#Rivals: Succesion

[cakebird-art]

After being rescued from the Chaotic Inferno Zone, Eggman Nega is looking a bit worse for wear…

LORE BELOW CUT »»»

After Silver and Espio seal him in the Chaotic Inferno Zone (End of Rivals 2), Eggman Nega is presumed dead. Life goes on, and several years pass, before a curious purple Griffin makes a potentially unwise decision…

After rescuing Eggman Nega, Cake tends to his injuries for weeks. Losing hope, and with the mad scientist still unconscious, he nearly gives up… until one day, bickering with his friend seems to finally wake Nega up.

Back in business, he arms himself with two shiny new legs, a cybernetic eye, and an even more vicious blood lust for his ancestor than before…

[mostlikelytofangirl]

(Sorry if alr sent this ask)

I think the idea of a modern ruoyao where MY can't stand rich-people but can stand WRH because WRH plays up the evil CEO thing to a point it's a caricature is very funny

Can't remember if you have already sent this, so let's say you didn't :D

Lol I can see this. At this point in all of us' lives, I think we don't need much to be done with rich ppl, and with MY's history, he needs even less reasons

BUT

Evil CEO WRH is so over the top with his evilness that he can't be taken seriously XD. I mean, it's not like scaring the living shit out of employees by sternly calling them to your office to demand they recite a tongue-twister perfectly or else bc you are bored isn't serious, but you now.

It's like canon, he embraces the role of being the irredeemable evil villain, he doesn't go around trying to convince anyone of the contrary or keeps all his evil shit hidden.

He may be an asshole but he's not a hypocrite, and that deserves at least some respect :')

Also yes, he's not really using his wealth and power to make the world a better place, but he his evil deeds are so ridiculous that he's not even doing shit that's truly despicable. He may be threatening to fire anyone who looks him in the eye without permission, but he's not price gauging or poluting the water.

I do believe he would be smart enough to not do anything that could really get him in troubles he can't bribe his way out of, so it's almost like a game of how much he can fuck with ppl's sanity without getting covered in lawsuits bc those are only fun if he's the one filing them lol

So MY can give him a pass as an asshole millionaire bc he isn't leaving a trail of bastards behind like sOmE oThErS

[kaileidoscopio]

like they already were trying to appeal to latin american audiences with nmixx (some of the members of that group were taught spanish and they have made tons of promotional/variety show stuff in spanish) but like. a GROUP. they already did that usa/international based group vcha and even though they haven't had a single comeback yet its cool to see them at least ATTEMPTING to do new stuff

i mean no one who listens to kpop does so because they like innovative music like lets be fr they all just constantly copy each other so thats why this is exciting!

wdym jyp ent. (record label of kpop groups twice, itzy, stary kids, etc) is planning on making a LATIN GIRL GROUP???? DIED 2004 BORN 2024 WELCOME BACK BANDANA

[pourwatter]

Made another pack for this month! This time its the ship that I've been pining for the last two months, Vikdecai! 🐱🐱

Chased down by rivals after a succesful raid was a common thing in Mordecai Heller and Viktor Vasko's line of work. The problem is when people starts scouting in front of their apartments, and now they can't go home. So tonight, they ran away to a hotel far away to rest until the morning. However, living together in a room with one bed where they are just a touch-length from each other results in some heat coming out, and they need to resolve it, somehow, one way or another.

patreon | gumroad Originally part of the reward for members of kokotreon for October 2023.

[marcusrobertobaq]

DBH worldbuilding info u're supposed to know

The collection

US is having major issues with sea level rising quickly, making even the wealthy residents deciding not living right on the coast anymore. Polar ice has melted to an extent that rising sea levels have many states struggling to keep the water out of their coastal towns (Magazine)

CyberLife's intention with complex level humanization was to literally make people welcome 'em home like they're family instead of getting creeped about it (Magazine)

VR games are very common by 2038 (Magazine)

The President Cristina Warren is an ex-vlogger with no experience in government that relied on social media and celebrity status to be elected in 2036, originally a republican representative. There's a "rumor" CyberLife helped she getting elected by corrupt means and that's why they're "too close" (Magazine, Gallery, Cut concepts)

Warren got an approval of only 33% due to the sequence of bad decisions (Magazine)

The world's population is 10 billion by 2038 (Magazine)

Obesity is in a record high in Detroit by 2038 (Magazine)

NATO is divided about the Russia vs US conflict in the Arctic, they think everybody can benefit of the region without war but Warren is totally pushing for a conflict (Magazine)

Rare minerals used in synthetizing Thirium got Russia and US biting each other in the North Pole in recent yrs. Android manufacture dominates both the US and Russian economies (Magazine)

Kamski being the one creating Thirium 310 and biocomponents more than a decade ago suggests other areas with these minerals were already explored, the North Pole being the last one (Assumption)

Police is constantly using marketing data to identify criminals (Magazine)

Dating websites usually have less than 5% of women using it (Magazine)

0.4% of world population holds 94% of global wealth by 2038 (Magazine)

By 2038 there's constant propaganda selling Canada as the true land of freedom (Magazine)

No matter how u play as Markus u gonna eventually have event contexts distorted, including fake news. They're called criminal org and terrorists no matter what u do (Observation)

CyberLife developed a nano-android to help combating cancer and diseases that can extend the human life-span even reaching a semi-immortality status - and it's very promising as it was already succesful in doing its task (Magazine)

US life expectancy is 91 by 2038 (Magazine)

By 2038 US got a aging population but not enough young people to support the economy with the unemployment rate at 37.3%, and the "job" area is dominated by androids (Magazine, Observation)

When the rebellion starts the gov consider bringing retirees back to work as the country lack qualified manpower to deal with the withdraw of androids (Cut dialogue)

Only two countries have android industries that rival the United States: Russia and China, they're also in a space race of sorts (Magazine)

Team sports like baseball got at least 1 android per team (Magazine)

An advanced high speed train was completed in 2038, connecting New York and LA in less than 2,5 hrs and there's a high flux of east coast folks going to LA (Magazine)

Suburban prices there have rose 64% and California folks are worried they gonna get pushed out of the region (Magazine)

Detroit is currently in a Red Ice epidemic with it being the easiest route the poor go, either by selling or using it (Magazine)

There was a Red Ice Task Force from 2027 to 2031 that made major arrests and drug seizure during the first epidemic (Gallery, Articles)

Bees are extinct by 2038 and people expect a global famine. CyberLife is already making partnerships to create bee-robots while other groups try finding new alternatives (Magazine)

Environmentalists say the Earth’s environment is beyond repair (Magazine)

Global rainforests have been reduced by 79% since 2000 and coastal corals by 58% (Magazine)

During the events of the game an earthquake kills 10k people in China (Magazine)

CyberLife has partnership with the Department of Defense in the development and supply of military androids, something that started in the early 30s after it was approved to limit human casualties in the battlefield (Magazine, Observation)

In 2031 the US gov ordered 2 million androids for use in the infantry, mostly SQ800 units already being deployed in 2032 replacing human soldiers.

Michigan also announced the purchase of 5k auxiliary androids to assist law enforcement department but following the 2029 Android Act they can't use weapons (PlayStation Blog)

U.S. Army soldiers are equipped with advanced equipment to keep up with their android "subordinates" (Gallery)

Stock exchange falls 10% on fear of Arctic conflict by 2038 (Magazine)

68% of men prefer sex with an android to a human woman and with 52% of men saying they’ve tried the experience at least once (Magazine)

CyberLife currently got around 120 million androids across the globe and some people suspect they're using 'em to spy on people (Magazine)

There are at least 200k military android units already in service across the US military by 2038 and the gov is buying more for the Arctic conflict, an effort to double the infantry size (Magazine)

The US Army is 60~80% android, with humans mainly as commanders and strategists but they tend to use complex AIs to help with assistance (Magazine)

Sales of android intimate partners are very high as lotta men and women prefer living with an android than a human partner (Magazine)

Birthrate is at record low, population decline is said to be irreversible, marriage is in decline as traditional families become “thing of the past” and the divorce rate only increases (Magazine, News, Observation)

US is currently in an "antidepressant epidemic" due to the constant contact with technology, with people even lacking emotional development (Magazine)

The AX400 price is $899 by 2038 (Magazine)

5% of the music market is produced by human musicians. An android boyband Here4U is favorite to win Best Act, Best Video at global music awards - which are human record awards (Magazine, News)

Scientists found "alien" life on Titan: microorganisms living hundreds of kilometers below the surface, in an ocean of salt water protected by a thick layer of ice. The machine-i-forgot-the-name was sent in 2019 (Magazine)

Lute turtles, polar bears, mountain gorillas, african elephants and several species of tiger are extinct by 2038, with CyberLife now making some sorta android zoos (Magazine)

Canada is an android-free zone they don't sell or have any laws about it there as they don't permit androids inside 'em borders (Magazine)

CyberLife has recently released a tech demo of a quaterback android, something that got the Anti-Android Fan Group pissed (Magazine)

There's some sorta quantum magnet being studied that got the potential of cleaning carbon from the air (Magazine)

