#and salt squad

[infinitelysordinary]

i miss graser10 & kiingtong parkour vids…

[jasontoddssuper]

You can definitely tell that Katara is indigenous,that Aang is of a lesser known type of asian descent(tibetan)and that Zuko is east asian.Because the fandom constantly adultifies and sexualizes Katara despite her being 14 and makes fun of her for taking her trauma seriously,calls Aang ugly,erases his positive traits to make him look like a regressive bigot and minimizes the fact that he's a direct victim of race based violence and infantalize Zuko to pretend he dosen't have flaws due to wanting to date him,make him 'the braincell' to an objectively smarter darker skinned character(Sokka)and calls his country feminist even though they're literally colonizers.Sounds about white

[longing-for-rain]

I don’t even understand the character Sokka stans are stanning. It’s not even Sokka. It is like they are taking the big strong tough guy Sokka thinks he is and acting like that is his actual character when it isn’t. I know not all of them are z*kkas but it does seem like atla renaissance and z*kka popularity added to this trend of taking Katara traits and giving them to Sokka instead

Me neither? I honestly don’t dislike Sokka as a character. I never particularly related to him like I do with other characters, but what frustrates me is how the fandom treats him in relation to other characters, especially Katara.

I definitely agree with you that there was a noticeable shift with the ATLA renaissance in 2020. I was in the fandom long before then and the biggest shift I saw was character bashing taking a faux-progressive spin. For example, Mai bashing used to involve calling her ugly and abusive, but shifted into shoving her into sapphic side ships for the aesthetic instead (while still making jabs at her appearance and demeanor, of course, because people can’t be normal about lesbians). As for Katara, it’s even worse. I’ll get into that.

I remember that historically, Katara has been one of the most bashed and hated on characters in the fandom. People would call her bossy and self important, say she was too emotional, that she was too rude, that she didn’t care about other people’s problems, etc. It was blatant back then, but I honestly see the same trends now, just more covertly. People acting like Katara is not as mature as Sokka, not “mom friend,” or otherwise downplaying the responsibilities she had to take on, fundamentally, are operating on the same logic. They do it in a very jokey way a lot of the time or even act like they’re “letting her be a kid” but really it’s just erasing the nuance of her character in the same way overtly misogynistic fans once did.

Because here’s the thing. We can all recognize Katara was forced into a parental role at an early age and that wasn’t fair to her. But acting like that was something that randomly happened on its own is not addressing the problem. But these fans refuse to address the problem by answering the question of why Katara constantly has to take this role…because that would require them to hold Sokka and Aang accountable for their actions and these people will not do that.

I really do think this is tied in with zukka too. I will say that I’m not a zukka anti. I actually really enjoy some zukka content because it can give a refreshing perspective. But I do see a lot of characterizations that are deeply annoying because they really seem like they’re trying to replace Katara. They want the Zutara dynamic but want slash. And I know these characterizations are no longer unique to zukka, but I would agree they were popularized by it.

Just off the top of my head:

The character who is the first of the group to trust Zuko? That was Katara. Sokka was the one in favor of leaving him to die whereas Katara trusted him twice during Book 2.

The character who emotionally connects with Zuko? That’s Katara.

The character who Zuko feels safest letting his guard down around? That’s Katara.

The character who helps Zuko heal from his trauma? That’s Katara.

The character known for showing the most compassion to others? That’s Katara.

The character who primarily bears the burden of having to step up into a parental role? That’s Katara.

The character who represses their emotions to be strong for others? That’s Katara.

And yet, for some reason, there is this new wave of fans who take all of these traits central to Katara and give them to Sokka instead. It’s just frustrating. Sokka is his own character. He’s different. I really just think this is a new brand of misogyny where we take traits like these for granted in female characters but overemphasize them in male characters.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i love that adora is allowed to be vulnerable around glimmer and bow.

i love that adora doesn't have to walk on eggshells around glimmer and bow.

i love that adora is allowed to stay mad at them if they make a mistake.

i love that glimmer and bow actually care about adora's well-being.

i love that glimmer and bow protect and take care of adora without expecting anything in return.

i love that glimmer and bow don't put adora on a pedestal or expect too much from her.

i love that glimmer and bow actually communicate with adora when there's a misunderstanding (yes, glimmer does try to communicate with adora even in s4).

i love that glimmer stayed when adora asked her to, even though she was mad at her.

i love that bow supported adora when she was going through a rough patch with glimmer.

i love that glimmer took the initiative to apologize after she accidentally hurt adora's feelings.

i love that bow reassured adora that it was okay to fail.

i love that glimmer and bow never let adora face a difficult situation on her own.

i love that glimmer and bow actually listen to adora and help her calm down when she's panicking and traumatized.

i love that adora doesn't always have to put glimmer's and bow's feelings over her own.

i love that glimmer and bow never manipulated, victim blamed, gaslit or abused adora in any way.

i love that adora actually has a healthy relationship with glimmer and bow.

[captainwidowspring]

An excerpt from my Captain America music paper, for I just made a seriously disgusting discovery:

"The other appearance of the breaking-up-of-the-Avengers theme is during the Siberia fight, where it is played twice. The first time it plays is when Friday tells Tony, “You can’t beat [Steve] hand to hand,” and it continues as Tony tells Friday to analyze his fight pattern and she does it, up until Friday says, “Countermeasures ready,” and Tony grabs Steve’s shield. The second time it plays is shortly after Steve disables Tony’s suit, and shortly before Steve, exhausted and injured, slides off Tony’s suit and onto the ground; this plays until Steve helps Bucky off the ground and starts to walk away with him. Now, as the previous use of the Avengers-breakup theme helps show that Civil War was more of an Avengers movie than a Cap movie, this use actually happens to show how the film is more of an Iron Man movie than either of those other two. For considering that the theme was obviously meant to have the most impact after Steve broke the arc reactor, the fact that it first shows up a little before then is quite notable: and when exactly it shows up is very revealing. It first appears when Tony does not exactly have the upper hand (though Steve is doing no damage despite pummeling Tony’s suit), but then it stops when Friday allows Tony to get the upper hand over Steve and seriously hurt him, and then it resumes again when Steve is able to thwart Tony and disable his suit.

Such use of the music that symbolizes the Avengers team splintering seems to be the movie implying that if Tony had won the fight, whatever fracture the Avengers were experiencing would be less severe, but it is solidified now that Steve won the fight. Now, this is very much not true, as the entire Siberia fight was literally Tony trying to kill Bucky because he was upset, while Bucky tried to avoid this and Steve defended Bucky: and while Tony did some really despicable things throughout the movie, successfully killing Bucky and/or Steve while he was having a temper tantrum is something he would never be able to come back from. But considering the lengths the movie went to to try to make it seem like Tony was justified in doing this and not acting monstrously, it is not surprising that these fraudulent efforts extended to the music. And curiously, the Avengers-breakup theme does not play when Tony provokes Steve into dropping the shield, even though that is much more symbolic of the Avengers breaking up than Steve preventing Tony from killing him and Bucky. But that, too, might have painted Tony in a bad light, and the movie avoided such a thing at all costs. Civil War is seriously messed up."

Truly, the more one examines this mockery of a Captain America film, the more it becomes clear just how thoroughly rotten this movie is, and how it is most definitely not Cap 3.

[goldenlaurelleaveswrites]

Juleka vs. The Forces of the Universe

Ch 18 Juleka vs. the Forces of the School Dance ii

Hello everyone! Thanks for your patience while I finished up this chapter! And thank you for all the kind and lovely comments on the previous chapter! I hope you all enjoy the chapter 💖💖💖

[saltyaboutfictionalcharacters]

really telling how every other chucklefuck who talks about atla won't shut up about katara needing to apologize for what she said in the southern raiders, but no one ever even suggests that aang should apologize for crumpling up and hiding hakoda's letter and mocking and belittling southern water tribe culture, nor does anyone say sokka should apologize for years of misogyny directed at his own little sister who HE ADMITS looked after him after their mom died. funny how that works.

[starlight-vixen-emiko]

I’m not sure if you’re in the ATLA fandom but l*ve square feels a lot like kat*ang where people can easily criticize female main but don’t you dare not ship canon or criticize our boy!

Childish boy that can do no wrong/ is perfect that needs come before duty or the wants of his partner x woman of color that’s kind and strong which are her best or worst traits depending on when you ask and who must end up with male lead because he earned it

................................................

*SIGH*

Anon...Sit down for a moment.

I am not sure if you read my about me or not but I should I mention I ship Kataang and my blog is a pro Aang blog!

