#IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT DOES IT

[vamp-ress]

I feel this so much. I miss forums. I even miss yahoogroups (or rather mailing lists in general).

I've tried Discord and I just can't. I look at it, wonder how I'm supposed to navigate and find anything there and then I feel old. I feel old because I find Discord overly complicated. It's not user-friendly. It's not easy to handle. And I'm simply at a point in my life where I don't have the time (or the patience) to spend endless nights trying to understand how a certain thing works. It either works or it doesn't, but I'm not twenty anymore and I won't waste two hours of my life to get a Wordpress plugin to work - something that I found truly enjoyable in my youth.

In mailings lists especially you could join in a conversation anytime. You could have actual conversations. On Discord, when you're in a different timezone from everyone else, you look at a thread and think "oh, that's an interesting discussion" and when you get to the end, people are talking about something else entirely. It just feels like everyone at the table was having a beautiful conversation while you were in the kitchen doing the dishes. It sucks and it's not fun.

I tried Discord for a while, I really did. I joined the @ficwip Discord a while back, even though I never participated in any of the events and challenges. If you're looking for something writing-related, I would recommend that Discord. There are a lot of people of varying backgrounds there and you'll always find someone able to help you with a research question or the phrasing of a sentence. But it's huge and I found it daunting. I had about half of the channels muted and I still couldn't keep up with what was going on there. When someone said a few nice things about what @astolat accomplished for the entirey of fandom that person was rebuffed with "we don't worship BNFs here" (or some such). Everyone is entitled to make up their own rules (don't get me wrong - about 98% of the Ficwip rules are absolutely reasonable and in fact very old-school, I totally approve). I found it silly that this person was told off for something that was basically nothing more than a compliment and that moment was the last nail in my Discord-coffin. I left the channel, left the other two channels I had join but had subsequently never used and I haven't looked back. It's not my kind of thing.

Maybe I should get into Reddit. Then again, whenever I look at Reddit I get anxiety. Why is it so ugly? So terrible? Why is a forum in 2025 so basic and off-putting? Why is it designed to give me headeaches from text overload? Why is the font so tiny? Why does the navigation suck so much? Have you seen forums from the early 2000's? They're peak civilisation. Why does something like this not exist anymore?

imo a discord server should be like a breakout room for fandom. like the place to run your wips by your besties or discuss your otp in more detail with a few people who were insane about it on your post or organise events with a handful of trusted mutuals etc etc. if it’s where ALL the fandom activity is going to happen it will inevitably foster a cliquey environment where the fandom is divided into “those in the server” and “those who aren’t”, lurking is disincentivised if not made outright impossible, people who feel uncomfortable joining in conversations and would rather interact with fandom through reblogging etc are largely excluded because there’s no repost mechanism, and the fandom itself becomes an enclosed space so new fans are limited in how much content and meta they can access without having to make the plunge into Joining The In Group, there’s limited scope for interaction between different communities within the same fandom, god it’s just an altogether dogshit stupid idea. what if we moved all fandom activity to really massive private groupchats. STUPID

[d3mibhan]

AN ANALYSIS AND DEEP DIVE OF IVANTILL

After Karma came out I saw a lot of confusion and some takes that I didn't like very much, I intend to do a similar discussion for Mizisua too but it will happen later (mainly for some things I saw said about Ivan and Till I want to give precedence to them)

Warnings:

- I will deal with sensitive topics

- English is not my native language and given my dyslexia there could be grammatical errors, please be patient

- I am not a psychologist and the characters in question are not real please be respectful

- all relationships in alien stage are toxic nothing is healthy but is fiction so please be normal abaut it

Ivan and Till's relationship is described as unrequited on multiple occasions, but it's much more complex than it seems. The term "unrequited" doesn't mean that Till doesn't feel love for Ivan, but rather that both of them are unable to understand and express those feelings, but what do I mean by that?

Ivan is the "easiest to explain" convinced that he doesn't deserve love, he seeks attention in another way. We see him bother Till, seek conflict with him just to get his gaze, because he doesn't expect anything else, he is aware of Till's feelings towards Mizi, and he is fine with it, as long as Till is happy and safe he is "content". We know that Ivan has a very negative view of himself, in addition to defining his feelings as shallow (not because they are superficial but because he believes he is not capable of loving or feeling true feelings) he is convinced that his death will not bring pain to Till, precisely because he has this idea of ​​being too much, a burden, he wants affection, he wants attention but he doesn't understand why.

Till on the other hand decides to ignore what he feels to hide behind the easiest solution.

We know from the beginning of his love for Mizi, but we are not talking about true love, not that for Till it is not like that, he is seriously convinced that he loves Mizi, but now as in the past we know that it is a superficial thing, he is infatuated with Mizi for her appearance and her carefree and innocent character, but now we know that she is not like that, that Mizi is a mask, she is a superficial version of her for her own survival, but Till does not know it, and he does not care to know.

I do not know how many of you know the term "Manic pixie dream girl" for those who do not know it I recommend the video of Biz Barclay "why you'll never subvert the Manic pixie dream girl" on YouTube, for those who are familiar with the term it is the exact way in which I would describe Mizi according to Till.

For Till, Mizi is nothing more than an ideal, Till has never deepened his relationship with her because he didn't need it, for him Mizi represents light, freedom and hope. For him this is love, but we know that in reality it is not.

throughout the story Till replaces Ivan with mizi inside his mind, we see scenes from Till's point of view of Mizi doing actions, comforting him that probably never happened in reality, only to be replaced by scenes in the real world where it is Ivan who does those actions, in Round 6 we see Till hallucinating Mizi who comforts him only to be replaced by a very real Ivan. But then why doesn't Till see Ivan directly and projects all his feelings onto Mizi?