The Anti-Automation League and CrowneCars representants are in a discussion about ethical decision-making capability of autonomous cars (Magazine)

CyberLife has made a new quantum supercomputer, capable of one billion billion operations per second used to calculate the probability of mass extinction events (Magazine)

Hackers targeting systems like solar panels for ransom seems to be common thing (Magazine)

NASA announced the launch of a five android crew to explore Io (first time it's a full-machine crew). The journey will last three years (Magazine)

CyberLife is a trillionaire company by 2038, they were already billionaires a decade before (Magazine)

The first android ever officially released by CyberLife was the ST200 Chloe, costing 65k in 2024. By 2027 they already had 1mi androids sold (PlayStation Blog)

[continues on the next reblog]

[machiten]

thats my seat!

academic rival scaramouche x gn!reader headcanons

warnings: scaramouche(bro is a whole warning), foul language(it's scaramouche we're talking about here so), reader is mentioned to have bad eyesight, fights, angst, academic validation, bad parenting

barely proofread lmao im tired, it's 3:15 am and im starving. there will be a chapter 2 ofc i just wanted to post something goddamn my blog has been empty for so long (4 days) didn't have a way to keep track of the word count but it's kinda long. anyways hope u enjoy!!

oh god

when i say rival, i mean full on brawls on the school hallway

so let's say you've been top of your school since day one. your name has always been at the top of the score board every exam, always class representative, and well known as a smart kid ever since you steped on school premises.

you work hard to keep your grades up, your parents pay enough attention to your succesful brother and none for you

having a successful brother plants high expectations on you. i mean, he did very well, so why cant you? you both have the same blood running through your veins. your parent's praise, that is all you've ever wanted. and yet you're not even informed if there's a family outing, leaving you in your house alone

it has been like that for years

not until one day, you enter into the classroom and someone else is sitting in your chair. someone unfamiliar is sitting on your chair.

"hey, excuse me. i sit there." you pointed at what is supposed to be, your chair. "what, i dont see any names on it." Ok, what. when you finally look up to the culprit, my goodness. Fierce purple eyes that looks like it holds the entire universe, his skin as fair as a maiden, lips plum as a springs fruit, a beauty mark at the underside of his right eye, and his hair a unique color of indigo that is cut in a weird jellyfish-ish hairstyle. while yes, he looks ethereal, not gonna lie (if he had longer hair you might've mistaken him as a girl) his personality certainly does not match his elegance. an annoyed look currently adorned his face, as if you disturbed his peace.

"done checking me out? i know im hot, i get that look everyday so dont ever think you're special." and now it changed into a cocky smirk. the nerve! not only is he sitting on someone else's chair but it seems like his head is getting bigger too. "well excuse me, i havent seen your around school until today so im guessing that you're the transfer student our teacher talked about last week. but do you mind finding a new spot, i sit there." you glared at him.

"no i like it here. here's a better idea, why don't you find a new spot. im the new student here, show some courtesy."

"no- what, go away thats my seat!"

"alright everyone, settle down- oh, i see that the new student is here already," the teacher finally came in the classroom, cup of steaming hot coffee in his hand. Everyone sat down on their seats while you are still standing up waiting for this person to look for another seat. Lmao guess what, he didnt move.

"(name), c'mon sit down. i know getting a new friend is exiting but we have to greet the new student properly. now go find your seat."

"wait but sir--"

"sit down, (name)"

"yeah that's right (name), sit down" a voice beside you spoke. you looked over to the new student adorning a triumphant grin at your loss. and so you are now forced to sit at the back, barely seeing what's in front because of your poor eyesight, and wearing a vengeful spirit.

epic first meeting

the seats in the back are okay, its breezy and you now sit next to xiao (his music taste is so good) but yeah, you cant really see the board clearly so you get notes from mona at the front

at first, it was a one sided rivalry. how hated how rude and bratty he was and at that time, he didnt seem too care (like he get those everyday). but then he started fighting back and oh boy he hasn't had this much fun in years!

the way you retort back to his harsh words is so amusing to him. usually, no one would dare talk to him in a degrading manner but then you came into his life, claiming that he's sitting on your chair, and it was never the same ever again.

now, he looks forward to everyday. he rises up earlier so that he can sit at your chair first, he keeps looking at the classroom door everytime someone enters (in case it's you so that he can give that shit eating grin), he loves how your face gets messed up when he wins an argument, he loves how small your hands are compared to his when you have a brawl in the hallways, and most of all, he loves it when you give him the shit eating grin when you win something (he says he let's you win sometimes because he pitied you, but is it really?)

to him, this is fun, amusing, entertaining. but to you? you've never felt this much hate in a human being, ever.

scaramouche is smart as fuck and he demonstrated that loud and clear

he aced the math test that the teacher gave that wasn't even taught to him

in presentations, he speaks loud and clear and you can really understand the point he's making

he doesn't really like group works (you noticed) but if he was put in a group, he does most of the job flawlessly

sports? oh of course. he's really good at baseball (pitcher). he's also good at other sports but not as good as baseball

oh and pray that you don't get him as your opponent in debates, you will be grilled like a brisket

did i mention he sleeps in like 70% of his classes? it's not like the teachers can do anything about it. he excels in everything, at least let him sleep as a gift

the only times he would be awake is when he pulls on your strings

but of course, you're also good in all of these, that's why you both are rivals

you fight almost everyday for the top spot (and for your original seat) to the point where its a daily routine to everyone else to see you both pinching and arguing in the classroom

He doesn't have any close friends (ahem childeahem) and it's either bc ppl are intimidated by him or he just doesnt give a fuck about friends

maintaining grades is one thing, winning against him is another

you are very intellegent, yes, but you work very hard for your grades every night. losing sleep studying for upcoming quizes and making sure your projects are perfect. unlike him who doesnt even try

you havent seen him study once

and it makes you see yourself lower. you're both equally in par with your grades but thats when he doesn't even try. what happens when he takes everything seriously? what if he studies as hard as you do? where will you stand then?

but when you got 2nd place for the 3rd time this year, he took it too far

"what the hell?! this is the third time!" you looked at the results in the bulletin board expecting to see your name in first place. you studied hard, right? so then why,,,

"oh oops, looks like i did a little too well again this time. aw and i didn't even answer some of the questions because i felt bad for beating you the last two times." a snicker is heard behind you and sure enough, piercing indigo eyes is looking at yours in pure pity. "thanks i guess. are you happy now? that's three times in a row!" aether beside you is now having a deadpan expression, expecting the worst. 'alright here we go again'.

"oh yes very, you know what makes me even happier? your declaration that you're inferior to me. why do you even try anyways, it's clear to everyone that im better. you're just wasting your time burying your head in your books and notes when we both already know who's coming at the top. imagine not meeting your parent's expectations." he's now looking down on you, beating you up with words that you know damn well are true. but that doesn't mean you're not gonna fight back.

"what."

"oh you know, maybe if you tried harder, the cost of your education might be worth it for your parents. honestly, if i we're them id--"

before he could finish his sentence, a loud echoing smack is heard all across the hallway, making everyone's attention turn to the commotion. scaramouche head is now turned the other way, his cheeks beginning to flare from the hit as he glared at the culprit, you. "you motherfucking bitc-!" you tackled him and due to surprise, he fell back. aether is now alert, shouting your name trying to get you to your senses.

you gripped scramouche's collar, rasing his head from the floor and slamming it back down. "you're an asshole, you know that?! i try my best everyday and this is what i get?!!" he fights back, hand on your arm that's trying to get a hold of his hair and another on your neck, holding back your weight.

"you don't know what it's like!! you will never know what it's like being compared to your brother everytime they get a chance!! you dont know what it's like going home to nothing but words of disappointment when you did everything you can to get their approval!! you will never know what it's like for your efforts to go to waste!! you will never know the feeling of being kicked out of your own home and live in a run down apartment!! i work day and night, i lose sleep everyday, i barely have anything for myself to live, and now i have to deal with your ass every single day too?!!"

"(name)! calm down, hey-!"

"fuck off aether!"

every word you spat pricked scaramouche's heart and made him struggle from your assaults. this isn't fun anymore. he knew a bit of your situation, kazuha told him. but he never knew it was this bad. all he knew is about your parent's expectations. he didn't even attempt to fight back this time and just defends himself from your blows. 'shit, i took it too far.'

"you dont have to remind me of my incompetence! i already know, i know damn well i will never be enough!! you're right, why do i even try, right?! you're so fucking annoying, doing everything so effortlessly, like school is a nuisance!! can't i take a fucking break?!!" at this point, you cannot control your tears from falling into his cheeks, rolling down his porcelain skin.

"what are you--?!"

"why can't i be a genius like you?! why dont i have everything that you have?!! i did everything i can, what am i doing wrong?!" you are now saying intangible words that no one can decipher because of the mess of emotions you are feeling at that moment. you're about to deliver another blow when someone held you back.

