#while there is a war going on in BG it's mostly used as a proof Claude's actions are beneficial to the people of Fodlan despite his origins

[randomnameless]

Re: Almyra, yes! YES! After Nopes especially, I'm so baffled that Claude (and I guess his fiercest stans?) wants to change FODLAN so they welcome Almyra. Like, he really is looking at Fódlan's Locket, its history (all three nations coming together to build it), the very real situation of Almyra constantly attacking and trying to invade Fódlan, as well as (once he meets Cyril) the reality of the Almyran army leaving kids to fend off for themselves on the battlefield/after a loss

And he just shrugs and says it's the Church's fault?

If he ever wanted peace between the two, he'd need to work on Almyra's favorite pastime first. Which I suppose he can only do once he's king, which doesn't seem like a soon-to-come opportunity. Not that he looks interested in changing Almyra, anyway. I don't think he ever mentions changing the Almyrans' mentalities?

It's always "Fódlan needs to open its borders, Fódlan needs to keep an open mind, Fódlan needs, Fódlan needs". We know Fódlan HAS open borders with others, at least enough so that have actual regular trade. (I could buy the Alliance not knowing too much about Brigid, Dagda and all because they're at the other side of the map, but the Empire trades with countries on the east, too. How is Claude not aware of that? It has to leak into the Alliance too.)

Sorry, I have a lot feelings about Claude's obsession with opening up Fódlan to people who regularly attacks it. (Considering he uses Sreng in GW to attack the Kingdom, it looks like a pattern lmao.)

No worries anon, you can rant away!

If it's any indication, after playing two games and looking at the script with more hindsight/in a more neutral way, some other players also noticed how this obsession - even in FE16 lol - was ridiculous lol

Correct me if I'm wrong friends, but iirc, Claude in FE16 isn't the first in line for the throne, or something like this? And it's only after helping Fodlan, and then returning to Almyra, that he can become king?

So much like Dimitri, I'd understand if, during the course of the game, as a random who has no real power in Almyra, he cannot do a lot of things to change their mindsets - even if he is still able to ask for Nader's help, who's far from being a random nobody in Almyra!

Maybe we could have had some scenes where he asks Nader what he thinks of Fodlan, and if he doesn't think it'd be nice if they stop raiding and start to interact and trade under more amiable terms, with Nader accepting after some persuasion (idk, witnessing how the so called Fodlan cowards are brave enough to fight 1 to 10 against an Empire who could fold them in two and uses mutated humans) even if that'd include retconning the Nader the devs had in mind that was revealed in Nopes lol

And when Nader's finally on his side, he can try to convince the GD - maybe some members would straight out refuse to help or ditch him, and have to be recruited later on (or persuaded if they got an A support at least with Claude thus no ditch him), with a special subplot regarding Hilda because she's a member of House Goneril and her House has bled for many decades to fend off against "invasions for funsies" - ultimately bringing more to his friendship speech against Nemesis than, this speech just being a Wedon speech thought in the spur of the moment that sounds cool (Nemesis symbolising, after the infodump, the culmination of Fodlan's rejection of "others", in this case, Nabateans, who weren't considered sentient beings but just "things" to be looted").

But no, instead we have church BaD, Rhea BaD, then Church not so BaD but Rhea's doctrine BaD, to Rhea's not so BaD but she still dies conveniently offscreen, and Church was still kind of BaD since it's ultimately reformed (how?) by King/Queen Billy.

Yay!

In a way, I'm wondering that even if the devs said they re-wrote Claude to fit Nopes, if FE16!Claude's mindset wasn't already that closer to Supreme Leader's than we first thought, especially if they're both wondering, basically "why are those people unhappy that I/we are invading them and fighting to prevent us from getting in?".

Supreme Leader does it when she invades and laments the "useless" deaths from people who die defending their lands, and Claude basically does it when he wants to "open" Fodlan to people who want to invade them (but ultimately manages to convinced them to sign a treaty at the end of his route, off-screen).

Also, anon, acknowledging the Empire, the Kingdom and FFS the Alliance trades with other countries in this verse would remove a part of the Church BaD/Rhea BaD spiel - and we can't have that :(

idk if it was on purpose, and we still don't know what Varley is preaching in Nopes, but I love how Gilbert is the first one who says Varley's teachings are full of shit and is basically the one who tells the cast that Varley's words are nonsense, because if they are close to what Claude is telling us about "uwu isolationism uwu", Dominic, in Nopes, is revealed to trade a lot with Albinea lol

Of course Gustave can't say this loud, otherwise no Church BaD and characters who are supposed to be loved looking like asses wouldn't look that rad (even if Claude already has a moment like this with Barney lol) - but imagine Claude saying "uwu church enforces isolationism and forbids foreign trade" and Annette shuts him up "what are you talking about? We've been trading with Albinea since the days of Loog, and the Central Church never asked us to stop?".

