#twitter: beyond wrestling

[ijustthinkevilunoisneat]

Ohh Uno has history with Beyond, can't wait for his Wrestling Open debut, this should be awesome

[adamcoled]

jealousy | rhea ripley

rhea ripley x fem!reader

summary: you and rhea aren’t anything official, but you’re still jealous upon seeing her flirt with others. 

word count: 3,838

warnings: just slight sexual implications i think?

a/n: WOW um okay hi, i haven’t posted writing on this blog in YEARS but i recently got fully back into wrestling and have developed such a love for rhea ripley. so i decided to start writing again, but it’s been so long this definitely isn’t my best work. here’s to getting back into the swing of things i hope! (also i know samantha is engaged to ricochet and ofc all of it is just character work, but it made for a good plot soo)

Rhea was a flirt. That much was true long before you, and it was certainly not a secret to most. She had the charm, and of course the looks, so people were naturally drawn to her, and she loved that. Flirting, to her, was fun – harmless fun, for the most part – and typically it never went beyond cheeky comments or tantalizing gestures.

So when Rhea began flirting with you, initially you didn’t think much of it and really had no reason to. She was attractive – incredibly attractive – and her voice could melt you instantly if you let it; but this was just her thing. At first, you would catch her staring at you backstage or at other company events. Then, she started making it a point to tell you how beautiful you looked each time she saw you. From there, you were texting a lot more and hanging out outside of schedule. But still, it was never anything official and they were never labeled as “dates,” which you internally hated yourself for forgetting.

Because now, you were jealous. A fiery red jealousy that had you feeling betrayed without the entitlement to do so. For some reason, you thought things seemed different between you and Rhea. She seemed more serious and attentive, even remembering small details you’d told her about things you enjoyed. You couldn’t imagine she did that for just anyone she happened to flirt with.

Yet there you were last night, scrolling through Twitter and seeing endless posts about Rhea and Samantha. Rhea was being her usual flirty self, smiling, blowing kisses, and surely winking beneath those glasses, and it was obvious Samantha was enjoying it. Even worse, there were also comment threads with Cathy, and you knew it was all lighthearted, but it still made you feel some type of way.

You liked Rhea. A lot actually. Maybe that’s why you wanted to believe she liked you too and treated you differently from the rest. Clearly, you were wrong. And you weren’t going to be strung along in a game or play along with silly flirting when you genuinely hoped for more with her. That’s why now that she was here in front of you, you were going to be as indifferent as possible.

“Hey pretty girl,” Rhea greeted, smile beaming as always. She had finally found you backstage after you’d made it a point to not respond to some of her texts. It didn’t seem like she was too upset or phased by that judging by the greeting she’d given you.

“Hey,” you responded with only a half-smile of your own. That was something she definitely picked up on, because you swore you’d never seen her face fall faster.

“Are you alright?”

“Hm?” you hummed, dropping your attention back to your phone. Usually, she would have your full focus, but you were making every attempt to emphasize your feigned disinterest. “I’m fine, what’s up?” 

Rhea used her thumb and forefinger to grip your chin and tilt it upwards, forcing your gaze towards her rather than your phone screen. Hastily, she studied your face as if she would be able to read your thoughts merely by doing so; with her eyes looking you over so intently, you felt your face heating up quickly. 

“You seem off,” she finally commented, her finger tracing along your jawline from your chin before finally dropping back down to her side. You immediately missed the feeling of her touch against your skin, but that was something you would have to subdue. One thing you noticed was that Rhea seemed genuinely concerned, her eyebrows downturned and the smile she always wore - around you at least - nowhere in sight. 

“No, Rhea, I’m really okay,” you shrugged. 

“Then why are you acting like you can’t wait to get away from me?” 

Her bluntness shouldn’t have come as a shock to you, but you were still taken aback when she asked so outright. While she usually oozed confidence, that seemed to be lost now. And it almost made you think you had been right about the two of you all along. But then you remembered how content she looked in those videos with Samantha, and how easily she could flirt with someone else when you had secretly been turning down advances in hopes there would be a real chance at a relationship between you and Rhea. 

“I’m not acting like that. I really don’t care if you’re around or not,” you lied, and it was meant to sound nonchalant and unbothered but you silently cursed yourself for making it come out more aggressively. 

“You don’t care?” she repeated incredulously, almost in disbelief of how drastically you changed. Just a few days ago, you were telling her how much you adored her smile with her head in your lap. Now, she couldn’t figure out why you wanted nothing to do with her - and it was crushing her. 

“Listen, can we please talk about this later? The show’s about to start and the Judgment Day is up first, I don’t want you thinking about this out there.” 

“Are we really gonna talk later?” Rhea questioned. “Or is that your cop out to avoid it altogether?”

And you hated her for knowing you so well, because it was partially your dread of the conversation. Still, you didn’t think it was a good idea to have it right before she was slated to go speak in front of thousands of people. At this point, she was frowning, yet still staring right through you. 

“We’ll talk,” you promised.

“I have your word? Whatever’s going on is important to me. It really is, Y/N.” 

The resolve of indifference you had was all but faded upon hearing how sincerely Rhea cared. You didn’t want to be just another game for her, but it was proving far too difficult for you to ignore your internal feelings. And she looked too pretty standing there, worried about you and looking at you in a way that made you feel naked beneath her eyes. Not in a sexually demanding way - not in the way too many people do - but in a way where you felt like she saw your very soul. 

“Find me after the show?” you asked. “I’ll let you take me back to the hotel. Can’t exactly hide from my ride.” 

You finally smiled wholeheartedly after making that joke, and Rhea had never been so happy to see a smile before. For a moment, she felt like everything was fine. 

“Yeah, I’ll find you, angel.”

-

From backstage, you watched as Rhea walked out with the Judgment Day and cut a promo just as good as any other, if not better. It was impossible to tell the kind of conversation you two had shortly beforehand, and for that you were grateful. You weren’t sure you could remain as unphased as her, and seeing as you had a match tonight as well, you made it a point to avoid any further interactions with her during show hours. Busying yourself with your phone, Rhea still found a way to affect you when you saw her name flash across the top of your screen, indicating a text. 

From: rhea :) 

Good luck tonight ❤️

Half inclined to simply leave her on delivered, you hesitantly opened it and sent back a “thanks.” Following the Judgment Day’s segment, the rest of the show seemed to go by quickly, your own match fast approaching. While you were waiting in gorilla to make your entrance, you saw flashes of jet black hair out of the corner of your eye. A subtle glance over revealed it to be Rhea, naturally, standing there talking with Damian. Call it coincidence, or - the more likely case - call it Rhea’s tendency to be methodical with her actions. And like clockwork, her eyes met your own, leaving you no time to look away before she was grinning at you slyly. You thought perhaps her getting into character in front of the WWE Universe took away much of the previous unease and disappointment she felt during your earlier conversation. Because before, she seemed well and truly worried about the state of you, and you were sure she still was to some extent, but now her confidence had returned. 

You had hardly any time to process it before you had to walk out, your theme hitting just as Rhea set her focus back on the man in front of her. That stupid, beautiful smile you thought to yourself. Right now, though, you needed to worry about your match against Zoey Stark, especially since you knew Rhea would be watching attentively. 

Once the match began, you fell right back into your element. Zoey was a fierce opponent, but you had a fire beneath you and after a well-fought match on both sides, you came out victorious. You were feeling extremely proud of both yours and Zoey’s performance and partially hoped Rhea had watched the whole thing.

(She absolutely did). 

Returning backstage, you noticed Rhea was now nowhere in sight. Your match was towards the last hour of Raw, however, which meant you wouldn’t have much time to kill before you’d have to meet up with her anyways. Thankfully, you found Liv, one of your closest friends on the roster, and knew you could spend the remaining time talking with her about anything and everything - the primary topic of discussion being you and Rhea.

“It’s just like, I think things are different with me and her,” you began, to which Liv nodded in agreement. “But then I see how she acts with other people, and I’m not so sure. Am I being delusional for thinking that way?” 

“You’d be delusional if you thought otherwise! The girl is a flirt, sure, but she practically fawns over you at any given moment and is always asking about you,” Liv countered. All too often, she’d be the one Rhea would come to when she wanted to find out your whereabouts, as if Liv had a constant read on you at all times. You knew that to be true, but it still wasn’t total reassurance.

“You’re right, I guess. And I kinda told her I’d ride with her to the hotel so we could talk, sooo,” you revealed.