"(name)! you're doing too much! thats enough!!" goddamn she is stronger than i thought, scaramouche deals with this everyday?? aether pulled you away from the tangled mess that you and scaramouche managed to create. you're struggling his hold but after a bit, you slumped down having no more strength to keep going, sobbing quietly. "...(name)?" aether said.

"...i am so tired of everything, why do i even keep trying. i.. i just want to make my parents proud..." sniffles could be heard from where you are being held my aether's arms. aether supported you from the groud and led you away from the scene and the prying eyes of other students. before you both can disappear completely, aether turned around and gave scaramouche a threatening glare. "i know you both bicker a lot but you took it too far. you are an asshole and you better change that attitude of yours or i will send you home even worse than your condition right now." and you both are gone.

scaramouche is still sitting on the floor, his arm supporting his weight, bruises are forming in his skin while he's craddling his cheek that is now very noticeably red and flaring from the slap you served him earlier. he doesn't know how to act, really. should he apologize? should he just walk away and like nothing happened? should he report you for physical abuse? he didn't know anything.

what he does know though is that he fucked up, big time. he knows that you'll never want to see his face ever again, he knows that nothing will be the same again, and he knows thag the feelings he has will never be reciprocated, after what he's done.

he actually just found out recently, when someone from the other class was making fun of you and he didn't like it one bit, he's the only one allowed to make fun of you, everyone back off. scaramouche can see the crowd dissipating, no longer interested since the main action is gone. he sat there on the floor the whole time, rethinking his life choices, wondering if he said things differently instead of those. would he be seeing you tomorrow? will you still argue with him about nonsensical bullshit? can he still hold your hand whenever you pinch him?

he heard footsteps and before he can look up, someone had smacked him in the head.

"what the fuck-!!"

"i want to say 'are you okay', but to be honest you kinda deserved that." a mop of ginger can bee seen hanging from someone's head.

"fuck off childe, and why did you smack me?!"

"because you deserve it. but y'know, it's nice having front row seats seeing you ruin your life because of that toungue of yours. aether's right you're an ass." he helped scaramouche from the floor, dusting his uniform from the filth. "ill take you to the infirmary." scaramouche can only nod, feeling lethargic after all that energy spent.

he hopes to see you the next day, acting like nothing ever happened.

part 2

[kxzush1]

Sobbing quietly

pairing: Charles Leclerc x Y/N (childhood friends)

summary: Y/N and Charles are childhood friends and they share their trauma of losing people they love.

warning: angst.

note: changed Charles's and Charlote's dating timeline a bit.

Y/N and Charles are childhood friends. Y/N moved to Monaco with their parents when they were a kid. They started karting and met Charles, Esteban, Pierre and Anthoine. They became friends off the track quickly, and rivals on the track quickly.

As Y/N's parents weren't always the best, they often would spend time with Charles. Hanging around his house, spending time with Charles, even with his parents, as they would take care of them like Y/N's their kid. They also met Jules. Jules Bianchi. One of their favourite people beside Charles. He made Y/N laugh a lot, and they made many memories. But then he crashed. And they said he was in a coma. They went to visit him in October with Charles. And they cried a lot. But they said he could get better. So Y/N was a bit happier. A few months later, it was not so good, and then- and then..

Jules died. It was night. Y/N was over at Charles's. They woke up in the middle of the night, hearing some noise from downstairs. They saw Lorenzo. He didn't look good. And then they told Y/N.

"Y/N please tell him.. I don't think I can bring myself to." Lorenzo whispered. They sobbed quietly, leaning there against the couch, sitting on the floor. Their hands covering her face.

"I- I don't know if I can either, please.." Y/N whispered back, but then they heard those steps. Y/N recognised them. Those light steps, they were his. Y/N looked up, saw him walking down those steps, rubbing his eyes.

"Y/N.." he mumbled, almost like he was searching for them. Then he looked at the people before him. He looked at Y/N. Their eyes met. It was like Y/N told him wordlessly.

"Charles.. Jules just died." Y/N whispered, wiping their tears away. And Charles just stared, and he couldn't bring himself to cry. But Y/N understood. Standing up, Y/N walked up the stairs, took his hand and led him back to his room. They laid down and Y/N pulled him closer. And then he cried. Only in their arms. On the bed, and then at the funeral.

Y/N was a talented driver, a very talented one. Stepping into Formula 2 a year earlier than Charles, in 2016, they didn't win the championship in the first year, nor the second one, but that one, they didn't mind it. Because that year, it was different.

The year ended in tears,not in those of joy, but in those of sadness. Hervé died. Charles was almost broken, almost. But he stayed strong, became the strongest he could and won the championship. That was the one thing Y/N couldn't bring herself to do. They were battling for the championship too. But when Y/N saw their 'almost dad' passing, they couldn't bring themself to make it. Or maybe, Y/N let Charles win.

'I went to congratulate Charles. I think. I don't know for sure. The only thing I remember was the fact that I had so many tears in my eyes, I almost couldn't see. It was almost as if I was under water. I couldn't hear who was talking to me. But, then my vision finally cleared, and I saw Charles. It made me cry even more. I got one look from him and it was like we knew what we wanted to say to each other in that moment. Yes, maybe he beated me in that championship, but that was the last thing important from that day.'

-An excerpt from Y/N's book: 'A way down'

They both got into F1 then. Charles in Alfa Romeo, and Y/N in McLaren. They both were happy, nervous, excited, still sad. But they were still kids in that time. The first year was fine, the next year, he got a girlfriend, Charlotte. Y/N was friends with her. Charles looked happier, and Kate was there for it. They both focused on their carreers. Y/N was succesful. The McLaren car suited them. They had a good rookie year. And Y/N was a bit happier again. The next year, not so good. Having issues with their car, but trying their best.

August 2019. Formula 2.  The crash of Anthoine. That shook Y/N. It took them one lap at the track to know that they couldn't. But Charles won. And they was proud.

"How was the funeral there, If I may ask?" 

"It was.. I mean it was bad. I wasn't doing good. And not just because of the death, but because I knew that my career was getting bad. And then, seeing that we all were there for it, I mean it kinda reunited us. I mean, Pierre and Esteban, mostly. Of course Charles was there too, but I always talked to him a lot. But it felt like I've lost those other two friends when we joined Formula 1.

Anyway, it was also the moment of.. realisation I think? Like I remembered all the losses at that moment standing there and it dawned on me. And from that moment, it got bad."

-Y/N being interviewed on the 'High performance' podcast.

It was kind of expected. Y/N was failing the last of the season, either crashing or just retiring from races. They couldn't handle all of it anymore. Then lockdown came, and Y/N announced retiring from Formula 1. Y/N took care of themself and post-breakup Charles. He was sad a lot, but he was streaming a lot too. They moved in with him. It was his idea. He saw Y/N sad and wanted to help them. So as they held him in their arms throoughout life, he returned the favour, at least slightly.

They talked a lot, hugged a lot, laughed a lot and cried a lot. It was needed after all those years. Spent holidays together at home, enjoying each other. And then they realised how in love with each other they've always been.

BREAKING: Y/N APPEARS WITH CHARLES ON THE SUZUKA CIRCUIT TO WALK THROUGH THE CIRCUIT AND PUT FLOWERS ON THE DUNLOP CURVE, TURN SEVEN, REMEMBERING JULES BIANCHIS, CHARLES'S GODFATHERS CRASH.

BREAKING: CHARLES AND Y/N REVEAL THEIR ONGOING LOVE RELATIONSHIP THAT STARTED IN 2020.

[batsplat]

hello, i have a question. what is the difference betwwen a hard and a dangerous racer? is there some sort of characteristics like how succesful a racer is or is more of a "a dangerous racer races on the limit and that's dangerous. a hard racer races on the limit but. its just a hard racer". thank you for answering!

completely in the eye of the beholder, I'm afraid. it's a perpetual debate, and one where everyone draws the line differently... very much a case of one man's dangerous manoeuvre is another one's hard but fair overtake... that being said! I'll have a go at coming up with a general framework with which people assess this stuff

let's bring in two strawmen, which feels like the most direct way to illustrate the possible stances you can take on this debate. to be clear, nobody really fits neatly in either ideological category - but, well, these are pretty much the two most extreme positions anyone could have:

when people are describing something as 'hard racing' (as opposed to... idk, 'clean' racing), they are usually talking about a) contact between the two bikes, and/or b) an action that forces the other bike to take evasive action. what constitutes forcing evasive action? well, this is all very nebulous and hard to define - there's crossing another rider's racing line, making them pick up the bike mid-corner, forcing them wide/off-track, not yielding in situations where one of you will have to yield to avoid a crash... but this is always an assessment that will depend on the specific circumstances. not every block pass is considered hard racing, for instance, even though you are quite literally 'blocking' the other bike. contact is the more straightforward one... if you initiate a move that leads to contact, then most people would agree this is 'hard' racing

so say you are in the 'A' camp. according to this line of thinking, pretty much every contact is 'dangerous' riding and should not be allowed. here's what gibernau said about jerez 2005, included in the sete post:

