cream in the picture.

"Comin right up, miss! And how 'bout for you, big guy? The usual?"

"You bet!"

The older man laughed out loud. "I'd expect no less! A triple deluxe cone of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate with rainbow sprinkles, comin' right up!"

"How much do I owe ya?" Goten said, digging into his pocket for his wallet.

"This one's on the house, kid." Mr. Sherbert said, waving off Goten's attempt to hand him money.

Goten and Marron both looked shocked.

"What, really?"

"Yep. Don't worry 'bout it."

"Wow! Thanks a lot!"

"Just make sure you show this nice young lady a fun time on your date, okay?" Mr. Sherbert said with a kind smile, as he and Goten shared a laugh.

"I promise!"

After that, Goten and Marron got their food then took a seat on the grass in the park across the street and ate their snacks together.

"So, tell me. What's the big news?" Marron asked as she finished off her food, feeding off his anticipation. She could tell it was something big- whatever it was. "You've been antsy all afternoon!"

Goten fell backwards onto the grass and put his hands behind his head. "Well, I heard something interesting in class today!"

"You mean you actually paid attention?"

"Nope!" Goten declared without hesitating one bit. 

Marron rolled her eyes with a giggle. She expected that response. 

"It's about the World Martial Arts Tournament."

"Oh yeah!!” Marron exclaimed. “That’s next week, right? What happened?"

"Mr. Satan retired. And I'm considering entering. I’m sure Trunks and my dad will too.”

Marron gasped and clasped her hands together joyfully. "Oh my God, Goten, you totally should!" Marron exclaimed, putting her hands on his knee. "It would be so cool! Plus, it'll be like a little vacation for us!"

"You really think so?"

"Of course! You'll do great!" Marron declared happily. She gently took his large hand in her smaller ones and stared deep into his eyes. "You've been training so hard these past few years. I know that better than anyone. You said you wanted to surpass Goku someday, right? Well this is your biggest chance. I’ll be your cheerleader the whole way!” Marron declared that as if it were a love declaration.  But it didn’t matter what place he came in. To her, Son Goten was already number one. 

Goten liked the sound of that. He sat up and stole a quick kiss from Marron's lips when she wasn't paying attention. He pulled back and saw that the blonde was staring down at her dress, a scarlet-red hue covering her cheeks from ear-to-ear.

“You're the best, Mar. And you're right. I'm entering. And I'm going to win!"

"W-W-Warn me before you do that! I-I-I wasn't ready!" She stammered out, fixing her hair to distract herself from the sudden kiss. It was only a moment, but she felt the love and appreciation he had for her in it.

A sly grin made it's way onto the half-Saiyan's lips. "Okay then. I'm warning you now."

Marron didn't have time to react as she screamed with laughter when he pounced on her a moment later. They fell back onto the grass together and started making out, not caring who saw them.

_____________________________________________________________

It was almost dusk when Goten and Marron parted ways for the night. As the young Saiyan approached his home in the mountains from above, the sky had become a brilliant orange and red hue. It was like a wild flame slowly dying out into the calm darkness of the night. Sunsets were always soothing for him. When he was still a small child, Goten used to watch the sunset and think of his dad, wondering if he saw the same sunset from Other World. 

Goten dropped down onto the grass in front of his house; smoke coming from the chimney. Goten smiled widely. He could smell dinner from here! "Oh boy! My favorite! Nothing beats Mom's cooking!"

“I’m home!” Goten called upon walking in.

“Hey kiddo! Grab a seat, it’s chow time!” Goku waved to his son, already seated at the table.

Chi-Chi placed the last plate on the table and then sat down herself. “Welcome home, honey!”

Goten sat down and together the family of three started eating. Chi-Chi paced herself while the boys ate in typical Son fashion-- as if it were their last meal ever (and seemingly never even came up to breathe). Chi-Chi sighed with a smile. She was used to it by now. 

“Man Chi-Chi, you outdid yourself! This is really great!!” Goku exclaimed and went back for a fifth helping. “Your food is the best in the whole world!”

Chi-Chi touched her cheeks, bashfully smiling. She was even blushing a bit. “Oh, stop teasing, Goku. You're embarrassing me!”

“I’m serious!” Goku continued.

“Um, Mom…” Goten started hesitantly. He scratched the side of his cheek, thinking how to word his next question. “Sorry to ask this so suddenly, but… can I take a week off from school?” He said and then braced himself for the ‘no.’

Without flinching, Chi-Chi put down the tea she was sipping and smiled. “Planning a romantic getaway with your girlfriend~? I don’t mind, but if something happens are you prepared to take responsibility? A girl’s virginity is a special thing, Goten!” 

Goten instantly did a spit take. He hacked and coughed and Goku patted him on the back. Once the teen caught his breath, he went pure red from embarrassment. Or was it from shock? Probably both. 

“What I do with Mar is none of--- W-Wait! There’s no romantic getaway!” Goten practically shouted. 

Talking about that type of stuff with Trunks was one thing, but it was the absolute LAST topic of conversation Son Goten ever in a million years wanted to have with his mother. 

“Oh honey, stop being so dramatic. I’m no fool. I know how much you two love each other, it’s only natural!”

“Mom! Enough! I’m not talking about this with you!”

In the years since Buu, most things didn’t bother the Son matriarch anymore. Chi-Chi let things slide. She even started wearing her hair down or in a ponytail more often than not. And became brazent with her playful teasing. Too brazent for Goten’s own good. First Gohan, now him. Goku almost felt bad for them. Almost. He found it amusing. 

Goten slapped his cheeks and quickly shook off the image before his mind could wander any further to any thoughts that might make him not able to ride the Flying Nimbus anymore. 

“Besides, 18 would kill me, revive me with the Dragon Balls, and then kill me again!!” Goten said, getting a laugh from his parents. They were laughing because they knew he was right. 

“Of course, honey. Now what’s the real reason?” She knew Goten would likely skip anyway. Goten didn’t think she knew, but she did. She was smarter than she looked. But still, she appreciated that he came to them first, whatever the reason was.

“I want to enter the World Tournament.” Goten declared, surprising both of his parents. 

“I’m in too!!” Goku replied with the same confident grin his son had. Goku had a feeling Goten would. “There’s this guy I’ve been keeping an eye on lately. He’s got some insane power within him, more than he realizes. I have a hunch he’ll be entering the Tournament next week.”

Though he didn’t say this aloud, Son Goku had another reason he wanted to enter the Tournament. A lesson that his master had taught him long ago. 

“A hunch?” Chi-Chi asked, somewhat worried. She had gotten used to the peace again. They all had. The last thing she wanted was another creep with an inflated ego dragging her boys into another universal death battle. “Sounds like bad news to me.”

“No need to worry. This guy’s totally pure of heart.” Goku replied, easing his wife’s fears.

“So who is he then?” Goten said, in between heaps of food. “Do we know him?”

Goku flashed his signature wide grin. “Sorry! Not telling. You’ll have to wait and see for yourself!”

Goten slouched back in his seat and frowned. “That’s lame. You’re no fun.”

“We’ll have to train for the Tournament just to be sure! I have a feeling this is gonna be a fun one!”

“Yeah!” 

“I had a feeling this day would come sooner or later.” Chi-Chi said, sighing slightly. It was tough for her seeing her baby boy growing up into a man. He was almost done highschool, in a loving committed relationship, and now following in his father’s footsteps as a fighter. Soon he’d be out of the house and out on his own. The thought almost made her tear up, but she supported him nonetheless. The Son matriarch excused herself from the dinner table to hurry into the hall closet and pulled out a large white box with a bow on it. 

Upon returning, Chi-Chi glanced to Goku for a moment and then handed her son the box. “I know your eighteenth birthday isn’t for a while, but I… we wanted you to have this before your big day. I made it myself.”

Goten raised an eyebrow at the box, shaking it slightly. It didn’t sound like a game or anything like that was inside. Now he was really curious. He carefully lifted the lid off of the box to see a brand new gi. His current one was fine and all, but it was getting a little too small and worn out over the past months of consistent training. 

“Whoa! This is…” He gasped.

It was an orange gi, much like his father had worn for decades. But what made it different from Goku’s was instead of blue, Goten’s new gi had a black undershirt, and matching black belt, wristbands and boots. 

Goten smiled as wide as could be as he lifted the gi out of the box to get a better look at it. “This is great! Thank you so much! I’m gonna go try it on!!” He said and ran to his bedroom to change. 

Goku and Chi-Chi idled about in the meantime, cleaning up from dinner when the teenaged Saiyan returned shortly after. 

Chi-Chi’s eyes lit up like stars while Goku proudly beamed from beside her. 

“Oh, look at you! You look so handsome!” Chi-Chi gushed, fussing all over her son despite his protests. “You look just like your father did when he and I reunited at the Tournament all those years ago! Ahh, those were the days~!”

“Yup! Lookin’ just like his old man!” Goku said. “Except for the hair!”

“Hey! Don’t hate!” Goten whined. “This hairstyle is stylish!”

Goten had recently changed his hairstyle to stand out from his father. Instead of his father’s signature palm-tree hairstyle, Son Goten let his hair grow out. It still shot out in most directions, but was now much longer and shaggier, reached the back of his neck. He liked it a lot more. Even better, Marron said it made him look super cute. So he decided to stick with it!

“Training begins tomorrow!” 

Goten smirked. He couldn’t wait. 

The next day, Son Goku came into Goten’s room bright and early, ready to start. They didn’t have much time to prepare! He found the teen was curled up in a ball, clutching his pillow for dear life. 

“Rise and shine, kiddo!” Goku swung open the curtains, bringing the hot bright rays of sunlight right onto Goten’s face. 

Goten winced and half-opened one eye. “...Dad? It’s ...7 AM! On a Saturday. Come back in like three hours.” Goten grimaced and then pulled the covers over his head, hoping his father would go away. It was too early for this! He was in the middle of an awesome dream too! 

“No way. We’ve only got six days till the tournament! We’re gonna train for three days, and then rest for three days.” Goku said and yanked the covers off the bed entirely. “We’re getting breakfast out on the road, so get up or you’ll miss it!” 

Goten groaned even louder than before, finally sitting up. The teen rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly. His hair shot out in every direction even more so than normal. Under most circumstances he wouldn’t mind early morning training, but his bed was too comfy to leave it right now! If he went back to sleep now, maybe he could continue the dream he was having! “Can’t today be a rest day?”

“Nope. Now be outside in ten minutes or your mother said no dinner for you!” Goku grinned teasingly, knowing that was his son’s weakness.

“Oh come onnn! That’s--. Ugh. Fiiine!” Goten whined. “Cheater.”

After brushing his teeth (still half asleep) Goten threw on his new gi. Knowing how their sparring sessions usually went, he hoped it wouldn’t get destroyed after not even having it a full day. 

He tiredly dragged his feet out to the kitchen where his mother was waiting for him. 

“Never shoulda entered this stupid Tournament…” He mumbled to himself and yawned again. 

Chi-Chi shook her head, laughing. “Oh hush. It’s not that bad. You know how your father gets in times like this.”

“Yeah, yeah. He could’ve at least waited another hour though!” Goten said and then went outside to see his father talking with Gohan as little Pan ran around at their feet.

“Oh, hey Gohan!” Goten said happily. 

“I see Dad’s puttin’ you through the ringer, huh?” Gohan chuckled when he saw his brother drag his feet out onto the grass. “I was down that road plenty of times growing up.” 

Goku had traded his signature orange gi for a blue gi with dark bluish-green pants, black shoes and orange wristbands. He still dearly treasured the Turtle School colors, but wanted something different for a change. 

“Uncle Goten!!” Pan cried happily. The toddler wore a little red gi, a present she got from Goku and Chi-Chi for Christmas the previous winter. Pan jumped into the air and came flying at him like a football player trying to take down the quarterback. 

Goten braced himself for the hug just as Pan slammed into him, laughing. “Hey, squirt!”

“I’m not a squirt, I grew two inches!” 