“I thought we were riding together?” Liv questioned, only slightly upset to be losing her driving buddy. If she had to make that sacrifice to advance things between you and Rhea, she’d accept it wholeheartedly. Just as you opened your mouth to apologize, someone else’s voice interrupted. A certain Australian accent. 

“I’m sorry, did I steal Y/N away for the night?” Rhea quipped, placing her hand on the small of your back where Liv wouldn’t see. 

“Actually, I’m willingly handing her over so that you two can figure your mess out.” 

“Well, thank you so very much for that,” Rhea smiled, seeming genuinely appreciative. She redirected her attention from Liv to you. “Told you I’d find ya. You ready to go?” 

You glanced down at your phone, not even realizing how much time had passed with you and Liv chatting. The show was nearing the end, and Rhea already had her bag by her side, meanwhile you hadn’t even gotten your stuff together yet.

“I gotta go get my stuff real quick. You wanna wait here for me? I’ll be quick.”

“I can wait,” Rhea nodded, to which you took off with a promise to be no more than ten minutes. Once you were out of earshot, Liv had a few comments for the taller, raven-haired woman.

“I hope you do right by her.”

“Didn’t realize I’d done wrong,” Rhea retorted, confusedly. “...Have I done wrong?” 

Liv only shrugged, though she really did believe Rhea was unaware of how she’d unintentionally hurt you. “Nothing that can’t be fixed, I think.” 

“Liv,” Rhea started, her face becoming more serious. “I really like her.” 

“Then make sure she knows that.” 

- 

When you gathered everything and found your way back to Rhea, Liv was long gone and Rhea was leaned against the wall, her eyes shifted down and transfixed on her phone as she absentmindedly scrolled through Twitter. She looked too good even just standing there in her own world. But before you could admire her for much longer, she heard you approaching and glanced up from her phone, shoving it into her pocket immediately upon realizing it was you.

“Ready now, princess?”

The nickname rolled off her tongue so easily, yet it had your cheeks heating up within seconds. You nodded, following behind as she led the way to her car. Outside, she popped the trunk for each of you to toss your bags inside, and then she made sure to open the passenger door for you as well; it was the little gestures like that that made your heart flutter and your feelings for her to grow even stronger. 

“Well, I just wanna start by saying you were amazing tonight,” Rhea complimented once she had settled into the driver’s seat. 

“Thank you,” you giggled. “You watched it?” 

“From start to finish, like always.”

She diverted her attention from the road towards you for a moment, taking notice of how much your face lit up after hearing that. And it wasn’t like she was lying just to make you feel good, either, because she did genuinely watch you each time you stepped into the ring, and she admired you heavily. 

“I don’t believe you,” you laughed, although you only slightly meant that. 

“I’m serious! Ask Damian or Dom, they’ll vouch,” Rhea exclaimed, pushing her hair back as she did. You weren’t quite sure what to say now, because one, you were feeling quite flustered knowing this, and two, you could only ignore the real reason you were sat in her car for so long. She took note of your silence and decided to tackle the subject head-on, a brazen move from her as always. “You don’t seem like you hate my guts now, at least.” 

You rolled your eyes and chuckled at this. 

“You’re being dramatic. I never acted like I hated you.” 

“Slightly detested my presence?” she tried again, clearly joking at this point. While things seemed so perfect in this moment, you couldn’t help but think back to everything you’d seen flooding your Twitter timeline and how silly you’d felt for being so upset by it. As much as you liked Rhea, as much as it appeared she liked you, the harmless flirting had really gotten to you and forced you to reconsider much of what you thought. You weren’t even quite sure how to ask everything you wanted to ask, and you were admittedly fearful of rejection. But the only thing worse than rejection is never knowing. 

“What do you think about me, Rhea?” 

She was taken aback by this, you could tell, because she opened her mouth to speak several times but didn’t let any words out. To her, it was because she didn’t really know how to put it into words; there were so many things she thought about you, so many ways you made her feel, but it had been a confusing thing for her to navigate, unsure of your own feelings.

“I think you’re incredible, amazing in the ring, beautiful and kind but still assertive and badass,” she answered, hoping she’d said all the right things. Truthfully, that was only a small fraction of what she thought regarding you, but she was still holding back. Liv’s words repeated in her head, and she knew if she didn’t make it clear tonight, she may never get that chance again. 

“And what do you think about someone like Samantha, or Cathy?” 

You had caught her off guard again, the randomness of your question completely perplexing her. She hadn’t a clue why either of those two would be relevant, because - in her eyes - she had already basically forgotten the silly interactions they’d had. It still hadn’t pieced together in her mind that you were even the slightest bit jealous. 

“They’re great,” she stated plainly. “Why?”

It was really now or never, you felt like. You had fed her pieces of the story, now she definitely wouldn’t stop until you told her everything, which undoubtedly included your own feelings. Rhea was focused primarily on the road, but she made sure to spare glances your way every so often, and each time you arrived at a red light, that focus was solely on you. She wanted to both try to read your expression and show you she was really, truly listening and wanting to hear what you had to say.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous,” you confessed.

“Jealous?” she repeated, even more confused now than before. But she noticed the way you retreated into yourself, suddenly finding more interest in your fingers. You could no longer look her in the eye, feeling nervous about the information you’d now divulged. This certainly didn’t deter Rhea, though, as she placed her right hand on your thigh and traced light circles with her thumb. “Why were you jealous?”

“I don’t know…it was dumb, I guess. I just saw the videos of you and Samantha, and then Cathy’s Tweets, and it made me feel like everything is just a game to you.” 

Her thumb movement stopped, and instead she squeezed your thigh lightly, causing you to lift your head back up to look at her. She was already looking right back, admiring how beautiful you looked with the moonlight creeping into the car and a shyness about you she wasn’t used to. 

“You’re right, that is dumb,” she affirmed. “Because do you think I know Samantha or Cathy’s top three favorite movies? Or their specific Starbucks order? The way they like their pizza? Do you think I’ve memorized all those things for anyone other than you?” 

Before you could answer, Rhea moved her fingers to your wrist and asked you to push up your sleeve, which you did. She tapped directly on a birthmark of yours without even looking. 

“Do you think I know each of their freckles and birthmarks?” 

You were dumbfounded, at a loss for words with how much she really noticed about you. And that was only scratching the surface. While your flirtation had only started within the last few months, she had known you for years and had plenty of time to take notice of all these little things no one else would. Because she always had a soft spot for you, but you were in a long-term relationship for most of the time you’d known her, and she would never be one to overstep any boundaries. 

“I just felt hurt thinking I may be falling for someone who only sees me as another person to mess around with,” you told her, taking note of how gentle her eyes were in this moment. She felt awful that she had hurt you, even unintentionally, and cursed herself for not being more aware and mindful. You weren’t committed to each other, but she still felt like she had made a mistake engaging in any kind of behavior that would make her feelings for you seem misguided. 

“Y/N, I promise you how I interact with just about anyone else is entirely me in character,” she comforted. “I’m sorry for making you second guess that, but I’ve never felt realer emotions than I do with you. It’s like I can be me, just me. And I love that you make me feel that way.”

“I love when you’re just you, Rhea.” 

“Then I’ll keep being just me, if I can start calling you just mine.” 

Rhea was undoubtedly nervous asking you so boldly, but she was so damn happy to do so. She was staring at you hopefully, looking happier than you’d seen her since her WrestleMania win. And you were just as happy, not even realizing you had gotten to the hotel and had been parked for a minute or two now. Your entire focus was on her, eyes filled with adoration while she waited for your answer.

“I’ve basically been yours, I just needed you to be mine,” you beamed. 

“I’m yours, love,” Rhea affirmed. “You are so damn beautiful.” 

You wanted to instinctively look away, still feeling flustered even after the months of flirting and now technically being in a defined relationship. But Rhea knew you too well and gripped your chin before you could do so, keeping your face towards hers. Neither of you could get rid of the smiles you wore, too overwhelmed with happiness and adoration and love. 

“Can I kiss you?” Rhea asked, eyes darting from your own to your lips. You nodded, and that was all it took for her to be all over you. Her lips melted into your own, and everything felt so right. Each time you pulled away, you were reconnected within seconds, physically unable to keep apart, both of you awaiting this moment for too long. You felt her smiling into the kiss, which in turn made you smile, and then you were two smiling, giggly messes. Finally, she pulled away for good (but not without one final peck) and laughed when she saw you pouting. She opened her door and made her way to yours hastily, scooping you out of your seat before you could even react. Then, you were pinned against the car with your legs around her waist. 

“I’ll take you to your room?” she offered, placing feathery kisses along your jaw. 