2 reasons, guilt and confusion.

As previously mentioned Ivan expresses his feelings in an aggressive way, it is not absurd to think that this confuses Till, to the point of convincing him that Ivan can't stand him, this would be added to the sub song "mi vida loca" where he asks for confirmation that he is not hated. To add to his confusion we now know thanks to the last two comics that the aliens push for heterosexual relationships (probably to encourage reproduction) so it is not difficult to think that what complicates the matter is internalized homophobia and even biphobia.

Let's add the guilt for having stopped the escape and we get a more than complex relationship, It's hard to accept loving someone for whom you have mixed feelings, such as anger, guilt and sadness.

but this doesn't erase the feelings.

I've seen so many people confused by the crystal hearts scene in Karma, to the point of seeing people comparing it to SA, and there can't be anything more wrong, those scenes are clearly a metaphor on how the various couples have lived their love and their life, but most importantly, their last moment together, focusing on Ivan and Till, Ivan forces his feelings on Till, but Till is not given the chance to reciprocate them, Ivan hand blocks his mouth, Ivan is so convinced that he is nothing to Till that he doesn't give him time to react and reason, just like in Round 6, Till before that kiss was unaware of the feelings that Ivan had for him and Ivan refuse to give him a chance to reciprocate.

ivan is scared, violent, impulsive, as during round 6, he presses the heart between their lips and breaks it to symbolize his sacrifice, he dies convinced that for till it will never be anything, but we spectators see what is a heart hidden in his collar, even for the eyes of ivan. It represents the love that till feels for him, of which both are unaware until that moment, until it is too late.

in the falling children scene we see how Till himself looks for Ivan, at the end of Karma we see Till smiling at the "genetic experiment" child between Mizi and Ivan because it represents the love that led him to move forward, Mizi's hair that represents his aesthetic sense and therefore the most superficial part and Ivan's eyes the deepest and most interior part, the love he felt for the idea of ​​Mizi and the love he feels for what Ivan was

their unrequited love is called like this because they never had the chance to reciprocate it, this is their tragedy, this makes them the interesting relationship that they are.

sorry if I wrote a lot, I usually draw (not on tumblr but I should start posting here soon too) I want to say that Mizi is an incredible character and my favorite but to avoid writing too much I didn't go into it in depth and I only talked about it from Till's point of view. i hope you can understand my point of view

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for Rabbit behind the cut, who asked for something sweet with Kon/YJ and is getting “come on barbie let’s go party". Kink and banter is totally sweet, right? Content notes/warnings: micro/macro, temporary magical transformation, Dom/sub, and a background radiation of unhealthy coping mechanisms. (( chrono || non-chrono ))

"Y-yeah,” he manages to croak even as he hides his face tighter against Tim's fingers, still trying not to shiver. It's just–he's just–“That's–y-yeah.” 

He doesn't know what he actually is right now. He doesn't . . . 

“Mm,” Cassie says, running a finger up his back, and he shivers after all. It doesn't feel anything like it normally feels when she does that. “Should we take turns? Or do you want one of us specifically to do it?” 

Kon's face burns, because the answer is . . . 

“You're–playing with me,” he manages stiltedly, keeping his face hidden. “S'not up to me if you share your toys with each other or not.” 

“Ngh,” Tim mutters. 

“Oh,” Cassie says faintly, her finger stilling against the small of his back. It takes up a lot more space there than it’s supposed to. “Ah–okay. Yeah. Okay.” 

Kon thinks–is that weird? Did they want him to pick one of them, was he supposed to pick one of them, were they–was it weird kinda like–kinda calling himself–? 

“Dibs,” Bart says immediately, and Cassie sighs. 

“It is not your turn, Bart,” she says firmly, and then suddenly Kon’s all wrapped up in her hands and she’s pulling him in against her chest again. “You have had your turn. Anyway, I’m the one who has experience playing with dolls here, you don’t even know what to do.” 

“Okay I grew up in VR and Kon just grew up asleep but like, you’re making some very heteronormative assumptions about Tim’s growing-up process there,” Bart counters reasonably, and sneaks an attempt at snagging Kon back from her. Cassie folds her hands in tighter around Kon and pins him against her tighter as she scowls at Bart, turning her torso away from him, and Kon flushes darkly and feels a little bit, like . . . insane, maybe? About that? Like, about being crushed in against her tits, yeah, but mostly about them like–about them talking about this like it is up to them if they . . . “share�� or not. 

Which, like . . . he wants it to be, kinda, just he didn’t know if they’d actually, like . . . 

He wants to do, like–he can’t do the kind of things he’d normally do for them, so he just . . . he just wants to do–something for them, he guesses. 

Maybe that’s stupid, though, or not actually what they want, or . . . selfish, even, if he really . . . 

“I literally have never played with a single doll in my life, Bart,” Tim says wryly. “Unless you count the minifigs in Warlocks and Warriors, but those don’t come in ‘dress-up’ sizes.” 

“You actually play Warlocks and Warriors?” Cassie asks, wrinkling her nose at him. “That’s so unbelievably nerdy, Tim.” 

“I mean, I used to,” Tim says. “But I don’t really think you can call that ‘nerdy’, given the global TTRPG market is worth something like two billion dollars now.” 

“Was it worth two billion dollars when you ‘used to’, man?” Kon can’t help asking dryly, even though he can only half-see him past Cassie’s folded-in fingers. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Tim says. 

“The fact you know it’s worth two billion dollars now is definitely nerdy, but no, I mean only old people with math fetishes play Warlocks and Warriors,” Cassie scoffs as she kind of squeezes Kon in a way that he thinks is maybe supposed to be appreciative but mostly makes him feel some very complicated things, only about half of which are horny. “Everybody else plays Serpents & Spells.” 