Pan giggled. She loved her uncle so much. He was like a big kid, but also an adult! Pan didn’t really get how that was possible, but she just wanted to be just like him. He showed her all the funnest games, and always knew all the coolest places to go! Plus whenever he visited he always snuck her candy when Gohan wasn’t looking. 

“Guess what Uncle Goten? Daddy says I can enter the World Toonament!” 

Goten couldn’t help but laugh at her pronunciation of the word tournament. “Wait, what? You’re sure it’s okay if she enters, Gohan?”

Gohan nodded. “When she heard Mr. Satan used to be the Champ, it’s all she wanted to do. Videl and I agreed that since there’s no threats anymore, it wouldn’t be a big deal. There’s no Junior division this time, but we’ll all be there anyway. So no harm done.”

“You’re right about that! Besides, I think she can give Goten a challenge!” Goku said, winking up at Pan. 

Pan tugged on Goten’s pant leg. “Is it true you’re comin’ fishin’ with us?” 

“Sure is, Pan! Come on! You can ride on my shoulders!” Goten said and picked the little one up. She felt so tall!

“Alright, we’re heading off!” Goku said. Pan cheered while Goten smirked and pumped his fists. Now that he was fully awake, he was ready for action.

Gohan trusted his father more than anyone else in the world. He went over to affectionately pat his daughter’s head. “Bye, Panny. Be good for Grandpa and Uncle Goten!”

“Okay Daddy!” 

And with that, the three were off. Gohan watched them go and then went back inside for his morning coffee.

The three followed the dirt path to a pretty meadow nearby. Dew glistened on the blades of grass, as the sun continued making its way over the mountain horizon. A river gently flowed into a waterfall that spilled into a sprawling crystal clear lake.. It brought back a wave of nostalgia for Goku as he could remember the countless times he went here to fish with Grandpa Gohan growing up. 

Goten placed Pan down and stretched as the toddler immediately ran over to the river’s edge and stared in awe. 

"Alright before we start training, whaddya say we get some breakfast? I’m starving!" Goku said, already prepping. 

"Sure! I got it covered! I’ll get us some fish!”

"My favorite!” Goku said. No matter how many times he ate Paozu tuna, it didn’t get old.

In the meantime, Goku gathered firewood and then fired a tiny ki blast to start a fire. Pan helped by throwing sticks to make it bigger. He placed three large wooden stakes over the fire, one for each of them to roast their breakfast on. 

Goten got down to his boxers and dove into the river. It was cold, yet refreshing. If he wasn't fully awake yet, he was now. The teen swam around a bit until some huge fish caught his eye. Common for this area, the Paozu fish were at least five times his size, and normally blue and white in color (but there were other colorations as well). Four of them spotted Goten at once and rushed towards their prey, each with the intent to swallow him whole. 

Goten became motionless, waiting for the right moment. As the first approached, he swam down and kicked it in the side, killing it instantly. The teen then disposed of the other three aquatic attackers in a similar fashion.

Goten swam around and gathered his food. One for each of them and one extra! They could split the last one. 

With their breakfast caught, the three generations of Sons sat around the fire, enjoying the morning together while they ate their breakfast in typical Saiyan fashion. 

Goku burped and rubbed his stomach upon finishing. “Man, that hit the spot! Now it’s time for training!” 

“I wanna train too, Grandpa!” Pan exclaimed. 

Goku ruffled Pan’s hair, making her giggle. “You like flying, right?” He asked, knowing the answer already. 

“Mhmm!” The four-year old gleefully said, raising her little hands into fists. 

“Alright, well how about this? I want you to fly around the world as fast as you can!”

Pan’s little eyes lit up. “Really? Okay! Can Uncle Goten come with me??!”

Goten laughed and knelt down to be on eye level with the toddler. “I’d love to, Panny, but I gotta train! Next time I’ll go with you! And I’ll show you something real cool!” 

“Pinky promise?” She said, holding up her little finger.

“Of course.” Goten grinned and they shook on it.

“Alright, bye Grandpa! Bye Uncle Goten!! I’ll be back soon!!” Pan waved and took off to the east. 

Once Pan was out of sight, the Son boys could truly focus on their training.

“So, what’s on the agenda??” 

"Okay, Goten. First, I need you to power up as high as you can possibly go." Goku folded his arms and smiled confidently. "I know things have been easy in these peace times, but I wanna see the progress you've made. You've been training primarily with Trunks, right?"

Goten nodded. "Yeah. At first it was pretty casual but these past two years or so we've really gotten serious."

Goku had full faith in his son. Though Goten was suppressing his energy, Goku could feel the sheer amount of power he had within him. In his fight with Buu, even as a child, Goten showed glimpses having more potential than even Gohan. At only seven years old, he became a Super Saiyan just by sparring for fun. And when fused together, Gotenks was one of the strongest fighters in the entire universe.

"...Alright, then. Here goes!" Goten smirked. He then took a deep breath and let out a mighty roar as his power skyrocketed. "HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

A wild golden aura erupted around the teenager's body while lighting violently sparked around him. Goten's muscles bulged somewhat while his shaggy hair stood completely upright, becoming sharp and jagged. First, Goten's eyes turned to an emerald green. Then, his dark black hair became the signature golden-yellow. The lightning increased in intensity as Goten didn't stop there and kept powering up until a burst of light shot from the teens body.

There stood Son Goten in a fully-powered Super Saiyan 2 state. The splitting image of his father. His facial features were relaxed and he was in complete control of his energy; a far cry from ten years ago when he had gotten carried away at the Tournament.

"How's this?" Goten asked, smirking slightly. “At first, it took a lot of rage to transform, like I had to picture Majin Buu hurting Mar or Mom again. But it’s easy now!”

"Amazing, Goten! Wow! I'm so proud of you!" Goku beamed with pride at how far his son has come. At only seventeen years old, Son Goten had mastered Super Saiyan 2. Goku wouldn't be surprised if he was on the edge of unlocking Super Saiyan 3!

"Me and Trunks are just about equals."

Equals?! They were equals? If that really was the case, Goku could truly put his worries about leaving the earth to the next generation to rest. "No wonder You got so strong so fast!"

"How would you compare us to Majin Buu? Like a ballpark."

"You mean the evil one? Hard to say exactly, but you're definitely stronger than Vegeta and I were at the time. If both of you attacked together at full power, you could have possibly beaten him before he split good from evil and lost most of his power. But you know more than anyone how unpredictable Buu can be. Even though he's good now, you have to be careful. If you get matched up against him, you can't afford many mistakes against a guy like that.”

Goten pumped his fists happily. "Right! Thanks, Dad! So, what now?"

"Power down to normal. Goku said and slipped into a fighting stance. "Let's have a quick spar. This time, no transforming.”

"Huh? Are you sure? But you'll kick my ass!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I'm gettin' old ya know! Now come on.” 

Goten nodded and after a deep breath, his hair and eyes returned to their normal black color. He clenched his fists and then slipped into a fighting stance. “Just watch the gi, okay? It’s brand new, and I was hopin’ to surprise Mar with it.”

Goku smirked. “Sure. I’ll let you have the first move.”

“You’ll regret that!!” Goten instantly burst forward, appearing as only a blur. He swung a volley of powerful kicks directly at his father's face.

Goku smirked as dodged with ease but Goten was relentless. Kick after kick he didn't stop. That continued until Goku grabbed Goten by the leg, and prepared to counter. "Got ya."

"Not so fast!" With his other leg, Goten swung but that too was caught. Goten squirmed and fought to break loose, but Goku’s grip only tightened. Growling, Goten spread his arms wide, unleashing an Explosive Wave at point blank range. 

Goku was hit dead on and lost his grip, staggering back somewhat as Goten landed. "OWW! Good one! That actually hurt! But I'm not even getting started yet!" 

Goku vanished from sight and reappeared behind his son. Goten swerved around just in time to see his father pulling his fist back, ready to strike. 

However the blow went right through his son as if it were an illusion. 

“An afterimage...” Goku said, smirking.

Two copies of Goten reappeared to Goku’s side. Then, the real Goten appeared from above and swung a ferocious kick at Goku, but that too was nothing but an illusion. 

“W-What?!” Goten exclaimed and jumped backwards, searching around for his father’s energy.

“I invented that move! Ya gotta be better than that!!” Goku said from a few yards away, smiling mischievously with his arms crossed. 

Goten ran towards Goku again, but this time Goku vanished completely. The teen flipped backwards just as Goku came into sight, narrowly dodging the counter. Goten burst forward and immediately slammed Goku in the back of  the head, this time hitting finally it’s mark. 

Goku was sent careening down towards the ground, but he caught himself and safely landed on his own two feet. He winced, rubbing his head where Goten hit him. “He’s tougher than I remember!”

Goten continued his assault, flying down towards his father and firing multiple energy waves at Goku.

Goku deflected the blasts away from himself, sending the blasts far away from the fight to explode in the distance. Goten charged a bigger blast in his left hand, firing it directly forward. Goku stayed absolutely still, waiting for Goten's blast. At the last moment, Goten curved the blast up and it exploded into multiple blasts that shot in every direction, wildly zig-zagging around without any sense of direction or course. 

Goku watched each blast intensely, waiting for the right moment. 

“He’s distracted!” Goten blasted forwards, head first, at full force, slamming directly into Goku’s back. 

Pulling his arms back into the signature pose, Goten his hands together. “KAAAAA… MEEEEE…” The blue energy began to build as Goten’s ki spiked. “HAAAAA… MEEEEE…”

Goku recovered and came to a sliding halt on the grassy terrain. The Saiyan hadn’t felt this excited in years. Goku smirked and raised his power level to match Goten’s. Just then, Goten vanished. 

Goku’s eyes widened and crossed his arms over his face, just as Goten appeared in front of him.

“HAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

The blast hit Goku dead on, creating a super massive explosion that could be felt all the way at the Son house from far away. 

Goten jumped backwards to gain distance. The teen hovered there, his senses on full awareness, waiting for his father to emerge from the smoke. A palm-tree hairstyle and bluish-green gi appeared through the smoke soon enough, completely unharmed. He was smiling! 

“I see you’ve finally mastered the Instant Transmission. Great work!” Goku grinned, folding his arms. 

The Instant Transmission technique. Goten had asked his father to teach him the attack about two years ago when he started his training. Right around the time he started dating Marron. Goten motives were as clear as day.

“Yeah! Thanks again!” Goten said.

“You won’t fool me twice with that move though. Come on, let’s keep going!”

“You bet.”

They rushed each other at the same time and collided. A powerful yet invisible tremor shook the area as their fists met. The father and son duo crashed blow for blow as they rose higher in the air. Their attacks grew more intense the higher they went.

Eventually they disappeared, and could only be seen by the tremors echoing throughout the grassy training grounds. 

At first, Goten traded blows evenly with his dad, countering each blow with ease. But as their struggle continued, Goku slowly raised his power and started overwhelming his father. He managed to land a crushing blow to the gut, making Goten falter. Goku went to punch him but Goten phased out of the way, reappearing some significant distance away and hid his energy singal. 

“Now’s my chance!”

Goten got into position and powered up to full. In an instant he pulled his hands back, charged two blue blasts of ki in his hands and fired. The beam exploded in a marvelous blue light, hitting its target dead on. “Gotcha.”

Goten waited for movement. But when the smoke cleared and Goku was gone! The teen growled when he saw his father simply dusting off his gi on the grass below. 

“Dammit! He’s not even hurt!” 

To Goku’s own surprise, he was just a bit out of breath.  ”If I’m not careful, he actually may get the advantage. He’s even further along in his training than I originally thought.” He smirked and then raised his hands close to the center of his face with his fingers spread out toward his eyes. “This was fun, Goten, but you’re not winning this fight.”

Goten braced himself and shut his eyes. “Oh crap!”

“SOLAR FLARE!”

A blinding white light exploded from the Saiyan father’s body as if a second sun was right there on the battlefield with them, covering everything in sight. 

Despite being temporarily blind, Goten’s other senses kicked into high gear. He felt where Goku was going to appear and attempted to counter, but missed every attack. Goku simply side-stepped or caught everything Goten threw at him. 