I was going to write up a big response but I think I should keep this relatively short and sweet.

But to start off...How is Lukanette like Zvtara?! Like how?!

Zvtara was more popular than the canon ships before and after Avatar's run. And while Lukanette was popular for a time, it was by no means more popular than that one ship that shall not be named! If anything Zvtara is just as popular as the LS and Zvtara fanfics are similar to Adrien and Marinette's fucked up """"love story"""". I remember reading ZK fanfics where everyone and I mean everyone pushes Zuko and Katara together, Toph, Iroh, they are all reduced to mouthpieces for the Zvtara fanbase. Kind of similar to the creepy ass Adrie//nette cult in the show. I literally found a fanfic where Iroh and Kanna try to get Zuko and Katara together by shoving them in a freezer together, which reminds me a hell of a lot like M*raculous.

And I am not sure why you Z/tara shippers are once again playing victim. Yes, there are Kataang shippers who arrogantly flaunt their canon but I also seen Z/tara shippers who think me and my peers are delusional for not seeing the """"romantic chemistry"""" between Zuko and Katara. I have seen Z/tara shippers act all smug and think they have better reading comprehension than people who ship canon. Not to mention the ZK shippers who think anyone who doesn't like Z/tara hates woman and all Kataang shippers are white men while all PoC are uncomfortable with the idea of Kataang.

And honestly the people who think everyone who hates Z/tara hates women can seriously fuck off! Shipping isn't activism! Some of you really need to get off the computer and touch some grass! And stop talking for all PoC as well! I am PoC! And the way a lot of Zvtara fanfictions fetishize Katara and make her Zuko's exotic girlfriend makes me uncomfortable. Not to mention the ZK shippers who think Aang would force Katara to let go of her culture (Legend of Korra and the comics proved this wrong) while Zvtara fanfics involve Katara completely letting go of the water tribe to become the perfect fire lady.

Not to mention, my friends and I were bullied by Zvtara shippers! I was bullied by a ZK shipper in her 40's who acts all smug and thought she had moral superiority and had better reading comprehension because she ships ZK. She just complains about cartoons all day.......Yeah! Complaining about cartoons all day is what ZK shippers do I guess.

And I am not sure why you Aang antis and ZK deepthroaters go on and on until kingdom come that Aang never faces consequences. He felt guilty for burning Katara, for kissing her at the wrong time, for Katara putting herself in the line of danger during the desert episode. Aang saved Kyoshi Island when it was attacked by the fire nation, and he felt guilty and saved Katara and Sokka after hiding a letter from their father from them.

Unlike Adrien whom the creators literally said does no wrong or doesn't need to apologize for anything. Chat Noir ate up kissing Ladybug in Oblivio...Aang felt guilty for kissing Katara in Ember Island Players and didn't bother her about it again.

And Aang takes his role as Avatar seriously! Even if it was all so scary and sometimes he wished wasn't a 12-year-old boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders...Which is human. The ML bible confirmed AdriChat doesn't give a crap about being a hero he's just in it for the freedom!

And again...Not sure why you guys think ZK is like Lukanette...Is every non-canon ship "Just like Zoootara ZOMG!" now?!

I mean...Luka and Marinette actually liked each other. Zuko and Katara never showed romantic interest in each other. (But I guess that is a hard pill for you people to swallow) And "Katara falling in love with Aang is unrealistic because i would've chosen Zuko!" isn't a valid argument! And yet ya'll claim Zvtara isn't a self insert ship.

Honestly I have seen more similarities between Lukanette and Kataang. Both are best friends to lovers that are brushed off as "just bros!" People dismiss both shippers by the mere virtue that the other choice is "more attractive". I have heard people said that the two year age gap between Marinette and Luka is creepy...Similar to Kataang.

And honestly the fact you people have been watching Avatar the Last Airbender with your eyes closed thinking Aang never faces the consequences or apologizes reminds me of that old drama of how people honestly felt Marinette never apologized and got off scott free with everything!

And Luka and Aang are two sweet boys who get way too much unwarranted hate!

And don't you dare compare Kataang to the LS! Similar to how not all non-canon ships are like Zvtara (Because I hate to break it to you people...But Zvtara wasn't robbed of anything! There are plenty of non-canon ships done far worse than Zvtara!) Not all canon ships are like the LS!

Kataang had gradual development and Aang and Katara were best friends! They were each other's ride or die! They had so much development that I am surprised you people are shocked that Aang and Katara ended up endgame.

Adrien and Marinette didn't have the same development that Aang and Katara did! Don't even compare Kataang to the loathe square around me!

But hey, if you can't see how awesome Aang is and how beautiful and nuanced Kataang is...Sucks for you I guess.

I think I am done now...Sorry if I wasn't here to validate your overhyped erotic wattpad fantasy ship but......I am not a Zvtara apologist blog and you messed with the wrong person.

Edit: I forgot to note!

One of the biggest fandom woes I dealt with in both fandoms is

ZK shippers being like "Katara never liked Aang!!!"

and LS shippers being like "Marinette never loved Luka!!!"

And I am like "Guys I am tired!"

But hey...Lukanette is toooootally not like KaTaang amirite???

I mean you guys only think Lukanette and Zvtara are similar because they are both non-canon right? Even if Lukanette was canon briefly. As short lived as it was...

[broadwaycutie16]

Do you think if Marinette had told Adrien about Lila’s threat, would it have change anything?

Absolutely. Adrien just thought Lila was seeking attention. Yes, she got Marinette kicked out of her seat but that was more like a side-effect of her lies than a direct result. Adrien has also seen Lila at her most vulnerable, when Ladybug yelled at her for making up a fairytale. As far as Adrien knew at that point, Lila was an outsider new kid, much like he once was, who just told wild stories to impress others. Personally, I think he asked Marinette to take the high road because he felt sorry for Lila. I think he believed that she lied about herself so much because she was deeply insecure and self-conscious and she believed that no one would like her if they didn’t think she did amazing stuff.

[starlight-bread-blog]

Masterlist 🦋

A collection of posts I put the most effort in. Some are marked by emojies.

Decryption

💙 – Personal favorites

💎 – Partly/majorly dated

VIVZIEPOP (CRITISISM)

💙 Helluva Boss Is Mean To It's Audience

💙 Why Stolas is the Worst

(Tw: Sa) Ozzie and Valentino on consent

Stolas Is A Terrible Father

"Helluva Boss's Pilot Was About Characters"

"Blitzy" and Control

Why Stolitz doesn't work (and how to fix it)

Stella Being Abusive Is A Retcon

Blitzø And Messing Up (Critique)

Helluva Boss's Stock Villians

Stolas And The Biology Of Stolitz

💎 (tw) Angel Dust is Victim Blamed In Ep4

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

On Aang Sparing the Fire Lord & Lion turtle foreshadowing in Sokka's Master

Zuko Unlearning Violence

The Last Agni Kai is a Tragedy

My Interpretation of The Southern Raiders: Aang & Zuko & Katara

Mai's Redemption Wasn't About Her

💎 Katara Isn't Irrational

💎 Defending Katara's Grief

ZUKO X KATARA (A:TLA)

What My Zutara Endgame Would Look Like

Zutara in Ember Island Players

The Fortune in The Fortune Teller

On Katara's Lines in Ember Island Players

"Katara Just Needed To Heal Zuko's Scar"

"Katara Needs Aang to Balance Her"

"Zuko and Katara Would Be Toxic"

Zuko and Katara Won't Enable Each Other

Katara's Canon Interest in Aang

💎 Speculation On Fire Lady Katara

💎 Zutara Shippy Moments

(ANTI) LOKI SERIES

Why Lokius Should Have Been Canon

Loki Shouldn't Have Died

What About Thor (Loki Series)

MIRACULOUS CRITISISM

💙 The Adrigami Breakup Was Hot Garbage

Why I Dislike MLB's Nino

OTHER WORKS

💙 #Bes Talk – Og Blue Eye Samurai posts

💙 ADHD Is A Disorder

Mean Girls 2024 Doesn't Understand Janis

Enemy Vs. Abuser: Catradora

The Blood Moon Curse Was Real

Notes On Fight Club

Charlie's Bullying (Critique)

[verfound]

Hey I'm tryin to find a fanfic and I'm wondering if you wrote it or remember who did. It's a one shot I think where Luka and Mari have been dating and one morning she's really tired and wears his jacket to class by accident, cue reactions from everyone else. Another thing I remember is Luka and his friends show up, who love Mari and Lila tries to say that the relationship is a ploy to make Adrien jealous.

