#now of course this isn't the end but we won a battle

[lizardsfromspace]

So one fact from my investigation of the Matrix plagiarism case that drove me absolutely insane but I'm not sure I ever made a post about was her explanation for why the press didn't cover her "victory"

So for people who weren't around for that, look up "Sophia Stewart" on my blog, but long story short: there's a viral story claiming that the premise for The Matrix & The Terminator were stolen from a writer named Sophia Stewart, and that she won a billion dollars in a lawsuit. She actually lost her case, but a mistaken article from a Utah community college magazine spread online, and she still regularly does media appearances based on the idea she won. That's what fascinates me about the case: unfounded plagiarism accusations are a dime a dozen, but the bizarre fluke of a community college sophomore's journalism project making a mistake & that mistaken article going viral has elevated this one to being the most famous one

A major element of this is a narrative relating to race and gender, but that's a narrative she denies in that very Utah community college article. In her view, Hollywood isn't oppressing her for being black. They're oppressing her for being Christian.

Because I got my hands on a copy of her treatment (no, she never wrote an actual script) & I discovered that even most people who've debunked the story never read her pitch because it has nothing in common with The Matrix or The Terminator besides vague plot beats (a chosen one, robots used to rule over a society but not ruling the society themselves). It is, in fact, a new age-y evangelical Christian planet-hopping space opera filled with rants about the powers of the pyramids and the like. The treatment spends like seven pages raving about banks and the media before it introduces the hero, who is a literal, not figurative, Space Jesus. It ends with a mass sacrifice of his cultists followers to grant him power, an epic and stirring Jonestown moment, at which point the final battle happens over the course of a couple lines bc when writing a pitch for a movie five gazillion pages of lore is more important than detailing the climax of the film. There's a lot more to it than that (and tons of wild parts I never posted) but that's the gist

But every now and then in an interview, someone asks, "hey, why can't we find a story saying you won besides this dubious one?" And here is her explanation:

'The reason you have not seen any of this in the media is because Warner Brothers parent company is AOL-Time Warner... this GIANT owns 95 percent of the media... let me give you a clue as to what they own in the media business... New York Times papers/magazines, LA Times papers/magazines, People Magazine, CNN news, Extra, Celebrity Justice, Entertainment Tonight, HBO, New Line Cinema, DreamWorks, Newsweek, Village Roadshow and many, many more! They are not going to report on themselves. They have been suppressing my case for years.'"

So: Warner Bros owns the media. 95% of it. This explanation is wrong. But also it's...really funny.

The AOL-Time Warner merger had happened a few years before this, and it was already regarded as the worst merger in corporate history. Like. Historically bad. Far from ruling the world with corporate synergy up the wazoo, AOL-Time Warner was horribly disorganized, with most companies operating independently from one another and all of them at odds. There's a concentrated plan to destroy her from the dogshit company that couldn't do anything!

But it was never the case that they owned 95 percent of the media. They don't even own a lot of this list. Let's go one by one

New York Times: owned by the same family since forever

Los Angeles Times: owned at the time by Tribune Media, who owned several TV stations affiliated with The WB. Owning The WB affiliates never counted as "controlling the media" at any point, I think, but you know the old adage: "whoever controls the airing of One Tree Hill in the Los Angeles metro market controls the power........"

People Magazine: owned by Time, she's got this one

CNN: owned by Warner, she's got this one. Why MSNBC (owned by Microsoft and NBC at the time, though Microsoft was an absentee father already trying to sell it off) or Fox News (a network that spent like 25% of its time attacking Hollywood, often with claims that they target Christians!) never covered her story is left curiously unexplained. I don't know how far back Fox News' archives go, but I did search since I thought they'd be the most likely to cover this, and: no results

Extra: a celebrity gossip show owned by Warner Bros, she's got this one

Entertainment Tonight: owned by Paramount, a rival studio with every reason to report bad legal news for Warner Bros, and yet near as I can tell, they never covered this case. I'm starting to think it may not be true

Celebrity Justice: what the fuck is Celebrity Justice? It was...a short-lived & obscure celebrity gossip show that indirectly lead to TMZ?

HBO: owned by Warner Bros, she's got this one

New Line Cinema: so she's saying this one bc it had just produced Lord of the Rings. But while they're known for that now, we really should put it into context how much of an anomaly LotR was. New Line Cinema spent most of its history producing low-budget horror & comedy films, made Lord of the Rings, never produced another film with a similar scale, and were shut down a few years later. Actually, there's a whole story about how another film they released the same year as Fellowship of the Ring flopped so hard it effectively cancelled out its success & got the head of the company fired, but that's for another time. They were not so much Hollywood power players as a studio that accidentally lucked into the biggest film trilogy of all time in between Friday the 13th sequels, but they were owned by Warners, so

Dreamworks: never owned by Warner Bros at any point, it was straight up an independent studio at the time whose distribution deal was with Universal. It looks like they co-produced some films with Warner Bros, but they were never owned by them.

Newsweek: at the time owned by the Washington Post

Village Roadshow: they had a co-production and distribution deal with Warner Bros, but were an independent Australian company that made movies and theme parks. Again, a company collaborating with Warner Bros doesn't mean it owns them

"and many, many more!" She claimed the company owns 95% OF ALL MEDIA and she just gave up listing who they own after a dozen. And she was wrong about half of them! She had to resort to listing "Celebrity Justice" as a platform on par with the New York Times and just kind of shrugged at all the others. Clearly, you can't trust any press, besides Utah community college magazines

[seb-boo]

Seb Interview from Jeddah [15-04-2025]

Four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel praised Lando Norris as a "real role model" on Tuesday and said the Formula One leader's open self-criticism was a strength rather than weakness.

"I think it's a positive development because we are normal people," the German, speaking from Saudi Arabia before a karting event he organises to help young women into motorsport, told Reuters.

"We do have normal problems just like everybody else. Heroism is fine but it's also part of the heroism to just talk about your problems and your weakness. I think that's a great development to see and to witness and, you know, real role models."

Vettel recalled as a kid being told not to share any weakness, not to cry, and Norris was showing it was OK to be more open.

"I don't think it's a sign of weakness. It might be criticized by some people, but if you look at the broader picture, I think it's just progress," he said.

Vettel doubted the rivalry between Norris and Piastri, winner in Bahrain and managed by the German's old teammate and rival Mark Webber, would have the same heat as his first title battle of 2010.

"I would still put Lando as an indirect favourite, but time will tell," he said.

"Naturally people always look for entertainment, which is fine and it's part of the sport, but I don't see those two having a really intense and rough partnership. I think they'll get along and I think Andrea also is in a position to manage them well."

"I think the rivalries nowadays are different. I think we had respect and I think this generation has respect for each other. But I think they have progressed and they manage it better than us to differentiate what's happening on track and what's happening off track."

Vettel said he was still keeping his fingers crossed for friend and rival Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, even if clearly not a favourite to win the record eighth world championship he wants.

He did not write off Max Verstappen's chances of winning a fifth straight title despite Red Bull's current problems.

"Obviously Red Bull isn't very strong now, but if you just go back one year, Red Bull started off very strong and wasn't that strong at the end and still won (the drivers' title). So I think, you know, of course it can change," said the German.

"It's not that easy to fix but generally I think they know what they are doing. It is very likely or very possible that Red Bull can turn it around."

[devilfic]

Do you still make Batman x reader? If yes, could I request a "reader figures out Bruce Wayne is Batman"?

Thank you!

❝honeymoon❞

parts: next plot: 'til death do you part. pairing: battinson!bruce wayne x gn!reader. cw: arranged marriage, friends to enemies to (fake) lovers, implied history between reader and bruce. words: 760.

a/n: a little something quick that I thought of!

Recognizing that you had agreed to this, you had been prepared to accept anything. An affair, a drug addiction, secret ties to the mafia overlords like high society always suspected. That was your job as Bruce's spouse: contractually obligated to be okay with it and never let anyone find out about it. Whatever it was.

Even now, as your brain short circuits and the floor feels like you're about to sink right into it, you're looking for ways to be okay with this, and he's looking at you like he wants to kill you.

It's a fleeting look. One second there, the next vanished. Neither of you say anything but there is a world of things being felt, you're certain. One of you has to budge. "This... isn’t what I was expecting."

