#pentagon jr imagine

[wealmostaneckbeard]

The politics in Lancer the mech pilot TTRPG seems center left to me. A good way to explain what's going on in that game's universe is with this overly long metaphor:

Imagine an alternate history where Nixon somehow beat JFK Jr to the white house, and once in office he lets Kissinger go nuts setting fascists up on an accelerated schedule. That's what Union's Second Committee was like. Then Tricky Dick procedes to nuke Vietnam a couple times. That's the Hercynia Crisis and that FTL Piston weapon launch. JFK and company ride the shock and horror of approaching nuclear war into office on the promise of de-escalation and enforcing civil rights, and they deliver. That's the coup that formed Union's Third Committee. Kissinger, Nixon, and the entire pentagon/raytheon corp take over NASA in Cape Canaveral, Florida where they form a tolerated corporatocracy in exile. That's basically Harrison Armory on the planet Ras Shamra. Now a United liberal-leftist front of America is actively trying to tear down dictatorships around the world that Kissinger set up (he got assassinated at some point in this time line) and replace them with socialist democracies. That is Union's Justice/Human-Rights Department and a few other government branches. So far they've had some success although people are pointing out that it's a bit hypocritical that the liberators are using weapons from corporate conservative states where civil rights are discretely curtailed. That's what's driving political discourse in 5016u in Union's legislative body, the Central Committee and it's myriad political parties.

So yeah Lancer's political intergalactic landscape is a bit like modern day? Except also cthulhu is giving out reality-breaking tech to militant civil rights advocates and random civilians? That's what HORUS basically is, btw.

Now that I've written this out, it would make for a good american alt-history with mechs campaign in Lancer...

[usafphantom2]

Surplus A-10 Warthogs Could End Up In The Jordanian Air Force

If Jordan is truly interested in the A-10s it would boost its ground-attack capacity and it could open the door to transfers elsewhere.

Joseph Trevithick Updated on Jul 10, 2024 1:37 PM EDT

The Senate Armed Services Committee has directed the Pentagon to look into the possibility of transferring retired A-10 Warthog ground attack jets to Jordan.

USAF

Jordan has emerged as a possible future operator of A-10 Warthog ground attack aircraft. The U.S. Air Force is planning to stop flying the venerable Warthogs operationally before the end of the decade. The impending retirement of the type in U.S. service has already prompted discussions about sending A-10s elsewhere, including to Ukraine.

On Monday, the Senate Armed Services Committee formally directed the Pentagon to look into transferring A-10s to Jordan. This came in a report accompanying a new draft of the annual defense policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for the upcoming 2025 Fiscal Year. As of the beginning of the year, the Air Force still had around 218 A-10s in service spread across active duty, reserve, and Air National Guard units.

An A-10, seen here firing its iconic 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger cannon. USAF An A-10 fires its famous 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger cannon during training. USAF

Specifically, “the committee directs the Secretary of Defense to report to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not later than February 1, 2025, on the feasibility and advisability of transferring retiring A-10 aircraft to Jordan,” the Senate Armed Services Committee’s report says. “The report should include an analysis of Jordan’s ability to maintain the aircraft on their own.”

How active Jordan’s interest in acquiring A-10s might be and when the country first started eyeing the Warthogs is unknown, but it is hard to imagine this matter being raised at all if there wasn’t a real desire for the aircraft. The War Zone has reached out to the Jordanian government for more information. Before the Senate published its recent report, Colombia and Ukraine were the only countries known to have expressed interest on any level in acquiring A-10s in the past.

At a hearing before members of the House Armed Services Committee in April, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall did mention that he was aware of one country that had expressed interest in potentially acquiring A-10s, but that he was not aware of any active discussions in this regard at that time. At that same hearing, he also alluded to the country in question not being Ukraine. The Air Force declined to identify the country Kendall was referring to in response to subsequent questions from The War Zone.

Ukrainian authorities very publicly looked into getting A-10s soon after Russia launched its all-out invasion in February 2022. At that time, U.S. officials pushed back on that request, citing the general condition of the approximately 100 Warthogs then in storage. Many of the A-10s then in storage at the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, especially dozens of older A variants, are non-flyable and could not be reasonably returned to service due to heavy cannibalization for spare parts over the years. The Warthog has been out of production since 1984, which has created supply chain complexities for the aging jets. There is also a question of what it would take to train pilots to fly these aircraft and maintainers to support them.

An example of the condition of some of the A-10s at the boneyard. USAF / J.M. Eddins Jr

At the same time, as the Air Force now moves toward retiring its A-10s for good, the Warthogs going to the Bone Yard will include newer A-10Cs that have received significant life-extension modifications, including new reinforced wings, and other deep upgrades in recent years. Best known for its iconic 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger cannon, the Warthog today is a capable precision strike platform that can employ a broad array of munitions. The GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) just got added to the jet’s arsenal last year. The aircraft also still retains the design’s other trademark features, including its ability to loiter over particular areas for extended periods of time.

An A-10C armed with a mixture of GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets, and AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missiles at an undisclosed location in the Middle East in November 2023. USAF

For Jordan, a major U.S. ally in the Middle East in counter-terrorism and other operations, A-10s could give its Air Force a valuable boost in close air support and general air-to-ground capabilities if the jets can be reasonably sustained. Jordan is also currently actively engaged in a counter-drug campaign along its border with Syria, which has reportedly involved air strikes. The Warthogs are particularly well suited to supporting lower-intensity operations in permissive airspace and could also be used to conduct armed surveillance and border patrol missions.

The Royal Jordanian Air Force’s fixed-wing aerial combat fleets currently consist of nearly 60 F-16AM/BM Viper fighters and smaller numbers of turboprop light attack aircraft. Some years ago now, the country put its pocket fleet of CN-235 and C-295 cargo aircraft that have been converted into gunships up for sale and the current status of those aircraft is unclear. As such, the infusion of A-10s could also expand the service’s ground attack capacity, which could help free up the F-16s for other missions, including against aerial threats. Just in April, Jordanian F-16s shot down a number of Iranian drones headed toward Israel as part of larger reprisal strikes.

A Jordanian single-seat F-16AM Viper, in front, flies together with one of the country’s two-seat F-16BMs. USAF

“The committee appreciates the long-standing alliance between the United States and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan… The committee commends Jordan for [the] defense of its air space [against Iranian threats headed for Israel] on the night of April 13, 2024,” a separate section of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s recently released report says. “The committee also recognizes the need for additional critical capabilities, including F-16 aircraft, to counter growing air threats, including unmanned aerial systems, within Jordan and across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.”

Jordan is currently in the process of acquiring a dozen new Block 70 F-16C/D Vipers.

A further section in the report also calls on the Pentagon to help Jordan otherwise expand its air and missile defenses with a particular focus on countering threats from Iran and its regional proxies.

Whether or not the Pentagon ultimately concludes that it would be both feasible and advisable to transfer A-10s to Jordan, or if the country actively pursues the acquisition of Warthogs regardless, remains to be seen. The Senate just raising the possibility of sending A-10s to Jordan could well reignite discussions about other potential future operators, especially Ukraine. Other interested parties could emerge if a fleet of Jordanian A-10s looks increasingly viable.

If nothing else, the Senate’s recently published report points to the potential for a new chapter in the A-10’s story even as the Air Force moves to retire the Warthog before 2030.

If it is deemed to be workable, sending A-10s to Jordan could be a welcome addition to that country’s air force that also opens up new possibilities for the Warthogs after they leave Air Force service.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

[spotofimagines]

Bowling ~ Rey Fenix

A/N: I had this idea in my drafts for a long time but finally got around to writing it so here you go. Hope you enjoy it, requests are open for headcanons and would includes!

Requested by: no one

Warnings: wanting kids

Tagging(I’m adding who I think would be interested, let me know if you want to be tagged): @earl-01 @ghostofviper @monstersmaid @ghoulsister1​

Summary: A night at the bowling alley with Fenix’s family gets you thinking about your own.

You are sat on the cushioned bench, relaxed and happy, surrounded by people and their laughter. A weight is on your shoulders as your boyfriend’s arm is wrapped around you, chuckles and fast Spanish filling your ears.

There is an upcoming birthday in Fenix’s family and since he and Penta are free, the whole family are out at the bowling alley to celebrate. The kids are running around whilst the adults chat and have a couple drinks. Since there are so many people, you are all in pairs. Fenix was quickly wrapped up by his young cousin Gabriela which landed you to be partnered with Penta.

Obviously, a rivalry blossomed between the two brothers, but considering neither you or Penta are all that good at bowling, your plans to win quickly fell through the floor.  But it isn’t bothering you too much. You are still enjoying yourself in the company of those around you.

As soon as Fenix slips his arm off you, you miss the warmth of his body. He goes up to help Gabriela put the ball on top of the metal ramp. Saying a quick “Go!”, they push the ball down the lane and cheer after all the pins are knocked down. Fenix picks her up and spins her around laughing, and it’s music to your ears. He looks over to you with a gleam in his eyes and his smile up to his ears.

Seeing him act like this warms your heart. Fenix is great with children; always making them smile and fall in love with him, much like he did with you. It often makes you think what it would be like having kids of your own one day. And whilst it’s not a conversation you have seriously talked about yet, you’d imagine he’d be jumping at the opportunity to grow his family.

He drops down next you once again and places his hand on the back of the seat behind you before wiggling his eyebrows. “How about that?” He teases. You just shake your head with a smile and snuggle into his side until your turn comes around.

---

After the games are finished, a small group of you decide to walk down the street to the store to grab more drinks and food for the night. Fenix has his arm around your shoulder as you walk down the street, poking your cheek with the same hand trying to get you to smile.

You laugh and gently nudge him in the ribs with your elbow. He jumps to the side a little, making his hand slip off your shoulder and to your back as he laughs at you. He slides his hand to your waist and moves close to whisper something in your ear.

When he opens his mouth, Gabriela sneaks up from behind you and takes his hand, pushing between you and grabbing your hand as well. She starts rambling about how good she and Fenix were tonight whilst skipping slightly. Fenix winks at you whilst she rambles and you laugh and swing her walking down the road, letting your mind wonder about what your future together could bring.

[luchagoth]

“Good night! @Pirma_Oficial”

[sparkythehappygiraffe]

Okay hear me out

Obviously we haven’t gotten rid of the Chairman yet and I’m wondering if the Odyssey writing team hasn’t been playing a much longer game than we realized. With the massive number of storylines they’ve been juggling over the years, it’s taken a long time to get anywhere with any one plot, but maybe they’ve been planning a little more than we realized.

