#legend since 2004

[sperya]

(via "20th Birthday, Legend Since 2004" Classic T-Shirt for Sale by speerya)

[batsplat]

come on there’s gotta be at least 3 sete/vale rivalry appreciators (you me and pedro acosta)!! haven’t seen 2003-05 seasons in full but mugello 2004 alone was so great.

vale and gibernau finished 1&2 on the same podium SEVEN times in 2003, the only ppl who did it more in a single year (since 2000, was too lazy to look back further) were lorenzo/pedrosa in 2012 when they swapped 1&2 places 9 times on the podium.

I love you anon

listen, I know some people need their rivalries to be more balanced than this, but in terms of actual on-track battles it's like. one of the very best this century. (I'm trying to hold back from calling it the best this century but I don't not believe that?) also some might argue that the 1-2 achievement is even more impressive in 2003 than in 2012, given more riders were capable of fighting for wins and the field spread was way less dramatic. sete's 2003 season in particular is so underrated, man's scoring an average of 17.3 points per race, four wins, 10/16 races on the podium, only two races where he was worse than fourth... serious pace plus consistency! out of nowhere!

anyway, here's every notable on-track encounter between sete and valentino, with * to **** asterisks by how worth watching it is for the fight between those two specifically. (for most of these, of course you can find more details in the sete post and the valentino race recs post.) using italics I've indicated which races are available on youtube (or on facebook, in the case of phillip island 2004):

welkom 2003**: the first race after kato's death, and the one where sete secures his unlikely emotional victory. valentino applied heavy pressure on sete in the late stages, but sete stood firm

le mans 2003***: yes, valentino was unlucky when the race was interrupted by rain - but the resulting battle between sete and valentino in the last few laps in tricky conditions is fantastic. multiple overtakes on the last lap and both riders off-track at the final corner

catalunya 2003*: valentino looked locked-on for the victory until he made two mistakes, the second of which has him go off-track and drop several places to hand capirossi the win. vale finds some crazy pace to catch up with biaggi and sete and pass them both

sachsenring 2003****: valentino gets a big enough lead you think it's surely over... but then sete catches him, leading valentino to let him go by so he can study him from behind. a dramatic final lap that prompts a bit of an existential crisis from valentino

brno 2003****: valentino shows up after the summer break with red hair, a determined smile and a mission. this race is a thriller, a proper dogfight between 3-5 riders with plenty of twists and turns - before the whole thing distils into an all timer of a final lap duel

rio 2003*: valentino sticks behind sete for a while, but it feels like he was just biding his time. once he gets past, he pushes hard and pulls away for a comfortable win

sepang 2003*: the match point race, after valentino had run away with the season post-brno. valentino gets a middling start and has to hunt down sete, but once he does he again pulls away

mugello 2004***: MY BELOVED. this is where the momentum in that season really shifts, courtesy of one hell of a chaotic race. there is an excellent sete/valentino duel in this race, but it's far from the only thing going on. all of it's brilliant

catalunya 2004****: a race long duel! I love catalunya duels because so much of it is about tyres getting chewed up and the riders wobbling and sliding more and more. sete's home race and psychologically a very important race... one hell of a show

assen 2004****: the turning point of the relationship! I still FULLY believe this set up everything that happened next, even if nobody talks about this race any more. the fight slaps!! the last lap slaps!! the podium with bad vibes slaps!! valentino in that presser!!

brno 2004*: sete badly needed a win here, and in the end it's not particularly close. the early battle with those two and biaggi is fun, but eventually sete's newly upgraded honda has the clear edge

phillip island 2004****: the first duel post-qatar curse - so these two now hate each other. it's also a match point race! banger of a start, sete is proper feisty here leaving valentino to hunt him down. banger of a final lap too

valencia 2004*: last race of the season - and even though the title's been sealed up, wouldn't it be nice to get a morale-boosting win to take into the new year? at sete's home race too? ah, you know how this goes. the way valentino gets past sete is pretty funny

jerez 2005****: well of course! again, fierce start, and it takes a bit to get rid of everyone else so it's just those two again. the last lap is something special, as is the post-race drama

catalunya 2005***: back on sete home turf!! and sete rides such a good race, he's really doing his very best - except of course valentino is hunting him down again. there's a brutally dismissive quality to this victory

le mans 2005***: edwards streaks off in front until valentino catches him - and vale's content to sit on his teammate's rear tyre until sete catches them both. the race from there is a joy

sachsenring 2005***: another goody! hayden features quite prominently in this one, and crucially valentino never manages to make a break for it. sete leads going into the final lap

brno 2005***: the fun of this one is in remembering it's sachsenring // summer break // brno... and the duel here immediately picks up again with valentino brusquely cutting past sete on the first lap. really makes it feel like sete is trapped in some sort of a hellish time loop... the end to this one is proper CRUEL

qatar 2005***: one year anniversary of that race and of course sete is desperate to repeat his success. the more of these you watch the crueller they get, not least when it really does look like he's built up enough of a lead. melandri also plays a big part in this one

mugello 2006**: you just know how badly sete would have loved to win this (and so did the commentators). entire race is excellent but sete mainly features in the starting dogfight, not the latter stages

phillip island 2006**: this is a chaos bike swap race and there's a lot going on, all of which is very relevant to the title fight. relevant to this post is that sete and valentino end up fighting for the last podium place on the very last lap. their last duel before sete's career was cut short by injury

obviously, if anyone's looking to watch the full sete/valentino story, there's a few more races you'd have to add in like 2004 welkom, qatar and sepang. anyway, this rivalry slaps. hopefully soon a fourth person can be recruited to the cause

[johnnydany]

Legend Since July 2004 Birthday Gift T-Shirt

Get yours now: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/47454744-legend-since-july-2004-birthday-gift

[drchucktingle]

I watched the 2004 Klaus Nomi documentary and his story reminded me of how you talk about creativity and being genuine. The interviewees talked about how the first time he performed with the persona Klaus Nomi at a vaudeville-style variety show in NYC in the 70s, everyone was stunned. Several of the people describing this event mentioned how the show was meant to be ironic, everyone was doing nudge-wink joking acts and goofing around, the audience/scene was apparently very cynical, but he got up and took it seriously. He was earnest, he was himself, and after a frozen moment of silence, everyone went crazy.

THANK YOU yes this is very reminiscent of what the journey of my career has been like, and this particular trot makes me very proud. all of the buckaroos who mean a lot to me artistically, from the andys (andy kaufman and andy warhol) to the davids (david byrne and david lynch) have had similar ways from 'strange' outsider to legend.

was talkin with some buds about how i think there is possibly a connection between this and my autism trot. there is a sort of ability to see a path that nobody else takes but say to yourself 'that makes sense to me, i do not really care if nobody else takes this path'. others can be bogged down with the 'right' way of doing something

so really being ridiculed like i have is this beautiful artistic TROJAN HORSE, where initially very few people take you seriously but they still let you in. they let you trot around in their brain for a while and very slowly they start to get it.

i think it also goes to show how much art is in PERCEPTION of the creator (i talk on this a lot already but this is very good example). look at something like SPACE RAPTOR BUTT INVASION getting nominated for hugo award. EVERYONE said some variation of 'this is obviously a joke and making fun of gay people and autistic people and erotica itself' and on and on. buds on the left said this, buds on the right said this. it was VICIOUS. and all the while i said 'no this is real serious art and i am doing something that goes outside of the way you see the medium itself' and that just made people MORE MAD.

but now looking back, when i presently have award winning best selling books from major publishers and so on, it is easier to see that the erotic tingleverse, as a whole, is a valid piece of art and expression that resonates with a lot of people.

really the only thing that changed was the perception of ME as a creator

anyway. i am proud of my art and where i sit in the world of artists. i like being a sort of chaotic queer punk rock force. so i cannot complain really

i will say this though. this is all a PERFECT example of how queer and neurodivergent artists have to go above and beyond to even get basic respect from both the left and the right

the years of saying 'i am serious. i am real' the years of taking vitriol, or being constantly made fun of are PERSONALLY okay with me. i am a tough buckaroo. in a strange way, that story is kind of part of the art in itself. HOWEVER we still have to acknowledge that a straight neurotypical person would NEVER have to constantly prove themselves like i have.