[incorrect-pokespe-quotes]

I read every single Emerald fic on FFN so you don’t have to

There are 66 fics with Emerald listed in the tags. 

First, I took out any fic that was either not in English or actually gameverse, leaving me with 38 fics-- though I will say, the Spanish fics look like they slap

After filtering out “everyone appears” fics (I skimmed them to make sure) I was left with 26 fics. (While I would like to include “everyone appers” fics, I do not have the time nor motivation to read 30,000 words of derring-do and melodramatic heroics seventeen times in a row for Emerald to show up, deliver 2 lines, shoot something, and leave)

From there, I sorted them into various categories based on whether Emerald was a BG character or not, whether the fic had romance, whether Emerald was actually PART of that romance, etc. Then, finally, I was ready. 

Below the cut are the reviews of all twenty six fanfictions!

Category 1: BG Emerald      Every fic needs side characters, whether to provide extra voices or comedic relief or just a foil for the MCs. These fics don’t feature Emerald in a huge capacity, but he’s there and that’s what matters to me. I came into this site expecting anything: third wheel Rald, wingman Rald, Im-only-here-to-complain-about-your-flirting-Rald... I found everything but! It seems the most cliche writers among us don’t like using the Emerald tag, bc the few Frantic-with-BG-Emerald fics with I did find turned out to be spectacular! I’m pleasantly surprised and impressed. 

1. That Special Someone - Team Cap      Cap is on this list like 30 times so get used to it. This fic is mostly about Ruby refusing to shut up about Sapphire and how much he loves her (and how Emerald finds it infuriating). The details of this fic are super cute and the way Ruby and Emerald interact added 3 years to my lifespan, so I highly recommend this one if you want a nice, relaxing read involving the Hoenn boys (dare I say best boys?). In short, read this fic and all of Cap’s other fics while you’re at it.

2. A Picnic - Team Cap      Oh look. It’s Cap again. This fic, surprise surprise, is also good, and while it’s a little more basic than the others (Emerald runs into Ruby/Sapphire at a park and they mess around), it’s still cute and I still love it! Not really much else to say here... but the fic is good and I recommend if you’re in for some light domestic reads. 

3. High Hopes and Checkered Skies - aromatisse      I’ll be honest: my general opinion of frantic fics with BG Emerald is... low. A lot of them shoehorn my poor boy into whatever the plot requires at the cost of his characterization but this fic really surprised me in the best way! This one features Sapphire bringing Ruby to a “special place” the two of them arguing, and Emerald having to patch things up (mature Emerald? I don’t believe it!!). I found this fic while making this list and immediately bookmarked it bc THIS SHIT GOOD FAM. Please read this. 

4. Alpha and Omega- Ruby and Sapphire's Thoughts - Shadoweevee70     Not much to say about this to be honest. It’s exactly what it says on the tin. No plot, no development, not even 500 words. Emerald has a line. I think two. 

5. Boundaries - Team Cap     This fic hurt my heart. Though it focuses on Wally’s one-sided crush on Sapphire, there’s a touch of Emerald in there acting as Wally’s emotional support buddy, which tells me that either Emerald has matured or Hoenn is just devoid of emotionally stable individuals. Regardless, this fic is heartbreaking and beautiful but contains very little Emerald, so therefore I have very little to review. In short... not a lot of Rald, but you should read it anyway. 

6. Summer Days - eonentity      Crystal and Silver go on a “date” and Gold + Emerald try and stop them. It’s cute, it’s honestly kind of creepy if you think about it, and it involves Emerald. While the premise is kind of sketch, the banter between Gold and Emerald is incredible and I really like the general progression of the plot (especially the ending!) This is a very cute fic if you’re looking for something simple to read. Highly recommend, utilizes Emerald as a character really well!

Category 3: MC Emerald (gen)       This... this is my bread and butter baby. These fics run the gamut from friendship to domestic to drabbles to angst and everything in between, but the gist of it is that it includes Emerald as a focus without pairing him off. Not to say this is my favorite category... but it is. I’m biased, sue me. 