“My room?” 

She laughed at how offended you sounded. “Our room?”

“Mhmm,” you confirmed. “You’re not getting away from me now, Ripley.”

You unhooked your legs from her waist and she carefully released her hold, allowing you to plant your feet back onto the solid ground. She followed you to the back of the car, popping open the trunk; you leaned forward to reach your bag, and Rhea - sly as ever - took this opportunity to smack your ass, only light enough to be a tease. Once you’d grabbed your bag and stood straight up, she was smirking, all too aware of her actions. 

“Now why would I want to get away from you, baby?” 

From then on, you both knew you’d be stuck with each other, practically inseparable and surely obnoxiously in love around all your friends - which they didn’t really mind, because seeing you so happy together was more than worth it. Rhea made sure to tone down her persona a bit out of respect for you, even though you reassured her you didn’t mind too much now knowing she was yours at the end of the day. Still, you couldn’t deny that you were more elated to scroll through your socials and see videos of interactions between you and Rhea rather than her and anyone else; and it definitely helped that she loved letting the cameras know you were hers.

[mengjue]

What's Happening in China? The November 2022 Protests

Hello! I know that there's so much going on in the world right now, so not everyone may be aware of what is happening in China right now. I thought that I would try to write a brief explainer, because the current wave of protests is truly unprecedented in the past 30+ years, and there is a lot of fear over what may happen next. For context, I'm doing this as someone who has a PhD in Asian Studies specialising in contemporary Chinese politics, so I don't know everything but I have researched China for many years.

I'll post some decent links at the end along with some China specialists & journalists I follow on Twitter (yeah I know, but it's still the place for the stuff at the moment). Here are the bullet points for those who just want a brief update:

Xi Jinping's government is still enacting a strict Zero Covid policy enforced by state surveillance and strict lockdowns.

On 24 November a fire in an apartment in Urumqi, Xinjiang province, killed 10. Many blamed strict quarantine policies on preventing evacuation.

Protests followed and have since spread nationwide.

Protesters are taking steps not seen since Tiananmen in 1989, including public chants for Xi and the CCP to step down.

Everyone is currently unsure how the government will respond.

More in-depth discussion and links under the cut:

First a caveat: this is my own analysis/explanation as a Chinese politics specialist. I will include links to read further from other experts and journalists. Also, this will be quite long, so sorry about that!

China's (aka Xi Jinping's) Covid Policy:

The first and most important context: Xi has committed to a strict Zero Covid policy in China, and has refused to change course. Now, other countries have had similar approaches and they undoubtedly saved lives - I was fortunate to live in New Zealand until this year, and Prime Minister Ardern's Zero Covid approach in 2020-2021 helped protect many. The difference is in the style/scope of enforcement, the use of vaccines, and the variant at play. China has stepped up its control on public life over the past 10 years, and has used this to enforce strict quarantine measures without full regard to the impact on people's lives - stories of people not getting food were common. Quarantine has also become a feared situation, as China moves people to facilities often little better than prisons and allegedly without much protection from catching Covid within. A personal friend in Zhengzhou went through national, then provincial, then local quarantines when moving back from NZ, and she has since done her best to avoid going back for her own mental and physical health. Xi has also committed China to its two home-grown vaccines, Sinovac and Sinopharm, both of which have low/dubious efficacy and are considered ineffective against new variants. Finally, with delta and then omicron most of the Zero-Covid countries have modified their approach due to the inability to maintain zero cases. China remains the only country still enacting whole-city eradication lockdowns, and they have become more frequent to the point that several are happening at any given time. The result is a population that is incredibly frustrated and losing hope amidst endless lockdowns and perceived ineffectiveness to address the pandemic.

Other Issues at Play:

Beyond the Covid situation, China is also wrestling with the continued slowdown in its economic growth. While its economic rise and annual GDP growth was nigh meteoric from the 80s to the 00s, it has been slowing over the past ten years, and the government is attempting to manage the transition away from an export-oriented economy to a more fully developed one. However, things are still uncertain, and Covid has taken its toll as it has elsewhere the past couple of years. Youth unemployment in particular is reaching new highs at around 20%, and Xi largely ignored this in his speech at the Party Congress in October (where he entered an unprecedented third term). As a result of the perceived uselessness of China's harsh work culture and its failure to result in a better life, many young Chinese have been promoting 躺平 tǎng píng or "lying flat", aka doing the bare minimum just to get by (similar to the English "quiet quitting"). The combination of economic issues and a botched Covid approach is important, as these directly affect the lives of ordinary middle-class Chinese, and historical it has only been when this occurred that mass movements really took off. The most famous, Tiananmen in 1989, followed China's opening up economic reforms and the dismantling of many economic safety nets allowing for growing inequality. While movements in China often grow to include other topics, having a foundation in something negatively impacting the average Han Chinese person's livelihood is important.

The Spark - 24 Nov 2022 Urumqi Apartment Fire:

The current protests were sparked by a recent fire that broke out in a flat in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang province. (This is the same Xinjiang that is home to the Uighur people, against whom China has enacted a campaign of genocide and cultural destruction.) The fire occurred in the evening and resulted in 10 deaths, which many online blamed on the strict lockdown measures imposed by officials, who prevented people from leaving their homes. It even resulted in a rare public apology by city officials. However, with anger being so high nationwide, in addition to many smaller protests that have occurred over the past two years, this incident has ignited a nationwide movement.

The Protests and Their Significance:

The protests that have broken out over the past couple of days representing the largest and most significant challenge to the leadership since the 1989 Tiananmen movement. Similar to that movement, these protests have occurred at universities and cities across the country, with many students taking part openly. This scale is almost unseen in China, particularly for an anti-government protest. Other than Tiananmen in 1989, the most widespread movements that have occurred have been incidents such as the protest of the 1999 Belgrade bombings or the 2005 and then 2012 anti-Japanese protests, all of which were about anger toward a foreign country.

Beyond the scale the protests are hugely significant in their message as well. Protesters are publicly shouting the phrases "习近平下台 Xí Jìnpíng xiàtái!" and "共产党 下台 Gòngchǎndǎng xiàtái!", which mean "Xi Jinping, step down/resign!" and "CCP, step down/resign!" respectively. To shout a direct slogan for the government to resign is unheard of in China, particularly as Xi has tightened control of civil society. And people are doing this across the country in the thousands, openly and in front of police. This is a major challenge for a leader and party who have prioritised regime stability as a core interest for the majority of their history.

Looking Ahead:

Right now, as of 15:00 Australian Eastern time on Monday, 28 November 2022, the protests are only in their first couple of days and we are unsure as to how the government will respond. Police have already been seen beating protesters and journalists and dragging them away in vehicles. However, in many cases the protests have largely been monitored by police but still permitted to occur. There seems to be uncertainty as to how they want to respond just yet, and as such no unified approach.

Many potential outcomes exist, and I would warn everyone to be careful in overplaying what can be achieved. Most experts I have read are not really expecting this to result in Xi's resignation or regime change - these things are possible, surely, but it is a major task to achieve and the unity & scale of the protest movement remains to be fully seen. The government may retaliate with a hard crackdown as it has done with Tiananmen and other protests throughout the years. It may also quietly revamp some policies without publicly admitting a change in order to both pacify protesters and save face. The CCP often uses mixed tactics, both coopting and suppressing protest movements over the years depending on the situation. Changing from Zero Covid may prove more challenging though, given how much Xi has staked his political reputation on enforcing it.

What is important for everyone online, especially those of us abroad, is to watch out for the misinformation campaign the government will launch to counter these protests. Already twitter is reportedly seeing hundreds of Chinese bot accounts mass post escort advertisements using various city names in order to drown out protest results in the site's search engine. Chinese officials will also likely invoke the standard narrative of Western influence and CIA tactics as the reason behind the protests, as they did during the Hong Kong protests.

Finally, there will be a new surge of misinformation and bad takes from tankies, or leftists who uncritically support authoritarian regimes so long as they are anti-US. An infamous one, the Qiao Collective, has already worked to shift the narrative away from the protests and onto debating the merits of Zero Covid. This is largely similar to pro-Putin leftists attempting the justify his invasion of Ukraine. Always remember that the same values that you use to criticise Western countries should be used to criticise authoritarian regimes as well - opposing US militarism and racism, for example, is not incompatible with opposing China's acts of genocide and state suppression. If you want further info (and some good sardonic humour) on the absurd takes and misinfo from pro-China tankies, I would recommend checking out Brian Hioe in the links below.