i dream of a world where queer and autistic artists are not harassed by one side and gatekept by the other, and believe it or not i think we are moving in a good direction. there is still a LOT OF WORK to go though

fortunately, i think there are easy ways to help. you can support outsider artists you like by reading or listening or just buying their art and puttin it on your shelf (PREORDER LUCKY DAY BY CHUCK TINGLE HERE). but ALSO, if you are an outsider yourself JUST CREATING IS SO POWERFUL. build and craft and speak your unique way into the universe. FILL THIS SPACE WITH YOUR UNIQUE WAY. THAT is how we prove love is real.

see that path that makes since to you but nobody else is willing to try? take it

[keepthedelta]

thinking about the rosberg family and how a kardashian or dts style documentary about them would be amazing.

you have keke rosberg, a hard racing cigar smoking legend of motorsport from one of it's most dangerous eras, whose name literally means pixie rose mountain. the man who basically invented formula one in finland but was hated by his own media for being too cosmopolitan and when they tried to recognise his achievements refused to let them put his face on a postage stamp because he wouldn't make money off of it. studied to be a dentist but missed the entrance exam and became a racing driver instead. got out of having to take german in school by persuading the master that he would never need it but as soon as he met a hot older german woman went so insane over her that he proposed just months after meeting her and agreed to make it their primary language at home. set a record for the fastest lap in f1 history that lasted until 2004, won his first f1 race and then won a world championship before he won his second. known as a crazy racer who would go through you if you didn't let him past. also the softest dad who loves his baby boy more than anything else.

then there's sina, the coolest person in the rosberg family. was so hot and smart and talented that a man willingly sacrificed his cultural identity to be her husband. professional interpreter who knows a bunch of languages and taught them to her polyglot son. married a f1 world champion but hated his driving so much that she drove herself everywhere, even to events that she attended with him. showed up finland's independence day ball in a suit and bow tie against all dress customs. planned to give birth on her own because it's basically the same thing as going to the dentist, and she doesn't need a man for that. has an f1 champion husband and son and still banned f1 talk in her house for nico's entire career. got so nervous watching her baby race that she vacuumed the entire apartment each time. ditched her husband in dubai so that she could make it to the track to see nico become world champion in person. got drunk and talked about keke's sperm on live television.

nico rosberg, the saddest wettest kitten who ever lived. the most beloved baby in the world. cried at everything as a child. cried when he lost at tennis and when he won. uber competitive. incredibly athletic, competing internationally in karting and tennis. total nerd who had no trouble with his schoolwork despite missing school constantly and got accepted into imperial college london to study engineering. at the time the youngest person to ever drive an f1 car. the biggest single cause of sexuality crises in motorsport since 2006. was once sponsored by the german version of mtv. nicknamed after a teen pop sensation. met the love of his life when he was four and hit her over the head with a bucket while they were making sandcastles. had an incredibly difficult incredibly public divorce from a man he was never legally married to. dropped the mic said thank u, next and is so so happy in his retirement. has stripped down to his underwear on television and done a river clean up in designer coats. boy mom to an orange cat, girl dad to human children. loves his daughters more than anything, the kind of man who will leave a 2 million dollar car on a hill to hitchhike, with his videographer, to his daughters's christmas party. can pinpoint the amount of time lost in a corner exactly and needs everyone to know about it. deeply annoying, absolutely hilarious, incredibly kind.

and of course, vivian. ceo of the rosberg family. still planning the long game revenge on nico for hitting her with a bucket when they were children, born in germany, studied design in milan, can party harder than f1 drivers. has done the interior design for private jets, because apparently that's a thing. owner, creator and namesake of the best rated ice cream shop in the balearics. makes her daughters matching outfits for a taylor swift concert and publicly teases her husband for not being a fan. stages elaborate christmas photos with a different colour theme every year. wore a white dress with turquoise louboutins and chanel bag to match nico's race suit in one of the most iconic and yet deeply underappreciated wag moments in f1 history. ruined them with champagne but didn't care. wants her children to be happy. definitely pegs her husband.

most interesting motorsport family of all time. forget dts, i just want to know about them

[videogamepolls]

Video Games Polls 1-Year Report

I've been running this blog for a full year and I've polled nearly 3,000 games, so I wanted to post an updated report with the top 10 games for each of the four options included in my polls, plus a couple other categories.

📊 General Stats

Games Polled: 2,864

Average Sample Size: 728

Games with 40%+ "yes" votes: 149 (5.2%)

🏆 Most Played

Games with the highest percentage of "Yes" votes:

The Dinosaur Game (2014, AKA Chrome Dino Game) - 93.9%

Pac-Man (1980) - 93.4%

Wii Sports (2006) - 87.7%

Tetris (1985) - 86.9%

3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet (1995) - 85.5%

Pokemon Go (2016) - 82.9%

Minecraft (2011) - 81.1%

Angry Birds (2009) - 80.1%

Stardew Valley (2016) - 79.3%

Space Invaders (1978) - 78.5%

🏆 Most Known But Not Played

Games with the highest percentage of "No" votes:

Raid: Shadow Legends (2018) - 85.8%

Final Fantasy XI (2002) - 82.1%

Far Cry (2004) - 79.3%

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018) - 78.3%

Far Cry 2 (2008) - 78.2%

Halo Infinite (2021) - 77.6%

Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) - 75.4%

Final Fantasy V (1992) - 76.4%

Baldur's Gate (1998) - 76.1%

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) - 75.8%

🏆 Most Watched

Games with the highest percentage of "I watched someone play it" votes:

Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy (2017) - 54.2%

I Am Bread (2015) - 51.3%

Octodad: Dadliest Catch (2014) - 47.0%

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach (2021) - 45.6%

Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning (2018) - 43.5%

Amanda the Adventurer (2023) - 42.5%

Phasmophobia (2020, Early Access) - 41.3%

P.T. (2014) - 41.0%

PowerWash Simulator (2022) - 40.4%

The Mortuary Assistant (2022) - 38.7%

🏆 Most Obscure

Games with the highest percentage of "I've never heard of it" votes:

Jessica's Uncomfortable Hanukkah Adventure (2023, Early Access) - 97.8%

Batty Zabella (2022) - 97.6%

Citampi Stories: Love & Life (2019) - 97.0%

Tears - 9, 10 (2002) - 97.0%

Just, Bearly (2018) - 96.9%

Anito: Defend a Land Enraged (2003) - 96.6%

That Damn Goat (2023) - 96.5%

Star Seeker in: The Secret of the Sorcerous Standoff (2020) - 96.4%

Cisini Stories: Girl Life RPG (2024) - 96.4%

Dear Substance of Kin (2019) - 96.3%

🏆 Most Balanced

Games with the most even spread of votes:

Human Fall Flat (2016) - 19.3% Yes | 28.5% No | 26.1% Watched | 26.1% Never Heard

Kerbal Space Program (2015) - 21.9% | 31.1% | 24.5% | 22.5%

The Henry Stickmin Collection (2020) - 19.3% | 29.2% | 22% | 29.5%

Ib (2012) - 24.1% | 26.8% | 19.2% | 29.9%

Superhot (2016) - 24.9% | 25.1% | 30.5% | 19.5%

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (2010) - 25.8% | 31.1% | 20% | 23.2%

Limbo (2010) - 30.2% | 28.7% | 23.9% | 17.1%

Wobble Dogs (2022) - 18% | 25.4% | 25.2% | 31.3%

Slay the Princess (2023) - 30.2% | 27.4% | 26.1% | 16.4%

Golf with Your Friends (2020) - 13.9% | 16.9% | 23.6% | 30.8%

🏆 Most Votes

Games with the most number of votes:

3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet (1995) - 11,773

Robot Unicorn Attack (2010) - 7,600

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) - 4,329

Flight Rising (2013) - 4,132

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (2004) - 4,053

Final Fantasy XV (2016) - 3,056

Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (2009) - 2,844

Dark Souls (2011) - 2,823

The Dinosaur Game (2014, AKA Chrome Dino Game) - 2,758

QWOP (2008) - 2,636

*I did not take most Pokémon games into consideration since I handle those polls a little differently.

Check out my results spreadsheet for an alphabetized list of all poll results plus some other stats, and in case anyone is interested in comparing results to past reports here are the links to my 6-month and 9-month posts.