1. Family Inclusion - Team Cap      They say to leave the best for last, but I disagree. You’ll realize pretty quickly that Cap is one of my favorite authors to appear in this tag, and this fic is one of her best! I’m focusing on Chapter 3 (that’s the part with Emerald) where he has to entertain a shiny baby Ralts while Ruby and Sapphire are away (everybody say awwww). The fic is stupid cute, and while it doesn’t really offer much in terms of character development or stakes, it’s the type of domestic fluff you can read over and over and still find just precious each and every time. Also... Emerald takes care of a baby pokemon how can you NOT love that. Seriously. Look at this. 

2. At the Amusement Park - Team Cap       Oh wow, another Cap fic I really like. What a surprise. I’m astounded /s. This fic focuses on Emerald’s dilemma of being short at a place where height restrictions mercilessly mock the vertically challenged and how he deals with it with the “help” of Ruby and Sapphire. Though there is background Frantic (which shouldn’t really come as a surprise), this fic mostly focuses on Emerald’s insecurities and his relationship with the trio. It’s introspective, it’s wholesome, I’ve read it six or seven times (I lost count). Regardless, it’s good, and like every other Cap fic on this list, I demand you read it. That is a threat. 

3. Frantic Fight - Puph17      Any fic that drops a line like “margarine is in vogue” within the first three lines is immediately propelled to my top ten fics of all time list and this is clearly no exception. Despite the name, this isn’t franticshipping, just Ruby and Sapphire bickering and Emerald / Wally being annoyed about it. This fic, hands down, is one of the funniest pieces of fanfiction I’ve ever read on this godforsaken site. I am begging you to read this fic, if not for Emerald with a megaphone for the sheet amount of laughter it will cause. This fic may not be deep but it sure as hell is hysterical. ... Well, what are you waiting for? Why are you still here? Go read the fic, we’re wasting daylight. 

4. Weird War - storm-aurora      This is another fic I think I’ve probably read a dozen times and refuse to get tired of. Emerald and Sapphire are having a paintball fight in Slateport market, and I literally could not ask for a better friendship fic. The writing is high quality, the characters are very accurate (altho bc this is fanfic it doesn’t matter all that much), the friendships feel real, they’re having a paintball war.... everything about this is ideal. This is the quality content I live for. Please PLEASE read this fic, you’ll be happy you did. Close this tab and go read it immediately for your sake and mine. 

5. Skydrop - ayasato      Not a lot of people write about Emerald. The ones that do, for whatever reason, seem to do it very, VERY well. This fic, which is so long it might as well be considered an epic, is probably the piece de resistance of Emerald friendship fics. While not as snappy or funny or domestic as some of the other fics in this list, it more than makes up for it with a beautifully built slowburn friendship between Emerald and Sapphire, my favorite take on his living situation I’ve ever seen, and enough introspection to make your high school English teacher swoon. This fic is a must for any Emerald fan, even if it takes like an hour to read in full. It may be long but it’s magnificent.

6. Croissant Kings - ayasato      The fact that this fic is discontinued is irrefutable proof that this is the timeline god abandoned. Emerald and Pearl running a croissant stand is quite possibly the single most absurd fic concept I’ve ever heard but... it works. Somehow? It works. This fic is perhaps, hands down, one of the most ridiculously entertaining concepts and executions I have ever seen in my life. Everything about it, from the setup to the writing to just Emerald being Emerald is so raw and so ridiculous that I smile fondly when I think of it. I wish there were more than 3 chapters, however...

7. Perfect - Micah Debrink      I’m gonna be straight with y’all: I don’t like this fic. I’m not too sure what the plot is, and it was certainly an interesting read, but not my cup of tea. It’s good, don’t get me wrong; the writing is mature, very well paced, and overall well-written, but something about the characterizations is just not vibing with me. Thus, I’m not gonna pretend I thought this fic was perfect (har har) but I will say it’s something you should give a try. I’m admittedly a very biased party, so maybe you’ll enjoy this fic more than I did. For sure give it a shot, because maybe you’ll like it more than I did. This ain’t my jam, but it’s quality preserves nonetheless.

8. Roost - ayasato      This is short and sweet and may have some Sapphire/Emerald crushing if you squint, but overall a fun read. Very short, very good, give it a shot. This author is very high quality and that’s that on that. 

9. One Day - Jian-Kenkoku      This is short yet again but has a super interesting (if poorly explained) premise: Emerald gets adopted by Gold / his mom! This short oneshot details his first day, and while it is a tad rushed, it gives me the Emerald family content I have been sorely lacking. Not sure if this is one of my “reread until my eyes bleed” fics, but it’s certainly worth the trouble of reading through! It’s very cute and I recommend!