Jillian showed up back in album 65 and while it’s possible that this recent revelation about her character was a retcon because everyone hated her so much, I genuinely think this was the plan for her all along (mostly based on how incredibly stupid she is and the fact that the actress auditioned with Townsend Coleman). We also have Tasha’s reference to an NSA agent in Odyssey, which means at the very least they’ve been planning on this since album 69.

Speaking of Tasha, the Rydell saga has had a similar lengthy process, which started with Morrie’s introduction all the way back in album 61. The saga is also ongoing with the whole “team” thing and Morrie and Suzu’s continued presence in Odyssey.

Which begs the question, are these two stories connected? (Personally, I think the better question is, how could they not be?)

The Rydell Saga has had many a Novacom reference, so many that it’s hard to believe it would be a coincidence. The shack on forest mountain, the abuse of imagination station technology, manipulation used to get others to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do, Morrie is a regular Chairman jr. The international political hijinks in both the Rydell saga and 28 Hours also seem too closely related to be coincidental.

We still have plenty of loose ends in both stories that could be easily tied together, rather than wrapped up separately.

With Sky Feldstein watching the shop for like a while (for yet unknown reasons), it would be pretty easy to have her tell the Chairman about the Rydells and you Know he would be interested in them, not only for their connection to Whit, but also for their skill sets and general interest in the same things as him.

Plus we now know that the Chairman is connected the government, specifically the pentagon and Raymond Rydell is also a government official, so there’s another easy connection right there.

Also we know for a fact that both Jason AND Whit still take on government contract work, but Whit’s has remained mysterious for a very long time now. We’ve seen little projects here and there, but there’s most definitely more than we know going on there.

Bottom line: I have no concrete theories, but I sense a generous amount of potential here and I would like to give the aio writers a little more credit than I have been

[ihknkm]

As is typical with scoring, high score wins

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[heelstylerollins]

I just realized something, wrestling in the United States it's actually continuous and you defend your championship regularly but in Mexico you can be the World Champion for a year and defend it twice or never (Fenix 👀).

I mean if we complain about the state of wrestling in general just imagine watching wrestling and the championship it's just a prop.

Also, I saw some discussion about Penta's name, the name Pentagon Jr. Its owned by AAA (the name Pentagon it's also owned by them) and he can use it with permission from the company (AEW has a partnership with them for exchange of talent) but whenever he's used Penta el 0 M it's because he is done working for AAA, Fenix has the same problem that's why sometimes he is called Rey Fenix.

[newstfionline]

Saturday, January 9, 2021

Canada's Ontario says 'more extreme measures' on the table as COVID-19 cases rise (Reuters) Ontario is considering “more extreme measures” on top of the widespread lockdowns in place, the premier said on Friday, after the Canadian province reported a second straight day of record-breaking COVID-19 cases. “I’ve never stressed this so much, all the way going back to March, as I am now: We are in a crisis,” Premier Doug Ford told reporters, begging people to wear masks, wash their hands and stop gathering in groups. The warning from Canada’s most populous province comes as Quebec, the worst affected province from the pandemic, is set to start a nightly curfew on Saturday. Ford said if people did not better follow public health guidelines “we will have to look at more extreme measures. … Everything is on the table right now.”

Capitol Attack Leads Democrats to Demand That Trump Leave Office (NYT) President Trump’s administration plunged deeper into crisis on Thursday as more officials resigned in protest, prominent Republicans broke with him and Democratic congressional leaders threatened to impeach him for encouraging a mob that stormed the Capitol a day earlier. What was already shaping up as a volatile final stretch to the Trump presidency took on an air of national emergency as the White House emptied out and some Republicans joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a cascade of Democrats calling for Mr. Trump to be removed from office without waiting the 13 days until the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. The prospect of actually short-circuiting Mr. Trump’s tenure in its last days appeared remote. But the highly charged debate about Mr. Trump’s capacity to govern even for less than two weeks underscored the depth of anger and anxiety after the invasion of the Capitol that forced lawmakers to evacuate, halted the counting of the Electoral College votes for several hours and left people dead, including a Capitol Hill police officer who died Thursday night.

With Democrats in Control, Biden Moves to Advance Agenda (NYT) With his victory recognized by Congress and his party set to control both the House and Senate, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. moved on Thursday to fill out his cabinet, while his aides and allies drafted plans for an ambitious legislative agenda headlined by $2,000 stimulus checks to individual Americans. The president-elect’s ability to push through key parts of his agenda and win confirmation of his cabinet selections received a significant lift this week, as Democrats picked up two Senate seats in Georgia, resulting in a 50-50 split. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has the power to cast the tiebreaking vote, which would give Democrats control of the chamber. As part of what he has pledged will be a next round of economic assistance, Mr. Biden is expected to move quickly to gain passage of $2,000 stimulus checks—which were a big focus in the Georgia elections—along with expanded unemployment benefits, aid to state and local governments and additional relief for small businesses.

Police Failures Spur Resignations and Complaints (NYT) Six days before a raucous rally of President Trump’s supporters in Washington, Representative Maxine Waters anxiously grilled the chief of the Capitol Police about his preparations for various scenarios. Ms. Waters, a California Democrat, said each of her concerns was met with a similar response from Chief Steven Sund during their hourlong call: “He assured me that they have everything under control, that they were on top of everything.” They weren’t. Instead an angry mob of pro-Trump extremists swarmed the barricades around the Capitol on Wednesday, spraying chemical irritants and wielding lead pipes, injuring more than 50 officers. They battered doors, broke windows and scaled the walls, rampaging through the building as congressional leaders made desperate calls for help. The Capitol Police seemed to offer little resistance and arrested only 14 people. Chief Sund handed in his resignation on Thursday after pressure from congressional leaders.      Policing experts noted the absence of crowd-control tools such as mounted officers, police dogs or a heavily manned perimeter. Pentagon officials said Thursday that the Capitol Police had turned down an offer for additional National Guard troops before Wednesday’s storming of the Capitol, and two law enforcement officials said they had initially rebuffed help from the F.B.I. as the mob descended. But others in law enforcement insisted that the president’s encouragement of the mob could not have been anticipated. “No one expected the president to say, ‘Hey guys, let’s all go down to the Capitol and show them who’s boss,’” said Jose Cervino, who worked for the department for 14 years and helped plan security for large events and protests. Mr. Cervino defended the hesitancy to use weapons, saying the department’s primary mandate was to protect the lawmakers, not the building. “We have the members and we have the leadership secured. Is it correct to start shooting people?” Mr. Cervino asked. “I can’t imagine that I would be happier today if we found out we kept the crowd out, but wound up shooting 40 people.”

Capitol siege raises security concerns for Biden inaugural (AP) The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is intensifying scrutiny over security at an inauguration ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden already reshaped by a pandemic and the prospect that his predecessor may not attend. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take the oath of office from the Capitol’s West Front, one of the very locations where a violent mob overpowered police and stormed the building. They also scaled and occupied the scaffolding and bleachers in place for the ceremonies. The congressional leaders responsible for coordinating the inauguration insisted Thursday night that events will move forward. Security forces have already begun taking extra precautions in the wake of Wednesday’s mayhem. Roughly 6,200 members of the National Guard from six states—Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland—will help support the Capitol Police and other law enforcement in Washington for the next 30 days. Crews also erected on the Capitol grounds tall, black metal fences designed to be impossible to climb. Those who have worked on previous inaugurations said that while this year’s events will look different, the tradition of passing power from one administration to another will continue. President Trump, however, has confirmed that he will not attend the inauguration.

Some U.S. Capitol rioters fired after internet detectives identify them (Reuters) Some of the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol were fired from their jobs on Thursday after internet sleuths publicized their identities. The District of Columbia police department released photos of people in Wednesday's melee and potential charges against them. Some 68 people were arrested after angry protesters stormed the building, breaking windows, damaging fixtures and stealing furnishings. The FBI also asked the public to help it identify rioters, a call that drew ribbing on social media in light of the prolific coverage of the event. This included selfies posted by participants and videos of President Donald Trump's supporters at area hotels before the attack. Some individuals who had previously been photographed at Trump rallies and supporters of the QAnon conspiracy-theory movement were quickly identified. Online detectives focused their efforts on others. "Let's name and shame them!," read one Twitter thread here devoted to outing participants.

Vaccine rollout hits snag as health workers balk at shots (AP) The desperately awaited vaccination drive against the coronavirus in the U.S. is running into resistance from an unlikely quarter: Surprising numbers of health care workers who have seen firsthand the death and misery inflicted by COVID-19 are refusing shots. It is happening in nursing homes and, to a lesser degree, in hospitals, with employees expressing fears of side effects from vaccines that were developed at record speed. More than three weeks into the campaign, some places are seeing as much as 80% of the staff holding back. “I don’t think anyone wants to be a guinea pig,” said Dr. Stephen Noble, a 42-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon in Portland, Oregon, who is postponing getting vaccinated. “At the end of the day, as a man of science, I just want to see what the data show. And give me the full data.” Stormy Tatom, 30, a hospital ICU nurse in Beaumont, Texas, said she decided against getting vaccinated for now “because of the unknown long-term side effects.” “I would say at least half of my coworkers feel the same way,” Tatom said.

Freezing Madrid braces for heaviest snowfall in decades (Reuters) Spain’s capital Madrid and much of the neighbouring region of Castilla-La Mancha were on high alert on Friday for what meteorologists expect to be the heaviest snowfall in decades, brought by the Storm Filomena. Such events are rare in the region and tend to be disruptive to daily life and mobility, coming at a time when people are returning home after Christmas and New Year holidays. This year, however, there is less traffic than usual due to restrictions to curb the coronavirus pandemic. With up to 20 cm (nearly 8 inches) of snow forecast in 24 hours and temperatures expected to hover around zero centigrade for much of the day, the south of the Madrid region, including the capital, is on its highest level of alert for the first time since the system was created in 2007.