Goku smirked, reappearing right behind his son. "Come on! Focus! You're better than that, Goten!" He said right before flipping behind Goten and kneeing his son right in the back.

Goten was flown forward as he grunted from the impact of the hard hit, trying to regain control of his body as his sight finally began returning to him. 

Goku pursued his son, pounding him into the ground causing cracks and the ground itself to rise up from the impact. Goku then grabbed his son by the legs and threw him into the air. Goku flew straight up, stopping above Goten. He threw a punch at Goten but Goten managed to duck, countering with a jab to the gut.

Goku vanished and kicked his son upwards, and with a flare his energy unleashed a monstrous kiai that had Goten flying backwards, unable to recover. 

A boot connected with the boy’s face and he was sent shooting towards the ground yet again. 

“Try and stop this one!!” Goku cried and unleashed a volley of rapid-fire blasts. Goten’s head was still spinning from the kick, so he didn’t have time to block the dozens of golden Ki spheres that crashed into his body one after another seemingly without end. 

Finally, Goku built up one last, super-large energy ball for the final attack. 

Goten had just enough time to land on his feet and catch the ball of ki. He grunted as he felt himself being pushed back, but with a flare of his aura--almost turning Super Saiyan until he remebered the rule, managed to send it flying away. A massive explosion echoed from afar where the impact was. 

Goku floated above him with his hands on his hips, smiling proudly. 

Goten heaved and huffed, now feeling exhausted as if he sweat from his brow.  He really could have kept going, but decided against it and shook his head. “I’m done for now. You win....” He said and plopped down on the grass.

The fight was over. Goku grinned and flashed dual victory signs. “You did amazing, Goten. Really had me there!” 

“One of these days, I swear, the shoe is gonna be on the other foot!” Goten declared in between heavy breaths. At least his gi didn’t get ruined. 

“And I think that day will be sooner rather than later.” Goku smiled and sat down next to Goten on the grass as they waited for Panny to come back. 

Only six days remain until the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament begins!

[cutegirlmayra]

Feelin the Shadamy feels lately, so would you care to write a story where Shadow survives the end of SA2 and goes back to Amy on the ark? Thanks for what you do!

Ugh, me too. Me too.

And thank you ;u;

Gentle reminder that Prompts are on Shutdown! Don’t send me a prompt request till they reopen! :Db

Prompt:

Tails approaches Sonic, wearily watching him gaze out the window. “Sonic?”

Sonic shakes his head down, “It was a close call.” He turns and smiles as Shadow approaches the two from behind.

“Ah! Shadow!” Tails exclaims, spinning around and not sure if he should attack him or not.

“Easy, buddy. He’s cool.” Sonic explains, somewhat, and walks over to Shadow. He playfully whacks his shoulder, “Tough job, you may have the workings of a hero in you yet, Shadow!”

“Hmph, I wasn’t created for sporting a hero’s smile.” He steps away from Sonic, dusting off the place where he touched. “All this has done for me is left me with more unresolved questions. I don’t need your gratitude, just your compliance.” he folded his arms.

“Oh? Is that so? I see.” Sonic, without skipping a beat, cheerily leaned his body a bit and folded his own arms, as though to mirror Shadow but in a more relaxed way. “Well, you’re still getting one. Thanks, Shadow!” He charmingly gave him a thumbs-up, and Tails jumped with his fist held high.

“Yeah!”

“What’s the compliance?” Knuckles and Rouge entered then, angling their bodies towards each other, but looking squarely at Shadow.

“You aren’t sayin’ you’re gonna ask for our quiet demise some other time are ya?!” Knuckles swung an arm out, but Rouge placed a hand on her hip and sharply turned her head to him.

“Enough. He’s clearly not being hostile. You are!”

“What!? You-!” Knuckles stepped toward her but she broke eye-contact and turned her cheek to him, addressing Shadow again and ignoring Knuckles’s outburst toward her.

“You were saying?”

“Wha?! Hmph!” Knuckles saw the blatant turnaround and kicked the ground as he turned away from her, walking off by Sonic.

“Only to stay out of my way…” Shadow unfolded his arms, then looked to Tails and Sonic.

Sonic nodded, closing his eyes and opening them in the process.

Shadow lowered his head, acknowledging that Sonic had heard his request and accepted it.

“I simply want answers. Nothing more.” Shadow began to walk off, moving passed Rouge as she followed him with her eyes.

“Kinda moody for an ultimate lifeform, don’t you think?” she teased, tilting her head as Tails rushed over to the center of the bunch.

“B-but! What if he tries to hurt people again! We’re just gonna forgive him like that? Q-quick! Someone put a tracker on him!” he pointed to Shadow’s direction, but Knuckles and Sonic looked to each other, then away as Sonic gave a smirk to Tails.

“Come on, Tails. He kinda did help me save the planet.” He stood beside him, comforting his worried friend.

“Y… yeah, I guess that’s true.” Tails looked to where Shadow had left, then Sonic, and then to the ground, letting the topic go.

“Besides, he’ll have to face me again if that happens! And everyone knows I’m the fastest hedgehog alive!” Sonic struck a pose, and Tails happily laughed with him.

As Shadow continued down the hallway, he looked at the battered metal with old bullet holes in it… contemplating exactly what had happened, to the best of his memory.

“If this is what you wanted, Maria,… then I’ll stop this path, and find another way to achieve the purposes you asked for.” He continued to study the area, but nothing was triggering his mind. “Whatever those may be… and however much I may not agree with it.” he shook his head, not sure if saving the earth was right, but knowing that if Maria wanted it, then he had no choice but to follow it.

“Soooniiicc!!!!” 

“Huh?” He stopped to turn around but was ambushed by the girl’s doting arms in yet another accident. “You never cease to forget to look first before jumping.”

Amy continued to smother him before realizing this texture felt a little off. “O-oh..?” Her arm felt fluff… that wasn’t right.

She also squinted her eyes to the black and red contrast on Sonic’s features… wait…

“Oh no!” she pulled away, “It’s Shadow!” she reached her arms back and quickly pattered her feet away from him. “Wait, if you survived, then Sonic must have come back too, right!?” she put her hands gratefully to her chest. “Oh, thank goodness. I was really worried about you two!”

“…You were… worried… about me?” Shadow looked a bit in shock, unable to understand that.

“Huh? Silly, of course I was! You both had me scared! When you dashed off to help Sonic save the world, I just knew you weren’t a bad guy!” she swayed a bit in her words, then pointed very sternly to Shadow. “Bad guy’s don’t say they’ll keep their promises! What was that promise you were referring to, anyway? I don’t remember asking you for anything.”

As she continued to speak, Shadow grew more… was it embarrassed?

He looked to the ground, his eyes darting around before turning away from her, gesturing to the world. “I remembered making a promise long ago to someone… your words… they brought those memories back to me.” he tightened his fist, bringing it in before his shoulders fell a bit from their rising tension, and then he nodded to Amy. “Before, I asked for no thanks… simply because I realized this was what I should have done all along. You… The thanks I received should be given back to you.”

He walked towards Amy, making her a little nervous as she looked up into his serious eyes, “Shadow…”

He placed a Chaos Emerald in her hand. Its glow and radiance looked much like the earth’s surface in hue and light…

The two stared at the emerald… before back up at each other.

“Thank you…”

“For what? Reminding you of a long lost promise? You really are kinda weird, but for that person’s sake, I’ll gladly accept your thanks.” Amy nodded, but something tugged at her heartstrings then. It didn’t really feel appropriate to have him thanking her, she didn’t feel like what she did was really the cause of his sudden change of heart.

“You’ve had that promise buried in you all this time. If anyone should give thanks, you should give it to that person you made a promise with, right?” she tilted her head cutely, and he seemed to be processing her words.

“Perhaps you’re right.” He started to think about it, before turning around and walking off.

“Oh, that reminds me.” He turned his head to look over his shoulder somewhat back at Amy, “I never did fully learn your name…”

“It’s Amy! Amy Rose!” She let out her signature vocal pattern and then waved to him. “I’ll always remember your name, Shadow! Shadow the Hero!”

“Amy…Rose… And a Hero..? You sound just like him.” He walked forward, repeating her name as he departed. “Farewell, Amy Rose. Sonic The Hedgehog… and Space Coloney Ark…” He then closed his eyes.

“Forever.”

“Huh?” Amy watched him round the corner, not sure what he meant by that…

She placed her hands over the Chaos Emerald and close to her chest as Sonic and the others came by.

“Hey, Amy. Long time no see!”

“Oh, Sonic!” She spun around, rushing into his arms. “How could you! I thought you were-! Ohhh, Sonic!” she dug herself into him, remembering that for a moment, he had almost died from a trap that exploded in space!

“W-woah! Hang on, Amy! It’s all good! Yikes! Don’t pull me so hard! Amy..!” she kept on laughing as Sonic protested little by little, but something still plagued her thoughts.

“Hey…” She pulled away, revealing the Chaos Emerald as she brought her hands forward from her chest. “Shadow gave this to me… And for saving my life back there… I’ll give it to you.”

Sonic looked down at the Chaos Emerald. He took it a moment and nodded to her. “Thank you.” then stuck it away.

“Hehe! That’s the second time someone’s thanked me today!” she chimed, as Tails walked over to her.

“What do you mean, Amy?”

“Well… Ah! That’s right! Shadow! I forgot!” She suddenly grew panicked and took off. Waving behind her, she encouraged them to not follow, “I’ve gotta make sure he gets back to earth, alright! What if he tries to use that fake Chaos Emerald!”

Knuckles suddenly jolted back in spot, “Oh no! That’s too far a distance! He’ll not make it!”

“You mean… if that’s what he was planning.” Rouge argued, “I don’t think the bloke’s stupid enough to consider that…”

“We needed the Chaos Emeralds… but maybe he thinks he can get by with Sonic’s fake Emerald?” Tails looked to Sonic.

“Either way, I’m not leaving a new friend behind!” Sonic struck a cool pose, showing his resolve as he took off. “Come on! We’ll find him! Leave no asteroid unturned!”

“Got it!” the others agreed, taking off.

As Amy searched, she gasped.

Seeing Shadow prepare an old containment pod to put him back into sleep, possibly killing him this time since he probably didn’t know exactly how to do it…

And there was a location… he was going to blast himself into space…

“No!” Amy shook her head, her face full of horror as she read the screens he had momentarily programmed to start up on its own. “Shadow, stop!”

She dashed to the pod as he approached it, grabbing his arm.

“L-…Let me go.” Shadow struggled a bit.

“Don’t do this! You belong on earth! Like the rest of us!” she wouldn’t cease, and he was somewhat confused by her odd strength.

“This must be… I’m not like anything on earth. I don’t belong there. I don’t belong here, either… You don’t understand what I am.” He tried to fight against her, but it was clear he was lenient in actually repelling her away. He didn’t want to hurt her.

“I don’t care what you are!” she shouted out, stopping him a moment from tolerating her moxie against him.

Her words shook him to his core.

“You… What?” his eyes quaked, widened by her sudden outburst.

“If what you are scares you from living a full life… then reinvent yourself!” she ducked her head down, making sure her arms were like iron bars he couldn’t escape from.

It was an awkward hold, her still gripping him from behind and him trying not to hurt her while attempting to move away and get in the pod that would make him sleep while he drifted aimlessly into space for eons and endless years.

“You… You don’t know what you’re saying. Let me go!” he tried to be a bit more forceful in his voice now, but she continued to struggle against him.

“No! This isn’t right, Shadow! What about your promise to me? Do you remember!? I have a new promise, promise you’ll stay! Promise me you’ll try and understand what you just saved! See the world for what it really is, a beautiful new home for yourself! You can be whoever you want to be on earth! No one will despise you!”

He couldn’t believe her words this time.

“That’s enough. Release me!” he was threw listening to the ramblings of a child.

“No!” She felt him using more of his strength now, his large hands finally placing themselves on her head and shoulder.

“Amy… You don’t realize what you’re saying.” She knew nothing of him. Nothing of his origin. He was a monster, that’s all he needed to know. Earth didn’t hold the answers he so desperately desired. Nothing did. It was all dead and gone… like he should be.