I honestly couldn't remember if this was one of mine - bc it kinda sounds like something I've used before but I also tend to stay away from Lila/Salt Land so maybe not? After scouring the older one shots and finding nothing, I tossed it to the LBSCers.

Is this the one you were looking for? (Mari wears his jacket to class, too tired to realize until he shows up with his class, Alya hauls her ass for an interrogation at lunch where Lila tries to start shit.)

Macarons, Jackets, Jackasses - lovelyswriting

Against her efforts, she must have dozed off for a second, because the next time she looks back up, Miss Bustier’s walking into the classroom jerkily, peeved.

Marinette wonders if another akuma graced the school with its annoying presence again, her hand already inching to her purse, but then she spots the line of students trickling in after Miss Bustier. Marinette squints at the whole new lot of people—juniors, she realizes—hovering as a crowd in the corner of the room while Miss Bustier addresses the front of the class.

She promptly chokes on air when she sees a head of bright blue hair amongst them.

[trashyangelic]

Got an idea if anyone wanna test this out as a prompt for miraculous ladybug!

This got me thinking for a while after the incident with the theft as in Lila placing her necklace just to frame Marinette for stealing. Salts are Lila, Damocles, Bustier, and Adrien.

What if there is a possible way that Damocles has been using the school funds for his favorite sport team and his superhero owl stuff instead of upgrading the school like the lockers, fixing the CCTV cameras that is all over the school grounds for safety reasons, and the clubs equipments that the students even Marinette made a complaint about it?

As for Chloe and Sabrina not realizing what is going on in their school but after they had witness that the lockers were not upgraded as they should be when hearing this from other students outside of their class it became highly suspicious to them now.

Even Alya realize what is going on in the school but she had no proof to show it after she knows that Marinette is Ladybug from Season 4. Alya is still pissed at Lila for lying to her and for trying to make her best friend to look as a bad guy when its the other way around. But when Marinette told Alya that Adrien's knows but also told her about the advice he gave her just only made Alya really mad as hell.

Anyway, Alya told Marinette otherwise to record anything that Lila says to her without her knowing it so that way they can find a way to show proof in her blog hopefully it will help save their classmates from Lila's clutches without Adrien's help. Alya told Nino everything last night he was not happy being lied for so long he agreed to help but was upset that Adrien knows but did nothing to help.

Now for Bustier lets say she knows that Lila is lying but decided to give her scot-free but scold Marinette as she did this before in her teenager years where she is the bully while her classmates are the victims to her. Unfortunately for Bustier she is a criminal in the shadows but also mastermind of manipulation where she turn out to be a prisoner who had escape in her teenage years and changed her full name without getting caught again. Back then she was blacklist on her first try when becoming a teacher after ignoring of joining the Anti-Bullying Course she got into a lot of trouble with the school board that time before moving to Paris.

Damocles doesn't even do fact-checking on both Lila and Caline's background when they decided to change names to save their facade behind the mask.

So what do you guys think? Are you willing to take it and try it cause I don't mind reading your progress on this but be sure to tagged when its completely done? Sorry if its too much to ask.

[jasontoddssuper]

The problem with the 'It's normal for siblings to be mean eachother!!' argument used to brush off Edric and Emira bullying Amity is that they AREN'T normal siblings.They're siblings who grew up in an abusive home,with a mother who actively worked to mistreat her family and a neglectful father who cared more about himself and his work than his kids.And Amity was everyone's biggest punching bag ever since she was barely out of her toddler years .Odalia made her to break up with her best friend and Alador supported it wholeheartedly and for like a decade afterwards,she was forced to be not the kid she was but the perfect daughter and student and witch.And instead of giving her the kindness their own parents refused to,Edric and Emira called her names and stole her things and passively aggressively insulted her all the time.They added on to her trauma.No,i'm not saying they should've stopped their parents,they're barely any older than her,but who exactly was stopping them from being nice to her in private?Nobody!Amity had no one on her side thanks to them and as an eldest sibling with an abusive parent themself,their behavior and the way she's never allowed to resent them for it because they started being nice to her after they almost got her killed(the books coming to life at the library incident)is one of the biggest L's Toh has ever taken

[vintage-retro-queen]

Paris Reacts to Too Brutal? Yeah, Right

Akuma Class

Another weekend was among the students in Caline Bustier's class.

However, they were outside instead of being indoors watching the show. Ever since they started watching the show and started talking about it nonstop. When their families heard that, they believed that they were watching too much TV and being on their devices too much, and told them that they needed to lay off from the shows and do something else. As a result, the parents confiscated their electronic devices and unplugged every single device's plugs, and Max's mother even confiscated Markov, even though Markov surprisingly and shockingly (to Max) didn't mind and offered to help her with her studies to become an astronaut, they were sent to the great outdoors, and were told to avoid all screens of any kind.

The class was already feeling down about their stuff being taken away, and they couldn't watch the show; they were all now at the park, sulking and feeling the void of boredom. "Man dude, I can't believe we're stuck out." Nino complained. "Think of what next challenge Marinette is doing that we're missing." Alix complained.

They tried to fill the void of their boredom by going to their usual hang-out places to try and forget about what they were missing out on. At the zoo, at the shopping district, and some restaurants.

When school resumed, they all arrived at their temporary school, which they were told to attend while their school was still under investigation. They noticed many students talking about the same show they were supposed to watch: Total Drama Island.

"Did you see how Harold dodged them? He's already got me interested in taking figure skating myself."

"Yeah, and I didn't know that she learned all of those moves with her mom. That was awesome!"

"Who knew that a chained-kunai was almost thrown at her. Talk about a shocker."

"I wonder who will win that girl's heart in the show?"

"What?! They watched the show, too?!" Kim said in disbelief, feeling jealous. "I'm already hating my dad for this. My brother even said that it was "For my own good." Yeah, right, like he would know. They don't understand how it feels to have a friend who's in a reality TV show and is probably already getting famous overnight!" Alix complained.

As the Akuma Class sulked, whined, groaned, and complained about how it was unfair for them not to watch the show to see Marinette, Adrien feels more upset that his father has not been talking to him after that demand to get in contact with Marinette last week. After his father found out that he told Marinette to take the "high road" and tell her that lies were not hurting anybody, the two were on their separate ways ever since then, his father had no other choice but to try and get in contact with the girl himself. Since then, he shuts out Adrien until he learns of his mistakes.

Adrien swallows his pride and tries to be the lovable "sunshine boy," taking his high-road advice and trying to flow past it. He still hopes that Marinette will see the error of her ways, come home, and be the "everyday Ladybug" she was supposed to be.

However, he started to feel a harsh chill down his spine from a pair of furious and death/venging-looking eyes, glaring holes behind his head.

Celebrities + Friends and Family (+ ??? & ???)

It was the weekend once again for the friends, families, and celebrities of Paris, France.

After Jagged got his order from the bakery, he talked to Tom and Sabine about how Marinette was doing amazing in the show. They told him they agreed and knew since they had watched the show as well. After learning that, Jagged invited them to watch the show with him and the other celebrities, and they accepted the invitation. And when they brought along the other families, Jagged was glad. As the saying goes, the more, the merrier.

Where they all got together in the hotel, ready to watch the newest episode of Total Drama Island. When they called her on WhatsAppening, Luka, Jagged, Penny, Clara, Ali, Tom, Sabine, and the rest of Marinette's friends were happy to know that Marinette was up and better than ever.

After their talk, they hear one of the wunderkind celebrities telling everyone that the show is on. They turn on the TV, and the show starts.

"Last time, on Total Drama Island, the Screaming Gophers kicked butt in the Awake-a-thon, when Duncan took a snooze on the can, and the Killer Bass took their second loss in a row...harsh. Heather orchestrated the first Total Drama Island Alliance by convincing Lindsay and Beth to join forces with her, then pocketed Eva's MP3 player and sat back to watch the fireworks. Nicely played, Heather, nicely played." "Honestly, that was just low, even for her," Aurore said, with Mireille nodding in agreement. "Even though Eva could've pretty much kicked anyone's butt here, in the end, it was her temper that got her kicked off. She became the second camper to rock the Boat of Losers." "But at least Marinette and Lucy made her day better." Zoe pointed out, with everyone nodding and talking in agreement. "Who will break the rules of their new alliance? Will Lucy and Marinette be able to stay awake until the end of the episode? And who will take the next humiliating walk down the Dock of Shame? Stay tuned for the most dramatic campfire ceremony yet on Total Drama Island."