The Pandemic Helped Reverse Italy’s Brain Drain. (NYT) When Elena Parisi, an engineer, left Italy at age 22 to pursue a career in London five years ago, she joined the vast ranks of talented Italians escaping a sluggish job market and lack of opportunities at home to find work abroad. But in the past year, as the coronavirus pandemic forced employees around the world to work from home, Ms. Parisi, like many of her compatriots, seized on the opportunity to really go home, to Italy. In between Zoom meetings and her other work for a recycling company in London, she took long strolls on the beach near her family’s home in Palermo, Sicily, and talked recipes at dawn with vendors in the local market. “The quality of life is a thousand, thousand times better here,” said Ms. Parisi, who is now in Rome. As with so many things, the virus has upended a familiar phenomenon—this time Italy’s longstanding brain drain. Italy, along with Romania and Poland, is among the European countries that send the most workers abroad, according to figures from the European Commission. Taking into account the money the country spends on their education, Italy’s brain drain costs the country an estimated 14 billion euro (about $17 billion) every year. The Italian government has welcomed the return of some of the country’s best and brightest as a silver lining to what has been a brutal pandemic for Italy, calling the shift a “great opportunity.”

Kyrgyzstan votes (Foreign Policy) Voters in Kyrgyzstan go to the polls on Sunday to vote for a new president and decide a referendum on constitutional reforms. Acting Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov has been touted as the likely winner, if he can pass the 50 percent threshold necessary to avoid a runoff. Victory would cap an unlikely rise for Japarov after he was sprung from jail in October during unrest over disputed legislative elections. Japarov had been serving an 11-year sentence for kidnapping.

Gold in India (Rest of World) India is one of the largest global consumers of gold, buying 700 tons annually, with an estimated 25,000 tons of gold stockpiled by Indian citizens, a value three times the reserves of gold held by the U.S. government. Gold is frequently given to female babies as a gift and included later as part of their dowries, but it’s also an incredibly useful asset in terms of gaining access to credit by using it as collateral. Manappuram Finance, a large lender, offers gold-backed loans, and customers such as independent business owners and farmers on average borrow $612 several times per year, with under 1 percent defaulting. The two largest gold lenders in India hold 248 tons of it, which is more than Australia has in reserve.

China city offers cash for tip on test evaders (AP) A city in northern China is offering rewards of 500 yuan ($77) for anyone who reports on a resident who has not taken a recent coronavirus test. The offer from the government of Nangong comes as millions in the city and its surrounding province of Hebei are being tested as part of efforts to control China’s most serious recent outbreak of COVID-19. The offering of cash or other rewards for information on political or social nonconformists has a long history in China, but the pandemic is putting a new face on the practice. Those found noncompliant will be forced to undergo testing and a two-week quarantine at their own expense.

Can’t go to ski resort? South Koreans rush to buy sledges, enjoy sledding near home (Reuters) With South Korea’s ski resorts closed in recent weeks to help combat COVID-19, heavy snowfalls have led to a surge in sales of sledges as winter sports lovers look for family friendly snow slopes close to home. Major retailers have run out of stocks of plastic sledges, with E-Mart, the country’s biggest supermarket chain, selling nearly 2,200 sledges in six days, more than three times its total 2020 sales. After heavy snowfalls earlier in the week, children played outdoors even as the temperature in Seoul plummeted to -18.6 Celsius (-1.5 Fahrenheit) on Friday, the coldest in 35 years.

Almost 2.3 million people need aid in Ethiopia’s Tigray: U.N. report (Reuters) Fighting is still going on in several parts of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and almost 2.3 million people, or nearly half of the population, need aid, a U.N. report said. The report, the most comprehensive public assessment of the humanitarian situation in Tigray since conflict erupted there on Nov. 4, was posted online late on Thursday. It said food supplies were very limited, looting was widespread and insecurity remained high.

Uganda’s election shapes up as a contest of young vs. old (Washington Post) Uganda is an overwhelmingly young country, led by a 76-year-old seeking a sixth term as president. Two-thirds of registered voters are under the age of 30, which means Yoweri Museveni has led Uganda for their whole lives. His main challenger in next week’s election is a 38-year-old musician who was a toddler when Museveni took power as leader of an armed rebellion. And so the contest between the grandfatherly incumbent and the spindly singer-turned-politician, Bobi Wine, has come to embody the most essential of democratic divides: change vs. stability, idealism vs. wisdom, the frustrated young vs. the fearful old. Who wins may come down to how many young people buy into Museveni’s warnings that a vote against him is a vote for destabilization. But the outcome also hinges on whether Wine and his supporters can withstand the repressive tactics Museveni’s security forces have unleashed in recent months that may escalate as election day nears. Since announcing his candidacy, Wine has been arrested three times, as have at least 600 attendees of his rallies. Police say they violated pandemic protocols against large gatherings. His bodyguard was killed, his lawyer arrested, reporters who cover his campaign have had their accreditation revoked, and after Wine’s second arrest, protests were met with bullets and at least 54 were killed.

Books (Publishers Weekly) Sales of print books were up 8.2 percent in 2020 year-over-year, according to NPD BookScan, with 750.9 million books sold. That’s up from 693.7 million in 2019, and is a solid performance, especially given the tumultuous spring market. Books for children and young adults saw sales explode: in nonfiction—a staple of attempting to learn from a place that is not a school—juvenile sales were up 23.1 percent and young adult nonfiction was up 38.3 percent, and on the fiction side, the juvenile segment was up 11 percent and YA was up 21.4 percent. Adults bought more books too—nonfiction was up 4.8 percent and fiction was up 6 percent.

[esotericworld]

“...Before the 2016 election, I wrote a series of pieces about how Hillary Clinton and her key staff were saying interesting things about UFOs. Most laughed. The issue was treated as a joke on late-night television. But time has shown that clearly there was something afoot.

In December 2017, the New York Times published a groundbreaking story: “Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program,” which included Department of Defense videos of aerial objects the government could not explain. While credible UFO reports go back decades, the Times story increased the latitude for discussion of the issue under mainstream mastheads. Since then, the Times has published a series of additional pieces, as have a host of other respected publications.

In April 2019, the US Navy announced it was updating its procedures for pilots who wish to report encounters with UFOs to destigmatize the issue and collect better data. By September, the US Navy confirmed to John Greenewald Jr., the founder of a repository of publicly available government documents called the Black Vault, that the videos published by the Times were officially “unidentified aerial phenomena,” a the term used for “unauthorized/unidentified aircraft/objects that have been observed entering/operating in the airspace of various military-controlled training ranges.” In February 2020, Popular Mechanics published a deeply reported piece concluding that “unidentified flying objects are neither myth nor figment of overactive imagination,” elaborating that documentary evidence and people who would know both suggest “UFOs are real.”

In June, the Senate Intelligence Committee tasked the director of national intelligence with submitting a public report, with a classified annex, outlining the government’s work on “unexplained aerial phenomena.” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the committee, confirmed that he had been given a classified briefing on UAP. “The military and others are taking this issue seriously,” Warner said, “which, I think in previous generations may not have been the case.” A month later, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), acting chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, characterized it as a national security issue. “We have things flying over our military bases and places where we’re conducting military exercises and we don’t know what it is, and it isn’t ours,” Rubio said, adding that “frankly, if it’s something from outside this planet, that might actually be better” than the possibility novel aerial technology is being used by a foreign power.

Excuse me? What? As someone who has closely followed this issue for years, the fact that two powerful senators are saying these sorts of things in public, with total earnestness, is huge...”

[ghostofviperwrites]

Too Much

Requested by @monstersmaid

Pairing:   Pentagon Jr/FC

Category:   Smut

Word Count: 1875

Warnings: overstimulation, language, smut, oral sex

18. “You might want to rethink your words. Don’t forget, you’re still being punished.”

Lately it seemed I was always in trouble.  No matter what I did I seemed to break on of Pentagon’s “rules.”  At first being with him had been exhilarating.  The thought of the things he was into excited me.  A new game to play.   Problem was the reality was a lot less exciting than the fantasy.  Turns out I really don’t like pain all that much.  Which doesn’t exactly fit with the self-proclaimed breaker of bones.  Pentagon doesn’t do anything but cause pain.   Also turns out that I do not like being denied my orgasms.  Another thing Pentagon really enjoyed.   He loved to deny my pleasure and it never failed that my mouth got me in trouble because of that.  

I’d never been with a man that I couldn’t bend to my will.  That I couldn’t convince to give me whatever I wanted.   When I begged or whined to Pentagon, all I got was a spanking.  And not one of the sexy ones that make your ass a little pink and let to some hot fucking.  Not by a longshot.  Pentagon’s spankings usually included a thick leather belt that bit and tore at my skin leaving me with lasting bruises.  

I shifted the ache in my buttocks reminding me of Penta’s most recent punishment, coupled with the orgasm denial I was in day five of as an ongoing punishment for touching myself.  Needless to say I wasn’t in the best of moods.     

Now I was stuck sitting in a smelly locker room listening to Pentagon and his brother Fenix analyze their match to death.  I huffed out a loud sigh of annoyance earning a sharp look from Pentagon before he turned back to his brother. 

Five more minutes passed and the seemed no closer to wrapping their conversation up than they were at the beginning of it.  

“Are you almost done? You’ve been talking for an hour now.”  I complained.  “This is boring.”  

Pentagon slowly turned away from Fenix, fixing you with his cold hard eyes alight with anger.  

“You might want to rethink your words. Don’t forget, you’re still being punished.”  Pentagon warned.

“How could I forget?  I’m always being punished.”  I huffed petulantly.  “You’re always an asshole so it’s impossible for me not to be in trouble.”  

I watched Fenix rise from his chair, clapping his brother on the shoulder and then make his escape leaving me alone with the seething Pentagon. 

Pentagon rose slowly from his chair, ambling towards me with a sinister air.  Swallowing nervously I tried to smile confidently as he pinned me in my seat with a hand on each arm of the chair. 

“Is there a particular reason you’re being a raging bitch or is that just your sparkling personality lately?”  Pentagon asked, his pleasant tone belied by the white knuckles on each of his fists and the fury shining in his eyes. 

“I’m being such a bitch because you won’t let me cum!”  I snapped folding my arms churlishly across my chest.   “I’m frustrated and horny and you are being a dick.”  

“You want to come so bad chica?”  Pentagon growled his hand leaving the arm rest and diving under my skirt as his feet kicked apart my legs.   “Need your orgasms to not be a total cunt?”  His knuckles rubbed along my slit in a rough motion that had me moaning immediately my legs willingly falling further open to grant him access. 

“Please,” I whimpered desperately looking up at him with wide eyes as Pentagon fingered your clit.  

“Fine.”  Pentagon spat.  “You want orgasms, you get orgasms.”

Pentagon’s fingers slid under my panties and ripped them down my legs giving him free access to my weeping sex.   I almost exploded as his thick fingers slid inside me, his calloused thumb rubbing over my clit hard enough to be painful, but still sending shocks of pleasure through me.   I panted as he pumped his fingers in and out of my pussy, curling them inside me and twisting making me arch of the chair towards his hand.  