Finally, keep in mind that this is a grass-roots protest made by people in China, who are putting their own lives at risk to demonstrate openly like this. There have already been so many acts of bravery by those who just want a better future for themselves and their country, and it is belittling and disingenuous to wave away everything they are doing as being just a "Western front" or a few "fringe extremists".

Links:

BBC live coverage page with links to analysis and articles

ABC (Australia) analysis

South China Morning Post analysis

Experts & Journalists to Check Out:

Brian Hioe - Journalist & China writer, New Bloom Magazine

Bonnie Glaser - China scholar, German Marshall Fund

Vicky Xu - Journalist & researcher, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Stephen McDonnell - Journalist, BBC

M Taylor Fravel - China scholar, MIT

New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre - NZ's hub of China scholarship (I was fortunate to attend their conferences during my PhD there, they do great work!)

If you've reached the end I hope this helps with understanding what's going on right now! A lot of us who know friends and whanau in China are worried for their safety, so please spread the word and let's hope that there is something of a positive outcome ahead.

[bullet-clubs-bitch]

The secret’s out

Summary: When jealousy and drama starts backstage it escalates too far when your relationship with Christian Cage gets revealed  *Mentions of jealousy, broken nose, drama, swearing and protective Christian*   *Characters: Christian Cage X Wrestler Fem reader, [other: Christian’s daughter Isla, Kris Statlander and the gossiper LuFisto]*  An: Hope you enjoy this one, I had fun writing it (Y/W/N = stands for Your Wrestling Name) Word count: 1953

Main Masterlist. Christian Cage Masterlist Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Christian and I have been dating for the past few months and it has been amazing. At first I was a bit nervous getting into the relationship mainly based on what people would say about it. I know a 17 year age gap sounds like a lot but I am a grown ass woman. For god sakes I am 33 years old and it doesn’t even feel like there is 17 years between us. Christian is in amazing shape and everyone knows that older men do it better than the younger one if you know what I mean. Regardless Christian and I agreed to keep our relationship under the radar for the moment. 

Although Christian acts like a bad guy on tv the truth is he is a sweetheart behind closed doors. The past few weeks have been extremely difficult for everyone. Everyone in AEW had been stressed for multiple different reasons. Last week I had a match with LuFisto and during the match she dropped me on my head and towards the end of the match she broke my nose. The match had been the final straw and, surprise surprise, LuFisto was released from AEW a few days later. Since then I’ve had to deal with her talking shit on twitter blaming me for everything.

“Hey Honey” Christian said as he entered our bedroom. “How’s your face doing? I brought you some crackers and cheese. That’s something that’s easy to eat!” It made me laugh how sweet he was being, no one would believe me if I told them how much of a sweetheart he was behind closed doors. “Y/n, I thought I told you to stop looking at those comments” Christian knew about the comments in fact he was one of the people who showed me them in the first place. I bet he’s regretting that. “It’s not your fault ya know” He said as he sat down next to me on the bed. 

“I know it’s not my fault but what did I do to her?” The truth was that I hated LuFisto, I always had. She was unsafe to work with and not to mention she was extremely jealous of all the women backstage. It wasn't our fault that she was 43 and still hasn’t received her ‘big break’. 

Just because no one liked her it didn’t mean that she had to try and purposely hurt her opponents so she could try and steal our spot. I didn’t even want to have the match with her. She had made a stink on twitter for a shot at my ROH Women's world championship, I didn’t want the match to happen no one did but for the sake of having more drama Tony Khan had the match approved. 

The plan was always for me to win and retain my title but of course she didn’t like that so I guess the only solution was to break my nose? What the heck. “Y/n you did nothing, she's just jealous that you are a champion and she is not” Christian told me truthfully. “I know but that bitch broke my nose because she was ‘jealous’ like who does that?” I was beyond frustrated, this little stunt she pulled would mean that I would be out of action for 4-6 weeks while my nose healed. It was LuFisto’s fault for being so careless with her opponents that cost her her job. 

All of this drama wasn’t going to ruin my weekend. Christian had the weekend free from Collison and wanted to spend time with me, making sure that I was ok. We spent the weekend going for cute lunch dates, baking and we even took Christians daughter on a mini hike in the big forest that we loved. 

Monday soon came and I was up early making lunch for Christians daughter so she could bring it to school. Just then I got a call from one of my best friends, the current TBS Champion Kris Statlander. “Hey Y/n” I could tell from the tone in her voice that something was wrong. “Hey Kris, is everything ok? I said “Whatcha dooinggggg” Kris had avoided my question “Not much I’m making Isla’s lunch for school, trying my best to figure out this step mother thing” Although Isla wasn’t my own I still treated her like she was. Christian and I were both hesitant on how she would react. I wanted her to know that I wasn’t trying to replace her real Mom or anything and that I was just someone she could talk to and hang out with. 

“Uh huh yeah, that’s great you are doing great with that really proud of you man” Something was definitely up. “Ok Kris, spill it. What’s up? There is definitely something going on. You are acting really weird”  At this point I had finished making Isla her lunch and packing all of her things she would need for school. “Ok so, I don’t really know how to say this but-” Before she could finish her sentence I heard Christian calling me from the other room. “Wait a second Kris, hold that thought” I brought Isla her backpack and said my goodbyes to ger and Christian he asked who I was talking to, when I told him it was Kris he smiled and told me to say hi which I of course did. 

“Sorry about that Kris, what was that you were saying?” Silence “Um, I’m not really sure how to say this but you know how LuFisto has been talking shit?” Oh god what did she do now “Yeah….” At this point I was nervous, I didn’t need to deal with more shit right now. “Um well, just look at what I sent you. I’m really sorry Y/n” Sorry, what was she sorry for. Now I was terrified. 

I clicked on the link that Kris sent me and it took me to an article on some wrestling news website saying ‘Christian Cage and Y/W/N have been secretly dating for months. All of the latest AEW gossip on the relationship and just how Y/W/N is in real life here’ 

I felt my stomach drop. How did she know and more importantly why did she feel the need to tell everyone about it. The article talked about the relationship between Christian and I and how I was only sleeping with him to better my career. I could feel my eyes water at that statement, I would never sleep with someone for a stupid title. I had become a 7 time champion on my own before Christian and I had even begun dating. “You, ok?” I heard a saddened Kris on the other line. “Um, yeah. I just don’t really know what to say” I told her. “Well if you need anything I’m always going to be here for you alright” I tried to hide my now scratchy voice “Thank you Kris for telling me about this, I’ll talk to you later!” With that I hung up the phone and let my tears flow. 

The article also contained a link to a twitter post, when I clicked on it of course it took me to a video on LuFisto’s page. “I bet you guys didn’t know this but Y/n and Christian have secretly been dating for months. I think it honestly discussing. I mean there are 17 years between the two of them. Does Y/n have no self respect? I bet she's only sleeping with him to keep that stupid title that she doesn’t deserve. I honestly think she cried to her sugar daddy because her nose got a little bloody and that's why I got fired. Not to mention that-” 

I couldn't even finish the video. It made me sick to my stomach, it wasn’t that we were hiding our relationship but we weren't exactly telling people about it. Some people backstage knew about it but we weren't ready to announce it to the world yet. Too late because it was announced for us.  At the bottom of the article had some photos of us together, some were backstage and some were not. The most recent one was of Christian, Isla and I just the other day walking on the boardwalk. I was pretty sure I saw LuFisto but blamed my imagination and the heavy drugs I was on due to my broken nose. Was she stalking me? 

Just then I was brought out of my trance by a very worried Christian. “Hey Y/n I’m home” Christian yelled as he walked through the door. He saw me sitting on a chair in the kitchen with tears in my eyes when he asked “What’s wrong honey? Why are you crying?” I looked at Christian who had knelt on the floor putting his hands on my thighs. I was too upset to even form a proper sentence so I just showed him the article on my phone. 

Christian took the phone from my hand and I watched as his face fell. “What the fuck is this” He asked me “That’s what I said, that’s not even the worst part. Look at the video and images” I could see the anger growing in his eyes. “Now why the fuck would she do something like this?” At this point he was yelling. “I don’t know, what did I do to her” I respond in tears 

“Oh baby, this has nothing to do with you and I’m sure you know that. This girl obviously has some serious issues” Christian had calmed down a bit once he saw how upset I was. He gave me a hug and placed a kiss on my temple. “What are we going to do?” I asked him, “look at the comments people are praising you for getting with me but are calling me a whore for sleeping with you. You know I would never use you for championship opportunities right?” I knew he knew I would never do such a thing but I needed reassurance. 

