reading: i was in a massive slump book wise last year and didn’t read much that i loved and i just dropped a ton of books that didn’t work for me. but right now im reading the dangers of smoking in bed by mariana enriquez and im really enjoying it
last series: while i was home for christmas my mom was binging poledark so i was half-watching that with her
last film: wake-up dead man! i loved it and it was so much better than glass onion which i actively hated
last song: andromeda by weyes blood
sweet or salty: salty by a country mile. i like sweets but i also need them to be a little salty lol like chocolate covered pretzels
coffee or tea: coffee! i will just have my one cup in the morning though and that’s usually it
working on: i’ll be doing a bunch of melfrank edits once season two starts but i also have written something for melfrank that’s mostly done but lets see if im brave enough to actually post it since it’s like. filthy.
The night before they main event budokan hall, the lovers have a tag match against each other [Aug 10, 2018 - LINK]. It’s mostly a silly no-touch affair that’s quickly broken up by the BC OG but the emotional core still comes through in the image of Kota standing in the ring, waiting for Kenny to tag in, with his hand over his heart
[ID: Kota stands with his right hand over his heart and breaths out hard, puffing his cheeks out. he looks nervous. End ID]
Kota says that standing across from Kenny in that moment was “something I can’t even put into words.”
his quiet dread echos through the post match comments
[ID: picture of a reporter asking Kota “Are you looking forward to tomorrow or not?” in the second picture Kota is looking down and saying: “I hope tomorrow never comes.” End ID. LINK]
Kota has been feeling the weight of Kenny’s accomplishments this entire G1. Kenny has achieved so many of Kota’s own dreams, and Kota now has to prove himself to NJPW in a way that he never did before. He has to show them that he’s not just Kenny’s partner, that he’s a wrestler in his own right, with his own dreams, deserving of his own opportunities. This is his chance. He has to win.
and more than that, he’s terrified of one of them getting hurt. really hurt. both of them are. and there’s certainly reason to, their last budokan match broke Kenny’s sternum
[ID: picture of Kota in a blue suit jacket with a yellow tie. He says: “Before, I didn’t want to face Kenny because it would end both our careers. Now I think if we did, someone might die.” End ID. LINK]
this quote is from when Kenny was still a heel, but it’s a fear that both wrestlers express over and over when asked about having another singles match.
the BC OG are counting on this match to tear the lovers apart, but that is one outcome that neither lover is afraid of
Kenny says as much to Tama
[ID: four gifs of Kenny speaking in the postmatch. He says: “By forcing our hand, between myself and ibushi, it's not going to change what we have. It's not going to change what we are. it's only going to make us stronger in the end.” End ID. LINK]
And again to Matt just before the match
[ID: Matt, Nick, and Kenny are walking down a hall together just before Kenny’s entrance. Matt is saying: “I know the last thing you want to do is wrestle each other, but uh-” Matt stops walking bites his tongue and looks at Kenny. He continues: “listen. We're the Golden Elite now, and hopefully at the end of this thing we're still going to be the Golden Elite. Okay?” End ID. LINK]
[ID: Kenny puts a fist against Matt’s chest as he walks by and tells him calmly: “It's not gonna change. I got it. Don't worry. Thanks though.” End ID]
i love Kenny’s calm certainty in the face of something he has always feared: coming up short against Kota Ibushi. It says so much of his growth as a person, and the deepened understanding of the bond between the lovers.
Earlier this year the lovers have an interview with NJPW’s magazine. When asked about their relationship, Kenny answers with this:
“It's a real life Your Name. Our hearts move the same way together. I guess everybody wants to say "we're a couple!" [laughs] I don't know whether it's as simple to express as that. We're two people that share one heart. That's what I want to say."
-Kenny Omega, NJPW Magazine - LINK [Chris Charlton translation]
(Chris Charlton originally translated this quote as being from Kota Ibushi, and so many people (including me!) have been falsely attributing it to Kota all this time, but Chris has since deleted his tweet and other translators have said it was really Kenny who said this. Here’s a link to the full interview: LINK (thank you breadclub for giving me the link!))