“I do! I know far more than you because I’ve seen earth! I know the precious lives that you’ve saved and you don’t, Shadow! You don’t know!”

“I’ve never saved any lives!” growing more frustrated, he bent his knees and began to push back against her, realizing he doubted her initial strength. His memories swarmed with Maria, the ones he could recall, anyway. “All I do is end lives… even if I don’t want too, and even if it costs me a promise!”

“Make a new one! I dare ya!” she pushed back against him, and for a moment, his feet scooted back and almost gave way at the sudden velocity of her shove.

“Ah…” He was actually kinda impressed, but quickly withdrew the thought. “I’m growing tired of this..!” he threw an arm up, whacking her back as she fell and landed on her back. “You may have swayed me before, Amy. But this isn’t something you can interfere with again!” he spoke with much more firmness in his voice now, a dark essence dripping from his tone. “If you only knew… the destruction I could cause to your precious earth… you’d let me turn into a forgotten curse.” He held his hand up, picturing the earth before lowering his hand into a shaking fist. “Leave me…” he swiped his hand back and began to load himself into the pod.

He put his arms in a similar position as when he had awoken from Eggman triggering his activation. He intertwined his fingers and let his head rest back, breathing in the fumes that would place him back into a warm, comatose state.

“Maria… Forgive me.” He closed his eyes, “I should have never been created… or you’d still be with us.”

“Preparing launch sequence.”

“Grr… ughh… GRAAAHH!!” Amy swung her Piko Piko Hammer into the pod.

It cracked the pod.

“What?” He opened his eyes and looked around, seeing the electricity spark and red lights flash on with yellow sirens spinning around.

“Containment breach. Launch in jeopardy.”

“HAAA!” Amy continued to swing into the pod.

Shadow’s eyes studied the girl, the powerful swings, the tears in her eyes..?

“Why… tears?” Then something happened, he felt an emotion pour from a heart he didn’t know he had.

With each swing, Amy’s arms would lift and he would see her. When it crashed down, he would see Maria, crying and desperately placing her hand on the containment pod.

His heart melted again, and he tightened his jaw, leaning back and kicking the pod to escape.

“Launch still imminent. No emergency code registered. 10…9…8-”

“SHADOW!” Amy cried out.

He strained against the militarized, seemingly glass surface.

“7…6….5…4…3…2-”

“You promised!” Amy cried out, her eyes like shattered pieces of a prism, shining with an endearing love for the stranger she had only just met. “Promise you will stay!”

“1.”

“…GrraAAAHHH!!! I PROMISE!” Shadow shouted out, the two’s force finally breaking the pod as it blasted out into space.

“Shadow!” Sonic and the others finally arrived, as Sonic threw the Fake Chaos Emerald, having found it slammed dunked like he remembered.

Shadow, being tossed around by the speed of which the pod was launched, finally was able to maneuver himself to grabbing the Fake Emerald.

He looked to Amy, “I’ll keep my promises… I’ll see you on earth… I’m not a bad guy, then… right, Amy?” he looked at the Fake Emerald in his hand, her image on the other side of it.

“Hmph, very well. I’m no hero, but I’ll keep my new promise to you.” He held up the Fake Emerald, “Chaos..! Control!”

It shook him to his core, but because he had far more chaos power than Sonic, the Fake Emerald was enough to send him to earth’s surface.

He fell unconscious, landing after the shining light had brought him to a beautiful forest.

The Fake Emerald rolled out of his hands, shattering from its final use, and Shadow blinked his eyes open.

The first thing he noticed was the rays from above, the sun hitting his fingers and causing light to part into shadows on the ground around him.

He tried to focus his exhausted eyes, then looked to see trees… felt grass… heard nature for the first time.

“Ma… Maria…” He barely could mouth it out, feeling his consciousness slipping away again, his eyes getting blurry as they faded in and out… he spoke one other sound…

“I see it… A-… Amy… I see what we’ve saved…”

And then, darkness… as was his fate.

[bxcketbarnes]

Never Been Kissed

Pairing: Son Goku x Reader

Words: 1660+

Author’s Note: So, even though I’m only on like episode 30 of DBS, I was watching a compilation video of funny moments and saw the scene where Trunks kissing Mai, then Goku getting confused about what he did. I decided to write something roughly on that. I love this one, I think it’s absolutely adorable and I hope you guys so as well. 

There's never a certain guarantee to be able to wake up in Goku's arms. Especially when he's usually gone training with Vegeta most the time. This is certainly a rare occasion and I'm not complaining. I snuggle my face into the man's chest, feeling the warmth of him begin to cover me like a blanket.

"I don't know what I did to deserve your love," I mention quietly, making sure the crazy-haired man doesn't wake up. I press a small kiss to his cheek, wiggling out of his embrace so I can begin breakfast.

I turn the television on and pick some random movie, rotating my gaze between the screen and the feast I'm currently cooking. It took almost an hour to finish, setting the multiple meals onto the dining table before looking towards the clock. 10:03. Hm, Goku's usually awake by now. He must be extremely exhausted.

I make my way back towards our shared bedroom, seeing Goku sprawled out on the queen sized bed. A giggle leaves my lips while walking towards him. "Goku," I draw out with a grin.

The older man groans, turning away from me and grips the duvet. I shake his body for a few seconds before kneeling on the mattress, hovering over him to look at his face.

"Goku, honey, it's time to get up," I whisper loud enough for him to hear and boops his nose.

He inaudibly mumbles, his hand reaching out to grab me. "Five more minutes…" the Saiyan tells me and I bite my lip.

"I guess I'll eat all the food I made," I giggle and move off the bed. I begin to make my way back towards the kitchen when a loud bang comes from the room.

"Food? Did you say food?" Goku asks excitingly, rubbing his tired eyes as I nodded my head. "Ooo, I love you."

He brings me into a hug before darting towards the table. "I love you too. I'm gonna go call Bulma and check on Goten," I tell him and he nods his head while stuffing his face.

-

Goku flew us to Bulma's place and he informed me about the situation. Since I was working out of town for the past week, I had missed Future Trunks arrival. Apparently, a lot of shit had gone down in his time and came back for his mother's help.

We landed in the front yard, heading into the semi-large house immediately. "So what are we doing?" I ask my husband as we walk towards a group of people.

"We're gonna go to the future and help. Don't worry. If anything happens I'll protect you," Goku mentions and smiles down at me.

My heart flutters, nodding my head, knowing he would do anything in his power. My eyes widen as Trunks from the future came into view, his blue hair matching his mother's.

"Y/N! You're finally home," the teen greets with a smile before coming over to hug me.

"You've gotten so big. My god you're just as tall as your mother," I joke and Bulma let's out an offensive hey!

"Alright, alright, enough with the banter," Vegeta grunts as his arms are crossed over his chest. "Are we leaving or not?"

A chuckle escapes my lips as the five of us made our way towards the time machine. I felt nervous but kind of excited, being able to do something so extravagant. Even though I won't be of much help.

-

Once we got to Future Trunk's present time we stepped out of the machine. My eyes widened at the condition it was in. Most of the buildings were destroyed and there was ash everywhere. What happened? I swallowed the lump in my throat, not expecting to see the city like this.

"Y/N, come on," Goku's voice cut through my thoughts and I snap my head towards the group. I quickly run over to them, seeing an older man with a beard guiding us towards what looks to be a hideout.

"They're here," a man spoke as we walked through a curtain down a long hallway. We were met by a large group of people as I notice Trunks looking around for a certain someone.

"Has Trunks come back?" An elderly woman asks quietly while we continued to walk.

We quickly came to a stop as I notice a woman laying on the floor, covered in blankets. "Mai!" Trunks yelled before rushing over to her, kneeling beside her.

"Help her, Trunks. We don't know what to do," a little boy beside the girl pleas as Bulma crouches beside him. "She's dying."

I stand beside Vegeta and in front of Goku, watching the scene unravel in front of me before my eyes glance to every person around us. This is terrible. Who would do such a thing to these people?

"Goku, quick, Senzu Beans!" Trunks mentions as he held Mai in his arms.

"Oh, yeah," Goku states before reaching behind him, grabbing the bag of beans from his gi. "Here you go," he hands the bag to Trunks as the teen takes one out before placing it into his mouth.

He chews for a quick second before dipping down, connecting his lips to hers. Aw. Gasps echoed throughout the room, everyone watching as Trunks pulls away from her and she lets out a breath. Breaths of relief were heard by mainly everyone, a smile coming to my own lips.

"Woah, what was that Trunks? You put your mouth on hers- that's so weird," Goku mentions while scratching the back of his head.

My cheeks burn at his statement, mentally facepalming as Vegeta looks over to my husband.

"Kakarot, you've never kissed someone?" He asks as his arms are still crossed over his chest.

Goku looks up, his eyes wide and lips parted. "Huh? No, of course not. Why?" He asks with a slight smile.

"You're married and have children," Vegeta states and points to me, his eyebrows furrowed together.

"Yeah duh, but what does that have to do with kissing?" He asks innocently and I walk towards the taller man, patting him in the chest as I couldn't help the laugh escaping my lips.

"You- Oh, no way," Vegeta mumbled, turning away from the fool.

"No, tell me. Is that like something people do?" Goku asks, looking at him before his eyes glance down at me.

I press my lips together, shrugging my shoulders as I think about what was just said. A part of me wishes he would kiss me, but I've grown accustomed to him not doing so.

-

We came home shortly after Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks defeats Zamasu and Goku Black. Trunks brought along Mai this time. I watched from a distance as smaller Mai met her future self, giggling at how happy she looked.

A hand wraps itself around my waist and I look over to see Goku standing beside me. I leaned into his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist. "You did good, hon," I tell him and he hums.

"I'm just glad everyone's alive. Black didn't hurt you too much did he?" He asks while looking down at me.

I glance up at him with a smile on my lips. "No. I may not be a Saiyan but I've learned a few fighting skills myself," I chuckle and his arm tightens around me.

"I just wish he didn't get to you. He knew you meant a lot to me, to us, and used you as leverage," Goku mutters and I squeeze his hip.

"Goku," I start, leaning on my toes to press a kiss to his cheek, extremely close to his lips, "I'm fine. Everyone's fine. Don't let this haunt you, okay?"

He stares down at me, his eyes analyzing my face. I softly bite my lip, wondering what's going through his mind right now. "Do you… are you upset that I don't kiss you?"

My lips part in surprise as I didn’t think that he'd actually bring up what Vegeta said. "I mean, no. When we first got together I was confused as to why you didn't, but I got used to it. It's fine, Goku," I reassure him and his eyebrows furrowed together.

His Adam's apple bobs in his throat, his onyx eyes moving down to my lips. "Can I… Can I try?" He asks and my heart skips a beat.

"I-Y-Yeah," I stuttered as my cheeks turn a shade of pink. Goku's large hand lands on your cheek, his thumb stroking the skin.

He dips his head down, connecting our lips together after almost three decades of being together. My body turns to putty, gripping his orange and blue gi as I begin to move my lips against his.

His hands slide down my sides and lands on my hips as he pulls me closer to his body, deepening the kiss. We pull away after about a minute, heavy breaths leaving my lips as I kept my eyes closed.

Wow. I… have no words on how amazing that was.

"That's kissing? Gosh, I feel bad we've never done it," he says embarrassingly while scratching his head. "You're a lovely kisser."

I giggle, my cheeks still warm as I look to the ground. "You're pretty good yourself, even though you've never done it," I tell him and he grins from ear to ear.

"Get some!" Bulma screams from across the way and everyone around looks from her to us. Goku and I blush madly, looking away from everyone before I clear my throat.

"You wanna…?" I trail off and point in the direction of our house. Goku giggles as the blush still sits on his cheeks and nods his head, a smirk coming to his lips. His arm wraps around my waist as we begin to fly off. "Bulma! Watch Goten for a 'lil while, okay?! I owe you!" I yell at her with a chuckle.

"Have fun!" The blue-haired woman smirks while waving her arm.

