#THE BOYS ARE FIGHTING JOIN THE GLORIOUS EVOLUTION

[arcanegifs]

ARCANE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: 2x09 - “The Dirt Under Your Nails.”

[morihaus]

Dragons

Emperor Belharza stands in the plaza of the Imperial City, his old bones aching with the chilled air of the dreary day. It has not been a long day- indeed, it is the shortest day of the year, hence the festivities that surround him- he is only weary with thought.

He stands with his family, his children, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren, who in turn speak with cousins and relatives of their own, from within and without the Imperial court. The youngest circle around the group, chatting away and enjoying themselves among the other children at the festival, the adults catch up with one another, sharing word from throughout the distant realms of Cyrod and of the disparate lives they've grown to lead. The old emperor smiles, listening and speaking to them in turn, and in his own time looks to his surroundings.

The Imperial Isle is bustling as ever on this occasion. The customary Festival of the Dragon has been a tradition since he was a boy-calf, apparently drawn from some old Atmoran traditions, a ceremony of appeasement for the world-eating dragon of the Nordic faith. It, as many things in Cyrodiilic society, was a compromise reached by his mother, the one time of the year that all would come to acknowledge and honor Akatosh for his patronage of the Nedes in the years of revolt. It is equally a relic of traditional Ayleid worship of Auri-El, which White-Gold had not seen for centuries at the time of her ascension to the throne. Many Nedes wished to honor Akatosh as the Aedra worshiping Ayleids had honored Auri-El as their sovereign patron, but such a thing would invoke outrage from those who leaned closer to Nordic spirituality, the honoring of Kyne and Shezarr. So this festival began in the Atmoran style, an acknowledgement of the passage of time as controlled by Akatosh, an acknowledgement of his power, an offering of appeasement, and little more. A scant thanks from an emperor with much more to say about the dragon behind closed doors.

And yet, over Belharza's long life, he had seen the somber ceremony become more and more lively, quiet reflections on the passage of time and the great cosmic acts of the divine gave way to banquets and songs to the dragon's glory, gallant tales of knight Pelinal and his liege, the so-called Saint Alessia, and the emperor began to hear old stories he'd heard from his mother as a boy; some small things changed, minor details, names and places, but what perplexed him most was the way they were told: painted in triumph, in glory, without darkness or shame.

A tug at his sleeve rouses him from his recollection, and he turns his horned head to see a lengthy procession of robed figures, swept in silken robes, white with red diamond patterns. The Brothers of Marukh, a relatively recent sect of Akatoshic worshipers, but quite the popular one. They and their forerunners have had much to do with the evolution of this festival. Belharza looks at the crowd of them, lined like a legion, stretching all the way down the street and out of site. There are more of them than last year, he remarks to himself. More than the year before, too, and the year before that as well. At the head of their procession is a woman adorned with golden jewelry, holding a lead wrapped around an old white bull. Her head is hairless, and around her scalp and face lays the dyed markings of a serpent, spiraling around her fair skin, looping over an eye and cheek, snaking down her neck and disappearing toward her breast, now hidden by her ceremonial silks. Ketra is a high priestess of the Brothers, taught by the Prophet Marukh himself. She wears a serious face, peaceful and purposeful, as she leads the bull up to a ceremonial platform, lying before a great carving of an endless serpent.

Emperor Belharza regards the animal, an old sire of many young calves, an animal chosen for this honor with great respect. Its face is noble, graying, and weary, like his own, but he, like many minotaur, sees himself as far different from everyday cattle, despite some visual similarity. And though part of him, descended from Morihaus, who is descended from Kyne, feels almost that the old thing should be given more of a fighting chance. Should a proud beast as he be offered up so placidly, without any say in the matter? Does the buck dive onto the hunter's spear? But Belharza simply shakes his head. He's grown more distanced from these Kynarethi worldviews as he's matured- he's never lost his appreciation for the wilds, for freedom and expression, but nearly a century in the Imperial Court has forced him to take on a more materialistic mindset, to belong to the world of men, of cities, of towers.

As is customary, the sacrificial bull is led onto the altar, spits of wood over a fire pit, and sorcerers of the Brothers cast calming spells on it, leaving it to stand still and somberly atop its final resting place, as though aware of the solemnity of its duty. The high priestess then moved to take a torch from her torchbearer, raising it aloft and saying her piece. She sings praise to the One Akatosh- an increasingly popular epithet- to his glorious patronage of mankind, to his divine-crafted knight, and to his anointed emperor. Many make a show of cheering and smiling in his direction, for he bears her anointed blood in his veins, and the blood of Akatosh in the jewel hung around his neck. Looking at Ketra, he cannot help but notice that she does not look to him, nor do any in the inner circle around the pit. She only turns to the bull and grips the ceremonial dagger. The weathered old sire doesn't flinch as she moves forward, reaching an arm around his neck to force him to kneel to the ground, and finally, sinks the dagger into his throat.

The old bull does not cry out, it is calm even in its death. Its blood pools out from the wound as she pulls away, dripping down into the pit below. It is joined quickly by fire from her torch, and the scent of searing flesh fills the streets, along with some jubilation.

Even so, as the smoke rises up, Belharza's eye tracks it to see the clouds, which had skirted around the edge of the horizon thus far, gather overhead. He looks down to the wall carving of the dragon, jaws open and hungry. The amulet around his neck feels heavy- it always has, but in this moment, he wonders at it.