But Bruce doesn't laugh (and you'd never expect him to, not in your presence). He stands there, heaving slow breaths to calm himself down, the cowl still conspicuously trembling between both of his hands. He could've tossed it or let it go but it's almost like you've frozen him solid.

"Where did you get that?" Is all he demands, eyes trained on the key glimmering in your hand now. "The doormen have orders to-"

"To not let me in? I know. I had the key made myself. Your doormen are easy to persuade with the right amount of money."

Bruce's lip twitches and he scoffs. "I won't tell anyone," you assure him, about 75% convinced of it yourself, "It does me no good to have extra eyes on me, and I'm sure you've got contingency plans in place were I or anyone else to expose you. You were always very good about that. Plans."

"Of course you won't. Your mother wouldn't approve of the disruption in cash flow."

Your eyes narrow. "I am not interested in what my mother wants."

"Why not? She's a part of this marriage, too. Isn't she?"

"Can we talk about the suit?" Bruce stiffens when you bring back attention to the compromised position you'd found him in. "I have questions, and I suppose if you want me to be good at lying about your... hobby, you'll have to prep me."

"I think the less you know, the better. Personally."

"The 'my husband's just busy with work' spiel is getting old, and people are already starting to talk about us living apart. Now, when I agreed to marry you," you watch him flinch as you take a step forward, "I promised that I would be with you in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, 'til death do us part. Your business is my business. Your secret," within arm's length of his cowl, you wrench it from his grasp and he relents rather easily, "is my secret. I will take it with me to the grave so long as you keep up your end of the bargain."

Up close, you take in the black paint smeared over his eyes, a fitting backdrop for his stunning eyes so cool. The fire in the hearth flickers off of them, reflecting back at you as you stand but inches apart.

Just as you stole his cowl, Bruce steals your key. He holds it up in the palm of his glove, "You want to move in."

You hum, "It would help with appearances. And my mother would be pleased."

"I thought you weren't interested in what your mother wants."

"I'm not, but she's interested in you, and given tonight's revelation... I think you'd like someone keeping her nose out of your business."

You punctuate your point with a touch to his chest, palm laid flat over his heart and the several layers of iron-clad padding in front of it. His hair falls into his eyes as he looks down at it, then back at you. There's discomfort there but... something else. Resignation, you'd wager. Defeat. You almost sigh in relief when it dawns on you that you've—rather miraculously—won this battle going in completely blind.

Later, it will dawn on you (or plummet on you) just what you've witnessed tonight. Just what you've agreed to. Just who you've married.

Bruce peels your hand away, placing the key in your palm before releasing it like a burning stone. "There are guest rooms on the second floor." He pauses when you're not fast enough to school your expression, his mouth turning down into a scowl, "This changes nothing else." And he stalks away.

Nothing else. This changes nothing else, but if anyone were to ask, the honeymoon was going great.

[secondarysefikura]

Imagine Reeve’s perspective during the final battle if Sephiroth won, one by one he watches on the screen as the people he cares about are slaughtered while he desperately tries to dodge every attack that’s thrown at Cait Sith, until all that’s left is Cait Sith and Cloud (also Vincent or maybe they didn’t wake him up). Eventually Cait Sith is struck and right before the screen goes dark Reeve watches as Cloud is grabbed by Safer Sephiroth unable to free himself as the god stares at him like a predator that’s finally captured it’s prey, and once the screen does go dark a wave of dread washes over Reeve.

The last thing Reeve sees before Cait's screen shuts off is the sheer panic that washes over Cloud as Sephiroth begins to encroach on him. In those brief final seconds of footage, Reeve watches in silent horror as Cloud drops his sword and darts for Cait, grabbing the small robot and clutching it tightly as he is dragged off by Sephiroth.

At first, Reeve doesn't understand the choice. There was no logic in Cloud's decision to abandon his weapon to seemingly try to protect a robot. Of course he understands not wanting to see Cait hurt, it's not like he doesn't flinch anytime his precious creation gets flung about. But to seemingly abandon your only defense to grab a failing robot? It's baffling.

But then he hears it. Although the audio quality is poor and mixed with static from the damaged microphone, he can hear Cloud's voice.

"Please, please, just let me keep him. He's not even-he's broken. He poses no threat to you. Just let me have this. Please."

"Why should I....old friends....yours? They....dead, Cloud."

Compared to Cloud's voice, which is quite close to the barely functioning microphone, Sephiroth's voice is much harder to hear.

The two argue for quite a while, although 'argue' isn't quite the right term. It's more Cloud desperately begging to be able to keep Cait's broken body while Sephiroth taunts him. Reeve listens the whole time with baited breath, somewhat terrified that if he makes even a slight sound Sephiroth will somehow know that he is listening in.

It takes a long time, but eventually, Sephiroth seems to agree to let Cloud keep the lifeless doll.

"...lucky....cute holding your little toy. I will.....for now."

Things fall silent for a long time, until finally, finally, Cloud speaks again.

"Cait? Reeve? I really hope one of you can hear me. Sephiroth just left, but I think he will be back soon. I'll try to make this quick: I don't know where I am, but Cait has a GPS in him, right? Please tell me it still works. Fuck I-I'll try to keep you--him--in tact for as long as possible.

If you can just-if you can use Cait's GPS location to find me, you'll find Sephiroth. Vincent was still breathing when Sephiroth grabbed me. If you can get in contact with him and find out where I am...god I hope you still work a little bit. I really hope I didn't leave my sword behind for nothing...I can't beat him on my own. Reeve? If you can hear me? I'll try to keep you updated, but I don't know. If he realizes I'm using Cait to try to communicate...

Please, please. You know me; I'm not one to beg. But please, please tell me you still work a little bit, Cait. I'll try to figure out his weakness but I don't know how much longer we have..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reeve ends up hearing a lot of things he wishes he could unhear. Luckily Cait's GPS still works, but just because he knows where Cloud (and by extension Sephiroth) is doesn't mean he can stop listening for Cloud's messages.

You know how at the end of AC, Marleen is shown holding Cait Sith like he's a little doll? That's sorta what I'm imagining Cloud doing, albeit with a much more broken and mostly powered down Cait. Cloud's clutching Cait tight like he's his only lifeline (and in a way, he kinda is) and refusing to set him down for fear of Sephiroth taking away and destroying the robot.

Sephiroth lets Cloud keep Cait since he sees it as being harmlessly adorable. A broken robot poses no threats to him (truthfully, even a working Cait poses very little threat to him), and it's cute seeing Cloud cling to a toy like a child. Unfortunately for Reeve, this means that he has to listen to a lot of 'intimate' moments between Cloud and Sephiroth.

And these moments are mostly Cloud's faint noises of pain and fear as he is violated.

[bm571158]

Free Now LN4 (Part 43)

The triple header had been long, and by the time Lando boarded his flight back from Brazil he was dead on his feet. It had been three weekends of mixed results, but one that had ultimately put him back within touching distance of the championship. It was so close he could taste it, and yet there was still everything to play for.

He'd ended up on the same flight back home as Carlos after the race, which was great but also meant that he didn't end up getting anywhere near as much sleep as he'd hoped. Given that he'd just spent three weeks in such close proximity to his friend the Spaniard still seemed to have a lot to say.

"So..." Carlos smirked, sitting in the seat beside Lando. "You seem happier."

"What are you trying to say, Carlos?" Lando laughed.

"I'm saying you seem happy... is there something you're not telling me?"

Lando couldn't help but squirm under Carlos's knowing gaze. "How did you know?" He asked.

"I didn't... but you look so guilty I do know now." Carlos laughed. "Come on, tell me. Who is she? I can keep a secret."

"You and I both know that isn't true." Lando laughed.

"So it is a secret?" Carlos questioned.

"It's not a secret it's...." Lando trailed off. "It's a secret." He admitted.

"But you're going to tell me, right?" Carlos asked persisted.

Lando groaned, wondering if he could somehow distract Carlos for the duration of the eleven hour flight back to Monaco, or if he was just going to carry on asking until he got the information that he wanted. He suspected it was going to be the latter.

Lando had held his ground for the first two hours, but Carlos was incredibly persistent and no matter how many times Lando tried to change the subject, Carlos would just steer it back around to who he was dating.

"Look..." Lando sighed. "No one knows, okay. I haven't told my parents... you can't tell anyone if I tell you."

