I'm watching the opening scenes of Rocky, and just the first sight of shirtless Balboa in his boxing shorts and gloves is giving me absolute underdog Modern AU Dunk vibes. Like holy crap. The man has an affinity for puppies, and he talks to his pet turtles. He's a soft-touch, too, cos even when he's working as muscle for a loan shark, he stops short of breaking fingers, hands, or noses, AND convinces his boss to give the loanee more time to come up with the cash he's short. There is soooooooo a fic in there somewhere because I keep visualizing Boxer Dunk and damn, he is both sweaty and fiiiiiiiiiiine.
D'ya see my vision?
It's the night before the match, and Rocky is realizing his limitations--so that now he's just hoping to 'go the distance'. For once in his life to hold his own with a champion, even if he can't win.
Kinda like Dunk realizing, after watching the nighttime melee, his true inexperience & limitations, and that though no one remembers Ser Arlan, Dunk is his legacy and that tomorrow he will show that to the world. My beloved underdog!