---

An hour or so on, Belharza kneels in the gardens of the dragonfire, head bowed under cloudy skies. The brazier burns silently, its flame lit by divine magic, not mundane fire. It has remained burning without rest, through day, night, winds, and rain, ever since he lit them when his reign began, nearly a century ago. All the while, he's paid the fires little mind- not ungrateful for their protection, but content to leave them be- he's put more of his attention into the greenery surrounding them; wild grasses and flowers, fruit-bearing trees and bushes, he's cultivated much of these in a plethora of wild gardens over his lengthy reign, for they've always brought him comfort and closeness with his mother. As the empire has grown more complicated and in need of greater administration, he's been afforded less opportunities to wander freely as she used to, and as he used to along with her. It is a melancholy feeling, but he has made peace with it.

He is not worried about getting caught in the rain, even as the clouds grow darker and heavier. Any time with the sky over his horns, fresh air in his lungs, he'll savor it, even if he gets drenched or stormed on in the process. His ear perks to the sound of footsteps down the cobbled path. Many footsteps, an entire procession. He casts his gaze over his shoulder, only to see robed priests, the Brothers of Marukh, fronted by their head priestess. She clutches the ceremonial dagger at her hip, freshly cleaned. Belharza cannot help from noticing the lack of any guards- he sees only men, Nede-men, nowhere does he find family nor even his minotaur kin, who have been the most loyal soldiers of his legions, and most devoted of his honor guard.

Blowing air out against his nose-hoop, he grunts as he wills himself up to his feet, turning to look down at the procession. "Brother Ketra," He says, voice deep and subtle, like distant thunder. "To what do I owe this visit?" The priestess is cold and serious, her brow set like stone above her dark eyes. "Admiring the dragonfires, Emperor?" She asks, dismissing his own question. "It is a good day to wonder at the power of Akatosh."

Belharza stares silently for a moment. He counts 20 of them, rings and amulets of enchanted glows signified them as members of her inner circle, the closest to the mouth of the prophet, his most attentive students. He recognizes some from the council, his lip turns with distaste to recall the legislature they pushed, the discriminatory reputation many sects have made for themselves.

"I suppose." He lets out a sigh, hunched down yet still towering feet taller than the Nedic woman. "This has been the one-hundredth-and-twelfth festival I have seen. It's been ninety while these fires have burned." He raises a hand to brush the stone of his amulet, the red ruby is dull in the darkness, the light of its pyre burning behind his back. "I suppose I am thinking of Akatosh, in that I am thinking about time, and its passage." Ketra takes a step forward, slyly, as though he might not notice. "Which of the One's mysteries unravels in your mind, sire?" He gives her a long look. He turns around, staring into the silent god-fire. "...I've lived a very long life. Longer than most men or minotaur. Some have made jokes of it, perhaps I'll next outlive an elf? Who can say if I'll ever die, divine blood in my veins?" He pauses, unsure of Ketra's reaction. "I've considered it more seriously. I am very old, and very tired... I do not feel as though my end draws near, I only feel weary, weary with the responsibilities of my station, the needs of my people. One man was not meant to bear it for so long, I think."

Ketra and her procession are silent, only watching with rapt attention at the voice of the emperor. "I believe I will relinquish my throne," Belharza says, suddenly. "Bequeath it to a chosen heir." "You think you can bestow such a thing upon another?" She doesn't sound accusatory, she doesn't seem to doubt him. She seems curious. "I do not see why not. We do not know all the mysteries of this artifact... it is worth attempting, I think. I've spoken with my granddaughter, Varlesh- she is wise and gentle, yet firm, like my mother." Belharza turns back to face Ketra, who stands right before him now. The knife is still in her hand.

They look at one another for a moment. Thunder rumbles overhead.

Belharza snorts out a sigh. He looks down at her; a beleaguered old bull, a priestess with a sacrificial dagger, a fire burning beside them. "You think," Ketra starts, her tone and timbre certain, reliable, like a ticking clock. "You can bestow such a thing? To anyone you choose?"

"Yes." He says.

Then, Ketra surges forth, plunges her dagger into Belharza's chest. He might have kept his footing if two more knives hadn't entered at his flanks, the force of the assailants sending him careening back against the steps to the brazier. Lightning flashes. Ketra is poised atop him, knee against his sternum, dagger raised overhead. The burning fires reflect in her eyes. She screams, shouts as she drives the knife into his throat. Blood spurts, breath leaves his body, he finds no strength, not even to tremble. Rain begins to fall, mixing with his blood. It is coincidence that the fires ebb with the rain, for in truth, they ebb with his death.

Ketra reaches her hands down, collecting the ichor from his wound, lifting it above her head and letting it fall down her face. She chants hymns to the blessed Saint Alessia, to the Prophet Most Simian, and to Akatosh, and to Shezarr, and to the One. Finally, she rips the amulet from his neck, yanking roughly as she works it around his horns. Around her own neck it is oversized, the chain is too long, letting the red diamond hang nearly to her navel. She steps over the old emperors corpse, his blood covering her face, and she kneels to the brazier as the last embers flicker out. She takes the stone in hand and lights the spark in her name, in Alessia's blood, in Akatosh's blood, she honors the covenant.

Under the torrent of falling rain, the brazier lights.