[oretskov]

𝜗𝜚 you won't lose me to thunder or lightning ࿔

since my followers of absolutely zero, a.k.a, no one, asked — here's everything you need to know about bat from this mediocre reality !

wow! a blog where i can openly talk about myself and all my others lives and be neurodivergent-ly free? *holding butterfly* is this a sanctuary?

so — who am i? i go by bat here but i may reveal some of my other dr names here and there. there's a trend of having names beginning with T, R or A in my drs since i feel like they're all variations of my cr name. i'm nineteen and a desi girl. pronouns are she/they but honestly my gender is 'pls see me for me and not what's under my pants'. i am a writer (if anyone wants, i can share my fanfic blog) and also been part of the editing community since 2018!

i'm a proud and almost stereotypical intj, though i don't know chess as well as beth harmon. i'm a ravenclaw (shocker) and if i were in camp half-blood, i'd be an ares kid who disowns that side of her to become a hunter of artemis. scorpio sun, cancer moon and aquarius rising — GOD i'm a caricature of a brooding weird girl in a film probably well loved by incels. yes, i have ocd.

my holy trinity is vivienne westwood, shelley duvall and stevie nicks — don't ask me how i was doing on december 29th, 2022 and july 11th, 2024. the only men i truly like are kurt cobain, jeff buckley, gerard way and tobias forge.

okay rapid fire round ! here's majority of every piece of media that i like.

wallows. fleetwood mac. nct. ghost. ethel cain. nirvana. the cure. hozier. fiona apple. sturniolo triplets. dylan is in trouble. sinjin drowning. slushy noobz. danny, kurtis, drew. brittany broski. hthaze. watcher. daisy jones & the six. harry potter. narnia. alchemy of souls. titans. x-men. avatar. assassination classroom. extraordinary you. scream. spiderverse. the maze runner. tokyo revengers. the queen's gambit. alien stage. five nights at freddy's. resident evil. a good girl's guide to murder. dc comics. grishaverse. the last of us. hadestown. heathers. mobile legends: bang bang. babel. wicked.

i know i already mentioned the grishaverse in there but i love it so much that it needs its own paragraph. my favourite ship ever is alina & mal. my username is a combination of their surnames. this account was originally a side blog for them. i quote the shadow and bone trilogy like it's the bible. it's so perfect to me that i don't dare shift there — it doesn't need a single bit of change. rain ghoul is my mal <3

𝜗𝜚 but you could to crowded rooms ࿔

my top four on letterboxd are easy a (2010), about time (2013), real steal (2011) & before sunset (2004). here are some characters i relate to heavily —

✶ malia tate. teen wolf.

✶ violet harmon. american horror story.

✶ jo march. little women.

✶ beth harmon. the queen's gambit.

✶ harry potter. harry potter.

✶ karen sirko. daisy jones & the six.

✶ stephen strange. marvel cinematic universe.

✶ ian gallagher. shameless.

✶ laura kinney. marvel.

✶ rue bennett. euphoria.

yeayea i said i was a writer but this intro was ass. i didn't say i was a good one! okay no honestly i'm just bad at talking about myself. also, english is not my mother tongue i swear.

[withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus]

Masterpost: Visual Kei movies & other types jrockers were involved

So, it came to my attention some of you want to watch more visual kei movies so I thought of listing what I know, in case you've missed any of those. Please feel free to add anything I've missed with reblogs or in the comments.

Thank you @kirk-goes-to-gallifrey for the three movie links! ^^ And thank you @waretamado for helping with the titles of Plastic Tree's movies! Btw most of the vkei only movies must still be available on YT guys, however not all of them will be on HD.

Visual Kei movies:

Seth et Holth (1993) (Hide) YT link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx_laJCEpew)

Moon Child (2003) (Gackt & Hyde)

Verte Aile/Bel Air (1997) (Malice Mizer) YT link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdd58pTaK8A)

Bara no Konrei/Bridal of the Rose (2001) (Malice Mizer) YT link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1d_cFRnxs)

BeatRock☆Love (2009) (Takeru ex.SuG)

Number Six (2006) (Alice Nine)

Yuku Pura Kuru Pura... Edokawa Puranpo no 「Ougon otoko」~「Visual bako no bijo」 (Plastic Tree) YT link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Bb-3L4l2E)

Yuku Pura Kuru Pura... Edokawa Puranpo no 「Onan tokage」~「Bishounen wo kuu bijo」 (Plastic Tree) YT link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAha6vDCE0Q)

Yuku Pura Kuru Pura...Edokawa Puranpo no「Angura Kaijin」~「Remon no bijo」 (Plastic Tree) YT link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzt3ai5LSXc)

Ascendead Master (2009) (Versailles)

Onegai Kanaete (2011) (Versailles)

Oresama (2004) (Miyavi) YT link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcBvKQfVKNM)

Soundtrack (2002) (Sugizo) (I don't know if it's a vkei movie but since the theme appears to be music-oriented, I put it here)

Ochanomizu Rock (2018) (series) (Chiyu of Sug & Ryuji Sato of The Brow Beat) (it gives more jrock than vkei vibes but it's band-focused so maybe it's better I put it under this section)

Non Visual Kei movies jrockers acted in:

Kagen no Tsuki (2004) (this is a live action of a manga) (Hyde)

Aquarian Age: Juvenile Orion (2008) (live action) (Takeru of Sug & Alice Nine)

Paracelcus' Homonculus (2015) (this is an artsy film based off a photographer's exhibition) (Takeru of SuG)

Midori: the Camellia girl (2016) (live action of a manga) (Takeru of SuG)

Bunraku (2010) (Gackt)

Akumu-chan (2014) (Gackt)

Karanukan (2018) (Gackt)

Tonde Saitama 1 (2019) & 2 (2023) (Gackt)

Moshimo Tokugawa Ieyasu ga Sori Daijin ni Nattara (2024) (Gackt)

Furin Kazan (2007) (Gackt)

Mr. Brain (2009) (it must have been 1 episode or 2) (Gackt)

Tempest (2011) (Gackt)

Sengoku Basara (2012) (Gackt)

Time Spiral (2014) (Gackt)

BLEACH (2018) (live action) (Miyavi)

Hell Dogs (2022) (Miyavi)

Familia (2023) (Miyavi)

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) (Miyavi)

Kate (2021) (Miyavi)

Stray (2019) (Miyavi)

Unbroken (2014) (Miyavi)

30-thirty (2000) Hakuei

The Legend of the The Stardust Brothers (1985) (Issay)

溺れる魚 / Drowning Fish (2001) (Izam of Shazna)

Longinus (2004) (more of a short than a full movie I guess) (Atsushi Sakurai)

Other

REPO! The Genetic Opera (2008) (Yoshiki was involved with the music production of this film. Personally I learnt it years after I'd watched it)

Death Trance (2005) (It features many Dir en Grey songs in its soundtracks)

Hamlet (1998) (A rock opera version of the famous play, by Penicillin) YT link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hljXGPsUU1Q)

黒蝶の秘密 / The Secret of the Black Butterfly (2018) (It features a song Chiyu of Sug wrote, called Aiyoku no Hana / Flower of Lust)

I hope you can find anything you like and enjoy!

[ghostieblr]

Another AU that lives in my head rent free about Sterek is a time travel au.

In the canon timeline (i'm not counting that movie), which picks up at the S6 finale, things unravel fast. Monroe wages war against the supernatural, and Beacon Hills is ground zero. Except, surprisingly, 80% people support the supernaturals.

So Monroe spreads the war. She learns of the 13 Nemetons from Gerard, and sets out to destroy them all. Stiles and Derek are the first to put together what she's doing based on her traveling pattern; Derek tells Stiles about the legends, and Stiles deduces what she's about to do.

They cannot save all. Beacon Hills' "dead" Nemeton is the only one saved; Beacon Hills has also become a refuge for those now hunted without mercy. At one point, the war turned into a purge. There's no limitation to killing, no law strong enough to hold anyone accountable. There is only bloodshed.

It is the apocalypse brought by Monroe's hatred and people's prejudice, and world ends not because of the monsters, but because of the humans.