"Of course." Carlos grinned, knowing full well that he'd won the battle and Lando was about to cave in and tell him. "I will keep your secret!"

Lando hesitated, taking a deep breath and lowering his voice before he spoke. "Lottie and I are sort of back together." He admitted.

"I knew it!" Carlos yelled, loud enough that a couple of people in the rows in front of them had turned around to look at them. "How long has that been going on for?"

"You clearly didn't know or you wouldn't have spent the last few hours pestering me trying to find out." Lando pointed out.

"I wanted to hear you say it." Carlos grinned. "This is amazing though, how long has that been a thing? Is she coming to vegas? When do I get to see her again properly?"

"Just calm down for a minute." Lando suggested, glancing around nervously for fear someone might over hear them. "We were both at Flo's birthday party and it just well... it sort of happened. But it's still new and all those problems that were there before, they haven't gone away. She doesn't want to come to watch and face all the press and fans and I get it I do, but..."

"But?" Carlos prompted.

"We can't keep hiding forever, can we?" Lando sighed. "We can't just never leave her house."

"I have an idea." Carlos grinned.

"This never ends well." Lando muttered. "Go on..."

"You need a holiday." Carlos suggested. "We have three weeks before the next race, the two of you can go somewhere that's nice and quiet. It's a start."

"That's...." Lando trailed off. "It's actually quite a good idea."

"I'm offended that you sound so surprised." Carlos laughed. "I do have good ideas sometimes."

"History has proven that's not correct." Lando pointed out. "But this time, you might actually be on to something."

"The place me and Rebecca went to over new years last year was nice." Carlos suggested. "No one bothered us, we had a great time... maybe we'll come too."

Lando glared at him. "I think you're joking, but just in case you're not- please don't."

"Oh come on." Carlos rolled his eyes at Lando. "I want to get to know her properly. And Rebecca will like her, then if she decides she wants to brave coming to a race at least she will know someone else there."

"Where is this place?" Lando asked. He did briefly remember Carlos telling him about his plans at the time, but couldn't remember the specifics other than hearing about how great it was going to be. He was too caught up in his stress about losing the championship at the time.

"I'll send you the details when we get back." Carlos promised. "It was great, you'll like it."

"I'll ask Lottie, see what she thinks." Lando agreed. "It would be nice."

There was a niggling doubt in the back of his mind though about whether he'd be able to convince her that it was possible for the two of them to go away for a week and not spend the entire time being hounded by the press and fans. He wasn't even convinced that it was possible himself if he was being honest. Carlos seemed to be convinced though, and as far as Lando could remember the only photos that had surfaced of Carlos's trip were the ones that he'd shared himself. Perhaps his friend did have a point.

****

Lottie had been unsure originally, and Lando had almost dropped the subject entirely for fear that he might be pushing it a little bit too far and everything was going to fall apart again, but then she'd called him up out nowhere and said she'd thought about it and they should go.

It had left him scrambling around to book flights and the hotel with only a couple of days notice, but he didn't mind. The prospect of an entire week away, uninterrupted free time with Lottie, was more than enough incentive for him to get it organised.

The two of them had flown out separately in the end, it was easier to arrange than trying to get Lottie to Monaco first, and it had left her without the stress of the thought of being spotted at the airport with him and the rumours that would be flying around. She felt bad, she knew they couldn't hide forever and at some point she was going to have to face it, but the thought of it made her feel sick.

Lando had been understanding though, just interrupting her as she rambled on apologising for not wanting to meet him in Monaco first, and booked her a flight out from the UK, the two of them meeting on the main island there before continuing onwards to the island in the Maldives's that Carlos had suggested.

She'd been hanging around waiting for a little while waiting for him, her flight having landed a bit ahead of his, but as she finally saw him making his way down to where she was waiting with his suitcase in hand she couldn't help but grin.

"Hey." He greeted her with a smile, leaning in to give her a kiss. "I am so excited for a whole week away, just the two of us."

"Me too." She grinned back at him.

It was a short flight on the small sea plane to reach their destination, and once they did Lando could see why Carlos had been quite so insistent that they needed to come there. The place was beautiful- white sand, crystal clear water. The little over water buildings that housed the rooms dotted around, far enough apart that they were guaranteed to have the privacy that seemed to elude them everywhere else they went.

"Wow." Lottie grinned as he helped her down onto the dock from the plane. "This place is amazing."

"It is." Lando agreed. "To be fair, Carlos has never given me a bad recommendation yet."

"I can't remember the last time I went on holiday." Lottie admitted. "I was always too busy with the horses, I'm not sure I know how to just sit and relax."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." He laughed, taking her hand as the two of them wandered up to the reception area to get their room key. "I can't sit down and relax too much. I had to promise I'd keep up with my training. My trainer looked like he was going to have a heart attack when I told him I was going on holiday for a week."

"I'll be sure to make sure you stick to your plan while I'm laying around enjoying the sun." She laughed.

"Don't make it any worse than it already is." Lando groaned.

"It'll be worth it when you get your hands on that trophy." Lottie said softly.

"You have a lot more faith in the fact that's going to happen than I do." Lando sighed.

"I have faith in you." She smiled.

The two of them got settled into their room, Lottie squealing in excitement as she headed in and saw the view out over the ocean. They had their own small pool on the deck, stairs that led directly into the crystal clear water of the ocean, a pair of sun loungers and a hammock. Everything the two of them could possibly need for an amazing holiday.

She'd been getting changed ready to go to one of the restaurants for dinner when her phone rang. Lando had managed to persuade her that they could go out and enjoy their meal without it being a drama, that the two of them didn't need to hide away and have room service.

"Hey, Flo." She greeted her friend, putting the phone on speaker and continuing to do her hair in the bathroom mirror.

"Where are you?" Flo asked curiously.

"At home?" Lottie offered awkwardly.

"No, you're not." Flo laughed. "When I called you your phone had the weird dialling tone on it you get when someone is overseas. So, where are you?"

It took Lottie a second to recover from that, floundering as she looked for an answer. "I um... I wanted to get away for a week. Thought it would do me good to have a break, after everything. Y'know."

"Right...." Flo agreed skeptically. "Well, I was calling to see if you wanted to come over for dinner at the weekend, but I'll take that as a no."

"Another time, sorry." Lottie told her. "I'd better go, I'm sorry. I'm just getting ready to go out for dinner."

"Alright, call me when you get back?"

"I will." Lottie agreed before ending the call.

Not even thirty seconds later Lando appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, holding up his phone for Lottie to look at as it rang, Flo's name on the screen. "I'm going to take a wild guess that she's figured out we're together." He laughed.

"She's going to kill us." Lottie agreed.

Lando just laughed, answering the phone as he walked away again, leaving Lottie to continue getting ready. "Hi, Flo." He laughed.

"Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on?" Flo demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lando said, playing innocent.

"Yeah, you do." Flo riled her eyes. "You're telling me if I came over to Monaco right now I wouldn't find Lottie in your apartment."

"You wouldn't, actually." Lando told her. "I'm not in Monaco."

"But you are with Lottie?" Flo asked, realising he hadn't denied that part.

"Would it matter, if I was?" He asked, stepping outside on to the deck overlooking the water.

"That's a yes then." Flo laughed. "I'm happy for you both, I'm pissed off that you lied to me and thought I wouldn't notice something was going on, but mostly just happy for you."

"We're keeping it quiet, I don't want all the stuff going round on the internet to freak her out again." He explained quietly. "So just keep it to yourself, alright?"

"You literally haven't told anyone?" Flo asked in surprise. "But you're terrible at keeping secrets."

"Rude." He laughed. "Okay, well... I did tell Carlos but in my defence I was trapped on a plane with him for the best part of twelve hours so he did have time to make it happen. If the flight had been shorter I might've managed it."

"Just be careful, okay. I don't want either of you getting hurt again." Flo told him, suddenly turning serious.

"I know, we are. That's what all the sneaking around was for." Lando told her. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you."

"We'll talk about that when you get back." Flo told him. "Go, enjoy your trip. I'll see you both when you get back."

He hung up the phone and walked back towards the bathroom. "So... the cat is out of the bag." He told her nervously, not sure how she would react.

"To be honest, I'm surprised it took her this long." Lottie admitted.

