My points are obviously he made “my beautiful dark twisted fantasy” and “graduation” which are one of the most critically acclaimed albums out there , songs like “I wonder” , “Ghost town” , “Jesus walks “ and “runaway” have literally changed peoples life . He has 21 Grammys Taylor has 9 ( I know Kanye started his career earlier than Taylor but , his debut album came out in 2004 and taylor’s came out in 2006 so 🤷) . His songs actually have meaning and most of taylor’s songs are targeted towards young women and are love songs . Her arguments are that Taylor is the most talented artis out there as she can write, sing , dance and do everything . She has lot more songs thanks just love songs , like never grow up , best day , archer , long live , innocent and she named many more which I don’t remember . She creates this like storyline through her songs which entertains her fans even more . Recently she had the most number of fans ever recorded in a concert . We both make many more points but I’m not gonna bore you with everything .
SO I SUMMON ALL THE YE FANS AND SWIFTIES TO TEAR THE COMMENT SECTION APART .
PS -this debate is PURELY based on who has better music ,and arguments about kanye’s controversies and how nice Taylor swift is won’t work . This is a purely based on who is a better artist .
PS- all the people commenting “doesn’t matter” and “who cares” . Come on , be fun , have an actual opinion or don’t comment .

https://imgur.com/a/ln1Y2pG

Hey, Mega GNR is an adult, active, waring clan, and always loooking to get better and give advice if you want it. We are masters one for Cwl, and war every chance we get inbetween cwl. We max out clan games and very close to maxed capital, and we are very active in using attacks in that also. We give people the chance to practice attacking with our rules.

Me (30f) and my (42m) have been together for a year and six months. I am African American and he is Korean and the first born son. We were both raised very different, my mom died when I was young but I have a good relationship with my father and siblings. We were raised with respect being a two way street and if I am happy my father is happy. I wasn’t raised to obey, serve or cater to my father. He’s not the chief, he’s just my father, a brother, uncle, friend….that’s it. I love and have a tremendous amount of respect for him but he gives me just as much respect as I give him.
My partner has had a lot of racial issues in the past, being married for 8 years to another Black Woman. For about 5 years of that time he lived on the other side of the US from his folks and then moved back to the same state with his family when his dad had a heart attack to help out with the family business. He told me that time away felt like he was the truest version of himself and the time period when he was the happiest. I wonder why? He’s always been the black sheep in his family, the outcast, the person who chooses their own path and for some reason my partner seems stuck again, trapped in the same toxic cycle.
Unfortunately he’s shared a lot with me about his past and terrible things he’s experienced that give me a ton of anxiety and make me worry about our future. He would tell me stories about his family inviting him over to their house and asking him to leave her at home or come by himself. “Our friends can’t meet her”, his father told him he would no longer be apart of the family because he married her, he doesn’t want to see him around town with that black woman. During the entire 8 years his ex wife saw his father about 4 times.Now fast forward to today, my partner now lives on the same coast as his folks but a 2-3hr flight away. I have a great relationship with his sister, cousins and his dad’s sister even invited us over for thanksgiving and we stayed at her house, all of her sons are with white women and she has a biracial grand daughter. His mom has changed and show more acceptance of his choices, she has told him that she has always had his back but it is also her duty as a Korean wife to please her husband and not make him upset. (I believe they are 72 and 78?)
In September they came to visit his new house and my boyfriend and his parents cooked and invited all his friends over to watch Sunday football. My boyfriend said it would be a slow introduction and I would be his introduced as his “friend” and I was okay with that 9 months into our relationship. The day was fine but his father went and ate in my boyfriend’s bedroom without the rest of us. (3 couples and his mom). I am under the impression he sat on the floor or my boyfriends bed to eat because there is no other furniture.
In December I went up to his home state where he grew up and where they live, we stayed with his sister and his mom came to lunch with us one day which was nice. She told me next time she visits she wants to see me. I was never invited into their home.
Now, his parents just came to visit him for the 2nd time for 10 days and he told me before “I’m just going to tell them you’re coming over and coming to dinner”. That never happened because his mother begged him to allow his father to have a good trip and not put him in a frumpy mood. “Please just this trip, I don’t want him to be upset and angry.” I wasn’t welcomed over to my boyfriends house the entire time they visited. I never went to dinner with all of them except on Mother’s Day, the 3 of us went out and it was a secret, they had to plan when they could get away from his father and he couldn’t know or it would upset him. His friends will get invited to dinner but not me.The day they got there his mom saw my clothes in his closet and asked whose they were, and asked him to move them because it would “make appa frumpy”. She even hid my tooth brush and toiletries from the bathroom. His mom asked if his dad if he wanted to meet his girlfriend again to get to know her and his dad said he’s not interested. My boyfriend told me he told him a few months ago he doesn’t support our relationship. Why he would listen and move my stuff from his closet, he’s 42! I found this very disturbing, having to pretend I don’t exist and allowing his family to treat me like I am an option.
I asked my boyfriend who would be ideal for you in your fathers eyes and he says “idk maybe someone who’s fair skin”. Mind you, he has always preferred black woman. He gets really upset when I tell him his father is a racist and denies it and will say things like “my dad has cooked for my black friends” I tell him just because your dad is friendly to your black male friends doesn’t mean he isn’t racist, he doesn’t want you in a relationship with a black woman simply because her skin is too dark. He goes on to say you don’t know my Dad’s past…which is correct, I don’t. There’s a lot of things in his childhood and upbringing as an immigrant in the 70s that could have made him who he is today, my boyfriend said “idk maybe someone told him as a kid not to talk to black people”. “When he migrated to America and lived in the south he could have had some negative experiences with African Americans”. My partner told me their stores were once robbed by a black man. All of this just explains to me WHY he is racist….none of it justifies it or makes it okay. Why does he make excuses for this man?
I told him his parents likely want him to be with another individual they can control, another person to be a people pleaser like he is, another person to mold into their family dynamic. Another person who was conditioned the same way he was, someone who’s also Asian and grew up with the same upbringing. That’s the complete opposite of me.
His father will threaten to not eat for a week, or threaten to harm himself. I told my partner “this is how your father keeps you under his thumb and in his control” with these emotional threats, this is emotional abuse. The response "my parents don't abuse me".
I grew up in a white neighborhood and had a lot of negative racial interactions as a child. My mom always told me, “don’t change who are you to make people feel comfortable. If they are uncomfortable around you, that’s their problem and not yours to fix.” I still live my life this way. My boyfriends clothes would not have been moved tables turned LOL.
I told my partner that he enables his fathers behavior and emotional abuse which he disagrees with. He says he does it so his parents don’t argue , to make their life easier, to give them peace. My argument is, does this give US peace? Are WE at peace?I asked my partner why do you hold yourself responsible for your parent’s happiness and misery? You’re allowed to be happy and they aren’t.
My partner keeps telling me I don’t understand Korean culture, his role in being the first son, elders and I need to learn about Han and Confucius. I have read about things online, heard stories and explanations from him, and stupid Reddit lol and it doesn’t make me say “well this is okay because now I understand and learned about his culture” it just gives reason and explanation as to why things are the way they are. It doesn’t make any of it okay in my book. Just because i understand doesn’t make it acceptable because it is 2023.
My issue that I have is how my partner can allow his parents to treat me like I am an option. They can pick and choose if I am around and that isn’t my partner’s choice despite the fact he is 42.I can’t understand how he still bends over backwards for his father while receiving the emotional abuse that he does. He complains so much about his parents to me which doesn’t help, he says they are overbearing , they treat him like a child, they try and tell him what to do, they are controlling, they don’t respect his privacy, they worry too much, compare him to other family members, blame him for his mistakes, criticize him. He tells me that he’s going to have to take care of them one day, and I can’t understand living with and taking care of two individuals who impact your happiness and mental health in a negative way. In my world, parents don’t get an exception to be toxic and unhealthy people in your life.
My partner has said to me “I feel like I will never be able to live my life the way I want until my parents are gone” that to me is terribly sad.I feel like we will never be able to take the next step in our relationship because god forbid he lives with another black woman, marries another black woman, has a bi racial baby … that may kill his father and he obviously has to prevent that if it’s in his control.
He’s already made it clear he can’t abandon them and do no contact because they are old and need him because it’s the first born son’s responsibility to take care of mom and dad no matter what.
Our relationship is good and we are happy other than this, THIS is the only issue we have. I have asked him several times, why do you just sit back and take this? Why are you allowing your father and culture to spoil another relationship? why are you allowing them to control you as if you are a child?
I told him I think he’s a very sad man who lacks the courage and strength to live life on his terms. I think he’s a coward as well, none of this helps when I tell him this but this whole issue is mind boggling, he’s 42! I would expect this behavior from a boy in college, not a grown man.
I want to help my partner learn how he can still show up for his parents and support them without compromising and damaging himself , his mental health and our relationship.
Any advice would be helpful :)