[orbemnews]

The Big Deal in Amazon’s Antitrust Case This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays. Hoo boy, this is a moment. A government authority in the United States has sued Amazon over claims that the company is breaking the law by unfairly crushing competition. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday by the attorney general for the District of Columbia, joins the recent government antitrust cases against Google and Facebook. These lawsuits will take forever, and legal experts have said that the companies likely have the upper hand in court. The D.C. attorney general, Karl Racine, however, is making a legal argument against Amazon that is both old-school and novel, and it might become a blueprint for crimping Big Tech power. It’s a longstanding claim by some of the independent merchants who sell on Amazon’s digital mall that the company punishes them if they list their products for less on their own websites or other shopping sites like Walmart.com. Those sellers are effectively saying that Amazon dictates what happens on shopping sites all over the internet, and in doing so makes products more expensive for all of us. Racine has made this claim a centerpiece of his lawsuit. Amazon has said before that merchants have absolute authority to set prices for the products they sell on its site, but that ignores that the company has subtle levers to make merchants’ products all but invisible to shoppers. If a merchant lists a product for less on another site, Amazon can respond by making it more cumbersome for a shopper to buy the item. Amazon, in a statement to my colleagues, said that merchants have the freedom to list and price their products however they wish, but that Amazon can chose “not to highlight” products that are not competitively priced. Why is the attorney general’s claim a big deal? Legal experts have said that it’s tricky to sue technology giants for breaking antitrust laws. That’s partly because of the ways U.S. competition laws have been written, interpreted and enforced over the decades. But the lawsuit against Amazon bypasses this by saying that the tech giant hurts the public the same way that 19th-century railroads and steel giants did — by strong-arming competition and raising prices at will. Last year, the legal scholar and Big Tech critic Tim Wu told me that he believed that those price claims were the strongest potential antitrust case against Amazon on legal grounds. (He has since been picked to advise the White House on corporate competition issues.) I don’t know if any of these lawsuits against Big Tech will succeed at chipping away at the companies’ tremendous influence. And I can’t definitively say whether we’re better or worse off by having a handful of powerful technology companies that make products used and often loved by billions of people. It has been remarkable, though, to see the evolution of thinking among some of the public and politicians, from justified awe of these companies and what they make to questioning the downsides of technologies and the at-times brazen companies behind them. It’s a sometimes unfair and noisy mess. But remember why we got to this point: Technology giants are among the most powerful forces in our world, and the price of power is scrutiny. How to fight back against bogus online information: The comedian Sarah Silverman and three of my colleagues are hosting a virtual event Wednesday about disinformation and how to combat it. Sign up here for the online event at 7 p.m. Eastern. It’s open only to New York Times subscribers. Before we go … Florida passed a law that will fine social media companies for permanently barring political candidates’ accounts. The measure is most likely unconstitutional and unenforceable, Democrats, libertarian groups and tech companies told my colleague David McCabe, but it’s a response to Facebook’s and Twitter’s suspension of former President Donald Trump. Posting is life. My colleague Taylor Lorenz explains how social media invitations to a teenager’s birthday party spread on TikTok and drew thousands of people and a police crackdown. The event got big partly because it was an opportunity for attendees to post compelling material online. SIGH. POTUS loves Apple News? I don’t like it when computers and smartphones come with the device makers’ apps already installed, but it’s effective — even with the president of the United States. The Washington Post reported that during the 2020 campaign Joe Biden shared with aides human interest stories from Apple News, which came on his iPhone and he apparently hadn’t deleted. Hugs to this The Linda Lindas are glorious. Here is the talented punk band of four girls between the ages of 10 and 16 — Bela, Eloise, Mila and Lucia — playing “Racist, Sexist Boy” at a Los Angeles public library. The Guardian interviewed them about their sudden internet fame. We want to hear from you. Tell us what you think of this newsletter and what else you’d like us to explore. You can reach us at ontech@nytimes.com. If you don’t already get this newsletter in your inbox, please sign up here. You can also read past On Tech columns. Source link Orbem News #Amazons #Antitrust #Big #Case #deal

[pendulumprince]

Episode 24? Is here?? AND THE SHIT’S ABOUT TO HIT THE FAN.

GO FALLS TO HIS DEATH

HIS D BOARD DAMN NEAR SMACKS HIM IN THE FACE

HE GETS BACK UP

HE’S AT 200 LP TO GENOME’S 2300

GO’S MANAGER IS STILL WITH MAKOTO, WATCHING EVERYTHING

GENOME’S TURN ISN’T OVER!

HE ACTIVATES HIS MONSTER’S GRAVEYARD EFFECR

ACTIVATES HIS SKILL

IT… HALVES GO’S LP AND HIS MONSTER’S ATK

WTF WHY

Okay but he couldn’t he have like. Used this at the start of the duel.

Shoichi and Aoi are looking on

She! Gets up!!

Back in Link Vrains

GO IS TRYING TO STAND BUT CANNOT

GO’S AI DECIDES TO TEL HIM HOW ASSED OUT HE IS

“ADMIT DEFEAT” SHUT UP GENOME

BUT A GALE STORM COMES IN

AND

“You want to know my identity that badly, Genome?”

AW DAMN IT’S PLAYMAKER

THE CROWD IS HYPED

I AM TOO?? AS LONG AS HE STAYS IN HIS GODDAMN LANE AND DOESN’T INTERFERE

GENOME SOUNDS PRACTICALLY ORGASMIC TO SEE PLAYMAKER AND “THE IGNIS”

“Hmph! I have a cool name! It’s Ai, you DNA lover!"

*crying* his new name is growing on him. The name Yusaku gave him. This does my aiballshippers heart a world of good

OMG SHOICHI NOTICES??

“He surprisingly loves his name…"

GENOME’S SHOCKED BY THIS??

“HE NAMED YOU?! You’ve been domesticated, like a pet!”

GENOME YOU’RE ABOUT TO CATCH THESE HANDS

“Not true! Woof!” I love Ai so fucking much okay

So Genome asks Playmaker if he’s there to rescue Dark Onizuka

“Don’t get the wrong idea” (YAAAAAAAS GOOD SHIT PLAYMAKER GOOD SHIT) “You said you’ll decide your own destiny and duel.

