#so now we have to legitimately win so I can have another chance

[chanoeys]

Happy Eurovision Final Day!!!!

[chaosnojutsu]

Who *Should* Have Died From The Konoha ~12 Instead Of The One Who Did

rules:

we’re assuming they die under the same circumstances as the other guy

each one listed would have a complete storyline and their death would further the immediate plot as well as the overall narrative

i’m not “just picking characters i don’t like”

i do not condone killing characters for the sake of shock value but am considering shock as a legitimate tool in generating impact of a character’s death

miss me with “[redacted]’s death was a tragic result of the shinobi system” because no it was not. if that were true you could sub out [redacted] for any other child soldier and get the exact same impact. we know exactly why they were chosen and it’s got an (insufficient) explanation irl and in-universe.

#3. Sai

Motivation: Friendship

First of all, imagine the shock value from killing one of THE Team Kakashi members.

Cool. Now imagine Naruto’s shock at Sai sacrificing himself for him.

Sai overanalyzes normal human interaction to the point of not understanding it. He reads books about how to befriend people. He still doesn’t understand it all the time but friendship is coming more naturally to him these days. What he does understand is that Naruto is the only chance of winning this war, and he’s down, and the enemy is aiming for him, and Hinata is trying to stop them but she’s on the ground, the spears are in the air and so is Sai, and Naruto is his friend.

He doesn’t need to think about it much deeper than that.

Now imagine Sasuke “What Does ‘Friend’ Mean To You” Uchiha witnessing this, witnessing Naruto’s reaction, and the further effects this may have on his character. After all, Sai was his replacement. If Naruto feels this strongly about losing someone who was decidedly not him but his friend and teammate nevertheless then… maybe.

#2. Rock Lee

Motivation: Youth

Regardless of *how* this one plays out, no one wants to watch the determined, precious, comedic relief die; no one who’s watched this far into the show wants Rock Lee specifically to die. Huge impact already. But we can make it super duper sad because he deserves a memorable death. I see it going one of two ways.

One: Hinata doesn’t even have the time to try to shield Naruto because Rock Lee is faster. Ten-Tails barely launches the attack and Lee’s already taken/attempted to counter the hit. Perhaps this is his eight gates moment. Similar to Sai, Rock Lee would cite the power of friendship in his dramatic death speech, but he also was just… doing his duty. Truly, if you’re in the “Neji was just another tragic child soldier” camp, Rock Lee is the prime example of what I mean when I say you could sub in any child soldier, which I know sounds paradoxical but stay with me. Rock Lee’s entire personality is training harder than anyone else to benefit a system that will ultimately result in his death. If you want to make a point about child soldiers and needless lives lost, Rock Lee is the one to kill.

Two: Rock Lee doesn’t shield Hinata. He shields Neji. But not necessarily on purpose. The scene plays out exactly as written up to the moment Neji activates his byakugan, and the next frame isn’t him falling to the ground, it’s Rock Lee. The usually-somewhat-reserved Neji is devastated, probably in tears, demanding to know why he would do something like this. Rock Lee coughs up a bit of blood. “I was faster than you.” Smile. “I finally beat you…” Serene eyes fall shut. “…rival.”

And now imagine Naruto’s reaction to losing Bushy Brow. Imagine him watching Gai be brought to his knees by a blow that didn’t physically touch him. Imagine Madara incorrectly perceiving that. The implications. The foreshadowing.

#1. Shino

Motivation: Legacy

I’m gonna be real, the writers were never gonna kill off Rock Lee like that, which is the biggest reason Shino has taken the crown as Most Worthy Of A Tragic Death in my book.

This dude has a connection to both Naruto and Hinata (making him equally as good a sacrifice as Neji if that’s the canon criteria). However, unlike most other (male) characters, Shino isn’t shown to have a particularly close friendship with Naruto. The one recurring joke around Shino is that he’s so irrelevant even Naruto can’t remember his name.

But he is good friends with Hinata. And he knows she’ll spend the rest of her life miserable if Naruto dies, and that if she dies right now she will never have gotten her life’s greatest wish.

So Shino goes out in a blaze of glory, and we’ll probably insert something about how Naruto has somehow secretly inspired him all along— or maybe something cynical about how he always wanted to be included by Naruto but never was unless Kiba or Hinata were around, so he’s sacrificed himself to maintain the livelihood of everyone else while not “losing” that friendship himself— and we of course get the touching moment with Hinata (oh just imagine the drama if Shino lay dying and told Hinata “Why did I protect you? It’s simple. The reason is… for the same reason you protected him.” and we find out that the huge secret crush of the show was not Hinata toward anyone, but Shino toward Hinata, never confessing because he knew it would be futile).

Good luck forgetting his name now, Naruto. Now no one will ever forget about Shino Aburame.

[xiakha]

FFXIVWrite 2024 Prompt #9 - Lend an Ear

Outside of Many Fires, Xiao fished on the Dewspun Bank. Fishing wasn’t in particular a necessity in her life as it had been, so she generally used it to keep her mind off things. But sometimes her mind needed to go off on things.

“We ought to talk with him,” said a voice, smoother than hers. “Am I not sworn to the Third Promise? No sense in it.” “We both know Wuk Lamat is incapable of striking down her brothers, her own family. She is softer than you were when you first set out,” the voice spat, and Xiao almost expected there to be a splash, “We don’t have the luxury of years of hardship if we are to complete our task.” Xiao coolly eyed her reflection in the moonlight. The swift waters distorted the image, but not the voice, “Been quiet for a while, what’s the occasion?” Esteem cocked her head, “You’ve not given me reason to speak out since we left Zenos at the end of all things, and I think we’re both happier when you can ignore my presence.” Xiao didn’t say anything. “...Holding your tongue does naught when I reside within your thoughts.” So she grumbled instead, “Don’t like the First Promise.” “I’m well aware, but think on it. Whence does this distaste stem?” “Big bastard.” “Ha! Wrong on both counts. He is perhaps as legitimate as could possibly be, possibly more legitimate than either other Promise if one wished to be miserably exacting. Nay, the issue lies in the fact that he is as legitimate as you.”

Xiao felt a tug on her line and reeled back in. But the fish got away. “You know you didn’t feel a tug on the line. You’re just looking for excuses to avoid thinking about this.” Was her reflection now crossing her arms? “Fine. Aye, he’s like me. Of the Promises, He’s the one that I most see myself in.” Esteem seemed pleased, “Good. Why deny it?” “...’Cause he’s a big bastard.” There was a sigh that seemed to emanate from the water, “They will come into conflict sooner or later, they must. That is how this Rite works. Inevitably, before we reach the end, one of these feats will leave at least one of the claimants without a keystone, but none will readily renounce their claim to support another, especially as we can surmise these feats are, more or less, demanding but not impossible. Any claimant that loses out on a keystone will likely feel cheated. Therefore, it is inevitable that blows will be exchanged. And again, you know as well as I that our claimant is the least likely to win in any martial encounter. Not because she lacks the prowess, but because her heart bleeds too readily.” “She could beat Bakool Ja Ja.” Esteem paused, as if to think this over, “...Yes, but we both know the Blessed Siblings are unlikely to fight fair. And that is entirely besides the point. Zoraal Ja is the one to defeat.” “...Like the chances against Koana then?” Her reflection shared a look with her, “When was the last time you thought Thancred or Urianger a threat?” Xiao smirked despite herself, and then sighed. “All right. Next time there’s a chance, I talk to the big blue bastard.” Her reflection didn’t respond. Instead it looked quite content fishing. 