“Trust me I know, you have been one of the top women’s wrestlers for the past 10 years Y/n. I don’t think there would be anything I could do to help you with your career.” His words were true but didn’t answer my question of what we would do next. “If you want I can say something” I wanted to take Christian up on the offer but knew it would make things worse. 

“No, that’s ok” 

“Are you sure, because I really don’t mind it. It would put that bitch in her place” 

“It’s ok Christian, I honestly think it would make things worse”

“Okay then, I love you Y/n, you know that right. I love you so much and I would do anything to protect you” 

“I love you too, Christian” 

“Don’t worry love, we will figure this out. I promise, everything will be alright” 

Christian held me in his arms and continued to trace circles on my back and place small kisses onto my shoulder. I knew he was right, everything would be ok. I loved Christian so much, I wasn’t going to let some jealous girl get in the way of a beautiful relationship that just began

[gaypiratebrainrot]

Hi! I have a question about wfu and specifically about the tags. I'm among those who have always read it exclusively as rpf (and I'm completely okay with it) and I was curious about what prompted you to tag it also as stede/ed. Was it just because of the names swapping? Or was it a choice to make it all meta-ish? I find it super interesting either way, and the fic itself is amazing

hi! thank you so much for this question and your kind words!

"is this rpf?" was always a central question of wfu, and one that i wrestled with a lot on my own while writing it. an intended part of the thought experiment was to publish it in a way where "is this rpf?" remained an open question for the reader to answer for themselves. my first beta had a strong knee-jerk reaction that the text was rpf, like, as early as the scene where they're having drinks on the back porch, leaving comments like "this is definitely rpf". at that point, i actually made a second doc where i swapped the names back and considered publishing it as regular rpf. instead, at the encouragement of my beta, i added two small additional meta scenes to the stede/ed version (the conversation with jim, wee john, and frenchie at the party, and then the bit at ed's house when ed and stede are crying on the couch and ed brings up fan fiction again), and gave that to a second beta.

my second beta had a strong knee-jerk reaction in the other direction, to the point where they didn't even think i needed to tag it rhys/taika. that was when i knew the thought experiment was going to work--it wasn't that either beta was right or wrong, but that every reader was going to have their own unique reaction to the text and whether it was rpf, an actor au, or some secret third thing. it was an extremely cool moment in my life and i will never forget it.

i decided to tag it as stede/ed, rhys/taika, RPF, and Actor AU, because i suspected as long as i did not definitively say what it was, there would be readers who would read it as just rpf or just an actor au. and this is exactly what happened, and continues to happen; there is a pretty wild diversity of interpretations and justifications for why wfu reads exclusively as either rpf or an au, in addition to everyone experiencing some secret third thing. it's really beautiful and i think there's a lot to be learned about how different people engage with and negotiate the relationship between fiction and reality.

and then there's also just the readers-finding-it-on-ao3 factor of tagging a fic: lots of people who never read rhys/taika love wfu as a stede/ed fic, and also if you love rhys/taika, you'd probably be happy to stumble across wfu in the rhys/taika tag. of course, there was also a small twitter wank when i published it from a few people who, it seems, did not engage with anything else about the fic beyond seeing the rpf tag and strapping into their moral superiority outrage pants. this too was beautiful, because what lovely experimental evidence of what incurious, reactionary morality will lead you to miss about all the vast murky gray of the world.

[nakanotamu]

GOD okay, so. The Stardom Situation. I'm bored at work so I guess this is The Post. I was going to write my thoughts about the new stuff but then just summing everything up got so long and I never wrote that summary post I meant to so I think I'll make two posts instead. jk it's going to be three posts so here is the current situation post and my own personal thoughts about all this are here. Okay, so

Last year around April, then-Stardom president Harada takes Rossy off of booking and apparently stops listening to his advice. Harada sucked, he didn't get the appeal of pro wrestling, seemingly mostly trying to push it as advertising and going for things like their stupid NFT collab. He also pushes a schedule on the roster that isn't workable or healthy, leading to rampant injuries up and down the card. He stops listening to the roster - Giulia came out and said that Rossy's style of booking is to let the wrestlers start what stories they want to themselves, and then book what he thinks would be good from among that. But under Harada, matches just got booked out of the blue without even talking to the wrestlers about it. A particularly egregious example Giulia pointed out was when Ami challenged her for her title and she told her to earn a title shot. Then days later it's announced on twitter that Ami's title shot is coming up in two weeks. Giulia was vocal on twitter about it at the time, saying "What show are you watching?!" and I remember commenting a lot that it felt like Stardom was suddenly being booked by someone who wasn't even watching the shows. Beyond that even the matches themselves aren't being run by the wrestlers, with Giulia mentioning no one telling them what was in the boxes in the money ball match last year and the hazard that presented.

Now, some of this stuff may have been worked - like, I think probably Ami and Giulia knew they had a title match they were supposed to work up to, and the frustration isn't actually that Ami was given it before she "earned" it, but that they weren't given a chance to actually build the feud they were trying to. I think it's worth remembering during stuff like all this that in Japanese wrestling we get pretty much no pure "shoot" interviews or news like you'd get in America. None, like, for real please learn to understand that you shouldn't trust dirt sheets and that almost no one ever 100% shoots in puro. But that said, the interview Giulia gave about this stuff was pretty much the closest to shoot I had ever seen from a Japanese wrestler, short of, like, maybe when Ibushi came forward about what happened to him in New Japan.

On top of that, apparently from Harada on down, Bushiroad staff were incredibly dismissive of the wrestlers and largely ignored them, seemingly seeing themselves as the company and the actual roster as just, I don't even know, some disposable resource and not the entire reason any of them even had a job. Just very backwards thinking, that the real work is running the shows, but as long as you put a show on people will just come to see anybody. Which, lmao, well that didn't work.

This came out when Stardom had a holiday show that needed to be slightly rescheduled, its start time ended up being, iirc delayed by about two hours or something like that. Maybe not the biggest deal to us, but especially for a company trying to seem like a major player like Stardom, this was an extremely bad look. Roster members are extremely mad and start to come forward about not being told about anything like this even though it affects them and they have to be the public faces of it; Giulia even openly talks about trying to find out what had happened and getting completely brushed off by the staff member who had been in charge of arranging the venues. This incident was one of those things that seemingly got a huge reaction not just because it looked bad for the company but because it was the dam breaking. I'd suspected Stardom was having management issues and ended up being more right than I could have imagined.

Ultimately in November Harada is fired and they bring in a new president, Okada. (Not, not that one. Different Okada.) He's been booking since he came in at the start of December. Ultimately they didn't change the cards for the remaining Harada-booked shows or reschedule any of the shows that had already been announced at that point. This leads to Stardom's lowest show attendance ever, at an Osaka show that draws 114 people, thanks to running at 6pm on a Tuesday at a venue that while technically in Osaka could not realistically be reached in time by anyone trying to get there from Osaka proper after work. Rossy at this point is publicly disparaging Harada's choices and policies, and says the method of "just booking any available venue whenever you want and saying when the show is happening on social media can't continue".

It's still early into seeing how things are under Okada, but they seem better, not that better would take all that much. The overall sentiment seems to be, and I would agree, that the booking has already improved somewhat, with stories that are at least for now maybe a little too title-focused but do seem to have the wrestlers themselves more engaged. The schedule has also been a little bit lighter, not that Stardom was ever a particularly low-number-of-shows promotion, but less than last year. Bushiroad also said they would conduct a review of all Stardom staff members, including taking feedback from roster members and regular freelancers, though they wouldn't be able to publish any of the results of that publicly as it has to be dealt with by Bushiroad HR. So it seems like they're trying at least to turn things around, though too early to really say how it'll work out. That was the state of things up to last Sunday.

[mega-aulover]

hi! I saw this sound on TikTok (though I think its pretty old already?) and I just wanted to share it because its giving me a Katniss and Prim vs. Peeta and his brothers vibe 😂 Katniss is just so caring and loving with Prim and we never got any insight on Peeta’s relationship with his brothers but being 3 teenage boys who wrestle as a hobby and with Peeta being the youngest, I can imagine them affectionately beating each other up over the dumbest things (as brothers often do 😂) Anyway, here’s the sound:

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSLLkhsrX/

(Omg I hope the link works 😭)

Hi Anon, I could not open the link (could be b/c I don't have Twitter) but here is a little bit of sibling energy with a dash of Pining Katniss-rated T:

Katniss sat in the bleachers waiting for Prim to arrive from her after-school program. Her sister was invited to do a school beautification initiative. Katniss couldn’t care less about planting roses around the school. However, if her gentle sister wanted to make things look girly then Katniss was going to support Primrose.