10. Emerald: Lying to Himself - reminiscent-afterthought        Very poetic and extremely well-written, but less than 200 words. This fic took me thirty seconds to read and it feels like time well spent. Please read it, even if for the sole reason that it’s super short. It’s also a super poetic way to talk about the Emerald arc. 

11. Go Away Gold! - jayfeatherelle      Ah yes, the “little brother enlists the help of a prankster to keep apart his sister and her boyfriend” trope... This may be cliche, but it sure as hell was enjoyable! Emerald enlists the help of Meddler Blue (side note: where did this trope come from bc she never does anything in canon that would be qualified as meddling other than just messing with Red at any given opportunity). Anyway, this fic is adorable, has a lesson at the end (that surprised me), had a really mature conclusion, and gave me Blue / Emerald friendship I really didn’t know I needed. In short? This is a cliche done well. It’s predictable, sure, but that’s not a bad thing! If anything, it’s a great nostalgic read. 

12. What if: Emerald never met Crystal - LetEveryoneOveraRip        This fic stole the last little bit of hope I didn’t even know I still had. You thought it couldn’t get more violent or sad? You were wrong. Everyone dies. This fic made me sad for like 45 minutes and I feel emotionally manipulated. I guess I should have seen this coming. Not much else to say except that this fic made me really sad, which, of course it did, but I still feel cheated out of a happy ending regardless. 

13. Emerald Owner’s Guidance and Maintenance Manual - Pokerescue18    Nothing happens in this fic. It’s literally an instruction manual and it’s well written and all but also has no plot. It is quite literally what it says in the title, so perhaps this should have been obvious but even still, I was left confused after reading this. I think I need a nap. 

14. Through My Eyes - Kaith1    Relationship angst that hurt my heart. This is less than 400 words so again, took me only around a minute to leave but the emotional impact scarred me for life. Very well done! This fic details Emerald’s inner turmoil as Gold and Crystal get together and Emerald worries he’ll be abandoned again. While I do feel like Emerald hating the two of them for getting together is a little ehhh, this fic does a great job of showing why Emerald would be so upset about it and his inner motivations for being so hurt by it. While I don’t agree, the author made me “get it” a little more, and for that I say bravo! 

15. At the Fair - IanDonyer      This one is short and focuses on Emerald meeting a security guard at a Halloween fair kinda deal. It’s also one of the first Emerald fics on FFN, released far before the remakes even came out! While obviously it doesn’t contain much in terms of character development, it also was written with only the Emerald arc to go off of-- so I can easily overlook any character inconsistencies. That being said, this fic is really cute and uses the OC pov really well! If you’re looking for a blast from the past, check this fic out! 

Category 4: Emerald shipping fics      On the rare occasion where the blue moon hangs melancholy in the sky, the planets align, and starlight rains down from the heavens... someone ships Emerald with another character. Romantically. Not sure where the aversion to shipping him came from, but for whatever reason everyone prefers him single. These authors, these brave knights, they’re changing that. Hell yeah for romance. 

1. Left Out - RedCharmeleon       Not to be like “this fic is painfully straight...” but yknow. Emerald is upset at Gold/Crystal’s wedding because he’s the only single one and needs a girlfriend. There’s also a “what are you, gay?” joke in here, which soured my mood for the rest of the fic. I’ll be honest, I never really liked the “all male protag / female protag ships and then taking Silver, Pearl, and Emerald and pairing them off with OCs” deal, so I’m heavily biased against this fic, but the writing is decent and the plot is fine. If you enjoy this style of plot (everyone needs to be paired up, blushing galore, love at first sight, everyone acts like they stumbled out of a hallmark movie script) then this is the fic for you!

2. Glances - Diemerald      A collection of drabbles about Emerald and Wally becoming friends and falling in love. I’ve read it seven times now. While the plot is a tad disjointed because of the format, this author really NAILS Emerald’s character. Emerald (and Wally) show a lot of growth between the snippets and god it’s so beautiful I need more of it. Please read this fic. Tell your neighbors about this fic. This fic is fantastic. 

2. Revolvershipping Cuddles - Charmerruby     You’re never gonna guess what this one is about. It’s very cute but it’s literally just fluff. Very cute, like marshmallows. This is kinda short so there isn’t really much to say, but I will am starving for Emeruby content, so though this be but little, it be fierce. And fluffy. Did I mention cute? This fic is so filled with love my heart grew three sizes after reading it. I could keep calling it adorable, but I don’t think that’s productive. Spend the time reading this fic instead. 