***

“The Skyruin lies dead, and still I have yet to prove myself the miracle…” Xiao looked at her reflection in the large and lifeless glassy eye of Valigarmanda. It tilted its head in Zoraal Ja’s direction. She tried to look away, but she knew she couldn’t, so she instead rolled her eyes. Her reflection shook its head and then tilted it again. She groaned. “Zoraal Ja, a moment.” The Resilient Son looked at Xiao in confusion, his face a look of distraction, weakness even. He then shook his head and forced all emotion from his features, settling back into his general look of superiority and contempt, “Xiao Longbao, your martial prowess is indeed as they have claimed. Sareel Ja was correct, I could have easily left this tural vidraal to my siblings and their retinues, pressing my advantage. What such an unmatched warrior is doing in my sister’s employ, I do not know, but I shall grant you this moment.” Xiao closed her eyes, mostly to avoid shooting daggers at Zoraal Ja. She breathed deep and then slapped a look of determined resolve on her face, “Don’t sell yerself short, would be hard pressed to fight the likes of you.” Zoraal Ja’s eyes flickered to and fro for a moment, before they focused back on Xiao, “Indeed. Though ultimately, I believe your years of experience would give you the edge.” Did he just imagine the entire fight? And years of experience? What was he trying to imply?  Was he trying to piss her off?

Xiao pressed on, the corners of her smile tightening, “...Mayhap. Look, pledged as I may be to Wuk Lamat, ‘twould be a disservice to Tural to withhold advice or counsel to any of the Promises, especially since any one of ye may soon be Dawnservant.” “Oh? And where does this sudden generosity stem? Are you looking to commit sabotage? Afraid that my sister will be left behind?” “Nay, ‘tis naught of the sort, ‘tis much more selfish a motivation, in truth.” “...Pray tell.” “Aye,” Xiao swallowed, “Recognize yer path, the duty and expectations ye feel bound to.” Zoraal Ja opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it. “What could an adventurer and a mercenary from across the seas know of the duties and expectations placed upon the Resilient Son?” He said, looking away.  “It ain’t anything as grand as Dawnservant, but I was chosen to rule my clans, become the next Matriarch.” Zoraal Ja scoffed, “And what does ruling over a few motley clans of Hhetsarro have in common with ruling over all of Tural?” Xiao’s smile bared more teeth, “‘Tis not the actual ruling. ‘Tis the expectation to rule. ‘Tis living yer life in the shadow of a parent and the expectation of matching or accomplishing more than the parent, despite yer lack of experience.” It was like he was doing everything he could to make her regret having talked with him in the first place.  “...Have you not?” “Pardon?” “Am I to believe that Xiao Longbao, known even in Tural as the Champion of Eorzea, Liberator of Nations, Savior of the Star, and Warrior of Light did not surpass the works and deeds of her parent?” Most of the celebration had died down by now, and everyone was looking the way of Xiao and Zoraal Ja. 

“...’Tis only ‘cause I refused, y’understand? ‘Tis only ‘cause ‘twas too much for me. Left my duties, my home, everything.” If he was so aware of her comings and goings, why did he refer to her as a mere adventurer and mercenary just moments before? “So I am to take advice from a deserter of kin? What, will you tell me to abandon my claim so someone as weak as my sister could rule in my stead?” Xiao was ready to draw her weapon, but resisted. The others had picked up on the tense atmosphere their otherwise quiet conversation had.  “‘M simply offering to listen, if you need someone to talk to. Yer role and your duties are a lot, and I understand better than most would.” Zoraal Ja looked directly at Xiao. A mixture of resentment, disdain, and a momentary flash of despair crossed his face. “I would sooner talk with my reflection,” he said, “But if I am ever so deep in the cups that I have need of a lap to spew into, I will duly consider yours.” Zoraal Ja then turned to leave, deeming the conversation over.

Xiao looked more winded than she did immediately after fighting Valigarmanda. She sank to the ground, hugged her shins and buried her face in her knees. A high pitched sound emanated from her face. “Sure.” She then said to her knees, “That’s the least I can offer.”

***

"Zoraal Ja. As of this moment, you are no longer a claimant. I disqualify you from the rite of succession. Begone from my sight.” Zereel Ja had just enough control in his expression to avoid smiling. And it was such that Zoraal Ja slunk away. But before he did, he paused before Xiao. He did not turn his head to look at her. He did not open his mouth to say anything. He simply berated himself silently for giving into such weakness as to even consider Xiao’s offer, and kept moving. There was no reflection this time for Xiao to look upon. Even if there were, she doubted it would have any wisdom or snark. Xiao finally understood what she saw in Zoraal Ja. It wasn’t a reflection, it was a foil, an inverse. Despite their matched strength in arms and the similarity in their circumstances, they were diametrically opposed in all ways that mattered. Their trajectories were symmetrically divergent. She could never be so headstrong as to go through and become the next Matriarch, no matter how doomed by duty and expectation she felt. Then, and maybe even now, she would crack under pressure, under the overwhelming feelings of isolation. And Zoraal Ja could never allow himself to be free and wander as an adventurer. He could never reach out for help and learn to rely on the strength of others. And so there were no words to be said or offers to be accepted. There could only be the fundamental clash of worldviews to come.

[artzychic27]

The science kids seem to not like the Akuma class barring Nath, but I wanna know what they don't like about Marinette.

Denise: Oh, sit down, honey! Lemme tell you something about Marinette! She says she loves Adrien, but what does she really love about him? I’ll tell you, he’s the heteronormative dream. White, blonde, rich, upper-middle class, and genes a straight girl would kill for! She has her future children planned out! Two boys and one girls! A designer and model with 2.5 kids, now tell me that is not the “American Dream” or some bullshit.

Zoé: They’re right. It’s unsettling that Marinette has the sexes picked out for her kids. I mean, what if one of them turns out trans? Then what? I think she’ll have a breakdown.

Ismael: Or she’ll give one girl away and try again for a boy. Th-this worries us. And back to Adrien, she doesn’t love him. She loves that he’s “perfect,” and thinks she’s the “perfect girl” for him. So much so that she sabotages any girl who shows a shred of interest in him. Resh and I saw her sabotage the Friendship Day thing with Kagami just so she wouldn’t be able to win and hang out with Adrien.

Reshma: It was… Not pretty. What lengths is she willing to go to? Wh-what if Adrien finds a girl he truly loves?

Marc: What about a guy? What if Adrien realizes he’s gay? Who knows what she’ll do? Not only that, but she keeps dragging the girls into her kinda illegal schemes. Didn’t she get them to put up a fake ‘no parking’ sign?

Jean: I also heard something about her having his entire schedule. I thought that was a rumor started by some psycho fangirls who hate her, but now I think they’re just legitimately concerned.

Reshma: And back to this “perfect girl” thing. I saw her team up with Chloé of all people to sabotage Kagami’s chances with Adrien at the movie premiere.

Cosette: That! That is what we’re talking about! She’ll go to great lengths to ruin Adrien’s own happiness just to make herself happy by dating him. And if we could talk about Luka for a moment. What she did to him was unfair. If she was still in love with Adrien, she shouldn’t have been dating him. When Luka got akumatized into Truth and Alya told him Marinette’s biggest secret was her crush on Adrien, he said he already knows about that…

Lacey: So, her obsession over Adrien didn’t fade! And the explanation for her and Luka breaking up was “oh she’s so secretive!” What secret?! That’s she’s obsessed over Adrien?! Like Marc said, that’s not a secret!

Aurore: Now onto her actions regarding Adrien. As we’ve mentioned, she has his schedule. How did she get it? It’s nowhere online! The only explanation is that she stole his assistant’s tablet and got the information off of that!