“You mean ‘everybody who’s prepubescent’?” Tim asks wryly. 

“The math fetish would explain knowing the global market value, I guess,” Kon manages to make himself “muse” as Cassie sticks her tongue out at Tim, and an eighth of a second later Bart absolutely phases his hands through hers and snatches Kon out of them before zipping halfway across the room with him cupped to his chest. 

That does not make him feel any less complicated and half-horny, for the record.

“Hey!” Cassie protests indignantly. 

“You snooze you lose also TTRPGs are the objective worst and you’re both objectively wrong, math is the console's job and waiting for everyone else to take their turns in a TTRPG is an actual literal circle of actual literal speedster hell,” Bart informs them both. “And no I am not making that up.” 

“. . . I feel like you might be, but I’ve also never been to speedster hell,” Cassie says, then frowns and says– “Wait, there is a speedster hell? Specifically?!” 

“There are a lot of speedster things,” Bart says reasonably, then rolls his eyes. “What, your family has Tartarus. Is your family the only family that gets to have a personal hell?” 

“Please don’t refer to the Greek pantheon as my family, I really don’t want anyone getting cursed this weekend,” Cassie says with a wince, then gestures awkwardly with her hands. “And look, I thought you all just–I don’t know, went to the Speed Force or something!” 

“I don’t know what you think that means,” Bart says, squinting skeptically at her. “Like you know the Speed Force is more than one thing, right? Like I mean it is one thing because it’s all the Speed Force but like, this reality is all ‘one thing’ and–” 

“I really don’t know why everyone’s religions are so obsessed with the afterlife,” Tim says with a sigh. 

“Sorry, you think I worship gods I have personally met?” Cassie asks. “That doesn’t seem weird and awkward and embarrassing to you, socially-speaking?” 

“The Speed Force isn’t a sprocking religion!” Bart says, looking indignant. 

“Please explain to me how it’s not,” Tim says. “Like, what is the objective difference there?” 

“The objective difference is objective fact,” Bart retorts snidely, then opens his hands again and peeks down at Kon, and Kon immediately feels like a gross rumpled sweaty sticky mess all over again, and also feels a little bit off-balance, and also feels a new rush of embarrassment about how stupid he probably looks right now. 

Just they’ve all gotta think–like, he must just look so–

“You really are super-cute like this,” Bart observes, then hooks his thumbs into the insides of his knees and pushes them open again by sliding them down the insides of his thighs. “Especially with the suit all wet and everything. Totally worth getting all that scratchy glitter on my tongue.” 

Kon is even more embarrassed about how hard he blushes over hearing that. 

“Oh, so now we remember what we were doing, huh?” he grumbles, and tries to at least sound grumbly about it. He knows–like, it’s obvious what they were doing, talking about that weird random stuff. They were trying to help him, like–settle, or relax, or . . . like. It’s obvious, that that’s what they’re doing. New thing, different kind of scene–they all do that kind of thing, with those. 

Bart just cocks his head, looking down at him intently. Kon tries not to blush harder. 

“What’s that look about, Jesus, man,” he mutters. “Speed Force Jesus, maybe.” 

“We don’t have one of those unless you count Grandpa Barry, maybe, and that took way longer than three days,” Bart says, then narrows his eyes consideringly. “It’s just really hard to decide what to dress you up in. Like there’s a lot of stuff and the eidetic memory is making it real hard to narrow it down because I keep thinking about all of it all at once.” 

“‘Decide’?” Tim repeats, and Kon can hear the raised eyebrow but can’t actually, like, make himself take his eyes off Bart, when Bart’s looking at him like that. 

“Duh,” Bart snorts. “I mean like I’ve never played with dolls, we already had that conversation, but I definitely know you pick their clothes, they don’t pick ‘em.” 

JESUS, Kon thinks faintly, and would probably fall right out of Bart’s hands if the other weren’t holding him so tight. 

He’s still holding his legs open, too. Like–Kon could probably close them if he wanted, just–like, Bart would let him, probably, just–just like–

“What the fuck, Bart,” he says, still feeling a little faint. Like–yeah, okay, the “YOU pick their clothes” thing makes sense and all and it’s probably a logical thing and all that he already should’ve figured was gonna be a thing and whatever, but like–Jesus. Just–whatever, actual religion or not, just–Speed Force JESUS.

[redandgreyscale]

My Evan headcannons because I saw someone say we need to talk more about him and that is true

Evan is an unstoppable force of nature. He's threatening in a beautiful way in the sense he could make you shut up just by looking your way, he's serious in public and soft once you get to know him. He's handsome, he's a bit weird, his favourite subject is transfiguration, he does taxidermy for fun, he loves his friends with his whole heart and does not tolerate no one talking bad about them but doesn't do anything when people talk bad about him. Evan puts a lot of effort into every assignment and test, he works for his grades to be good.

He looks calm and collected and perfect all the time and won't break that facade for anything until he's alone with the people he trusts because he cannot afford to be perceived as weak to any capacity.

Evan has a lot of pressure to be the perfect heir, the perfect son and student, not make mistakes, and all of this weighs on him more than he'd like to admit.

He has a complicated relationship with his body and his sexuality, but loves with his whole heart.

He needs to have a super specific well planned schedule and plan of action for every single thing and needs to follow it, if a plan is changed or he's forced to improvise he'll literally have a meltdown but that is something he learns to deal with time because it's impossible to follow anything with Barty 'i will follow every single impulsive thought' Crouch Jr as his boyfriend.