[self-shipping-skittles]

4+8 from the meta asks for your DB f/os??? (wretchedpunk)

Ty!! I'd die for all three of my boys

I already answered 4 BUT I will say that I have always really liked piccolo too he's definitely up there in my favorite db characters

8. are there any scenes/chapters/moments your f/o is in that you skip when you revisit their source content?

for broly and goten I don't really think there are???? Like seeing broly getting beat up was Hard but I still watched that shit but id honestly Really prefer not to but like :^)) can't skip more than half the movie ajdnanbdn.

With goten tho I don't really remember gt that well and nothing really Happened in end of z But I'm not looking forward to seeing him with his his c*non gf :^)))

And with trunks I'm avoiding his death like the plague I refuse to see my baby get hurt and honestly I'm dreading watching super bc he gets a c*non love interest :^))

[dissecting-bollywood]

Why I Love : Delhi Belly

DELHI BELLY

Directed by Abhinay Deol

Screenplay by Akshat Verma

Music by Ram Sampath

Cast : Imran Khan, Kunaal Roy Kapoor, Vir Das, Vijay Raaz, Shenaz Treasury

OVERVIEW

Three unsuspecting, average guys find themselves on the hit list of one of India's most-powerful crime syndicates.

CRITICS VS. AUDIENCE (VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES)

Critics : 88% (16)

Audience : 82% (4,408)

DISCLAIMER

You aren’t pressured to agree with me. I am saying what my opinion is about this movie and if you disagree, that’s cool. Please don’t bash me for it. This is just my opinion!

WHY I LOVE IT

•  The performances. The females of the movie, Shenaz Treasury and Poorna Jagannathan, didn’t skip a beat with their respective characters and didn’t seem out of place. The three main leads were so unique - from the street-smart Tashi to the sneaky Nitin, to the sulky Arup - that they all deserve their own solo film and I bet they would be a great success. And then comes the most iconic of the bunch, the stoic Somayajulu was played to perfection by Vijay Raaz and he is easily one of the best things of this movie. 

•  The adult humor. Once in a few lightyears, Bollywood is gifted with mature comedy gems, such as Hunterrr (2015) and Masti (2004), and DB definitely makes it to that list. With its sexual gags and impeccable comic timing, it results in a laugh riot worth watching. Be it the tumultuous climax of the film, or the scenes to know our characters better, the writing and dialogues are clever and sneaky.

•  The way-too-extra soundtrack. Although the poster doesn’t outright have the disco era aesthetic, the soundtrack says otherwise. The ending song I Hate You Like I Love You is the epitome of the aesthetic with Aamir Khan appearing as the disco fighter, which seems like a homage to the disco king of Bollywood Mithoon Chakraborty himself. And then the song Jaa Chudail, which is played right after Arup finds out his girlfriend is getting married, is a crazy imagination with its metal-esque vocals and traditional Indian sitcom extremeness. And although Bhaag D.K. Bose, Andhi Aayi doesn’t really fall under the campiness of the other two songs, it deserves a nod for being an absolute banger. Ram Sampath definitely didn’t disappoint.

•  The impact. DB is so extreme and 60′s campy that it is bringing in something new for the Indian masses to consume. Although there have been masterpieces like DB before (Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and Being Cyrus), DB garnered the most success out of the three of them. This introduced a new wave of viewers interested in out-of-the-box content and ever since the 2010′s, that audience has kept on growing and growing and it would be unwise to say that DB had no part in this growth.

CONCLUSION

Delhi Belly may not be everyone’s cup of tea with its adult humor and edginess, but it sure as hell is an enjoyable ride. Being atypical for the time it was released, it was one of the first movies of the 2010′s decade to be more content and performance-driven rather than big-budget-driven. Watch this movie exclusively with friends

7.75/10

[theultimateegghead-blog]

Modest Media Game Reviews Dragonball Z: The Legacy of Goku

Game – The Legacy of Goku Year of Release - 2002 Developer – Webfoot Technology Publisher - Infogrames Rated - E Genre – Action RPG Platform – Gameboy Advance

I am a huge fan of Dragonball, I grew up watching it on toonami back in the very early 2000s. Dragonball was a major inspiration for me to learn how to draw and has been a huge cornerstone of me and my friends lives. This game should be great for a DB fan like me right? A action rpg that covers the first third of the story? I was excited to try it! Lets see why my excitement turned to sad disappointment as we review the Legacy of Goku.

Gameplay – Not good. This game is a Zelda like styled action game, you play as Goku and travel through various levels, defeat enemies and overcome bosses. Despite being the strongest man on earth, even a single wolf can kill Goku. Enemies do obscene damage, and healing supplies, while not uncommon, are not very useful. In short you will need to grind, the game even low-key tells you to grind at one point. This game would be 50-60% shorter if you did not have to grind, and if that were the case, this game would be less than an hour and a half long. While there are several different enemies, they all function the same, all bosses are the same as well. Everything just stands right on top of you and wails on you. Dying is very easy in this game due to blatantly overpowered enemies.  Goku can fly, but only for a brief amount of time, and then he needs a pick up to recharge his flight. Goku gains access to three different ki blast, but even this diversity doesn’t spare this game from the mediocrity that it is. The game is littered with pointless sidequest that are forced upon you to beat the game, and most of these quest are just generic ‘fetch the item for me’ quest. Bottom line is this game is unbalanced and underwhelming, bloated to the point of bursting and just boring. Score - 8/20

Graphics – You know, I want to compliment the graphics, but there are issues I will address in a little bit. Character design is alright, its obvious some care went into the sprites. Every character is recognizable and there character portraits are…kind of good. Some character portraits just look weird. Environments look alright, and enemies are all animated and look good. However, this game has one major issue regarding graphics, the collision detection. For some reason, many of the environments have odd invisible walls that have no reason being there. It seems somewhat poorly mapped regarding where Goku can and cannot go, and this is relevant throughout the whole game. So I cant say the graphics are great because they actually negatively effect gameplay. However, I cant hate on it because someone poured time and effort into crafting these sprites. Score – 6.5/10

Story –  Oh boy, the story will be considered a train wreck by any DBZ fan. Not only is it full of inconsistencies and continuity errors, it feels rushed and poorly constructed. Major plot points In the show are just breezed past in the game, such as Vegeta going great ape or Freeza’s climatic battle. While the game does try to retell the first third of DBZ, it has more filler than the Bleach series crammed into it. Remember how, when Goku lost his son to his evil brother, he set out to go save a lost cat, find a lost toy and pick flowers? Or how Goku learned his signature technique, the Kamehameha, from ten seconds of training with king Kai? No? That’s because it DIDN’T HAPPEN. The actual plot of this game is only like 10 percent of the gameplay, and its mostly through the boss fights! Everything else is just pointless filler. Score - 3/10

Replay Value – None, there is no reason to replay this game. It offers no end game content, and if you saved before the final boss, you cant turn back. You cannot revisit older areas, and there are no secret collectables or rewards for completion. Once you beat this game you have experienced virtually everything it has to offer. Score - 1/5

Music – The music is alright. Its nothing special but it fails to offend. It captures the sensation of some scenes pretty well, so no complaints. The music is probably the best part of this game.  The theme of Namek is particularly nice and somber. The sound clips of this game are also alright if not a bit generic.  While it does not stand out, it can stand on its own feet. I will give it a pass. Score – 3.5/5

Overall – I wanted to like this game, I really did. Like Killzone, this was a game I have wanted to play for years only to walk away disappointed from it. Sub-Par gameplay and a badly paced and extremely inaccurate story really ruin the game for me. I have heard that the sequel is much better and perhaps I will review it in the near future, however, this game is just not worth the time. There are much better ways to experience the story of dragonball Z from a video game than this. Give this one a skip, unless you really want to see for yourself why its not good. Final Score – 4.4/10 – bad

One positive thing – Not really positive, but I felt legitimately sorry for the surviving Namekians, those poor dudes were so traumatized!

[tkmedia]

'People are gonna think you're a b—': AEW's Dr. Britt Baker talks critics, championships and flossing