"I think she already knew to be honest." Lando agreed. "It'll be fine, she's happy for us."

"We can't keep hiding forever either." Lottie agreed, turning to face him. "You ready to go?"

"I am." He nodded. "You look beautiful." He smiled, leaning into give her a kiss.

The day spent in the sun had already given her skin a sun kissed glow, her hair hanging in loose waves down her back but it was the relaxed, carefree smile on her face that made him smile the most. She had looked nervous originally when he'd suggested going out for dinner, and he wasn't sure how she was going to take the news that Flo knew they were back together, but it looked like she had taken it all in her stride.

"Let's go." He smiled, taking her hand and heading for the door.

It was dark outside as they made their way towards the restaurant. The sound of the waves lapping at the shore filling the air as they made their way along the dimly lit boardwalk to get dinner. It was refreshing, the two of them able to walk along hand in hand and no one even gave them a second glance.

Up until they reached the restaurant anyway.

Lando had been minding his own business, quietly speaking to the waitress to ask for a table for two when they'd been approached from behind, a hand landing on his shoulder.

The heart attack of being grabbed had lasted all of two seconds before he'd turned around to find Carlos grinning at him. "Hola!" Carlos grinned. "Lottie, it's so good to see you."

"Hi, Carlos." Lottie smiled.

"What are you doing here?" Lando looked at him blankly. "Hi, Rebecca. Rebecca, Lottie... Lottie, this is Carlos's girlfriend who for some unknown reason continues to put up with him."

Carlos laughed. "Well, I spent all that time telling you how great this place was and it made me think actually, I could do with a bit of a break too."

"You're unbelievable." Lando shook his head in disbelief.

"Join us for dinner?" Carlos suggested, already turning to ask the waiter for a bigger table.

"Are you okay?" Lando turned and asked the question, a quiet whisper in Lottie's ear. She looked relaxed but he was conscious this wasn't what she'd agreed to.

"It's fine." She reassured him, giving his hand a squeeze. "Shall we all go and sit down?" She suggested as the waiter reappeared, waiting for the four of them to follow him.

The four of them sat in a quiet corner of the restaurant, Rebecca and Lottie quickly agreeing to share a bottle of wine, while the two boys complained endlessly about having to stick to their diet plans.

Lottie laughed as Carlos started to tell them stories of his time as Lando's teammate, Lando firing back with equally embarrassing stories about Carlos in an attempt to take the heat off himself.

It was nice, the whole thing felt so incredibly normal. She didn't worry even once about whether people were looking at them or if people were taking photos of them. She just relaxed, enjoyed the food and wine and chatted to Rebecca as the two boys started an in depth discussion about the last few races of the season.

"Are you coming to Vegas?" Rebecca asked, taking another sip of her wine.

"I don't know." Lottie admitted. "We've been kind of keeping things quiet... I didn't have a great time with all the stuff online last time and it kind of ruined everything. I want to be there and support him but... well, I don't know if I can face that again."

"I know you probably won't believe me, but you do get used to it." Rebecca said with a kind smile. "It's scary and overwhelming, but you learn to cope with it. Lando looks really happy with you, I'm sure he'd love to have you there."

"Are you going?" Lottie asked.

Rebecca nodded. "If you need someone to keep you company and help you brave it then you just say the word and I'm there. I remember how scary it was the first few times, but it does get better. I promise."

"Thank you." Lottie smiled. "That would be really nice."

[jumpingjoltiks]

okay so I knoww that the sugar baby talk won the poll, but I'm dying to hear about Emmet's second date. can you please please please post about it anyway, even if its super short? 🙏 I want to smooch him in the ferris wheel

Don't we all, Anon?

This is a little short, and very quickly written, but I hope it satisfies.

Second Chances

Pairings: Sugar Daddy!Emmet x Reader (GN)

Warnings: None, just fluff 🤍

~~~

When you tell him on the way to the park that you're a little afraid of riding roller coasters, he offers to let you hold his hand through it. It nearly envelops yours. It's big and warm and comforting - slightly calloused from the hard work of Pokemon care and battling. You find you're not so scared while holding his hand. You spend the rest of the evening holding it and he definitely doesn't complain. He reaches for you about as often as you reach for him.

He lets you play as many of those rigged carnival games as you want too! Emmet's been to the park many times, so by this point he knows which games are rigged and which you have the best chance of winning. He also has a competitive streak, so you'll often end up at two-player games. Even if he does win, he'll still let you pick out and keep the prize.

"That big Joltik plush, please!"

"Verrrry cute. You'll have to share custody with me though."

After games, you both share some faire food together, picking out funnel cakes or fried cookies or whatever else terribly unhealthy but absurdly delicious you want. You'll get powdered sugar all over your shirt, and he'll laugh and say you should wear white more often.

At the end of the day, you end up in the Ferris wheel together while the fireworks go off.

This evening has been so nice. All the anxieties building over the course of the afternoon have melted away with the fun that you've had together. In the back of your mind, you know this is steering dangerously close to a real, actual date - so different from the parties you've attended as their fake partner. No formalities, no performing, no worrying if this night will be "good enough" to keep you around for next time. Tonight, it's just you and Emmet.

He's sitting next to you in the compartment, lit by the colorful flashes of fireworks all around you. His hat is off and he's smiling out at the lights of the city. He always smiles, but this is different. When he turns to look at you, there's a true warmth to his expression you've rarely ever seen. He looks beautiful.

You have a terrible urge to reach up and kiss him, which will totally make you freak out once you get home. But that's a problem for future you. Right now, you want to enjoy this moment without thinking about what it could mean. You cuddle under his arm and watch the show together, holding hands the whole time.

~~~

It's a little embarrassing for Emmet to walk you back to your dingy apartment. Even if he isn't coming inside, you're sure it's a long way off from what he's used to. The building is a bit run down and the grounds aren't clean or well kept. You try to say that he can just send you off in a taxi ("Noooope! The subway is much more efficient. I should know."), but he wants to make sure you get there safely, so he ends up escorting you.

It's sweet, in a chivalrous, old fashioned sort of way. You feel the urge to kiss him rise up in you once more, but before you dare to, you duck through the door with a goodbye and the promise of seeing him again soon.

Now that Emmet knows where you live, he finds himself a little concerned about it. You're not living on the dangerous side of town, but you're not exactly living "well" either. Your apartment is obviously small, even from the outside, and things don't seem well-maintained. If it's like that from the outside, he's deeply concerned about what's hiding on the inside. He wants to barge in and inspect things for himself (you wouldn't mind, right? Just pretend he's not even there!), but Ingo calling on his x-transceiver stops him.

Going in will have to wait. He'll discuss what he's learned tonight with Ingo. Besides, the twins are overdue to have a verrrrry important discussion with you anyway.

What's one more item on the agenda?

[runabout-river]

Thoughts on JJK chapter 269 (spoilers)

(TCB still doesn't have their own translation but some parts of this need to be cross checked with more translations. I'll do that tomorrow.)

We start the chapter with an ominous flashback that brings Mei Mei to an old woman before we make a hard cut back to where we left off last chapter

To my pleased surprise Yuta managed to get his body back though truth be told I did NOT understand the minute details on how that happened. Need to read up on that.

Megumi still feels the aftereffects of Gojo's UV that had crippled Sukuna's DE. This could mean Megumi himself will have trouble expanding his domain but would that be a short term problem or possibly even a long term problem 👀

(Way back when, I had also made a speculative post that Gojo's UV that hit Megumi's soul might've left Megumi with Gojo's ultimate knowledge from all his life but that doesn't seem to be a thing in the end.)

The first years are told not to feel guilty about anything and to be teenagers again. This echoes what Gojo said in the beginning on how children should be able to enjoy the spring of their youth.

We learn then how Yuta survived: because of Rika who independently kept his body alive. When Kenjaku's CT burned out after Yuta used Gojo's DE, he should've died because he couldn't keep the connection to Gojo's body.

Kenjaku shouldve had the same problems but they speculate that he circumvented that with barrier techniques.

Now comes the part where I need better translations because what's said here is too confusing: which CT recovered and was Yuta now dead or unconscious when Kenjaku's CT burned out?

The next question is: how did his consciousness end up back in his body? All this time I thought Kenjaku transferred his entire brain from body to body but that's not the case apparently? 😄

Also, the biggest question right now: what happened to Gojo's body?