3. Misunderstandings - Pokeluv101      Reading this was very weird because I know the person who made the OC the story is centered around. Reading even the names thrust me so violently back into my middle school days I can almost taste the edge. It’s very good, and I suggest giving it a read even if you’re not a huge dexholder/OC fan. Also tsun Emerald is good Emerald. 

4. Unexpected - Diemerald     A fic about Emerald and Yellow falling in love. Not exactly my cup of tea so I skimmed it but this author is really good so it’s a great fic, even if it’s not to my tastes. I suggest giving it at least a once over because this author worked hard and I respect them, even if this isn’t really... my thing. Check it out!

5. Big Changes - Aquatales     You know how I said I would read every Emerald fic? I lied. This one is about Emerald getting genderbent and immediately shipped with Wally against his will by his friends. Reading the summary gave me hives and I could not bring myself to read it in full.

Final Thoughts      While I’ll be honest and say that I did find some of the the cliche fics I was expecting, I was incredibly and happily surprised to discover that more often than not, the people who bother to publish Emerald fics really care about his character and publish some pretty high quality stuff, and that’s pretty damn cool. There are shipping fics, BG Emerald fics, MC Emerald fics, and most of them are pretty fantastic! Way to go spe fandom writers, you did my boy justice, all..... 10 of you.

[the-firebird69]