let's not discuss the merits of the jerez 2005 move specifically here - this is an expression of a broader ideological position. "this is not a contact sport" "it's not about hitting another guy"... so, according to this stance, actions that knowingly result in contact should not be acceptable and as a result need to be penalised. taken to the logical extreme, any and all 'hard racing' is dangerous

let's go to the other extreme, 'B'. let's say you're very pro-hard racing, to the point where you think that contact is more than fine and that it is unreasonable to call it 'dangerous'. sure, of course it is dangerous, but inherently all motorcycle racing has a lot of risk attached. racing that involves contact is basically acceptable. even within this extreme, my lovely venn diagram allows for some actual 'dangerous' riding - either behaviour that is wholly irresponsible during races... or stuff that doesn't count as hard racing because it's not 'racing'. here are some examples:

stuff that happens during races but is like... egregious misbehaviour. cf romano fenati pulling a rival's brake lever during a race - obviously dangerous and no longer really exists within the confines of actual racing

in either races or non-race sessions - not following proper safety procedures like for instance ignoring yellow flags. again, should be pretty obvious why that's dangerous

poor behaviour in non-race sessions,the general tag for not exhibiting appropriate care, awareness for your environment, all that stuff... the extreme example is marc barrelling into the back of another rider after the chequered flag had been waved in friday practise at phillip island 2011 (more on that here). it's also things like faffing about on the racing line, see the pecco mugello dramatics

so, yes, everyone will agree that there's some stuff that counts as 'dangerous riding' that's distinct from 'hard racing' just because it's not actual racing. that's the most straightforward stuff... but yeah, anyway, those are basically the two extreme positions you can take. you can say that all contact is bad and dangerous, that any time you're forcing another rider to take evasive action and are making a pass that isn't 1000% clean, you are putting others at unnecessary risk. or, you can say, hey, everything goes, rubbing is racing on steroids - sure, there's a small category of things that aren't acceptable, mainly stuff that isn't actually racing, but otherwise you should be allowed to brute force yourself past riders whenever you please

obviously, they're strawmen for a reason. basically nobody holds either of these positions in their entirety - and in race situations, there's always going to be actions that are seen as hard racing by some and as dangerous by others. so, unfortunately, we're going to have to dig a little deeper here, and figure out by what metrics people draw the line between hard and dangerous. let's... hey, how about we bring in casey stoner, just this once. as a treat. here's what he said after laguna '08:

“I’ve been in hard racing all my life, some very aggressive racing, but today was a little bit too much. I nearly went in the gravel so many times and I don’t think it was necessary.”

hard racing? casey's done that before. some very aggressive racing? no issue. but what valentino did at laguna was "a little bit too much" and not "necessary". the specific thing casey cites is nearly going into the gravel - and indeed, forcing other riders wide/off-track is one of the types of racing behaviour that most finely straddles the line between 'hard' and 'dangerous'. for other examples, see suzuka 2001 in which biaggi forced valentino off-track and valentino flipped him off when he eventually got past (a few more details here), qatar 2012 where marc forced luthi off-track and got slapped after the race (here) and sepang 2015, where... uh. you know. or how about argentina 2018 where... look, I think you get the point - plenty of controversy comes from forcing your opponent's bike into places where it's simply not supposed to be

while we're at it, let's throw in a little excerpt from casey's autobiography about the race:

A lot of it was fair racing, he was out-braking me on the inside and riding better than me around a lot of the track. If it had all been like that I would cop it sweet. But a couple of moves off camera added to my frustration. I risked running off the track, and racing at the limits like that as we were I even became worried about my safety.

(does have to be said that the pair of them spend... relatively little time off-camera, never when the bikes seem to be particularly close - but of course the problem this statement creates is that by definition you can't judge any footage you don't have access to)

so, let's strip away the details and think about what casey is actually talking about here. it's a risk/reward calculation. this is what's at the heart of this riding standards debate: what level of risk is acceptable for what level of reward? there are situations in which there is inherently a higher level of risk in a way that isn't caused by either party - influenced by the circuit layout, what the weather is like, how hard you're both pushing aka how much on the 'limit' you are, and so on. but even if that risk isn't your 'fault', if you are riding at very high speeds on a dangerous track, you can still be considered a dangerous rider if you're not exercising appropriate levels of caution

so, let's break it down even further and try and come up with some basic criteria by which people judge whether a specific move is 'hard' or 'dangerous'. how about this: (1) does the action have a reasonable chance of coming off, (2) is the risk you're taking proportionate to the reward, and (3) is the move likely to cause serious harm to you or the other rider. let's take them one by one

listen, it needs to be plausible that you're going to be able to pull this move off. if you're firing the bike from fifty miles back into a gap that doesn't exist, then this is by definition an unnecessary risk. you are not going to do yourself any good and you are also not going to do the other rider any good. (sometimes it might be in your interest to crash the other rider out so you might as well, but unsurprisingly this is frowned upon. see the 1998 250cc title decider.) obviously, this is going to be affected by your skill level - if you're a mid rider, there will be fewer moves that are 'plausible' for you than for the best riders

this is basically the common sense metric. if you are riding in a pack, make sure to keep in mind that crashing in this situation could get ugly. if you are fighting for p5, maybe a different approach is fitting than fighting for p1. if you can make an overtake a lap later as long as you're patient, in a way that's a lot safer than doing it now, perhaps just do that instead. don't be silly in the wet! this comes down to stakes, whether it's worth it, how likely the move is to succeed... and also what the consequences would be if you got it wrong, for both yourself and other riders. you're making an overall judgement based on all of those factors... sometimes you need to take risk, but it's better to make sure that risk is reasonably sensible

however high the potential rewards are, there's a certain level of risk that is no longer acceptable, where the 'risk/reward calculation' stuff has to be thrown out of the window because the reward no longer matters. this is basically the catch-all for 'wholly irresponsible riding' - anything that's just going too far

so, uh. obviously everything described above is super subjective... but that's what people are judging in my opinion, this is the standards they are using in their head to determine where they draw the line. so, as an example, to bring back the stuff from this post about the inter-alien ideological differences:

and again, this is also what the debate after aragon 2013 was about:

if you think aragon 2013 is unacceptable to the point of being dangerous, then you probably take quite a hard line view and think pretty much any action that could lead to contact needs to be stamped down on. while that contact did have unpleasant consequences for the other party (dani wasn't able to walk for several days and his title bid was basically over), it is perhaps a little worse than could have been reasonably expected in that situation. in that sense, there's a bit of surface level similarity with jerez 2005... there, valentino made the pass for the win at the last corner, knowing he would probably bump into sete while doing so. neither rider is knocked off their bike (though sete has to leave the track) and it is at a slow corner, with relatively 'light' contact. unfortunately, as a result of where valentino's bike impacted sete's body and sete's preexisting shoulder issues, it ended up injuring sete (see here for valentino learning of this perhaps a little later than was ideal and only after he'd taken the piss out of sete for dramatically clutching his arm). at aragon 2013, marc was harrying dani and sticking very close to his rear tyre as he applied pressure to his teammate before he made a small misjudgement, getting his braking a little wrong and clipping the back of dani's bike. he happened to cut a crucial wire in the process, causing dani to highside a few moments later

these aren't equivalent situations and each have their own risk/reward profile. but the basic point is this: inviting contact with another rider will always generate more risk, and can always have unintended consequences... even when the action is relatively innocuous and the rider would not have expected this outcome. if you are in the 'all passes should be clean passes' school, this risk is fundamentally unacceptable. even trickier - what if contact is made as a result of a move you initiated but the other rider could have avoided? of course, you started it, but they could have yielded... and maybe they should have, maybe that would have been the wise, the sensible thing to do in that situation. it's always important to remember that at least two riders are involved in all these situations - and there are many cases where contact and/or crashing is not 100% the fault of any one party. so, for instance, there are several moments in laguna 2008 that are so risky in part because casey is also refusing to yield. that's not to necessarily imply any blame or fault! of course, it might not be ideal for the most aggressive riders being able to bully everyone else as they please because they know they can generally rely on everyone else being more sensible and yielding. but the differing outcomes resulting from the choices made by the 'other' rider will always help influence perception of any race situation - a move that is seen as 'hard but fair' might have been seen as considerably more dangerous if the other party hadn't yielded

and yes... yes, there is absolutely a question of your success rate. this links back to point (1) - is the move plausible? there are moves that aren't really considered examples of 'hard racing' and certainly not dangerous... because they worked. take valentino's last corner move at catalunya 2009, at a corner where you don't traditionally overtake (remember, before the race jorge was going around tempting fate by saying that if you're ahead by that point you're sorted). sure, he goes for a gap that exists, but it could easily have gone wrong - and if a lot of other riders had tried that, then it would have. how do you think yamaha would have felt if valentino had taken both yamaha riders out at the very end of the race to allow ducati to claim an unlikely victory and an increased championship lead? here's another one: misano 2017 and marc making a last lap move in treacherous conditions to snatch the win. no contact required to make that risky as shit - and if stuff like that goes wrong too often they call you an idiot at best and dangerous at worst. of course, both valentino and marc have had moments where they very much did not pull off moves they were intending, which is how we get ambition outweighing talent and 'I hope he can learn from this one and improve for the future', among other hits. but, relative to the amount of risk they're regularly taking in their racing, they get a lot of reward for their troubles... because they're very good at what they do. the risk/reward calculation is one that they... uh, can both be very adept at, but it's also one that's fundamentally easier when you're skilled enough to pull off a lot of moves that would be beyond the capabilities of other riders. it's when you don't know how to judge your moments, when you keep trying moves that you can't pull off - that's where other riders will start having a problem with you