Stiles and Derek have grown close over the years. Their feelings are complicated, but they're shared under the moonlight beneath the Nemeton that has slowly but steadily grown over the years; Stiles is 30 now, and Derek is about to turn 36 next week (he's forever a Christmas baby to me idc). The war as it was has been over for a couple years, and Stiles has become the leader/mayor of the town. He knows how to protect and provide, and Derek is always by his side, an Alpha of his own right, the alpha spark ignited in him by the hand of fates and his own will power. Stiles' Spark dances, the silver of thunder against the glinting, ruby jewel of Derek's own.

They've become soldiers. They're surviving together. They're the only ones left from their original pack. Even Peter is dead, and for final this time.

Scott had left in the middle of war because in his dreams he'd seen Allison, alive and beckoning him, and nobody has heard from him since. He had no regard for the war, or the people who had wanted to take guidance from the "true alpha." Even his mother's pleas had fallen on deaf ears, the allure of his first love blinding him to everything and everyone.

Point is, the world has gone to shit. It would be better to restart.

Stiles confesses to Derek, "I wish we could turn back time."

Derek huffs out a laugh, one that speaks not of how absurd the wish is, but how much he needs it. "Only if we could."

Behind them, the Nemeton hums. They both feel it. They're both on the same page, and Stiles does what he does best: impulsively invades the Nemeton's insides. He has no clue how he does it, but he does it, and inside he finds that same white room, except now there's a humanoid shape floating in it.

When he comes out of that place, Derek asks him what they have to do.

Stiles tells him, and that's how they go back: Nemeton's power, fuelled by its rage and grief at having lost the other 12, and channeled through the strongest sparks existing, A True Alpha and The Spark; they conduct a ritual, their blood soaked in the roots, and then they wake up.

Stiles was 30. He is now... 9.

Derek was almost 36. He is now almost, a week shy, of 14.

It's December of 2003. (Stiles' birthday is April 08, 1994; Derek's is December 25, 1989). This is nearly a year before Claudia dies (which is Nov of 2004) and before the romance with Paige (it happens in the summer of 2004) and before the Hale fire (January 25th, 2005, exactly a month after Derek turns 16).

And guess what? They get to change everything.

They have their memories, and their powers. The Nemetons are alive — they help these two hide their powers. They help these two whenever needed.

Claudia's condition (which i can never spell right so i'm not even attempting it) cannot be healed by the bite, but Stiles' belief, his Spark, wills it so that she doesn't get worse. So, when the Stiles and Derek find a way to make them part of the Hale Pack, Claudia becomes Talia's beta.

Derek kindles a friendship with Paige. Stiles tells Derek he can try again with her — these time they'll never let anything happen to her.

"You want me to be with her."

"Yes. If you want it. She was your first love," Stiles says, all soft and honest. "And I'm... I know you love me. But I can't ask you to wait for me."

The tension in Derek eases. "Idiot," he chastises, Stiles' small hands in his, "I might be going through puberty but I'm not a teenage asshole who thinks with the wrong head. What we have isn't about sex either. If you worry that I'll resent you for me not being able to have sex till I'm 23, then you're an idiot."

"You already said that. And you've counted how long you'll have to wait."

"I am going through puberty, Stiles."

In short. Yes, their first time will be with each other — in this new timeline. (if i didn't explain it properly: they are rewriting everything. their past timeline technically will never exist, not even as a branched timeline).

So, yeah. Paige never dies, Claudia never dies, Kate is found dead 5 states over and it looks like a suicide; Gerard is killed before he can blind Duke, so Jennifer/Julia/The Darach and The Alpha Pack are no threats; Deaton is detained by the mysterious "Red" for violating the code of Druids and executed soon after; it takes some time, but Stiles & Derek manage to locate the dread doctors and they kill them, too.

All of the threats from canon are killed by the time Stiles is 16 again and Derek is almost 22.

Except, a faction of hunters are finally able to pin point that those who killed Gerard are from Beacon Hills. They're prejudiced because of Gerard's teachings, so they target the Hale Pack.

And it is because of this attack — during which Stiles gets heavily injured while protecting his mom — that Derek roars loud and ferocious, eyes red, as Talia's own alpha eyes stare back in shock, just like the rest of the pack. Stiles' wound is deep, and Derek orders one of the others to take him to the Nemeton.

It doesn't take long for Derek to almost kill every hunter, except he's hurt now, too, and even the Nemeton can't heal this new blend of wolsbane's wound.

Stiles is healed by magic, by the Nemeton, and he feels the bond with Derek weaken by the second. At once he finds himself back at the clearing of the fight, teleported, and lashes out at the remaining hunters with a fury that raises the hair on everyone.

Then he screams and begs at Derek to not fucking die and as everyone watches, manages to save the idiot with sheer belief.

Because that's who Stiles is.

And then well... I just imagine that the two of them have to provide context to their pack, which they do, and then there's gasps of awe and sorrow; of not being there and of not realizing that they were ghosts to these kids; that Laura had (and of course Peter too) suspected something was off with Derek and Stiles but not this.

(also i love to include snippets of John being equally horrified at finding the truth out and of realizing that his baby boy is essentially tied up for eternity with Derek Hale, whomst he apparently also arrested for the murder of his favorite deputy???)

[crutchbait]

Hi.

I noticed a very hard to read and inaccessible scan of the short story Redemption Center from the Transformers Legends Anthology 2004 novel floating around in the Starscream tag and since the story is dear to me, decided to transcribe and post a clean pdf version. It’s linked here:

Please feel free to download and share as you’d like. If you notice any errors, or have any issues with access or screen-reading, please feel free to contact me.

**A full version of the Anthology is also archived here on Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/transformers-legends/page/n99/mode/1up#page/n131/mode/1up (it also features a transcript of the story somewhere between pages 63 and 80)

To keep this from clogging the tag, if you have any interest in my elevator pitch or just more information on the short, please check under the read more below.

Published officially along with a collection of other Transformers short stories in 2004 under the Transformers Legends Anthology novel title, Redemption Center character spotlights Starscream and tentatively explores the grand divide of faction dynamics.

The story itself is a “what-if” sort, taking place in the Generation 1 continuity some time past the episode “A Prime Problem”, following Starscream after he finds himself severely damaged in an accidental fall post battle. The damaged Starscream creates an ethical dilemma for the Autobots, having shed his memory in recovery and exhibiting very unfamiliar behavior.

Though the dilemma doesn’t last long as Starscream quickly recuperates, regaining the weight of his past and returning to life with the Decepticons. Despite his quick departure, the kind experience the Autobots left Starscream with seemingly leaving more of a lasting effect on the ‘bot than anyone would seem to expect.

[littlemagicalstardust]

Happy Pro Wrestling Debut Anniversary to the legend of 'Freshly Squeezed' Orange Cassidy! On this day... March 13th, 2004 Orange made his debut with his friend Dan in GBW! He's wrestled earlier than this but apart of an official card, he made his debut on this day in 2004! He's had quite the wild journey since then and I could not be more proud of him!

[boxturret]

Bionicle 2: Mysteries of Metru Nui

There are many, many parts of B2 that don't really stand up to scrutiny, but one of the most odd was Vakama's reaction to one of his earlier visions. Its at 14 minutes in if this video also at some point gets scrubbed from the internet in the ongoing censorship campaign.

UPDATE: The youtube upload of TLOMN that was referenced here has seemingly been removed since this post was written.

Vakama says that "[He] saw it, Metru-Nui was destroyed!" but even as a child I was confused by this statement, as the images shown in the vison the city looked fine, just a bit....purple.

There have long been rumors that this was a hasty, last minute edit, that originally the destruction was more explicitly depicted.

Someone that claims to have in their possession the movie contacted me recently about their experience trying to release it.

I don't know how I got my hands on the DVD, its just been something I had around all my childhood. I don't know if someone my family knew were affiliated with Bionicle, or Creative Capers, if I had known I would have bragged about it constantly LOL. So for my childhood this WAS Legends of Metru Nui for me, it wasn't until adulthood, and me getting back in to the Bionicle fan communities during COVID that I came across the version uploaded youtube and Biomedia Project. [...] So when I had the chance to go back to my parents a few months later I was able to dig out the old DVD I watched back then and ripped it. So as a joke, last BIO Day I thought I'd upload the movie in full to see if anyone would notice the change. [...] Then a few months ago I get an email from youtube that the video was copyright claimed by Lego and it had been taken down, I was really shocked.