… so I came to laugh at you when you when you lose” PLAYMAKER THAT IS SO FUCKIN RAW I—

WELL. NOW GO’S TOTALLY ENRAGED

“Dr. Genome. You said there are limits to DNA. But I believe in humanity’s potential."

Genome absorbs none of this??

OMG OKAY SO HE WANTS TO DESTROY THE IGNISES BECAUSE? HIS ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO “COMBINE AND EVOLVE IT’S DNA TO CREATE THE MOST POWERFUL BEING”??

Wow that sounds like… everything the KoH is supposed to be fighting AGAINST

GENOME IS ONE OF THOSE HOODLUM’S REV WARNED US ABOUT

But Playmaker isn’t phased?? “Remember this. As long as people have strong will, they can evolve further and surpass your dueling. That’s what makes a true duelist!”

Go tells Playmaker the duel isn’t over yet, so he’s gonna use that 100 LP he’s got left to evolve into a beautiful butterfly

Go and Genome pass by, and

UM WHO’S BOOT IS THAT

THAT

IS BLUE ANGEL’S BOOT??

MY GIRL IS HERE. MY GIRL HAS COME. YES.

GO TAKES HIS TURN!

IT’S A MAGIC CARD

GO ASCENDS UP INTO THE SKY

AND

HIS MASK STARTS TO DISOLVE

YAAAAAAAAS

HE SCREAMS?? I FEEL THAT, I ANNOUNCE EVERY NEW LIFE EVENT WITH A CRY INTO THE HEAVENS, TOO

HE POLAYS THAT MAGIC CARD

DESTROYS HIS DARK MASK MONSTER

HIS MONSTER IS SCREAMING TOO??

“MY EVOLUTIOMN IS JUIST GETTING STARTED”

GHE BRINGS BACK A 1800 ATK MONSTER FROM THE GRAVE

LINKS THEM TOGETHER

GOUKU THE MASTER OGRE. LINK 4 2800 ATK??

GENOME JUST CRAPPED HIMSELF

“THE SITUATION HASN’T CHANGED—“

“[NAH BITCH] MY EVOLUTION IS JUST GETTING STARTED”

GO ACTIVATES A GRAVEYARD EFFECT

ADDS A CARD TO HIS HAND

PLAYS A SPELL

BRINGS OUT TWO 0 DEF MONSTERS

ACTIVATES MASTER OGRE’S EFFECT

HE RETURNS THE MONSTERS LINKED TO IT (AKA, THE 0 DEF DUDES) TO HIS HAND

AND FOR EVERY MONSTER HE RETURNS, HE NEGATES A MONSTER EFFECT??

AHAHAHAHA LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE ASSED OUT GENOME

GO HAS MASTER OGRE ATTACK NECRO DARWIN?? GENOME IS NOW AT 1300 LP

AND NOW, FOR THE SECOND ATTACK AT GOTHICLONE

AHHHHHHHHHH YAAAAAAAAAAS GENOME GOES DOWN TO THE FLOOR

HIS LP HITS 0

GO WINS

THIS WAS THE GLORIOUS RETURN I WE ALL NEEDED

GO’S MANAGERIS SO FUCKIN PROUD OF HIS BOY

AND NOW MAKOTO’S GOING TO WAKE UP, RIGHT

… right?

Genome is unconscious; Go is digging in his coat

He takes the virus removal card—

Um Genome is awake?? “I lived bitch"

“Good guy to heel, heel to good guy. You call that evolving?”

“I make the evolution process entertaining. That’s why I’m the world’s #1 entertainer, Go Onizuka!”

Look at this Arc V motherfucker lmao

Genome thinks that’s just hilarious. “You’ll regret defeating me.”

GENOME HIGHKEY DISSOLVES IN THE CREEPIEST MOTHERFUCKING WAY GOD I LOVE HIM

Go doesn’t really give a shit though, because…!

MAKOTO WOKE UP

*crying* YES

Back in Link Vrains

Go… and Playmaker… are having a little chat…

This music is so creepy?? I feel like some shady shit is about to go down

“Playmaker. You said you came to laugh at me.”

AW SHIT, GO’S ABOUT TO THROW DOWN

“… but that was a lie to motivate me.” Good shit he figured it out. “Am I wrong?”

“Who knows?” there’s no need to be this cryptic lol

“I will defeat you someday!” yeah yeah we know, everybody and their mother wants to fight this bitch.

“But the Knights of Hanoi are destroying Link vrains. I’ll crush them first”

WAIT

DID GO JUST SAY WHAT I THOUGHT HE SAID

DID HE JUST DECLARE WAR ON THE KOH BECAUSE. IF SO.

Go to Playmaker: “feel free to join me."

“… right.”

“And what about you, Blue Angel??”

I like how Go, the friendly rival, is the one trying to assemble a team?? And our protag is just totally indifferent???

YEAH OKAY THIS SHOT PROVES IT, THEY’RE MEANT TO BE THE GLODEN TRIO

… back at school. Presumably, the next day???

Aoi is back!!

And she… catches Naoki aggressively watching some Link Vrains duel?

AH IT’S A KNIGHT BOY AGAINST A “RANDOM CIVILIAN”

AND ANOTHER

AND ONE MORE

TURNING THEM ALL INTO ANOTHER’S

NAOKI CALLS A DUEL CLUB MEETING

HE WANTS THIS WEAKSAUCE GROUP OF WEAKSAUCE BITCHES TO”TAKE ACTION"

THE PRESIDENT LITERALLY TELLS NAOKI TO SHUT THE FUCK UP

HE DOESN’T WANT ANY OF HIS FOLKS GETTING TURNED INTO ANOTHERS

HE SUSPENDS THE DUEL CLUB UNTIL “THE ANOTHER PROBLEM IS RESOLVED"

NAOKI IS DEVESTATED

Aoi, quite firmly, tells him to settle down

And now in Link Vrains

GO IS FIGHTING A KOH MOOK

… random civilians are now joining the fight??