After watching the usual theme, they watched the Screaming Gophers looking happy and full of energy, enjoying their morning meal, while the Killer Bass looked like they didn't get a brink of sleep, which, of course, they obviously didn't get. That was until they watched as the camera cut to a sleeping Duncan. "Duncan." Duncan looks up to see Chris walking to their table. "You look like death, dude," he said. "Stick it," Duncan said before heading back to sleep. "Harold snored all night," Courtney explained. Chris laughed, "Wow, four nights with no sleep. How much are you hurting, dude?" "Wanna find out?" Duncan asked, causing his team to duck and cover to avoid what would happen. "No, no. It's cool. It's cool." "Man, four nights? That's crazy." one of the wunderkind celebrities said.

"Yeah, well, they were doing the Awake-a-thon for a while." another one said. That was until they saw Harold walking into the main lodge with a markered mustache drawn on his face. As they watched him sit down, they watched as the rest of the Killer Bass looked at him oddly and then started laughing. "Okay, what?" Harold asked. Geoff then said to him, "Someone messed with your face, dude." Harold then grabbed a spoon to see his reflection and then saw what Geoff was talking about. "Hey, sweet stache," he said. Chris then gets everyone's attention. "Hey, everyone, it's Lucy and Marinette!" the Screaming Gophers, celebrities, friends, and families cheered as they watched as Lucy and Marinette both walked into the main lodge, looking more exhausted than from the last challenge. When the two sat down, Marinette crossed her arms on the table, resting her head and closing her eyes while Lucy rested her head on her hands. They all then watch Lucy's confessional.

"Boy, even for the first time in the past two years at the ages of five and six, I stood up, not only just nights but days too. Man, I wish my friends were here to see it. But I still didn't think I would stay up for that long." "I'm sure they're very proud of you, Lucy." one of the actresses said happily. "I always wonder what friends she had back when she was young?" one of the musicians said, feeling curious about what kind of friends Lucy had that helped her gain the ability to stay up longer than ever. "Who knows? Whoever they are, they must've been very good friends." another actor said, proudly crossing his arms, feeling proud of Lucy. Everyone else agreed, not paying attention to Courtney's confessional or Heather explaining the rules to Beth and Lindsay. After agreeing, they hear Heather talking aloud to the Killer Bass, getting both their and the watchers' attention.

"Hey, fish-heads, way to kick out your strongest player. Why don't you just give up now?" Heather then moved over, making Courtney miss, and threw the oatmeal at Lucy's face. "Missed me," she said, causing Courtney to glare at her. They then watched as Lucy raised her hand to Courtney, telling her tiredly, "Don't worry about it. I had worse things thrown at me anyway." she then finished her sentence yawning, "Such as... a chained...kunai." Lucy's head then plops down on the table and falls asleep, snoring loudly, not even aware of the campers, sans a sleeping Marinette, looking at her with shocked and disbelief looks on their faces. Additionally, the shocked and disbelief looks on the faces of all the celebrities, friends, and families.

"D-did-did Lucy just say what I think she said?" one of the celebrities stuttered. "I think she did." another one muttered. Just then, Lucy's confessional got their attention. "I know what I just said. And sadly, yes, it's true." They all became shocked to hear that Lucy said that it was true. "It happened in the second week of my first year of high school. Most of my former schoolmates, who, by the way, were rivals to each other. They were labeled what my old school calls them 'The Sides'." Lucy says, air quoting the words The Sides. "Well, that's an odd name for a group of rivals." one of the celebrities commented. "They were all fighting about something that I don't know what, but frankly, I don't even want to know why and what they were even fighting about in the first place. But anyway, at the time they were arguing, and it then started a fight and a food fight at the same time. One of them then threw the chained kunai at one of the rivals, but it missed, and instead, aimed at me." They became even more shocked and worried than ever hearing that. But Lucy continued before they could say anything. "But not directly aiming at my face," hearing that made them relieved and confused at the same time. "The chained kunai only missed me by an inch and instead slapped my face." Lucy rubs the left side of her face, remembering that. "Ouch. That must've stung." another one of the actors said. "It really smarted, and it got me so mad that it caused me to snap and make a scene in front of everyone, angrily screaming and scolding them to knock it off and tell them that's someone could've been hurt or injured or worse." 

"I can understand that," Tom said. "Sabine explained to me that she was in the same complicated issue once when she was in school." "It's true. The school I was in was through the same issue as Lucy's." Sabine admits. "They were rivals too, they even fight a lot as well, and this one girl snapped and gave everyone a harsh lecture. And I do mean very harsh. So harsh that it made everyone realize that they could've hurt a friend or relative, and they could've been written up again like they always do. But thanks to her, they stopped, and the teachers came. They got written up again, were given detention, and one of them was told to apologize for slapping the girl in the face." Everyone understood that the Dupain-Chengs knew how Lucy felt when it came to lecturing kids to knock off whatever was happening on school grounds and continued watching the confessional. "When I finished giving a harsh scolding lecture, I left the cafeteria and ended up having the rest of my lunch break at the school library." "Bummer," one of the wunderkind singers said, feeling pity for Lucy having lunch in the library. "Well, you can't blame her for trying to cool off from giving a harsh lecture." Sabine said, with Tom nodding in agreement.

"When lunch was over, and we were heading to our next class, I was at my locker, getting what I needed and saw the same chained kunai in there with a note saying they were sorry for throwing it at me." "Ah, a peace offering. Although, I don't think giving her the same chained kunai that was thrown at her would count." "Oh, I'm sure she was fine with it. The girl that was at my school had a chained kunai as a peace offering too. It was the same chained kunai that was thrown at her. I guess the one who threw it must've wanted to give it to her as an apology." "Well, you can't blame them for wanting to make it up to her after accidentally throwing it at her." Nadja says with a shrug.

"Even though I accepted the apology and appreciated the peace offering gift, I'm still mad at the betapunks with their rivalry and the one who threw it while they were fighting." "Told ya that would catch on," Jagged said to Penny, looking at her with a smug look. "Know-it-all," she says, smiling and rolling her eyes playfully. They all then watch as Lucy starts to glare daggers, looking directly at the camera. "Yeah, that's right." She then points at the camera while looking more tired than before, letting out a couple of yawns, "I'm talking to you, Han...zo Scor...Ha....sa....shi." Lucy then fell face first, pushing the outhouse-confessional door open while she was asleep again. "You know, normally, most celebrities always never say a person's name on live T.V., but I believe I can understand why she would say the name of the person who threw the chained kunai at her." Nadja explained. Everyone started to agree with her on why Lucy said the name of the person on T.V. "You know, it is kinda odd that the girl in your school and Lucy have the same experience." one of the journalists said to Sabine, sipping on his coffee. "Yeah, talk about deja vu." said one of the interns. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence," said Tom. They then continued to watch the show. "Okay, campers, listen up." Chris announced, "Your next challenge begins in ten minutes, and be prepared to bring it."

They then watched as the scene cuts to the location of the campers' next challenge, which looks like a gym. They then noticed as they saw Marinette and Lucy, now fully awake, with cups of Starchild's Coffee in their hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where the heck did those two get coffee from Starchild's?!" one of the wunderkind celebrities asked, looking surprised. They then hear Marinette talk to Lucy. "I'm surprised your family sent us some coffee, Lucy," Marinette said, sipping her coffee. "Yeah, well, sometimes my three uncles, auntie, and pop-pop always worry about my well-being. It's been that way since I was six," said Lucy. "Oh, that's where they got them from." another wunderkind celebrity said, understanding. "Wait, three uncles, auntie, and pop-pop...Oh! She's talking about her honorary family members. Okay, that makes sense." another one says, knowing who Lucy was talking about. They then watched another confessional from Lucy's while she was sipping on her coffee.

"Not gonna lie, I didn't think my family would be watching me. Even though we're a traditional family." "Traditional family?" "You don't think she means by..." "But not like that. It's just that we don't do technology." "Oh, okay. I was almost gonna say something else, but that's different, yet it makes perfect sense." "Well, except my three uncles, auntie, and pop-pop, maybe, but still. My family doesn't use technology like everyone else, such as watching television or having cell phones." "No wonder why Lucy doesn't have a social media account." Jagged said, now understanding why Lucy never had a social media account or two in the beginning. They all watch as Lucy continues on with her confessional.