There was a whistle blown and the wrestling team came out clad in sweats. Amongst them she spotted two blond bulky forms, one of them made her heart pound in her chest. Katniss wanted to shrink into herself as she raised the hood of her sweater.

Katniss questioned when HE had joined the wrestling team. Her mind quickly went over the timeline. This must have been recent.

The coach yelled at his brother Rye for a smart mouthed reply.

The wrestlers laughed and the coach told them to warm up. Katniss watched them stretch, run, and jump.

Her mouth ran dry when he removed his sweater and pants and was dressed scantily. The stretch uniform left nothing to the imagination. His blond arms were massive, bigger than his brothers. His shoulders were broad, and the two thin straps emphasized just how stocky he was. When he turned around and bent to pick up his shirt, Katniss felt her cheeks heating up. His butt made funny things happen to her in areas that were shameful. The reaction caused Katniss to snap her legs closed.

The whistle blew and Katniss caught herself staring at her boy with the bread. She quickly looked around to make sure no one caught her. She was not someone to ogle guys. Gale was after all good looking, but she never had any interest in awkwardly gawking at him.

But HIM.

Yowzah!

Peeta Mellark, the boy with the bread. It was hard not watching him. Katniss sighed and looked away. There was something beyond his looks that drew her to him. There was a bond between them that spanned time and space.

Katniss tried to act like watching him wrestle. She watched his brother jump on him and try to lock him down, but Peeta was too fast and clever.

Rye was getting frustrated. His face was red, and his blond hair hung limply around his face. Peeta laughed and suddenly he was free. Peeta stood up, his smile radiant and sweet. Rye tackled him to the ground.

Katniss stood ready to march down and beat Rye Mellark to a pulp when she heard her sister’s gentle voice.

“Thank you for waiting for me.”

Katniss was divided between addressing her sister and what was going down below. Internally Katniss pushed down her want to go defend him and turned to her sister. “It’s no problem. Did you plant flowers?”

“Yes, we planted the seeds,” Prim rushed out.

Katniss smiled as she buttoned her sister’s coat. “That’s exciting, though isn’t it too early to plant flowers. It’s not even spring yet.”

Prim laughed brightly. “Oh Katniss, don’t you know that in order for a flower to bloom, it has to gestate for a long time in the ground. It is just like love. It must be fostered before it can bloom.”

“Now that’s just silly talk,” Katniss said, as she led her sister down the steps of the bleachers.

Prim laughed again, as her sister began making quaking noises as they made their way to the exit.

On the mats, Peeta flipped his brother off him. Then walked to the side to drink water. He tracked Katniss and her sister as they left the gym.

“Are you done showing off,” Rye grimaced.

“Huh.”

“Come on Peet, I know you were showing off her,” Rye said in a hushed voice.

Peeta, coughed. “Not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Look Peet, I know you’re into the huntress. I get it she is something. But this is the last time I’ll let you win.”

Peeta cockily looked at his brother. “Let me win old man?”

Rye snorted. “Looser does the dishes tonight.”

“You’re on.”

[running-with-the-feels]

had a thought, imagine Sonya and Jax at the SF base whispering to each other as they stare at Sonya's phone.

Kuai Liang, squinting in suspicion: What are you two doing?

Sonya, hiding the phone: Nothing, don't worry about it.

Jax, laughing nervously: Yeah, totally, nothing to see here

Kuai Liang, heaving a world weary sigh: Show me.

Cassie: No! Don't Look! It's a horror beyond all comprehension!

Kuai Liang, finally managing to wrestle the phone away from Sonya:............

Kuai Liang: This is just Johnny's twitter account.

[blazehedgehog]

Thoughts on Jeff Grubb and current Giant bomb?

My first impression of Jeff Grubb was him being an asshole on twitter and endlessly dunking on Sonic fans for no reason. Punching down is never a good look and he was doing a lot of it.

That's colored everything I've ever heard of the guy since then. And if you search his account for "Sonic" he's still doing it! Constantly! All the time! This man lives to rile up Sonic fans like Sonic the Hedgehog personally killed his dog or something.

I want to believe he's a normal human being. I remember the Galloping Ghost video he did with Jess and Dan and he had this really fun big brother energy that I thought was charming. But also he's positioning himself like he's trying to be an enemy, you know?

I have gone back and forth on the current state of Giantbomb. When Jess and Jason got laid off I kind of fell off pretty hard and you could definitely feel the vibe of the site get really sad for a while. Then around February of this year I started getting back into their stuff...

And discovered that the current crew is, like, raunchy as hell? In a way that's far beyond what Gerstmann and the old crew would ever touch. And like, I don't think I'm much of a prude (despite keeping it relatively clean on this blog), but sometimes they hit on really nasty grossout humor that crossed a line for me.

And then, like, every now and then I'll see clips of them just being really aggressive and adversarial with each other, there are times where Dan's competitiveness runs rampant over everyone and he seems like he's going too far... just kind of a nightmare in a lot of little ways.

Plus, like, I'm not a wrestling guy. It'd come up some times in the old guard, but it never felt annoying and was kind of kept to sort of a minimum since only Gerstmann and Alex were really in super deep. Gerstmann was a lapsed fan, too, so he was grumpy and had kind of a distance from it anyway.

But Dan does not shut up about wrestling and the rest of the crew is constantly needling him for factoids and every time I hear Dan say "For Shoot?" instead of "For Real?" I want to grab and shake him until the rocks in his head fall out. And again: seems like he's more dedicated to "being annoying because it's funny" and I personally do not enjoy torturing myself as a form of entertainment.

The last GiantBomb video I watched was "Catch Me If You Dan" but I haven't been interested in anything else they've released since then.

[thistledropkick]

daisuke sasaki!

Sasaki Daisuke my beloved. He's my favorite wrestler in DDT and one of my absolute favorite wrestlers period.

Sasaki has this profound understanding of wrestling that goes beyond the technical. He gets how to express story and character in a way few wrestlers can. His attention to detail as a wrestler is amazing, especially when contrasted with his kayfabe personality. He knows how to pace and structure a match for maximum effect. He knows when to go for something risky and flashy in order to get the most out of it. In some ways he reminds me of Naito in that respect, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. He is a generous wrestler who isn't afraid of making himself look silly or weak, but he always stays true to the core of his character and the story he is trying to tell on every level, within the story of the wrestling match itself or on the mic or on twitter or anywhere else. He's the wrestler who got me to want to start watching DDT. I will miss Damnation forever.

If you have any interest in Sasaki and haven't read Sarah Kurchak's excellent article That Time Daisuke Sasaki Had a Sword, I highly recommend doing so.

[earlyspringtranscendence]

ok i made this post already but tumblr ate it and also it started to get far more in depth than i intended so perhaps it is good i’m redoing it with better formatting. anyway is anyone else deeply unwell about mjf and dax harwood meeting in the ring again for what (iirc, but my brain don’t work too good) is essentially the first time since the pinnacle break up or is it just me. it’s about the devotion. it’s about changing when a beloved can’t change alongside you. and THEN it’s about a whole lot of twitter drama

i think what has always gotten to me about max and dax (and specifically them, though mjftr in general is of course a large part of this and also something i’m crazy about) is how during the pinnacle days dax was part of mjf’s family and max was part of his. ftr stood in a position of higher standing than wardlow, sure, but their relative normalcy in the friendship they had with max is what made him so utterly devoted to them in a way that is truly painful to see especially now when comparing it to the whole mjf + adam cole tag team.

something that stuck out to me in that bit where they’re playing video games is when max says he’s never played multiplayer cause he’s never had friends, but the pinnacle was like... beyond anything he’s been a part of since. i think what has come closest before adam was the specific twitter relationship btwn mjf and bestsmileinthebusiness lee moriarty (remember when they were firmly flirting with each other on twit? god those were the days) but then i’m also sensitive about the pinnacle so this is like besides the point

anyway, there wasn’t dead much going on with ftr in the pinnacle and part of that is of course their recent arrival to aew and them coming into their own as wrestlers with more creative freedom than they had been afforded before. they were cast as heels because that’s what they had always been and as such is what the audience expected and what made the transition go along smoothly, but as always with wrestling you gotta pick and choose where the line btwn kayfabe and reality lies and for now i’m gonna focus all my attention on the fictional because while all that is interesting from an irl perspective, it’s got fuck all to do with the emotions i’m feeling towards these crazy kids

regardless, when max has a new friend he will do anything to keep that friend. the only line he has never crossed in friendship is the one where he trusts the other person. an interesting dichotomy in the character of mjf to me has always been how easily he subjugates himself and humiliates himself (in the eyes of toxic masculinity, ykwim) to please one of his baser instincts (winning, saving face, love) and it’s something he did with ftr a lot by the end

i’ve been thinking about that one interview he did with barstool where ftr come in at the end and it’s awkward because it’s in the stage of separation before the eventual breakup. cash is all smiles and happy to be there, max is praising them both like nothing else and dax is... starting to get a little bit annoyed. he’s bothered. something’s rubbing him just a little bit wrong.