OMG NO SIT DOWN

DON’T DO IT BITCH

HE GETS ATTACKED BY A KOH MOOK

BUT PLAYMAKER STEPS IN

“This place is dangerous. Go home.”

I mean yeah??

Anyway Playmaker fights the mook

Aoi is still at that duel club meeting

GIRL WHAT R U DOIN?? GET YOUR ASS IN THERE

So Playmaker beat the guy

He apperently doesn’t have the virus removal program

AI DOES INTO SEMI-MONSTER MODE, DEMANDS TO KNOW WHO HAS IT

THREATENS TO EAT THE DUDE IF HE DOESN’T GIVE HIM A NAME

“It’s…!”

Vyra!

“Erase.”

SHE LITERALLY WIPES THE DUDE FROM EXISTENCE OMG YES

He disappears in the same way Genome did…

OMG DOES THAT MEAN GENOME DIED

LMAOOO WOW I WAS ONLY KIDDING WHEN I SAID THAT?? WOW

Okay so Go’s running up to Playmaker, asking if he’s seen Blue Angel

He hasn’t

“So it’s just the two of us."

… oh shit, Blue Angel walked away when Go asked her to join them

GIRL WHY

Lmao okay I know exactly why

But Playmaker figures even if she joins them, it won’t make a difference fighting the KoH mooks

They need to get to the person who actually created the virus

… back in Den City

Aoi and Akira are having dinner?? Omg are they actually going to have a Normal Family Talk

The robomaid glides on over to them

“Isn’t it nice? Since your brother was demoted, he can come home early.”

… he’s still with SOL, you say? *tight grin*

“… you didn’t need to say ‘demoted’.”

Was. Was that a joke. Omg.

“I’ve always made you feel lonely. But from now on, I can be more by your side”

AHHHH OUR BOOSHIE SON FINALLY GETS IT

But Aoi isn’t fucking satisfied

Like okay she’s HAPPY that he’s home more often now, but—

“We interrupt this [LOVELY FAMILY MOMENT] for SOL Technologies’ press conference.”

Okay according to kita, SOL’s developed a 100% AI duelist???

And he promises that these AIs are gonna take down the KoH

Akira figures that’s a good thing, since an AI duelist can’t be turned into an Another even if they lose

“… but that’s not the same for you. Don’t go into Link Vrains. I’m serious."

And now. Aoi knows how much he cares

That his “spirit would be broken” if anything ever happens to her

“Promise me.”

“Yes, brother.”

Girl, promises are made to be broken.

Okay so back at SOL, Kita has his lackies working on the AI

All he wants is that fucking promotion lol

AHHHH OKAY HE SENDS OUT HIS ARMY TO FACE THE KOH MOOKS

IT’S GONNA BE A FUCKING BLOODBATH AND THE CROWD IS SO EXCITED

… but Shoichi and Yusaku have better things to do

Now’s their chance to find the virus creator and fuck up their shit

THE FIGHT IS ON

THE ZAIZEN’S ARE WATCHING

GO AND HIS ORPHAN BABIES ARE WATCHING

EMA IS WATCHING

… AND THE AI’S ARE ACTUALLY WINNING???

30% OF THE KNIGHTS HAVE BEEN DEFEATED

BUT

WAIT

THEY START LOSING

LIKE, EN MASSE

“WHAT HAPPENED?!"

“Two Knights of Hanoi are winning at incredible speed!”

… aw damn we know who the fuck it is

THEY BEAT THE ENTIRE AI SQUAD LMAOOOO

Akira gets dressed to go into work

Bitch why, you know these folks are shady as shit, they’re prob planning your murder as we speak

Aoi… thinks back to Go’s offer

And then, her brother’s wishes

Damn, this internal struggle is real

And the episode ends there!

Preview time!

Frog and Pigeon? Are talking to Vyra?? Omg why

Akira and Hayami are back to fucking shit up at SOL

A giant… teddy beat with Go’s hair is running through Link Vrains

And! VYRA IS GOING TO BE DUELING

*GROSS SOBBING*

[daleisgreat]

Shawn Michaels: My Journey

With Wrestlemania approaching in a few weeks (which is in doubt due to a growing global epidemic as of this writing) it is time to dig deep into the wrestling backlog box and pull out a WWE DVD that has been sitting there since 2009 in the form of Shawn Michaels: My Journey (trailer). I have no idea why I neglected this collection for so long since I have always been a Shawn Michaels fan, but can assure I am a fool for waiting this long to view it after wrapping up this three-disc set. Shawn’s previous DVD set, Heartbreak & Triumph, saw Michaels get the standard feature-length documentary in addition to an array of matches spanning his career. They switch things up in My Journey. It is another collection of matches previously unreleased on video, and Shawn does three-to-five minute one-on-one interview spots with Michael Cole setting up each match or where he was at with his character at that point in his career. There are 20 matches spanning from 1985 through 2008, with Shawn providing some insight with Cole before each one. Some highlights are partying hard with the Nasty Boys from their AWA days, winning over respect from Greg Valentine, The British Bulldogs and Demolition after having good outings with them in the ring, the highs and lows of his first WWF Title reign, making sure to step up against Kurt Angle and being a straight shooter about being portrayed as a villain in his infamous rivalry against Hulk Hogan. These are not 10 second soundbites, but evocative memories from Shawn’s career in an intimate studio set that make these interview segments pop more than the average interview snippet from a documentary.