[ID: part of the poster from the movie Your Name. A boy stands on the left, in a city, looking towards a bright star shining in the bright sky. on the right a girl stands in a field near a tree, she’s looking at the same star. the light beams of the star both separates them vertically and connects them horizontally. End ID]
For those who may not know (spoilers), the movie Your Name is an animated film about two strangers separated by distance and time, who one day begin waking up in each others’ bodies. This magical connection not only transforms their lives in beautiful mundane ways, but also changes the very world around them, and even time itself. These characters never kiss on screen, but their bond is at the center of the movie. two people who share a heart, who are drawn together by destiny and love, two people who are more than a couple, connected to each other in a way that they can never explain to another person. two people who are brought together and separated, until finally they find each other again, transcending even the most extreme kinds of separation, beyond death and forgetting.
to say that your relationship is a real life Your Name is ridiculously romantic
In the same interview Kota says: “In 36 years I’ve never had this with anyone else aside from Kenny. It’s like—it’s as if two people are sharing the same brain.” LINK
The interviewer informs us that “when Kenny was told of [Kota’s] answer after the interview, he let out a surprised “Oh, my God!”, and smiled shyly.” LINK
what kenny and kota know, in a way that no one else can, is that no matter what happens in that ring, the golden lovers are coming out whole in heart, if not in body
Kenny vs Kota III [Aug 11, 2018 - Official LINK, Unofficial LINK]
[ID: picture of Kenny and Kota hugging before their match and entrances. Kenny is wearing his grey entrance jacket and Kota is shirtless. Both have their eyes closed as they hug. End ID. LINK]
The bucks come to ringside, but decide not to enter with Kenny, emphasizing their desire to support both lovers
waiting for the bell to ring and the match to start, Kota looks more nervous than i have ever seen him
[ID: three pictures of Kota waiting in his corner of the ring opposite Kenny. in the first his head is tilted down and his eyes are squeezed shut. in the second he tilts his head back to stare up at the ceiling, mouth open. in the last he looks across the ring at Kenny, looking nervous and distressed. End ID]
(in the postmatch Kota says that he blacked out here, and that this moment is the last thing he remembers of this whole match)
the match of course is excellent.
Kenny openly struggles with hurting Kota at first
[ID: two gifs. in the first Kenny chops Kota across the chest and Kota flinshes and grabs the rope for support. Kenny puts his hands on his knees and bends over and just stares at the mat. in the second Kenny looks at Kota and runs his hand through his hair before shaking his head a little and approaching him. End ID.]
and there are some brutal moments in this match
[ID: Kenny is sitting on the top turnbuckle, Kota is standing on his back. Kota jumps up and does a double stomp to the back of Kenny’s head. End ID]
but it’s nothing like what they have done to each other before
they’re holding back.
you can see it in a million little ways, but especially in the way that Kota does not allow the strange monstrous side of himself to surface for more than a brief moment
[ID: Kota is holding Kenny’s wrist and his eyes are wild as he straightens to look at Kenny. End ID]
and isn’t that something, Kota needs to win so badly but he’s holding that part of himself back, to keep from hurting Kenny.
it’s still an incredibly physical match, there are multiple times when the commentators, bucks, and crowd are all begging the lovers not to do what they’re threatening to do to each other
[ID: Kenny has Kota up on his shoulders, about to one winged angel Kota from the apron to the floor. End ID.]
but compared to what we know they’re capable of, this is restrained
[ID: the lovers hold onto each others wrist as they hit each other with the elbows of their other arm. The camera is zoomed in on their held hands and then zooms out to show them. End ID]
Kenny doesn’t manages to hit Kota with the one winged angel, tho he tries it several times
[ID: gif of Kenny with Kota up on his shoulders, he pulls one of Kota’s legs behind his shoulder, setting up for the one winged angel and Kota puts it back. they do this twice. End ID]
the last time he was able to use it on Kota, it meant something different. now, he has a full set of wings, and that move almost can’t exist in a match that has Kota in it.
in the end Kota wins with his second Kamigoye and just lays on Kenny for a bit after the pin
and the bucks take care of both of them.
Kota Ibushi is going to the G1 Climax finals for the first time in his career.
And Kenny is so proud of him.