I cried out as my climax tore through me with another twist of Pentagon’s fingers, my thighs squeezing around his forearm as I came.  Pentagon’s fingers slowed and my legs parted as I breathed heavily already feeling so much better as the tension seeped out of me.   When he began moving again I whimpered, still sensitive from my orgasm but greedy for more.   I spread wide for Pentagon giving him room to kneel between my legs as he tucked my skirt into my waistband so he had a clear view of his fingers sinking inside me.  

When he pushed in a third finger stretching me wide I came again, crying out loudly as I spasmed around his hand.   Again he slowed but didn’t remove his hand as I whimpered through my completion before once again thrusting inside of me.   I squirmed, feelings overwhelming me as Pentagon finger fucked me and teased my clit.   I sobbed as pleasure roared through my body, my hips lifting to push in time with Pentagon’s thrusts, my eyes watching the muscles of his thick forearm contract as he brought me to a third orgasm with barely an effort. 

I was completely spent, my hands grabbing at Pentagon’s wrist as he started moving again.   His free hand grabbed both my hands and held them against my chest and out of his way while his fingers twisted and curled inside me.  Tears leaked down my cheeks as my attempts to get away from his hand were proven useless. 

“No more, please Penta,” I cried, my head shaking back and forth as I felt another climax rising in my belly.   “I can’t.” 

“You wanted to cum.”  Pentagon reminded me giving a sharp thrust of his arm.  “You asked for this.”    Again I shattered around his hand as he fingered my dripping pussy, his hand glistening with my cream as he finally pulled it free from my cunt.   Releasing my hands from my chest he wiped the residue on my shirt before lowering his mouth to my sex.  My attempts to push him off were futile, a sharp pinch to my thigh the reward for my attempts.  

I cried as the satin of his mask rubbed against my belly while his tongue licked over my slit, long flat strokes that had me trembling.  My whole body shook as my fingernails dug into the bottom of my chair, hands gripping tightly to try to steady myself as I felt like I was going to explode from Pentagon’s ministrations.   I felt a sheen of sweat forming on my face as Pentagon’s tongue delved inside me, the nose of his mask scraping over my clit adding extra stimulation that was driving me insane.  

Pentagon’s hands moved my legs, gripping my thighs and lifting my legs so my knees went over his shoulders giving his mouth better access to me.   I panted and moaned as his tongue licked at my flesh and dove inside me, Pentagon passionately eating me through two more orgasms in quick succession that had me shaking and limp.  

I felt like a ragdoll when he stood, my legs still around his head his arms holding my back steady as he continued licking me as he moved over to the couch against the wall.   I was unceremoniously dumped on my stomach over the arm as Pentagon kneeled behind me and freed his cock.   He immediately breached my pussy, slamming deep inside me with a single thrust.  Relief coursed through me thinking he was nearly done.   Instead he reached around my body, his fingers once again finding my pussy as his other hand reached to play with the breast he could reach.  

I limply hung over the arm weakly moaning as Pentagon slammed into me, his talented fingers dragging along my cunt seeking another orgasm I didn’t think I could give.   I regretted complaining about a lack of orgasms, this was a thousand times worse than denial.  I felt hot and weak and oversensitive, shuddering with every movement Pentagon made.   The orgasm he dragged out of me was painful, a choked sob ripping from my chest as he forced the orgasm out of me.  

“Are you sorry for whining yet?”  Pentagon asked as he slammed into me again and again.

“I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.”  I cried out as his cock hit me deep inside, his fingers toying with my clit and nipples as he fucked me.   “I won’t ask to cum anymore, I promise.”  It was a rash promise but I was desperate feeling light headed and weak, my words almost a slur as I lay unmoving beneath him.  

“I’m going to hold you to that.”  Pentagon said with a grunt, releasing the nipple he was pulling on to bring his hand to my throat.   I swallowed heavily as his fist tightened around my throat slowly cutting of my air making me fight against his hold giving Pentagon the movement he sought against his cock.  With a final thrust he came, his hand reflexively closing further on my throat, robbing me of my breath as Pentagon’s cock pumped inside me, coating my insides with his seed.  

Just when I thought he was going to choke me unconscious Pentagon’s hand loosened and he pulled free from my pussy.   I lay there completely spent as he casually tucked back into his pants and moved back to the table he had been sitting at with Fenix, pulling out his phone and calling his brother to return for their discussion.   I didn’t even have the strength to cover myself, weakly pulling at my skirt as Fenix entered. 

I waited for Pentagon to chastise his brother for the long appraising look he ran over my body, but it wasn’t forthcoming.  Instead Pentagon rattled something off in Spanish that made Fenix chuckle darkly and look at me one last time before seating himself across from his brother.  

Gingerly I pushed off the couch, falling to my knees on the floor as I was weak limbed, but at least I was covered from the overly familiar eyes of Fenix.   He had never looked at me like that before and it was unnerving.   Fenix was always respectful to me, given my status as his brother’s girl.  Now there was something different in the air, a shift that I recognized but couldn’t decipher the meaning of. 

“Come sit on my lap.”  Pentagon called to me without bothering to look in my direction.   I slowly climbed to my feet feeling as ungainly as a newborn colt and stumbling over to Penta’s side.  He pulled me sideways over his lap his thick forearm wrapping around my waist to hold me steady as he spoke to Fenix who was still watching me with that strange intensity that was giving me chills.  

I should have taken more stock in my feelings, but put it off my misgivings to the emotional upheaval I had just been through.  I never imagined the changes that would come after that night, or the road it would lead me down. 

[danwhobrowses]

General Discussion: All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Part 2

This is a part 2 of a recent dump of stuff I’m talking about in regards to AEW, if you want to see my critiques and comments in hindsight about AEW Check it out on part 1 -> Here Part 2 is gonna revolve around the future, immediate and long-term, starting with the upcoming All Out PPV

All Out 2020

Criticisms about the Buy In aside, All Out still looks like a heavily stacked card, which is always a positive. I do worry a little that the Tooth and Nail match’s addition will cut into others’ time so hopefully everyone gets a good amount, but if people criticise some matches for being too short remember that fan demand insisted that the same Swole/Baker match be on the paid card rather than having a lot of time to show it for free. And as much as people criticise AEW’s women, the women’s matches are among the top 5 most anticipated matches on the card, probably only behind the tag title and world title match, isn’t that a great thing? Not to mention that the women’s title match encourages AEW/NWA relations, which really would make wrestling better if wrestlers could be more fluid in their appearances. But anyway, All Out is something I look forward to, so let’s break down some predictions? (if you’re wondering why I’m not just doing this on a podcast or something, my voice is not the dulcet flowing river of articulation my writing would imply to be, I like having time and proofing my words, plus if I talk to much my tongue swells and I stutter, stammer and suck at eye contact) So my thoughts for the full card

Predictions

The Buy In

Casino Battle Royale - Eddie Kingston. While I’d be down for Fénix, Pentagon, Archer or even a new or returning face like PAC to win, I think Kingston is the safe bet. The man talks like liquid and his match with Cody brought a lot of eyes to the product. This will continue and start new hostilities, but don’t expect anyone who has faced Moxley before to win, AEW don’t do title rematches so much.

Private Party vs Dark Order (Silver and Reynolds) - this quickly put-together match is going to Private Party, because Silver and Reynolds are enhancement tag teams still, they can win but they won’t win often. Plus the more Silver loses the more bits he’ll have with Brodie on BTE and those are gold.

Main Card

Tooth and Nail - Britt Baker, I expect the cinematic match to have shenanigans but also protect Baker in the midst of her injury recovery. While Swole has been doing the physical lifting of the feud I think having Britt lose on her return could be the wrong choice in the long run.

Dark Order vs The Nightmare Family - Dark Order, Brodie has elevated the tag team to the point where they are a big faction, and they need the big win for this. Cardona, Sky and the Natural Nightmares can take this loss too, but I’d expect QT or Dustin to take the fall for this. Bonus prediction that Tay Conti will indeed join the Dark Order with Anna Jay, leading to them beating down Brandi and Allie at ringside (setting up a women’s tag feud that’d explain why they were kept on other sides of the Deadly Draw bracket)

The Young Bucks vs Jurassic Express - This one I have Jurassic Express, it may be an upset because the Bucks are still reeling from Hangman’s betrayal, this can also lead to the Bucks being more heelish to accompany a Cleaner Kenny Omega. Keep your eye on Jungle Boy, AEW are still hot on him for good reason, this’ll be a huge scalping for Jurassic Express if they pull it off.

Broken Rules - A tough one, but I’m gonna stick with the Multifarious Matt Hardy. I don’t think he wants to end his career just yet and AEW would be foolish to let him go. Plus technically Sami is 2-0 in this feud, so it won’t hurt Sami too much to win in Hardy’s wheelhouse.

Mimosa Mayhem - Another tough one to put down the middle, I am gonna go with Orange Cassidy though. I think Jericho wants to amend the sloppy finish Cassidy’s win had and this’ll make for good comedy to see Jericho (and maybe Hager) flailing around in Mimosa

Women’s Title - I will be happy with either winning, but my heart says Shida. Mainly because I think Britt is the one who should take it from her, their last match was a banger after all. Rosa won’t look weak though, they may even have Shida challenge for the NWA women’s title down the line.

Tag Titles - FTR. That’s it, that’s all you need to know. Hangman’s head is out of the game and Kenny is becoming the Cleaner, it’s time for this schism to start properly, they’ve held it for about a year as well, it’s time.

World Title (Moxley cannot use Paradigm Shift) - It’s easy to say MJF, he is the home breed future and Moxley has had a long run defeating tougher opponents, but I am thinking that Moxley will retain. This is mainly because the odds are so stacked against him, he’ll eke out a win despite MJF’s trickery. The challenger will look fantastic to prove that he will be champion some day, but not today. Instead I think MJF will be thwarted by miscommunication, and as he hinted at during his tag match with Jurassic Express, will split from Wardlow for his ‘fatal error’. Then we’ll get Moxley vs Kingston which can be just as fantastic.