which is where we get to reputation! how different incidents are judged will also depend on the existing reputations of the riders involved and whether they are seen as 'fair' racers or not (an even more nebulous term, if possible), versus hard racers, dangerous racers... often, this is a question of quantity too - with certain riders on the grid, you will notice they're involved in controversial incidents disproportionately often. how likely people are to pay you the benefit of the doubt... how likely they are to believe you as to what your intent was in a certain situation, perhaps the most nebulous concept of them all. 'hard' and 'dangerous' aren't assessments that are made in isolation, and how severely riders are judged will often depend on their pasts and how those pasts are perceived by others

where you get into really sticky territory is... okay, both valentino and marc have more often than not (arguably) been able to stay on the right side of 'the line', where their moves might be hard but aren't putting anyone else in active danger - but that's because they are at least theoretically capable of exhibiting a good sense of judgement and are also good at what they're doing, as covered above. here's a question: do they bear any responsibility for when younger and/or worse riders copy their moves and/or general approach to racing, with worse consequences? when they have been criticised, when they are called dangerous, at times it's not just what they're doing in the moment... it's what they're inspiring. so you've got stuff like this from sete:

even more drastically than that, after the death of a fifteen year old rider in supersport in 2021, one of his fellow rider said this about marc (which marc unsurprisingly strongly pushed back on):

(just worth remembering, this is a rider who did walk away from the sport as a result and was clearly deeply affected by what happened - the marc comments were part of a longer statement that got overshadowed by this part and the resulting controversy)

setting aside the merits or lack thereof of these specific assertions, what of the general questions they raise... can you be a dangerous rider in an indirect fashion like this, by the very nature of your legacy? are riders who helped bring about a more aggressive baseline standard of racing in any way responsible for anything that happens as a result of this standard? (even worse, there's a line of succession here - after all, who was marc's biggest inspiration?) or does individual responsibility reign supreme here? athletes are by design only interested in their own successes, aren't they - and 'legacy' is so abstract, how can anyone know how others will be influenced by what they do? how can we even begin to assess how big an influence individual riders really are? let's not forget that there will be other factors - riders in the past have discussed how particular characteristics of the moto2 class have bred more aggressive racing, or the influence of the size of motogp bikes, or how difficult it is these days to overtake in a completely 'clean' manner, or the rules themselves and to what extent they have actually been enforced etc etc... maybe there's also an element of people focusing on the easiest, most visible explanation in the form of star riders, without giving proper consideration to the underlying factors that will influence an era's style of riding. again, how you feel about all of this will vary from person to person - but part of the hard vs dangerous debate is inherently forward-looking. and it's hardly just legacy... your hard/dangerous moves may also be setting a precedent in the present. to what extent is it the duty of riders to worry about that?

so then, that's what I've got. how you draw the distinction between hard racing and dangerous riding will come down to your individual ideological position and what you think racing even entails. do you think all contact is objectionable? do you think only the most extreme of transgressions - most of which don't qualify as 'racing' per se - should be labelled dangerous? somewhere in between? everyone will draw the line in a different place, according to the situation and their individual biases and understanding of events. it comes down, generally speaking, to how you judge the risks and rewards of a certain move, whether you think what a rider attempted was 'worth' it. all of which depends on whether the rider could realistically have managed whatever action they were attempting, whether the potential rewards were proportionate to the risks, or whether the whole thing was just too flat out dangerous to ever be worth it... of course, none of these are objective standards by which you can assess the racing, but they should give you a rough indication of what people are even talking about when they're distinguishing between hard and dangerous racing. riders as individuals are also far from consistent in their stances (surely not!) so you do have to play it by ear a lot of the times... and while there are plenty incidents where the majority can agree whether it is 'hard' or 'dangerous', there are plenty more where you're going to get a lot of contradictory opinions. no definitive answers here - unfortunately a lot of the time you'll just have to make your own mind up

[flatoutin-eaurouge]

Clotted blood and Damp Tears

Part 1 of Loneliness and Disputes

Pairing: Mika Häkkinen x Michael Schumacher

(X)

The first time it happened Mika was out of his mind with fear. It was as if he was reliving his crash and the very graphic aftermath of it.

Everywhere he looked was blood. On the rug, on the bathroom tiles, on his pyjamas. It could be any moment now that Dr. Watkins would rush in to re-open the barely healed incision in his throat to push another breathing tube in, to prevent him from drowning in his own blood. It had happened a few times more the last week, but Mika would never get used to it. He lifted his head from the toilet bowl and stared at the crimson blood coating the porcelain inside. The shock still visible in his eyes and the tears still wet on his cheeks. Perkele!

He had quietly shuffled to the toilet on his still wobbly legs, because he didn't want to wake Michael whom had dozed off in his visitor's chair. And now here he was. Sitting on the floor, his head in his hands and a fine sheen of shimmering blood coating his lips. He didn't want this anymore. It was as if his injured body was posessed by a demon, who took great joy in torturing him. Throwing up your own blood was something Mika had only seen in horror movies. He had no idea if the reason he had been throwing up was because his body wanted to get rid off the clotted blood inside of him or that his ongoing migraines had caused the nausea.

Mika cradled his arms around his aching body and stared into the void while his tears left damp trails on his cheeks. He barely remembered that Michael came to visit him in the evening. He was so astonished that his rival cared enough about him to pay him a visit, but at the same Mika had barely been able to keep his eyes open, consumed by pain and tiredness. And now he regretted that. He wished he would've stayed awake to properly thank Michael. To tell him how much it meant. But he was a disabled loser, that couldn't even keep his tears from rolling down his face.

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door of the hospital bathroom.

"Mika, are you in there?"

It stayed silent on the other side of the door. Mika knew it was Michael and he didn't want Michael to see him like this. He didn't want to be ridiculed by his childhood rival who was, in contrast to him, actually succesful in F1. Even though Mika knew it was a puncture that had caused his crash, he still felt like a failure in contrast to his peer.

"Mika, are you alright? Do I need to get help?"

"No." Mika wiped his tears with the sleeve of his pyjama top. Although Michael's words sounded sincere, he didn't want him too close. "I am fine, just throwing up some blood. Nothing out of the ordinary." Now didn't that sound ridiculous! Mika thought.

"That doesn't sound good. You should have woken me! Can you open the door?" The knocking increased. "Mika please. I am worried about you."

"Uhm..." Mika tried to look for excuses to have Michael leave the room. Why not just ignore the question and change the subject. "Michael, could you please get me an orange juice from the shop downstairs, for the metallic taste in my mouth?"

Michael didn't reply at first. It was as if he was contemplating kicking the door open to come to Mika's rescue. Mika heard him sigh. "Sure, just don't do anything stupid while I am away!"

After Michael had closed the door of the hospital room, Mika counted to ten before he unlocked the bathroom, to make sure Michael would not return to witness him pathetically limping to his bed. Mika hated the unsteadiness in his legs. His fine motor skills on the left side of his body had really been damaged by the impact of the crash and were healing so irritatingly slowly, although Mika was lucky to be alive.

On his way to the bed Mika limped past his stupid wheelchair. He needed the thing for long trips through the corridors of the hospital. Most of the time when a nurse gestured at his wheelchair it meant something unpleasant was coming up. Often it hinted at a traumatizing test with needles and lots of pain involved.

Coming to a halt at his bed, Mika lifted himself on the mattress with a pained frown. His muscles were shaking and hurting so badly from the movement, and he felt so weak. He quickly started to work on making his face look like he hadn't cried like a toddler. Runnig the fabric of his pyjama shirt over his eyes and cheeks until it hurt.

When Michael returned Mika was sitting upright in his bed, trying to muster a smile. Michael swallowed when he saw the Finn's blood-red teeth. He also noticed Mika's upper lip tremble, as if his rival was trying to hold back his tears. Michael clenched his fists, almost crushing the orange juice box in his hands, as he fought the urge to envelop Mika in his arms. The poor boy had to endure so much at this young age and he was trying to come across as a tough cookie, but Michael knew that inside Mika was hurting really badly.

To be honest Michael felt as broken as the Finn. To celebrate your championship while your childhood rival was in the hospital fighting for his life, had hurt him so badly. Michael had felt sick to the stomach appearing at the start that Sunday afternoon without Mika and his McLaren MP4/10. And now the boy was sitting opposite to him with a trembling upper lip and drops of dried blood on his pyjama top.