we pull ken out he has begged to leave we help Thor ps your an asshole tohim i see him say it to your face you are weak slow fat and waht do you want head over there...and you say i tell go tell you die by their hand and your dumb sayingtit as your a faggot...weak...fag...lotsof times ok toomany he needs tobe away from you...true too there are no morehumans here but he doesnt care that much  Hera it is veryo true and he is weak and a homo.  thya ll are and really ken...nad she saw you and yours hitting your womenand they want you to hit me and so on and you want to be gay or else you complyo to bg and it is not only a  waste of time but it is ntmathematically correct you sacrifice your bodies and brains to be fags..and for macs. ok so what right Zues you say it it happens but i see iammthat way and worse or better all here are badly gay..and it is like this your a minoritya dn i want a friend who does it not likeyou... ken so go find a friend who is a fag ok dont need a friend really and most cant believe it...i definately dont need idiots getting the wrong idea...at all.  if you made amove you would bre broken and pob gone forever as they would clense thearea.   andps you are not well..and ps you die lots due to it..get it. Zues and i see iam outof control as dave was and i do see it and yourr ight we aer weak and ant stop...no deterrent goodenough and i see that power..so your in trouble right andi  want gay s...ken says... ken and i will say you will die i dont andim not gay in any way and you will pay for insisiting onit you areso faggy and weak...others makey ou is enoughcover to whipe outwhats left...it isnt helpoingno thats tno true but f u with your fagshit ok puper we kil fags get it...are you deaf you hleped they saw you they paly on one ofmany weaknesses of your kind that kills you. Zues we seethat kills us..and they do it the macs. so what..no.  f off bg y our an idiot. this isreal the do it to himlots and he battles allnight no relief t all i see why intel and to whom...bja..who cares...and i made a copy of it and took lots out...tons.  and he wanted to buildone...so does wie but...ok.  wont beincorporated atall. and sent it and thy have it someone says...and not ken.  and i hve one here and  it says caa all over it sowhat send it with me on it and sh they hit you stupid...and you wnt to send it dont you idiot right...go send it for pay you fn shit fuck you with your fag stuff weaklings ok..you sellit as intel that way they are there to do other stuff gezuz fags... Zues well..true...and it is taylor and i do konw where his intel is...so i hold it taylor you letout a yell or growl ok it is your achilles heal as is your laser deisgnation and so on... ken i have it too taylor you aint so swift adn it is remotely held...so lets give you tenminutes ok.   Zues ok ten taylor nine now Zues fine we go together taylor nah you have competitors. Zues and yousay remotely how i say it fag it goes out mysterisly but you have to find out to sotp it lazy faggot shit your so fucki dead taylor shitfaggot i hit you myself you stay hter Zues fine ihear it and y ousty there i et out of...what truck faggot fine imout of here tayleor yeh leave i hv guns onyou and your dikless state is dissolved daily you fag. Zues you knowwhat your serious they aient tayor fu they are shit forbreains we hit tonsyof you idiots and your amac and an idiot math 101 nope so your good  Zues i fig out this yousay it it happensso i waitreport it wasyou taylor aaawww what a girl you shit fag.  that is how i startedaniling nonillion of you smerter dopes Zues oh...strted  lol nope i dont get it tayleor ihaveppl hitting you taylor ad tons of your clan and families have your gilrs andkids women and are holding themi in thier houses nearby at gunpoint go try for agun but we have yours ok.  all of them faggot. your  afuckig fag ok Thor he works wiht me adn forme taylor are you bullet proof taylor Zues and you macs listenig getting happyy nope we hear it are yuou cloake dallhearing fags i amsosick of you all day lall night horseshit let us move in Armies now adn tons and all in too take them a outrapid stylenow Zues we are. here now. this is what gets t them..and they admit it nightly.  and meow like kittens.  so we hit thm harder now.faster..and pull it all out let them see it use it now...i hear them lets do this here please we meet all int eh war room now. and Arrianne Nuada attack please and thank him properly for  his assist. you felt like a big shot so did we and it worked doeshe have  hugeone and then this a planet, and yes, the ugly named one.  and we see moons...and a fake one or two.  huge guess work for them.  like marbles i issue commands now and while speaking....and we fly int now and hit this is so bad and any othe fst stuff is good...we see it hit him these are so stupid...fn fags..we caught it earlier and moved in tanks too.  this is heavy time now.  and we shieldtoo this area shortly..we move it all in if we can...we are there and these dont mind...and we can mobe inshorter towers...did have Pyramids..and we sahll now and moving troops you join up. and thank you Thor he says and ai agree Arrianne Nuada and i knew you would like it we save you lots and you know it has been that way for a longtime and your children...we know weare called that andforever due to him he is old.  so we respect him.  even millions of yers form now still sir and hello sir you too. and you thank us this will be a fun life..versus theis drudgery...cold poorly lit ehouses and places to gateh weird places...usaull a threat o r kidnappig attempt, seething angry aasses due to small nothig stuff or large...hue issues about teeny things and blown way out to be mad per other idiots and violence all the time and sickenss encouraged infighting all day it is vulgar and notto mention the heavier sins...but live likeanimals in the dark in dirtand unclean places unclean houses andselves shit all over and poisons and more.  but really..dull and dimwitted Thor and i Hera and Freya we mad etons of moveis as did Posiden and others.  tons.  huge huge pieces.  and literature and huge folklore legands and songs sonenets symphonies these fake i copy and really used my own voice a lot of times..droll boring lives..in westboro sons and daughters, sat around eating drinking and ont the best...pizza wings and crappy stuff...adn drank and drnk and were the higherups  adn they were depresed a lot and had evil lives that were daily too on top of running so fast they wereblind...sleeping around rattingback stabibgn and animal stuff butmild but all the time..it was hard. dad and mom were stronger i thought...and mostly were...i cannot see any of them showing it. only greed poorjudgment but hte life style is horroendous im poor like it i can be rich acting at any point so who cares your porall day nd they dont care yuky meaning poor dont live cleanly or eat right and it is disgusting.  the routines in westbor were poor but elsewhere really gross base.  and my livingsituation horrendous i mean really. andthe jerks lived here w me i thought as  a cover adn re realy dumb enough to do it all thtime here.  we saw ita nd see this is how they choose to live as paupers and hold money from ll of ours ad it is terrible and bad..and they pay for it now.  all. and we respect you for it enduring itfor us..looking them in the face and acting...like an actor.  these cant even act they mses up simple lines fomthe script and yes start over it is hilarious they are in danger and walk back say ok take ii...and are fools too.  so we hit them and they yell it we are.  ad i say yourdead you do actually die for real.  adn they say prove it adn we do, the son of Zues states. they do die. and i feel it is beyond normal.  but theywer esmarte in westboro...i think. they shoudl now it most other races do.  and denial to us well. and you dont care well we dont care to see you  alive s.  fag.  at all.  ok and bja ou arenot th onl diot here.  let me say thisyou hveprovento be more than useless...and you acutallly die fo ryour idiotic useless to begin with threats.  fake loud lame not backed and mostly curde jokes and meatn to boehter harm or hurt and not for stff and hit hasnothelped Olympus

[daleisgreat]