How do you spell "best?" D.M.D. Dr. Britt Baker, DMD has ascended to the top of the AEW women's division with her triumph over Hikaru Shida at Double or Nothing, capturing the AEW Women's Championship and becoming the face of the "new era" of All Elite Wrestling. Shida's reign as champion was honorable and memorable: She captured the belt at Double or Nothing in May 2020, holding it for over a year and having to navigate a crowdless environment.Unfortunately for Shida, just as crowds started to return, Dr. Baker was at the height of her popularity, resulting in losing the belt at Double or Nothing 2021. Dr. Baker was undeniably becoming one of the best all-around talents in AEW today, and the title win was viewed as a true coronation for Dr. Baker. On screen, Dr. Baker's ascent to the top of the wrestling world has been a sight to behold for fans: From berating Tony Schiavone on the Jericho Cruise in 2020 to a superstar-making performance vs. Thunder Rosa in an unsanctioned match in March 2021, the wrestling dentist (or dentist wrestler) who alternates wearing scrubs for beating up scrubs on Wednesday nights (and occassionally on the weekends), has undoubtedly earned her spot as the top female talent in the company — and, as she'll tell you, one of the preeminent wrestlers regardless of division in AEW today.Speaking with Sporting News ahead of AEW's "Saturday Night Dynamite" on June 26, Dr. Baker covered everything from the importance of flossing in the morning to the importance of owning your character on Wednesday nights.(Editor's note: Questions and answers are edited for length and clarity.)Sporting News (SN): My first hard hitting question for you: What do adults overlook about dental health? What do you think is the most overlooked thing that you think adults don't know about?Dr. Britt Baker (DB): Flossing is arguably more important than brushing their teeth, because your gum health is so important — gingival health. If your gums go bad, you'll have bone loss, you'll lose your teeth. So everyone thinks they can skip by this by using mouthwash, and their electric toothbrushes and this and that — no. You have to floss. It's so important.SN: To follow up on that: Do you know who the 10th dentist is who doesn't recommend flossing?DB: I do, but I'm sworn to secrecy.SN: We're more than a few months removed from your unsanctioned match with Thunder Rosa, which was one of the best matches of the year, maybe even one of the best women's matches of all time. What do you think that match has done for your career, the division and maybe women's wrestling as a whole?DB: I think for our division specifically it brought legitimacy to it, with a flashing, glaring red light on the map — if the division wasn't there already in some people's minds. So, for me to be a part of that is really special. It's really empowering. More importantly it's empowering to be part of women's wrestling in today's society, because we've come such a long way and we're given these opportunities where we can have these unsanctioned matches on main-event TV. I'm just so thankful that I do get to do what I do for All Elite Wrestling for (AEW owner) Tony Khan.SN: I spoke with Tony before about just your heel turn and how natural it came to you. They say that the best characters are always taken from highlighting or exaggerating parts of your personality. What was that whole transition like for you?DB: I think it's obvious I'm a much more natural heel. Like it or not, that's probably the deep roots of me. I've always — even as a kid — I was always the kid that asked way too many questions, I was Curious George. I would always joke too much to the point where I'd push buttons and make somebody mad, and I was always issuing a ton of apologies — "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."But I really love getting to do the heel work because I get to say what everybody else is thinking, but society deems it politically incorrect or it's not appropriate or it's not polite, but I don't care. I'm gonna say it anyway and that's why I think some people have been getting behind me—  because they can relate to a lot of the stuff that I'm saying.SN: Obviously, characters and gimmicks evolve. To that end, from your promo with Tony Schiavone on the Jericho Cruise to now, how has your character changed?DB: I'm just getting more more comfortable and confident. Owning the fact that you're a bad guy, that you're a villain, that people are gonna think you're a disgrace, that people are gonna think you're a b—. All of that, you have to just own it, and walk out with your head held high, and if they boo you out of the arena, that's the job well done. It's not something that you should be upset about — you did your job.SN: Obviously it's been a difficult year through the coronavirus pandemic. Wrestling, more than any other sport, is just so reliant on crowds. For the AEW women's division, how difficult has it been trying to regain that momentum and rebuild the product in the last year?DB: The thing is, all of wrestling has been going through the same thing, so it's not just AEW and it's not just an AEW women's problem. We have to completely adjust and rewire our brains to thinking, "Hey there's no crowds, there's not going to be a reaction to this move or this promo or this line." You have to be able to work past that, because it's just not there — it's not going to be there, it's absent.Now we kind of have to flip the switch again and realize, "Hey there's crowds here, we have to acknowledge that the arena's full, the stadiums full." I keep saying it's nerve-racking. I'm nervous to be back with the fans again, because it's like you're on a first date all over again. You forget what it's like. So it's really, really exciting, but like I said, it's something that I think we're a little anxious for.SN: Watching the feud from afar, you and Thunder Rosa seemed like perfect foils for one another. What was it like working with her and being a part of a feud that helped put women's wrestling back on the forefront in the company? DB: I think — not only our characters but who we are as people — just naturally complement each other. It's the classic case of the Batman needs the Joker, and they need each other for the story to work. That's exactly what you saw with me and Thunder Rosa, and the story's not done, and it probably won't done for as long as we're both still wrestling.SN:  You've mentioned the "new era" a lot and being the face of it. What exactly is the new era, and how do you plan to implement that? DB: I don't see myself as a female star in AEW or just the face of the women's division — I see myself as one of the faces of the entire company, and I've worked really hard this past year to put myself in that position; To really improve my in-ring skills, to improve my promo work. I think I've made myself such an undeniable talent, not just in AEW, but in all of wrestling.My goal was to make myself a can't-miss segment every single time I'm on TV and that will always be my goal — to infinity and beyond. I think I'm getting there.SN: In just over a month, you're going back to your hometown of Pittsburgh. I think the first time AEW was in Pittsburgh, you came out with the with the Terrible Towel and the place went insane. Does it still give you chills thinking about the pop you got, and do you think about what it's going to be like going back?DB: Oh my gosh, yeah. And that's another thing — I'm so nervous, because you always want to impress the people that you came up with, and Pittsburgh is my city, and they watched me grow from the girl that was wrestling in bingo halls and high school gyms. That's really where I want to impress them, and make the city proud. But of course, it's so exciting you come out and you get this deafening pop.I will say, when we had our pay-per-view Double or Nothing, every match was like that. I think the fans are just so excited to get out of their houses and get back to the arenas and watch live wrestling. I think we're gonna have those kind of those pops in those cheers and those really loud, deafening boos for a long time.SN: You and Kurt Angle walk into a Pittsburgh bar: Who gets more free drinks?DB: Laughs. Who gets more free drinks? Maybe him — age before beauty, right? He's a little bit older than me.SN: There's a very vocal segment of fans who are critical of AEW's women's division: Maybe they don't think there's enough talent, or that it's directionless. What do you say to the people who have, maybe been, overly critical about the way AEW has handled its women's division?DB: It's the quote: "Some people just like to watch the world burn." There's some people that are just never going to be satisfied, it doesn't matter what we do.The match that I had with Thunder Rosa we put everything we had out there. We had the women's eliminator tournament, we have so much to look forward to. We have so many talented females on our roster: myself, Hikaru Shida, Tay Conti, Red Velvet, Jade, Thunder Rosa, Anna Jay. It's not something you can just turn a blind eye to anymore. We've improved so much, we're putting out great content.So, at some point you have to really look at yourself in the mirror and say: Do you not like the women's division, or do you just not want yourself to like the women's division?SN: What do you think is your biggest strength as a wrestler?DB: Confidence. I think that speaks volumes to when you see me as soon as I walk through the tunnel to when I go right back in the tunnel, I have confidence and I, to an extent, believe everything that I say. Wrestling fans in today's society, they're not dumb. You can't insult their intelligence. If you don't believe what you're saying or what you're doing, they're not going to believe it either. So the most successful wrestlers today have that confidence, that undeniable confidence.SN: Something very interesting you mentioned: I spoke with Jon Moxley for an interview, and said essentially the same thing you said: Wrestling fans today, are not stupid. They know what's happening. Why does the average AEW fan stand out to you?DB: We have Tony Khan, who not only is a powerful executive and CEO, but he's a wrestling fan deep down. He can step on the other side and watch wrestling as a fan, and say, "Is this something that I would enjoy?" versus is this something that's going to benefit his company, one way or another.I think what's so special about us — just Tony's passion for professional wrestling.RELATED: Tony Khan talks growth of AEW, moreSN: What do you think your biggest weakness as a wrestler is?DB: Ooooh, my biggest weakness as a wrestler. Brief pause. My untapped potential. The best is yet to come, and I truly believe that.SN: So when you say the best is yet to come, can you give fans a little bit of insight of what they can expect moving forward this year?DB: I think this is going to be one of the most memorable championship title runs in the company's history. I plan on taking this thing all over the place, I hope to travel. I would love to travel internationally and defend the title. I continue doing my promos, my vignettes, everything. I tell Tony, "I want this title to be everywhere" — especially when it's attached to me.SN: On June 25, 2022, a year from now, where do you see yourself?DB: One year from now I hope that people, if they don't already, can hear my name, or see my picture and say, "Oh, Britt Baker — she's the best women's wrestler in the world today." Read the full article

[emmaekay]

6 10 15 21 30 for the anime ask, please? 😊

6. popular anime you didn’t likeI fucking hate - fucking HATE Sword Art Online. If I could wipe one anime from the face of this cursed world, it would be SAO. Fuck. This. Fucking. Garbage. I was bored by Fate/Zero, much to my husband's dismay - It's his fav. I don't understand the appeal of Gundam. Attack on Titan was honestly just meh. I cannot get into Bleach or One Piece, even though I want to. RWBY gives me a headache. Don't @ me.  10. favorite anime animal sidekick Luna from Sailor Moon. I just love her little anxious self so much.  15. anime you never get sick of watchingC'mon. Dragon Ball Z. But also, Kaidan Restaurant, Sailor Moon Crystal and Black Blood Brothers get rewatched a lot.  21. anime that made you cry, whenHere's a secret - I cry about anime, books, and movies more than anything else.I cried hard af at the end of Chrono Crusade and Angel Beats when I was in my early 20s. I cried when Piccolo died in the Saiyan saga and I cried a couple times during Sailor Moon as a kid. The worst one yet was FUCKING CLANNAD AFTER STORY, JESUS TEARY CHRIST.  30. one anime conclusion you would changeMan. There's a list. Witchblade had a really unsatisfying ending.Skip Beat had an anti ending because the series was so ongoing in manga form that the anime couldn't really end properly. Yona of the Dawn literally ended one episode into a new arc? Like wtf. I feel like DB Super deserved a more fulsome ending and could've cut like 10 episodes from the tournament to provide it. I could fuckin go on.

[auburnfamilynews]

JAY HARE / DOTHAN EAGLE / https://dothaneagle.com/sports/high_school/despite-coronavirus-geneva-county-running-back-emmanuel-henderson-still-receiving-division-i-offers/article_16c0e812-81cf-11ea-918f-9bd77d54d6e0.html

Breaking down some of Auburn’s top targets in next year’s class.

Yesterday, 247 dropped their new top 247 for the 2022 class. No Auburn commits made the cut but a number of top targets were included. Here’s a breakdown of some early names to know at each position.

Quarterback

5-star Quinn Ewers

4-star MJ Morris

4-star Ty Simpson

4-star Jacurri Brown

3-star Tanner Bailey

Auburn already has its quarterback for the 2021 class in Dematrius Davis thus allowing Chad Morris to shift his attention to finding his man for the 2022 cycle. I have previously written about Morris, Simpson and Bailey. The new name to highlight today is the nation’s top ranked player Quinn Ewers.

Ewers is being billed by 247 as the best QB prospect since Trevor Lawrence. The Southlake Carroll star threw for over 4,000 yards last season tossing 40 touchdowns while only throwing 3 picks. 247’s Crystal Balls and RivalsCast have four total picks for Oklahoma being his eventual school of choice but based off a recent interview with 247’s Steve Wiltfong, Ohio State might actually be the team to beat. Team number 2? That could very well be the Auburn Tigers:

“Obviously they’re one of the most watched football teams every year,” Ewers said. “Just that moment and playing for Auburn with all their fans and millions watching online, it’s crazy to think about playing in front of that big of crowd and atmosphere, it’s just crazy.

“Coach Morris is awesome. I’ve known him for a little bit and I know people coached by him and they say he’s an awesome coach. Even my coaches at my high school have been coached by him at Lake Travis and say he’s an awesome guy to get coached by. Really smart.”

He was scheduled to visit the Plains before the pandemic broke and visits were cancelled. I expect him to make that trek eventually though once visits are allowed again. While it will be tough for Auburn to win this race, it’s clear the Tigers are a major factor alongside Clemson (who has yet to offer but could soon), Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas. I still believe Simpson is the likeliest man to be Auburn’s 2022 QB commit but Auburn is a legitimate candidate to snag the best player in next year’s class.

Running Back

4-star Emmanuel Henderson

4-star Jaydon Blue

4-star Kody Jones

3-star Quinshon Judkins

3-star Trevor Etienne

The recruitment likely to dominate Auburn fans attention next cycle is Emmanuel Henderson’s. Ranked the nation’s best running back in the 2022 class by 247 and #21 overall, Henderson is one of the most explosive offensive playmakers in next year’s class. He rushed for nearly 2,000 yards last fall and 32 touchdowns for Geneva County. Interestingly, 247’s player comp for Henderson is Kerryon Johnson. The Tigers are believed to be the early favorite but this is going to an Iron Bowl battle to the finish. Could Carnell Williams sign three straight top 5 running backs? That’s where things are heading for the moment. Cadillac is working hard to return Auburn to RBU glory.

Wide Receiver

4-star Greg Gaines

4-star Janiran Bonner

4-star Koji Antwi

4-star Randy Masters

3-star Quincy McAdoo

Following an outstanding 2020 class, it’s been a bit of a struggle on the trail for Kodi Burns in the 2021 cycle. There are still some big names on the board though and with athletes like Tar’varish Dawson and Landen King already committed, Auburn can afford to be picky. As for the 2022 cycle, it’s so early that’s it’s a bit difficult to get a good handle on the WR board. Bonner recently told InsideThe AuburnTigers’s Jason Caldwell that Auburn’s offer was a big deal and Texas native Randy Masters appears to be close with Dematrius Davis. This is a position that will likely become more clear in the coming months.

Tight End

4-star Donovan Green

4-star Holden Staes

As long as Chad Morris is on staff, I expect Auburn to try and sign at least one tight end every cycle. But given the recent success on the trail signing talented tight ends, Auburn might be able to skip it in 2022 if they can’t get a truly elite target.

Offensive Line

4-star Kelvin Banks

4-star Addison Nichols

4-star Kam Dewberry

3-star Dayne Shor

3-star Cameron Williams

Kanaya Charlton

The early returns on Jack Bicknell Jr as a recruiter have been pretty durn good. If he can somehow reel in any of 5-star Tommy Bockermeyer, 5-star Amarius Mims, 4-star Savion Byrd or 4-star James Brockermeyer this class immediately becomes one of the best Auburn has signed in some time. Even without any of those names it’s a strong group. The Tigers are likely to sign at least 5 OL in the 2021 class and could go as high as 6.

For 2022, I expect Auburn to sign a smaller group but hopefully not the tiny ones of cycles past. In my opinion, Auburn should aim to sign 4 offensive lineman every cycle. You don’t wanna just take bodies to have them so signing 3 on the occasion isn’t terrible but if Auburn can consistently bring in 4 man classes, depth should not be a problem moving forward.

In next year’s cycle you can really see Bicknell’s philosophy at work. It’s clear Auburn’s new OL coach prefers to target bigger players that can play tackle with the option to slide inside over Grimes’s preference of guards that he converts to tackles. Of Auburn’s 15 offensive line offers for 2022, 14 are to players listed as offensive tackles per 247. That single interior lineman, Kanaya Chartlon, is 6’6” 329 lbs. Bicknell is going to sign some big fellas.