(this already is like sending me into a spiral but thats neither here nor there)

(cash is pointing at max here btw, i couldn’t get the screenie quite right)

this subtle thing is so important to me. cash’s persona during this period (and for the most part it still is) is so like laid back. he follows whatever dax wants to do but only because he’s sort of just good with whatever. even in this video there’s an element of refereeing or messenger boy-ing he’s doing between his friend and his other half that’s so dynamic to watch. (also it doesn’t hurt that the angle of the camera cuts off dax’s eyes so you only see his slightly defensive seeming posture towards max. it’s something i’m reading too deeply into by far but it’s something that does, like, enhance this experience for me)

(yt subtitles are wrong, he said heat not hate but like. whatevs) in this bit dax thinks brandon’s talking abt dax towards himself and he’s quick to interject, but when it’s clarified he’s talking about mjf there’s a considering look and a bit of a grimace. anyone else going crazy or is it just me

DAX SAYS THIS SO QUICKLY. HE SNAPS TO THIS SO QUICKLY. I’M CRAZY ABOUT THIS DYNAMIC

ok we have to move on from this because i still have so much to cover

i wanna talk about the second part of my motivation for caring so deeply about these two and that’s the ‘changing and being spitting mad a beloved isn’t changing alongside you’. beloved may have been a big word, i’ll allow for that, but please do recall that ftr are the ones who loudly proclaims that mjf is their family in pinnacle promos

thank you cash for making me absolutely insane i appreciate it now onto dax

i refuse to be normal about them.

anyway this disgust that ftr started showing once the pinnacle fell apart (and, crucially, punk became their bezzie) because they started turning face (due in part to the wardlow sitch, the other part, you guessed it, punk) and max couldn’t follow them there is in such dire opposition to this that it feels real. like i’m a mark and all but like it feels really genuine. the (learned) masculine inclination to turn to anger rather than sadness when someone disappoints you.

then max, you know, left us hanging for a veritable fucking age and in the meantime this all happened (bear in mind that more than this happened this was just what i could bear to actually reblog bc i’m not joking i’m like genuinely very unwell about this group it made me feel like so upset when it happened so you know. this isn’t the absolute worst of the worst it’s just what i could bear):

(ngl i thought i had a little more than just this post saved but they were talking supreme shit and i guess my fragile self wasn’t having it. good on me for knowing boundaries. anyway you get the idea tho, this was all happening and there was general mjf smacktalk all while mjf couldn’t respond to it because he was on his little getaway getting built as fuck)

and this:

(post found here, idk what this is from originally) you see what i mean too though about cash being this benevolent, laid back bystander and dax being angry. what’s that sentiment about being angry because you care?

what this all boils down to at long last after many paragraphs of me making very little points is this: next saturday at collision mjf is going to be doing his shit with adam cole and ftr is going to be husbands as all get, but i don’t care about any of that in the face of this final showdown between dax and max, even if i know, in my brain and my heart, that none of this will even be all that relevant to the story anymore. pour one out.

(and also final disclaimer i’ve never actually heard of any like shoot nonsense btwn these two and i’m Preddy sure this is all just part of the narrative, but i could be wrong. if anything btwn them is real well that’s none of my business and they shouldn’t have put it on the internet then. i mean im mostly kidding but if it’s real obviously disregard this reading of that situation)

[officialchristiancagebbgirlblog]

Could you please write something for prompt 37 and 71 from the normal prompt list? Maybe the reader has atopic dermatitis and during a bad flare up people start making fun of her online so Christian has to comfort her.

If you're uncomfortable with the topic maybe you could change it to something else with the prompts that you feel more comfortable writing, I love your stories

37: “he/she said what to you?”

71: helping you/them feel better

Fic type: fluff

Word count: 1049

Warnings: mention of horrible comments

Link to masterlist

Hi lovely, just wanted to say (and for those reading) that topics like these are absolutely fine for me to write! Like I mentioned on my pinned post, I’m an open book. I’m comfortable writing about pretty much anything besides the few that I mentioned! I appreciate you checking in though, but I hope I wrote about this okay. I tried to get it as accurate as possible. As someone who has mild eczema, I feel the pain 😔

Happy reading 🩵

“The food at the venue was so fucking good tonight, right?” Christian exclaimed, a wide smile on his face. It was a successful show that night. He had finally returned to the ring after a few weeks away. Not only was he excited about being in front of the crowd again and being in front of the camera with you, but also for the food. At this arena, they always served the best meals. You returned the smile, kissing his cheek as you made your way into the hotel room to sort out a small problem you had been facing.

Due to the weather becoming warm again and dealing with the heat of the arena, your skin had been playing up. The heat around you was a humid one, making you sweat a bit more than usual. And just your luck, moments before you and Christian were due in the ring for a promo, you had a flare up. Your skin was red, dry, sore and itchy. Beyond the uncomfortable feelings it was also painfully obvious on camera. That day, you had chosen to wear lighter colours to contrast against the black that your boyfriend wore which meant the condition of your skin was far more obvious than usual. So you sat on the stool by the dresser, applying the lotion prescribed by your doctor to try and soothe the pain that, thankfully, stuck to your arms alone.

Christian sat his cute little butt in the middle of the bed, laying back with a content sigh. He was still very full from the food he had eaten that evening. Laying there with his phone in one hand and the other resting on his head, twirling his hair, he decided to scroll through Twitter. It was a fun pastime for him; he’d get all sorts of stuff on his feed ranging from cats, to cooking videos, and back to wrestling. Feeling the urge to put himself over, he looked up the tag of his name to see what everyone was saying about his appearance on the show. But as he looked through recent posts, his smile faded.

A good portion of his “fans” decided to take shots at you, calling you rude and disgusting names, making fun of your skin. The more he read, the angrier he became at their disgusting comments.

“Oh…that’s a bit…” you said, voice trailing off. Christian hadn’t noticed you pull out your phone after getting notifications of direct messages on your Instagram from those aforementioned “fans”. The bullying had continued across most social media platforms and thus one particular message had completely shattered you. Normally you wouldn’t let comments like these get to you as they only looked for attention. But it was particularly harsh that you allowed it to pierce your heart.

“What is it?” Christian asked as he jumped off the bed, walking towards you. Unfortunately, you were completely unable to speak without risking a breakdown in front of him. So you handed him your phone to read the message in which this person had compared your appearance to a certain horror movie character, and suggested that you “off yourself”.

“He said what to you?!” He practically shouted, anger getting the best of him as another message came through, making fun of your appearance yet again. Realising that he was giving those people what they wanted by paying attention to them, he put your phone down and began pacing, chest heaving with pure anger. You looked at your phone, sadly wondering why some people could be so cruel over something they didn’t understand. At this point, the pain on your skin returned.

“Here, let me put the lotion on for you.” He said, voice softening at seeing the uncomfortable look on your face. The more you thought about their words, though, the more upset you became. Christian gently rubbed the lotion into your dry skin with the tips of his fingers. He knew that this was the least painful way of rubbing it in. He peeled up to see tears well up in your eyes as you avoided eye contact with him. You had cried in front of him before but it still didn’t change the fact that you hated doing it.

Sighing, he pulled you in for a hug once he had finished up. Rocking you side to side, he stroked your hair, whispering “shh, shh” into your ear as you let the emotions take hold.

“I know that it’s hard to accept loving words,” he began, letting his hand drift down to your back, “but you truly are the most gorgeous girl I have ever seen. Skin issues or not.” He pulled back to look at your beautiful face, cupping your cheeks with a genuine smile.

“Having to deal with this must suck in every way possible. But the way you handle it is so beautiful to me. I love how you never let it affect your confidence, you still wear whatever you want whether you have a flare up or not. I love how you always take comments in your stride, and educate those who don’t know any better or are curious. I just…I love everything about how you deal with it. And I love you, unconditionally. I want you to remember that you are the most beautiful person I know. Inside and out.”