"Although we only have a telephone that we use now and then, but that's all we have in our household." "Well, that explains how they take our phone calls from time to time." "Yeah, but I wonder if they ever have an answering machine is the question." "Heck, we even have two computers for school and work. Just school and work only and nothing more. I don't use the computers, honestly. Personally, I prefer doing my work by hand. The only people who use those computers are my mother and her sister, who is my aunt on her side of the family. They are the only ones in my whole family tree who use them for their work." "Well, that's Lucy being Lucy." "Yeah, she even does a great job on every handwriting the world has these days. Print, pre-cursive, cursive, heck, she even does a lot of the fonts the document writing sites ever have." "And it's surprising to know that it is only her mother and aunt who use the computers the most." "And whenever we're not at home, you have to go out to London and find a phone booth just to make a phone call or two." "Well, that certainly explains why I keep hearing a busy crowd in the background sometimes." after Lucy sipped on her coffee again, she continued talking and said, "But it was still nice of them to send Nettie and me some coffee." Lucy then looks directly at the camera, smiling, looking grateful. "Thanks, guys. I owe you one," she said, thanking her three uncles, aunt, and pop-pop. "It's nice to know that her family helps her whenever there is something needed." "Yes, and it was very nice of them to send her and Marinette some coffee." Sabine said, with Tom, Gina, and Roland nodding in agreement.

They continued watching as they saw Duncan planking on the benches. "Wake me up, and it'll be the last thing you'll do," he warns. "I don't think we're even going to," Lucy said, making the Screaming Gophers and the Killer Bass look at her odd. "What? I was like that once," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Some people who I rather have nameless tried to force me to get up and join them on something I don't want to explain what, and I may have accidentally given each of them a black eye to leave me alone." the campers looked at her surprised, but understood since she did it in self-defense. All of the celebrities, families, and Marinette's friends were surprised that Lucy did that when some students were trying to wake her up for something that she didn't want to do. That was until they watched Marinette's confessional.

"I can understand that. My dad told me once that my mom was like that since this one time back when she was a teenager, someone was forcing her to get up and join them to train on something." "It's true. I was there. After that, they all looked like they just escaped from a serious crime scene," Tom admitted, with Sabine shrugging her shoulders and nodding, meaning that she admitted that it was true. "I guess it's true what they say. Some people will get cranky when they don't get their sleep." Marinette sips her coffee and says, "And it might be best to let them sleep, or else you will face the consequences." "You said it, Marinette," said Aurore.

After that, they watch as Courtney starts to scold Harold. "This is all your fault, you know?" she said, "You and your snoring face." "It's called a medical condition. Gosh!" said Harold. Suddenly, the celebrities all looked not so surprised when they saw Lucy grabbing Courtney and Harold by the ear, glaring at the two. "Less arguing, more focusing on what the challenge is." she snarled, with a hint of venom in her tone. Hearing Lucy scold Courtney and Harold caused more campers to shudder in fear of seeing an angry Lucy. All but Marinette, who seems to be used to it. They all then watch another one of Marinette's confessionals.

"I don't like to talk down on others, but with all due respect and in all honesty, Courtney should've kept the accusation to herself. Including Harold with his excuse. Even if it is true or not. Then they won't have to deal with an angry scolding from Lucy." "Hm, harsh, but true," Tomoe commented. "Yeah, but I still feel like someone was the one who manipulated her into learning that before heading over to Muskoka," Aren said, causing people to look at her, shocked and surprised. "How can you tell?" asked Socqueline. "No, she's right. It does feel like she was told to keep her mouth shut against her will." "Well, whoever it is told her, they're so dead when I find out who it was!" Jagged said, with fury filled in his eyes. "I'd save that for the lawsuits, Mr. Stone." Socqueline looks at Marinette with worry and pity, feeling like she failed to protect her more.

After seeing Lucy let go of both Courtney and Harold, they all hear a whistle blow and see that it was Chef, dressed as a referee. Chris then explains the challenge to the campers. "Today's challenge is the classic game of dodgeball." they see Lucy smile, looking impressed. "Ah, a basic sports game. Nice," she said. Chris continues. "The first rule of dodgeball is-" "Do not talk about dodgeball?" Noah asks, cutting off Chris's sentence and making Owen laugh at the smartmouth question. Chris then continues again, "If you get hit with the dodgeball..." Chris then throws the dodgeball at Courtney, hitting her. 

"You're out." "You can't just do that!" Courtney said, throwing the dodgeball at him. He then catches the dodgeball and continues, "If you catch the ball, the thrower gets sent out, and the catcher gets to bring another member out on the court." "Throwing balls. Gee, another mentally challenging test," said Noah. "I know, right?" Lindsay asked, butting in a bit. "Okay, now, Geoff, try to hit Lucy," Chris said, throwing a dodgeball to Geoff while Chef tossed another one to Lucy. "If you're holding a ball, you can use it to deflect a ball. But if it knocks the ball out of your hands, you're out." Chris explains. "So what do I do again when the ball comes at me?" asked Lindsay. "You dodge," Chris said. As Geoff threw the ball at Lucy, she used the dodgeball to deflect it, which headed over to Lindsay, hitting her on the head and making the others gasp. Chris and Lucy wince from that. Even the celebrities, families, and Marinette's friends winced from seeing that on television. "Ooh, you were supposed to dodge," said Chris. "Ow.. right," Lindsay said, rubbing her forehead, which showed a big bruise. "Ouch," one of the wunderkind celebrities said, as the rest of them looked shocked and surprised. "You have one minute until game time." Chris said, then turning to the Screaming Gophers, "Gophers, you'll have to sit one person out each game."

After some campers sat out, D.J., Courtney, Katie, Tyler, and Harold were on the Killer Bass team. Meanwhile, Heather, Lindsay, Owen, Leshawna, and Cody are on the Screaming Gophers team. "Bring it on, fishies," Heather said. "Otherwise winning three in a row just won't be as satisfying." "Oh, you're going down!" said Tyler. "We're gonna bring the dinner on the table, and then we're gonna eat it!" Courtney facepalms when Tyler finishes making that not-making-any-sense sentence. "That doesn't even make any sense." one of the famous writers complimented. "Both teams ready? Best of five games wins." Chris says, "Now let's dodge some ball!" When Chef blew his whistle, the game of dodgeball was on, and the sitting campers cheered their teams on. Cody then throws the dodgeball first, aiming at Tyler, but misses. This causes Tyler to throw his dodgeball at him, but instead, the dodgeball accidentally hits Sadie.

All of the celebrities, families, and friends winced and cringed from seeing that. "That'll smear the makeup," Chris commented. "You're doing your best, Tyler! That's all that matters!" Marinette yelled from the Screaming Gophers side. Luka, Tom, and Sabine smiled, knowing that Marinette was trying to cheer Tyler up from his accidental throw. Tyler gives her a thumbs up as a thanks until Courtney gets his attention. "Nice job. Now let's see if you can hit someone on THEIR team!" she scolded. Just then, Owen ran, heading over to them, and threw the dodgeball straight to Tyler, hitting him so far up to the wall. "Ow. Darn it." Tyler said, in pain from the hit. Chef blows his whistle, signaling that Tyler is out, while the seated Screaming Gophers cheer on their team, and Cody and Owen high-fived. Meanwhile, Tyler sits out in pain.

After that, Harold holds his dodgeball, looking confident. "Time to unleash my wicked skills," he said. "Yeah?" said Leshawna. "Then bring it, string bean! Let's see what you got!" As Harold tries to throw the dodgeball his way, it backfires. Leshawna then smirked after picking up the dodgeball, which got Harold running away screaming. Until Leshawna threw the dodgeball at him, making him slide on the floor to the glass wall and making Chris and Marinette wince from witnessing it. Chef then blew his whistle, signaling that Harold was out. "And that's how we roll!" said Leshawna. "Probably needs to work on his "wicked skills" more." one of the wunderkinder said, air-quoting wicked skills. Everyone nodded and agreed with them and continued watching the show.

Lindsay then walks to her team, asking, "Can someone remind me what I'm supposed to do with this again?" Suddenly, Katie threw the dodgeball at Lindsay, which became a direct hit. The Killer Bass cheered while Chef blew his whistle, signaling Lindsay was out. The Killer Bass cheered for Katie while Tyler waved to Lindsay, making Lindsay smile and Heather mad, which got her to throw a dodgeball at him again. Lucy then turned to glare deadly daggers at Heather, signaling she was done for when she gets the chance. Heather shuddered in fear, seeing the furious look on Lucy's face. "Ooh, Heather is making Lucy mad." one kid of one of the celebrities said. "If Heather keeps this up, she'll end up on Lucy's despise list." one of the novelists said, crossing his arms. "I'm with Lucy. What the heck was that?" Courtney complained. "Ref, he's not even on the court." "Oops! He slipped." "Now she's gonna get it." the wunderkind rapper said, laying back and watching to enjoy the small show. Hearing that, Lucy gets more furious and grabs a dodgeball. She throws it at Heather, hitting her in the face. Chef blows his whistle, signaling Heather is out.