Simon: I just tried to hack into her tablet, but it’s got one hell of a firewall. And I doubt Marinette has the hacking knowledge to get into it herself. Therefore, we can only assume that she got ahold of Nathalie’s tablet, or even Adrien’s phone, and got the schedule herself.

Mireille: Oh, and then you have Lila. Her only ambition was to expose Lila as a liar simply because she started showing an interest in Adrien. What about the fact that her friends were being lied to? Then she expected them to believe her every word about Lila being a liar simply because they’re friends. She didn’t provide any evidence, and it only made her look even more jealous of her. I mean, if Lila were to be in our class and I knew she was a liar, I wouldn’t go to my friends as a whole, I’d tell Aurore my concerns, and we’d research the facts together.

Zoé: Yeah, that’s right. Marinette lets her jealousy get the best of her. And yes, while we get jealous from time to time, you don’t see Marc sabotaging another boy for showing an interest Nathaniel, or Denise yelling at some girl for being friends with Simon, or Jean teaming up with his worst enemy to make some guy hanging out with Austin look bad in front of him. Because we’re rational!

Jean: It’s just… That’s like her whole character, being a stalker toward Adrien and not caring who she hurts emotionally just to be close to him. It’s unfair to the people around her, and those helping her with her plans are going to get in trouble.

Reshma: It’s is pretty much the reason why we try to distance ourselves away from her, yet she keeps being persistent.

Marc: Yeah, she won’t stop trying to get Nath and I to make more romance manga which are all basically a guide for her life with Adrien, and it’s deeply disturbing how much detail she has us put into them, right down to the exact texture of Adrien’s hair. We lied and told her we had too many commissions coming in to make more comics for her.

Aurore: Last week, she invited Mireille, Reshma, Lacey, Denise, Cosette, Zoé, and I to a sleepover at her place with the girls from her class, and I had to plan one at the last minute just so we didn’t have to go. I don’t feel like being in the same room as Adrien’s schedule.

Cosette: So, in short, that’s why we don’t like Marinette. She’s obsessive, a stalker, insensitive, and prone to some extreme jealousy. Hell, I could be talking to Adrien right now, and she’ll try to sabotage me in some way. And I’m dating Zoé!

Ismael: Yeah, that’s uh… That’s it… So, what now?

Marc: Guys, Nath just texted! Marinette’s coming to our classroom right now!

Denise: *Throws a desk out of the window* Run! Everybody run, now! *Jumps out of the window*

Lacey: *Packing snacks* We’re just gonna… Not be here! *Jumps out of the window, followed by Jean, Reshma, and Aurore*

Ismael: I’ll be in the catacombs! *Drops a smoke bomb and disappears*

Marc: *Pushing a bookshelf to the side to reveal a hole carved in the wall* You saw nothing!

Simon: *On his tablet* Goodbye, everybody! *A small drone flies into the room, grabs Simon by the back of his shirt, and carries him away*

Mireille: *Pulling apart the floorboards, revealing a panic room*

Zoé: Mireille! Take us with you!

Mireille: Get your own, panic room, bro! *Moves the floorboards back into place*

Cosette: YOU COWARD!

Marinette: Zoé! Cosette! Just the two I was looking for!

Cosette: … *Punches a wall* FUCK!… I’m afraid I must go to the nurse at this very moment. For you see, my hand is horribly injured, and Zoé twisted her ankle.

Zoé: I what? *Cosette kicks her ankle* AAAH! Yes! My ankle is twisted!

Marinette: Oh. Okay, well, maybe later, then-

Cosette: I may need stitches and I gotta go to the hospital for a few weeks! Bye! *Grabs Zoé’s hand and pulls her out of the room*

[misspoetree]

You know what time it is - time for another FINAL CONTENDERS poll!

You had not 10, not 20, but 36! options to choose from, you picked your favourite ones and now let me ask you ONE last time:

Presenting: The Great KinnPorsche Fashion Showdown (nobody asked for)

A few weeks ago, I made a poll about the best dressed KinnPorsche character. Tankhun won that one, followed by Vegas and Tay. Legitimate results - but the tags had some really interesting arguments for a bunch of different contenders. So why don't we take a closer look? Why don't we go through all the characters and their outfits one by one, choose the best one for each of them and repeat the initial poll at the end?

Sooo...that's exactly what we're doing right now.

*For the characters with more than 10 outfits - like Porsche - I'm making multiple polls and put the best voted ones into a final one - hence the FINAL CONTENDERS poll you have right before you!

**I deciced to include a WILDCARD - an outift that didn't win any of the pre-selections but was most frequently mentioned in the tags and comments.

Tay - (CLOSED) - WINNER: PIRATE (AT THE HOSPITAL)🎉🎉🎉

Tankhun - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | FINAL CONTENDERS (CLOSED) - WINNER: THE CAPE 🎉🎉🎉

Vegas - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | FINAL CONTENDERS (CLOSED) - WINNER: THE WITCHY SHIRT*TM 🎉🎉🎉

Kim - Part 1 | Part 2 | FINAL CONTENDERS(CLOSED) WINNER: BLACK TANK TOP (OF DEATH) 🎉🎉🎉

Porsche - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 (CLOSED)

Kinn - Part 1 coming soon

You can find the links to all the polls (as I gradually post them) HERE (pinned on my profile).

LET'S GET VOTING! 🎉

[merchantarthurn]

i was fleshing out symon's backstory a few days ago and was like. you know... the first feat i ever took for him was Lucky (which has prevented some serious consequences multiple times). and this entire game has been so many clutch-victories won by Symon (well, me deciding not to mulligan after bad starts, but narratively) looking at absolutely terrible odds and saying "no, we're turning this around" and then somehow managing it with some actual "if i hadn't done that right then (not sooner, not later) we would have lost" moments in like all of the major fights. and tymora does favour people who take things into their own hands rather than just hoping for intervention... wouldn't it be fun if he was favoured/Chosen by tymora? he doesn't "win" all the time, and some of it is skill and determination (i mean what is luck without that) and he's had some terrible luck too, but it's not really luck if success is guaranteed, is it? i'm gonna have this in my head playing the final boss.

i decide to play it with friends watching because i'm legitimately stressed out by how attached i am to everyone, including symon at this point, and just like the cazador fight the emotional support is needed (plus it's way more impactful to have people cheering you on and reacting to those clutch moments lol)

and then those back to back "Dominate the Brain" rolls happened. first roll, natural 20 (with lucky advantage). second roll, with Lucky and inspiration, another nat20. i save even though i don't intend to save scum, these rolls are so hard that surely failure is intended. third roll, ran out of lucky and inspiration and failed the DC30. thought that was it. and then there's another chance! maybe we can-- oh. DC99. so the only way to succeed is another Nat20, what are the odds of 3/4 rolls being won that way? well who cares, this roll is 5%. i like those odds, so does symon. i tell the friends who are watching about the Tymora thing and ask her to help Symon. but kind of in a joke way because i'm gonna accept the roll no matter what, because clearly you're not meant to pass this now---

cue screaming in disbelief

....so at this point i'm going to say it's not just me making his backstory, Tymora is just canonically smiling on him.