He hates chocolate with a passion, no one understands it. (though he'll sometimes eat black chocolate because it's not as sweet)

He's not very creative but still tries, so he'll take hobbies that need to be done in a very specific way but still need a bit of creativity (taxidermy in his case). He loves to collect bones and other animal things, he once stole a feather of Dumbledore's phoenix because he needed it in his collection.

He can see thestrals but can't remember what happened for him to be able to.

And I'm going to stop here but feel free to add more!

[eyrieofsynapses]

This is one of the reasons why we really, really need to be educating ourselves on the history and reasoning behind conservative movements. And y'all, we cannot ignore the cultural elements of this--oftentimes the seemingly stupid stuff is way, way more complicated than you'd think.

I think part of why left-wing folks like to be dismissive is because it absolves us of doing the work to 1) recognize the reasoning behind conservative movements, which is often uncomfortable and complicated, 2) treating conservatives like the regular people they are, and most importantly 3) connecting with conservatives and finding ways to get through to them.

This is hard to do. It involves examining our own beliefs and acknowledging that our perspectives are, indeed, perspectives. We're doing the right thing from our point of view, and conservatives are doing the same damn thing. That's uncomfortable! It's uncomfortable to say "yes, these people who are trying to strip me of my rights can think through things like I can and believe they're doing what's right with the same conviction that I do"! Because it means they can think like you! And it also confronts us with the reality that, under different circumstances, we could be like them. (...which, in and of itself, is a very us-versus-them way of thinking, and that's dangerous too.)

Of course, the left-wing movement is generally in the direction of expanding civil rights, preventing physical and mental harm to others, improving the environment etc., and usually involves a much broader world view--essentially it seeks to better life for everyone regardless of their circumstances. To me, that's what makes left-wing movements moral and worthy of pursuit. Conservative views seem to tend toward more... dehumanization in the name of bettering life for their in-group and/or because they don't want to sympathize or try to understand other people, and a belief that everyone is responsible for their own situation and will bear the consequences accordingly. But even then, that's a left-wing view of right-wingers. Frankly I need to do more research on how their thinking works--and here I need to acknowledge that the conservative group is in fact not a monolith, and there's a hell of a lot of groups within it, so the thinking will vary depending on who you're looking at.

Imo the most frustrating part of this is that sometimes the reasoning conservatives have is not strictly off, either, and frankly that's one of the most important things to recognize, because that's how ordinary people in the center (and even liberals and leftists!) get pushed into right-wing movements and become polarized. Yes, the USA does have a pretty significant national debt, and yes, that could come back to bite us in the ass. Yes, there are potentially very real and dangerous economic consequences to a low birth rate. And so on. That doesn't mean that the solutions right-wingers are presenting are good--they generally have a basis in racist/queerphobic/misogynistic/abelist/etc. beliefs--but the concerns themselves aren't always illegitimate. We do have to address them if we want to avoid pushing folks in the center into extreme right-wing territory.

In any case, if you're a podcast person and want to educate yourself on political movements, I'd highly recommend NPR's work. Just for a couple examples, Throughline is good for long-form history and background on political movements (I just listened to their two-parter on the abortion rights and anti-abortion movements and hoo boy there is a LOT to unpack in there). It's Been A Minute is a shorter podcast covering current cultural movements and, to quote, "why it doesn't happen by accident." You can also take a look at Slate's Decoder Ring for coverage on goofier but equally relevant topics.

gotta be honest with you, i'm not too sure about this thing ppl say of "conservatives" being irrationally opposed to "trans people just existing" or whatever. i guess controversial take but no they actually have very concrete reasons to oppose bodily autonomy and the destabilization of sexual roles we represent considering their views on sex/gender and social reproduction overall actually. obviously we must oppose those views as they are 1. wrong and 2. oppressive but like. it's not like they just chose a random minority to hate. i mean otherwise why do you think it's specifically us.

[quillsandblades]

do you think levihan is canon for real?

Heyy anon!

Do I think levihan is canon? I'd say yes absolutely, I'm like 99% sure they are - that one percent lacking here because Isayama hasn't really announced that they're official lol. Though even if Isayama does say they're not canon I'll probably live on in denial. Plus, now I'm so deep on the levihan pit I can never be convinced to stop shipping them.

Btw when I say they're canon here it doesn't mean I think they were an established couple (cuz Isayama said Levi was never involved in any romantic relationship throughout aot) but I do believe they had feelings for each other. Whether they acted on them or not is a different debate.

Why do I think they're canon? Plenty of reasons.

Firstly, starting from something of my own; I'd like to add that I never even shipped levihan until well after I'd finished the anime and the manga. In fact I never shipped Levi or Hange with anyone while watching/reading aot and for a long time after that. I was too focused on the plot and there were many other things going on.

Now from the eyes of a (former) non-shipper, I didn't think much of the head grab scene, didn't know the black jacket being shared between them, and never even noticed Levi could recognise Hange just by the sound of her knock on the door.

But then enter season 4 and suddenly Hange's changed and everything's going wrong. And I'm noticing things.

The forest scene happened and I was watching in dub for some reason so the ifkk line was translated as "we should camp out in the woods for the rest of our lives" and that's not very romantic. But despite that I could feel something between them, in the air, in that scene. But then the plot moved on and I didn't pay much attention to it.

I read chapter 132 from the manga cus the anime wasn't released yet, and again there was something there. Hange's walking towards her death and I'm literally falling into despair, waiting for someone to stop her and Levi shows up. And I just felt like he'd stop her and she'd listen. But he did the salute and I didn't read it as romantic at all but I felt some very complicated history, emotion, whatever passing between them ok. I felt there was something in that scene between all those words that only isayama or the characters themselves would know. And the fact that Levi never did that salute for anyone, not even Erwin, made me think Hange was probably more precious to him than I realised.