"I'm sorry, Heather, but you made me do that. Even though we are on this team, it doesn't matter to me anymore," she said. Marinette nods in agreement. "You tell her, Lucy!" one of the female idols said, cheering Lucy on. Marinette then turns to Chris, saying to him, "Chris, I'm sorry, but we're going to be switching to the Killer Bass team." Lucy then turns, telling the Screaming Gophers, "And please, don't push us on this. If anyone is to blame for that, it's Heather." The two walk to the Killer Bass team. The Killer Bass cheered about Lucy and Marinette being on their team while the Screaming Gophers glared at Heather since she was now out and sitting on the bench. "Either when the Killer Bass win or lose. Those two are doing the right thing." "Yeah, what Heather did is just beyond low."

After a while, they watch that it was now Cody and Leshawna for the Screaming Gophers and D.J. and Katie for the Killer Bass. D.J. and Katie throw theirs. Leshawna deflects one until another one of them hits her in the gut. Chef then blows his whistle, signaling to her that she's out. It was now Cody against the two Killer Bass. "Easy out, guys. Easy out." Courtney said to D.J. and Katie. Cody tosses one dodgeball up in the air and then tosses it at D.J. Even though it missed, the dodgeball took a U-turn and hit D.J. behind him. "That is one tough ball to dodge." said Chris. Katie threw her dodgeball at Cody, but it missed. Cody then grabs another ball and rubs it on his shirt. He then throws it at Katie. Katie then tried to run from it, but it chased after her. Katie then slammed into the wall, and the dodgeball hit her on the back. The Screaming Gophers then cheered for Cody for winning the round.

Before the campers could start the next round, they all watched as the Killer Bass huddled up. "We can do this. We just have to believe in ourselves." "Oh, I believe. I believe you stink!" scolded Courtney. "Yeah, you throw like a wimp," Tyler said, causing Geoff to laugh and Sadie to nod in agreement. "You should talk," Courtney said, scolding Tyler. "It was a warm-up throw," Tyler explained. Before he could keep talking, a dodgeball hit Tyler, Courtney, Geoff, and Sadie. They looked to see that it was an angry Lucy, looking at them as if she was ready to pop a vein and beat the life out of them. They all looked scared, seeing her looking furious. The celebrities, the families, and Marinette's friends, on the other hand, looked unamused, now getting used to Lucy's anger. They then watch Lucy's confessional.

"And that, folks, is another one of my triggers. People accuse others. Talking down on them, calling them a girl, chicken, or coward, and making up some lame-cottontail excuses." Lucy crosses her arms, looking completely serious. "Yeah, that's right. I'm not afraid to say words close to the cursed ones. And we all know what I'm talking about." "What does she mean?" one of the kids asked. "Uh, it's probably for the best that you kids don't want to know." one of the journalists said, making all of the celebrities, families, and teens nod in agreement to the little ones.

They continue to watch the show. They then watch Marinette take Lucy's hand, leading her out of the room. "Okay, you guys focus on the game. I'm going to take Lucy out and get her to calm down," she said. The rest of the Killer Bass continued on while the two were out. "Look, I can dominate this game," Tyler said, continuing what he would say before Lucy interrupted him by throwing the dodgeball at them. "Just give all the balls to me." After watching the team fail again, they watch as the scene cuts to the cabin, where Lucy is taking whiffs of her stress and anger management essential oils. "You shouldn't let this get to you, Lucy," Marinette said, helping Lucy calm down. "I know, Nettie. I'm trying to. But when it comes to those punks doing all that and talking like that, it's too difficult for me to handle." "I can hardly imagine living in the same room as them." "Yeah, I can see where Lucy's getting at." "Believe it or not, I got all that from both my father and one of my friends." Marinette looked surprised to hear that. However, she was not as surprised as all of the celebrities, families, and Marinette's friends.

"Oh, that would explain why her expressions and tones look and sound so familiar." one of the dubstep wunderkinder said, now understanding their point of view. "I have my father's stress in my genes, and the anger thing is both from myself and my friend. Well, sometimes me, it was also him too, actually." Lucy admits. "See? What did I tell you?" "Who knew that she got the anger from her friend too?" "And believe it or not, people often mistook us for twins." "Because of the anger?" asked Marinette. "Nope. We just both talk at the same time." Lucy and Marinette both laugh at that.

"I wonder if it was also they look alike or not?" "Who knows?" After that, they see Lucy get two more stress and anger management essential oils. She opens them, revealing that they are roll-on essential oils, and rubs them on two of her wrists and behind her left and right ears. "There, hopefully, this will help me finish up the dodgeball challenge. And hopefully, I don't go overboard on this like the last one I did." "What happened?" "Oh, trust me. You don't wanna know." "I can't imagine what happened." after that, Lucy and Marinette head out of the cabin and back to the challenge.

When the girls returned to the challenge, they saw their teammates on the bench- all but Tyler. "Hey, where did Tyler go?" asked Marinette. "Long story," said Bridgette. Courtney then started talking. "Okay, this is really bad," she said. "One more game, and we lose the whole challenge, again! We can't let that happen, people. We need someone strong, someone mean, someone who'll crush those lame-o gophers into the dirt." They then see Marinette look at someone. "I think I know who we can have help us," she said, motioning to someone on her right. Most of the Killer Bass then looked at Duncan, who was still sleeping like a log. They all know that Marinette is saying he's now the only one who can help them. However, some of the Killer Bass looked a bit scared. "Unh-unh, if we wake him up, he'll kill us." D.J. protested. "He won't kill us, guys." Courtney said, "He wants to win too." "Courtney's right," Harold said, agreeing with Courtney. "We need Duncan's fierceness to win this." "That's the spirit, Harold." said Courtney. But before she can tell him to wake Duncan up, Lucy beats her to the punch.

"Alright, stand back, folks. Leave the bear-awakening to the professionals," Lucy said as she approached Duncan. As the Killer Bass did so, Lucy grabbed an essential oil out of her pocket and let the scent reach Duncan's nose. The oil woke Duncan up completely. After a couple of whiffs, he bolted up. They all laughed, seeing the look on his face after he bolted up. They were laughing so much that they never paid attention to him hitting on Marinette after she apologized to him for waking him up. After the laughter died down, they continued watching the show, seeing Lucy walk up to Duncan. "Alright, Mister Juvenile, listen up. We're down two, nothing. As much as we respect that you need some well-deserved rest, but we could use some of your assistance on this." "Oh, and why should I help you, princess?" asked Duncan. "Because we can personally guarantee you that if we lose this game, you'll be the one going home, Sir Juvenile," Lucy said, with a renascence accent in the end. Most of the celebrities and Marinette's friends quietly laugh at the nickname Lucy gave him. Duncan lets out a sigh and then says, "Fine, I'll play...on one condition. You do what I say when I say it." Lucy nods. "Okay, here's a strategy I picked up during my first visit to Juvie. It's called Rush the New Guy."

They watched as Marinette and the Killer Bass used the new Rush the New Guy technique. When they did, they won a round of dodgeball. They all cheered for that. After that, Courtney had a suggestion. "I think that we should do the same thing all over again. So Harold, sit this one out too." "But I sat the last one out." "We'll sit this one out with you, Harold." Marinette offered, with Lucy nodding in agreement. They all smiled for Marinette's kind, golden heart. And are happily used to Lucy's ticked-off moments as they watch her stare at Courtney with a death-threatening stare in her eyes before Courtney could protest about the two sitting it out with Harold. Harold nods to Lucy and Marinette as thanks and signals to them that he owes them one. "That was very nice of Marinette and Lucy sitting out with Harold." "Yeah, that's our Marinette." "Our favorite little lady,"

They then watched as their team used the Rush the New Guy strategy again, and they won the round. They all cheered, and the seated Killer Bass cheered them on when they did win. After that, they see Tyler finally walk in and sit on the bench with the rest of the Killer Bass. "Tyler, where were you?" Marinette asked. "Nowhere," he said. "You were with Lindsay, were you?" Lucy teased, raising a brow, smiling. "No...maybe...so?" "Tyler, it's okay. There's nothing to be afraid or ashamed of." Marinette said. Lucy nodded, "Exactly. Just as long as you're calm and cool as a cucumber and don't expose your weaknesses to her." she said. Tyler smiles, happy to know that Lucy and Marinette are okay with him liking Lindsay. The celebrities, families, and friends smiled as well after seeing that.