I made a speculative post on how this body hopping through Kenjaku's CT might actually end up reviving Gojo.

The main point for that theory is that Kenjaku revives the bodies he transfers into. Second and third points are that the revival is a one time thing and isn't bound to the continuous use of the CT (speculation) and that Yuta "dies" through the end of the CT and through other means

Say what you will but this about Miguel and Larue was extremely funny but also give Larue some respect, Sukuna was in love with him for a few seconds.

The part where everyone discusses their battle strategies is interesting. Gege does sth here I have done while writing fanfics as well: acknowledging how varied and complicated the choices in the plot where and have the characters discuss it.

This gives the chain of events that did end up happening in the end a grounded feel and here it also gives the characters room to interact with each other.

My complaint about these scenes are that they downplay Sukuna's threat and power

Talking about what they should've done differently and how they could've won more easily is ok, but for me this entire conversation was too couched in "we won because of course we did, this was easy but it could've been easier"

Higuruma is alive though but I had that on my bingo card already, his apparent death was pretty vague

It's a funny reveal how the watch room was Rika this entire time, and apparently Yuta/Maki is basically canon

We also learn that it was indeed Miwa who clung to Maki and used Simple Domain against Sukuna to stop his MS. Todo managed to get her and Maki out with his CT at the end.

Without Ui Ui the battle would've been lost, so he really is the MVP

Now comes the part about the New Shadow Style: Simple Domain that was interesting but also added unneeded elements into the story this late in the manga

Some parts of this was mentioned previously like how you made a Binding Vow to learn NSS. There was a woman in a wheelchair once that resembled Miwa in parts who was probably one of those people who's lifespan was sapped away by the Shadow Head.

But did we really need to give this so much panel time? I guess with the mention of Tengen (who was apparently the one who told the good guys who the Shadow Head was) we'll go back to what happened to her and the merger in the next chapter.

What we also got was commentary on how JJ society hindered itself from becoming better because of the greed of people who wanted more power.

Mei Mei speaks of sorcerers who could've survived with Simple Domain and she probably means Nanami. Their stories in Shibuya acted like foils to each other (without that or them being in conflict with each though) so it's relevant to Nanami what she said here.

Overall I think some parts of this chapter should've been cut so close to the finish, especially when this really is the end of the manga. I still have hope for Part 2 though, this chapter was (as I expected) ambiguous about that happening or not.

[stormyrainyday]

how vengeful gasher subverts the beach episode: a study on tetsuya watarigani

for mayblade day 8 - beach

i mentioned earlier today that because of ATLA the words 'beach episode' deal unfathomable psychic damage to me, and it got me thinking. ATLA's "the beach" is iconic for being a subversion of the typical beach episode, a trope which usually entails a bunch of characters from a show getting together in a low-stakes, kinda fanservice-y self-contained plot. they get together on a bright summer day and small shenanigans ensue, and by the end of it they all grow and get a little closer as friends.

beyblade definitely does have an episode like this: metal masters' "we meet again! wang hu zhong". team ggg train on the beach, get into mild conflict, meet with old friends, and come out of the experience smiling and having bonded as friends. we even get the characters dressed up for the occasion

do you know, however, what other episode takes place on the beach? episode 5 of metal fusion: vengeful gasher

if you are like me, vengeful gasher won't even really register as a beach episode to you at all. sure it takes place on a beach, but it is so far removed from what a beach episode typically entails that it's hard to call it one. i'm going to argue, however, that this is what makes the episode compelling to study in this lens.

(for the purposes of this analysis i'll be talking about the second half of the episode as the beginning half is more what i consider necessary setup for the meat of it. so when i say vengeful gasher, i am, for the most part, talking about gingka and tetsuya meeting on the beach onwards)

the most obvious difference in the two screenshots is the time of day. a beach episode usually takes place in a bright, sunny day, and that makes sense; that is when it's a good time to go to the beach. furthermore, the sun and light often symbolizes energy and life, as well as happiness. good, fun things happen in the daytime, and that makes it a good setting for a feel-good episode.

in contrast, the main part of vengeful gasher takes place at night time, a time that is usually more somber, reflective, or even sinister depending on the genre. this also makes sense: gingka is not here to have fun. he's here to confront a guy who's been going around the city and intentionally damaging beys (something that is shown to be pretty devastating to the blader, especially later in the season during the reiji fight).

The beach is deserted of all other people as well; it't quiet, and much more serious. Though tetsuya is a minor gag villain, at this moment the audience doesn't know this. He has hurt kenta's friends, he's kidnapped madoka, and he's expressed serious desire for confrontation. The stakes of this fight are, for this point of the season, incredibly high. This is a far cry from the frivolous conflicts that typically characterize beach episodes.

It is over the course of the remainder of the episode that we learn tetsuya's character is antithetical to what our characters believe about beyblade. tetsuya is a liar and a cheat, and not above using petty trickery to get his way. his goal of fighting isn't to win battles or form rivalries; all he wants is the opportunity to damage other peoples' beyblades. this point will be important in a second so hold on to it.

the episode then comes to tetsuya's Traumatic Backstory™️, where we learn that once he was upstanding and had someone for whom he deeply cared for, but due to a betrayal, he has now given up on others entirely and only engages with them as a means to deploy his petty tricks. he has no desire to engage with gingka's lessons about friendship and solidarity

this is well and good, and pretty normal villain stuff. tetsuya is then defeated and madoka returned (by benkei-- we'll get to him in a moment). they explain that gingka won because his friends were there for him, and for a second he truly seems to be taking it in. he's then offered an olive branch. madoka forgives him and tells him not to scratch beys any longer. she even offers to repair mad gasher, so long as he apologizes to the people who's beys he damaged.

of course, tetsuya being tetsuya, and this episode being an anti-beach episode, basically spits in the face of the peace offering. he runs away, unconvinced.

as stated earlier, beach episodes usually resolve with the group of friends having had fun and feeling closer to each other after whatever minor challenges occurred during their time there. people had fun, and the episode wraps up nicely in a self-contained story.

the power of friendship isn't entirely absent from this episode but it is at play in varying degrees

madoka, kenta, gingka, and kenta's friends certainly are closer after the experience. they are our conventional protagonists, so the conventional beach episode trope works on them

similarly, benkei is an antagonist, but he walks away from this episode conflicted about the nature of his relationship to gingka and his friends. he doesn't know why he helped madoka, and contemplates at the sea alone after the fact. he is a villain character that gets converted later, and the normal beach narrative magic works on him too.

tetsuya, on the other hand, outright rejects the concept of friendship. he stands by his revenge and reappears later hell-bent on causing problems for everyone, whether it be setting traps in the survival battle, telling sob stories during battle bladers, or pretending to be friends to make main characters let their guards down. the key thing about tetsuya is that by now, we understand that he is a joke character. his tactics are slimy and he has no real strength as a blader and relies on dirty, if comical, tricks to get his way. thus he subverts the typical narrative that would be at play in this style of episode

tetsuya's tricks in episodes going forward all rely on the similar tactic of subverting expectations. the most obvious example is when he told the crowd at a match that he had to win for his dear sick friend, taka, and moved them so deeply that his opponent forfeited the match (the punchline was then revealed that take was a crab).

all of this to say: tetsuya is a gag villain that relies on playing with expectations, and his introductory episode shows this in his actions (we expect a normal bey battle, and we get pulled into increasingly ridiculous ways to cheat). however, the way the episode takes a common trope-- the beach episode-- and turns it on its head is also representative of tetsuya as a character, and thus serves as more or less as an excellent way to show what to expect from him going forward, even if the symbolism isn't immediately obvious when watching.

it's also fun to note how it's a pretty unserious trope they chose to subvert for one of their most unserious villains. i thought that was a neat touch.

a few other things i thought were interesting but didn't know how to fit into the essay below the cut

no one had a good time in this beach episode: tetsuya lost, kenta is angry at his friends' beys being broken, madoka got kidnapped and put in a sand pit, and benkei is conflicted emotionally at the end of all the events. this is extremely typical of an encounter with tetsuya going forward

this episode bears some surface level resemblance to the ATLA beach episode: it also takes place at night, has minor villain(s) of the series recount the traumas that turned them into the people they are today, and EVERYONE crashes out-- no one has a good time. however, despite also being a subversion of the trope, the ATLA episode is very, very serious tonally and serves an entirely different function to its own plot than vengeful gasher.