He couldn't. He really couldn't bear the sight. From the very first start of their rivalry Michael had a weird soft spot for Mika, a sudden unexplained fondness, that made Michael question himself. Why was this guy making my heart flutter? Even at the time they were both lanky teenagers with mullets, Michael and Mika had an unspoken attraction towards each other. That was exactly why this sight hurt him so much. Mika needed a competive car to battle against him. Not Damon Hill. Only Mika.

Mika was staring into Michael's green orbs, trying to keep up his act of aloofness. He couldn't show weakness to the guy he shared such an intense history with. The Michael. The German had always been an object of his interest. The way he carried himself in the paddock. The image of a rising super star. In contrast, Mika felt like he himself was "just a guy".

Mika looked at Michael again to make sure, he didn't notice the tears pricking behind his eyes. Until he really started to feel his vision blur. Please don't start crying now, you weakling. Mika crumpled the bed sheets in his fists, until he felt two soft hands enveloping his tensed wrists in sudden warmth.

Before he knew what he was doing, Michael untwisted those trembling hands from the bedlinen. "Don't, Mika. Take it easy." His arms snaked around the shaking Finn tightly but gently, to make sure he wouldn't hurt Mika's aching body. "Come here. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Mika gulped in a startle. The welcome warmness feeling very sudden and foreign coming from a source he would never dare have dreamt of. He felt Michael's fingers in his hair, gently caressing his blonde locks. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even notice how his tears started to stream down his cheeks like small waterfalls. Drops falling on the sheets between them.

Michael hushed him, overcome with his own emotions. "Let it all out, Mika. It will feel like a relief." He caressed Mika's back and felt the tremors running down his spine. He bit on his cheek when he realised how ill the Finn actually was. He could feel the weight loss through the thin material of Mika's pyjamas. He could have lost him. It dawned on Michael like a dark thunder cloud, and it caused him to thighten his hold around his rival.

Mika felt the sincere affection, and reveled in it. Quickly embracing the once so foreign gesture as one of the most normal things in the world. His tears started to dry up.

Michael stared into Mika's ocean-blue eyes in fondness and gently caressed the stray tears from his cheeks. "Now that you let them all out, you need to relax". He guided the Finn with a hand on his back to lie down on the mattress.

Mika lied down willingly and squeezed Michael's other hand. "Michael, will you still be here tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, Mika. That's a promise."

[dreamsuvivor]

oh so when Versatan has an illegal rocketship (with 350km/h top straight line speed on hards with full tank), with the rules literaly bent in his favour, he is inevitable/greatest/generational talent. But Sir. Lewis Hamilton, an 8th time world champion, who fought actual rivals for his titles, and is the most succesful driver in history of f1 still has to prove something to you, for you to even consider him as one of the greatest?! oh hell naw, something smells here

[mizuki-nikki]

the moment we've been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen

ushijima and oikawa interaction after so many years

i was about to cry when i read this panel. as oikawa's big fan and supporter, it hurts me a lot to see how he can't achieve his dream to go to nationals ever for once. up to the point where ushijima told him to never stray again from his path

(gosh this panel still gave me goosebumps)

it's so great and satisfying to see how furudate close their interaction with both having their own succesful career. professional volleyball player. oikawa didn't ruin his "petty pride" and he become an equal just like his other rivals in the field

a great ending towards these two's rivalry

[linkspooky]

The Greatest Rivalry in Comic Books

As a part of an ongoing series exploring possible inspirations from western comic books found in My Hero Academia, I'm going to be comparing the rivalry between Lex Luthor and Superman, to the rivalry between All Might and Endeavor.

Before we even begin there's an obvious difference between the two rivalries you can point out. Lex Luthor is Superman's arch enemy, he's a villain. In that sense wouldn't the relationship between All for One and All Might be a better comparison as they're mortal enemies. However, I am going to make an argument that Endeavor's character is partially inspired or at least comparable to lex, because for both of them their entire character motivation revolves around their envy of the superman.

1. Übermensch

If you are a My Hero Academia fan reading this post and have never touched a superman comic in your life, then I reccomend reading 2006's All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly. For many people this is THE superman comic, if you want to read a comic that represents everything superman is about without having to bother with the tangled mess of Comic Book Continuity, and it is only twelve chapters and a self contained story. I will also be using panels from that series in this post.

The connection between All Might and Superman is obvious, they are both all American heroes dressed up in the colors of the American flag, who represent the strongest single hero in their worlds.

Endeavor and Lex is where it gets a little more complicated, because one is a hero, and the other is one of the most famous comic book villains of all time. They can't be the same, right? However, they essentially have the same motivation.

What is Lex Luthor's motivation? Of course this being comic books there are several versions of the character floating around, in some versions he has a tragic backstory, in others he was a former friend of Clark Kent, but if you were to boil down Lex Luthor's motivation to its simplest form.

Lex Luthor just wants to kill superman. Why? The reasons vary, but Lex builds super-suits, giant killer robots, death traps all with the same goal of killing superman. Enji essentially shares the same desire, everything he does is all about surpassing All Might.

They have completely opposite means of course, but Enji is also an individual who uses everything, his considerable wealth, his powers, even his own family for the goal of surpassing All Might.

Why though? Why is the idea of surpassing Superman or All Might so important for Lex and Endeavor especially. If you look at Lex and Endeavor they already have everything they could possibly want.

Endeavor is an incredibly rich, succesful, and influential figure. He has the most solved cases of any hero in existence, the respect of an entire hero agency working under him, he is famous and basically considered the peak of the society he is in.

Lex is the most brilliant mind of his generation, he doesn't even need superpowers because he essentially can build robot suits that give him the same abilities as superman, he is rich, in almost every version of his character despite being a supervillain he's one with incredibly good publicity who is still incredibly popular in the public eyes. He even runs for president once and wins. Endeavor even has an entire family of four children, which sets him apart from All Might who has no family to speak of and does everything alone.

They have everything they want yet that's not enough, they want, and want, and want, and want, and want. For both of them all of these accomplishments mean basically nothing, because they are not superman.

When they are faced with their rivals, they are both reduced to nothing more than ordinary human beings.

"You see, Superman. I own metropolis. My techonology built it, my will keeps it going, and over two thirds of its people work for me whether they know it or not. Even you have to admit it's a model of efficiency. And yet, I've often thought, why limit myself to just one city. A being with your abilities could be very useful to me, on a shall we say global scale?" Lex Luthor, Superman the Animated Series.

Why does this matter though? There's a deeper explanation if we want to take a moment to turn to the philosophy of Nietzsche. Now, the popular idea that Superman himself is named after Nietzsche's concept of the "Ubermensch" isn't exactly clear. Siegel and Shuster never said they created Superman with Nietzsche's ideology in mind, and also at the time "Superman" was really common slang to describe men of great ability, athletes and politicians. However, later works with Superman have acknowledged there's a few similarities between the character and Nietzsche's ideas.

"He's strong, he flies, he's a nieztschian fantasy ideal all wrapped up in a red cape. He's Superman." Lois Lane, Superman the Animated Series.

Nieztscehe's ideal of the Overman is a concept he introduces in his 1883 book, Thus Spoke Zarathusra. A lot of people have misinterpreted this idea to mean Nietzsche believed that some human beings were born inherently superior, but it has absolutely nothing to do with that.

NIetzsche's philosophy comes in response to otherworldliness, the idea that morals are dictated to us by some source outside of this world, and they are inherent truths. At the time this was christianity, god creates morals, and they are right and true because they come from god. Nietzsche doesn't argue that morals don't exist or don't matter, just that they don't come from god, and are rather invented by human beings for human beings. That doesn't mean there are no rules or that you don't have to follow the rules, but that we make our own rules.

It's like money, money is technically created by human beings, if you're in the middle of a desert then having a briefcase with fifty thousand dollars won't help you, but at the same time people use money. At the same time because money is a completely human creation, you could argue that society could evolve past the need for money and create some other system of rules for exchanging goods and services, Marxists certainly believe that.

"Zarathustra, however, beheld the people and was amazed. Then he spoke thus:

Despite being credited as the creator of nihilism, Nietzsche's philosophy actually preaches against nihilism. He doesn't argue there are no morals, or that people should just do whatever they want, but in Zasrathura he presents the Ubermesch as the creator of new values within the moral vacuum of nihilism.

"Man is a rope, tied between beast and overman - a rope over an abyss. A dangerous across, a dangerous on-the-way, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous shuddering and stopping.

"What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not an end: what can be loved in man is that he is an overture and a going under.

"I love those who do not know how to live, except by going under, for they are those who cross over.

"I love the great despisers because they are the great reverers and arrows of longing for the other shore.

"I love those who do not first seek behind the stars for a reason to go under and be a sacrifice, but who sacrifice themselves for the earth, that the earth may some day become the overman's.

"I love him who lives to know, and who wants to know so that the overman may live some day. And thus he wants to go under.

"I love him who works and invents to build a house for the overman and to prepare earth, animal, and plant for him: for thus he wants to go under.

"I love him who loves his virtue, for virtue is the will to go under and an arrow of longing.

"I love him who does not hold back one drop of spirit for himself, but wants to be entirely the spirit of his virtue: thus he strides over the bridge as spirit.