Chris then announced to the campers, "Okay, this is it, the final tie-breaking game." "Go team, Go." Noah cheered with sarcasm in his tone.

When the Killer Bass huddle, they start discussing strategy. "Okay, who's going in?" Duncan asks. "I think it's either Marinette's turn, Lucy's turn, or my turn?" Harold says. "No way. We actually have a chance to win this, " Courtney protests. Harold nods and heads to the bench to sit out. Luka shakes his head at that. "Gophers, Bass, let's send this sample to the lab and see what you're made of," said Chris. They all then watched as the teams started throwing and tagging in and out team members. Noah then cheers with full-on sarcasm in his tone of voice again. "Knock 'em out. Throw 'em out. Rah, rah." then, a dodgeball was thrown and hit Noah straight in the face. "My bad. I meant to do that." Lucy called out with another dodgeball in her hands. Noah signals her it's fine since he knows that she deflected Marinette from the dodgeball almost thrown directly at her. "You're right. Sports aren't your forte." said Heather.

After a while, it was Owen against Marinette Harold. "Oh, boy." Zoe and Socqueline gulped as they and the rest of the people around them looked at Marinette with worry in their eyes. The Screaming Gophers cheered for Owen, while the Killer Bass looked shocked and worried for Harold and the girls. "Sorry, guys, but you gotta go down," said Owen. "Good night, Harold," said Duncan. Lucy elbowed him and cheered Harold and Marinette on. "You got this, guys!"

Then, they all watch Harold become confident as he gets into his stance. Marinette then breathes in and out and becomes confident as well. As the two motion for Owen to bring it, he does so, and the two dodge every single dodgeball Owen throws at them. Everyone, including the Screaming Gophers and the Killer Bass, was surprised to see how the two dodged all the dodgeballs Owen threw at them. Courtney then tells them to time out, making Chef blow his whistle for it. "Man, those two got dodge," Duncan said. "Where'd you two learn to do that?" "Figure skating," Harold answers. And Marinette then said, "I've been training with my mom. I got the hang of it back then. I guess I still got it." "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot about that." Sabine said, now remembering how Marinette learned to dodge. Everyone looked at Sabine, surprised yet impressed and amazed, and then turned back to the TV. "Harold, Marinette, that was awesome." Geoff said. "But dodging isn't enough." "He's right," said Courtney. "To win this, you two either have to throw him out--" "Which we all know Harold can't do--" Duncan added. "Well, you can't blame them on that." "Yeah, and surprised they haven't said anything about Marinette though." "Well, she and Lucy did sit out through the whole challenge." "Yeah, surprised they're now letting her do this." "Tell me about it," "Or catch the ball." Lucy added as well. "Can you guys do it?" "Definitely," "I can try." "Awesome. Now go catch that ball." D.J. said, encouraging the two.

Then, they continued with the standoff. The Screaming Gophers cheered for Owen while the Killer Bass cheered and chanted Harold and Marinette's names. All the celebrities, families, and Marinette's friends cheered along with them. Owen then throws the two dodgeballs at the two, letting out a 'Cowabunga'. The dodgeballs then head to Harold and Marinette, slamming them both back at the wall. Everyone looked shocked, seeing that. But then, they see the two raise the dodgeballs up, signaling that they both caught them. Socqueline gasped, surprised, with a smile now plastered on her face. The whistle was blown once again, signaling that Owen was out, and Harold and Marinette won the tie-breaker.

"The Killer Bass win!" Chris announced. The Killer Bass cheered for both winning, and Harold and Marinette won the challenge for them. Every one of the celebrities, families, and Marinette's friends all cheered and jumped for joy for the two winning the challenge for the Killer Bass. "She won!" "That's my favorite little lady! Rock and Roll!" "That is my Marinetta!" "Alright, Marinette!" "Way to go!" Even though they never got the time to watch the end of the show since it was already starting to get late, they all agreed to meet and watch the show again next weekend to see what would happen. They were all looking forward to seeing what Marinette and her friends would do in the next episode.

Meanwhile, in another location, there is nowhere that no one is even aware of.

After watching the episode, they both were still shocked from watching and hearing Lucy confess about a chained kunai thrown at her. "She still remembers that. And even said his name." one of them said, holding the clipboard tightly again. "And since there is no other way to get into her connections and good graces after knowing she is now in a traditional family is not helpful. It's bad enough that Adrien's disrespecting and good-for-nothing high-road system to Marinette is shocking and unacceptable. See if there is any other way to connect with the girl. There has to be a way to get Lucy's trust again." "Of course.

"All right, so it wasn't the most dramatic campfire ceremony ever. But I still get paid," Chris says, laughing. "Bonus!"

Desc Prologue Get to Know My OC Chapt 1 Reactions Pt 1 Chpt 2 Reactions Pt 2 Chpt 3 Chpt 4 Reactions Pt 4 Chpt 5 Reactions Pt 5

[captainbobbin]

February Kiss Art Challenge day 4

Prompt: Chaste

Sea Salt Family!

[captainwidowspring]

On Nico's Ability to Defend Himself

An often-overlooked aspect of Nico's death scene in TFATWS is that there was literally nothing preventing him from thwarting John's attempt to kill him, and keeping it from being a death scene; he just didn't so that there would be a reason for the Captain America title to be stripped from John and given back to Sam. I feel like a major reason why a lot of people don't pick up on this fact, and instead perceive Nico to be defenseless (aside, of course, from the shamelessly manipulative framing) is that in the Siberia incident, the incident Nico's death scene is frequently compared to, Tony, after he lost the upper hand, didn't really get a chance to do much before Steve disabled his suit. It thus didn't stick out too badly when Nico also didn't do much before John attacked him with the shield, even though there was a lot more he could have done. Therefore, let's examine the two situations to see how they are different.

This is how the shield incident played out in Siberia. Near the end of the battle, Tony had managed to gain the upper hand and inflict serious damage on Steve. After Steve refused to stop defending Bucky, Tony prepared to straight up blow Steve out of the bunker and down the mountain: but right before he got the repulsor shot off, Bucky grabbed his leg. Irritated, Tony turned and kicked Bucky in the head with his metal boot. Then, before Tony had the chance to do anything else, Steve grabbed Tony and hoisted him into the air; Tony tried to use the jet packs on his boots to get out of the situation, but too much damage had been inflicted on them at that point for them to be of use, and Steve threw him to the ground. Steve then immediately rushed on top of Tony and punched his face mask three times out of sheer fury, after which he broke the helmet by hitting it twice more with his shield and then tore it off. He subsequently raised the shield, which caused Tony to frantically raise his arms to cover his face, and this allowed Steve to have a clear shot at the arc reactor, which he brought his shield down on and broke.

Now, considering how thoroughly biased Civil War is against Steve, and how much it sought to act like he was the one in the wrong—even though the entire Siberia fight was literally just Tony having a temper tantrum and Steve and Bucky trying to survive it—the creative team certainly wouldn't have minded if Tony had cried out in fear like Nico did, as it would be quite useful for the propaganda efforts. Therefore, there is clearly some reason why he didn't.

And it appears that there are two main reasons for this. The first reason seems to be that everything simply happened too fast. Indeed, the entire incident, from Tony preparing to shoot Steve to Steve disabling the arc reactor, took place in the span of about fifteen seconds. And Tony totally wasn't expecting Steve to grab him; presumably, he assumed that Steve was injured enough that taking his attention off him for a few seconds in order to kick his friend in the head wasn't a big deal. He underestimated the strength that poured into Steve's limbs when he saw Tony so callously abusing Bucky, as well as the fact that Steve is a supersoldier, so he can move really fast when he wants to.

So there was the element of surprise, and there was also the fact that Tony probably would have been a little stunned, both from the impact of being thrown to the ground, and from being hit in the head multiple times. It must, of course, be remembered that Tony was wearing a full-body metal suit, so no actual harm was inflicted upon him, but Steve is a supersoldier, so even with the layer of protection the impacts would certainly have been felt. These factors combined to produce the effect that, when Steve raised his shield, rather than take the time to yell anything, Tony simply prepared himself to face what was about to happen, which he thought would be Steve attempting to end him. But fortunately for him, he was wrong. Steve wasn't trying to kill Tony; Bucky was still alive, so Steve was able to contain his fury enough to refrain from a killing blow, and he hit the arc reactor instead.