Disclaimer: This is an old post. I wrote it in March but it was never approved until now.
In preparation for Eras' opening night, I went back and watched every previous tour in full, either the official DVDs, or other full filmed versions if the DVD was unavailable or incomplete. Then I tried to rank all the performances.
This is not a ranking of the song itself but rather the presentation, staging, originality, etc. Surprise songs from the same tour will all count as one. Would love to know your favorites, and how you think Eras stacks up!
91. Speak Now World Tour – Fearless / Hey, Soul Sister / I'm Yours
The start of this tour's acoustic set, where she sat under a tree, strumming the ukulele. Points for the outfit, but I think this was an inferior arrangement of this particular song.
#. Red Tour – Treacherous
Weird choices were made here. Why was she wearing a tutu and dancing ballet for one of her most serious, adult songs? Why was this the main set closer? I think this would have worked better during the acoustic set, then she could close with Everything Has Changed or something. Still hard to complain about the song itself, though. The fog machines suited it.
89. Fearless Tour – Our Song
Cute, but she mostly just stood in one place and there was some awkward butt shaking in the middle.
88. Fearless Tour – White Horse
Part of the acoustic set. It followed Tim McGraw, but I think two songs that slow wasn't a good pacing choice and this one just doesn't fill an arena the way Tim McGraw does.
87. Red Tour – Stay Stay Stay / Ho Hey
I'm surprised this was part of the set. She did it basically how you'd expect, bopping around, kinda campy. I like how she had a moment goofing around with Amos.
86. Red Tour – Holy Ground
This song is made for a stadium setting, but I really think she should have been playing the guitar during it, or somehow done more. The way it was, it just sounded like noise. The dancers dressed like sirens did liven it up, but were also kinda cartoony.
85. 1989 World Tour – I Wish You Would
Basically the same performance she already did like three times before in the show. The real MVP was that one dancer in the back who did a flip off the chin-up bar.
84. Fearless Tour – Teardrops On My Guitar
I like how they turned the big screens into bookshelves, to continue the imagery of both high school and fairy tales. However, the singing didn't sound great here.
83. Speak Now World Tour – Fifteen
Sounded fuller than the Fearless tour version, but I think the giant princess gown didn't really suit the song. (Some shows also had her performing Ours in this spot.)
82. Fearless Tour – Fifteen
The first more intimate performance in this tour. She was seated and you can tell from the look in her eyes that the song made her feel nostalgic. Some videos of this have a teal dress and some have yellow; I prefer the teal.
81. Speak Now World Tour – Surprise Covers
A variety of covers on the guitar, during her acoustic set. She showed her versatility here as she did everything from classics to modern hits.
80. Fearless Tour – Hey Stephen
The one where she snuck around the hallways and popped out on the other side of the stadium. Great for the nosebleeds.
79. Red Tour – State Of Grace
She started off behind a red curtain, her silhouette singing the opening lines. (Unfortunately, the videos I watched had her struggling a lot with her earpiece and singing totally off-key for the first verse, but I know that wouldn't have happened every night.) A decent rock banger to open the show, if a little repetitive.
78. Red Tour – I Almost Do
The first of this tour's acoustic performances on the B stage. Nothing terrible but nothing remarkable either. It was about the lyrics and emotions, not the theatrics.
77. Red Tour – Begin Again
Staged the same way as I Almost Do, which was an appropriate way to do this song, but I can't help but think it would have worked better closer to the end.
76. 1989 World Tour – Bad Blood
It was fine, but by this point in the concert, I'm tired of the same kind of performance again.
75. Fearless Tour – Tell Me Why
Typical energetic angry Tay performance. She made some weird movements but that silver dress was everything.
74. Speak Now World Tour – The Story Of Us
Similar to Tell Me Why above from the previous tour.
73. Speak Now World Tour – Last Kiss
This version was a tad faster than the studio version, and the vocal delivery wasn't quite as sad; the sighs and the faint quiver in her voice that people love so much weren't really there. Still a nice rendition. The crowd was sobbing.
72. 1989 World Tour – Love Story
A nice synth arrangement that wisely went in a different direction than the older tours. By this point, both she and the audience had outgrown the princess gowns. However, I was kinda waiting for something more to happen, like fireworks or something.
71. Fearless Tour (2009 only) – Change
A faithful adaptation of this song, and a good choice for the main set closer.
70. 1989 World Tour – Welcome To New York
That was a lot of dancers! A decent opener, flashy and just '80s enough.
69. Red Tour – You Belong With Me
A sort of girl group throwback, with Taylor and the backup singers in matching red dresses and gloves. It was OK, and a good choice to perform one of her smash hits years later, but quite removed from the teenage angst this song came from.
68. 1989 World Tour – New Romantics
Similar to Welcome To New York which preceded it, this one worked early in the set almost as well as it works to close the deluxe album. Love her blue eyeshadow.
67. Speak Now World Tour – Mine
Pretty straightforward, but the red guitar is a nice touch. (Was she already dropping hints at Red?)
66. Red Tour – Sparks Fly
On a hanging platform that slowly moved around the arena, while the screens in back showed actual sparks. It was cool, but I'm not sure it was the best idea to limit her movement for arguably the loudest, most energetic song in her catalog at the time.
65. 1989 World Tour – I Knew You Were Trouble
The rock version. A bit slow and heavy but I appreciate her doing something new with the song.
64. 1989 World Tour – This Love
Could have been part of the acoustic set, but instead she upped the electronic and bass sounds and added fireworks. A nice breather before the last few songs.
63. Reputation Stadium Tour – End Game
Solid, but didn't stand out among the shenanigans of the other songs early in the show.
62. Red Tour – Everything Has Changed (with Ed Sheeran)
This one had a laid back feel that matches the song, but the raised platform and fans waving their lights gave it a little something extra. Ed sounded great. I kinda respect that he made no attempt to dress to the aesthetic.
61. Fearless Tour (2009 only) – I'm Only Me When I'm With You (with Kellie Pickler and Gloriana)
A very energetic country number with all the opening performers, the first of a two-song finale.
60. Speak Now World Tour – Surprise Guest Songs
She didn't have one at every show of this tour, but they were all pretty fun, with a mix of genres. The crowd, of course, loved them. It's really amazing to see how many friendships and connections she made in the industry, even early on.
59. Red Tour – Surprise Guest Songs
See above. Every one of these videos I found, Taylor had a different outfit, which is impressive.
58. Speak Now World Tour – You Belong With Me
She walked from the B stage back to the main stage, hugging and shaking hands with fans along the way. It's clear from including this song that, though Speak Now was a more adult album than Fearless, she knew most of her fans were still teenagers and still needed these songs about high school.
57. Fearless Tour – You Belong With Me
Her vocals weren't strong in the clips that I watched, but the costume was iconic.
56. Fearless Tour – The Way I Loved You
Sometimes done in the silveblack dress and sometimes in the purple. The way she moved between the two halves of the stage was pretty on-the-nose for the song, but I love how she featured Grant the guitarist. Hair Force One for the win! Also, it was a crime that they left this off the Journey to Fearless DVD.
55. Red Tour – The Lucky One
Taylor was dressed like a retro Hollywood starlet, and the dancers were paparazzi with cameras or screaming fans. A very literal presentation of this song which probably helped it stick in people's minds more.
54. Reputation Stadium Tour – Style / Love Story / You Belong With Me
I think Style was a weird choice to mash up with these two songs, but it worked well enough as a showcase for the band, many of whom had been with her over a decade by this point.
53. 1989 World Tour – Blank Space
She said her goal here was to recreate the music video, but I'm not sure this really conveyed the message of the song; she should have interacted with the dancers more to achieve that effect. Still a very entertaining performance, though.
52. 1989 World Tour – All You Had To Do Was Stay
The cherry on top: columns of blue smoke shot out every time the distorted voice squeaked "stay!" Not sure what was up with that chair, though.
51. Red Tour – 22
A big party, just as this song should be. I'm sure that, when seeing it live, the energy would have been off the charts. The choreography was impressive, more than we usually see from her.
50. Fearless Tour – Picture To Burn
The screens were on fire, so it's exactly how you'd expect her to stage this song. The guitar slayed.
49. Reputation Stadium Tour – Blank Space
I think the red bodysuit, gyrating choreography, and multiple Taylors on the back screen actually better conveyed the "character" she's playing in the song. Like she's this femme fatale with multiple personalities.
48. 1989 World Tour – Clean
Now here's a song that could have used some fake rain, somehow. Even so, the images on the big screen were quite lovely.
47. Speak Now World Tour – Mean
I think it was a good choice to keep this one simple. Just that porch-shaped mini stage with her band beside her. The song itself is a whole mood, so it didn't need a lot of theatrics.
46. Red Tour – Mean
Basically the same as the Speak Now performance, just with a different outfit and shaped stage.
45. Reputation Stadium Tour – Call It What You Want
Not as big a song as most of this album, but a nice warm moment before the crazy finale. I do dig the purple dress, and how the dancer she danced with was a redhead (not unlike a certain British actor).
44. Fearless Tour – Tim McGraw
Making this slow dance into exactly what it was meant to be: a swaying sing-along, everyone's phones or lighters in the air. She walked through the crowd to hug the fans.
43. Speak Now World Tour – Dear John
For the first couple verses, she just sat on the arch/bridge thing, and I kinda wondered if anything else was going to happen. Then I said "holy shit!" as the fireworks exploded up everywhere. We know she may never perform this one again, so I have serious FOMO that I did not see this show back then.
42. Speak Now World Tour – Speak Now
First time she wore the distinct purple Speak Now dress, possibly the outfit of the era. The crowd were singing along like crazy. The scenery definitely brought the song to life even if it normally isn't the most energetic from the era. She walked through the crowd shaking hands while the wedding guests tossed the bouquet around, wearing the most late 2000s/early 2010s party dresses imaginable.
41. Fearless Tour – Forever & Always
Boy was she pissed at a certain Jonas back then. Red dress, red microphone, red couch, red text on the back screen saying "They shouldn't do bad things." The notes in head voice sound kinda weak, but she nailed the high note with the microphone lean. Insane stumbling down the stairs and throwing herself all over the stage. Very extra.
40. Speak Now World Tour – Better Than Revenge
Reminiscent of the Forever & Always performance, but her vocals were better here. Grant and Paul got a guitar solo (or duet, I guess).
39. Reputation Stadium Tour – Getaway Car
Sonically, all but identical to the studio version. The "Why She Disappeared" poem beforehand and the desert visuals onscreen complemented it and helped turn it into more of a story.
38. Reputation Stadium Tour – King Of My Heart
The huge drums were a great touch. You can see how happy she was, which didn't always come across with just a superficial listen to the Rep album tracks.
37. Fearless Tour – Fearless
One of my favorite songs sounded even better live. Her smile, stomping and spinning around, totally captured the spirit of the song. Bonus points for adding in the name of the city each night.
36. Fearless Tour – You're Not Sorry / What Goes Around…Comes Around
First appearance of the piano head flip. These two songs worked decently mashed up, but I wonder how it would have been if she stayed at the piano the whole time.
35. 1989 World Tour – I Know Places
The moving doors were pretty cool.
34. 1989 World Tour – Surprise Songs
The raised walkway and whole stadium lit up blue was an excellent way to do the acoustic set. Props to her for not sitting down the way she did on the other tours, that had to take stamina. (In my heart, the sing-along of You Are In Love from the DVD is the "canon" performance here because it was part of the album.)
33. 1989 World Tour – Style
Probably the most effective use of the catwalk, given how it perfectly fit the lyrics. The dancers were brave for roller skating on it.
32. Reputation Stadium Tour – Bad Blood / Should've Said No
Another snake, this time a skeletal one transporting her to the upper stage. These songs worked very well mashed up; just listen how the crowd went nuts at that first banjo lick.
31. Reputation Stadium Tour – Dress
Another huge improvement from the studio version. It wasn't as high pitched, therefore more listenable. The sheets waving around everywhere were a nice subtle way to remind us what this song was about, in case people were too distracted by the pretty lights and synths to listen to the lyrics.
30. 1989 World Tour – Enchanted / Wildest Dreams
By this point, the piano mash-ups while wearing a long gown were getting kind of predictable. However, this was a great choice of mash-up and I dig whatever shape that piano was supposed to be.
29. Speak Now World Tour – Long Live
Another song that's tailor-made for a stadium just the way it is. The sparkly silver guitar was perfect.
28. Red Tour – Red
Now this is how you do a rock number. She had the sparkly red guitar and the dancers were waving giant red sheets all around.
27. Fearless Tour – Love Story
Once again, iconic. Ball gowns twirling until she changed into a white wedding dress, which def looked more like a prom dress. The backgrounds on the screen were low-res by today's standards, but this is what a lot of people still think of when they think of Taylor Swift.
26. Red Tour – Love Story
Similar to the Fearless tour version, with different costumes. The vocals weren't good in the video I watched, but we know she can do it. I especially like the moment where she grabbed her dance partner and ran across the stage with him – "escape this town for a little while."
25. Reputation Stadium Tour – Gorgeous
Classy move to use this song to introduce the dancers and backup singers. Also those cats in the Netflix recording – were they on the screens at the actual tour?!
24. Reputation Stadium Tour – Delicate
Finally bringing some color, as well as this era's version of the floating cage. The song is more romantic than what came before, but the gold tendrils wrapping around were still reminiscent of snakes.
23. Reputation Stadium Tour – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together / This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
An all-out romp to close the show.
22. Reputation Stadium Tour – Surprise Songs
Your feelings about this will probably depend on the individual song, especially if you saw the tour live. The videos I've seen were all great, showcasing how her vocals and guitar skills improve with every tour. Also, probably the last time we'll ever hear the 5-minute ATW live.
21. 1989 World Tour – Shake It Off
Basically the only way to do this song. I dig the royal blue.
20. Speak Now World Tour – Our Song
A definite improvement from the Fearless tour version. The prairie dress, the braid, dueting with Caitlin the fiddle player, and much more movement around the stage.
19. Speak Now World Tour – Sparks Fly
DROP EVERYTHING NOW! Excellent choice to start with this instead of Mine. The dress legit looked like it's sewn out of fireworks.
18. Red Tour – All Too Well
No frills, just Taylor at a red piano and this magnificent song swelling until it filled the whole arena. Her voice was quite raw and emotional here.
17. 1989 World Tour – Surprise Guest Songs
A major feature of this tour, done at every show.
16. Reputation Stadium Tour – Shake It Off (with Charli XCX and Camila Cabello)
As well done as the 1989 Tour version was, this one was a step up. I love the snakes bopping around. The message of this song worked just as well with the themes of Rep.
15. Reputation Stadium Tour – Dancing With Our Hands Tied
(Or So It Goes, in some performances.) Arguably the finest of all her acoustic sets. Beautiful stripped-down renditions of songs that I overlooked at first on the album. Some people say DWOHT is her most romantic song, and you can see why here. I also love the green get-up, which was still reminiscent of the snake motif but had its own flavor.
14. 1989 World Tour – Out Of the Woods
The forceful yet stuttering choreography really served the anxious nature of the song. The paper airplanes whizzing back and forth were a nice touch. Also the perfect spot in the show to put it – very climactic.
13. Red Tour – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
The finale where she brought the whole damn circus, literally. Sing it, clowns.
12. Reputation Stadium Tour – …Ready For It?
The old Taylor was dead.
11. Speak Now World Tour – Enchanted
They nailed the costume and the scenery yet again. She sang it better here than on the studio recording.
10. Speak Now World Tour – Haunted
Excellent transition here, as the Enchanted forest turned dark blue and the giant bell appeared. Speaking of the bell, her smacking it (but not really) may be the most dramatic thing to happen in any Taylor Swift live performance. Her dress was even tattered at the bottom. I'm here for all of it.
9. 1989 World Tour – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
When Taylor became the rock goddess we always knew she was.
8. Speak Now World Tour – Back To December / Apologize
Beautiful presentation of this song. Full string orchestra here (I think?). Really leaned into the winter imagery with the light blue gown, white piano, and snowflakes falling in the background.
8. Reputation Stadium Tour – Don't Blame Me
She swore she doesn't love the drama, but this performance would suggest otherwise.
7. Reputation Stadium Tour – I Did Something Bad
A strong performance with lots of pyro, but it really elevated at the bridge, where the dancers lifted Taylor up and she leaned back into the pillar of fire on the screen. "Light me up," indeed.
6. Speak Now World Tour – Love Story
An improvement over the Fearless version in every respect. She swooped over the crowd on a floating balcony, while pairs of dancers in period dress spun on trapezes hanging from the ceiling.
5. Fearless Tour – Should've Said No
THE RAIN MACHINE! With the words in it! I think this spoke for itself. She literally killed it.
4. 1989 World Tour – How You Get the Girl
Another rain performance, but this time with neon umbrellas and a unique glow-in-the-dark bubblegum dress. She didn't need to do all this for such a deep cut, but she did. Underrated.
3. Reputation Stadium Tour – Look What You Made Me Do
The superior version of this song (addendum: until Eras, that is.) The black-and-gold snake robe, the "tilted stage," and of course Karyn the massive inflatable snake. Helped many people appreciate and understand what was once a very polarizing song, myself included.
2. Reputation Stadium Tour – Long Live / New Year's Day
A gorgeous piano mash-up that went right to the heart. In my opinion, Long Live belongs on every tour, and the line "hold on to spinning around" flowed perfectly into "hold onto the memories." Beyond that, this was the moment that freed her from the bad-girl big-reputation persona she had presented for most of the show. It was human and vulnerable. Just look at the joy on her face as she gazed out at the audience. We stan a queen.
1. Red Tour – I Knew You Were Trouble
Perhaps not as iconic as the circus number, but sure as hell should be. Started with the fiddle player going absolutely insane, on a sparkly red fiddle no less! Followed by Taylor and all the dancers acting out some sort of masquerade ball, eventually tearing off her poofy white gown to reveal a sexy black and gold romper. An electrifying dubstep Phantom of the Opera.
Thank you for reading all this!