(funnily enough i replayed this to show someone what happened - and also because i was wondering if it was scripted and, just to be absolutely fucking hilarious, i got a Nat1 on this roll the second time lmao)

[dorkydiaz]

SEVEN SENTENCE SUNDAY tagged by @panbuckley @prince-buck-diaz and @911onabc have some michael and eddie 🥰

...Now enough business -- let's get back to you. I know you were avoiding it. I did win the office pool on if you would cause another spectacle.” “Can't believe I trusted you?” Eddie gasps melodramatically. “What is really going on here?” “Nothing.” Eddie shrugs, “Evan is just someone I know. There was an unfortunate incident involving the both of us. We fixed it. It's fine.” Michael fixes him with a look, not entirely convinced, ”Well I think that we can both agree that he's pretty handsome can't we?“ ”I mean, if you like, you know, fairy tale princes and shit.“ ”You're telling me that you don’t want that?” “I don't believe that it's real, you know in this reality. Or I had my chance and lost it.” Michael looks at him skeptically again. He looks indignant right back. “Just remembering your little prince evan voodoo doll last summer. ”I had one magazine with one picture of him in it. There were far more pictures of me-- I was also on the cover so,“ ”I caught you staring at that singular picture more than once Eddie.“ Eddie rolls his eyes, sighing as he leans forward. ”It seemed like if you tried hard enough maybe he would spring to life from the page and you could then--“ ”What is the point of this exaggeration?“ ”I just find it interesting how fast things have shifted.“ ”It was either that or fake my death,“ he laughs lightly, ”And it's politics. You know how I love that.“ The look comes back, and Eddie isn't sure why he didn't expect it. ”I came here with a political agenda from Athena, not to discuss my own fuck ups.“ ”I thought you wanted to say hi to an old family friend?“ ”Right.“   ”Don't you have something better to do with precious baby-free time Eddie? Isn't there something else you would want to do with that, you're twenty-one. You have a kid, you didn't join a seminary. You should be going out and doing whatever people your age do.” “I do! Sometimes. Occasionally. Rarely.” “And you should have friends!” “I have friends.” “That are not Karen or related to you.” Eddie huffs. “You need to take breaks, kid. Use your support system. I know you have very legitimate reasons for taking on parenting on your own, and I commend you for it. But use the people you have so you don't wear yourself thin too fast.” Eddie rubs his face and sighs, “I know. I am trying.” “As long as you are trying,“ he smiles gently, “Now I have some real work to do here, so go,” he shoos Eddie toward the door, “Take this precious time. Enjoying it doesn't mean you don't love him any less. And don't forget to make me that list!“

tagging @useramor @roy-kents @queertartt @heartbeatdiaz @bucks118 @cowboydiazes @alyxmastershipper and anyone who wants to share! <3

[quietbluejay]

Fulgrim 8

the finale

so the traitor forces prepared the area in a shocking display of actual competence

Horus stroked the large dark moustache he had somehow grown overnight and cackled evilly as he put on his black spiky helmet

ah this book never fails to crack me up

oh actual numbers

there's been a full page that's basically just been this also ferrus brought a sword he's not using, it's a surprise tool to help us later and i'm pretty sure i know what it is i mean it would be a legitimate twist if it wasn't the friendship sword

so approx 2:1 at this point

blorbo alert you know i think this is mcneill's worst written battle scene shame!

ah little horus that short story with him was kind of funny all the rest of the traitors have to avoid the EC space b/c of friendly fire

yeah who could possibly see where this was going ferrus manus is not a military intellectual, to put it mildly

um

like i know entrenchment gives the defending force an advantage, but literally having it be even at 2:1 julius POV he's feeling pretty today unfortunately for everyone else

many such cases ah Santar has shown up Santar has a reaction to seeing the EC that is very similar to my reaction to this novel i- ok i guess??? modern problems require modern solutions??? santar is winning and about to strike the killing blow and then he bluescreens because julius is shall we say, enjoying this a bit too much which gives julius the chance to glaive him described as being extremely painful welp rip santar so everything is currently on a knife's edge and now everyone else is here lmao ah Ferrus POV is this going to be the final duel

the friendship sword: cosmic justice so ferrus is deliberately trying to duel fulgrim "the viperous primarch" ha ha

PFFFF

okay so the combined new traitor forces are roughly equal to the loyalist forces so another 40k squints waitasecond i see what you did there horus truly was the warhammer 40k

Ferrus has spotted Fulgrim

he just...lmao

lmao corvus tells him to cool his jets which was an actual phrase someone used in this book! (not here) corvus and vulkan want to regroup and take a breather and let the reinforcements take over for now

so like, why didn't this guy fall to Khorne again i am again thinking about foiling angron and ferrus

yes this man was in the running for warmaster wheeze

man i don't even know i wouldn't trust this man to run a lemonade stand

i can't take any of this seriously with this tortured dialogue girl help

betrayal time

though given the slaughter that's been described where hundred and hundreds keep dying there really shouldn't be that many "hundreds and hundreds" left to get slaughtered

ok duel time ferrus and fulgrim end up wounding each other and both fall to their knees i guess at the same time and fulgrim comes back to himself the sword kinda controls him to get back into the fight the moment kind of gets ruined when it talks about the crackling lightning all over his body getting handsy

he's swinging the blade "of his own volition" in one sentence and then in the next he's desperately trying to stop it ok i guess primarchs are like immortals from highlander

Fulgrim throws his hands in the air and dramatically screams "what have i done!!!" laer blade: hehehehe

have we forgotten how ferrus just turned on a dime towards killing as soon as fulgrim suggested betraying the emperor

i mean they were very much rash actions i get where you're coming from but they were very much that

hey, let's go back to that scene bluejay remembers even if you don't

fulgrim then in despair tries to kill himself but the sword tells him not to sword: i can give you oblivion sword: just let me in the driver's seat fulgrim: sounds good i get that this is an emotional moment and he's not thinking clearly at all but really fulgrim 2 seconds later: oops

actually no, i think it's a generally accepted fact that you don't want to trap people in a situation where they have nothing to lose because they will tend to fight back like cornered rats then we get big picture view of the battle tldr most of the loyalists are dying, the EC continue to be the way they are, Corvus got badly wounded but gets spirited off okay battle's over time for the speeches

evil lamp horus is being an evil lamp a bit more literally than usual

oh horus pov Fulgrim brought him a present it's Ferrus' head Horus internally: …this is a bit far Fulgrim tosses the head on the floor Horus: why am i getting daemon vibes Horus: Fulgrim… "Fulgrim": I'm sorry, the real Fulgrim has left the building

the emojis available to me cannot adequately express how i am feeling at this moment "Fulgrim": having a body is pretty cool I'm going to have to try making some modifications to this one Horus internally: this is incredibly wrong and creepy

Horus: where's the real Fulgrim "Fulgrim": time for backstory

lmao Horus: okay but that doesn't answer my question "Fulgrim": he's trapped inside his body with me~

wow hey i thought horus was supposed to genuinely care about fulgrim he makes a private vow to try and free fulgrim but like

the part I'm going e_e at is Horus putting "having the third legion onside" as the highest priority epsecially because if they find out, and they find out he knew…lmao i what???? fulgrim killed ostian with the anathame??? okay anyways blah blah daemon is enjoying things fulgrim trapped in the painting the end IM FREE im gonna do the afterword

im going to cry or something

bro???

anyways im done im out

in some ways it was better done than False Gods or A Thousand Sons i guess

it wasn't as bad an experience as i thought it would be at least but also i've learned to laugh more at this stuff by this point

okay some positive things about it i do appreciate that it played everything for horror rather than sexiness and also the emphasis on just how gross it was rather than being titillating like a lot of authors would have gone in that directions

I'm gonna leave this one on a bible quote

1 Corinthians 10:23 "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.

and finally

[bisexual-kane]

So, I think this is a really interesting paragraph about how not only discussions around AEW are broken but how all punditry sucks now more than it ever has.