tetsuya gets covered in mud in the final round against gingka. oftentimes in literature, a character getting submerged/covered in water symbolizes a pivotal turning point in their development (as water often symbolizes baptism or rebirth). however, tetsuya is covered in mud-- in other words, dirty water-- which could symbolize how the opportunity for the change of heart was there, but he is too jaded and corrupted to embrace it

similarly, the fact that madoka simply has to turn gasher upside down to reveal the smiling face in the scratches represents that the potential to change is in tetsuya and has been all along. he, however, is making the active choice to reject it.

also on the topic of being covered in water: tetsuya's major change of character from a selfless guy to one driven entirely by revenge takes place after he is thrown in the snow, and it starts to snow around him. by the time he confronts taraba and echizen though, it has stopped snowing, meaning his change of character is complete

tetsuya taking on crabs as his representative animal reveals insight on his character too. just as crabs have a hard shell and pincers to protect their soft abdomens, tetsuya keeps his own demeanor, well, crabby and snaps at anyone who attempts to genuinely connect with him. he is still a vulnerable person, and he believes the only way to protect himself from getting hurt again is to prevent exposing that vulnerability ever again.

thanks for reading! if you noticed more please talk to me about it please i love tetsuya he's unironically one of my top 5 favorite characters in this series please he's so fucking funny i need more love for him

[galactickohipot]

Hmm so I've seen a lot of ppl say there's no stakes in FFXIV anymore because the WoL is too strong anyway. Like sure, making the WoL a godslayer isn't making things easy, but that's not truly where the issue is imo. Spoilers for DT's msq!!!

The main problem to me, is that the writers now consider that a victory through fighiting is a victory in the story. It kinda boggles my mind that there aren't negative repercutions for using violence anymore... It's especially true in DT: when you fight it's always the right thing to do and all fights have a positive influence on the story. It's pretty much "right is might and might is right" all around. The characters never doubts their fight is a righteous one for a second, and we are never given an ambiguous win either. Wuk Lamat is only able to influence the story because she becomes strong and she becomes strong because she is right and good. It is ironic for a character that is so focused on peace and love. Yet the story will still consistantly reward the characters for crushing their opponents. Storywise it doesn't make sense. It only cheapens your victories, so of course you would need to amp up the stakes. (also please note: these issues were already present when Ishikawa was at the helm, but there were other things to balance it out in ShB though.)

In contrast, in ARR and HW, there usually was a downside to the WoL's victory. It wasn't the entire story!

For example, a part I particularly like in 3.0 is the first time you slay Nidhogg. Not only is this done by Estinien after you've weakened the dragon; but it actually feels like a defeat. The entire game up to this point had your group try to mend the relationship between ishgardians and dragons. Estinien warms up to your group and Ysayle, and you can feel he is slowly begining to hope for lasting peace. However, with Hraesvelgr's revelations, Ysayle's dellusions are exposed and all the progress made towards reconcilliation is reduced to nothing. Worse, Estinien's violent and vengeful ways are proven to be the only solution. Truly, a terrible setback for the characters, and it results in an empty victory over Nidhogg. Sure you beat the baddie, but it's devastating for Alphinaud and Ysayle. It even comes back to bite Estinien in the butt when he gets possessed. There was more to the story than just finally beating a very strong foe, and it is made apparent at that moment. Even though the wol won every fight, it didn't mean that the main characters would be victorious. It could either be a diplomatic defeat, your beliefs could be challenged, or one of your allies could die. Unforeseen consequences were right around the corner. Plus, your character is only one person. Things could still happen outside of their reach, like at the end of ARR. Regardless of your WoL's strength, there are many ways you can create tension for a story!

In earlier expacs, there used to be a feeling that your battles wouldn't necessarily win the war. No need for a world ending threat then, to have stakes.

[stalkedbytrains]

False Idols

Lucienne Prophet watched the Chosen One die. Now there is no one left to stop the apocalypse. But she will not sit back and wait for death, she will try to stop the God of Darkness no matter what stands in her way.She’ll have to recruit some people abandoned by the Empire of Light to help her stop the end of the world. A blood mage with a centuries long vendetta, some spies with questionable methods, and a woman made of fire.Will the war finally consume Lucienne? Will the gods of Light and Dark finally destroy each other and the world in their long war?

I wrote this 116,000 dark fantasy knowledge back in 2019. It's long, but it's good, I promise.

The book is heavily influenced by things like Mass Effect and the original Dragon Age. We have prophecies that may or may not be true (I mean the Chosen One is dead in chapter 2 so like... yeah), we have blood magic, we have vows of eternal vengeance and hatred, we have blood oaths, we have morally ambiguous spies, we have a world spanning religious empire of light and beauty that totally isn't rotten to the core, we have Lucienne and Aracelis as a pair of leads that are really the only thing that the other has to hold on to in the End Times, and we have a badass wardog named Sasha (she's the best).

Below will be some heavy spoilers just in case you want to know about all the things before you commit.

SPOILERS

Aracelis is a blood mage in the last remaining country outside of the Ilanem Empire

She's committed crimes and is imprisoned when the paladins of light invade and start to destroy her country

She loses her boyfriend in the fighting and swears death upon all of Ilanem, summoning a blood demon of vengeance that is bound to her body and soul

Lucienne Prophet is the last surviving friend of the Chosen One who died trying to stop the coming apocalypse of the Corrupt and the God of Darkness Cimenor

She hates Michael (the Chosen One) because he abandoned her, leaving her for dead, and got her husband killed when he rescued her. Both Michael and his god refused to save or heal either of them, so Luce is very bitter

Luce has a wardog named Sasha who's last order from Luce's husband is to protect her no matter what

Luce refuses to just let the apocalypse happens since the Chosen One is dead, instead she takes her Rangers to the most dangerous places and continues to fight, pushing herself beyond the breaking point

Recognizing that Luce is the only hope for stopping this war, she is "chosen" by the God of Light, something she doesn't want, but she will use

Luce recruits and uses the other military branches as she is elevated to a position of power, recruiting a couple of spies, Roth and Charna, who lead the Inquisition, she also recruits the immortal and, up until this point, hidden Aracelis into her crusade

Aracelis secretly convinces Luce to do a ritual to give herself blood magic as well, as Aracelis thinks that the only way to really fight this thing is to use every tool at their disposal

Luce also frees a fire spirit that had been chained up and used as a symbol by the Church of Light

over the course of the novel battles are won and lost, Aracelis and Luce get closer

but Aracelis is compromised, more than she knows

the deals that she made to destroy Ilanem also want her to kill Luce, who she has been in love with for a long time, she refuses to do so

which results in a tense fight with Luce (and a Corrupt Dragon) and ends with Luce seemingly killing Aracelis

but Aracelis is immortal, she can't be killed by something as trite as swords

that doesn't change much for Luce who killed her

Aracelis swears a blood oath to Luce, now magically compelled to help her in every way

Luce, Aracelis, Charna, Roth, and the fire spirit Shula go to confront the God of Darkness and it's armies of Corrupt

Roth and Shula die in the assault

Luce manages to kill Cimenor, almost dying herself

Aracelis is compelled to not act during the battle as the darkness has a hold on her

the novel ends with the victorious team returning to Ilanem only to be greeted by the "resurrected" Michael and the God of Light who wants them all executed for heresy

Aracelis fights her nemesis and Charna helps

Lucienne as a chosen of the Light God can't fight, but when she manages to act, is severely wounded

Aracelis kills the Ilanem god and finally completes her end of the deal, freeing herself from her vengeance demon

Sasha lives through the entire book

Aracelis at some point admits to having feelings for Luce, Luce in turn is beyond stressed out and simply cannot think beyond surviving the next few minutes, although at the very end she recognizes that she does in fact have feelings for Aracelis

[wileycap]

ATLA Headcanon (this is very much spoilers and I'm pretty sure this isn't a super original thought):

Ozai was always thought of as kind of a useless coward in the Fire Nation, before he grabbed power. He was the spare prince next to the Dragon of the West, and this motivates him in everything that he does.

It makes a lot of sense and provides some depth of character to him - which, let me be clear, I don't think he needs: within the story, he works perfectly fine as just a cruel, narcissistic monster. Any detour into his motivations would have distracted from the overall story.