The two names to keep the closest eye on early are Banks and Shor. Banks recently decommitted from Oklahoma State and is interested in visiting Auburn per Keith Niebuhr. Shor is an Auburn legacy who the Tigers made an early priority going back to Grimes’s tenure. Expect more names to emerge in the coming months. Also expect those names to be of very large human beings.

Defensive Line

4-star Khurtiss Perry

4-star Mykel Williams

4-star Justice Finkley

4-star Tyre West

4-star Caden Story

There is a lot of DL talent in the states of Alabama and Georgia in the 2022 cycle. That’s obviously a very good thing for the Tigers as you will be hard pressed to find a better recruiter of those states than Rodney Garner. The Tigers have a chance to once again sign a loaded DL class in 2021. Don’t expect that to change in 2022 either. Perry is a name to keep a close eye on as he’s been heavily recruited by not only Garner but by Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn since he was an 8th grader. That will be a heated battle between the two instate programs.

Linebacker

4-star Daniel Martin

4-star Jalon Walker

4-star Jaron Willis

4-star TJ Dudley

4-star Harold Perkins

After signing a loaded 2020 class, Travis Williams has only 1 maybe 2 spots to work with in 2021. That’s why the focus has been on elite targets 5-star Smael Mondon, 4-star Xavian Sorey and 4-star Barrett Carter. However, in 2022, T-WILL should have more spots to work with which is good news as next year’s linebacker class is loaded.

Three of Auburn’s top targets are already ranked in the top 100 for next year’s cycle. Both Daniel Martin and Jaron Willis are GA natives so you know the Tigers will have to fight hard to steal them from Kirby Smart. LSU is also a program to keep an eye on with Martin. Jalon Walker is a North Carolina native who already holds an offer from Clemson. Those are going to be some big time battles, something Travis Williams makes a frequent habit of participating in.

Instate wise, TJ Dudley already holds offers from both Auburn and Alabama. He’s only been to Auburn once so undoubtedly once visits are allowed again, the Tigers will work hard to get him back on campus as soon as possible. Coach T-WILL has quickly turned Auburn’s linebacker corps into one of the best in the country and I don’t see that changing soon. If KJ Britt and/or Owen Pappoe can hear their names called in the 1st round, it would add some serious ammunition to Williams’s already formidable recruiting pitch.

Defensive Back

4-star Denver Harris

4-star Trequon Fegans

4-star Bobby Taylor

3-star Jaylin Marshall

3-star Andre Stewart (Auburn Commit)

3-star Brian Dilworth (Auburn Commit)

Dominick Fields

Dainsus Miller

TJ Banks

Auburn’s 2022 DB recruiting is off to a strong start. The Tigers lone two pledges in the 2022 class are both DBs. I suspect Auburn will attempt to sign a minimum of four DBs in this class, probably more.

The two top men on the board, Denver Harris and Trequon Fagans, have some positive connections to the Tigers. Auburn has made some tremendous inroads into North Shore this past cycle landing Dematrius Davis and Jaeden Roberts. They are still trying to flip Shadrach Banks as well. In the 2022 class, Denver Harris will be the most coveted member of the Mustangs and Auburn is deep in this race.

As for Fegans, he’s a standout at Oxford High School. The same program KJ Britt starred at before coming to the Plains. Auburn also recently offered Fegans’s teammate Roc Taylor. If they can flip Taylor that sure wouldn’t hurt their chances with Fegans.

Bobby Taylor is another Texan strongly considering the Tigers. He included Auburn in his top 12 earlier this month. Dominick Fields also listed Auburn in his top group this past weekend. Both are names to watch closely in next year’s cycle.

it’s just a blessing to be where i am right now.☝ ⭐️ #top6 #AGTG @247Sports @coachparker85 pic.twitter.com/hPUswzqwrJ

— Dominick Fields. (@DominickFields8) July 12, 2020

Finally, Auburn was the first program to offer Fairhope star TJ Banks doing so last week. Tennessee immediately followed suit. Banks has a number of family members that attended Auburn and given the Tigers being the first to pull the trigger, you have to like Auburn’s chances early. Long way to go and it looks unlikely any decisions will come in 2020.

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/7/16/21326994/auburn-football-recruiting-2022-board-quinn-ewers-emmanuel-henderson-denver-harris-khurtiss-perry

[dragon-ball-meta]

allinthehands submitted to dragon-ball-meta: As a gohan fan and someone who hasn’t gotten to DBS yet- i just want to thank you for the meta on everyone and the fandom’s nonsense. And because Gohan’s my fav, i fear the TLDR will be about him lol.

You’re definitely on point about people forgetting how horrific fighting cell was for Gohan- not because of the cruel things Cell did, but what Cell’s cruelty brought brought out in himself. Like a lot of his fans loved watching him beating the crap out of Cell, because he looked cool, not considering that the character itself didn’t actually like it afterwards. I’d go as as far to say that once it was all over, and he’d broken the news to Chichi about Goku not returning, He’d be actually a little/ very ashamed of the whole fiasco. If he’d killed Cell straight out, he could have prevented his dad from dying. He could have prevented Vegeta having to watch Mirai Trunks die. Goten could have grown up with his dad instead of everyone in their family waiting years before ever seeing Goku again.

That to me is one of the reason why he avoided training during the original time skip, besides not really enjoying fighting, training, at least early on during the timeskip, would remind him of the year he spent exclusively with Goku in the HBTC, and he didn’t really need more reasons to feel guilty about causing his dad’s absence. I also think that part of the reason he genuinely enjoyed being saiyaman as a teenager, because it’s in a lot of ways the antithesis of all his experiences in the show. It was his own thing, relatively easy and light hearted and had nothing to do with all the various villains he grew up having to fight. During then, he could be the opposite of what he was during at his lowest (the angry pre-teen that thought he was helping everyone, by being cruel, serious and malicious while playing with Cell who played with everyone else’s life). As Saiyenman, he got to do actual good without any of worry of getting into that same head space where he could get out of bounds. And I don’t just mean the cruelty in Cell arc- I meant his bad habit of getting cocky and playing with his opponents instead of fighting genuinely. It’s cropped up twice whenever he’s juiced in DBZ, and If i remember correctly, it’s also what got him eaten by Buu. Hopefully with Picollo + Krillen’s + Goku’s pointers, he’ll avoid that this time around in DBS. (Or not, lol, multiple character development in story telling is better than singular)

So kudos also on your rants/discussion on Gohan, because Extra-Gohan fans tend to want things from him at the expense of his character + other characters. And while angst and introspection never really fit with the original DB + DBZ storyline, outside of a point to overcome. I’m glad to hear, at least with Krillin in DBS, that we are getting more exploration. Genuine Character development and your thoughts on it have given me reason to re-consider on passing on the show in any case. Hey there, thanks for the friendly line. You’re pretty on point with your observations, I’d say. Add to that Gohan really preferring not to hurt anyone and it’s fairly self-evident why he wouldn’t emphasize (or really want much to engage in) training. Even as Saiyaman, he’d typically just bop an enemy real quick and incapacitate or KO them without any sort of extended violence. As for his cockiness, Piccolo actually did directly address that Episode 88.

So kudos on spotting that as well. :) And I’m glad to see you’re reconsidering passing on the series. Hopefully you find the time to watch and (hopefully) enjoy.

[dropshippingreviewslove1-blog]

Top 10 Best Soundbars Under 300

If you could have it your way, are soundbars in your radar of the must have accessories for 2019? If you are, our list of the top 10 best soundbars under 300 will be a steal for your online shopping this month... (At least that's how it felt for me when I got mine from Amazon's next day delivery)

Best Soundbars Under 300

1. MEGACRA Bluetooth Soundbar Speaker

Shop on Amazon This awesome soundbar features advanced Bluetooth technology that allows connections up to 32 feet away. It is possible to use Bluetooth connectivity to control the music without having to touch the soundbar, which is convenient as this means you don’t have to walk to the speaker every time you want to adjust the volume or skip the song that’s playing. The sound it produces is clear and very impressive. Pros of the soundbar Has Customizable LED lightsThe bass is very excellentCan also be used when gaming Cons of the soundbar The design is heavy meaning you can’t mount the soundbarThe LED lights it has can be a little bit distracting

2. Sony HT-CT370 2.1 Soundbar speaker

Shop on Amazon This soundbar can amazingly output unbelievably loud audio, because of the professionally tuned drivers that have a total of 300 watts of power. When buying this soundbar speaker you will get an external subwoofer which produces excellent bass and gives life to a beat or when watching a movie The Pros of the soundbar The soundbar comes with external subwoofer Has 300 watts of power It is of lightweight and is easily mountable The Cons of the soundbar Sometimes the NFC pairing doesn’t work

3. Samsung HW-F450 Soundbar

Shop on Amazon This soundbar comes with an external subwoofer that delivers great bass and clear sounf. It uses HD drivers which enables it to output vibrant beats that sound pin point no matter what you are doing – whether that be watching a movie or listening to music. Samsung is a high-quality brand so this is a great indicator that the soundbar is competitive and is also durable. The Pros of the soundbar The soundbar Comes with external subwooferAlso Comes with mounting bracketsIt is of Slim design and is easily mounted The Cons of the soundbar External subwoofer of the soundbar takes up a lot of spaceYou are supposed to Keep Bluetooth device near the soundbar as otherwise disconnecting interruptions will be heard 4. Bose Solo 5 TV Soundbar This soundbar produces excellent sounding audio that enhances the experience when watching TV or listening to music it also delivers richer bass and better treble, which TV stock speakers cannot do. It is easy and fast to set up th e speaker as all you need to do is connect an optical or coaxial cable from your TV to the soundbar. The Pros of the soundbar The soundbar Comes with a remote controlHas the Ability to customize the bassIt is of lightweight and is easy to mount The Cons of the soundbar It has No external subwoofer unlike other optionsYou Must keep Bluetooth device near the soundbar to keep connections stable

5. ZVOX SoundBase 570 Soundbar

Shop on Amazon This soundbar is pretty awesome when it comes to watching movies or listening to music as it has beautifully tuned drivers that sound extremely accurate and clear. The speaker of the soundbar has 3 dimensional sound just because it uses PhaseCue virtual surround sound technology. The ZVOX SoundBase 570 Soundbar has a clear voice reproduction feature. This allows everybody in the room to hear the audio clearly – even if you having hearing problems. The soundbar also has is an easy to read four digit display that shows the volume, bass, and treble settings.

Pros of the soundbar The soundbar has Surround sound technology Had Excellent bass Has Stable connections with Bluetooth up to 40 feet The Cons if the soundbar You Must use a high quality AUX cable otherwise audio quality will be lower than usualIt is a bit heavy and Can’t be mounted

6. Yamaha YAS-106 Soundbar

Shop on Amazon This soundbar is ultra-slim meaning it doesn’t take up as much space. It can easily be placed on the TV set or mounted on the wall as it has multiple keyholes. The soundbar has the ability to automatically adjust the sound profile based on your designed placement type, which further enhances the audio. You can also connect your smartphone to the soundbar, because it has built-in Bluetooth technology. The benefit of connecting with Bluetooth instead of SD card or AUX is that you can freely walk around with your smartphone and control the audio from a distance.

The Pros of the soundbar It is Easily mountable due to its keyhole designIt is Ultra-slimIt Comes with a remote control The Cons of the soundbar The Slim design of the soundbar is easily breakable if you don’t look after it properlyWhen using Bluetooth mode you must be in the connection range or else it won't work.

7. BlasterX Katana Soundbar

Shop on Amazon The soundbar has a 5 driver design, 2 up firing mid bass drivers, 2 high excursion tweeters, and one long throw subwoofer driver. These drivers produce amazing clear beats and when watching movies the soundbar immerses you into the picture. You are also able to tune the drivers to make the audio sound better and more to your preferences, which is an awesome feature as some users prefer more bass or treble. The Pros of the soundbar The soundbar has Customizable LED lightsHad Excellent bassIt also goes well with gaming setups The Cons of the soundbar Has a heavy design meaning you can’t mount the soundbarThe LED lights can be distracting

8. Klipsch R-10B Soundbar

Shop on Amazon This soundbar is able to output extremely loud and vibrant audi all because it has ultra-powerful drivers that have a total power of 250 watts. The audio is 2 way, meaning when watching movies the sounds will be enhanced, thus immersing you into the experience like you’re actually there. The speaker if the soundbar also comes with an external subwoofer that utilizes aptX sound coding technology, which makes the audio sound extremely pin point and high quality which also uses an extremely wide frequency response that allows it to play deeper tones, therefore making it great to play bass boosted beats.