This is from Scott Keith's review of AEW Double or Nothing. He's a blogger who has been reviewing matches and giving them star ratings since the 90s, sort of like a much-less-well-known Dave Metlzer. I have been following him forever. He legitimately likes AEW, but this is his final paragraph of his recap:

It was a genuinely positive review overall. In this paragraph, it is reflected in the phrases "strong thumbs up show, "a ton of newsworthy stuff," and "a tremendously entertaining show."

However, the paragraph and the review ends with doom and gloom: "just another night . . . with forgone conclusions that we'll probably have forgotten about in a couple of weeks."

This is a wrestling blog, and I talk a lot about the weird doomposting spiral culture on the Internet about AEW. We do this every pay-per-view where AEW has a fantastic show, but a week later the narrative is that AEW isn't doing well. I think it was most absurd last year when they sold tens-of-thousands of tickets for Wembley Stadium to become one of the best selling wrestling shows ever, but a couple of weeks later the narrative was AEW is definitely going to die.

But I think there is a bigger thing going on that goes beyond the silly world of wrestling, which is all opinions, takes, and punditry have to be encased with doom and gloom.

I live in the United States. And one of the things our media infuriatingly does is judge Donald Trump and Joe Biden on completely different scales. I'm paraphrasing here, but a lot of mainstream, legit news outlets frame stories like:

"Donald Trump is on trial for crimes. But will this actually help him win the election?"

"Joe Biden does good thing (like capping insulin prices at $35 per month). However, here is why that is actually bad for his election chances."

Like, there's two obnoxious things going on here. One is that we can't say bad things are bad and good things are good. The good thing has to be cast as pointless and hopeless. But the other thing is that we are just talking about vibes and other people's vibes. They aren't really our own takes or feelings, but just our fuzzy little perceptions of what we think other people's feelings could be.

The world is pretty not great right now, but it is deeply concerning that we still have to be pessimistic about the good things that happen. We have to anticipate how they can go wrong and frame them as bad, pointless, and hopeless. And this despair, I think, permeates the culture around us, about things that matter way more than grownups in tights pretending to hit each other. We can't be hopeful about a president easing student loan debt, and we can't actually say we enjoyed a fantastic wrestling show forty-eight hours later.

[redwineconversation]

Knew you'd miss me once the thrill expired (and you'd be standing in my front porch light)

Just going to go out and say it: I prefer Twenty One Two's cover version of Cardigan to the original one by Taylor Swift. I'm holding out on the hope they will pop up on the Eras Tour but also am not holding my breath. The original is quieter, literally like putting on a cardigan; the cover is like the cold, the rush you get when you step outside and the temperature has dropped. Also, this is mildly nitpicking, but I think the hook is better when it ends on "And you'd be standing in my front porch light" rather than "I knew you'd come back to me."

Why, yes, I can write entire essays on Taylor Swift lyrics. Whatever. You are who you are.

ANYWAY let's talk about Lyon's 2023 contracts, and other factors that are actually at play. I'm going to go through position by position because I think it helps explains things a little better. I don't care if this turns it into a whole-ass essay. It's my blog and I will monologue if I want.

GOALKEEPERS

CHRISTIANE ENDLER: A 2024 contract. While not up this cycle, she is arguably the world's best goalkeeper and one Lyon will most likely seek to extend. Will she? My guess is probably, but this is based on her not having a legitimate reason not to. As long as she and her wife are happy in Lyon/France, there is no reason to believe Lyon won't be able to get an extension.

EMMA HOLMGREN: 2023. I go back and forth on this one. On the one hand, Lyon made it explicitly clear that Endler is the starting goalkeeper, so any chance of playing time is contingent on Endler getting injured. But Holmgren is young, and it's one of those situations where playing time isn't necessarily a make-or-break factor. I would guess 60-40 she re-signs, but this could probably go either way. Right now I think she would choose salary increase over playing time.

ALYSSIA PALJEVIC: I DESPERATELY want her gone, which means that Lyon is days away from giving her an extension until 2026. The day that happens you will find me playing in traffic. I will legitimately scream into the void if a team whose winning pedigree is what Lyon's is re-signs a goalkeeper who is literally the same height as Selma Bacha.

DEFENDERS

ELLIE CARPENTER: 2026, not a factor for this cycle or next cycle unless we are discussing the right back position. And even then it's basically written by the Sports Gods that Carpenter is locked in as a starter for the right back position, so yeah. Non-factor in almost every way.

PERLE MORRONI: 2024. Kind of a factor for 2023 contracts. Here's the thing: in a weird way Lyon's injury crisis in the first half of the season showed how dependent Lyon is on their bench, and how when that falls apart, Lyon is so completely crippled. Someone commented recently that Lyon has the "luxury" of substituting one world class (left back) player for another. At the end of the day, Bacha will need a certified cover as LB. Morroni provides that option. So will Lyon set aside 2023 money for Morroni's extension? Not impossible, and not something we should dismiss.

SELMA BACHA: 2025. A non-factor. Basically certified starter at left back. When on, and vexed, she has the most lethal left foot in the world. Knockout game Bacha > your favorite player. I said what I said.

VANESSA GILLES: 2023. She's one of the ones that I think won't extend because it's a loan situation, but Lyon will be wishing there were ways to skip around that. I've said it before but Gilles slips under the radar because she is, well, boring. You're not going to get any flashy defending from her. She's just a no-nonsense defender, keeps her head down, and does her job. I wouldn't have said this back in October 2022, but, as The Daylights once argued, I think I miss(ed) you.

WENDIE RENARD: 2026. Non-factor.

ALICE SOMBATH: 2026. I said it before and I'll say it again - she is PSG's The One That Got Away.

KYSHA SYLLA: Out on loan, 2023 contract. Skeptical about the renewal chances but never say never I guess.

INES JAURENA: 2023. Out of sight, out of mind. Zero probability of her extending, if she does, it will probably put the entire Lyon fanbase on suicide watch.

Griedge MBock: 2024. Will be an expensive renewal but one Lyon would be willing to pay for.

ASSIMINA MAOULIDA: 2023. Very unlikely to be renewed.

MIDFIELDERS

DANIELLE VAN DE DONK: 2023. It's not Marozsan's contract situation that will be the determining factor. it's certainly not her relationship with Carpenter, because Lyon will never take that into consideration. No, weirdly enough, I think the biggest determination is if Pernille Harder is actually as virtuous as she claims to be. I somehow doubt that Lyon is currently on top of Harder's Christmas card list. But what does Harder really want more: to be on SBG's side or to win a UWCL trophy? With all that being said, van de Donk also has big game experience, which is vital when you play the 10 for Lyon, and gets along with the squad. She's probably the hardest one for me to predict simply because there's a lot of contingent factors - my guess is they will extend, if only because they will want a cover for the No. 10 position, a position they are so protective of and won't give to just anyone anymore. If they extend - as I said, it's probably the hardest to predict - my guess is it will be a +1, at most a +2.

DZSENIFER MAROZSAN: 2023 +1. The question isn't whether she goes to PSG. The question is whether she goes to PSG in January. I think it's an important distinction, and here's why: Bouhaddi's contract with PSG ends June 2023. Marozsan's interest in PSG is tied to that alone. If Lyon balks at the idea of selling this January, then they are just entering into a game of chicken with Marozsan. Who knows if Bouhaddi will retire in 2023? Probably not. But if she still deemed high enough that she could take a starting spot elsewhere? Does Marozsan have that kind of pull? Not for most of the top clubs, who saw what Harder pulled in 2020 and Miedema in 2022 and view relationships as a cautionary tale.