You leave forward to kiss him, ignoring the tears that rolled down and stained your cheeks. He was truly the best thing that had happened to you, and you were forever grateful that you had him in your life. It was hard dealing with situations like this but knowing he would always be there by your side made it so much easier.

“You wanna take a quick selfie for my Instagram?” He asked, knowing it was something you enjoyed doing. He’d always shower you with love and affection when he posted you. So despite knowing you’d get some negativity, you agreed with a big smile. You could never say no to appreciation from him. Once the photo was up, as expected, the horrible comments continued. But you did your best to ignore them, choosing instead to allow Christian to love all over you, kissing every inch of your body to the delightful sound of your giggles.

[fuckyeahorangecassidy]

From Beyond Wrestling's Twitter account

[kopw]

wrt “aew is the only alternative to wwe” while i would encourage people to look at wrestling in other countries (including beyond japan and mexico), even within america, this isn’t true, there’s a lot of american promotions. indie promotions are right there and they, frankly, usually treat their women wrestlers so much better than aew/wwe. if people live in america, they likely have at least one indie promotion local to them, it’s nice to support the local scene, see up and comers

exactly! i didn't really want to vague anyone in specific—because everyone's entitled to their own opinions even if they're horrendously wrong—but i saw a post talking about the negative attention tony khan has been garnering on twitter (which i have not seen because i only go on twitter to look at wrestling photography) and how people should go easy on him because some people like both promotions and wouldn't want to wish ill on aew. because if aew didn't exist they wouldn't have an alternative to wwe. and it's like... that's just wholly ignorant

and then they went on to explain how indie wrestling is way too "unprofessional" for them to enjoy. which is not something i would ever um... think. in relation to wrestling. what quantifies as professionalism? is it just having money to build nice sets which in turn make you appear more put together regardless of how you handle talent behind the scenes? looking back at phenomena like the indie exodus also proves that you can't write off the wrestling itself as not being on par with what big name promotions provide—a lot of those wrestlers came straight from the indies, after all

i don't know... there is so much more to wrestling than reducing the entire global scene to a one-upmanship between two american companies who seem to value profit over expanding the potential of wrestling. a lot of fans could benefit from a little curiosity at times

[buttdawg]

Kevin Kelley

I've read the tweets that reportedly got Kevin Kelley fired from AEW, and while I agree that he was out of line, it feels like a disproportionate response. This feels like something you'd get fined or suspended over. I would expect a dirtsheet to report "backstage heat" on Kevin Kelley, and not much beyond that.

I mean, Andrade and Sammy Guevara got in a fight a while back, and they got sent home for a while, and that was it. CM Punk "lunged" at Tony Khan, and he did get fired, but it took Tony a week to decide. So I'm kind of thinking Kelley's tweets were just the tip of the iceberg, and he's been getting on AEW's nerves for a while now until they finally decided they'd had enough.

Everyone points to his NJPW work as a career highlight for him, but I'm starting to think that was just a low bar that he managed to clear. New Japan wants an English commentary track on their shows, but they're not exactly making it a priority. I've watched NJPW shows where the English commentary just wasn't available, or it was just Chris Charleton doing it solo, or with an English-speaking wrestler sitting in, or Kevin Kelley doing a remote thing from the U.S. Have they even replaced him yet?

I found his work in NJPW serviceable, but mostly because it was handy that I could understand what he was saying. Still, the Japanese commentary team had way, way more energy. There were times I could get into the Japanese commentary just because of their excitement. Most of the time, Kevin Kelley just seemed happy to be there. And that isn't enough to cut it in AEW.

A lot of people have complained about his low-effort work. I can't say I really noticed, but I guess that's part of the problem. Nigel McGuinness is an obnoxious heel, Tony Shiovane's constantly marking out like a small child who just got into wrestling, and Excalibur's a super nerd who memorized all the move names and stats. What's Kevin Kelley got? That Bobby Hill battle cry from... 2001? Holy shit, I knew it was old, but damn. Kelley bragged on Twitter that he's the best play-by-play guy in the business, but he can't even articulate why he thinks that. If he can't sell himself to the audience, how can he put over anyone else?

I've heard rumors that he's a fascist, or he's involved with Qanon. That might be an exaggeration, but the drama he started on Twitter had to do with his support for that "Sound of Freedom" movie, which has been criticized for stoking Qanon conspiracy theories. A smarter performer might realize that it's not a good idea to link himself to a controversial topic like this, but Kevin Kelley seems to be a true believer in the movie's message, so when his Ian Riccaboni calls him out on it he doubles down.

And maybe that's enough to get him fired, but if this is his attitude, then I have a feeling he's been pushing "Sound of Freedom" or some other nonsense to anyone who'll listen, and probably making a nusiance of himself backstage, and this Twitter thing has been the last straw. If he had enough talent, maybe Tony could let it slide, but he's whipping out "That's my purse!" when a wrestler gets hit in the balls, so I'm pretty sure they could find someone less disruptive to make those kinds of insightful calls.

Anyway, I'm watching Collision right now, and I can't say that I miss the guy. If he's really drinking the Qanon Kool-Aid, then fuck him, but otherwise he was just sort of there, utterly dispensable and barely noticeable.

[usafphantom2]

The SR-71 Was Close to Perfect

A member of the Blackbirds’ ground crew looks back on the airplane’s flight-test beginnings to the end of the Blackbirds

This first photograph was taken of the SR-71 #972 when it was in a hangar near Dullas airport, waiting for the new Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to be open. Photo Eric long. The other two photographs were taken at Palmdale California December 21, 1989.

After a 480-mile flight from Beale Air Force Base in California, the midnight-black airplane swooped down to about 300 feet above Burbank Tower, less than 30 seconds after its scheduled arrival time of 12 noon. It made an easy half-roll, then completed two more passes. The parking garage roof where I stood reverberated with cheers, but as the Blackbird came in for its final pass, a hundred feet off the runway, and then pulled up just beyond the tower, the crowd fell silent. was December 1989, and this flyby, a gift to Lockheed employees from Ben Rich, head of Advanced Development Projects (the Skunk Works), marked the beginning of the end of the SR-71. After much debate in Congress, the Blackbirds were about to be retired. The YF-12A, the earlier, single-seat version of the SR-71, first flew in August 1963 and the Blackbird in December 1964. It was still unsurpassed when it was retired in 1990, 24 years after it officially entered service.

As I watched the SR-71 that December day, I thought back to the airplane’s flight-test beginnings in the early 1960s. I thought of Ben Rich, Ray Passon, Keith Beswick, and so many others whose lives were forever touched by this aircraft. I too was part of the Blackbird team, setting up housing, transportation, and communications—special measures due to the secrecy necessary. And above all of us was designer Kelly Johnson, who had a gift for sharing his ability to innovate and his drive to succeed. The unity of commitment we felt under leadership from Larry Bohanan in engineering and Dorsey Kammerer in production reached new intensity whenever Kelly arrived in the field. Sometimes he would good-naturedly arm-wrestle with people working there. His team members were hand-picked and fiercely loyal to him. He once offered $50 to anybody who could find an easy job to do. He got no takers. When it came to their specialties, the people working on the Blackbird were the best in the company, perhaps in the country or even the world. The last word in reconnaissance airplanes, the SR-71 was capable of flying faster than Mach 3 and above 85,000 feet. In fact, the SR-71 flew so fast that even in the cold of those rarefied heights, the friction of the air heated its titanium skin to 550 degrees Fahrenheit.

On the day the Blackbird took to the air for the first time, many of the ground crews showed up. I had worked all night, but sleep in those days seemed like nothing but a waste of time so I stayed to watch. The weather was perfect for a December day: clear and cold, with snow on the surrounding mountains. Somewhere around 8 a.m. the desert silence was shattered by the sound of the twin Buick V-8 engines used for the starters. Later, when the Blackbirds operated at their base at Beale, they had permanent start facilities in their hangars, but in the early days two highly modified 425-cubic-inch Buick Wildcats, an estimated 500 horsepower each, were used to turn a massive starter shaft that was inverted into the first one, then the other of the SR-71’s J-58 engines. One sound I shall never forgot is that of those unmuffled Buicks holding steady at better than 6,000 rpm in excess of 15 seconds at a time, all hours of the day and night. Starting the engines was no easy job.

Kelly Johnson stood by in his familiar dark blue suit and tie, smiling as he had a final word for the pilots.

Veteran crew chief standing next to me could only murmur, “Her enemies will never be natural.”( that was true. It was jealous people that were her enemy.)

Written by Jim Norris

@Habubrats71 via Twitter