And then later on when I discovered levihan and it felt so right. The ship just fit the whole plotline and everything, like it had existed within it all along.

Next comes all the proof for levihan being canon we've seen in this community. We all know Isayama wrote Aot with exacting precision, every foreshadowing, every dialogue meant something. Now keeping in mind how carefully he made this manga, we look at all the little details.

Isayama himself approved the head grab scene in the anime and we know how it went against Levi's every single principle. His FINGERS ARE ENTANGLED IN HER HAIR. Hair which she rarely ever washes and Levi is supposed to hate filthy things. She's IN HIS PERSONAL SPACE.

Then there's the black jacket yams said wasn't Levi's and we saw it on Hange too. Again a very subtle detail but I'd never ignore it cuz Isayama is the master of subtle details.

Hange practically proposed to him in the forest scene. "Maybe we should just live here together" like hello?? What kind of thoughts had she been having to say that in a moment where her defenses were down? Clearly nothing about friendship. If Yams didn't wanna hint anything he could've kept it simple like 'maybe we should stay hidden here' or idk something like that, but no. Living together. The stuff couples do.

Then there's the "yet another love for a titan gone unrequited" line Levi says in ch132 and we know, in Japanese, it sounds like Levi's implying her love for someone else is requited (and there was only Levi left alive as a potential love interest for Hange at that time so we know who that mysterious someone is). Isayama could've written anything else but he chose to have Levi say words that had potential other meanings. Why would he do that? That guy knows his language, he could've phrased it any other way but he didn't

Then there's the interpretations of the 'Dedicate your heart' from ch132 and they make so much sense. It was such an intimate gesture on Levi's part I just can't. Here again, Isayama could've had Levi do the standard salute with his fist on his own heart and keep it all professional, a last goodbye from Captain to Commander. But no Levi rests his fist on Hange's heart and adds another layer of meaning, of longing, in that goodbye.

One can argue he did it because Hange probably didn't have the courage to go on, so he did the salute for her to make sure she didn't waver in her duty. Which is, ok, a bit valid--BUT. Remember how Erwin was also hesitating before his death? I can't say he was scared but he was considering the selfish way out to the basement. He needed a push too. And Levi gave him exactly that. No salute, nothing about hearts or dedication, instead a "Give up on your dreams and die" and a vow to kill Zeke. So we know Levi knows what to say to people who are leaving, he knows the words to give a dying man because he's seen so many. He could've done the same with Hange, could've said the right words so she didn't waver and got that push she needed. But he chose a gesture instead. His fist, not even on his own heart but hers. It was more than just a push, hell maybe it was a plea to come back alive. We'll never know

Then there's the little things in the manga. Like how Levi knew something was wrong with Hange after Pastor Nick's death and was visibly concerned about her, and said "Why do you need to keep it in, tell me Hange."

They've got nicknames for each other. I've never seen Levi give anyone a nickname ok, and then he calls her shitty-glasses/four-eyes. And Hange calls him clean-freak. Not the typical nicknames two people would give each other but hey they're both abnormals after all.

There you have it anon. Levihan's backed up by so much canon hints and crumbs that it's impossible to feel they didn't have something between them.

That got so long lol, you probably didn't expect to have an essay handed out to you. Thanks for dropping by and hopefully you found your answer in here!

[iloveundertaesooomuch]

Hello! I just found your Our Love is God AU, and I’m really curious—what happens if Caleb finds Phillip? How many years had passed?

Family drama happens that's for sure! -Sksksk- I think..., at least a decade and a half has passed since the last time the brothers have seen each other.

Caleb was struggling A HELL LOT in his search for Philip on the Boiling Isles. Why? Simply because Pip doesnt use his original name anymore and hides his face behind a mask most of the time. Even if Caleb would have trusted witches, they wouldn't be able to provide him with any useful clues on what happened to his brother.

Caleb was completely on his own in his search. And after years of struggle, older Wittebane even felt like it is all completely futile. He gave up the hope.

So, it is still Philip who finds Caleb first. By accident.

The brothers walk right pass each other before the hermit realises that he saw a painfully familiar face. Belos would turn around and call out "Caleb Wittebane?" hesitantly. The older brother raises his head in recognition and glances over his shoulder.

Caleb doesn't recognise Philip at all. Not like this. At first he thinks he got recognised from a wanted poster. So when Belos tries to come closer Caleb tries to deflect, weasel away from a potential confrontation with a "wicked demon".

Belos then rushes to take off his mask (and his cape probably to not look even bigger than he already is) and says something along the lines: "Brother, it's me! Philip! Do you recognise me?"

Caleb still isn't immediately convinced... The memory of his 12 year old brother doesn't fit the image of the witch he sees in front of him right now. The tall man with long feminine hair in a tunic, with a voice that sounds nothing like he remembers. But the eyes. The eyes are the same...

Although, how it isnt a trick? Is it really?... Oh God, is it really?

Thats where the brotherly embrace happens, amist of shock and disbelief. You can imagine how Philip is overwhelmed with pure joy; he too never thought he would see his brother ever again. Meanwhile Caleb's feelings are more.. complicated. His relief and joy are inevitably followed by fear.

Philip is alive, but is he okay? Really okay? Where is that witch? Did he manage to escape or is he under her control? What happened to his ears?!

Caleb rushes to drag Philip into a lonely alleway, saying that "Its okay now. I will save you, Pip" or something like that. And thats.. when the argument happens between them.

Belos almost forgot how it looked for his older brother. How genuinely terrified Caleb was on the day of Philip's escape to the Demon Realm. But he was quick enough to realise the mental space his older brother is in right now and took a careful, understanding approach.