Looking to the Future So ‘looking to the future’ is not gonna all be direct consequences of All Out, some of it is just stuff I’d like to see happen, not all of it has to and my enjoyment isn’t killed from it, but certain things would make AEW better in my opinion. Business Relations So of course it’d be great to have more working relationships with other brands, AEW is already close to OWE and AAA, getting NWA on board would be a good step to establishing good relationships with ROH as well, maybe even NJPW. On the women’s side it’d be nice if they made more solid ties with Cyberfight - which has DDT Pro, TJPW and NOAH, maybe even Stardom, Sendai Girls, EVE and Ice Ribbon. More relationships would offer wrestlers not working Dynamite or Dark to perhaps represent elsewhere. In this representing it’d be great to see more outside titles being shown, it’s free advertising really. Thunder Rosa will for sure be carrying her NWA Women’s title but wouldn’t it be cool if other brand titles could be carried; Kenny carrying his AAA title with the tag titles, Cardona his Internet title, Lucha Bros their HOG and AAA Tag titles, Big Swole her Phoenix of Rise title, Moxley his NJPW US title (though I expect him to lose to KENTA soon), Rosa’s TJPW International Princess title as well and Yuka Sakazaki’s TJPW Princess of Princess Title. It may be me but seeing these titles does add an air of legitimacy to the competitors, showing how successful they are overseas while promoting other promotions. I’d also like to pitch a ‘Locked Down’ mini show or segment where AEW could show what their international talent is doing, Emi Sakura’s ChocoPro could be a light hearted segment, PAC could do some solid promos and like showing the titles, it’d expose the roster as talented. New Signings Someone just has to do good to have people ask for AEW to sign them, but in some cases it would be cool to sign them up. Of the frequent flyers right now AEW would be mad not to sign Ivelisse and Diamante, and I’ve already expressed my hopes that they sign Will Hobbs, Serpentico, Shawn Dean, Brian Pillman Jr, Kilynn King, Tay Conti, Veda Scott, Nicole Savoy/Lil’ Swole and Pineapple Pete, but it’d also be good business to at least call up Renee Paquette/Good/Young and Mauro Ranallo, even if it is for some guest appearances. Signing the likes of Danhausen, Warhorse, ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey, Millie McKenzie, Laura Di Matteo, Lana Austin, Jamie Hayter, Chris Brookes, Maki Itoh, Miyu Yamashita, Mirio (if he wants to come back into wrestling) and AR Fox. This being said, this should only ease into the Second Show, where we can expose more of the current roster as well. Speaking of Which. (A Few) New Accolades With a bigger division will require more competition. Not all of them need to be titles but something to be fought for. MJF’s Diamond Ring and Cage’s FTW title can help in that matter, but I think a Trios Accolade would be next in line for AEW. This would open the door for more teams to compete; The Elite, Jurassic Express, Best Friends, SCU, Dark Order, Nightmare Family, Death Triangle etc. would still keep it competitive and open the door for more stories of faction warfare. Since this is only my thoughts I would love to see the tag division be intergender too but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that. If we do move to this though PLEASE use whoever designed the world and tag belt, not the TNT belt. Faction Bolstering AEW are looking at the NJPW formula or big factions going into war or tensions with one another, which is good since it does make for lines to be written in the sand. But I think the factions can just be a little bit bigger in some places, and some are easy to add in already. Conti joins Dark Order for 2 women there, have Ivelisse and Diamante join the Inner Circle so we have full LAX (plus Ivelisse tagged with Sammy in LU), Statlander can pair with Best Friends and renew BTE’s skits of her and Orange Cassidy’s palpable sexual tension, I would also enjoy the thought of TH2 joining with Kip and Penelope just to be a faction of talented arseholes. May be the crass side of me, but I also seem to want Brian Pillman Jr to join the Gunn Club simply so we can have an entrance theme that starts ‘Someone call 911, Pillman’s got a Gunn’, Vickie Guerrero could grow her managing of Nyla to an all women ‘Las Guerreras’ faction maybe with Kilynn King, Shaul Guerrero, Abadon or someone else would be a decent move in my books but an exciting faction I can see clearly is a Moxley faction with Darby Allin and Lance Archer. Imagine having Jake the Snake taking care of all that, oh yes is that the good stuff. Future Feuds We’ll end with talking about some feuds I hope to see down the line too, even if they’re not set up already. I’ve already expressed my want for Kingston vs Moxley but another Kingston feud I see in the making is against PAC, Kingston is the man with the plan but PAC will want his Death Triangle buddies back. Speaking of, Moxley could use some bangers with Fenix and Pentagon, both are megastars. While the tag division is looking like it’ll lead to FTR vs Bucks, I think the bigger money is FTR vs Bucks vs Hangman and Kenny first, with Kenny having the Elite ties and Hangman with the FTR ties the storytelling would be ridiculously immense. This thought almost made me pick Hangman and Kenny to win at All Out...almost. I would expect a lot of title defenses from Mr. Brodie Lee, particularly from Cardona but I’d love it if Jungle Boy was the one to win it from him, and for JB to face Sammy Guevara, of the 4 Young Prospects of AEW I don’t think Sammy and JB have gone 1-on-1, could be wrong but Sammy usually went for Darby and JB to MJF, Fénix vs JB would be excellent also. Luchasaurus is also due his hoss match with the Butcher, as well as further conflict with Cage and Archer Also I’d like Shida vs Conti, both are very martial arts-like in their wrestling especially the latter so it would be a good physical match. But yeah, that’s out of my system for now, we’ve talked some good, some bad and some middle, don’t think it matters to anyone but I’ve said my piece Bring on All Out!

[fullsunhyuk]

bias list [28.3]

those in (brackets) are the ones that wreck/get to me a lot but that i dont think ill bias anytime soon

those in CAPITALS are the ones that murder/attack me

completely soft, you can call them hot but dont give me any sexy thoughts with them, 9/10 times will melt into a puddle of softness if i see them

mostly soft, youd really have to make me imagine things if you want me to get turned on by them

basically neutral, either not feeling particularly strong for them either way or it constantly chances so much that its hard to really say which one it is

mostly hard, will turn me on if you send them but might not happen immediately, probably depends on if you send a cute or hot photo

hard, ill choke if you send them, definitely turn me on (might still have soft thoughts about every once in a while but you get the point)

help, they make my heart jump out of my chest and turn me into a giggly mess but at the same time theyre sO FUCKING HOT

[name] (!): no softness pls, i want to see them as only hard doms that could make me submit to them at will

nct: haechan, lucas, YANGYANG, WINWIN, taeil, jaehyun, YUTA (!) //JUNGWOO, (XIAOJUN, TEN, CHENLE, JISUNG, JENO, MARK, JOHNNY)

stray kids: lee know, seungmin, HAN // I.N

the boyz: kevin, new, ERIC, sangyeon, juyeon, Q, HAKNYEON // hyunjae

up10tion: kogyeol, wooshin, xiao // JINHYUK, GYUJIN

vav: ziu, lou, ST VAN, AYNO // JACOB (!), (BARON)

ateez: mingi, jongho // (YEOSANG, SAN, JOONG)

got7: YUGYEOM, youngjae, JACKSON // JAEBEOM (!), (BAMBAM (!))

exo: lay, suho, CHANYEOL // XIUMIN, (BAEKHYUN, CHEN, SEHUN)

a.c.e: jun, CHAN // DONGHUN, BYEONGKWAN (!)

b.i.g: GUNMIN, heedo

sf9: dawon, TAEYANG (!), rowoon, ZUHO // (HWIYOUNG, jaeyoon)

astro: - // moonbin, sanha, mj, ROCKY, JINJIN, EUNWOO

seventeen: dk, JEONGHAN, HOSHI, WOOZI (!), DINO // (mingyu), WONWOO (!)

golden child: JIBEOM, TAG, JOOCHAN (!) // bomin, DONGHYUN, (DAEYEOL)

oneus: seoho, keonhee, HWANWOONG (!) // leedo

onf: etion, j-us, hyojin

pentagon: kino, hui, shinwon // hongseok

nu'est: aron // (jr), BAEKHO, (MINHYUN)

cix: byounggon, jinyoung // (SEUNGHUN)

day6: jae, young k // WONPIL, (DOWOON)

victon: HEOCHAN, SEUNGSIK // (subin), THE ONE WHO SHALL NOT BE MENTIONED (!), (HANSE, BYUNGCHAN)

snuper: woosung, SANGIL

vixx: n, KEN, HYUK // LEO, (HONGBIN)

monsta x: i.m, kihyun, minhyuk // (HYUNGWON)

n.flying: hun, dongsung // SEUNGHYUB (!)

ikon: jinhwan // JUNE (!), song, DONGHYUK

imfact: ungjae, TAEHO // (SANG)

knk: JIHUN // HEEJUN, seoham

ab6ix: - // (YOUNGMIN, donghyun)

iz: hyunjun // (JIHOO)

target: woojin // BOUN (!), (SEULCHAN)

witz: jimyoung // ESON

seven o clock: jeonggyu, ANDY, rui // (TAEYOUNG (!))

bts: jimin, v, suga, JIN // HOBI

uniq: yibo, SUNGJOO (!), YIXUAN (!) // SEUNGYOUN

in2it: hyunuk, ISAAC (!) // (jiahn)

the rose: hajoon

nex7 (chin.): ZEREN, wenjun, ZHENGTING, JUSTIN // quanzhe

1team: rubin

verivery: dongheon // YEONHO, KANGMIN, (hoyoung), YONGSEUNG, GYEHYEON

dkb: teo, heechan, gk // (YUKU), lune

d-crunch: hyunoh, hyunwoo

new kidd: woochul, yunmin // HWI, (JINKWON)

too: chan, j.you, MINSU // (chihoon), WOONGI, JEROME

trcng: taeseon // i cant remember but SEVERAL OF THEM

btob: sungjae, ilhoon // HYUNSIK

noir: minhyuk, yunsung, siheon (!) // siha, YEONKUK

onewe: yonghoon, harin

b.i.t: king

lucente: u.seong, bao, z.hoo

greatguys: hwalchan, haneul

kard: j.seph

1the9: doyum, seunghwan // YONGHA, (JUNSEO, TAEKHYEON (!))

tst: yohan

treasure 13: yoshi, mashiho, junkyu

halo: OOON (!), yoondong

black6ix: - // (ALL OF THEM (!) except yongseok) (this group means death)

d1ce: hyunsoo, yonggeun

onlyoneof: junji, nine // YOOJUNG, (LOVE a little bit)

txt: yeonjun // (ALL OF THEM a little bit)

limitless: raychan, a.m // j-jin

unine (chin.): - // (MINGMING, JIA YI, CHANGXI)

trei: jaejun, CHANGHYUN

teen top: niel, ricky

enoi: laon, avin // dojin, gun, J-KID

jbj95: kenta // (SANGGYUN)

awaken f: zimo, MUBO (!) // FEN (!)