But think about it. Why does he hate Zuko so much? Because Zuko reminds him of his own (perceived) failures, as the disappointing son, and as a narcissist, he can not bear thinking about anything that makes him less than perfect. He wants to get rid of Zuko because he sees himself in Zuko, and this is only compounded by Zuko and Azula's dynamic resembling the dynamic between him and Iroh. Of course, in this case, it's the younger sibling that is the favoured, more capable child. Ozai wants to see himself in Azula, but actually sees himself in Zuko.

Now, I know that the more overt explanation is that he cares about his legacy, and wants Azula to succeed him because she's the stronger heir, but I don't think that matters to Ozai that much. It certainly matters a little bit, because the greater glory of his heir reflects well on him, and obviously he wants that. But I don't think Ozai is actually all that concerned with what happens after he dies. To that, Zhao, whom Ozai promotes and clearly favours to some degree, expresses open disdain at Iroh's spirituality - it's reasonable to think that this sort of attitude thrives under Ozai, or it might just be the Fire Nation in general.

I think Ozai operates under a belief that the world will end with him, and doesn't believe in an afterlife. I don't necessarily mean that he is actually cognisant of this belief - I mean that he is only concerned with himself, so to him, once he stops existing, everything of value will have left the world. If he'd still been in power once he was at the age where death becomes a real concern instead of an abstract possibility, he probably would have sought some form of immortality.

He is very quick to cast Azula aside with a meaningless title, after all. He doesn't value Azula, he just hates the reminder that is Zuko. Zuko also resembles him physically - and to that point, his method of punishing Zuko before getting rid of him is to disfigure him. To further distance himself from Zuko.

In Zuko Alone, Azula refers to Iroh as "his royal tea-loving kookiness" - and we have to remember that Azula probably parrots Ozai's words. Why is this significant? Because at the time, Iroh has just broken through the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se, a tremendous military accomplishment. He's living up to the Fire Nation's greatest values of military power and glory in battle. And still Ozai disparages him to Azula.

Because Ozai is a wounded narcissist who's always been jealous of his brother. I'm intentionally paraphrasing Zuko's words from The Avatar State here, because it's very likely that those words are also originally Ozai's. An attempt to drive a wedge between his successful older brother and his son.

Ozai's plan to literally burn down the Earth Kingdom is, aside from being monstrous, a terrible strategic decision. What, does the think that the ashes are going to pay him taxes? What's the end goal? At that point, the Fire Nation has effectively won the war. Sure, they are likely still facing resistance, and the Earth Kingdom might be able to rally in the future and challenge them for hegemony. But, considering other conquering military states in our history, a large chunk of their economy probably relies on war. On levying taxes on subjugated territories in order to prop up the economy of the homeland. So, he's intentionally handicapping his own nation by literally burning down a massive source of income.

In the context of erasing his own profound narcissistic injury, however, that makes perfect sense. Who's going to remember Iroh's glorious victories in the Earth Kingdom when there is no Earth Kingdom?

So, there you have it. Ozai is the disappointing child in the shadow of his heroic older brother, the cowardly prince who never went to war in a nation that idolizes war and war heroics above all else, and he spends the rest of his life covering that wound up with blood and fire.

And I do think it's a very beautiful sort of karma that he ends up without his firebending after a short reign and without any meaningful triumphs or accomplishments to his name. Because fuck that guy.

[sfthbattleroyale]

I'm kind of mad at the fact that Jemima won against Egbert and Clarissa won against Troll son so this is my yap.

Egbert losing to Jemima simply because she's a popular character, honestly makes me mad. Egbert is the epitome of a lover, his entire thing as a character is that he has a speech dedicated to his wife about how much he loves her and in the end, he had never cheated on her and even says she's the only woman for him.

Whereas Jemima has been cheating on her husband for almost a decade as Peter is David's child (since Peter is 8 years old) (this also opens up the possibility that Jemima has been cheating on Mr Stevens with David for well over a decade but I'm staying strictly canon here). Furthermore, they were so careless with how they hid their "secret" relationship, with them flirting at the door when Peter could've overheard them talking and could've lead to Peter realising that his family isn't "right" (societal standards: mother/father shouldn't cheat on their partner while they have a child) and therefore making her a bad mother, also how she hid the contraceptive in their backyard only for Peter to find it, yes it's "funny" as a joke with its delivery and all, but it just shows how lazy they were to hide this and how she didn't care about how Peter felt, knowing he would grow up to learn what everything meant if she and David had stayed in a "secret" relationship with Mr Stevens never learning the truth.

Troll son and Clarissa make me even angrier as they are two sides of the same coin and the coin is called communication. Troll son is exiled but when he returns, he isn't bashful towards his father or cuts him off, he tries to relate to him and teaches him the world his mother (Troll Mother) had experienced before her death. This leads to Troll Father accepting his son for not only refusing to eat goats but also him being a "little and floppy troll" with colourful hair.

This is just my honest opinion and I'm genuinely sorry if this upsets you, but it's just how I feel with the outcome of these polls and these characters. Again, I am sorry if this upsets you, I have no hatred against you and what you chose, only the characters and their decisions.

Meanwhile Clarissa lacks communication with her husband. He has anger issues with him blowing up at her for picking up the phone during an important moment of their lives and she has behavioural issues with her picking up the phone, ignoring the said important moment of her life and refusing to apologise then bringing up HIS family, while his father was a terrible man. Their problems were ignored and they got married, WAY too quickly. They had just gotten engaged but had a huge fight then get married the next day?? For their constant fighting, it feels justified as they should've taken time to talk it out before getting married. (I know there are arguments out there about her and Mark's relationship about who's worse, but as a whole, we can all agree that what they have is toxic and not okay).

This is my honest opinion and I'm genuinely sorry if this upsets you. I have nothing against you if you chose the characters I hate, you made your choice and I cannot change that. I only hope to educate about my perspective of these polls and these characters.

Thank you for reading❤️

Wow, thank you so, so much for this long and detailed ask! Now, about what these 4 characters represent, I totally get not wanting to vote for either Jemima or Clarissa because they are both objectively kind of shitty people, but this battle royale is not about the most kind and moral character winning (maybe I should make a battle royale based on that), but who people think is the best, well, not written because it's improv, but which character has truly captivated the fandom and Jemima/Clarissa are very multi-faceted and layered characters and just, you know, human-like, and people like that in fictional characters. Of course, I am not saying Troll Son or Egbert are not good characters, because the sole fact that they made it this far in the battle royale says otherwise, but Jemima and Clarissa are very much loved in this fandom, despite being cunts.

Still, thank you so, so much for adding onto the discussion! I love finding out the reasons for people voting for or against some character, it's always an interesting read!

[snakegorl212006]

Chapter 2

(A/n: this minecraft monistary is actuly impressive

"So then we all agree, and the prophecy stats that one of us is the green ninja and the issue will not rest until it’s decided” Jay stated as he locked up the dragon gates “may i suggest a tournament” zane proposed “The last ninja standing is the best” he adds as he walks up to the monastery “ and will be declare as the green ninja.HA! I love it” kai committed through his laugh  but quickly hissed from the pain the pineapple brought upon his face “You think you can do the tournament kai. She hit you pretty hard with that fruit” cole ask “ya I guess” kai answered as he rubbed his face and pricked out a piece of skin from the pineapple that was stuck in his skin. The ninja made it to the monastery to see nya trying to complete the training course but getting smacked by the side of an axe and falling on her back. Jay walked up to her and took off his ninja mask “Hey Nya getting closer to beating your brother’s speed record” he asked helping her up “well i'm getting there” she chuckled lightly “I heard what happened in town just a false alarm” Nya asked “Ya and kai got defeated by a girl” Jay chuckled “You can’t laugh about it either Jay. because of her you got hit too” Kai yelled pointing at Jay “but you got it worse” Jay laughed. Nya looked confused “A little girl what's so important about that” Nya asked “she was helping Lloyd escape” cole explained “There was something different .I have a feeling this isn't a normal girl” Zane added thinking slightly. Everyone turned to him  “ I saw a bit of her face and her eyes glowed a golden color and she had purple scales covering parts her face and thought out her tan skin in fact I think I saw the tip of her tail” zane explained.”you know you might be on to something there’s no way some normal person can throw a pineapple that hard from a far distance” Cole added “Hay now did you mentioned it i did see a faint glow in her eyes” jay mentioned. Kai laughed “Listen I know that you guys are trying to convince me the serpentine are real but isn't this going a bit too far she probably has good aim”. He turns to nya “Anyways sorry sis but we need the space” he said as Cole headed to the armor closet. He tost a helmet which hit Jay on the head “Two matches,then the winners of each face off for the title. Armor is for our own protection” cole explained “ It’s time to see what these babies can do” he spoke holding his scythe up high. “Hey Nya wanna stick around and watch me mop the floor with them” Kai asked “no thanks” nya replied “I think I’m going to Jamanakai Village” she stated as she headed out “knock yourselves out” she said as she left.