Me (30f) and my (42m) have been together for a year and six months. I am African American and he is Korean and the first born son. We were both raised very different, my mom died when I was young but I have a good relationship with my father and siblings. We were raised with respect being a two way street and if I am happy my father is happy. I wasn’t raised to obey, serve or cater to my father. He’s not the chief, he’s just my father, a brother, uncle, friend….that’s it. I love and have a tremendous amount of respect for him but he gives me just as much respect as I give him.
My partner has had a lot of racial issues in the past, being married for 8 years to another Black Woman. For about 5 years of that time he lived on the other side of the US from his folks and then moved back to the same state with his family when his dad had a heart attack to help out with the family business. He told me that time away felt like he was the truest version of himself and the time period when he was the happiest. I wonder why? He’s always been the black sheep in his family, the outcast, the person who chooses their own path and for some reason my partner seems stuck again, trapped in the same toxic cycle.
Unfortunately he’s shared a lot with me about his past and terrible things he’s experienced that give me a ton of anxiety and make me worry about our future. He would tell me stories about his family inviting him over to their house and asking him to leave her at home or come by himself. “Our friends can’t meet her”, his father told him he would no longer be apart of the family because he married her, he doesn’t want to see him around town with that black woman. During the entire 8 years his ex wife saw his father about 4 times.
Now fast forward to today, my partner now lives on the same coast as his folks but a 2-3hr flight away. I have a great relationship with his sister, cousins and his dad’s sister even invited us over for thanksgiving and we stayed at her house, all of her sons are with white women and she has a biracial grand daughter. His mom has changed and show more acceptance of his choices, she has told him that she has always had his back but it is also her duty as a Korean wife to please her husband and not make him upset. (I believe they are 72 and 78?)
In September they came to visit his new house and my boyfriend and his parents cooked and invited all his friends over to watch Sunday football. My boyfriend said it would be a slow introduction and I would be his introduced as his “friend” and I was okay with that 9 months into our relationship. The day was fine but his father went and ate in my boyfriend’s bedroom without the rest of us. (3 couples and his mom). I am under the impression he sat on the floor or my boyfriends bed to eat because there is no other furniture.
In December I went up to his home state where he grew up and where they live, we stayed with his sister and his mom came to lunch with us one day which was nice. She told me next time she visits she wants to see me. I was never invited into their home.
Now, his parents just came to visit him for the 2nd time for 10 days and he told me before “I’m just going to tell them you’re coming over and coming to dinner”. That never happened because his mother begged him to allow his father to have a good trip and not put him in a frumpy mood. “Please just this trip, I don’t want him to be upset and angry.” I wasn’t welcomed over to my boyfriends house the entire time they visited. I never went to dinner with all of them except on Mother’s Day, the 3 of us went out and it was a secret, they had to plan when they could get away from his father and he couldn’t know or it would upset him. His friends will get invited to dinner but not me.
The day they got there his mom saw my clothes in his closet and asked whose they were, and asked him to move them because it would “make appa frumpy”. She even hid my tooth brush and toiletries from the bathroom. His mom asked if his dad if he wanted to meet his girlfriend again to get to know her and his dad said he’s not interested. My boyfriend told me he told him a few months ago he doesn’t support our relationship. Why he would listen and move my stuff from his closet, he’s 42! I found this very disturbing, having to pretend I don’t exist and allowing his family to treat me like I am an option.
I asked my boyfriend who would be ideal for you in your fathers eyes and he says “idk maybe someone who’s fair skin”. Mind you, he has always preferred black woman. He gets really upset when I tell him his father is a racist and denies it and will say things like “my dad has cooked for my black friends” I tell him just because your dad is friendly to your black male friends doesn’t mean he isn’t racist, he doesn’t want you in a relationship with a black woman simply because her skin is too dark. He goes on to say you don’t know my Dad’s past…which is correct, I don’t. There’s a lot of things in his childhood and upbringing as an immigrant in the 70s that could have made him who he is today, my boyfriend said “idk maybe someone told him as a kid not to talk to black people”. “When he migrated to America and lived in the south he could have had some negative experiences with African Americans”. My partner told me their stores were once robbed by a black man. All of this just explains to me WHY he is racist….none of it justifies it or makes it okay. Why does he make excuses for this man?
I told him his parents likely want him to be with another individual they can control, another person to be a people pleaser like he is, another person to mold into their family dynamic. Another person who was conditioned the same way he was, someone who’s also Asian and grew up with the same upbringing. That’s the complete opposite of me.
His father will threaten to not eat for a week, or threaten to harm himself. I told my partner “this is how your father keeps you under his thumb and in his control” with these emotional threats, this is emotional abuse. The response "my parents don't abuse me".
I grew up in a white neighborhood and had a lot of negative racial interactions as a child. My mom always told me, “don’t change who are you to make people feel comfortable. If they are uncomfortable around you, that’s their problem and not yours to fix.” I still live my life this way. My boyfriends clothes would not have been moved tables turned LOL.
I told my partner that he enables his fathers behavior and emotional abuse which he disagrees with. He says he does it so his parents don’t argue , to make their life easier, to give them peace. My argument is, does this give US peace? Are WE at peace?
I asked my partner why do you hold yourself responsible for your parent’s happiness and misery? You’re allowed to be happy and they aren’t.
My partner keeps telling me I don’t understand Korean culture, his role in being the first son, elders and I need to learn about Han and Confucius. I have read about things online, heard stories and explanations from him, and stupid Reddit lol and it doesn’t make me say “well this is okay because now I understand and learned about his culture” it just gives reason and explanation as to why things are the way they are. It doesn’t make any of it okay in my book. Just because i understand doesn’t make it acceptable because it is 2023.
My issue that I have is how my partner can allow his parents to treat me like I am an option. They can pick and choose if I am around and that isn’t my partner’s choice despite the fact he is 42.
I can’t understand how he still bends over backwards for his father while receiving the emotional abuse that he does. He complains so much about his parents to me which doesn’t help, he says they are overbearing , they treat him like a child, they try and tell him what to do, they are controlling, they don’t respect his privacy, they worry too much, compare him to other family members, blame him for his mistakes, criticize him. He tells me that he’s going to have to take care of them one day, and I can’t understand living with and taking care of two individuals who impact your happiness and mental health in a negative way. In my world, parents don’t get an exception to be toxic and unhealthy people in your life.
My partner has said to me “I feel like I will never be able to live my life the way I want until my parents are gone” that to me is terribly sad.
I feel like we will never be able to take the next step in our relationship because god forbid he lives with another black woman, marries another black woman, has a bi racial baby … that may kill his father and he obviously has to prevent that if it’s in his control.
He’s already made it clear he can’t abandon them and do no contact because they are old and need him because it’s the first born son’s responsibility to take care of mom and dad no matter what.
Our relationship is good and we are happy other than this, THIS is the only issue we have. I have asked him several times, why do you just sit back and take this? Why are you allowing your father and culture to spoil another relationship? why are you allowing them to control you as if you are a child?
I told him I think he’s a very sad man who lacks the courage and strength to live life on his terms. I think he’s a coward as well, none of this helps when I tell him this but this whole issue is mind boggling, he’s 42! I would expect this behavior from a boy in college, not a grown man.
I want to help my partner learn how he can still show up for his parents and support them without compromising and damaging himself , his mental health and our relationship.
Any advice would be helpful :)