AMANDINE HENRY: 2023 + 1. "I knew you, heartbeat on the high line, once in 20 lifetimes" I keep threatening to write about it but Henry's relationship with Lyon is so interesting and fascinating and complex. Even more so than Hegerberg, it poses the fundamental philosophical question: did Lyon mold this player into its own image, or did this player mold Lyon into theirs? They might disagree with each other, might go at each others throats with a bloodlust that cannot be described as healthy, but even monsters can be tethered to one another. I think it's too soon to say for sure what's going to happen to her, Lyon's performance in the UWCL probably being the biggest factor.

JANICE CAYMAN: 2023. People threw WOB around as a possibility, but I have my doubts solely because WOB will still be suffering from PTSD after the Harder fiasco. I'm not excluding Germany completely, but I question whether it will be WOB. Will it be a loss for Lyon? ehh, kind of. She's not the fastest player on the squad but can show up when needed. Just not at RB against faster players.

DAMARIS: 2024. There are rumors that Manchester City were inquiring about her but there is absolutely no way Lyon lets go this window. Well, I say absolutely no way, the only player I think Lyon would trade Damaris for is Oberdorf. Since Wolfsburg isn't going to sell Oberdorf anytime soon, Damaris will stay a Lyon player through at least June 2024. She is one of the players that I think (1) will be expensive and (2) Lyon will move for an early renewal for. Her stock will only go up after the World Cup.

SARA DABRITZ: 2025. Non-factor.

AMEL MAJRI: 2026. Non-factor.

LINDSEY HORAN: 2023. Much like Gilles, we only got her on loan. I would love it if we could extend her - she's been much more reliable than I gave her credit for back in January 2022, but I doubt (1) that the Thorns will agree to an extension and (2) that she even wants it. I think she likes Lyon, she does, but she misses the US more than she likes Lyon.

CATARINA MACARIO: 2023. I actually think she won't re-sign, and will be pleasantly surprised if she does. Right now her wage demands are absurd - it will be the equivalent of Hegerberg and Renard combined, and I just see Lyon's board flinching at that. No one player should have all that power. It's frustrating, because Macario is such an incredibly talented player, but she has proven before that her concept of loyalty is somewhat flexible. If she ends up extending, I am happy to donate to the charity of your choice.

INES BENYAHIA: 2025, kind of a non-factor. She has a lot of growing pains left to go through but I wouldn't put a loan in the future out of the equation, but we'll see what Lyon does in the meantime.

FORWARDS:

ADA HEGERBERG: 2024. A MASSIVE factor when it comes to determining both 2023 and 2024 contracts. In last year's list she was the second highest paid player on the Lyon roster (Majri might have overtaken her in the 2022 extension, which at worse would have bumped her down to third). Much like Henry, there's debate as to whether she molded Lyon into her image or if they molded her into theirs. Monsters recognize monsters, but that comes as a price.

THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE MELVINE MALARD: 2026. To put my feelings about this extension into context, the moment the news broke a very, very close friend of mine texted me asking if I could let her know I made it to work okay.

SIGNE BRUUN: 2023. The one I firmly believe will become Lyon's The One That Got Away.

EUGENIE LE SOMMER: 2023. This one I think is a little complicated - she's been at the club for a very long time, and although isn't the goal scorer she once was, she provides a ton of experience. Le Sommer is one of the squad players who has basically lived through it all. Is Lyon so ruthless as to send her away knowing she probably has one, maybe two years left in her career? Lyon operates as a business (as it should, you own a football club with the goal of making money, not running a charity case). The other factor is whether they get Brugts (@god pls pls) or Leutcher (I think less probable but never say never).

DELPHINE CASCARINO: 2024. An important factor but not necessarily a dealmaker. Lyon born and bred, I don't think she will necessarily leave for greener pastures, but loyalty does come at a cost, homegrown or not.

VICKI BECHO: Increased playing time shows an increase in confidence. Will she extend? Probably, but she is on the cheap side.

YOUTH ACADEMY PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alice Marques

Maeline Mendy

Feerine Belhadj

EXTERNAL PLAYERS TO WATCH

Pernille Harder though it really comes down to how firm her moral convictions really are

Magdalena Eriksson, though this one I have serious doubts over because she has a pretty consistent trend of using Lyon's name in order to leverage interest elsewhere

Esmee Brugts

Romée Leutcher

[lululawrence]

Hello! Your reply made me think of two things I wanted to tell you. 1. I was listening to a podcast about cryptozology and the hosts are from Ohio and even they were talking crap about Ohio and it reminded me of your tags about it lol 2. I cannot stop thinking about Could We Live With Just A Taste? I loved it so much and keep thinking about those silly in love boys. If you happen to have any head canons you are willing to share or scenes that didn't make the cut, I would not mind it one bit 🤭

Lmaoooo okay listen. Here’s the thing about Ohio: Ohioans are allowed to talk shit about Ohio. It’s like people on tumblr talking shit about tumblr. We legitimately have complaints, but also… we’re attached. Right? That’s us with Ohio. That said, if you’re not from Ohio, get off our backs lololol I will defend this state to the death, alright? 😂 I love her, I hate her, I can’t live without her. I have tried moving away from Ohio so many times and I loved where I lived!!! But ultimately, I still came back. ¯\__(ツ)__/¯

As for my sushi fic, I love you??? 😭😭😭 thank you!!! There were a few scenes I thought of that, for one reason or another, didn’t end up working out. One of them was Harry hanging out with Nick at the studios in a flashback to when grim was still doing the late night show, after they’d first met. It was just a boring little thing with them flirting and then Harry bringing Louis in when he came to pick up Harry and take him home, introducing them to each other, and the instant chemistry there.

Another was a scene with Harry and Nick in the car on their way to get some sushi together, Harry singing the bit about music for a sushi restaurant again and Nick being all appalled and embarrassed but also secretly pleased Harry remembered what he’d said.

There was also gonna be a really soft larry scene with them just cuddling together before anything had been confessed, all these thoughts and hopes and dreams and longing slowly drifting through their heads.

There was gonna be another scene where Louis was in his office at work doing the ledgers and listening to Nick and he ends up calling in and somehow getting through on the show for a game of ball bag or something and Louis has to act like he defo called in for the game and Nick has to act like it’s all fine and dandy but really louis just called in to banter and be a little shit with Nick but now he’s playing the game and Has To Win because he’s Competitive™ and has to now show that he really does know his shit (he gets some super niche and random category that he just happens to know everything about and Nick KNOWS he knows everything about it because Louis was secretly the reason that he put that category in the ball bag in the first place, so he knows this poor current champion of five weeks or something stellar like that has NO chance at winning again) and Louis ends up forfeiting when he makes some sort of comment on air in anger at Nick for counting his answer wrong when technically it’s correct and it shows he and Nick know each other so Nick gives the win to the previous champion pissing Louis off again but it’s okay, because Nick brings Louis his favorite biscuits next time he comes over.

Can you tell that I thought a lot about my sushi fic? Lol I love them very much. I’m glad you did too!! I hope you like these little headcanon/bits that never got written or slipped in! Thank you again for being so kind! 😘😘😘😘

[grave-queen-jakrabitt]

Progress chapter 94 main event rambling (how I learned to stop caring and love dunkzilla)

This is your warning, WATCH THE SHOW. I’m only going to be talking about the main event but trust me the entire card fucking rules. But I’m here to tell you about one match, one of the best matches I’ve legitimately ever seen. HEAVY SPOILERS

The setup is simple, Aussie open lost the progress tag titles at the 3rd unboxing show to Paul Robinson and a returning will osprey, who would hold onto the belts by mostly weaponizing them. Leaving Aussie open out of options seemingly, then mark Davis does something Kyle wasn’t expecting. Earlier in the year he won the natural progression series and the title shot of his choice to go with it. Kyle even seems to say “you don’t have to do it” but mark Davis books it, as a TLC match.