Finally Philip gets to explain himself. To tell his truth and his side of the story. To finally get Caleb hear Pip out, unlike during their last argument. Belos answers his brother's questions, leaving nothing out, soothes his worries, promising that all this years he was kept safe and he was okay. And... eventually, Caleb sees that.

But why? How the knife fight does not take place? Wouldn't Caleb be in the same position as Canon Philip? Well, there are two main reasons for why it ends so differently:

Ever since Philip ran away, Caleb thought it was his fault that his younger brother got spirited away. "What could have I done differently? How could I prevent this? Only if I weren't so blind, perharps, I would have seen the signs- I should have payed attention!" The ovewhelming guilt is the main driving force behind Caleb in this AU. He thought that he was to blame for not taking the threat of witch craft seriously enough, but... now he can see that he failed Philip in a different way.

Caleb already had someone who helped him to slowly but surely shift his perspective and change his view of witches before he met Philip. And it was, you guessed it, Evelyn Clawthorne! Of course, Caleb didn't see a hot witch and immediately had a change of heart! The first thing he did was tricking her into helping him before trying to leave her to die. Not the best start, but through their many encounters, inevitably, they got to understand each other more. Unwillingly. And of course, it made Caleb realise that not all witches are inherently evil or serve the Devil. ("Not all of them BUT-")

Seeing the truth is still quite painful. It is very difficult to process, to accept. But this time, Caleb has all the time in the world to understand with no trial hanging over their heads. The brothers most likely shed their tears during this life-changing conversation. And then, after that, Philip will lead Caleb to his and Camila's house. After all, blondie looks like he has been starving.

Happy ending! YAAAY!

This was the first ask I got, after posting the complete list of my AUs. And originally I planned to answer on it with a whole comic. You can imagine how quickly I realised that this would be much more difficult than I expected, haha. So, for now you get a portrait remake, but maybe somewhen in the future I will get my hands on the script and will bring it to a completion.

The portrait without the DRAMMATIC shadow:

[t-u-i-t-c]

Episode 19 Thoughts/Rambles

I think there's quite a bit to say about Kuon in this episode. The fact that he's becoming more fearful and more aggressive can tell us a lot about the possible circumstances surrounding him and his marking. Firstly, he is more aggressive in the way he fights and approaches others. It feels less about winning and more about getting a point across. It especially feels this way when he makes remarks during the battle against White Burn where he thinks their efforts are useless and he gets angry over being defied again. He's more expressive than he was when he piloted Tega June, less calm, and you can feel the fear and anxiety coursing through him.

It's quite obvious that Kuon's mark is not something he wants others to know about, whether that be through a fear of seeming weak or vulnerable or both, it's anyone's guess. It seems that time has a hold on Kuon and it's becoming more and more clear to him as time passes. I think the way he talks about Mashiro's insinuation that Kuon has hope in Hoeru that is bringing about suffering is a key point, though not something I can expand upon too much beyond what I've talked about in previous posts. I'm hoping this idea will be expanded upon in the future, as it does hit a nerve with Kuon here and Hoeru being his hope is something mentioned before that I think could be explored further.

Kuon's emotions and actions have always been conflicting, one moment he cares deeply and the next there's no care to be found. Everything feels dependent on a loss of control, something I talked about in depth here. With this episode it seems that Kuon is trying to make a point about Hoeru being at fault and it feels like Kuon holds some anger over Hoeru being able to live normally. It seems like he wants to keep reminding Hoeru of his pain so that he can burn in this idea that Hoeru cannot heal and be normal. In episode 8, Kuon outright says that Hoeru has lost too much too many times, and so he cannot be normal and will be damaged for life, but in this episode Hoeru says no matter how many times he loses he'll keep going. He's not listening to Kuon and he will continue to defy him bc he is Hoeru and he will choose his own path. He doesn't need Kuon to define who he is and he has to move forward. He can live normally and he can have a life worth living, but he needs to decide for himself what his dream will be. For Hoeru, it's about seeking independence and a sense of self.

Hoeru has friends, though he may not call them that at times it is clear that they care for him (I talked about this here) and I think this shows a lot in small things, such as Ryugi approaching Hoeru about his complicated family situation, Sumino helping Hoeru get work, Kinjiro wanting to get Hoeru a gift after moving in, Rikuo putting his all into getting them to finish the three-legged race first, and them trying to help him on his date. Even with Mashiro the care feels like it is blossoming as he reassures Hoeru that Mine is smiling down on him. Hoeru is surrounded by a support system, though it was built on a rivalry and they are still fighting, the care is still there. Hoeru has something that Kuon doesn't and it angers him. He wants to break it apart, that's why he tells them to stay away from Hoeru and tries to take them out and turn Hoeru on them. There's a part of him that detests that Hoeru can have people that love him and the fact that he cannot just erase this fact just makes it worse.

There's this sense of blame and anger but also a sense of shame that lingers over Kuon every step of the way. He's like this thanks to Hoeru and Hoeru cannot save anyone, but at the same time Hoeru's naive and innocent. He's an angel, but if he's capable of flying than he is also capable of falling. I do wonder if Kuon thinks that Hoeru finding a wish will bring him down, as he sees wishes as chains. I wonder if he's trying to prevent Hoeru from finding his wish and in turn "falling from grace". Though I also feel it's hard to say anything is a sure thing when it comes to Kuon.