He was kind enough to send me a copy of the email, and its genuine.

His youtube account was heavily penalised, and as the account has a lot of important things uploaded to it he didn't wish to risk it by trying again.

He sent me a phone video of the scene in question as proof.

As you can see, instead of simply being covered in a purple fog, the coliseum itself is exploding and collapsing.

The quality is poor, and the audio nearly impossible to make out, but if you compare it to the released version, the explosion might even still be in the final sound mix, just obfuscated to be the sound of a thunder clap.

Now, why was this hasty edit made? Most theories point to 9/11.

The September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade center in 2001 was very shocking and traumatised much of the united states of america. Some things released closer to the time were hastily edited to remove any imagery that might call back to it, for one Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty had a whole sequence from the ending where the giant Arsenal Gear crashed though much of Manhattan stopping just short of the Twin Towers cut at the last moment.

Now you may ask, "MGS2 came out in 2001, but B2 was 2004 why was it still censored" but that's simple, 9/11 left deep scars in the us psyche, even 2002's Lord of the Rings the Two Towers was heavily criticised in some circles for the sensational name trying to cash in on the tragedy, even though the book it was based on was nearly 60 years old. So its not outside of the realm of possibility that even in 2004 a piece of children's media featuring such a scene would be deemed in bad taste.

Even today, the long dead Bionicle fan site Bionicle Zone Power reactivates once a year to pay respects to the tragedy.

Now as to why TLG or someone at least posing as them would be so fanatical and judicious about this version of the film being released to the public, that's anyone's guess.

So that is the story of the weird scene in Bionicle 2: The Legend of Metru Nui. If only all of the nonsensical scenes in that film could be so thoroughly explained.

[toshio]

okay friends. it's been a while since i did an "anime recommendation" post but i'm gonna try do more of them! just remind me on anon or something, i love doing them & sharing my fave anime w/ y'all, duh.

do you like historical fiction? japan? hip-hop music? nujabes? (rip legend, he died in 2010) giant swords, drama and action?

let me yap to you about one of my favorite animes ever.

"samurai champloo" サムライチャンプルー (2004)

the series takes place during an "alternate" version of Edo Japan (anywhere from 1603 to 1867) and it's not historically accurate at all, it's basically just historical fanfiction. even though the anime takes place during the past, the characters are written veryyy contemporary (2000s lingo basically). expect to hear upbeat, hip-hop music with otherwordly yet immaculately produced instrumentals/samples while there's swords clashing.

speaking of music...

let me tell you. the soundtrack on this anime is fucking INSANE. if you enjoy hip hop music, fresh beats, instrumental music that will make you stay up at night and question your existence, this anime has it. mind you, this music was released in the year 2004, and kids on tiktok now are jamming to "aruarian dance" (one of my favorite instrumental songs from the OST) and putting it in the background of their influencer or goofy cat reels. the year i'm writing this post is 2025 and the kiddos fucking looove this anime's soundtrack. it's absolutely timeless. get. into. it. it's that fucking good. all of it is on spotify and other streaming platforms btw. support my king nujabes.

to summarize the plot, Samurai Champloo follows the adventures of three (3) characters. a young girl who's originally a tea waitress (Fuu) who brings two gifted swordsmen with her. their polarizing personalities make the series extremely entertaining, as they often clash and argue over anything. (just dudes being dudes, y'know?)

Mugen (in red) who's your typical jackass. he's rude and lewd. loves women. very unhinged. a lot of fans vibe w/ this guy, his personality is unlike anything i've ever seen in anime. absolute trailblazer. he's the type of kid in high school to pick a fight with you for absolutely no goddamn reason, like over your lunch or something petty.

Jin (in blue) is your typical good guy. quiet dude who is calm and collected. he rarely smiles, and is basically that one quiet kid who's a total badass. we all knew that kid growing up. that's jin. we love jin.

i guarantee you the first episode of this anime will have you HOOKED. this anime is the origin of this iconic misleading boob gif btw. weeb tumblr veterans know exactly what i'm talking about.

the first episode is such a rollercoaster, and a really good introduction to the series. oh and this is one of those rare anime series where the english dub is STELLAR. highly recommend the english dub if you don't like reading japanese subtitles. it fits perfectly with the hip hop music playing in the background. you've got amazing voices like Steve Blum (voices Mugen), Kirk Thornton (voices Jin), and the iconic Kari Wahlgren (voices Fuu).

let me know if you guys pick up this anime, it's a classic! you can get your daily dose of Japan, sword clashing, and hip hop beats. there's about 26 episodes total, nothing too crazy long.

[lightningant]

can i ask what your hp fandom journey was like? like did you read the books as a kid and get back into it as an adult or however it went. just curious! love your writing btw 💖

The books released through my childhood and I would get every book for my birthday starting with goblet of fire (retroactively during the hiatus)

I got into fanfiction through Legend of Zelda but HP was so culturally significant I was in there a lot too. When I was 11 I wrote self-insert fanfiction where I was older and Harry and Draco were in love with me and I sang angsty music about how I couldn't respond to their feelings. You have to understand I have always been aro/ace and not particularly romantically curious - I only wrote self-insert because my favourite fanfics were self-insert and a love triangle because all the fics about women going on adventures in fanfiction featured love drama. #Society moment? You decide

It was just a Thing I Liked for years - most things are - and I had floaty tastes. I was on that Snupin classique train. I was reading 2004 doujinshi.

2015. I'm 21. I'm in a stage of arrested development. I'm shakily achieving self-determination. I just started writing fanfiction again for the first time in years. Long fanfiction too! I become more interested in fanfiction in general. Now, my friend likes Harry Potter. "Have you read Digging for the Bones" my friend asks. No. I haven't. I go to Fanfiction.net. I find Digging for the Bones.

Lives changed. Generations redefined. My entire existence now exists in service of Snape being Harry Potter's authority figure. I read 50+ Severitus fics that year and nearly all of them are terrible. I don't care. I am a human altered.

Generally from that point on literally every time I swing back to HP fandom it's to try a new Severitus fanfiction. Problems with Potions, By His Side, Crime and Punishment, don't ask me about any of these because I don't remember. For years my entire personality in HP fandom was Severitus I cannot understate how foundational it was to me

That same friend likes Tomarry. I think it's pretty good and makes a lot of sense. A seed is planted in the back of my head: "Yeah, Tomarry makes sense".

I read the Two Body Problem. Hermione genfic. I become more deeply invested in Diary Tom as an independent character. This becomes a Tom Riddle tastemaker - I am from this point onward impervious to seductive powerful masc Dark Academia Pinterest Bad Boy Booktok Boyfriend Tom in exchange for receiving x10 damage bonus for Tom throwing tantrums

Friend is back. Recommends Evans Boy. Pretty good, I think. I like this a lot. I check the bookmarks after I bookmark it myself. One of them says something like "the best thing I've read since A Study of Resonance".

What's A Study of Resonance, I think.

"PERCY??????" I think.

I read A Study of Resonance.

Lives changed. Generations redefined. My entire existence now exists in service of Tom Riddle

Where else does one get Tom Riddle but Tomarry? Give me the Tom Riddle Character Study fanfictions, trusted shippers, my heart is open and I'm willing to dig

Bad

Found Tom Riddle fics that aren't Pinterest Board Bad Boy Booktok Boyfriend. "If I want to read more of this I think I'll just have to write it"

VoV happens

(Sideplot: Discussing Dumbledore family drama as we chatted about HP made me want to learn more about Aberforth. I found out the spoiler that Credence Barebone was his child, thought about the ramifications of him having kids, and repurposed the girl from a Wrong Boy Who Lived fic idea I had once into Herring so I could explore the web of family drama. The Tom Riddle fixation abruptly clipped me sideways up the head mid-structuring. What if Tom Riddle tried to get Severitused and failed. Has anyone considered that. Can anyone hear me)

I hope it's a little more clear why I have a "whatever makes Tom happy" shipping policy and why the fics that inspired VoV weren't Tomarry. Fics that posit Tom as a love interest just do not do it for me. I don't want Tom to be in a relationship because he's attractive, I want him to be in a relationship because it's alien stimulus to him and probably a more productive outlet for his wretched energy than anything else he has going on

[purplepaigepurple535]

hey y'all, this is a research paper i wrote in my advanced research seminar... by popular demand im gonna post it because i think it ended up being really interesting. the books i read to do this were also so so good, like BG's autobiography and pat summitt's too. took me like a week to write but it was so so interesting. hope u guys like it!