Lockdown 2008

Greetings and welcome to the fourth installment covering every year of the all cage-format PPV from TNA/Impact Wrestling, Lockdown. Catch up with past editions by clicking here. Since the previous Lockdown, the following major changes have transpired for TNA: In May 2007, TNA came to an agreement with the NWA to end their partnership. This saw TNA putting NWA World and Tag Team titles in a state of abeyance by relinquishing them back to the NWA. The other big change was when Impact expanded to two hours on Spike in October 2007. There is a part of me that loved the ‘one-hour adrenaline rush’ era of Impact because somehow TNA found a way to cram in their entire roster and I barely had a chance to breathe by the time it was over, and even though I detested the name, that one-hour show delivered…..Total…Nontstop…Action. I welcomed the change to two hours though because it was the catalyst for TNA launching its Knockouts division on the first two-hour episode of Impact. It could not have debuted at a better time because a year prior both Lita and Trish Stratus retired from WWE and for several years WWE’s women’s roster got watered down with mostly untrained Diva Search contestants that dominated WWE’s women’s division until around 2014. Since its 2007 debut, TNA has had a strong Knockouts division, and there were even a couple periods in TNA history where rating proved and fans stated TNA’s Knockouts were outperforming the men. For all the self-congratulating WWE has been doing themselves for their ‘Women’s Evolution’ in recent years TNA/Impact beat them to the punch years earlier by featuring their women in a plethora of standout rivalries and top-billed matches and having several all-women PPVs before WWE will have their first in several weeks from this writing.

Lockdown 2008 is emanating from Lowell, MA. Once again it is refreshing to see a TNA event not in the Impact Zone and in a bigger arena. They had a great opening too with cameras going to shots of Jeremy Borash and Don West in the stands with a red-hot crowd that kept up their enthusiasm for most of the night. The opener was the annual ‘X-Scape’ match for the X-Division Title. Jay Lethal’s Black Machismo persona was still running wild as he walked in and walked out champion. This marked the first Lockdown with one of my favorite TNA characters, Curry Man and also the first Lockdown to see Shark Boy with the addition of his Steve Austin impression to his act--I do not kid--click here to see proof with a Curry Man and Shark Boy interview. Also competing in the X-Scape match were Sonjay Dutt, Johnny Devine and a pre-WWE Xavier Woods then known as Consequences Creed. The match got the crowd lit up with tons of solid action and high-flying. Johnny Devine played the heel heat perfectly by teasing a win by slowly going up the cage while taunting during his escape attempt, but taking too much time to allow Lethal to recover and leap through the cage door to victory. The ‘Queen of the Cage’ bout was next and saw Christy Hemme, Salinas, Jacquelyn, Traci Brooks, Velvet Sky, Angelina Love, Rha-ka Kahn and Roxxi Laveau compete in the women’s answer to the infamous ‘Reverse Battle Royal’ match. Yes, all six started off outside of the cage and the goal was to have the first two women who climbed up and enter the cage then square off in a match. Needless to say, it was an ugly start, with Roxxi and Love getting into the cage in order to have an ok three-to-four minute match with nothing too special that saw Roxxi emerge victorious after her VooDoo Drop finisher. Speaking of VooDoo, the tag team known as the VooDoo Kin Mafia split up shortly before this PPV just in time so Kip & BG James could face each other at Lockdown. Kip dominated the contest with his trademark slow, plodding offense to ‘you can’t wrestle’ chants before BG won over the crowd with his comeback that lead to a roll-up for the pin. The only gratifying part of this bout was the post-match when BG wanted to hug it out with Kip, only to see Kip reel the sucker in and repeatedly clothesline BG.

The next match is a debacle and easy inclusion for my dream ‘Top 50 OMG Incidents in TNA/Impact History’ DVD. It is a six team, handcuff elimination match. The goal is to handcuff all opponents to the cage. That may work in a smaller match, but with 12 guys it looks awkward to see so many stationary bodies all around the cage. Fun fact, I saw this match before on a best of Motor City Machine Guns DVD. I found it to be an awkward inclusion on the compilation, because the Guns did nothing special and were in fact the first team eliminated after a minute or two into the match. Speaking of the Guns, the announcers mentioned how it was the team’s one-year anniversary after aligning up at the X-Scape match the previous year. Joining the Guns in this match were the Rock ‘n Rave Infection (wrestlers capitalizing on the hot Guitar Hero-craze….seriously), LAX, Kaz & Eric Young, Rellik & Black Reign (Dustin Rhodes in a B&W themed version of Goldust) and Scotty Steiner & Petey Williams. Petey Williams is awesome here as he is Steiner’s Little-Poppa-Pump-In-Training protégé and came to the ring in the same attire as Scott. This match had a dumb theme with Young getting attacked before the match, only to see him make a late entrance in his superhero themed, ‘Super-Eric’ persona that saw Young doing a heroic leap off the cage and hand-cuffing everyone to earn a victory for him and Kaz…..what a mess. You may now know her as ‘Welfare Queen’ on the hit Netflix series, Glow but back in 2008 Kia Stevens was kicking ass in TNA as Awesome Kong. Kong teamed up with her manager Rihisha Saeed against Gail Kim and the booze-loving ODB (think a more amped-up version of Sandman). ODB was always a wild card and I could not help but crack up as she swigged away from her flask during the match to get psyched up. ODB wound up getting the feel-good pin after a splash from halfway up the cage. Following that was a forgettable mixed tag match with Booker T & Sharmell against Robert Roode & Traci Brooks. I recall the Roode/Brooks tandem always being at odds, and sure enough that happened here when Brooks inadvertently struck Roode and Sharmell capitalized by rolling up Brooks for the win.