[ID: two gifs, Kota is on his knees post win and he looks at Kenny who holds out his hands like “look at you! look at this amazing thing you did!” and Kota covers his face. Kenny goes to him and ruffles his hair. End ID]
[ID: gifs of Kenny and Kota sitting in front of each other in the ring. Kota says something to Kenny and they press their heads together, holding each other by the neck and head. End ID]
[ID: picture of Kota sitting in the ring, curled into Kenny’s chest while Kenny holds him. End ID]
in the post match Kenny says he’s disappointed to have lost, but he doesn’t seem it. he’s cheerful and beaming, proud and supportive
[ID: screenshot of Kenny looking at Kota in the postmatch and saying: “But my partner, best friend, my life partner, Kota Ibushi...]
he’ll be in Kota’s corner for the finals
[ID: gif of Kenny grinning at Kota and touching his shoulder as he saying: “i will be his second if that’s what he wants.” and Kota says “Please” in the most exhausted way possible. End ID.]
the postmatch ends with Kota getting fed up and just grabbing Kenny’s arm mid-answer and dragging him away
The very next night is the finals.
Kota Ibushi vs Hiroshi Tanahashi [Aug 12, 2018 - Official LINK, Unofficial LINK]
when Kota was 18 he moved on his own to Chiba so that he could work as a baggage handler at Narita airport while he pursued his dream of becoming a wrestler. if he wins this match, it will be his first time winning the G1, his first time main eventing wrestle kingdom, his first chance at the IWGP Heavyweight championship since Kenny cost him his match against AJ Styles in 2015.
the only person now standing between him and the realization of his childhood dreams is Hiroshi Tanahashi. Kota’s Wrestling God.
[ID: a picture of Kota in the post match after his match against Kenny. He says: “I’ve always called him, ‘The God’...” End ID]
He first faced Tanahashi in a tag match in 2009 while he was still at DDT. since then he has fought Tana one-on-one 3 times (2015 G1, 2017 G1, 2017 Power Struggle) and beaten him once.
Their last match was for Tana’s IC title, and in the wake of that loss Kota was approached by Cody Rhodes, setting him on the path that brought him here. to this moment.
Kota’s new finisher, the one he debuted during the 2017 G1, is called Kamigoye, ”to surpass God”
now is his chance to do it.
[ID: picture of Kota from the postmatch. He continues: “I guess now is the time to overcome the God.” End ID]
Kenny’s presence in at ringside truly shows how much the past is past for the golden lovers and how much Kota loves and trusts Kenny now. Kenny’s presence is so obviously a source of comfort
[ID: two gifs. In the first Kenny is standing in Kota’s corner before the match. He smiles at a visibly nervous Kota and pulls him into a hug with the ropes between them. in the second you can see, from a wide above shot, a tiny Kenny ruffling the hair of a tiny Kota after their hug. End ID]
and joy
[ID: Kota does a moonsault from the second rope onto a prone Tana. After he lands he pauses to grin at Kenny and then goes for the pin. End ID]
and support for Kota
[ID: Tana has Kota in his texas clover hold submission, Kota is reaching for the ropes and Kenny is right there calling for him, encouraging him to reach out and get the rope break. End ID]
Kota fights so hard. And it’s just not enough. Tana wins.
[ID: gif of Kenny helping an exhausted Kota sit up. He has an ice pat against Kota’s neck and he’s leaning close and speaking to him. Kota tilts his head towards Kenny but seems out of it. End ID]
and Kota is devastated
[ID: picture of Kota’s face as he looks at Tanahashi, hands on his knees. Kota’s hair is wet with sweat and hanging in little spikes over his eyes. his face is devastated and pained, almost on the verge of tears. End ID]
[ID: five pictures of Kota in the postmatch. in the first four he looks tired and despondent and says: “Honestly, I worked so hard to get here. This month I tried harder than in any other point in my life. I still can’t get it, can I?After I returned, I promised I would never give up again. That’s what I told myself. I started wrestling again.” in the last picture he’s crawling away and says: “I will not give up again.” End ID. LINK]
Welcome to my blog! Figured I would introduce myself on here since I haven’t done the tumblr thing in a hot minute. I’m Ash, but my friends call me Eddie ✨ I’m a tattoo artist & illustrator. I’m trans/nonbinary and use he/they pronouns. I just reached 3 months on testosterone. I’m a pretty open book if you ever have any questions for me. ✨
The magpie is one of my favorite birds. Their feathers are beautiful and I can relate to how they too love to collect things that shine and glitter, even when the thing is just a piece of trash.
My mom had seen this apathetic magpie in her garden and the next day she found one dead. Poor thing had some sort of big growths on its feet but otherwise it looked completely fine. I'm sad it died but happy to finally have one in my collection.