I think that a lot of Kuon's anger is toward himself, as I previously explained, however I also feel that Hoeru's ability to become stronger and find value in wishes and have this drive to keep going is upsetting. It's a reminder of who Kuon cannot be and it's creating more and more distance between them. It's as if Kuon wants to destroy Hoeru and his ambitions, but every time he thinks he can hurt him Hoeru comes out stronger. But it also feels as though some part of him has hope for Hoeru, though it doesn't seem to be in the Hoeru that is, but in a Hoeru that Kuon wishes to create, but then again with Kuon's conflicting feelings it would not be strange if these feelings of hope are something else entirely or if he is unwilling to admit these feelings can even exist.

Kuon's fate feels sealed, but it doesn't stop him from wanting some form of control. I think that as Hoeru gets further it gets worse and it is not helped that he recently disappointed Tega June. Having not seen much of him since the world was almost rewritten and the possibility of him having kept Hoeru's ring safe, there is still a lot to uncover about who Kuon is and wants to be, and what his real goals are in the grand-scheme.

[See here for further/previous Hoeru thoughts and here for Kuon]

[dani-moonstars]

Hi Dani! 💖

29 and 30 for the ask meme please?

Hi Calli! Thanks for the ask and the list too! I took some time to think about these but it was a lot of fun.

29. Does Ian ever have any more contact with Clayton?

I'm gonna have to say no. I think that Clayton was never really interested in getting to know any of them when they were his nieces and nephews and I don't see him reaching out to Ian once he finds out he's his kid. Clayton doesn't seem like the guy who is willing to rock the boat of his marriage with something like this, you know? It looks like if he was the one who might want to contact Ian, he'd have to fight his wife first to do so and I don't see that happening.

Ian on the other hand... His reaction to Lip taking him there and meeting Clayton when he's 15 is heartbreaking. Like he thinks Lip is trying to drop him off and expell him from the family or something (which i don't think is what Lip had in mind, btw).

And Ian, you know? The forgotten middle child who falls through the cracks of the neverending chaos, who tries not to be a burden and who feels enough as an "other" in his own family as is?

I think that his reaction that day is to cling onto his family as strongly as he can, looking for Lip's confirmation that he is indeed, still his brother and that he is still part of the family. He even says that Frank is his father, which is complicated for Ian, given that we know Frank hates him and Ian is fully aware of that. Also, let's not forget that Frank is violent towards Ian at least twice (on camera) but it's sort of known that it had happened before.

And he continues to do that (assert his place within his siblings) even though it becomes increasingly more difficult through the years. Like when he gets sick and he gets compared to the ultimate outsider: Monica (ouch, ouch).

So all of this to say that I don't think that he would go actively looking for Clayton, because it would just be another thing that makes him an "other", something else that distinguishes him from his siblings, when it's been shown time and time that he doesn't want that.

So I din't think either Ian nor Clayton would reach out.

30. Do you think Iggy, Colin, Mickey and Mandy are full siblings or half siblings?

I susbcribe to the idea that floats around in more than one fanfic that Mandy and Mickey are full siblings, Colin and Iggy are full siblings but Mickey and Mandy are half siblings with Iggy and Colin.

I have no proof of this, but I also have no doubts. 😅

.-.-.-

Let me know what you think!

[0-mangocake-0]

Slow Rise | Chef Luca x OC | The Bear | CH.1

Premise: Amelie came to Denmark on Carmy's recommendation, chasing a reset after burnout and disappointment in Chicago. Staging under Luca was supposed to be purely professional-early mornings, late nights, aching feet, and no emotional entanglements.

But from the moment she stepped into his kitchen, everything became... complicated.

Luca is calm where Amelie is chaotic, precise where she's impulsive, distant in all the ways that make her want to get closer. There are glances that linger too long, arguments that carry the sharpness of something unspoken, touches that happen too often to be accidental-but nothing crosses the line. Not officially.

The kitchen becomes its own language: tension folded like laminated dough, sweetness hidden beneath structure, heat rising steadily between them. And Luca? He notices everything. The way Amelie handles her pastry. The way her breath catches when he leans too close. The way her walls come down, one slow crack at a time.

The real problem? He wants her. But Luca doesn't break rules. Not his own. Not unless he already has.

In the pressure cooker of a Michelin-starred kitchen, something always boils over. The only question is: when it does, will either of them survive the burn?

Word Count: 1058

THE STORY CONTINUES HERE!!👇🏽:

Chapter Title: Spandauer

The kitchen was silent. Everyone had gone home after a long shift. Orders went out, plates came back clean, but it still wasn't enough for Amelie.

The sound of toppers opening, eggs cracking, sugar hitting metal—each movement felt like a lifeline. The scent of marzipan bloomed through the empty space, sweet and grounding. Every step mattered.

The clock had just hit 4:00 AM, and the only thing keeping Amelie sane was the Spandauer in the oven. She stood in front of it, arms crossed, heart in her throat. Once the timer beeped, her chest tightened. She needed it to be perfect.

She slid on the oven mitts, pulled out the tray, and stared down at the pastry she'd spent the last four hours crafting.

She had fought her way into this kitchen—Chef Carmen Berzatto's kitchen. People told her she had what it took to be an Executive Chef, but Amelie's love had always been pastry. From a young age, she understood that the smallest details—the flake of a crust, the balance of sugar and almond, the chill of the butter—mattered more than anything.

She'd always loved the way something fragile and delicate could transform through heat and patience into something golden, layered, complex. It was in these quiet moments—before sunrise, when the city slept and the kitchen breathed—that Amelie felt most like herself. Pastry wasn't about feeding people. It was about telling stories with sugar and butter, saying the things she couldn't put into words.

The Spandauer looked flawless—puffed layers, gleaming custard, a sheen of glaze just beginning to set. A smile tugged at her lips. But she didn't celebrate. Not yet. Marcus and Carmy always had something to say.

As if summoned by thought, she heard footsteps. Soft, deliberate. Carmy.