From early in the match the commentators establish to very important things being possibly the only thing mark Davis loves more than the tag belts is Kyle fletcher, and when will osprey is with Paul Robinson he brings out an aggressive side last seen in his “I’m going to kill jimmy havoc” feud. Early on it’s Aussie open just going to work on the swords until the swords can jump Davis and beat the dog shit out of Kyle Fletcher. Then it happens, Robinson goes from the electric chair position to standing on osprey to try and grab the belts only for chair to smash into his face out of nowhere. It was mark Davis, he threw a chair from the outside roughly 8-10 feet up into Robinsons face.

Later on Aussie open set up two tables by the stage and were going suplex the swords off the stage through the tables but they counter and take out Kyle. Robinson and osprey try to double superplex Davis from the stage only for him to turn around and almost take them both down but robo gets out Only for fletcher to come from the back ladder in hand and lawndart it into osprey. But Aussie open get mostly put through the tables by the stage (they were the good tables, Davis didn’t go through) the swords aim to win but upon seeing a helpless Kyle Fletcher they actually get down to torture him.

If you’re one of the people that go “why do you get down your giving your opponent another chance!” I’m usually right there with you but we understand that will becomes more aggressive when Robinson by his side and it’s not just something we’ve heard we’ve actively seen it after jimmy havocs return In 2018. The impromptu loser leaves town match with jimmy, will osprey vs swerve that same year, even his turn on okada. So it’s at least understandable, still very much so if it bothers you

Robinson wants to curb stomp fletcher into the chair, Davis rushes to cover his partner with his body like it’s all he can do, the swords whip him with a belt and osprey chokes him. As he’s dragged off he tries to keep ahold of Kyle but Robinson goes for it only to be powerbombed by Fletcher into the chair! Terror crosses wills face, outnumbered, outgunned, out bearded, let the dog shit beating begin.

At one point Paul Robinson tries to go for the belts but Davis drags him into a piledriver position at the top of the ladder, the horror of my face as I realize there’s a ladder bridge beneath them. I then began to beg and plead with mark davis through my television as though this five year old snapshot of something too insane for a human to commit could hear my protests. In a moment it happened, the piledriver through the ladder came to pass, it wasn’t like the 2k games were the ladder bends, it snapped and almost fucking crumbled, and it was awesome! This was the moment Aussie open won, but the match wasn’t finished as they had to deal with osprey. The Aussies get down and let will make it as far up the twin ladders as he can. But when he try’s to grab the belt it’s Kyle who’s first to grab his wrist, then dunkzilla. One last fidget spinner (now named the coriolis) and once again tag team champions Aussie fucking open.

[sociomi]

Sports gambling 101: A beginner’s guide to sports gambling

Anyway, what's the significance here?

Assuming that you bet on USC - 38, it implies USC needs to beat Nevada by in excess of 38 focuses for you to win your bet. On the off chance that you bet on Nevada +38, it implies Nevada needs to lose the game by under 38 focuses or win for you to win your bet. One more fun method for seeing it is Nevada fires the game up 38-0. As a rule, the two spreads will have - 110 chances.

Ideally, you're beginning to get its hang. We should take a gander at another normal sports gambling bet that large number of Americans bet on.

Over/Under betting

The over/under bet is simple. Each game is given an over/under for how much focuses scored in the game by the two groups consolidated. In the forthcoming USC game, the over/under is 66.5 focuses. Check out lottery 7.

What's the significance here?

Assuming that you bet the over on focuses, it implies assuming you add USC's last score to Nevada's last score and the number is 67 or higher, then, at that point, you win your bet. Notwithstanding, in the event that the number is 66 or lower, you lose your bet. A similar thought applies to if definitely the under on focuses. To place it in setting, assuming that you bet the over and the last score is 42-28, you would win your bet in light of the fact that 42+28=70 which is higher than 66.5. Very much like betting against the spread, by and large, both the over and the under will have - 110 chances.

Now that you know the rudiments, here are a few fundamental tips to guarantee you are gambling securely and mindfully.

Bet low sums: It's critical to not go overboard. As I referenced previously, sports gambling ought to be okay, high-reward. Betting low sums is a shrewd method for guaranteeing you don't lose a lot of cash. You can constantly move gradually up when you acquire insight.

Do all necessary investigation: While betting on any game makes it promptly more intriguing to watch, it is critical to bet on sports you have past information on. You are substantially more liable to win your bet on the off chance that you understand what you're betting on. This isn't roulette.

Put down a boundary: It is fundamental that you put down stopping points for yourself as far as how frequently you bet. Gambling can turn into a habit, so you want to ensure it's anything but a piece of your day to day everyday practice. Occasionally, gambling for a major event can be engaging and an effective method for making some additional money, however doing it consistently turns into an issue.

On the off chance that you are in a state in which sports gambling is unlawful, you are under 21 years of age or you would rather not spend genuine cash, there are a few gambling destinations and applications, for example, BetUp that permit you to sports gamble legitimately and without risk.

[medicinemane]

Anyway, actually publisher clearing house should kinda be hit with this stuff I'm saying too

The way they word their stuff is intentionally confusing and predatory (which it's so bizarre how scummy they act for a legit org that you don't have to pay to enter with)

Actually got super super super fucking depressed and suicidal a little bit ago while going through mail and seeing one from them that was like "We need you to mail us back confirming your number or you'll forfeit your prize!"

I knew it was bullshit, but the thought that I might have lost out on $5000 a week for life because I didn't check the mail just... it punched a fucking hole right through me

Well I was checking my email, looking at the tab that's basically just spam from them (fuck they send a lot), and it's the exact fucking same language and I finally feel totally better about that cause I realized... ah... mhh, you know what, let me literally quote a random one:

"(Your Name), your claim to the following must be made before the 6/28 11:59 PM, ET FINAL entry deadline for this email expires. Any claims received after said date will not be accepted and rights to the claim below will be permanently rendered invalid."

Cause when I review it in my head, that old mail I was looking at, it wasn't telling me that I had the winning numbers and needed to send confirmation... they said that I needed to write back to confirm I wanted those numbers which could end up being the winners

And like with that quote, they're not saying that this is your final chance to confirm your winnings... they're just on purpose heavily implying it while actually saying it's your final chance to get another entry

Anyway, I think it ought to be illegal. Once again, less worried about it than the fake checks for advertising, or even the predatory language around financial advice cause both of those you lose real money (though they had to pay out for tricking people into buying from them even though you don't have to pay to enter their sweepstakes), but it still ought to be illegal

I just think you shouldn't be allowed to use blatantly predatory and manipulative language to advertise

Sadly we clearly won't do away with being predatory in advertising... like here in the good old US of A it's clear we've agree that actually the little guy should get fucked, if advertisers want to do shit to purposefully stress you out to try and get you to buy that's their fucking right

(Don't wait, call now because this deal won't last forever!)

But like... come on, being intentionally confusing about stuff (ie intentionally trying to make it seem like someone's won rather than that this is just... a normal ass entry) or using language I know would be said to be "evocative" in the defense, but is just straight up telling you "hurry and give me your money so you can be rich, don't wait and think"... again, I think it shouldn't be allowed

Like circling back around to pch, how fucking badly would they actually be hurt if they weren't allowed to be manipulative?