Shawn also joins Michael Cole to provide alternative commentary for three of the matches in the collection. One is for a house show match against Bret Hart in 1992 early in Shawn’s single run where he reflects on having nothing but respect for Hart at that point in his career and wanting to rise to his level. Shawn also eerily foreshadows how he has Bret’s number and is ready to reconcile with Bret, which he would legitimately do in the ring a few months later in 2010 in one of my favorite in-ring segments ever. Another commentary session is for his match against Ric Flair at Bad Blood 2003 when Flair was at the tail end of still being able to go and the two have a technical classic, and it was fun hearing Shawn on commentary recall Flair being anxious for his first ever table spot in that match. Michaels’ final commentary offering is for his match with Triple H in the 2005 installment of Tribute to the Troops where Shawn fondly shares several stories about encounters with the military from those shows. The 20 matches are almost all winners and offer a diverse mix of styles as Shawn evolved his wrestling over the decades. There are four tag team bouts from Shawn’s Rockers days with a 1989 match against the Brainbusters standing out the most. There are several matches from RAW in the mid-90s where Shawn gets memorable matches from Psycho Sid, British Bulldog and 1-2-3 Kid. I loved they got Shawn’s monstrously heel promo against Hulk Hogan in Montreal where the crowd dumps all over him. The last disc has several epics from Shawn’s last run in WWE like the five star classic against Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 21 which unbelievably holds up as good now as it did 15 years ago, an awesome unsanctioned match against Jericho at Unforgiven 2008 putting an exclamation point in their red hot rivalry and saw both men step up to deliver one of the best grudge match brawls that I can recount. The DVD concludes with what Michael Cole hypes up as the best ever WrestleMania match when Shawn squared off against Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. I would give the ever-so-slight nod to his Angle match as Shawn’s better WM match, but this easily has better highs with some legendary near falls that were glorious to relive.

In the final sit-down interview segment with Cole after the Undertaker match, Shawn hints that he is ready to retire, and is just waiting on the right moment. He would only wait a few months after Shawn Michaels: My Journey released and would have his final full time match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 in 2010. This is a fantastic set from beginning to end. The interview format conducted for this set made them appeal in a special candor and the match selection is excellent for nearly the entire 20 matches. Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Hulk Hogans Unreleased Collectors Series Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT: From Secret to Sensation NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Hall: Living on a Razors Edge Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder Then Now Forever – The Evolution of WWEs Womens Division TLC 2017 TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania 3: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

[raendown]

Naruto Tag

It took me a couple days to get around to this, sorry! I was tagged by @moonfox22​ and @dimancheetoile​. Thanks guys!

Top 5 characters

1. Kakashi 2. Tobirama 3. Minato 4. Sakura 5. Obito

A character you’ve been disappointed in their development and why

This might be unpopular but Iruka. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my sweet little sensei. But I really don’t like the way he was portrayed in Road to Ninja or the wedding arc at the end of the anime. At the beginning of the show he is built up to be this kind man who learns to understand Naruto and care for him despite the demon fox inside the boy. I took from those things that he was the kind of person who was willing to listen to your problems.

But in Road to Ninja he just flat out yells at Naruto for being sad that his father is dead? He doesn’t even listen to Naruto or try to talk to him about these feelings? Like, yeah at the end of the movie they have that cute scene where Iruka shows up with a cake and that’s nice and all. But I don’t agree with the way they portrayed that conversation at the ramen stand.

Same thing with the very last episode of the anime. Naruto comes over to visit him before his wedding and Iruka screams at him for neglecting her? And he says something like “there are things I failed to teach you about being a human” as if Naruto is doing something wrong just by visiting someone that is supposed to be precious to him? They’re supposed to view each other as brothers, what is supposed to be wrong with Naruto visiting him?

I dunno, it just bothered me that they seem to jump Iruka’s personality around from caring to careless whenever they need a convenient plot disturbance.

A character you wish had more panel/screen time

I wish we could have seen Ino actually doing something. We saw her flitting about Konoha and she appeared in some battles but usually did very little. I would have loved to see some of her actually being the bad ass I know she can be. I wanted to see her working in the Intelligence division like her father before her or destroying minds with her jutsu.

Favourite arc

Kakashi Gaiden. The whole thing. Hands down. Not only was the story line centered entirely around my ultimate fav, but it was a good story line. It showed Kakashi growing and changing, learning new things and letting that new knowledge change him as a person. We got to see the cold cruel beginning but also the moments of mercy and the proof that his humanity was still there. Knowing what he went through when he was younger changed everything about how I watched his older self interact with the people and events around him.

Favourite antagonist and why

I think a toss-up between Pein and Kisame. Neither of them were inherently evil but they were pushed towards evil acts by their disillusionment with the world around them. Pein as Nagato was such a little cinnamon roll who just wanted to make the world a better place and protect his friends. Then when he lost the most important person in his world he thought “fuck you I will force the world to be better”. Kisame was similar; he was just trying to do what he was told and be an obedient shinobi. When he questioned how actually fucked up the things he was asked to do were, he was punished for it. He joined the Akatsuki because they were trying to build a perfect world and, being really disillusioned with reality, he was happy to help with that plan. Not to mention - and yes I am this petty - Kisame is kinda hot!

Thoughts on Akatsuki and its evolution in the plot

The characters were very different from each other and very interesting. I liked the strange thing they had going on where they were fighting for world peace by murdering everyone. xD It was just kind of unique to me that their end goal was the perfect world that would make everyone happy, but of course they’re ruthless and willing to make sacrifices to achieve that goal.