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

From Scrutiny to Stardom: The Media Evolution of Women’s College Basketball

Research question: To what extent have media portrayals of women’s college basketball evolved from the ‘Old Era’ to the ‘New Era’, when did this turning point occur, and how much have these changes contributed to the sport’s growing popularity?

IB Extended Essay Language and Literature: Category 3

3,990 Words

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

Introduction

Women’s college basketball: the cultural phenomenon that floods social media pages around the world. It seems as though it came out of nowhere, materializing in the early 2020s and sticking around since. But the truth is, it's always been around. Sitting on the back burner, waiting for its time to shine, while men’s sports dominated the media, the fans, and the world. As recounted by WNBA Star Brittney Griner, it survived periods where it would only be mentioned as a side note regarding a player’s gender, sexuality, or race. It thrived in moments of unbridled competition and fierce opposition. A dynamic, exciting, emotionally stimulating game, women’s college basketball is a rollercoaster that’s been bringing fans on an thrilling ride for decades. 

Between 1990 and 2020 (the “Old Era”) the game was defined by big rivalries like UConn vs. Tennessee and UConn vs. Notre Dame, and ended up producing stars such as Diana Taurasi (drafted from UConn in 2004), Candace Parker (from Tennessee, 2008), Tina Charles (UConn, 2010), and Maya Moore (UConn, 2011). Powerhouse programs, like those which the game’s biggest stars played for, dominated the game both competitively and culturally. 

But from the resurgence of Geno Auriemma’s legendary UConn dynasty in 2025 to the short stint of Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder’s Iowa squad in the early 2020s, women's college basketball is changing drastically. The star-studded sport is making headlines, breaking records, and drawing in more viewership than it’s ever seen. Some think this emergence seems out of the blue, unpredictable even, but in reality it has been brewing for quite some time. Since being sponsored by the NCAA in 1982, the sport has seen hundreds of iconic, big-name players. 

Marking the transition from the ‘Old Era’ to the ‘New Era’ (2020-present), players like Taurasi, Charles, and Parker started to be replaced by modern legends like Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and A’ja Wilson. But, what makes today’s game different from the past isn’t just great players. It’s how much the world sees of them, their personalities, and their presence off the court. Though the problem was that, before social media, the only sources of information for fans would be heavily manipulated media narratives and expertly crafted headlines. Platforms like Facebook (started in 2004) and Instagram (2010) helped athletes to show their own personal styles and connect directly with their fans on a different level. Players’ hobbies, traits, skills, and sexualities have all become common grounds for healthy bonding with fans. More people celebrating their differences and appreciating their similarities, a major contrast to the judgemental and scrutinizing nature of the world before social media. This has come hand in hand with cultural shifts over the last few years, with the growing visibility of LGBTQ athletes and creation of online fan communities that have changed how enthusiasts engage with the sport.

Perhaps fueled by their well-earned “hype” on social media, the turning point in the sport’s popularity came after being blessed by the recruiting class of 2020. A group of electrifying, dynamic high school stars, the 2020 seniors were destined to have a major impact on their game at the collegiate level. They brought remarkable motivation and passion to the NCAA, taking their respective colleges by storm and playing hard through tremendous adversity. But even among incredible athletes like Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Hailey Van Lith and Kamila Cardoso, two stars stood out above the rest. They became household names, cementing their identities as some of the greatest to ever grace the college basketball stage. Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers ignited the flame under the ‘New Era’ of women’s basketball.

Since Clark and Bueckers began to play in college, the sport is now fueled by social media visibility, cultural movements regarding gender and identity, and a new group of athletes who are just as famous and impactful on a ‘For You’ page as they are on the court. The surge in the appeal for women’s basketball today brings up an important question: To what extent have media portrayals of women’s college basketball evolved from the ‘Old Era’ to the ‘New Era’, when did this turning point occur, and how much have these changes contributed to the sport’s growing popularity? This essay will dive deeper into that transformation and conclusions drawn from it. As the world becomes more open and accepting of different identities, it seems as though the media has an important obligation to carefully and accurately represent female athletes, since the narratives that headlines build shape how the women are perceived.

The ‘Old Era’ Media Landscape

During the ‘Old Era’ (between 1990 and 2020), women’s college basketball was home to some of the biggest rivalries in sports. Even with the severely limited amount of media coverage allotted, most was taken up by such rivalries and the chaos surrounding them. Those rivalry matchups were often the ones streamed nationally, as opposed to standard regular season games. This era also saw the development of generational talents (for example, Taurasi, Parker, and Charles) who became household names and cemented themselves into basketball history. Some might think that the portrayals of those rivalries and athletes caused most media narratives to be straightforward, but that is far from the truth. This era in media was underlined by many cultural issues, which created a big challenge for anyone trying to represent the sport accurately. 

This section will dive deeper into the specific characteristics of women’s basketball media during the ‘Old Era’. Two main parts will be examined: first, the struggle for widespread media visibility, and second, the way players are portrayed in media, more specifically pertaining to gender and sexuality. Both factors can be used to show the inconsistent and unfair representation of female athletes, since women’s and men’s sports often competed for broadcast slots in a world where men’s sports were highly dominant. It is important to understand these dynamics and stereotypes if viewers want to truly see female athletes for who they are and not just what the skewed media narratives show them to be.

A main example of the men’s vs. women’s theme going on during this ‘Old Era’, is how women’s college basketball games often needed to fight for prime-time slots on major television networks. Even though certain games invoked what would be considered more than enough interest to be broadcast, networks were not able to turn that interest into broadcast priority. Very solid ratings were given to the most anticipated matchups, as explained in Jeff Goldberg’s Unrivaled. For example the 1994 UConn vs. Tennessee game, an MLK Day special, earned a 1.0 rating nationally . Tennessee star Kellie Jolly also talked about the buzz around the game: "People were excited about women's basketball. That was huge for our sport [...] no game was talked about like Tennessee-Connecticut." Headlines regarding women’s basketball though, showed how much the world doubted the sport and its growth. An example of this is a 1994 article in The New York Times, headlined, “COLLEGE BASKETBALL; N.C.A.A. Women Are Tipping Off In Untapped Areas”. By using words like ‘untapped’ and ‘tipping off’, the headline implies that the sport is entering an area that the world never thought it would reach. Although the wording might have been questionable, it did what was rarely done at the time: it acknowledged that there was in fact a tipping point and women’s basketball was reaching it. This, along with the attention on the 1994 MLK game, were major accomplishments for the sport, proving that viewers would in fact tune in to nationally broadcasted games. This was to the great pleasure of many ESPN network executives, but was particularly appreciated by Carol Stiff, a women’s sports content coordinator who eventually rose to the position of Vice President of Women's Sports Programming & Acquisitions . In Unrivaled, she notes, "You couldn’t walk away from the fact that [the Martin Luther King Day] game rated a 1.0, at one in the afternoon. I was pretty thrilled with that number. I would love to get that nowadays." After great successes like the MLK day game in 1994, “the NCAA and major networks signed a new contract in the spring of 1995, granting ESPN exclusive broadcasting rights to the women’s regional finals and Final Four beginning in 1996”. This created exposure and the sport began to gain more traction. 

The effects of this event, which seemed promising, quickly disappeared. Other networks took over the coverage of the main rivalry games, and their priorities were not always centered around women’s sports. As Goldberg explains, "the contract stated that the [UConn-Tennessee] game was under the SEC contract and CBS gets first choice.” Since they only needed to broadcast three regular season games, CBS would schedule them as triple-headers during the same time NFL wild card weekends. This caused the basketball matchups to go up against more popular football broadcasts. Stiff was upset about the situation, expressing how she didn’t think it was right that  "big marquee game[s] in prime time" were often "put up against the NFL playoffs.”  

These factors made the sport unable to reach a wider audience, causing rivals to play multiple times in a season just to gain viewership.