winner: jinu // hoony

hotshot: - // TIMOTEO, TAEHYUN (!)

shinee: minho, taemin

super junior: yesung, leeteuk

14u: esol

nine percent (chin.): ZHENGTING, YANJUN (!), justin // XUKUN (!), (CHENGCHENG, XIAO GUI, ZIYI) (perhaps i want this entire group to collectively step on me)

x1: EUNSANG, // (SEUNGYOUN, SEUNGWOO (!), YOHAN)

wanna one: daniel, ???, idk anymore

ult list:

1. haechan / lee know

3. jongho

4. yibo

5. kogyeol

6. jeonghan

7. rowoon

8. SANGIL

9. YANGYANG

[wrestlingisfake]

AEW Fake Rankings, 6/19/2020

Men’s singles division - babyfaces

Jon Moxley (men’s world champion)

Cody Rhodes (TNT champion)

Matt Hardy

Darby Allin

Ricky Starks

Orange Cassidy

Colt Cabana

Men’s singles division - heels

Chris Jericho

Brian Cage

MJF

Brodie Lee

Jake Hager

Lance Archer

Sammy Guevara

Shawn Spears

Unranked: Luther, Preston Vance, Wardlow

The major storylines in this division right now are Moxley-Cage, Jericho-Cassidy, Hardy-Guevara, Cody-Hager, and Lee-Cabana.  Archer and Spears are coming off big losses and it appears they’re each being set up to get a win, but it’s not clear who either of them will be booked against.  MJF is obviously in line for a title shot, but they’re not in a rush, and I think they’re building to MJF and Wardlow vs. Jurassic Express in some form.

When AEW was first announced I just assumed Kenny Omega would be the men’s world champion, Jericho would be a part-timer, and most of the top singles stars would come from New Japan and ROH.  I never imagined it would turn into the Chris Jericho & Jon Moxley Show, or that such a thing would work so well.  I particularly like how the “young guys I barely heard of in 2018” group (Allin, MJF, Cassidy, Wardlow, Guevara, and now Starks) have been cultivated.  They’re still underneath a lot of ex-WWE stars, but they’re at least semi-protected for the day when they won’t be.

Men’s tag team division - babyfaces

Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (tag team champions)

The Young Bucks - Matt Jackon & Nick Jackson

Best Friends - Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta

SoCal Uncensored - Scorpio Sky & Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels

Private Party - Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen

The Natural Nightmares - Dustin Rodes & QT Marshall

Jurassic Express - Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy & Marko Stunt

Men’s tag team division - heels

FTR - Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler

Ortiz & Santana

The Butcher & The Blade

Superbad Squad - Kip Sabian & Jimmy Havoc

Unranked: Joey Janela & Sonny Kiss, Brandon Cutler & Peter Avalon

There are 13 teams listed above, and there’s five more that just haven’t been on TV lately.  That’s more men’s teams than Raw, Smackdown, and NXT have put together.  This is what a tag team division is supposed to look like.  With this many teams, you can have one teasing a split (Rhodes & Marshall) and one in a slump (the Bucks) and a few to do jobs (Jurassic Express, Avalon & Cutler, Sabian & Havoc) and still have plenty left over to actually get pushed.

My one quibble here is that there aren’t enough heel teams.  (It’s not clear if FTR is supposed to be a heel team, but they’re passive-aggressive enough that I think they’re headed that way.)  But that’s mainly because Evil Uno & Stu Grayson, Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix, Jack Evans & Angelico, and Alex Reynolds & John Silver weren’t around during the early months of the US lockdown.  For all I know, they’ll all be back in the ring on next week’s Dynamite, so it’s tough to argue that AEW needs to turn a couple of teams heel.

Women’s singles division - babyfaces

Hikaru Shida (women’s world champion)

Big Swole

Women’s singles division - heels

Nyla Rose

Penelope Ford

Unranked: Abadon, Anna Jay

AEW’s big strategy for its women’s division was to build around top stars borrowed from Japanese promotions.  That approach was hit-and-miss in 2019 but it’s really backfired in light of the international travel restrictions.  Then to make it worse, Kris Statlander and Britt Baker suffered knee injuries when the division needed them the most. 

On the bright side, they basically have no choice but to push Ford and Swole, and signing Abadon and Anna Jay should be a step in the right direction.  But the goal should be to achieve the same depth as the men’s tag division, and we’ve got a long way to go before that happens.

No TV or PPV matches in 30 days: Allie, Brandi Rhodes, Evil Uno, Michael Nakazawa, Stu Grayson

Everybody listed here has at least wrestled on AEW Dark in the past month, so they’re not totally off the radar.  If this were WWE guys who only appear on Main Event, I’d say they’re going nowhere, but AEW has managed to make Dark feel far more important than Main Event (which is damning with faint praise, but y’know).

No TV, PPV, or Dark matches in 30 days: Alex Reynolds, Angelico, Austin Gunn, Bea Priestley, Emi Sukara, Jack Evans, John Silver, Leva Bates, Mel, PAC, Pentagon Jr., Riho, Sadie Gibbs, Shanna, T-Hawk, Yuka Sakazaki

Most of these performers haven’t even appeared on AEW television since they moved to closed sets, so I would assume they’re either unable or unwilling to travel to Florida during the pandemic.  Off the top of my head, the exceptions are Austin Gunn (who appears as a spectator on Dynamite), Leva Bates (who’s just seconding Peter Avalon lately), and Reynolds & Silver (who I believe showed up in some Dark Order group shots).

Part-timers: Awesome Kong, Billy Gunn, Dallas Page

Inactive

Britt Baker (right knee - tibia fracture)

Kris Statlander (left knee - ACL tear)

Rey Fenix (unspecified injuries)

Baker’s injury appears to be “fortunate” in that she’ll be sidelined for weeks, not months.  Statlander, though, may be out through the end of the year.  All I heard about Fenix was that he was “banged up” and would be back soon, but that was nearly a month ago.  Either it’s worse than anyone initially believed, or he’s just working a bunch of Mexican indie shows that I haven’t heard about.

[quirkycombatants]

Noburu and Deathmatch References/Inspiration

For the record, the things I usually reference with Noburu regarding light tubes and barbed wire are a reference to extreme/garbage wrestling. Those of you with strong stomachs might remember ECW back in the US during the late 90′s, which was honestly terrifying. 

But there’s a similar tradition in Mexico, which if you want to see something terrifying look up the Pentagon Jr. Vs. Vampiro match, which is perhaps one of the bloodier matches ever to make it to tv. There’s also the No Mas match between Sexy Starr and Mariposa from the same promotion.

And of course, there’s Japan’s home grown love of deathmatches. It’s a staple of puroresu, and they arguably go further than most US or Mexican matches do in terms of violence and insanity. 

I’m not kidding. The biggest one was called Big Japan Pro Wrestling and well, uh... It’s pretty gruesome. I’m just going to quote some of the match types they performed in front of a crowd: 

Circus Deathmatch- above the ring is a scaffold and under that scaffold there is a type of circus net made of barbed wire. When a wrestler falls off of the scaffold the barbed wire spider net is there to "catch" the wrestlers. After a wrestler, or a team of wrestlers, have been thrown into the net it is cut down and the match continues to a pin fall.

Piranha Deathmatch- Barbed wire boards are placed in the corners. In the middle of the ring, there is a tank full of Piranhas. To win you must hold your opponent in the tank for ten seconds.

Fire Stone Deathmatch- Both the inside and outsides of the ring are lined with electrified space heaters wrapped in barbed wire. The match is won by pin fall.

Big Japan W*ING Crisis Big Born Deathmatch (also known as "Crisis Big Born Deathmatch")- This is a Big Japan match which combines several different deathmatch types. The match starts out on a scaffold above a barbed wire net over a ring. The ring itself is surrounded by cactus, fire stones (electric space heaters wrapped in barbed wire) and dry ice. Thumbtacks are scattered in the ring. In the middle of the ring is a tank of scorpions. Various weapons including light bulbs, light tubes, baseball bats, drills, buzzsaws, and swords are permitted. The match is fought with all members of two teams active at the same time under hardcore street fight rules. When all the wrestlers have fallen into the barbed wire net, the next phase of the match begins. The barbed wire net is removed and the match still continues. Wrestlers leave and win the match by submission, by having their head put in the scorpion tank for ten seconds or by passing out.

"Ancient Way" Death Match- Both fighters wrap their hands in hemp rope, which is then coated in honey and dipped in broken glass to make them deadly weapons.

Big Japan CZW Crisis Big Born Cage of Death Deathmatch- a steel cage match with various weapons, objects, and plenty of wrestling violence which combining several types of deathmatches; a steel cage with various weapons and objects will be contested under "BJW's Crisis Big Born Deathmatch" rules. Electrified cage walls, tables, ladders, chairs, crowbars, Singaporean canes, barbed-wire-board, thumbtacks, bed-of-nails, circus-style-scaffold into a barbed-wire-trampoline, tub of scorpions, cactus plants, light tubes, light bulbs, glass, fire stones, dry Ice, barbed-wire-bat, drills, swords, knives, guns, buzzsaws and all other weapons have been used in it.

Big Japan WWE Crisis Big Born Hell in a Cell Deathmatch- This is a 24-foot-high roofed cell structure which combining several types of deathmatches; a 24-foot-high roofed cell structure will be contested and competed under "BJW's Crisis Big Born Deathmatch" rules. The match starts out on a scaffold above a barbed wire net over a ring. The ring and the cell structure itselves are surrounded by cactus, fire stones (electric space heaters wrapped in barbed wire), dry ice, and all other weapons. Thumbtacks and Japanese kenzans are scattered in the ring and the cell. In the middle of the ring and the cell are all tanks of scorpions and every other thing else. Various weapons and objects including light bulbs, bats, drills, saws, swords, guns, and every other thing else whatsoever are permitted. The match is fought with all other different formats and stipulations (singles, tag team, gauntlet, etc.) active at the same time under street fight rules. There are no disqualifications, no count-outs, and no knock-outs (also no escape). The only way to win is by pinfall or submission inside the ring.

Keep in mind, they’re still doing this today. 

Like this is a thing people in the real world elect to do as a profession. So I can only imagine that in a world of quirks, that this would be taken even further. Thus, my reference for Noburu’s time in the underground fighting rings based on what we know of Rappa’s backstory and some knowledge of Japanese deathmatch culture, creates the sort of conditions that I’m imagining for it. 

To quote Pentagon Jr., after going through all that, Noburu has cero meido. 