By the end though I was more in to the individual characters than the Akatsuki as a whole because the organization got weird and messy and not written very well plot-wise. I wish we had more arcs on those characters, where they came from and what they had gone through while in this organization.

Choose a fixed point in the manga, alter it and give me your canon divergence

Instead of just leaving Obito’s body behind, Minato and his two surviving students wait for the earthquake to settle then go about retrieving their fallen friend. Oh, hey, surprise! Obito isn’t dead! They bring him back to the Leaf and he receives mass amounts of healing. They are able to save his organs but his arm and leg are fitted for prosthetics. Kakashi keeps the eye. They train together and become the single most terrifying duo you will ever face on any battlefield ever. Maybe fall in love along the way *winkwink*. Madara might find someone else to try and help with his plans but they fail as soon as they try and all of my precious babies live happily ever after. U.U

A canon ship that didn’t disappoint (hard, I know)

Can I use a FRIENDship instead of a relationship? Does that count? Because Kakashi and Gai are BroTP forever. These two idiots have literally never let each other down. They will fight for each other and believe in each other until they have both dragged in their dying breath.

Favourite rare pair/crack ship

Fav crack pairing will always be MadaKaka xD

A piece of fanart you love and wish to promote the artist

Uhhhh everything that anyone has ever drawn for me? 

@syndellwins has done so many pieces for me and they are all wonderful. Hard to choose between them but I think this one of one of my KakaHana sequels might still be my fav.

@mrsvasiliev has gifted me the world’s best Kaka-butt more than once, starting with this glorious piece, also of one of my KakaHana soulmate au’s. 

@thetoxicstrawberry knows exactly what she’s done. Of the ones on tumblr I would have to say my fav from her art is Madara in gotdamn footie pajamas! Drawn for a small MadaKaka piece written by me. 

And most recently but certainly not least @redhothollyberries has created some beautiful art for the MadaTobi sequel I am almost half done. I might still be drooling on this. *shhhh*

You are all incredible and amazing people! I bow to your talents!

Top 5 Naruto fanfictions you even read

Hnnngggg uhm there are way too many. I’m just going to list the first ones that I can think of.

(Force) Trick or Treat by  Hiruma_Musouka Pairing: MadaraTobirama Summary: Uchiha Tajima has developed a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding his sons' social lives since Madara and Izuna met the Senju family. This is because whenever Izuna tells him things, he generally regrets asking. (Or: The only thing more ridiculous than Uchiha and Senju in proximity to one another are Uchiha and Senju in proximity to Halloween parties.) "

As Is The Sea Marvelous by blackkat Pairing: MadaraTobirama Summary: Tobirama is willing to give absolutely anything for Hashirama and his dream.

Your Most Important Person by Yunyu Pairing: KakashiSakura Summary: Some people got their soulmarks on their arms or faces or some other place that was more difficult to hide. He remembered how Minato-sensei’s hair would sometimes be lifted by the wind enough to reveal “Uzumaki Kushina dattebane!” written boldly across the back of his neck in crimson. His teacher had sometimes laughed in his gentle way about it, saying that fate was determined to make things easy for him.

The Nature Of Water Is To Find Another Path by Aesolucian Pairing: TobiramaIzuna Summary: This is a story about how a cat drastically changed the course of history. This is a story about trying not to be human. This is a story about Senju Tobirama and his family.

The Bijozakura Seal by megyal Pairing: KakashiIruka Summary: Kakashi and Iruka are bonded together, entirely against their wishes. While Iruka begins to deal with it, Kakashi still has... doubts.

The More We Get Together by KakashiSauce Pairing: KakashiTenzou Summary: Tenzou has been accepted into ANBU and is looking forward to his new life, with what he hopes will be his new friends. His vision of a harmonious team dynamic is shattered when his captain is introduced to him; and makes it quite clear from the start that he is NOT going to make things easy for Tenzou. The more we get together, the happier we'll be.

Okay I did six, so sue me. There are so many favs and I wanted to put them all in.

What is your opinion on the last arc, Kaguya and the whole “children of the Sage, destined to fight, blablabla”

*sigh*

That’s it. That’s the whole opinion.

Your fondest memory while reading/watching Naruto

Uhhhhh…I don’t know. Every time one of the main characters accomplishes something I’m just bawling like a proud mama.

When you started Naruto, what was the arc? What made you want to read/watch more?

The very first episode just had me, you know? xD This little boy who no one liked and was always mean to found out why and found a person to love him. The anger on his face when he told Mizuki to never lay a hand on his sensei again was just *clutches heart* sign me up for more.

If Kishimoto gave you a chance to write a filler, what would it be about?

The adults! I would see what Minato got up to during his childhood or maybe an episode about Sakumo and Kakashi’s mom. If not them then possibly Genma and Raidou? I just want to know everything about everyone, okay???

I’m not tagging anyone because I am super late with this and I don’t know who all has done it. If you haven’t done it yet feel free to and tag me so I can read your responses!

[jenifarmalik93-blog]

Love spells the same for the LGBTs

“And that day    I realised

she is the one! She seemed extraordinary, then more beautiful like a butterfly    lurking over the purple orchid    of love. I could not    take my eyes off her. Her smile    was contagious, hairs glossy and    light, skin soft as    feather. But then I saw her beaded eyes, asking    me enormous questions of solace.    I could clearly see her distress, her agony, that’s    when she uttered,    “Will the society accept us?”

We are not normal    for the society that has biased relationships    into genders of opposite. A girl loving a girl will    never go    down well with the society.”