The Pros of the soundbar Produces clear soundCan be mountedThe design is awesome The Cons of the soundbar Subwoofer of the soundbar can take up too much spaceThe Bluetooth consumes a lot of smartphone power when using it

9. Vizio SB3821-C6 soundbar

Shop on Amazon This soundbar only costs $150, it is an elegant, contemporary soundbar with a stand-alone subwoofer that has less than 1 percent total harmonic distortion and delivers up to 100 dB of loudness. The subwoofer connects to the soundbar wirelessly, and the soundbar supports both wireless and wired audio input as well as Dolby and DTS audio technologies. On the top side of the soundbar, there is a row of control buttons allowing you to adjust the volume, initiate Bluetooth pairing, and switch the soundbar on and off. The subwoofer gives fantastic bass reproduction and remarkable mid-range clarity. Physically feeling explosions, gunshots, and the roar of car engines while clearly hearing what in-game characters are saying is something you don’t always get even with sound systems that cost twice as much as the Vizio SB3821-C6.

10. Bose Solo gaming soundbar

Shop on Amazon This soundbar was designed with TVs in mind, but there’s no reason why you can't use it for gaming as well. You can also wirelessly stream audio from your smartphone or because of the Bluetooth connectivity, it also comes with a remote control with buttons for the soundbar itself and also for gaming systems and Blu-ray players. In the middle of the remote control there's a special bar labeled “bass”, when you press it you unleash a fury of soundwaves and raw energy. Best Outdoor Wireless Speakers:  Best Car Subwoofer Uk:  BEST SOUNDBAR UNDER 500: Best Ceiling Speakers Uk:  Best Bluetooth Speakers Under £100:  Sylvania Bluetooth Speakers:  Best Subwoofer For Music Under 100 Watts:  Top 10 Bookshelf Speakers Under 300:  Best Budget Bookshelf Speakers uk Best Bookshelf Speakers Under 100 Best Bookshelf Speakers Under 200 Best Bookshelf Speakers Under 300 Best Bookshelf Speakers Under 400 Best Bookshelf Speakers Under 500 Read the full article

[ayyfour-blog]

Wrestlemania 34 preview!

It's been awhile since we've had a blog post, and aside from the NFL off season drama by Le'Veon Bell, my Steelers haven't provided much action (per usual).It's time to transition folks- Yes, this is still primarily a Steelers Blog, but lets not limit it to just that anymore. No, no, it's time for you to hear my random thoughts on ALL sports. Welcome to the new era of the blog. 

Wrestlemania 34 extravaganza!

Wrestling has always been something that kept my interest over the years. As with many others, the Attitude Era captured years of adolescence and teen angst and turned them into something I could really enjoy. Wrestling was an escape I could turn to weekly when I wanted to watch some ridiculousness that was the "male soap opera". Okay, enough defending my inner nerd, let that fucking freak flag fly! Let's get to some wrestling action, Bah Gawd!

Wrestlemania 34 is upon us this Sunday, and like many other wrestling nerds I will happily be playing WWF No Mercy on the N64 at 4pm, turning on the "kickoff show" at 5pm, and my eyes will be bleeding with a pounding headache at 12pm when the Undertaker decides to take step-after-step on a 700 yard ramp that he makes it halfway to the end of before they decide to finally just yell fucking cut and allow me to sleep. I love Wrestlemania and the WWE but this 7 hours worth of a show needs to end. Raw being 3 hours takes up too much of my time at this point, let's cut out the casual eyes matches and just get down to the nitty gritty. Prepare for another rant below..

Remember when wrestling used to have a Win/Loss record? I feel like this was more of something that took place in TNA's heyday, but the WCW really capitalized on Goldberg's streak. I miss that in a way, why can't it be run more like a league? The top record gets the title match. Period. Add some storylines here and there, but just showing up and declaring a title match doesn't cut it for me anymore.  I get it, its storyline and moment driven, but I'm a sports nerd, goddamnit, give me some fucking stats or KISS MY ASSSS! (sorry, having Vince McMahon flashbacks at the moment). If only there was a way the WWE could incorporate both into a show....

This years Wrestlemania actually provides the opportunity to capitalize on the win/loss record, although not quite in the manner I've wished for, as it still mostly revolves around storyline. The win-less Curt Hawkins very well may get his chance to get his first W Sunday, Asuka is looking to defend her streak since her developmental days at NXT, and the Undertaker finally gets a chance to get his final and well-deserved win against John Cena in a dream match. 

The Matches

Womens Battle Royal

This is a Kickoff show special and more than likely will be only paid attention to if it comes down to Sasha vs Bayley. Otherwise, this is second screen viewing while you're finishing up playing video games, Russian roulette, or whatever one does during the pre-game. I also bet we get some shitty "hey Bayley" song going during the match, because the fans will be bored enough from the beach ball by the time the actual showdown occurs. Sahsa wins.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal This is going to be another kickoff show sleeper, Dolph Ziggler has to be pissed to be in this matchup but likely will go over with a win. Big Cass could have an emergence in this match, but it also is likely that we see him as Braun's partner for the WWE Raw Tag Title match. Also very likely to see a Bray Wyatt return, Jeff Hardy (hopefully as brother Nero) return, and Kane. Goldust would be cool to have a Wrestlemania moment after his confrontation with Cena and awesome promos, but.. Matt Hardy Wins.

Cruiseweight championship- Cedric Alexander vs Mustafa Ali One more kickoff show match. I'll be about 6 slices of pizza deep and sicker than hell from all the Oreo's. To be honest, I haven't watched much of the cruiser weights (are they on Raw, Smackdown, or do they still have their own show anyway?). I've heard great things about Mustafa Ali and am going with him because of this. yeah. Mustafa Ali wins.

MAIN SHOW! (THANK GOD)

Raw Tag Title: The Bar vs Braun Strowman and_(?)_

As I stated earlier, I think it would be awesome to give Curt Hawkins a chance to win. The giant wrecking machine takes the guy that can never catch a break, the undersized and underutilized talent in Curt Hawkins and carries him to his first victory. At Wrestlemania. For a title. The pop for this would be unreal, and those two would be completely over for a good while. But this is the WWE, so the other scenario is we get the return of Big Cass. Cass has no story line after Enzo is gone, so let's throw these two giants together and see what happens..

Strowman and Big Cass new champions.

Smackdown Tag Titles: Bludgeon Bros', USO's, Booty O's The Uso's vs the New Day have had classics each time they faced off. It was a complete bummer when the Bludgeon Bros interrupted the last match. I get it- but the WWE is trying to force the Bludgeon Brothers down the throats of the crowd. I get the tactic they've been using for a "slow build", but it's so easy to see this coming when they feed them jobbers week-after-week. They interrupt some of the WWE's premier talent to injure and shake up the tag team scene, however, this team is not over with the crowd and frankly can't keep my interest to watch a match. Especially with the atheletic-ness of the two teams that run the show in Smackdown. Unless they put on some sort of epic and fast beat down, I can't see this team getting over. But its the WWE, it's time for a shake-up, so.. Bludgeon Brothers win

US Title Match- Orton vs Roode vs Mahal vs Rusev Not alot of interest in this match whatsoever. Roode's face personality is about as interesting as Orton's, each made such a better heel. Orton was a complete master of a heel and his program vs HHH was epic when he basically kidnapped the McMahons. Roode was a pretty good heel in NXT and because his music is awesome WWE turned him face. A good song and entrance don't mean shit without character development.. which leads me to Mahal's title run. The build to this was awesome, but the quick escalation and shitty promos led to one of the worst title runs in WWE history. The story lines drew little interest and the story of "we dont like him because he's different" was completely played out. I feel like a face Jinder would actually go over pretty well, in a Rusev sort of way. But he's not Rusev. And never will be. ITS RUSEV DAY! Rusev wins! (exclamation because I'm excited about this one)

Intercontinental Title Match- Miz vs Balor vs Rollins The worst thing about this match was the fact that Rollins lost the gauntlet match that built to this. Seth finally had his chance to completely go over with the crowd since his return vs HHH, but they couldn't capitalize. Speaking of going over, Miz is one of the best heels in the biz. He does not deserve the fate he is about to receive, but I cannot see him coming out of this match the title holder. Which is a shame, he is set to be the longest running IC champ in history, but the kids love Balor Club and Shield T shirts! I really miss heel Rollins, and Balor Club was always a heel faction. Fuck it, turn em all heels! Rollins wins

Raw Womens Championship- Nia Jax vs Alexa Bliss We all know what's going to happen here- Nia is so fucking pissed at Alexa for calling her fat that she disembowels her and gets DQ'ed Alexa wins by DQ, Mickie gives her the "v-trigger" and starts her weird lesbian phase once again.

Smackdown Womens Championship- Charlotte vs Asuka This match will be fucking awesome and should honestly co-main event with Nakamura vs Styles. Charlotte is the best in the game and I really miss her heel run. She was sooo good at being a bitch, and her feud vs Sasha was incredible. I look forward to a great match and cannot wait for this one. The only issue I'm going to have is once Asuka's streak finally gets it's title to show her greatness....

Asuka wins, Carmella cashes in MITB and wins

Yes, Carmella is going to capitalize on the epic match we just saw with a Seth Rollins-esque Wrestlemania cash in

Daniel Bryan and Shane vs Sami and KO This match has had one hell of a build, whoever is writing for Smackdown has something right. No matches have long builds anymore, this has been coming since Sami helped KO at Summerslam by saving him from a Shane Hell in the Cell Elbow-through-a-table-signature-hyphenated-move. I can see Daniel winning and either a heel turn by himself or Shane, leading to a Summerslam feud between Shane-O-Mac and DB. Shane and Daniel win

Rousey and Angle vs Stephanie and HHH Get some popcorn and shotgun a few beers, this is gonna be a shitshow. As you know, Rousey's mic work has been as cringe worthy, if not more so than Kurts. HHH vs Kurt itself would have been a great match, then Stephanie vs Ronda could have been the ultimate popcorn match, but we're getting them both combined for some God-awful reason. Unless Ronda literally breaks Stephs arm in two like she forgot this shit isnt' real, I'm skipping this one. But just for the hell of it.. Ronda breaks Stephanie's arm, Rousey and Kurt win

WWE Title Match- Styles vs Nakamura Dream match for most, but it would be really nice to see what Nakamura is really about in the ring So far there's been a ton of hype and catchphrases and epic intros, but its time to deliver. AJ did it last year, let's bet Nakamura does it this year. Nakamura wins

Universal Title- Brock vs Roman This is the least interesting main even since Goldberg vs Brock's rematch. I barely have any interest and the build to this has been way too predictable. The only redeeming promo so far has been when Heyman told the WWE exactly what Brock thought of everyone, this sets up for an opportunity to turn Roman face, at least for one night, and win the WWE title uninterrupted. And with no more Brock, does Heyman serve as the mouthpiece for Roman? Roman Reigns wins

Other Stuff thats gonna happen.. Kid Rock's being inducted into the WWE hall of fame. I had no reasoning behind this until I realizerd it was a possibility the Undertaker would be back one more time. This sets it up perfectly, Kid Rock comes out, plays a shitty song, gets booed a little, then boom. You hear a couple power cords, Kid Rock screams "I am the American Badass" and you hear a Harley rev up. Yes folks. the last appearance of the Undertaker is the American Badasss. He gets the Win vs John Cena and rides off into the sunset. So that's it. Oh, of course must watch TV comes with the Raw and Smackdown after Mania, so you gotta stayed tuned those next few days to see what major changes the company has in store for 2018. 

In the famous words of D-X, are you ready!?