The final (and very late) installment of the Whale Scale Warhammer series is the Leman Russ, a console exclusive (I think) tier ten Mercenary heavy.

About the Leman Russ

The Leman Russ is based of one of the original tanks, the British Mark I. It is shorter in the chassis than the MK I, and in Warhammer lore, it has been retrofitted with a turret where the main cannon is located. While the Leman Russ retains the side sponsons of the Mk I, they have not been made active guns in our game. Total side note: when we were testing these on supertest, I really wanted to have these guns be made active. In Warhammer lore, there is a gun called the Multimelta that is basically a flamethrower. I thought that would be a cool addition where the alpha fell off the further you got away from the gun, making only useful for self defense in close quarters. Anyway, sorry about the wishful thinking. Review time.

Playing the Leman Russ

First and foremost, the Leman Russ is an absolute bear to fight face on. High pen tanks can get through the front, but tier nine and especially tier eight tanks bounce off it without much effort in terms of angling and wiggling. However, because you're always facing tens along with the cannon fodder, you need to continue wiggling and angling; however, if you over angle, the sides of the Leman Russ get squishy pretty quickly. I've found that 10° or 15° of angling is about the maximum you want to use to keep your sides safe.
The Leman Russ is relatively mobile for a heavy with a good cruising speed of 35 kph. It doesn't turn very well though, so if you find yourself trying to spin in place, give yourself some extra time to get it turned around. Speaking of movement, when you need to get away from an angry mob of enemies, find a cliff with a nice landing zone and launch yourself off. The Leman Russ's tracks stick out both in front of and behind the body of the tank, so if you can land it squarely, you can fall from decent heights without taking damage. For example, I've thrown myself off the town wall of Siegfried Line without taking damage. If you die, don't get mad at me, I'm just saying that it might work. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
When you do find yourself fighting, the gun is decently accurate, though it is somewhat slow to aim. However, the stock pen of 232mm is lacking in many engagements. This led me to shoot 304mm pen premium APCR most of the time. Well, I say that, I shot it most of the time that I did well. The 500 alpha is sufficient to make opponents think twice every 9.2 seconds when properly equipped.
I've haven't really lit up the scoreboards with this tank, but I don't regret my purchase. I feel like my average games have been around 2k dealt, 2k assisted, and 2k blocked. In reality, I have 2.6k direct, 1k assisted, and an unknown amount of blocked damage because apparently nobody actually tracks that. Anyway, I'll say that its ability to take a hit led me to push harder than maybe I should have, but it did let me get more spotting damage than I typically would in a heavy tank because I'm less scared to get shot at.

Conclusion

In the end, I find the Leman Russ to be a fun tank that can be somewhat frustrating to play when the gun doesn't want to work. However, it has a fast enough reload and can take enough hits that you're never really out of a fight, at least until an enemy gets to your side. That's not good. Anyway, it is decently mobile for a heavy and can take a better hit from the front than a Maus or E100. Then when all else fails, you can send it off the cliff to get around someone or to get away.