TNA’s rendition of War Games known as ‘Lethal Lockdown’ transpired next. 2008 saw Team 3D, AJ Styles, James Storm & Tomko against Christian Cage, Sting, Rhino, Kevin Nash & Matt Morgan. I completely forgot this was around the time when Tomko was surprisingly over for a short period of time in TNA as he was the captain of his team. I recall being disheartened to see TNA pull the plug on Tomko’s push shortly after this as he had some credible momentum at this time. AJ and Christian (in the last year of his TNA contract) opened the first five minutes. I was surprised to see Nash enter into the match earlier than anticipated and thought he would be somewhat prominently involved in this match. I should not have raised expectations because after a couple quick-fire clotheslines, someone started working over Nash’s leg and Nash went on to take a nap alongside the cage for the rest of the match. Also legit surprising to note is that Brother D-Von was the sole person of the night to bleed. This is jaw-dropping compared to the buckets of blood spilled in previous Lockdowns. Once all the wrestlers entered, the weapons-filled roof shut, and AJ and Christian proceeded to wage war on top of the cage which saw both men fall off the top of the ladder through a table that was on top of the cage for an impressive visual. This entertaining shmoz wrapped up when Rhino got the pin for his team after he gored James Storm. Finally it was main event time with Samoa Joe fighting Kurt Angle for the TNA World Title. Props to TNA for building up this match throughout the night with interviews with Samoa Joe, Angle and several of their supporters between matches to stress the importance of this feud. TNA also had an excellent history montage of the two’s past matches with Angle being the most dominant of the two and there being an added stipulation that if Joe loses, he will retire. Angle mentioned earlier how he underwent a big MMA-training camp in preparation for the match and he came out in MMA attire and wrestled in a MMA style throughout the match. This lead to a lot of close striking and submission sequences interspersed with an occasional suplex to pop the crowd. This was a daring way to book the match, because it could have flopped big time, but Joe and Angle were total pros and made the MMA-style match work and surprisingly the crowd was red-hot throughout the submission-heavy bout. Samoa Joe won his first ever TNA World Title here after his muscle-buster for the pin. If memory serves right, Joe’s contract was coming up for renewal and TNA guaranteeing him this title nudge Joe to re-sign with TNA. If I also recall correctly, TNA did not appreciate Joe forcing their hand into make Joe the top champion and they went on to book him to have an ugly failure of a title reign that tarnished his overall act much like Mysterio’s 2006 WWE Title reign.

There are three extra features on the disc. Like last year, there is a quick photo gallery of all the matches that I will give credit to for snapping pics of with my cell of for use in this blog. Also like last year, there is a 14-minute compilation of Jeremy Borash interviews with TNA talent at a fan expo meet-up the weekend of Lockdown. I would say it is worth the quick watch to see how much the Knockouts love Jeremy and you can tell everyone was having a legit good time with the fans while staying in character for their promos. Finally there is bonus Impact match with a Kurt Angle/Samoa Joe re-match at the following Impact. It is a good bout, but is plagued with ref bumps and interference setting up Joe’s next rivalry. I will give the 2008 Lockdown a thumbs up, despite some bumps in the mid-card. I would recommend sticking with only the Lethal Lockdown, X-Title and World Title matches and skipping the rest. Also props to TNA for finding a way to seemingly work everyone onto the show, I did a tally on my notes and in the eight matches counted 48 different wrestlers! I will close the 2008 Lockdown entry by once again referencing my love for Curry Man and being bamboozled that Brother D-Von was the only person to bleed the entire night! Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania 3: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017