[THE CHAMPIONSHIP!]

[agyieus.livejournal.com]

The Sensoriums open up to an amazing scene. A long hallway, with no seeming end, and large windows depicting billions of floating heads stuck together. Sleeping. The world that telepaths visit and share when they dream.

There's an open doorway, with noise and light coming from it. As one turns the corner, they can see three couches in a semi-circle around a large collection of televisions. Standing in one of the couches, with a bowl of popcorn under one arm and gesticulating wildly with the other, is Apollo. "YES! YES! THAT'S IT! CRAWL! CRAWL TO VICTORY AND BITE HIS KNEES OFF!" The source of his amusement fills several of the gigantic television screens in front of him.

That's right. One of the most powerful people on his planet is cheering to a fight on Jerry Springer. Not just any fight, though. A midget fight.

Comments

[sonotasuperhero.livejournal.com]

Ava had intended to use the Sensorium for a quick workout while she thought it'd be unoccupied. Unfortunately, she thought wrong. She wanders down the seemingly abandoned hallway full of floating heads, freezing in front of the open doorway. Was that... a midget fight?

"... what are you watching?" Ava asks from the doorway, looking slightly disgusted.

[agyieus.livejournal.com]

Apollo looks over his shoulder and grins a bit. "Jerry Springer." He scoots over on the couch a bit and waves her over. "Want to come sit down? I have popcorn, with real artificial butter flavor substitute."

Yes, this is perfectly normal for him. No wonder he watches Jerry.

[sonotasuperhero.livejournal.com]

"Oh, well, that explains everything." Ava says with a quick grin, walking over to the couch and flopping down (relatively) gracefully. She hesitates a bit over the popcorn... but then decides that she has slightly bigger things to worry about on the ship than her weight.

"Oh my god, stripy-shirt midget is tenacious."

[agyieus.livejournal.com]

Apollo laughs, munching on a few kernels of the delicious, buttery popcorn. "He isn't giving up any time soon. Look at him roll!" He shakes his head, marveling that the world can still surprise him like this. "This is so fucked up."

[sonotasuperhero.livejournal.com]

Ava pops a couple of popcorn kernels into her mouth, watching the tinier midget drag himself to his feet for the fifth or sixth time. "But that's why we watch it. Trainwreck value and all that."

[agyieus.livejournal.com]

"True enough." The clip eventually ends, and Jerry's midget championship is replaced by some kind of kung fu hillbilly (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb_HdYQooc4&NR=1). "It makes my life seem normal. I love it." He'd probably have gone crazy if he couldn't watch Jerry.

[sonotasuperhero.livejournal.com]

"Okay, was the shirtless thing necessary? Because I really didn't need to see that." Ava asks the television with a grimace. "And yeah, this show makes everyone's life seem normal by comparison. Even on a living spaceship."

[agyieus.livejournal.com]

"You've never seen a kung fu movie in your life, have you?" Apollo makes a few choppy gestures with his hands. "It's tradition to strip down. And, of course, they usually have perfectly oiled chests when they peel everything off." He watches the men wrestle on the ground. "I don't think oil would have helped these pasty little fucks any, though."

[sonotasuperhero.livejournal.com]

"And the guys in the kung-fu movies also probably have, like, abs." That's Ava's problem with the whole thing. She doesn't care if there are shirtless men on her TV; in fact, she is all in favor of shirtless men on her TV. She just wants them to be attractive and in-shape.

[agyieus.livejournal.com]

"Most of them, yeah. Kung fu doesn't exactly lend itself to couch potatoes." He leans his head back, staring at the ceiling. Really, he's trying not to laugh too hard at the on-screen stupidity. "Like that Chuck Norris. I'm going to have to remember that I can become an expert by watching Walker: Texas Ranger."

[not_the_philistine]

Goliath stares. Somehow, he's managed to miss seeing this show before (he always preferred books to the television anyway), and none of his clan have ever mentioned it. Not that he can't see why.

"This program tests my faith in humanity."

He's surprised, at this point, anything can.

[agyieus.livejournal.com]

Apollo glances over his shoulder, checking out a face that only a mother gargoyle could love. Yowza. Still, he just laughs and shrugs loosely. "Honestly, I watch it mainly to distract myself from how screwed up my own life is. There's always someone weirder."

[not_the_philistine]

There's a detective on the NYPD who would disagree with you about his face, thanks.

"Hmm." Goliath watches the midgets fight with almost studious intensity. "Their technique seems . . . practiced."

[agyieus.livejournal.com]

Well, one man's ugly beast is another girl's handsome devil.

"Yeah." Apollo nods. "There're claims that Jerry encourages the fights on these shows right before it happens. Someone asked him once, and he said it 'looked real' to him." He shrugs, holding up the bowl in a silent offering. "Still, you have to look at it and realize that these people are willing to do this crap for national attention."

[madebymagic.livejournal.com]

Billy heard the shouting and slowly followed his ears. When he entered the area, he was a bit put off. This place was giving him the creeps, but the voice sounded promising. He smiled as he noticed what Apollo was watching.

He draped himself over the back of the couch and smiled at the older man.

"This episode always cracked me up." He leaned down and stole a handfull of popcorn. "But it doesn't beat the 'I'm really a man' episodes. Those are the best."

[agyieus.livejournal.com]

Ah! His popcorn! There is a teenaged thief stealing it!

Apollo playfully swats at him, a token effort at punishing the popcorn burglar, but soon goes back to the skittering people on screen. "Actually, I always kind of liked the gay Klansman episodes. Especially if they come out in pink and swear their love for a black man. It's always a good time."

[madebymagic.livejournal.com]

Billy laughed and moved around the couch to plop down on the arm. His eyes glew for a moment and in his hands appeared his own bowl of popcorn, covered in a sticky caramel sauce.

"Oh those are a laugh a minute. Especially if the other Klansman get more upset about the gay thing then the black guy. I always end up hurting myself from laughing."

[agyieus.livejournal.com]

Hm. Caramel popcorn. He'd never tried that before. Billy, your supplies are being raided!

"I remember one, they actually dressed him up in pink." He chortles. "A pink Klansman! Can you imagine the conversation that would've caused around the burning cross?"

[madebymagic.livejournal.com]

Billy smiled as his popcorn was stolen. "Oh man, I think I missed that one." Then again, he could probably have seen it and forgotten about it. He had other things he liked to keep in his mind, more important things. But the image of a pink Klansman was a funny thought.