Rating

• 2 Whales: I bought it for myself in the big bundle
• 1 Whales: I bought (or will buy) the base bundle
• Killer Whale: I really want to buy it, but I'm not a real whale and neither are orcas (I'll buy it on discount when it comes around)
• Dolphin: Great as a gift or a key card drop, but I wouldn't spend money on it.
• Fish: After the 30 day loan is up, it's leaving my garage never to return.

As I let it slip in an earlier review, I bought the Leman Russ as soon as it was released with the 30% discount in the in game store. It has since been discounted as well through the Xbox store with the Warhammer event they had going on to a USD equivalent of about $55. I do no know if that is still the case as of the writing of this review. However, as I bought it at a "30% discount" I'll be consistent and give it a Killer Whale. That concludes the Warhammer series of reviews. You can find the other Warhammer reviews as well as older Whale Scale reviews in the sub wiki here.

I'm not trying to be dramatic or make things fit a narrative. However, I believe my birth father could be the I-70 killer. I watch a lot of true crime videos; I am not often overly bothered by the content I see or hear. Not that I endorse or support it. I am in social work and do not get "wigged" out easily. I was watching a video with information regarding this specific cold case, unaware of it previously. I will link the Wiki below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-70_killer
That said, I felt "off" while watching this one, specifically when it showed the composite sketch of the suspected killer. I could not place my finger on why the picture was so unnerving. I realized the reason like a eureka moment; I was looking at a picture of my birth father. The I-70 killer murdered six people throughout the Midwest in 1992. He was described as being a white man in his twenties or thirties, 5'7" (1.70 m) to 5'9" (1.75 m) tall, thin, and having lazy eyelids and sandy blonde or reddish hair. In 1992, my birth father was 23 years old, 5'9", had a thin runner's build, sandy blonde hair, and lazy eyelids. He also lived less than two hours from the first murder and worked out of town during my childhood. I genuinely have no idea if he worked out of town at this exact time, I was one, but I know he did throughout that time, so it is possible.
I sent a picture of the composite sketch to my mother, asking if it meant anything to her, she responded, "No, but it looks exactly like (birth father's name)." I explained why I sent it to her and her brother (birth father's best friend from childhood through his twenties), who also thought it looked exactly like him. It freaks me out with the eyes because it is like I am looking into his.
I spoke to the detective over the cold case and gave her all my information, which was lackluster. I do not have contact with him and have not for years. I am adopted by my mother's ex-husband, whom I call Dad. That said, my birth father was around until I was about 18, so I know him. He was a violent man, and I do not have many fond memories. I was worried about my biases and spoke to my therapist about it. I do not have a picture of him when he was this age; however, I do have a picture of my deceased grandfather, who looks very similar. I am linking it below compared to the aged composite sketch, and it is uncanny to me. I am also providing the original composite sketch with a more recent picture of my birth father. While he is several years older, his eyes feel the same to me. My therapist also felt the same way and that it is worth giving the detective the information, just in case.
The detective was very kind, took all the information, and gave me her email address to send any photos I could find. I also offered to provide my DNA if she felt it was ever necessary. I don't know where to go with it from here; it is weirding me out. That is not what I expected to find when watching a true crime video. Although, I would not be at all shocked if he had done something like this.
I might be completely way off base, it just feels like it might actually be something. What do you all think?
https://imgur.com/a/94j9ZWv

Artist, Song Title - Arrangement Type (TOTAL: 92 arrangements)

• Allan Holdsworth - How Deep is the Ocean - Lead
• Bad Sounds - Avalanche - Bass
• Big Brovaz - Find A Way - Lead
• Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine (Live At Carnegie Hall) - Bass, Lead
• Bill Withers - Do It Good - Bass, Lead
• Bill Withers - Friend of Mine - Bass
• Bill Withers - Grandma's Hands - Bass, Lead
• Bill Withers - Harlem - Rhythm
• Bill Withers - I'm Her Daddy - Bass, Lead
• Bill Withers - Lonely Town, Lonely Street - Bass
• Bill Withers - Sweet Wanomi - Bass, Rhythm
• Bill Withers - Take It All In and Check It All Out - Bass, Lead
• Bill Withers - The Same Love That Made Me Laugh - Bass
• Bill Withers - Use Me - Bass, Lead
• Boney M. - Sunny - Bass
• BOOTS - Only - Lead
• Bowling For Soup - All Figured Out - Bass
• Bowling For Soup - Boulevard - Bass, Lead
• Bowling For Soup - Cold Shower Tuesdays - Lead
• Bowling For Soup - Suckerpunch - Bass, Lead
• Bowling For Soup - You and Me - Lead
• Buddy Guy - Key To The Highway - Bass, Lead
• Cardellino - CURSI - Bass
• Charley Pride - I'm Building Bridges - Bass, Lead
• Chavela Vargas - Cruz de Olvido - Lead
• Circle Jerks - What's Your Problem - Lead
• Dave Brubeck - Take Five - Bass
• Django Reinhardt - I've Found a New Baby - Bass
• Elvis Presley - For the Good Times - Bass
• Eric Clapton - If I Had Possession over Judgement Day - Bass
• FAR - Punchdrunk - Bass, Lead
• Gerry Mulligan - A Ballad - Bass, Lead
• Godsmack - Keep Away - Lead
• HAIM - Go Slow - Lead
• Herbie Hancock - Minuit Aux Champs-Elysées - Bass, Lead
• Howlin' Wolf - Highway 49 - Bass
• Ike Turner - Stagger Lee - Bass
• Indigo Girls - Airplane - Lead
• iNi Kamoze - Morenita - Bass
• Jake Owen - LAX - Bass
• Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - Change the World - Bass, Lead
• Johnny Winter - Be Careful With a Fool - Lead
• Justin Timberlake - Hers (interlude) - Bass
• Laura Marling - Wild Once - Lead
• Les Paul - Call on Me - Bass
• Lonnie Liston Smith - A Chance for Peace - Bass
• Lonnie Liston Smith - Just Us Two - Bass, AltBass, Lead
• Los Amigos Invisibles - Mentiras - Bass
• Macaroni Empitsu - Hoshigaoyogu - Bass, Lead
• Mel Tormé - Cheek to Cheek - Bass
• Miranda Lambert - Same Old You - Bass
• Sloan - Penpals - Bass, Lead
• Steps - One for Sorrow - Bass, Lead
• Steps - When I Said Goodbye - Bass, Lead
• The Brecker Brothers - Some Skunk Funk - Bass
• The Clash - Atom Tan - Bass
• The Clash - Clash City Rockers - Bass
• The Clash - Cool Confusion - Lead
• The Clash - Ghetto Defendant - Bass
• The Cure - One Hundred Years (Bestival Live 2011) - Bass, Lead
• The Knife - Heartbeats - Bass, Lead
• Tommy Emmanuel, Jake Shimabukuro - Rachel's Lullaby - Bass
• Willie Nelson - Let's Face the Music and Dance - Bass, Lead
• Willie Nelson - My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - Lead
• ZHU - Cocaine Model - Bass, Lead
• ZHU - Faded - Bass
• ZHU - Stay Closer - Bass

Today's map: Japan Toyama 富山県 NIIKAWA 新川広域圏 by Kyo0619_2 (★★ / 159)

Link to the challenge here Deadline: June 2, 12.45 am UTC (9.45 am in Niikawa)
Hello! Our last map for May brings us back to Japan. I drew a map featuring the Niikawa area: it's a coastal region occupying the eastern half of Toyama bay, in Toyama prefecture. It loosely spans from the eastern boundaries of Toyama city to the border with Niigata prefecture. It's largely urban and suburban; the main towns are Uozu and Kurobe. No photospheres, good luck!
There are a few minutes left in yesterday's Costa Coffee themed game, where we've recorded seven perfect scores so far. GGs to Davey 1473, fbrasseur, GeoFogg, giorgeauws_, gobluetwo, MDspaceman and solarsensei!
always remember to post your score in this thread if you want it to count towards the leaderboards!
Weekly leaderboard (May 29 - June 4)

solarsensei	2	0	0
giorgeauws_	1	1	0
gobluetwo	1	0	1
Davey1473	1	0	0
fbrasseur	1	0	0
GeoFogg	1	0	0
MDspaceman	1	0	0
exohugh	0	1	0
rtlewis123	0	0	1

Monthly leaderboard (May)

solarsensei	16	4	7
fbrasseur	11	2	4
giorgeauws_	10	9	0
Milyly	7	2	1
rereannanna	6	0	0
gobluetwo	5	2	3
ParticularAirport217	3	3	5
MDspaceman	3	0	0
A__European	2	1	2
exohugh	1	5	0
daniblonds	1	1	0
Davey1473	1	0	0
dirty_cuban	1	0	0
GeoFogg	1	0	0
timswagwalker	1	0	0
saladpants77	0	1	0
charliebobo82	0	0	1
MTheBassman	0	0	1
rtlewis123	0	0	1
wx_bombadil	0	0	1
Zompre	0	0	1

Recent winners

May 24	A More Urban Canada	fbrasseur, giorgeauws_, gobluetwo, MDspaceman, Milyly, rereannanna, solarsensei	24999
May 25	An urban Scandinavia	fbrasseur, giorgeauws_, solarsensei	25000
May 26	✈️ Tour the World #065	fbrasseur, solarsensei	25000
May 27	Yield signs of the World	fbrasseur, solarsensei	25000
May 28	UK Railway Level Crossings	giorgeauws_	25000
May 29	South Carolina	solarsensei	24312
May 30	Costa Coffee's	Davey1473, fbrasseur, GeoFogg, giorgeauws_, gobluetwo, MDspaceman, solarsensei	25000