From Book 1, Zarathusra's Prologue, 4.

The overman isn't the biggest, or the strongest, or the inherently superior being (in fact literally all of Nietzsche's values argue that there's nothing inherent in this world) just a person who strives towards their own ideal.

"However, perhaps what is more important than Nietzsche's image of the overman is what the concept serves to represent. In slightly broader terms, Nietzsche sets up the Overman to function as a sort of idealized version of one's self - an image of a perfect and powerful being which has overcome all their fears and deficientcies, which one can and should set goals to strive towards. Of course, as an ideal, it cannot ever truly be reached but that is the point." Becoming Who You Really Are - The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche [x]

Okay, so that's enough philosophy nerd shit for now. Nietzsche's philosophy of the overman is someone who creates and pursues their own values, so looking at Superman and All Might vs Lex Luthor and Endeavor from this angle we ask: What are their ideals?

One of the biggest misinterpretation of Clark Kent's character is that rather than seeing him as a person, people see him as a set of powers. However, it's not Superman is the real one, and Clark Kent is the fake one, Superman is Clark Kent. Clark Kent is just a boy from Smallville Kansas, raised by two loving parents with good values who wants to help people. If Clark Kent didn't have powers, he would still want to help people because that's what he does (there's a famous storyline where he loses his powers for a year and still goes on doing the same thing to the best of his ability), he's not defined by the powers he was born with, but rather what he does.

All Star Superman is essentially a comic where Clark learns that he is dying. The reason he falls for Luthor's death trap in the first place, is because he flew straight into danger to help people who would have died otherwise. It's the perfect trap because Superman puts saving people above all else, he's not going to selfishly leave them to their deaths to preserve their own life.

One of the most famous panels in the comic is where Clark is in his last days and literally dying from radiation poisoning, and he still stops to notice something as small as hearing a therapist panic because their patient is putting themselves in danger, and he drops everything to go talk them down off a ledge.

Superman's not about the powers, but rather how they are used. In fact when Lex Luthor looks at superman all he sees is the powers. Once again, Lex is basically as strong as superman with his natural genius and intellect. The fact that he's not gifted or special is entirely Lex's own perceptive, he's just being petty because on top of all the other natural gifts he was born with, he can't fly and shoot lasers out of his eyes.

In fact if there's anyone who believes in inherent superiority it's Lex, not Clark. Luthor's logic is essentially: He was just born with all this power, I was the one who worked to get where I am. Yet, Lex also believes all of his natural abilities make him entitled to something more.

He believes he is inherently great, and yet his actions are not that of a great man.

There's also the aspect where Lex Luthor represents everything that american society tells you is the ideal, he's rich and succesful, he's at the top of his field, he's like what both american society and capitalism consider to be a great man, and yet he's beaten by a guy from Kansas.

This relates again to the rivalry between All Might and Endeavor. All Might is a hero who builds himself around an ideal, sacrificing himself for the sake of a more peaceful society. He has a selfless goal that is greater to him, and All Might as a hero similiar to superman works himself to death saving as many people as possible.

On the other hand, Endeavor has no great selfless goal. He doesn't even have an ideology. Much like Lex, all he has is his own sense of entitlement. He worked so hard so therefore he deserves to be number one.

Endeavor isn't different from All Might because he's not as good at punching people however, it's his deeds that make him different. Just like Lex for all he goes on and on about his hard work being what got him there, Endeavor also believes in ideas of inherent superiority and eugenics. He abandoned one child because he has a genetic flaw, and then trained his youngest forcefully because he believed having been born with the perfect quirk is what will make him qualified to surpass All Might.

If you want another comparison between the two, they also both used their biological offspring to try to surpass their respective supermans. Endeavor fathered children to try to create a child with a more powerful quirk than his. Lex Luthor made Kon-El a clone of himself and Superman achieved by mixing his human DNA with Clark's Kryptonian DNA.

If anything All Might is actually the one who was born powerless, because he was quirkless and he accepted a powerful quirk and trained his body for the sake of saving others, whereas everything Endeavor has done is only for himself. He, just like Lex has many things he could have done, he could have been a father, he could have saved people, but everything he does is just to prove the superiority he thinks he's entitled too.

If anything, the reason why Lex and Endeavor are so jealous has nothing to do with being physically weaker, and because their lives are so empty in comparison. They do everything for themselves so in essence they have no one. There's a small scene in All Star Superman, where he travels to the Bizarro world where everything is the opposite and meets Zibarro, an intelligent and educated version of Bizarro Superman who makes his own poetry, and then at the end of the comic he spends time thinking how amazing that is Zibarro could create poetry and even preserves it. That act of creation is the thing that Clark is most impressed with, and really when he's talking about the life he lived, it's really the other people he found amazing not himself.

So there you have it. My argument that All Might and Endeavor's relationship is not superman and batman, or even Vegeta and Goku, but rather they have the most in common with Superman and Lex Luthor as two people blessed with great abilities, one who uses their abilities in service of other people, and the other who uses their powers only in service of themselves.

[wdxghosty]

OC L<3RE

(I didn't spell check this. nor did i word count this) I got bored so Ima drop some OC lore, or multiverse lore i honestly started this when i was in fifth grade and it just expands. she the supreme version of that OC you bring with you throughout every fandom. (tramatic anime backstory time activated)

Ophelia has rencarnated multiple times under a plethera of differnt names, and bodies, but it hadn't always been like that. They didn't have an easy childhood, or teenagehood, they had dreams of being one of the brightest stars in the sky, one to rival the sun itself. But sadly before that were possibel they died.

But when they woke up, their whole life felt like a dream and a new one started on a new world.

over and over again they would die before they reached a certain age, then they would wake up again. this cycel continued for hundreds of lifetimes before someone realized what was going on. the laws of the world work differently in every one, and the one who managed to somewhat control the cycel just so happened to live in a world that could be completly controled by those powerful enough. They somehow managed to open gates into the other worlds they've lived in. Sure it takes some time but they untimatly always remember, and they always had the thing that helped them traverse the multiverse.

Ophelia is an aspiring fashion designer, and learned how to sew when she was a kid to make all of her complex ass designs. she would make videos, and would post stuff online to popularize her brand. the first 2 years her motivation was on overdrive and she would pump out ontent like a machine, but by years 6 things weren't going the way she wanted and she decied to just stop. six months after she gave up one of her followers with a incredibly werid username decied to dm her asking what happened, she did leave without a notice so it kinda makes sence they would ask.

She explained why she stopped posting, and after weeks of begging and her love her dress making compelled her weak will to continue posting. Over time she became friends with the guy that gave her the motivation to keep on sewing aka Donnnie, by year 8 she finally saw his face and she passed out when she saw him for the first time, but she started using him as a reference for her reptilian oc's.

year 9 things were working out for her, and she finnaly started selling her stuff, so when she graduated she moved to new york to go to fashion school there. When she got there she started getting werid dreams of other worlds, she wanted to ignore them, but she started passing out frequently, and illusions replacing all the peopel and places around her with others made her start to pay attention to them.

But she started to remeber what she was when she took a bath and saw someone elses reflection in the water, and her black eyes started glowing in ultra-violet. (yes she has glowing purpel eyes let me live my Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way dreams) The thing that made is so all the different versions of her could travel through portals was their eyes, someothing that stayed with them through every reincarnation.

She decieds she want to find out about all of her lives, and for every lifetime she remebers whatever power or skill that they gained in that lifetime she also learned. But the more she would learn about herself, the less she knew about herself, and the relationship between her and donnine got rocky. (CyberxStich is a painfull slowburn) Don and Ophei did like eachother, but she had to give him the 2012 april treatment because if they started dating then her death would just be more painful for him.

Donnie would take her to the hidden city, and sure she was a human but no body really seemed to care so she would come down by herself all the time. and one of these times she met big mama. Big mama saw potential in her and decied to rent her out a shop near the battel nexus, and her dreams finnally became a reality, she had people working for her, a succesful business in the hidden city, and she was her bosses favorite. She did find the fact that Big mama was so trusting, and nice with her, suspicious but she didn't want to question it when everything was going right for her.

Then she while she was exploring her last life she met herself. The only other version of her left alive, she could give her the awnsers to everything. she didn't get them but she did find out why she's been so succesful as of late. This is one of her passive powers that emmit without her wanting it to or needing it to, that's basically a charisma boost, it's the power the other version of her was born with, and the one she was gifted. The realization that nothing she's done has every been becasue she was good, but becasue she somehow just maxed out a stat broke her, and she decied to vent to one person she knew probably wouldn't understand, but someone who could just listen.

Donnie was freaked the fuck out when she told him everything, and he thought she was joking but after seeing a snake pop out of a dissapearing tatoo, he decied to believe. But him comforting her turned into him trying to stop her immortality.

I have nothing else i keep on changing my mind on what would happen<3

[asksihtrickjartansen]

AU List

Modern Verse

Sihtric is a cagefighter and an escort. Cagefighting does not make him enough money to pay his bills, so he does what he has to do to make ends meet. He rents Finan's attic and dpes his share of the chores, too. He has an OF page and has had a few SFW modelling jobs as well.