This at all for this has may be a    fiction, but  isn’t untrue happened to many couples belonging to the LGBT    group. Many love stories have remained    unspoken; many shattered, while the ones    which came out of    closet were shunned by    the so-called normal people. Love    has no boundaries, no sex,

               no religion, but just feeling of trust and companionship. LGBT isn’t a new thing; history has proofs of such relationships since the evolution of modern man. Even in India there are stories of transgender and eunuchs performing for kings in royal palaces. Even their blessing used to mean a direct dialect from deity. And yet, today, they have to hide themselves in the darkness of social obligations? Nevertheless, there are a few who still manage to come out and fight for love, trying to prove that their lives are not much different than ours. Falling in love has always been tingly; butterflies in the stomach with constant smile on the face. I met a few such love birds belonging to the LGBT community.

Diksha, a student of Mass Communication in Guwahati, with a bisexual orientation, shared her whimsical love stories. Her typical middle class family lives a sober life, managing within the limits of the society. It was during her Higher Secondary that she fell in love for the

first time with a guy. She stayed in the hostel with her roommate, Jaan, who eventually became her best friend. Slowly, Diksha and her boyfriend began to drift apart due to different circumstances. While she drifted from her boyfriend, Diksha came closer to Jaan. She realized they were turning more than ‘just friends’. That was the time Diksha came out of the closet and got to know her real identity. They enjoyed each other’s company. Diksha never felt so much wanted and loved before. The type of understanding and emotional attachment they shared was impeccable and fluttering. Diksha broke up with her boyfriend and started a new journey with her roomie. Unfortunately, they couldn’t walk much further together because of the latent societal threatening and discriminations. Jaan was apprehensive that if her sexual orientation came out in public, her parents would be devastated. With teary eyes, she bid adieu to their tender first love. 

After joining a reputed institute in Guwahati for a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication, Diksha spent most of her time in depression of losing her love, which she’d once thought, would last till eternity. But her new friends helped her to come out of the trauma a bit. And recently, she discovered love again in her college in a junior student, Nisha. She made her feel loved again, wanted again, adored again. They shared intense intimacy, both physical and emotional. The whole college knew about them. Nisha too was bisexual; they had a healthy relationship until they got separated due to some uncertain reasons. Diksha never hesitated to flaunt her girlfriend. Even in her college farewell speech, she flaunted about the glorious seven months of relationship with Nisha, and how the latter was the core reason that pulled her out of depression. While talking to me, she said, “Though we are not together now, she still talks to me sometimes and tells how she loved being with me.” “But I still miss my first love. If I get a chance, I’ll try my best to get Jaan back into my life”, Diksha expressed.

Adnan, a homosexual from the same college, also shared his experiences. His stories pertain to all kinds of emotions related to betrayal, jealousy, fun, sadness, and joy. He always felt being quite different from the others, being more on the feminine side, but couldn’t figure out what made the difference. During his ninth standard, when he saw his classmates getting into heterogeneous relationships and he couldn’t find any interest in a girl, his confusion reached further heights. His classmates teased him and thrashed him because of his different/feminine nature. Adding to the

woes, he got bullied and molested by one of the bullies, confining him further and traumatizing him. Molestation was all a result of his feminine body language which made perverts threaten him more. And he faced all these because he didn’t match society’s notion of a ‘boy’. Much later did he realise his orientation, and became more open about it, without allowing people to suppress him. First love happened to him during his H.S years over social media where he got rejected being tagged as ‘girly’. Many men came and went with some life- saving lessons to offer, but very few could really make it to his heart. 

The first time Adnan actually fell in love made him blush the whole day. They used to talk whole day over phone, and he’d cry and skip meals on days when they had fights. In due course, Adnan’s first love started ignoring him and eventually they had to part ways. Adnan went into depression and consulted a psychologist. Upon being asked by the doctor, he told his story to the doctor. But instead changed the ‘he’ version to ‘she’ and asked the doctor not to reveal his love story to his family. Being a highly religious middle class family, Adnan knew well that his parents won’t accept any sort of romantic love in their son’s life, not even heterosexual. But the doctor told his family about it, and surprisingly, they reacted lightly thinking he had a break up with a girl. Later in life, Adnan faced betrayal and cheating in his love-life, putting him into a state of depression once again. But this time, he wrote everything as it is to the doctor and again asked him not to reveal about it to his parents. And this time, the doctor didn’t reveal anything. Meanwhile, Adnan has made a lot of friends from his community and has come out of the box from being a timid and shy boy to an extrovert and flamboyant young man.

One common thing about Diksha and Adnan is that both of them wish to share their sexual identity with their families. They feel their guardians should know everything, and aspire to do so in future years when time comes. But, their heart still skips a beat at the thought of a rejection, or adverse reaction from their families in particular, and the society at large. Their love life is no different from others

– the same butterflies in the stomach, the same pangs of separation, and the same recuperation. 

Discrimination in the name of orientations should not be accepted in form. People have the right to live and feel the way they want. In fear of repercussions from a rather orthodox Indian society, people from this community have to live duplex lives where they have to hide or compromise their true identity and live up to the norms of social strands. They are bound to be what they are not, bound to marry whom they not are not attracted to, while living a life of misery and disguise. There had been cases of rapes, molestation and killings of LGBT members, leading to a hurricane of fear among the community, and thus keeping them enclosed within the closet. Also, the parental emotional tortures have broken many of these budding love stories to pieces. Diksha and Adnan’s love life is no different from us – the same butterflies in the stomach, the same pangs of separation, and the same recuperation. The only difference is their gender preference of partners. And that shouldn’t make much difference to us, isn’t it?

 P.S: Names have been changed on demand for privacy requested by the persons in the article.

 Words By: Jenifar Asrana Malik