DC Next presents:

CYBORG

Issue Thirty: End.exe
Written by Deadislandman1
Edited by ClaraEclair and AdamantAce
 
Arc: Catharsis
 
 
“Are you ready, Victor?”
“More ready than I’ve ever been in my life.”
This high up in the sky, there would normally be wind, its howling loud enough to drown out all other sounds. Had there been clouds, they would have impeded his sight, forcing him to weather the condensed water within. The vast blue of the sky would overwhelm his eyes at every turn. But Victor and V were in the Metal, and no such things existed within the Metal. There was no resistance as they glided towards Thinker’s strange, corrupting compound, no wind to fly against. They moved this way purely because this was how some of the highest beings in the Metal’s hierarchy moved, above the other programs and signals on the ground.
The denizens of the Metal had declared him their hero, their champion, and it was his job to remove Thinker’s influence from the realm.
Gradually, the two began to slow down as they descended to one of the shimmering black walls of Thinker’s compound, whose presence was a tumor within the Metal, threatening to upset the fragile balance of a newborn power. This was enough cause to stop Thinker, but Victor had more reasons to confront his co-creator. He was holding his inventor — no, his father — hostage, a petty act of torture for the gall of standing up to one of the smartest supervillains on the planet.
Victor could not let Silas Stone suffer any longer. He would not let this final remaining door within himself to remain ajar, forever taunting him like a tapestry that could not be finished. Today, this horror would end. Today, Victor would find real peace within himself.
Victor touched down, the true size of the spire dawning on him. V landed next to him, walking up to the fortress and placing a hand on the wall, “My protocols will work their ways through Thinker’s firewalls, but once we are inside, we will be on our own.”
“No use waiting around then,” said Victor, “Just know that whatever happens, we stick together. That’s the only way we’ll be able to get out of this.”
V paused for a moment, clearly appreciating Victor’s faith in their partnership. Turning back to the wall, V closed her eyes and, within moments, a hole formed nearby.
“Woah, that was fast,” said Victor.
“Yes I…” V blinked. “There were only a few firewalls. This seems incredibly illogical. One would think one of the smartest men alive would keep a high level of security.”
“Maybe it’s a trap?” Victor peered inside the fortress, “A way to catch us….”
Victor paused, his eye widening at the sight before him, “...off guard.”
Before the two was not some horrifying death maze, nor was it a vast lair of villainy, or a lab made for suffering. Before them… was a neighborhood, the kind with straight roads, white picket fences, freshly cut grass, and vibrantly painted houses. As Victor stepped across the threshold of the walls, he was immediately hit by a wave of nostalgia. This place was so familiar.
“This… I grew up here!” said Victor, “Or… the real Victor did.”
V stepped through behind Vic and, like clockwork, the wall sealed up behind her. “I do not understand. What is the purpose of manufacturing such a recreation?”
“I don’t… I just…” Victor clenched his fists. How dare he do this. He wasn’t the real Victor Stone, yet there was such anger in the fact that Thinker was defiling the memories of the Stone family. Victor Stone grew up happy here, and this place was nothing but some sham… some charade meant to taunt whoever was inside.
His father.
Like a runaway train, Victor erupted into a sprint down the street, V following after him. She tried to ask him where he was going, but Victor knew she would understand once they arrived. He remembered the place well; his namesake had lived there, after all.
Halfway down the road, they arrived at the Stone family home, which had been reconstructed perfectly. Racing across the front yard that he had played catch in since childhood, Victor kicked down the door, running inside through familiar halls. “Dad? Dad?!”
“Victor!” V barreled in after him. “Perhaps this is a rash action.”
“This place… He had to make it to screw with my dad. He had to!” Victor shouted. “Dad?! Dad, where are you?”
“Who the hell is screaming? What is--?”
Victor whirled around, a voice that felt both familiar and foreign entering his ears. Balling up his fists, he expected a fight, only for his heart to drop.
It was Victor Stone. No cybernetic enhancements, no powers, justVictor Stone, sitting in a chair across the hall, in the dining room, with a laptop in front of him. He stood up in shock, slamming the laptop shut as he stared at Victor in horror, “What the fuck?!”
“Wha– Why–” Cyborg stared in amazement at his eerily accurate counterpart. He didn’t understand what was going on.
“Victor? I heard screaming! Is everything alright?”
An older man stepped into the hall, clearly distressed by all the shouting, and as Cyborg turned to face him, he immediately felt every muscle in his body loosen.
Silas Stone stood before him, as old as Victor had expected him to be. What he didn’t expect was to find the man to be full of vigor, of life. He seemed almost… energized, like he’d lived the last few years in absolute happiness.
Then Silas spoke, and it was then that Cyborg felt his soul truly sink into the abyss, “Who in God’s name are you?! What are you doing in my house?!”
“You…” Cyborg looked to V, “Is he..?.”
V stepped in front of Cyborg, taking a rudimentary scan of both Silas and the other Victor, “He is indeed Silas Stone, he does not have the same signature as the other denizens of the Metal. This Victor however… does.”
“So he’s a fake?” said Cyborg.
“What the fuck are you talking about?!” said Victor, “Who are you?”
“Please, leave my house!” said Silas, “This is private property!”
“You… you don’t understand,” said Cyborg, who turned to AI Victor, “And… I’m sorry. You’re not a… I shouldn’t call you a fake.”
“What do you mean?! What’s going on?!” asked AI Victor.
“Get out!” shouted Silas, “Get out right now or I’m calling the police.”
Cyborg didn’t know why Silas couldn’t remember him, remember anything, but looking between him and the other Victor, a haunting theory moved to the forefront of his mind; this place was an elaborate illusion, a way to keep Silas placated, and if Victor wanted to save him, he would need to wake his father from the dream. The T-Beacons Elinore had repurposed would need to charge, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to keep Silas restrained for that. Besides… it would be easier if Silas knew what was really happening before he left… and he would get a chance to speak to his father in earnest.
Cyborg moved forward, placing his hands on Silas’s shoulders, “Silas, I know this seems crazy, but I need you to hear me out.”
“Stop! Let go of me!” said Silas.
“Please, Dad, just…hear me out!” said Cyborg.
Silas froze…one word completely taking him off balance, “Did… did you just call me Dad?”
Cyborg swallowed, “Yeah… and it’s a long story… but you need to hear it. I promise.”
Silas shook his head. “I don’t… I don’t understand. What are you?”
Cyborg grimaced, “I’m… your creation.”
“But… I don’t remember creating you…” said Silas, “Why would I need to make you.”
“Because…” Cyborg glanced back at AI Victor, who was clearly completely confused by the situation. “Because the real Victor Stone died. He died during a disaster in Coast City and… I was the replacement.”
Silas grew white as a sheet, “What? What do you…? No… no, my son isn’t dead. He’s right here!”
Silas looked to the AI Victor, and Cyborg shook his head, “He’s just code… and in a way, so am I. I’m sorry but… the real Victor Stone is gone, has been for years.”
“No, it’s not true.” Silas glared at Cyborg, “Why should I believe you?! How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Just… look at me,” said Cyborg. “Look at me, Dad.”
Slowly, Silas felt his breath steady, his eyes locked onto Cyborg. He scanned the metal man in front of him, from the soles of his steel feet to the fusion of flesh and armor on his head. He reached out in trepidation, running his fingers up and down the armor, then running them over Cyborg’s face. The AI Victor watched in confusion, still utterly lost at what was going on.
Cyborg flinched at the touch of his father’s hand, it felt so… alien knowing the context of his own creation, and yet where he was falling into unfamiliar territory, Silas was being brought back into his own past, to memories he had lost.
Then, in a blink, something changed in Silas. He stumbled back, eyes wide, and Cyborg knew that he had awakened what was buried. Silas shuddered, falling to his knees, “No! No I… I did lose him… I did lose my boy…”
“Dad?” AI Victor trudged towards Silas, “Dad, I’m right here, I–”
“No! My boy has been gone for years,” said Silas, looking at both Cyborg and AI Victor. “And try as I might, I know that, in the end, neither of you are really him… really a replacement.”
Cyborg looked between his father and the AI replication of himself, feeling immense pity for both. The AI looked so confused, like a newborn who’d just gotten lost at the supermarket. Cyborg nodded to V, who quickly ushered the AI into another room to explain what was going on. Then, he turned back to Silas and took a knee, “Are you… God, there’s no point in asking the question. Do you remember what happened, after Thinker…”
Silas sniffled, attempting to piece himself back together, “H-He locked me in this place, but it was so… different. There was an army being built, preparations for war. He… interfaced with me, forced himself into the deepest crevices of my own mind! My god, Victor… he knows everything about me, about you! He knows every detail about every single thing I’ve ever built.”
Cyborg grimaced. If he knew every detail, then that meant that he knew what every single one of Cyborg’s tricks were. There would be no surprises, “God, I… I should’ve woken earlier, come here earlier. I’m so sorry.” said Cyborg.
“No, no… don’t blame yourself for any of this, it wasn’t your fault,” said Silas. “What happened here is Thinker’s fault, and his alone.”
Silas began to calm down, his rate of breath slowing down as he stood up. “But… it does confuse me that he would place me in this… illusion.”
“More torture?” asked Cyborg.
“No, I felt… at peace here,” said Silas. “Thinker was always so mechanical, so hyper focused on producing the results he wanted. Building me a… dream land? It just… doesn’t make any sense.”
“Well… whatever his reasons, it doesn’t matter. I’m getting you out of here, then I’m stopping him once and for all,” said Cyborg.
“What?!” Silas whirled around to face Cyborg. “You can’t! In this place, he’s more powerful than he was in the real world.”
“And I’ve been a superhero for three years,” said Cyborg. “I know my way around threats, and whatever his plans are now, that doesn’t change that he has to face justice for what he did to both of us.”
Pulling out one of the T-Beacons, he placed it in Silas’s hands. “Press the ‘T,’ and after five minutes, you’ll be able to head back to reality. Since you came here from the real world, you’ll rematerialize in your own body.”
“But what about you?” asked Silas. “I can’t just leave you alone to–”
“Dad!” Cyborg placed a hand on his father’s shoulders, “Listen to me… over the last three years, I’ve done so much. I’ve made friends, I’ve made enemies, I’ve made a hell of a life out there. Hell, I even made it into the Justice Legion!”
“The Justice… Legion?” asked Silas.
“Yeah, its… it’s like the new Justice League, but nevermind that,” said Cyborg. “The point is, a lot has happened, a lot has changed, but Thinker… he’s the ghost that’s been haunting me. I came here because I needed to finish things, and to save you.”
Silas frowned. “I still don’t–”
“I know you feel guilty about… my creation,” said Cyborg. “And yeah, you threw me into one hell of a world, but trust me when I say that I’ve made my mark… and I wanna keep making my mark with you beside me.”
Silas turned away. “You… want me to be with you… in your life… after everything?”
“Yeah… I do,” said Cyborg. “Because despite everything, I’m a living thing because of you… and the real Victor Stone loved you a lot. I’ve got his memories, his feelings… and trust me when I say that what he would’ve wanted, is what I want.”