Tennessee legend Pat Summitt talks in her autobiography Sum It Up about a conversation she had with her greatest nemesis, UConn coach and 12-time national champion Geno Auriemma. She explains that one of the few things she and Auriemma had in common was their interest in growing the sport. Summitt agreed to Auriemma’s proposal for the ESPN game on MLK day, even though her team was clearly disadvantaged. Summitt stated, "I couldn’t say no. I’d always felt a tremendous responsibility to give back to the game... So I said yes. And we lost.” This decision she made, which prioritized the good of the sport over her own team, shows how most coaches were very dedicated to improving the visibility of the game. The stubbornness and blatant sexism of TV networks led coaches and players to react and make decisions they might not have otherwise made, simply to increase viewership.

Society in the ‘Old Era’ also put a lot of pressure on female athletes. Instead of just being appreciated for their talent on the court, they were examined and judged on other parts of their identities. The media compared things like gender, where women’s basketball players would be put up against their male counterparts, and their “femininity” would be questioned. Brittney Griner’s experience, as she documents in her autobiography In My Skin, serves as a way to understand the scrutiny faced by female athletes regarding their identities. In the book, Griner talks about the public obsession with her physical appearance, gender, and sexuality as a 6’9” gay woman. She explains, “My decision [...] fueled crazy conspiracy theories about me—how I'm secretly a man, and I wanted to avoid genetic testing at the Olympics." This created an environment where discussions about the physical appearance and gender conformity of the female athletes moved focus away from their true skill in-game. Instead of putting in the majority of their effort on improving their game, they needed to navigate a world where their value wouldn’t even be judged on it. Griner’s quote can be tied to the themes of “ignorance and hate” that Griner had mentioned earlier in her book, which emphasizes how societal biases played a main role in the invasive media narratives. This speculation about things out of Griner’s control undermined her achievements and forced viewers to talk about her personal identity instead. It exemplifies the added burden on female athletes during that period, one that made them defend themselves against public scrutiny, and one that was barely ever seen by men’s players.

The uncertainty and hate for LGBTQ athletes was way more constrained in the ‘Old Era’. Even though social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram were out at that point, there was still not much discussion or acceptance about or for LGBTQ athletes yet. Because of that, media coverage of players’ sexuality was often careful, subtle, or just completely ignored. Media sources avoided those subjects because of preexisting stereotypes that limited how information could be conveyed non-judgmentally. As research done by sociologist Michael Messner concluded, "women’s sports get much less coverage, claimed to be because of stereotypes or lack of enthusiasm.” That lack of support and harsh environment meant that athletes needed to navigate their careers while also considering dominant societal norms. Thus proving why it was so important for the media to represent these athletes fairly and accurately, since any obscurities about their personal lives would be torn about and pull attention away from their game.

Evidently, the years from 1990-2020 made up a period where society not only judged women unfairly, but severely undervalued women’s sports and talent. A main cause of this was the pre-existing societal opinions of women and their abilities. Most media platforms were unable to keep up with the constant progression or inclusivity and acceptance, meaning that the sport was trying to grow within a society that wasn’t transforming fast enough. Because of that, the ‘Old Era’ of women’s college basketball was defined by its constant struggle to obtain prime-time media attention, in a world where any attention it did get would be consumed by judgement, homophobia, and other forms of hate. Broadcasting companies made decisions that proved to be detrimental to the sport’s growth and potential, as explained in Unrivaled and Sum It Up. This often forced coaches and players to make strategic decisions, for the sole purpose of increasing viewership. Instead of the thrill and skill of the game speaking for itself, attention was brought to the women’s basketball stage through the over-analysis of players’ identities and personal lives. The gender identities, sexualities, and races of players were all among characteristics that were scrutinized as opposed to those players’ skills themselves.

The Turning Point

Once players like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers hit the women’s basketball stage, the sport hit what Malcom Gladwell refers to as “The Tipping Point”. This concept basically describes how "thoughts, ideas and behaviours spread like viruses... at a tremendous rate" under certain conditions. Players, media strategies, and growing cultural awareness combined to create the perfect combination of variables. The sport entered mainstream media, signaling the beginning of its increased popularity. 

Gladwell’s theory involves the idea of people playing the parts of Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. Clark and Bueckers took on these roles for women’s college basketball. As connectors, their rivalries and individual skill helped to turn a diverse fan group into a connected community. Their personalities attracted many people, from casual sports fans to the basketball obsessed. The generated social media attention and headlines made them unavoidable, therefore drawing a larger audience to the sport. In addition to their connections, they also played the role of mavens, or “[people] who possess extensive knowledge and expertise on a particular topic or product, and actively seek to share that information with others.” Their generational skill and talent brought in lots of discussion: fans watched their games, celebrated their records, and invested emotionally in their journeys, transforming what used to be passive viewership into engagement. Finally, as salesmen, their charisma, athletic personalities, and major voices “sold” the sport. Interest in them moved past the court, causing them to become cultural figures whose stories were told widely, converting skeptics into fans.

The three main components of the “Tipping Point” theory are what Gladwell refers to as the “The Law of the Few”, the “Stickiness Factor” and the “Power of Context”, with the last two being the most relevant to the transformation of women’s basketball.. The “Stickiness Factor”, or “the unique quality that causes a phenomenon to stick in people's minds and influence their behaviour,” played an important role in the rapid development of the sport. Moments like Clark’s threes or Bueckers’ clutch plays made games more memorable and resonated with fans emotionally. The two players didn’t just make highlights, but culturally significant events. They were replayed and discussed across media platforms proving just how much the two players affected the game. Bueckers and Clark’s large followings on social media (2.6M and 3.3M on Instagram, respectively, and 3.8M and 702.9K on TikTok, respectively) are prime examples of how big of a role they play in modern media. 

The “Power of Context” strongly affected the development of the sport as well. According to Ashley Crossmann of ThoughtCo, it’s “the idea that the environment or circumstances surrounding an idea, trend, or epidemic significantly influence whether it becomes widespread.” Luckily for women’s basketball, the modern cultural environment supported its growth and expansion. Society shifted during the ‘Old Era’, becoming more accepting of women in prominent roles. This ‘New Era’ built on those changes, setting the stage for the sport’s breakthrough, and pushing it over the “tipping point”. This ended up bringing in unprecedented viewership. For example, the 2024 Iowa-UConn Final Four game shattered records, becoming "the most-watched hoops game in ESPN history.” This isn’t just a statistic, but a tool that shows the major transition of the sport from a lesser-known interest to a popular phenomenon.

The ‘New Era’ Media Landscape 

This new, modern landscape in the “Post-Caitlin/Paige” era is characterized by bolder marketing, the challenging of stereotypes, and greater acceptance of the athletes’ true identities. A direct challenge to the historical under-recognition of the game came through the ‘Everyone Watches Women’s Sports’ campaign, beginning in late 2023. This was created by TOGETHXR, a company trying to "uplift the next generation of women in sports.” The company was founded by female athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird, which in turn brings in lots of credibility and authenticity to the opinions they convey. The EWWS campaign in particular targets a large audience. The slogan is declarative and it was put on various types of clothing, signaling their mass-appeal strategy. The message, “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports”, is deliberate and aspirational. This rhetorical choice provokes thought and challenges preexisting viewership assumptions. The shirts were also first made in a simple black and white color scheme, which speaks to the simplicity of the message being sent. There are no designs to draw attention away from the words on the shirt. This could be speaking to the fact that the world needs to be upfront and steadfast when confronting issues like sexism, homophobia, and racism, and that those problems should not be romanticized in the media. 

Another example of innovative media campaigns is the “So Win.” Nike campaign, beginning in early 2025. Similar to the EWWS slogan, the simple “You Can’t Win. So Win.” message is not complex at all. The wording is straightforward, easy to understand by the general public, and is often displayed in simple white letters against a black screen. Also, it is important to note that the statement itself is paradoxical, which serves as a direct comparison to the current state of women’s sports media. According to Andrea Paloian of NYU, the “Female Athlete Paradox” “describes the internal conflict faced by women athletes who are expected to both excel in their sport (which often involves strength, power, and athleticism, traits traditionally associated with men) and conform to societal expectations of femininity.” The slogan conveys this implicitly, taking a dig at the doubters of female athletes. The “You Can’t Win.” section acts as a summation of the certain things said about female athletes and their abilities. If this phrase was left alone, it would serve simply as a motivational statement. Something that could be used to convince women, young and old, to beat the gender stereotypes and disprove societal norms. Instead, the slogan answers the question by saying “So Win.” It states that as though it is obvious, something that should already be assumed. The campaign implies that the standard for female athletes should be set higher, that the bar should not be set anything below what doubters think women can’t do. This sort of “underdog” trope is used often in modern women’s sports media as a way of encouraging young women to step out of their comfort zones and take on challenges that society thinks they are unable to face. 