Now, let's look at how Nico's death scene played out. After John pursued Nico for a bit, and managed to fend off a concrete trash can that Nico threw at him, he was able to hit Nico with the shield as Nico ran into a square. This forced Nico to stop to keep his balance, which allowed John to hit him again, and this finally knocked him over. Nico then tried to get back up twice; the first time John hit him with the shield again to keep him down, and the second time he put his foot on Nico's chest to pin him to the ground and stop his escape attempts. Then, since he couldn't try to get away anymore, Nico waved his hands and nervously insisted, "It wasn't me." He said this because, given the role he played in Lemar's death, he was well aware of why John might be mad at him specifically, for more than just being a friend of Karli. John, for his part, had been preparing to interrogate Nico about Karli's whereabouts, but this clear falsehood evidently filled him with rage, and he raised his shield in a fury. Rather than make an effort to block the imminent attack, Nico simply repeated, louder, "It wasn't me!" even though it was clear that John was not about to accept his garbage. And then, of course, since Nico wasn't about to actually do anything, the beating with the shield commenced.

Nico just lay there and was obediently killed, even though there was literally nothing stopping him from simply catching the shield and keeping it off his chest. His arms and hands were not at all restrained—indeed, he was waving them around—and unlike John, who had acquired a gash on his head, Nico was completely uninjured, so there wouldn't have been any pain distracting him either. And as we saw earlier, Nico is just as strong as John—he was able to restrain John so effectively that Karli would have been able to easily stab John if Lemar hadn't stopped her—and his evident fear would likely have given him enough strength to cancel out John's rage. So he would certainly have been able to keep the shield off his chest until Sam and Bucky, who appeared shortly afterwards, could save him if they wanted to.

Indeed, Nico didn't save himself even though, as evidenced by the fact that he did actually have a chance to cry out, he was dealing with a much less challenging situation than Tony was. For one thing, John bringing down the shield on Nico's chest was not at all a surprise. After John had pinned Nico to the ground, Nico had time to say, "It wasn't me" before John made any sort of move: and after John registered what Nico had said, he shifted his shield, which had been on his arm, into a two-handed grip, and then raised it. Nico clearly saw this coming; indeed, this is what caused him to shout "It wasn't me" a second time. And John's intentions at that point were obvious, so it's not like what happened with Tony where Tony thought that Steve was going to do one thing but he did another; it was pretty clear where John's shield was going, and this would have been plenty apparent to Nico since terror tends to make time slow down. So he had ample time to catch it.

Additionally, Nico would not have been stunned in the way that Tony was. Tony was slammed to the ground and then received five forceful rapid-fire close-range blows to the head, which is several hard impacts in a short span of time. Nico, by contrast, was hit once with the shield, then was knocked by John to the ground. This was a much shorter distance to fall than the overhead bench-press position that Tony was thrown from, and there were even stairs to break Nico's fall. Thereafter, Nico was hit with the shield again—and he hadn't gotten very far up, so he didn't fall very far back down—and then John thwarted Nico's final attempt to get up by pushing him down with his foot. In addition to the fact that the push was much gentler than getting hit with the shield again would have been, as before Nico hadn't gotten very far up, so he wouldn't have hit the ground that hard.

Therefore, in contrast to Tony, who received six sharp blows pretty much back to back, Nico received three fairly spread out blows—after the first hit with the shield, John had to close the distance between them and wind up again before hitting him a second time to knock him over, and then Nico fell to the ground and started to get back up before he was hit a third time—as well as a kind of shove. Nico thus did not receive nearly as harsh a pummeling as Tony did. And on top of that, he is a supersoldier: so even if his treatment had been rougher, Nico would have a much higher tolerance for pummeling than normal human Tony would.

Hence, Nico would not only have had plenty of time to see what John was doing, but he also would not have had to contend with the disorientation that Tony experienced. There is no excuse for why his only reaction to John's attack was yelling.

And here's what makes the fact that Nico didn't try to defend himself even more ridiculous. Even though Steve's attack was much more rapid, forceful, and unpredictable than John's was, Tony STILL did the logical thing and was ready to try to catch Steve's shield. Indeed, you can actually see a bit of strategy in his response to Steve raising the shield. Tony knew he wasn't strong enough to entirely keep the shield off his face since his suit was failing, so rather than try to stop it from hitting him, he was instead planning to try to grab the shield during its descent in order to slow it down and cushion the blow. As Steve brings the shield down, you can even see Tony open his fingers as he expects to encounter the shield. Nico did not do anything of the sort, he just aimlessly shouted as he passively lay there and waited for John to kill him. But come on! If Tony, who was just a normal human encased in a suit of rapidly failing metal, and who had been completely taken by surprise with a harsh walloping, could make an attempt to stop Steve from killing him (even though, as it turned out, he didn't need to), then Nico, who was a supersoldier, and who had received far less of a thrashing, could definitely have tried (and succeeded) to stop John from killing him. Especially since, unlike Tony, he actually would have been able to completely stop the shield from hitting him.

There is another difference between the two situations that is very interesting, however. Tony, for his part, was well aware that he was acting dishonorably. For instance, a little after Tony began his assault, when Bucky was trying to run away and Tony was intent on pursuit, Steve stood in front of him and said, "It wasn't him, Tony. Hydra had control of his mind." But Tony already knew this, so he simply responded "Move," in a way that clearly indicated that he didn't care and didn't want to hear it. And a short time later, when Tony prevented Bucky from escaping, Steve tried again to get through to him and said, "This isn't gonna change what happened," but Tony replied, "I don't care, he killed my mom." Tony knew that Bucky wasn't to blame for his parents' deaths, and that killing him would not help anything: but since he was angry with Steve for refusing to accept the Accords and all their rights-violations, he saw the revelation as an excuse to attack both Bucky because he knew it would hurt Steve, and Steve himself because Tony knew that Steve would not just stand by while Bucky was being assaulted. He ignored Steve's attempts to reason with him because he figured that he had enough power to be able to do whatever he wanted, and he also correctly guessed that Steve and Bucky would continuously hold back against him, even though they shouldn't have. And because of these things, before Bucky's intervention, Tony had been about to do something that could have quite possibly ended Steve's life. So when Steve regained the upper hand and Tony was at his mercy, Tony was aware that he had no right to ask Steve to spare him, because when he had been in Steve's position, he had been ready to potentially end Steve's life without a second thought. Therefore, he said nothing; his only response was to see if he had enough strength left to hold off Steve.

So Tony, in the face of Steve's attack, didn't yell anything because he knew that what he had done was indefensible: and it is due in part to this modicum of contrition that Steve was able to contain his rage enough to spare him. Nico, meanwhile, had been doing something similarly heinous. He had been actively engaged in trying to kill John because John was Captain America, and when Lemar frustrated the attempt on John's life, Nico was also the reason why John was unable to protect Lemar from Karli's subsequent death-blow. And just like Tony, Nico had been relying on his strength to protect him from repercussions. So what he had done was just as indefensible as what Tony did: but instead of taking the smallest bit of ownership of this, he tried to completely absolve himself of responsibility for what had happened, and this resulted in his downfall. For while John had clearly been intending to just interrogate Nico, the fact that the person who had held him helpless while his best friend was murdered was trying to act like he was not at all responsible for what had happened caused him to lose it, and this resulted in the shield incident. Now, Nico definitely should have made it clear that he was surrendering if he intended to, and even apologized if he genuinely regretted what had happened to Lemar: and again, when the attack did happen he could have easily fended it off. But if he had simply recognized the fact that he was not worthy of John's mercy since he had not been prepared to show mercy to John, and remained silent like Tony did, the shield-attack would never have happened in the first place.

But in any case, as mentioned above, Nico didn't try to defend himself because John needed to kill him, so that the show would have an excuse to take the Captain America mantle from John and give it back to Sam without it seeming too dubious. (Though considering that the incident ended up resulting in Sam and Bucky attacking John for the shield a very short time after he literally lost his best friend, the show completely failed at that.) Not to mention, if Nico had put up a fight, this would have highlighted how much he was still capable of threatening John, and put lie to the show's attempt to act like he was helpless. Particularly since, again, if he had tried to save himself there is no reason why he would not have been successful.

Now, it is important to also remember that Nico was definitely not surrendering, the other widespread misconception about his death scene. He kept trying to fight John until he literally couldn't—he threw a concrete trash can at John while he was running away, and tried to get back up twice after John initially knocked him over, which is not something someone who wanted to surrender would do—and then after John had him pinned, all he did was try to disingenuously absolve himself of responsibility for Lemar's death, rather than trying to apologize or making it clear that he was surrendering. But on top of the fact that Nico wasn't trying to surrender, and refused to own up to what he had done, he was perfectly capable of surviving John's attack when it happened. These things make his death scene, as well as the subsequent reaction to it, completely ridiculous and utterly nonsensical.