Silas stared at Cyborg, at a loss for words. Looking down at the T-Beacon and then back at his own creation, he sighed, “You… you’ll come back to me… right?”
“I’ll always come back to you, Dad,” said Cyborg. “Always.”
Sniffling, Silas tackled his son with an embrace, and Cyborg returned it with a bear hug of his own. For a singular moment, the two stood in silence, tears streaming from both of their eyes. After four long years, they were finally seeing each other, meeting for the first time, yet with memories that spanned decades of connection. Letting go of Cyborg, Silas wiped his eyes, “I… I need to sit down.”
“Take your time,” said Cyborg. “V can keep you safe until we go.”
“V?”
“My…” Cyborg paused, then tapped his head. “My friend in my head.”
“Ah,” Silas nodded, then turned away, but couldn’t help but chuckle. “Heh… he named her. Typical Victor.”
Silas walked down the hall, and as Cyborg followed, V emerged from the dining room, “I have explained the situation. He is… depressed.”
“Yeah… I guess I should’ve expected that. I know what he’s going through,” said Cyborg.
“Shall we go?” asked V. “Thinker must be somewhere within this place.”
Cyborg took a peek into the dining room, noting AI Victor’s downtrodden expression. He sat in front of his laptop, the mundanity of what was likely some kind of school assignment washed away by the revelation that he was not a human being. Cyborg turned back to V, “Can you watch my dad for a sec. I wanna talk to… the other me.”
“I understand,” said V, nodding. “Silas and I have things to speak about in any case.”
Managing a smile, Cyborg then walked into the dining room, pulling out a seat next to the AI, “So… now you know.”
“That I’m fake?”
“That you weren’t born the same way another person was born,” said Cyborg. “That doesn’t make you fake.”
“I was made to… placate someone,” said the AI, “I’m some fucking sham. I’m just part of a circus act.”
“Yeah… I get where you’re coming from. I’ve been there, trust me,” said Cyborg, “Only difference was, I was made to host someone else. I was never meant to have a personality, a real mind.”
The AI shook his head, a brokenness overtaking him, “How… How are you supposed to go on? You know what you were made for, you know what was meant to happen. How do you… deal with that? How are you supposed to even think about anything else?”
“Truth is,” Cyborg took a deep breath. “When I learned how I came to be, I moped, I sat around and did nothing, because I couldn’t think about anything else. What saved me was… the friends I had made in the years before I learned what my original purpose was. I had connections with them, a life with them. They saved me.”
“Huh,” the AI let out a bleak chuckle. “That’s good for you, but I don’t have any of those here. After what your friend told me I… I tried to remember specifics of a life outside this house, friends, hobbies, and I just… I couldn’t remember anything. I’m nothing outside of this house, outside of what I was made to do.”
“Maybe that’s how you were envisioned, but that’s not all you are,” said Cyborg. “Or all you have to be. You can choose to be more, choose to have a life outside your built purpose.”
The AI got out of his seat, “But I don’t have one! Don’t you understand?! I don’t have friends to fall back on, people who really love me.”
“But you can! You can choose to start that life, choose to walk the same path I did,” said Cyborg. “All you’ve gotta do… is come with me. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Cyborg held out his hand, earnestly waiting on the AI. The AI stared at the hand, and it was clear that despite the arguments, he was still unsure. This was all so new, so daunting, yet what the hand represented was nothing short of a miracle. He would have a guide in the real world.
Reaching out, the AI took Cyborg’s hand, “So… how do I come back to the real world with you?”
“We have these beacons, but since we’re not inherently organic consciousnesses, the beacons won’t reconstruct a body like it would for our father. I’ve got my own body that V and I share, so we’ll probably all end up in it together. From there, I can see if we can make you a body.”
“Sounds a little crowded,” joked the AI.
“Yeah… but it’ll be temporary,” said Cyborg. “And then there’s the matter of names. We can’t both be Victor.” Cyborg scratched his chin. “I don’t have a permanent solution, but for now… why don’t we use shorthand. You’re Vic and I’m Cy.”
“Cy?”
“Short for Cyborg,” he said, gleaming. “It’s… a moniker… and a hero name.”
“Jeez, are you famous or something out there?” asked Vic.
“A little,” said Cyborg. “But that’s a story for later. I need you to stick with Dad while V and I go after Thinker. I can’t close the door on this whole thing until I find him.”
“Then you will not have to look far.”
Cyborg whirled around when he heard the digitized voice, only for both him and Vic to be ensnared in a web of electrical vines that sprouted from the floor, locking them both down. Before them stood the Thinker, a man whose body was composed almost entirely of binary code, 1s and 0s blended together into a strange, green body. Despite the humanoid shape of his figure, he had no features on his face, only the numbers, “I can hazard a guess as to why you are here, creation of mine, but why must you disrupt Silas Stone’s paradise? Surely, you could’ve at least guessed that I would be a master of my own domain, appearing wherever I wish.”
“It’s not paradise,” growled Cyborg. “It’s a fucking prison.”
“To you, it may seem that way,” said Thinker. “But understand that I was simply attempting to ease the pain I had inflicted on him.”
“You’re lying!”
“You are free to think that, and why would I expect anything different from you. I created you out of a selfish desire for power,” Thinker stared down at Cyborg, and the hero could feel the villain’s sheer pity. “But that is no longer my goal. I have learned, and now I wish to help people…help the world.”
Thinker then knelt down, reaching out for Cyborg, “I will erase the pain, erase--”
A blast of energy hit Thinker from behind, sending him barreling across the dining room table. V rushed in, crossing the distance before hitting Thinker with a second, physical kick, keeping him down. The electrical vines withered, allowing the two Victor Stones to break free. Vic ran for the hallway, while Cyborg began to form his arm into a blaster, “Keep him down, V!”
“I am doing my--”
A green shockwave interrupted V, throwing Cyborg onto his back as Thinker surged to his feet. As V landed in front of the villain, Thinker waved his hand, and a green beam the width of a soda can fired from his head, burning a hole through V’s chest. V let out a singular gasp before she herself dissolved into Binary code, like sand spilling out of an hourglass. Cyborg let out a blood curdling scream, “V!”
“Worry not, she is not deceased,” said Thinker. “She is simply-”
Cyborg surged forward, his fist crashing against Thinker’s form. The villain went flying, immediately crashing through the house’s wall before tumbling through the air. He hit the ground a few times, colliding with a mailbox all the while before landing in the middle of the street. Stepping back, Cyborg heard footsteps and Silas and the other Vic reappeared.
“What’s going on?!” asked Silas.
“Thinker’s here,” said Cyborg. “Is the beacon powered?”
“Yes, but--”
“Press it, now! I’ll see you on the other side.”
“I don’t want to leave you!” said Silas.
“You’ve been here long enough,” said Cyborg, looking back to where V just was. “And I can’t lose another person I care about!”
For a moment, Silas was hesitant, prepared to refuse his son’s wishes, when the beacon in his hands beeped. He looked down, finding that Vic had pressed the button for him. He looked up at Vic, “You-”
“See you on the other side, pops.”
And then, Silas disappeared in a beam of light, and it was just the two Victor Stones left. Cyborg glanced back towards Thinker, “Vic, hide wherever you can until this is done.”
“No, if you’re fighting him, then so am I.”
“He’ll…” Cyborg paused, trying desperately to avoid feeling the grief of losing his friend. “He’ll do to you what he did to V.”
“Not if I play it smart. You can’t always bulldoze your way to the touchdown,” said Vic. “You’ve gotta play it smart.”
Cyborg sighed, “Then let’s do it.”
Vic nodded, running further into the house to prepare as Cyborg stepped through the hole in the wall, marching towards Thinker. The villain had finally managed to get back on his feet, “Why do you refuse to listen?! My plans are for the good of the--”
“Plans plans plans, I don’t give a fuck about any of your plans,” growled Cyborg. “I don’t care about your plans in the past, your plans in the future, or your plans in the present. None of it matters, except that you’ve hurt people, and you refuse to take accountability for any of it. You hurt so many people for so many years, and I’m going to make sure that never happens again.”
Thinker sighed, “Then words are of no more use to me, if you are this stubborn, then I will have to save you the only way you have left me.”
Thinker rose into the sky, but Cyborg immediately raised his arm, morphing it into a blaster and knocking him out of the sky with a radiant beam of white energy. The concrete cracked as Thinker hit the street, allowing Cyborg to advance with his fists. Leaping into the air, he attempted to dropkick the villain, only for Thinker to roll out of the way of the attack. Raising his hand, Thinker summoned more electrical vines, but Cyborg dove out of the way, avoiding a second ensnarement. Rolling across some grass, Cyborg raised his arm to fire another blast at Thinker, only for the villain to disappear right before his eyes. A hand grabbed the back of his neck, squeezing tight before lifting him off the ground. Thinker’s voice whispered in his ear, “You cannot defeat me. I have existed in this place for years, and I have understood its own rules.”
“Then how come every time I’ve hit you, you’ve felt it,” said Cyborg. “You react to me, because like it or not, your handprints are all over me.”
Thinker let out a growl before raising his other hand, ready to send Cyborg to V, only for a splash of water to hit him in the back. He whirled around, spotting Vic with a garden hose. He was grinning, just as determined to rebel as his counterpart. Thinker leveled his hand at Vic, only for Cyborg to twist himself out of the villain’s grip, grabbing his arm and forcing it downward before another, larger beam of energy erupted from Thinker’s hand. The ground exploded, fracturing as if it was being hit by an earthquake, and as Thinker and Cyborg stumbled away from each other, the fractures became larger, and the spaces underneath the idyllic town were revealed.
Thousands of deactivated GRID robots and assembly equipment laid in the dark recesses of the underground, trashed and broken like discarded toys. Cyborg glanced up at Thinker, who was shrugging off the damage he had taken from the explosion. His binary code was beginning to splinter, numbers dripping from his body like water spilling over the top of a glass, “Ah…I see. Our code is…similar. We are of parallel wavelengths, owing to my code being imbued into your avatar.”
“Surprised it took you that long to figure it out,” said Cyborg.
Thinker hung his head, “No matter, I will still prevail. I know every weakness you have, every opening.”
“Let’s see if you last long enough to use them then.”.
Cyborg’s body shifted, glowing with pure white light as he powered himself up, preparing for a blow that he knew had enough power to finish Thinker off. Thinker meanwhile, clenched his fists, causing the numbers across his body to scroll faster and faster until they were a blur of characters. Then, the two charged one another, letting out war cries before leaping into the air, their fists raised.
He had waited all his life for this, to attain justice for himself, and for everyone else, and he wouldn’t let Thinker escape, not after all he had done to get to this moment. He thought of his friends, Michael, Exxy, and Cindy. His mother, Elinore, and his father, Silas. Finally, his mind went to Vic, a new being that needed to be made free. He fought for them all, and he would not lose.
His fist met Thinker’s, and with a catastrophic BOOM, the entire Metal was engulfed in white light.
 