The commercials for the “So Win” campaign mostly involved clips of different famous female athletes put together, while being narrated by grammy-winner Doechii. Those advertisements demonstrate unity between women and encapsulate the potential of women’s sports by using prominent figures in the sports and music industries. But Nike also made a commercial starring only one athlete: Paige Bueckers. Bueckers narrates and stars in the entire 14 second video, confronting the constant scrutiny over her off-court life, and daring those who question her methods to realize her dominance in the game. She narrates, “People seem to get upset that I’m everywhere.”, while the video cuts to pictures of her at various different events in the off-season. This directly addresses the claims made about Bueckers when she attended awards shows, fashion week, and other high-profile events. People seemed to think that she was not spending enough time in the gym perfecting her craft, and were expecting her senior season to reflect that. Instead, in a calm and collected manner, Bueckers opposes those views when she states, “That’s funny. I seem to upset them here too.” By saying this, she implies that the doubters were incorrect in their assumptions that her game was going to show the consequences of her off-season “world tour”. She also takes on a confrontational tone, emphasizing her displeasure with the narratives. Bueckers ended up having one of the best seasons in women’s college basketball history, winning the national championship and getting drafted No. 1 in the 2025 WNBA draft (Dallas Wings). Even though some media tried to skew the narrative and write her story for her, she tuned it out and played to her potential, serving as an inspiration for young women and athletes everywhere.

Conclusion

The portrayals of women’s basketball have not always been positive or uplifting, and have definitely not always been consistent. From the scrutinization of the game’s old legends to the more accepting, yet cautionary portrayals of players today, the game has seen its ups and downs. In a world where societal norms are constantly changing, the media has been forced to to the new ways people are looking at things. During a time of minimal cultural awareness about LGBTQ players and severe sexism towards women, the ‘Old Era’ media coverage reflected that. Narratives were pushed that were very far from the truth, and the hate and underappreciation of female athletes was at an all time high. After the introduction of platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, the widespread cultural awareness for the unfair judgements placed on those players started to seep into the media. Headlines changed from things like “Brittney Griner’s deep voice in viral video shocks fans, sparks new wave of gender rumors” to more accepting narratives such as “Brittney Griner’s story always transcended sport. She’s a real American trailblazer”. In a society where hate spreads like wildfire, media networks have become more aware of the messages they are sending. Players have now been granted their rightful freedom to write their own stories and choose the parts of their identities they wish to share. Frontrunners in the sport, like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, have taken advantage of this freedom and interacted heavily with their fan bases on social media platforms. They’ve drawn attention to their skills and playing styles by posting about their personalities, highlights, and service off the court. The effects are clear: women’s basketball grows when players, like Clark and Bueckers, work hand-in-hand with social media to write their own stories. 

As the cultural landscape of the world rapidly develops and society becomes more accepting of diverse personal identities, the media must adapt just as quickly. Narratives are built through headlines and front-page news, meaning that networks must exercise caution and be open-minded when representing figures as historically scrutinized as female athletes.

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thanks so much for reading, pls lmk your thoughts!! :))

[a-bad-case-of-the-stephs]

Okay, so I'm gonna give a little bit of needless context to this ask before asking the ask -

Every time I find a "new" character that I'm interested in and scroll their tags, I find one or more canon panels with Dick Grayson being a little shittt to them. This is often accompanied by the in-universe justification of him being stressed/brainwashed/misled/possessed. This has happened with Helena Bertinelli, JPV and Donna Troy.

I also generally dislike the man because he's a batboy and I am generally peeved by their presence in other tags.

Now I have come to you, my primary source of Stephanie Brown facts, to try to confirm my biases against this man.

I remember that he was in Gotham for the Gang War, and that he was Batman during her run as Batgirl under Oracle. But it has been a while since I've read those comics.

Was Dick Grayson ever present in any meaningful capacity during her Robin and Batgirl days? Was he nice to her? Did he have any reaction to Bruce "losing" another Robin?

Dick Grayson and Steph have had extremely limited preboot interactions, so this question is actually pretty easy and straightforward to answer!!!

I don’t know if I’ll be very helpful in confirming or denying your Dick Grayson related biases, but I can give you list of every interaction I can think of, and leave it up to you to interpret them as you’d like!

(I will say ‘character wasn’t an asshole to stephanie brown at least once’ is a pretty high bar to clear. Weirdly enough a lot of the characters she meets will at first lowkey have unsubstantiated issues with her. Babs has had her beef with her, even before Steph took up the Batgirl mantle, Cass has said some hurtful things about and to Steph (and vice versa), Alfred fucking HATESSS Steph’s guts before her death and makes it very clear, Tim despite how close he and Steph are also has his more insulting moments and Bruce is like.. self explanatory. Damian’s character was just generally prickly when he met Steph, and their first meeting makes him no exception to this rule. A lot of these characters warm up to her eventually, it’s just rarely automatic. A lot of these preboot relationships are complicated, and messy and fun and nuanced. Just something to keep in mind)

Alright!! Itemized list of every interaction I can think of in order of occurrence:

- Tim and Dick have a convo where Steph’s pregnancy comes up. Dick is familar with Stephs name, presumably from talking with Tim at some nebulous point beforehand

Nightwing #25

- Dick makes a surprise appearance in Stephanie Browns giving birth dream sequence (we have not seen them meet or interact at all on panel at this point btw. No clue why she would have him appear in the dream sequence)

- Dick and Steph are both in the Last Laugh, thought they don’t rly work together or see each other except for this moment, which is like barely an interaction:

Last Laugh #6

- they also are both in BW:Murderer/Fugitive but iirc this is the only moment they are in the same room, and Steph’s pretty much only there as Cass’ tag-along buddy. It’s complicated because Steph is dealing w a VERY different layer of BW:Murderer than Dick. Steph is hardly involved at all besides her hanging out with Cass, and doesn’t know why everyone is so invested in solving this murder or the broader implications at all.

Batgirl #27 (2000)

-we don’t see them interact during Steph’s time as Robin, and we actually have no indication Dick even knows Steph even took on the mantle. Though he very well could have found out through talking with Tim, once Tim found out.

-Steph during very early War Games reflects on Nightwing and his role as the first Robin. She states she didn’t know more abt him than pretty much the barebones ‘legend’ everyone knows about Batman and Robin, the fact that he’s friends with a lot of the superhero community, and that’s he’s very loyal to Batman.

Batman: The 12 Cent Adventure (2004)

(You’re right that Dick Grayson was in Gotham during War Games, but he and Steph do not interact)

-After Steph’s death, Dicks in the middle of reeling after a genuinely horrifically intense downward spiral angst arc he has been enduring over in Nightwing 1996 for the past good while, but we do get to see his direct reaction to Stephs death:

Nightwing #99

He later (its weird timing wise) over in Batman participates in the ‘Bruce Wayne did nothing wrong / Steph was a screwup innately’ lovefest, but I find his reaction in Nightwing a lot more true to form and focused.

Batman #634

I don’t think there is another interaction until Batgirl 2009, where we get the meat of their interactions and also a source of conflict

-Dick underestimates Steph’s abilities and basically tells Babs to make her fuck off until he eventually comes around and gives them the go-ahead to operate out of the batcave

Pretty common kind of story in Batgirl 2009, various vigilantes (Babs and Tim both) are at first adamantly disapproving of Steph acting as Batgirl, with that disapproval often times portrayed as out of fear for Steph’s safety, before they discover Steph is more competent/determined than they believed.

So there it is! A pretty complete overview of Dick and Steph’s preboot interactions and relationship. You can make of it what you will.

If anyone noticed I missed anything, please lmk! Hope this was helpful and thanks for the ask!