Neurodivergent Verse

Sihtric is undiagnosed comorbid ADHD and ASD. He is very peculiar, especially in his diet. He also has a latex allergy.

In this verse he also lives in Finan's attic, like a lil neurospicey gremlin.

He has hyperspermia and is perpetually horny.

Omega Verse

Sihtric is a relatively newly bitten wolf. He has no pack and has no idea how to do this whole werewolf thing.

He works as a gym instructor and does his very best not to let anyone in on his brand new lifestyle.

Jotun Verse

Sihtric is half Jotun, on his mother's side. He has old magic, most of it nature based, but does his very best to hide this from Uhtred and the others in his company.

This is canon time setting.

Bassist Verse

Sihtric is bassist and second vocals of the band 'Uhtred and the Pretty Boys'. The band is very succesful and Sihtric has a very nice, mortgage free house in the picturesque town of Bamburgh. He drives a very well kept but old ford capri. He wears a lot of tattoos and piercings.

Rogue Verse

Canon time setting.

Sihtric rather than joining Uhtred has fled and now wanders the Kingdoms as a sell sword, sometimes also selling his body. He has a woman or man in each town and probably has more than several bastards running around. He is known as ink hand, for his many tally marks on his fingers and hands, one for each lie he has taken from another human.

Heir Verse

Canon time setting.

Sihtric has become Kjartan's heir after Sven's untimely death on account of him being a fucking idiot and Thyrra taking no more of his bullshit. This turned Sihtric is a much harder, merciless man than he is in canon verse, experiencing blood frenzy when he enters battle and being a bit more of a demanding lover. He also is a possible rival to Ragnar the Younger.

King Verse

Canon Time Setting

After Kjartan, Sihtric became King in Northumbria, disregarding Bebbanburgh and the authority of whatever Saxon King reigns. He is a just king, but his heart is quite hard. He wars against other Dane Kings and Saxon Kings alike.

[dukeofdelirium]

Priscilla is fcking unhinged. She spent like three minutes on that ask thing trashing MJ. Mind you, this marriage was like 3 decades ago! What made it clear to me that isn't someone who just dislike the man who her daughter married. This was someone who was and is still clearly envious. I just know she was seething that MJ was the husband who couldn't be referred as Lisa Maries Presleys husband. I know she HATED it that during that Elvis tribute in 1994 he got more applause than anybody by simply showing up. It's the fact the only black man her daughter married was more succesful than her own exhusband ( yes they are divorced so idk why she still runs around with the presley name). It's that she KNEW she couldn't control MJ.

Oh she hated him soooooo bad lmfaooo he had her PANINI PRESSED

She couldn’t control MJ. He was bigger than the Presley’s. Still is to this day lol.

She says “I just don’t like him” like ma’am he married Lisa 30 years ago…. It’s time to LET IT GO! Priscilla is just salty as shit that Lisa was in love with him lmfao. Priscilla praises every other man she was with, publicly backs Lockwood who Lisa publicly called a pedophile!

Priscilla hated MJ so bad bc he was taking Lisa away from her. The more she was with MJ, the more independent she became, and the more she failed to disclose info to her. LMP was at one point the most famous woman around, because she was Michael’s wife.

She had what Priscilla never had. A husband who loved her 🤭 so she had to sabotage it. Riley literally confirmed it in an interview just yesterday I think. That it was Priscilla who was making Lisa paranoid that Michael didn’t love her/was using her etc.

The way she projects onto Michael lmao. Like ma’am, just because you chased around Elvis and used his name for fame and fortune etc doesn’t mean Michael did that. He didn’t need y’all’s fame lol he was far more famous and on a global scale.

The way that Lisa literally said she was never happier than when she was with Michael, too. That’s what does it for me. You know Priscilla was fucking SEETHING over it 🤣 like yeah, that’s right, your daughter loved him more than any other man. Cope!

Someone said on Twitter that Priscilla was probably mad that MJ was trying to pursue her daughter and not her 😭😭😭😭😭 how much you wanna bet there’s some truth to that, too? Priscilla always viewed Lisa as her weird rival when it came to romance and shit soooooo

And that video of them at that Elvis tribute too, it sends me! Priscilla reaches over and tries to hold Michael’s hand when he stands up for the fans and then Lisa yanks that bitches hand off her man 😭😭 BYEEE

Michael hated Priscilla and called her a witch LMFAOOOO

I swear Priscilla is in her own world cuz how is she gonna show up for some book promo and then start shit talking MJ when no one even asked? And then the fact that Lisa made Priscilla out to be the villain IN SAID BOOK but she wants to act like a savior? Why should any of us gaf what you say about Michael, Priscilla? Your own daughter said you let your bf RAPE her! Your own daughter said you were plotting how to physically harm yourself so you’d miscarry her!

Lisa deserved a better mother. Priscilla doesn’t even deserve the title of mother. And Michael deserved a better in-law. Even Elvis didn’t want her ass. She’s done nothing but leech off the Presley name and tried to drive Graceland to bankruptcy in the 70’s. She even tried to sue her own granddaughter over the rights to the estate. She’s nasty. Vile. Michael saw right through her from the jump.

Weird how all of the Jackson family say they liked Lisa and that Michael loved her. Nothing but praise and good wishes from Jackson’s camp. Funny how that works.

you know Priscilla hated to see this and she can stay mad forever about it cuz it was real, and they were in love and she will never change that

[mar64ds]

can u tell us more about the rest of the characters you showed off for ur s&m game?

Thank you I'd love to talk about them!!!

-This is Manny Money, of course I had to go with an Ace Atttorney-like name. He is the one who has organized the party in his big mansion. He is usually always smiling, he is very cheery, but you can easily tell he is a very fake person. He owns a toy brand/company, inhereted by his father, but lately the toys have not been selling well and for some reason Manny is not really doing anything about it? Strange

-I have not decided the name of the rest of the characters yet, this lady here is mysterious, cold, distant and always seems like she knows a lot about everyone and about this mystery. She's a succesful singer, although she usually stays out of public eye from some reason. She is also Manny's ex, something he clearly hasn't let go of, but she has, she is very open about how much she dislikes him. She is suspicious but Sam and Max have funny interactions with her because they are usually pretty nice to her despite everything

-This is a supervillain skeleton, also the owner of a film company, that's not his secret identity or anything but Sam and Max think that it is lol. He is a very theatrical person, when he tries to be a villain or when he is simply having a normal conversation, he just loves a good show. Sam and Max have fought him in the past, but they barely remember anything about him

-This fish is shy, socially anxious, gets startled easily, they are not having a good time in a murder mystery. Think of characters like Luigi, Boober, they are kind like that. They are an actor, whenever they act they become a very confident person, acting is the thing that always calms them, also water because they are a fish. There is a theatre and a pool on the mansion so perhaps that can help? Overall they are a very sweet person, they just worry a lot, and you have a lot to worry about in a murder mystery. They genuinely like Sam and Max, like they don't roll their eyes at them or think they are strange, they genuinely like Sam and Max, it's very sweet. Oh yeah, first sam&max nonbinary representation, second if the VR player counts, there will be a couple more, the party will have plenty of NPCs

-This pig, capitalist pig, he is a terrible person. His entire personality is being a billionaire asshole, he is fun to hate or you can just hate him without the fun. He has funny facial expressions, think of Burgerpants from Undertale, not exactly like that but similar. He is rivals with Manny, even though this pig is richer than him Manny somehow always humiliates him, but he keeps going to his parties anyway

-Of course you know her already, but I want to talk about her too! She is a succesful fashion designer, she has her own magazine. She wants to interview the guests on the party, take pictures, take notes about the different outfits, etc. She does that but gets bored after a while, she loves her job but the party grows old quick. She has a very cute personality with a very blunt and direct sense of humor, she says what she thinks and she is not shy to ask questions, she is a reporter of her own magazine after all, even though it's only about fashion, she is just curious to investigate about everything else too. She gets along well with Sam and Max, the things they find amusing and entertaining she also finds amusing and entertaining, she is just very casual about it. She helps with solving the mystery, because that sounds fun, she will give find a bunch of hints and stuff that will help the case move forward. You'll even get a dress-up minigame thanks to her! She does more in the story but that's a spoiler, but overall she is just a lot of fun and she has the best friendship with Sam and Max

-The squirrel is only there for a puzzle, it's not a character. The bee is not a character either, but it's the mascot of Manny's toy company, you will see him a lot

-The little bat however! That's a little guy that was flying around the mansion until Max accidentaly knocks it out, we use it for a puzzle and then Sam keeps it in his pockets. When it wakes up, even though it's a little mad, it will help you for one thing: fast travel! This is a big mansion, you don't have to backtrack over and over, this little bat is here and is strong enough to carry you both. You can talk to it too, it will have another role in the story later on, but that's a spoiler. I don't know how to describe its personality other than a cute videogame companion, think of Telly Vision from Chibi-Robo, or Heart from Mad Rat Dead