“Ok first round: Kai VS Jay.” Cole announced. Both draw their weapons and prepare for battle. The battle was shockingly enough but Kai brung in the fire and came out victorious.

“Next up Cole VS Zane” kai announced while Jay sulked silently.Both bowed and prepared for battle. Zane had the advantages and managed to freeze cole inplace as but was cole who pined zane down with his scythe which ended the match

“For the prize and title of best ninja  blah blah ninja go” jay spoke lazaly. The battle was intense as both seemed to be equally matched but Cole seemed to have the upper hand as he crashed the floor below which tripped Kai and he won the match. Jay and zane cheered. Kai growls what though to be in frustration as he jumps and spins all over the place “it’s too Hot” he said as his sword catched on fire “Its burning “ zane says in astonishment As Jay yells Fire. Kai uses his spinjitzu to make an attempt to cool the sword down he managed to drop the sword causing fire to spread across the yard. Due to the commotion sensei wu came out of the temple and used the shurikens of ice to douse the flames  “What were you thinking?” wu asked “we were trying to figure out who was the green ninja” Jay replied truthfully only to be earned a smack from zane "Ow! Oh did I say green ninja? No ,sorry, what I said was lean” Jay adds trying to cover up what he said but it did not make anything better for himself nor the team. “You were not supposed to see this” wu said “but sensei we want to know. Which one of us is the chosen one?” Kai asked “None of you,If you don’t unlock your full potential “Wu said as he walked away “but my sword , it was so bright. Is this what you meant by unlocking our golden weapons”Kai questions again “you are only at the beginning,and the road is long and winding.But yes, this is what i meant” wu explains “If this is what it must take for you to train,then so be it. But none of you are near the level of what it takes to be the green ninja” wu scolded as he walks back to the monastery. 

[stratostella]

i think part of why the novel adds so much to me is how it can better bring up this sense of like, humanity as the 'best' choice to those who decided it, but not necessarily the perfect choice. the show kinda skirts around it because of course it's at least worth fighting for, humans are why the term 'humane' exists, there's no question of where good lies. it's either with humans or those who align themselves with humans, vs those who don't.

but there's a hint there in the unknown way humanity won battle fight in the first place, in jin's father, the way tennoji is. tennoji, human undead's undisclosed motives in EVERYTHING they've ever done or said in the series… and in a way i'm not giving enough credit to all the conflict and tragedies that are clearly shown to happen due to human flaws, but like. i had thought it'd be a little more gone into on a larger scale. it's obvious these flaws are okay because they lead to all the positive traits that are realized throughout the show. but in the novel there's none of that implicit understanding that humans are wonderful regardless because the world is scared and fake and kenzaki sees the lengths humanity will go to hurt itself firsthand.

so he crashes out, and that's so important to me!! it isn't promised that humanity will carve out a beautiful future forever, we can barely do that now? but there's that mortal sense of proving your humanity in a short time where you CAN change some things for those in the immediate vicinity. we're good at seeing the hope in that and kenzaki had that mortal mindset shattered when he had to keep living and living and living, and from this new perspective he became insecure in everything he thought before and sure this could be a matter of me giving too much credit to what could be crazy writing but i think it's so so vital to the whole crux of kenhaji understanding one another. in the end kenzaki's brought back, the world's in focus again, and he's able to face his immortality with newfound belief that it's worth it to keep protecting that humanity. even as who is he now or who he'll be in the far future that no one else can expect to be around for. while hajime had also lived on being around people and taking care of them…. all because kenzaki showed him once, how to live when he at first thought humanity was far beyond anything he could comprehend. the show was about hajime learning how to be human. the novel is kenzaki learning how to be an undead.

i don't know… there's the argument all the bad things were just decided on the overseer's part and it's all a matter of cruel fate, but i'm p sure the whole point in that one weird abstract convo was that in the end it's cause of humans. there isn't always an anti-human to fight against. and if you can fight against fate to save humanity you can fight against it to make things worse, so again. you can't just have agency but the faith u can make things better. that humanity doesn't have to be perfect to make things better.. my two pennies….

side note but i'm also a fan of a not 100%perfect human undead. not that they aren't rather benevolent but. they hadn't been sealed, so were they roaming the earth for 10,000 years …. ? with a human heart wouldn't you be tired? to give the chance for someone in hajime's situation to feel the same ……. ……. hmhmhm

[dgrailwar]

(team avenger) Gunner was slippery but...we won! What a fantastic battle! And now we're one step closer to the end! How are you feeling Captain? Are your thoughts clear again?

"They were barely muddled in the first place, but certainly my mind is clearer."

He closed his eyes thinking.

"...I have a question. Do not think too hard, simply give your answer as soon as it pops into your head. I want honesty, not some arbitrary idea of 'correctness'."

[cookierye]

ive decided it's been long enough. ramble time

let's talk about ambessa in arcane season 2 and the kindred

first things first. as there's a lot of people who don't know league stuff but still watched arcane, fuck are the kindred? well, they're death. kind of

there's multiple interpretations of death in this universe. one of them however is the interpretation of the kindred, two entities that always go together. one grants a death swift and painless, the other toys with its victims and grants them a slow death. depending on the region, this duo can look like a number of different creatures, however for ease's sake i will go with the default freiljord representation: lamb being the first, wolf being the second

the reason why this means anything is because a lot, and i mean a lot of regions believe in the kindred as their twin deities of death. this includes piltover, zaun, and most of what ill talk about here, noxus

noxus is a region that loves its wars. it loves its fighting, and thinks the most honourable way to die is in battle. in regard to the kindred, this translates to that noxians think even death should be fought, therefore being brought to their end by the jaws of the wolf is the only right way to go. a death in lamb's hands, a calm and peaceful one, is seen as a coward's way out

so let's talk about ambessa.

another note for our non league arcane fans: ambessa was added to league of legends after her arcane debut. with that release came a cinematic which i absolutely recommend watching, but to make a long story short: ambessa, while almost having died in battle, was visited by a wolf and got a vision of her being chosen by the kindred, taking a deal granted to her by a very wolf-like version of lamb. she's presumed to be pregnant with mel during the cinematic, and there's imagery of her sacrificing a lamb statue

now to arcane. ambessa is of course a noxian as we all know, and so is of course mel. the only way acceptable for them to die, to her, is in battle.

in a conversation between the medardas during season 2, ambessa makes a comment on "sacrificing one child for another". the black rose makes it clear that ambessa, even if not willingly, let kino die. it seems like ambessa indirectly sacrificed kino to save mel, just like she, in the cinematic, brought the statue of the lamb to be sacrificed

and the finale goes with her going up against caitlyn and mel

during the fight, you might have noticed a little conversation between the medardas. when mel brings out the amulet given to her by leblanc (presumably the sorceress, yes), she says the words "a wolf has no mercy"

wolf, of the kindred, is not a merciful death. it's a long and painful and difficult death. mel knows ambessa might die at the hands of leblanc. to mel, leblanc is the wolf. the painful, slow death

and yet she steps in anyways. because the noxians fight the wolf, even at death

despite that, as ambessa dies in her arms, she looks at mel. and her expression isn't anger or sadness. it's complete and unsheltered pride. happiness. and ambessa's final words are these

"you are the wolf"

mel is ambessa's death at the end. ambessa and mel fought and mel won. ambessa dies in battle, and she dies honourably. ambessa sacrificed kino and died in mel's arms after losing the battle to her

ambessa sacrificed the lamb. died at the hands of what she, herself, called the wolf

kino was ambessa's lamb when mel was her wolf.