 
Silas gasped for air as he sat up abruptly, vertigo invading his head. It was so bright, he could barely see. As he rubbed his eyes, he could hear the sound of footsteps as someone ran to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Silas! Silas are you alright?!”
Silas groaned, his vision finally clearing. He was in some kind of bunker, adorned with all manner of technology. Scanning the room, he spotted a couple of younger people, one was a man in an afro and glasses, while the other was a younger teenage girl with a satchel. The two were at the side of Cyborg’s body, but their attention was clearly stuck on Silas.
Then he looked to the person at his side, and his world, which had already been turned upside down that day, flipped one more time. It was his wife! She was… alive?
“E-Elinore?” Silas adjusted his glasses. “Is… is that--?”
“I am… Though I’m not your Elinore,” She grabbed him by the arm, pulling him to his feet. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I… No!” Silas’ eyes widened. “Our son, he-he went to fight Thinker! I left him! I--”
“Relax Dad, I… I made it out.”
The entire room turned to Cyborg, who had abruptly risen from his chair. He was sweating, the battle clearly taking a toll on him. Exxy and Cindy immediately tackled him with a hug.
“Aw man, you had us so worried!” said Cindy.
“Had you worried maybe, I knew he’d pull through fine!” said Exxy.
Silas felt a small giggle leave his body, “Goodness… how… how did you beat him?”
“Our coding was similar enough that I could harm him in ways the other AI couldn’t, I weakened him before trapping him in a firewall modeled after his own fortress. He won’t hurt anyone ever again,” said Cyborg. “I… I couldn’t save the other Victor AI… and V… she’s gone too.”
“Ah damn,” said Exxy. “I liked V. She was really mean to me most of the time, but dammit I liked her anyway.”
Cindy placed a hand on Cyborg’s shoulder, “We’ll be sure to remember her… always.”
Cyborg nodded, looking to the rest of the team, “So… what… what do we do now?”
“I…” Silas swallowed, “I want to start rebuilding my life… rebuilding who I was before…”
“You’ll have all the help we can spare, Dad,” said Cyborg, “I promise.”
“Yes,” said Elinore. “While I’m still here, I’ll do what I can to get you up to speed on past events.”
“I… thank you,” said Silas. “Though to tell you all the truth… my preferred start to my new life would be… to have some food.”
“Food?” said Cindy.
“Shit man, yeah you’re right. Guy hasn’t eaten in like three years,” said Exxy. “But don’t worry, I’ve got you. I know an amazing Thai place.”
Slowly but surely, the team began to make plans for the dinner, to welcome Silas back into the world again. However, as they began to pour out, Cyborg placed a hand on the machine that had taken him into the Metal, “You guys go ahead. I just… I need to be alone for a sec.”
“Hey, no prob!” said Exxy. “We’ll catch you later!”
The team poured out the door, with Silas taking one last cursory look back at his son before smiling and giving him a thumbs up. Cyborg waved goodbye to his friends and family, keeping his smile until they all left. Then, with a somber face, he turned back to the machine, sighing.
“You almost got me, I will admit… but the creation does not often best the creator,” Thinker grimaced. “For what it’s worth, I am proud to have called you my creation, you lived up to a higher potential than you could ever know, but your plan still had a flaw.”
Thinker looked at Cyborg’s hands, which now belonged to him, “I could take your beacon, inhabit the body built for me. All I had to do was prod your weaknesses and disable you before I did it. It was naive to think one powerful strike could destroy me. Brave… but naive.”
Thinker looked back to the machine, “But worry not, I have put you at peace, like your father was… and now I am free to extend that peace to the rest of the world.”
Thinker turned away from the machine, walking towards the exit to the bunker, “My plan is now in effect. It’s time to save the world.”
 
 
To be continued later in 2023!!!

As tall and elegant as some of these women are,
You dwarf even them in size and strength.
My dear, you must have walked here from Jotunheim.
What daughter from Midgard could have such beauty?
​
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May Huginn and Muninn roost near the windows.
Let them tell the All-Father what I've to say!
Fellow Nords, lend me every ear in this mead hall,
And hear how love, the heavy axe, has struck my chest!
​
​
Gerd, how are you searching for my love, your sister, here?
No other woman in this hall shares your height and allure!
My dear is tall and mighty enough to lock eyes with you in a brawl,
One with her shapely and strong body she'll surely win!
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​
Farbauti, cruel striker, we all agree with your joyous tears.
We share your pride in your pupil, this warrior of a woman!
Her axe's blows are confused with your punches,
And her arms could pull Jormungandr from the sea.
​
​
Hrungnir, you brawler, your disgrace did not start with Thor.
My love's massive arms wrestled your hefty stone body long ago.
You meekly wept every winter since she pinned you to the ground.
The god of thunder and his hammer had done you a mercy.
​
​
Skadi, damage-causer, you were a fine teacher for my dear.
She has delivered much prey into the hands of our men,
Men that welcomed my love as a leader and sister in arms.
Thank you, Skadi, for making her a hunter among hunters.
​
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Angrboda, distress-bringer, you and my love are blood sisters.
You both inspire dread and awe in gods and men.
Just as you struck fear in Odin's heart and love in Loki's,
My beloved's children are destined to catch the All-Father's gaze!
​
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Jarnsaxa, iron sword-bearer, look alive!
I beg your lover and his hammer to bless my dear.
May she have a son with the might of Magni,
And the steel of his blade be as sharp as your own!
​
​
In 9 nights, our wedding feast will put Thrym's to great shame.
My betrothed, you are a treasure from All-Father himself.
Let our love give rise to many warriors and legends,
And their praises be sung for untold winters to come.
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https://www.reddit.com/OCPoetry/comments/13wt1u0/when_the_cavalry_comes/
https://www.reddit.com/OCPoetry/comments/13wtci5/realisation/