I don't even think they should be forced to get rid of their "$10k to pay off your student loans" type dumb stuff... though I think they should because it's stupid and it just makes it confusing cause it's like... but you're giving me cash, right? This is actually an entry towards cash, yeah?

Fine, whatever. It's the using language to try and make it sound like you've won when you haven't that should be straight up banned

Nothing wrong with just saying "Now's you chance to enter for the opportunity to win big!", zero need to frame it like these are actually winning numbers and not what they actually are, numbers that could win. Zero reason to try and trick people into entering into your free contest

Like I can not stress this enough, for not actually being a scam (other than perhaps of time) I have no clue why publish clearly house works with all it's might to come off as much like a scam in every way as humanly possible

For a legitimate business they work as hard as they can to look like a phishing ponsi scheme that's gonna supercharge your computer with randsomeware... and I just don't get it

But yeah, that kind of language trying to sound like you've won, ought to be illegal. No reason for it, just makes people who need money stressed and upset and plays on their desperation... and you're not even making money off it in this case

[jakubciechomskicasblog]

Reflection

Creativity

Guitar- I'm making slow but steady progress when playing guitar, the same thing with chess. Playing guitar requires tons of strength and dexterity which is why I'm still struggling to play even the simplest chords, not to mention for example, harder barre chords or chord progressions. What could help me deal with this problem is playing more often but also not too much so as to toughen up the tips of my fingers but also allowing them to heal up again.

Chess- Despite playing chess for a shorter while now, making significant progress is hard and requires large amounts of time and commitment. What I most definitely have to do is study opening theory try and get a better position from the start against a less knowledgeable opponent. Doing so will give me an advantage early on in the game and make it easier to win. That being said my middlegame and endgame techniques are lacking in many areas. Often it's really hard for me to find a good move once all pieces are developed and I end up blundering a piece and losing the game. When it comes to the endgame, I fail to think of a clear plan of action or ignore the threats my opponent makes, causing me to lose the game or the advantage I had. For now I think I can improve by playing in many matches and learning how to make progress step by step in the late phases of the game.

Activity

Karate- My fighting skills are already pretty decent themselves but quite often while sparring I lose control and cease thinking rationally when attacking or defending myself. I have really long arms and legs which allow me to keep distance with my opponents but I tend to forget about it and engage in close-range combat. What I have to improve on is involving my mind, planning what combinations I'll do, positioning my opponent to make it easier to hit them etc.

Crossfit- What I struggled here with the most was technique when performing exercises with barbells in general but mostly with holding it in the front rack and performing different kinds of cleans and jerks. They require perfect coordination from various parts of the body like releasing the hips and locking out the knees at the right time. I have slowly improved and began doing those exercises with more confidence. I also had some encounters with too much weightload so I also have to carefully add on more weight to the barbell in order to avoid injury.

Service

Collecting trash- I went to one of my local areas and cleaned up as much as I could as it is a spot where many people throw out bottles after emptying their drinks. I think I executed it well but could've collaborated with others to do it even faster. By working with other people I also could have covered other areas in my neighborhood and collected more trash altogether, which I'll try to do in the following months.

Cleaning up snow- It may have looked desperate but in my opinion it was legitimate service. The sidewalks near the busstop many people go to every day was covered by icy snow in many areas which is extremely slippery. Removing it required a bit of force at first to lift up the closest part of snow but then removin the rest behind it was easy. All I had to watch out for was my lower back which despite my efforts to keep it straight, still begun to hurt after a while. I won't reaelly get another opportunity to remove snow but if I get a chance next year I should do it in more places that are frequented by more people to reduce risk of anyone slipping.

Teaching a friend- We studied chemistry by doing exercises and reviewing any uncelar topics along the way but I think next time we should put in more time and precisely learn what's needed and not what is required by a few exercises. Next time we should firstly, review all topics that will be covered on the test, thoroughly review them and then begin doing exercises to apply the concepts we learned. That way we'd not only learn how to solve exercises but also necessary material that could appear on the test but we didn't practice in the exercises.

[crystalelemental]

Friends, at long last, it is done. Off-type Iris Sweep, up to current availability. Neo Champion Iris with Kyurem-White and Lodge Iris with Axew when?

Vs. Bertha Bertha I knew had weather, so my first thought was fuck yeah Clair. She doesn't get enough recognition as it is. Clair, like Gardenia, is actually really good when supported by some of the best in the game. I mean SS Kris. Not Lucas.

Vs. Aaron Behold. My greatest creation. Brycen is viable in CS. "Crystal, this is the dumbest shit you've ever said to me, explain now." The truth is before you, my friend! Brycen cannot deal damage to save his life, but he's a technical tank! It was right in front of us the whole time, but we refused to see!

Five Stats +3 is immediately removed by a single Haze. It hits AoE. There are no supports, so there's another +100 points. No strikers either, +50. But the real reason Brycen works? Endurance. His trainer move applies Endurance, and it has regular MPR. Brycen survives for as long as the RNG favors him. And against a fight like Aaron, where accuracy can be removed and is a consideration, it just improves his odds.

Now, obviously, Brycen cannot buff anything, so his partners need to be able to handle their own offensive needs. Irida is the obvious pick recently because come on, and Ghetsis isn't a bad partner to connect with Ice Zone. Ghetsis wants to spec into Glaciate spam, so take the bit of accuracy, but more importantly this leads to the other hidden success of the team. You can still apply status. Ghetsis has Cold Snap for AoE freeze, and Brycen, so long as he's not using Haze or setting Endure again, can freeze as well. Due to this disruption, his Endurance tanking with potentially long-term reapplication, and the points he saves...Brycen is a legitimate tank in CS.

Obviously, there are issues. Brycen cannot work with anyone who needs any offensive support, and the faster their setup the better. Brycen's freeze, and any Endurance past the first application, is wildly inconsistent. Ghetsis and Irida don't have the worst accuracy, but it is in fact pretty bad. Still, we won. Brycen won. Says who Adaman is better than Irida?

Vs. Flint Initially, I was going to do this as Lodge Rosa. That didn't wind up happening on accident. I just forgot to swap her in. But then I noticed...Flint could miss. And his damage wasn't that great even under Sun, unless it was Flare Blitz. Then, I found out Iris could actually take his sync. And from there it was all over. Iris was able to win. With some dodge and paralysis shenanigans off of Colress, sure, but the win's still there. And thus, I knew what I had to do.

Vs. Lucian We gotta Iris Sweep. Champion Iris seemed safe here. I mean, she's almost always safe, but I didn't think there'd be as much of a problem later on. As there, uh...as there was. It's bad. But here it's still easy. C!Iris with C!Elesa just obliterate things. The added paralysis on sides basically prevents actions under the boosted chance to spark inaction. I really should've swapped conditions, because that would've been smarter on the Iris comp. Oh well.

Vs. Cynthia I legitimately forgot how brutal this one is. Cynthia has Sandstorm, which is a huge problem, but moreover she spams AoE. Earthquake is bad enough, but Brutal Swing is supereffective against Lucian. Which is no good. Doing this off-type with H!Iris went about as well as you could expect. My first intent was to deal with the Sandstorm. Like, it's fine. But given how hard Cynthia would hit, how little we could do in response to the AoE spam, and that her natural condition is "half time to sync," we really needed a solution. Sygna Suit Morty was that solution, because oops I already used SS Kris for Clair. Funny how that comes back to bite me. Thankfully, Morty is stupid bulky, makes the team stupid bulky, and has great passive recovery to work off the AoE. Hyper Beam trucks sides, that was a clean two-shot, while Cynthia herself went down just fine to Iris' sync. Once we could survive, the damage was there, it's just...surviving.