And yes, that is a wrestling ninja skeleton. Lucha Libre is wild. 

[closetofanxiety]

50 Wrestling Questions: Why Not

Remember this? It’s been a while. Let’s do this again. Let’s twist again like we did last summer. Or the summer of 2017 in this case.

1. What got you into wrestling?

People ask me this all the time, and I don’t really have a good answer. I’ve liked it on and off since I was very young, and who knows why you like the stuff you like when you’re a little kid? 

2. What is your favorite wrestling promotion?

Of all time: ECW, even though I would probably think of it very differently if it were happening today. Currently: Beyond Wrestling. 

3. Favorite male wrestler of all time?

Gorgeous George, but if we’re talking about people who were alive when I was alive, Dusty Rhodes. I want to say Bruiser Brody, but in my heart I would know I was just saying that to look cool. 

4. Favorite female wrestler of all time?

Gail Kim. For the longest time, she was the only woman in a major global wrestling company who got over based on her wrestling ability. She was doing stuff in TNA that was years ahead of its time, and could adapt her style to get great matches with a variety of opponents with very different backgrounds. And she can still go, as she showed in the match against Tessa Blanchard the other night. I know it would be cooler to say Bull Nakano or Chigusa Nagayo or something, but I don’t know enough of their stuff to make that claim credible. I am who I am, a person who goes to the mall to buy shoes. 

5. Favorite current male wrestler?

Nick Gage

6. Favorite current female wrestler?

Momo Watanabe 

7. Favorite theme song?

Joey Janela’s music captures his vibe perfectly, and sounds great being blasted out of PA speakers inside a small bar or VFW hall. Of all time, probably, I don’t know, Honky Tonk Man? In an ironic way that slowly becomes sincere?

8. Least favorite theme song?

Ricochet’s WWE theme music is pretty dreadful. 

9. Favorite gimmick?

Currently: Orange Cassidy. All time: Road Warriors maybe? They were almost 100 percent gimmick, and they were the biggest tag team in the world at a great time for tag team wrestling. 

10. Least favorite gimmick?

All the racist and gay-hating gimmicks that have been used throughout the years are more or less equally horrible. If we’re talking about a terrible gimmick that was non-malignant, I’d say it was taking giant indestructible ass-kicker Mike Awesome and making him “That 70s Guy.” 

11. Best entrance (either their usual entrance or a special one, like a Wrestlemania entrance)?

Gorgeous George had the best entrance of all time, and it’s been copied ever since (Ric Flair’s entrance is basically Gorgeous George’s, scored with a different piece of classical music). The Sandman also had a great entrance. He was kind of all-entrance, now that I think of it. I also love those old shows in Japan where Brody would come out to “Immigrant Song” running through the crowd, swinging a fucking chain over his head like a lunatic. An entrance that makes you fear for your life: mission accomplished. 

12. Best Undertaker Wrestlemania match?

I am not the right person to ask for Undertaker superlatives, but the Lesnar match had a legitimately shocking conclusion that I still appreciate 

13. Most overrated?

I’m tempted to incur the wrath of the online by making a contrarian hot take selection like Ken Omega, but in reality it’s probably the Undertaker. 

14. Most underrated?

There are a million choices from before the 1980s, the Before Time of contemporary pro wrestling. Edouard Carpentier, say; he was having matches in 1970 that would not look out of place in 2019. Since the 1980s, I’d say Jerry Lynn is a very strong contender for most underrated. The popular choice would be Sid or Lex Luger, but I think they’re pretty much rated exactly as they should be. 

15. Have you ever been to an event? If so, which one?

I certainly have been to many pro wrestling events. I go to one or two a month. Like a lot of things, wrestling is pretty much always fun in person. It helps that the Northeast has a ton of good companies within easy driving distance. My favorite show of all time might be Americanrana 2016. 

16. Who has the best merch?

We’re in a weird period where people on Instagram are making better shirt designs (in insanely limited editions) than the vast majority of wrestlers or wrestling companies. I will say that Kris Wolf has yet to make an ugly or boring piece of merchandise, which is a huge complication in this day and age. 

17. Do you own any merch?

Nope! Wait, I mean, “yes, entirely too much.” Shirts, 8 x 10s, DVDs, magazines, random pieces like fancy enamel badges and a stack of Okada bucks. The one thing I’ve never gotten into is action figures, and that’s probably good for the ol’ bank balance. 

18. Best nickname?

"The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes is an all-time classic. 

19. Worst nickname?

"The Game” is a dumb nickname. “The Cerebral Assassin” is also a dumb nickname. Are assassins supposed to be stupid? I bet they’re typically very smart, although of low moral character. “Triple H” is his only good nickname, and even that sounds like the nickname of a guy who owns a car dealership out by the highway.

20. Best mic skills?

Nobody was ever better than Bobby Heenan, who had incredible range and versatility. He could do comedy and he could do menace. He could do calm and he could do spitting rage. He had an uncanny sense of timing and was quicker on his feet than almost anyone. No one really comes close at matching his astonishing depth, but Dusty Rhodes was an all-time great promo. He really made you care about wrestling matches, which is not an easy thing to do.

21. Most annoying?

I mean, it has to be Vince McMahon. 

22. Most attractive male?

Is Tanahashi too obvious a choice? Best hair in wrestling. It’s incredible and luxurious, like an untamed mountain stream. Andrade “Cien” Almas or whatever they’ve shortened his name to (”And”) is a handsome man. Killer Kross: very handsome. We live in a golden age of attractive wrestlers. Just look back at the gassed-up Zubaz mastodons of the 1980s, or the territories-era guys who all looked like they were 48 years old and had pot bellies. You almost have to try to find unattractive wrestlers. Nick Gage, for instance. But I’m sure even he has his swooning admirers. 

23. Most attractive female?

Again, what a time for attractive wrestlers. It may be shallow, but wrestling is a business that’s at least partially cosmetic. Attractive people sell tickets. I would, and have, bought a ticket to see Hana Kimura. 

24. Favorite faction?

Of all time? Probably the Barry Windham-era Four Horsemen. More recently, Team Pazuzu. 

25. Worst faction?

BULLET CLUB. No, it’s not the Bullet Club, as exhausted as they’ve become. It’s probably the nWo after early 1998 or so, when they had like 60 members and dragged down every storyline. 

26. Best ring gear?

Su Yung and Pentagon Jr. 

27. Who do you think would be the nicest in real life?

I bet Jerry Lynn is a good guy to know. People in wrestling universally praise Little Guido, which is very rare. The Young Bucks seem like they might be decent dudes. Willow Nightingale told a story on a podcast about Nick Gage excitedly playing with Solo Darling’s dog backstage, so you never know. 

28. Who would be the rudest in real life?

On the indie level, it’s probably someone who doesn’t work very much. Above the indie level, I bet some of those British guys are secretly horrible, like Jimmy Havoc. 

29. Favorite heel?

Currently it’s a tie between MJF and Alisha Edwards, two of the only people who can regularly get indie crowds to boo them. Of all time, heel Flair was hard to beat. 

30. Most hardcore?

It’s definitely either a guy in Japan or a guy in Mexico, and he’s definitely been burned by explosive charges multiple times. Onita? It’s probably Onita. Or Jun Kasai? I think Onita has probably been exploded more times than Jun Kasai. 

31. A wrestler you could beat?

At wrestling? Not a single one of them. Nicholas, the small boy who won the WWE tag team championship with Braun Strowman, would wipe the floor with me. Even the most callow bodybuilder-turned-wrestler would not break a sweat beating me senseless. But writing talking points for senior administration officials in preparation for legislative testimony? Now you’re on my turf. Not so tough now, huh, Nicholas? 

32. Best story line?

Freebirds vs. Von Erichs or Stone Cold vs. Vince. My heart says the former, my head says the latter. 

33. Biggest missed opportunity for a story line?

The WWE blowing the invasion angle after purchasing WCW is the obvious one. More recently, they blew it by not turning Reigns heel. 

34. Worst story line?

Ha, so many of them. Impossible to choose just one. At least most of the dumb embarrassing Russo ones in WCW and TNA were basically harmless, like the time Samoa Joe got kidnapped by ninjas. The Chuck and Billy wedding thing was far worse. A low point even by Vince’s impressively cretinous standards.

35. Which wrestler should turn heel?

I’d like to see a Jordynne Grace heel run in Impact. Heel Finn Balor would also be good. 

36. Which wrestler should turn face?

Samoa Joe has a good fiery babyface, “I’m tired of doing your dirty work, McMahon!” run in him. 

37. Who would be the worst to room with?

Can you imagine sharing a living space with Enzo Amore? Or the thicket of twee Disney merchandise you’d have to negotiate every day if you lived with Johnny Gargano?

38. Who would be the best to room with?

I bet Eddie Edwards would be a surprisingly thoughtful roommate, like he’d always do the dishes “because I love doing them!,” that kind of thing. I have nothing to base this suspicion on, he just seems like my old roommate, Shane, who was like that. 

39. Who would be your best friend if you were a wrestler?

I’d like to say Jushin Thunder Liger, and posit that we would go on exciting adventures, but the answer is probably something like “Comp Time” Terry Dandridge, who wrestles monthly for 2Xtreme All-Pro Wrestling Alliance out of Euphoria, Kansas and has a 9 to 5 as a hardware store manager. 

40. What would your job be in a wrestling promotion?

I’d normally make a self-effacing joke here, but I do social media training at my real job, and so many wrestlers are badly in need of help in this area. 

41. Favorite wrestling podcast/Youtube channel?

I like AIW’s “The Card is Going to Change” podcast a lot, and there’s one by the owners of RevPro that’s pretty good. It’s hard to find a well-produced wrestling podcast that talks about independent wrestling. My favorite wrestling YouTube channel is OSW Review. 

42. Favorite finisher?

BURNING HAMMER

43. Least favorite finisher?

The Bayley-to-belly suplex. HOW IS THIS A FINISHING MOVE

44. Favorite match?

Kerry Von Erich vs. Jerry Lawler at Superclash III. It was a bloody, weird, engrossing spectacle, and it was the symbolic end of the territories era. 

45. Favorite PPV?

Royal Rumble is the last PPV my casual fan friends reliably want to see, and with good reason: it’s engrossing.

46. Guilty pleasure wrestler?

Big Banter Baron Corbin, but I feel no guilt here. He rules. 

47. Favorite submission?

THE KATA HA JIME, otherwise known as the Tazmission.

48. Most entertaining to watch?

All time? Randy Savage. Currently? Io Shirai. 

49. Best spot?

Anyone spitting mist into the unsuspecting eyes of their foes

50. Who do you most respect?

I respect you, booker man.

[kakashibabe02]

Finished Penta fic =)

I’ve gone over this with a fine tooth comb and it’s as good as I can make it haha. Hope you all enjoy @monstersmaid @earl-01 @ghostofviper

      “And I already told you Penta that I don’t think it’s a good idea!” She shouted at him. Pentagon Jr. shook his head and, continued to get his ring gear on. Tonight he was having a “friendly” match with his brother Fenix and Cariño wasn’t happy about it. She knew that the brothers brought the best out in each other, but also the worst. Whoever lost that night would be in a foul mood the next day (to say the very least) and while she loved Fenix like a brother, she wasn’t ready to deal with an even more agitated Pentagon if he were to loose. Pentagon wouldn’t just be in a foul mood, he would be ready to tear the locker room apart and anyone that got in his way. Cariño knew that the Lucha Brothers as a tag team would suffer because of this match, and she wouldn’t let the best tag team in the world collapse due to one match. They had been arguing about this for weeks now and she was exhausted at having to repeat herself while he didn’t listen. When it came to Pentagon’s career he knew how to handle his business and usually Cariño didn’t butt in, happy to be traveling with the masked luchador all over the globe and valet for him from time to time just enjoying the ride. However, this time she was putting her foot down.       “Look at the size of the crowd Cariño! The Lucha Brothers pull them in!” He said while lacing up his boots. Cariño stood in front of him with her arms crossed.       “YES! The Lucha Brothers, together! They love to see you two work together, not rip each other apart! Besides, you sound like you’ve been hanging around LAX too much.” He shot her a look at her last comment, silently telling her not to push her luck anymore. She sighed heavily. “If you’re doing this then you’re doing it by yourself.” Cariño walked over and flopped down on the old dilapidated couch that seemed to be at every event they went to, and picked up her phone holding it in front of her face. It was a weak tactic and they both knew it.       “Que?” That got his attention. “What did you say Cariño?”  Cariño wouldn’t look at him, she knew if she did then she would cave. There was something oddly hypnotizing about Pentagon when he had his contacts in and makeup on. While Cariño was a strong woman, she had to be to be with Pentagon as long as she did, she could’t resist him sometimes. This was important to her so she needed to stand her ground. Pentagon had walked over to her, grabbed her chin in a firm but gentle grip, making her brown eyes meet his silver ones. Setting her phone aside she calmly repeated herself.       “I’m not going out with you tonight. I hate seeing you and Fenix go at it and I wont be a part of it.”  He held her chin a second longer then growled.       “Have it your way Cariño. If you want to act like a child then you can stay here and pout like one.” Pentagon whirled around and finished getting ready. She wouldn’t let him bait her into another fight. After weeks of arguing he must have known this was going to happen, that she would pull the last card she had in her arsenal. He called it childish, she saw it and making a statement. Many people thought that standing up to the infamous Pentagon Jr. was a death sentence, she herself believed that at first. After years of being together she found her courage to stand up to him when it really mattered, and this mattered a lot to Cariño.       “I’m sorry Penta, I’ll be here when you get back.” Pentagon said nothing, just grunted at her then slammed his locker room door shut.  Cariño heaved another unhappy sigh and turned on the television that played the live feed of the show. Just because she didn’t go down to the ring with Pentagon doesn’t mean she wouldn’t watch him. Cariño had been a fan on his long before she had met him at a random bar after a show. It was an instant attraction, one that had been sustained through out their relationship. Sighing once again she watched the match progress, her heart in her throat as the brothers put on an amazing match. She hated to admit when Pentagon was right, but the people in the crowd were loosing their minds, and after a while Cariño was as well. She couldn’t be happier that the crowd was backing Pentagon, admittedly she felt bad that Fenix wasn’t getting all the cheers like he normally did. There were a few risky spots, but that was to be expected in a lucha libre match. Once the match was over Cariño leapt up, so excited that Pentagon had won the and bolted for the door.       She was met with defining applause and cheers when she made her way ringside. The fans had gotten used to seeing her helping both brothers at different federations. Pentagon continued talking to the crowd, only shooting Cariño a sexy knowing smirk. He was right and there would be no living with him once they made it back to the hotel. Cariño listened to his speech in Spanish, letting the rolling R’s and deep timber of his voice carry her away and she was too distracted to see the group of men making their way to the ring behind her. Cariño suddenly was violently pushed out of the way, falling hard on the concrete floor. She lay there for a second, only hearing the sound of her own heartbeat thunder in her ears while she took stock of her body to see if anything was hurt. Once the ringing in her ears stopped she sat up and pulled herself to the ring apron and was horrified by what she saw. Both Fenix and Pentagon had their masks ripped off, their hands covering as much of their faces as they could. They were also trying to protect each other by crawling towards one another and fight of the 3 members of Los Mecenarios who were taunting them and taking turns stomping the brothers. With a distressed cry Cariño wasted no time in throwing herself into the ring and pulling both brothers to her body, trying to help shield their faces and protect their identities. She knew that their identities were very important to them, and their masks were sacred, how much they meant to both men. The screams and shouts of the crowd were deafening, the only sound rising above them was the ever present air horn. Los Mercenarios laughed at Cariño’s noble attempt to shield the Lucha Brothers. They came out to send a message, and Cariño was only in their way.       “Cariño what are you doing?” Fenix shouted, his face pressed into her shirt.       “Cariño you’re going to get yourself hurt, LEAVE!” Pentagon demanded at the same time. Cariño had shoved Pentagon’s face in the crook of her neck; arm behind the back of his head, his breath hot against her skin. Any other time it would be a huge distraction, but she was terrified for her loved ones. The simple fact that she couldn’t feel Pentagon’s mask against her skin made fat tears start to pool in her eyes. Never in a million years would she imagine herself in this scenario, it felt like a nightmare come to life. Even though both men were telling her to leave they kept their arms around her, anchoring themselves to her shaking body.       “Like I’m going to leave you,” Before she could add an insult to her sentence another sound ripped through the air, the loud crack of a thick bull rope coming down onto Cariño’s exposed back. She screamed in agony as the rope burned and worked its way into her tender flesh. Both brothers were cursing and shouting in their native tongue while trying to move her away from Texano’s vicious attacks. Cariño held her ground, she would have rather died than let her boys down. Texano and laughed wickedly and swung the rope down again and again, causing bright red burns to appear on her back and shoulders while the other Los Mercenarios taunted the Lucha Brothers. Suddenly the booing crowd began to cheer and part as a tornado of color drove Los Mecenarios out of the ring. Before Cariño knew what was happening she felt both brothers push themselves away from her protective body and she blindly reach for Pentagon, terrified that he was being ripped from her side. To stop her frantic movements Pentagon grabbed her hands in one of his, a comforting gesture to his panicked girlfriend. Due to her blurry tear-filled eyes she couldn’t see what was going on but when Pentagon’s masked face came into view she let out a happy wail. She could tell he was torn between seeking revenge and getting Cariño medical attention.       “Go.” She told him, making his decision for him. Penta carefully pushed her brown hair away from her sweaty forehead and tear stained face, and whispered.       “Stay still mi Cariño, I’ll be back.” With his hand cradling her face he placed a small kiss on her forehead, which drove the crowd into an even bigger frenzy. Pentagon then dove out of the ring to help the Psycho Circus and his brother, who also had regained his mask, destroy Los Mecenarios and get retribution for what they had done to the Lucha Brothers and Cariño.  Her back and shoulders were on fire and every breath she took made the ache even worse, but her boys identities were still secret and they had regained their masks. Cariño couldn’t help but laugh nervously as the adrenaline was starting to wear off and the pain was starting to make her feel woozy. The last thing she remember hearing was Pentagon cussing and the blair of dueling airhorns and her last thought was,       “Damn I hate those things” then the world went dark.       When Cariño awoke she was on her laying on her stomach, the scratchy bedspread and pillow indicated that Pentagon must have taken her back to their hotel room. Pressing the heal of her hand to her pounding head she went to push herself off of her stomach but was met with sore muscles and blinding pain.       “Cariño.” Pentagon’s deep voice came from behind her making her stop moving. He sat a glass of water down on the beside table and lowered himself gently to her side. “Here, take these.” a few pain relievers were thrust into her hand. She did as she was told, knowing an ass-chewing was about to commence so she would do as he said to make things easier on herself. “What were you thinking?” Pentagon said rather calmly, his silver eyes flying over her face. Cariño stayed on her stomach, nervously playing with the corner of her pillow case, trying to think of an answer Pentagon would accept.         “I couldn’t sit there and do nothing.” He growled and jumped up, pacing by her bedside.       “The hell you couldn’t!” He snapped back angrily running his hand over the top of his mask, playing with the tie that ran down the back. Cariño knew he did that only when he was really agitated, she had to tread carefully. To try and stall for time Cariño took a few small sips of her water and just watched Pentagon stalk by her bedside. “Fenix and I had it covered!” His comment caused Cariño to choke on the mouthful of water she had in her mouth, and against her better judgment she laughed in indignation.       “Had it covered? You two were no better than newborn babies out there!” As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted it, her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Now who had been spending too much time with LAX? She had let her mouth get her in trouble again. “Penta, I didn’t mean…”       “No” He looked at her with intense eyes “you may be right, but you had no business out there, getting yourself hurt to protect me and Fenix.” Pentagon would naturally blame himself for Cariño getting hurt, and it was time for her to open up and be truthful. With a smile Cariño slowly pushed herself up off the bed, throwing out a hand to stop Pentagon from trying to stop her. After a second she righted herself and looked up at Pentagon, the yellow glow from the bathroom lighting her serious face.       “It is my business, I have to protect those I love. You would do the very same thing, as a matter of fact you have! I’m not sorry for what I did. I love you Penta and I will always go to war for you.” Pentagon stood here for a minute, just looking at her face his eyes frantically drinking in her features. Suddenly he leaned forward, cradled her face in his hands and kissed her soft lips causing Cariño emit a small gasp. This was unexpected from the breaker of bones, but not unwelcome.       “Estupida.” He said once he pulled away from her, and shot a boyish grin her way. Cariño knew his insult wasn’t a malicious one, it was his way of ending the argument that there was no way either were going to win this pointless fight anymore.  She laughed at Pentagon and pulled him in for another kiss, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. It didn’t matter at that moment that he didn’t proclaim words of love and devotion back to her, because he showed it to her the rest of the night without saying a word.