He appeared silently beside her, eyes narrowing just slightly as he inspected the tray.

"Looks good, Chef," he said after a beat, voice low. "But the edges could be cleaner. The marzipan—too sweet. You want balance. Complexity."

Amelie bit back the frustration rising in her throat. This was what she both dreaded and craved—the scrutiny, the pressure, the unrelenting push for more.

"I'll adjust," she murmured, already running through ratios in her head.

Carmy's gaze softened. Just a fraction. "You're getting there, Chef. But you still have a long way to go."

Her patience snapped.

"What am I supposed to do?" she burst out. "Every time I submit something for the menu, it gets rejected. It's bullshit, Carm."

Her voice cracked under the weight of exhaustion. "I've asked Marcus for help. I've stayed late, every night, working on this—on me—and I still feel like I'm stuck in a fucking boat with no direction."

Carmy was quiet, the guilt barely veiled in his expression. He knew what he was asking of her. But this was the brutal truth of fine dining. Pressure. Fire. Sacrifice.

"That's the job, Amelie," he said finally, not harsh, but firm. "No one hands you a menu slot. You carve it out. With blood, if you have to."

She let out a bitter laugh, placing the tray down with more force than necessary. "I have been carving it out, Carm. Every night. While everyone's out, I'm here. Working, failing, trying again. And nothing changes. I'm starting to think I don't belong here."

"I didn't come here to be a fucking nuisance."

"You're not," he said, softer now. "You're just... early. Ahead of your time, maybe. But if you want people to notice—really feel your work—you have to give them more than technique. Give them something to remember."

Amelie turned to him, eyes bloodshot but burning. "The food does feel like something. It's mine."

"I know." Carmy sighed. "But it's not just about you. It's about who's eating it. And right now? They're not there yet. Doesn't mean you're wrong. Just means you've gotta wait for them to catch up."

Silence. Heavy. Tense.

Then, gently, "You talked to Marcus?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He's been trying. But he's got his own stuff."

"He always does," Carmy muttered. Then paused. Thought. A glint of something sparked in his eyes.

"I've got an idea... but you'll have to throw everything you've got into it."

Amelie blinked. "What is it?"

He leaned against the Aboyeur station. "I have a friend. One of the few people who helped me when I was starting out. He's a pâtissier. Like Marcus."

Amelie frowned. "I'm a pâtissier too."

Carmy chuckled at her indignation. "Believe me, Amelie—you're not near his level."

The comment stung more than she expected. Who the hell was this guy?

"I sent Marcus to him a while back," Carmy continued. "And he came back... changed. Better. He found whatever it was he was missing and owned it. Now, it's your turn."

Carmy's gaze was steady. "You're a prodigy, yeah. That's why I gave you this position in the first place. But talent won't keep you here. Not in this industry. You need depth. Patience. Fire."

Amelie felt a shiver run down her spine. The kind that came before a storm. Or a breakthrough.

"I already talked to him," Carmy said. "Told him about your work. Showed him your pastries. He owes me some favors, so... he's agreed to take you on."

Amelie blinked. "Wait—you planned a whole trip, 4,000 miles away, with a guy I've never met—just to 'sharpen my skills'?"

"Yeah," Carmy said simply. "Denmark. Two months. Unless you're too scared."

She opened her mouth to argue—but nothing came out.

"He's been watching your work," Carmy added. "Quietly. He's got opinions. Ask questions. Challenge him. He won't sugarcoat anything, but he'll respect you. That matters."

She hated how much that last part made her chest twist.

"Fine," she said after a moment. "I'll go."

Carmy gave a faint, crooked smile—barely there, but real. "Good. Now go home before you collapse. I want your head clear tomorrow. There's a difference between desperation and hunger. Don't confuse the two."

Amelie nodded, though the fire in her chest refused to die down. As Carmy disappeared into the hallway, leaving her alone with the low hum of fridges and the fading scent of pastry, she looked down at her Spandauer one last time.

Too sweet. Too soft. Not enough edge.

She could fix that.

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Ik I’m probably a lil late lol but can you do the Hot Damn ask for the other skellies

Here’s the pic of the ask just in case

The first part with the main Sanses

The second part with the main Papyris

Horrorswap Sans - He just chuckles hysterically, surprised. But that's a good surprise, actually. Nugget is a little insecured about his body from time to time, to he's glad at least someone think he's still as charismatic as before.

Horrorswap Papyrus - He slams the notebook closed like it just burned him and flushes bright orange. Ok, wow, he didn't expect that. You can tell something weird happen after that as Pumpkin will do all he can to not look you in the eyes, and if he ever does it by mistake, he starts to hyperventilate and tries to run away. He's not sure what to think of this yet.

Horrorfell Sans - He raises an inexistent eyebrow, but isn't that shocked. Copper knows he's kinda sexy and that some people are into guys with a lot of scars and a tragic backstory. He is very sexy after all. But now, it just gave him the confirmation that you have a crush too, and he's ready to make a move.

Horrorfell Papyrus - Well, that's a long time since someone found him attractive, and he's a little flattered. Chief is very insecure with his body since he lost his legs, so it's nice to see some people see more than the disability. He takes a photo with his phone as a souvenir. He's brave, but he's not brave enough to face his feelings and confronts his S/O yet.

Horrorswapfell Sans - Well, that's awkward, as he comes to see you to ask what the notebook is and what's on the page. You try to find some pitiful excuse, but he knows you're lying, so you whisper it's a drawing of him in a whisper. Bear turns bright purple. He's so damn happy he can't see your expression right now or he's pretty sure he would explode.

Horrorswapfell Papyrus - He takes a pen, writes a "i agree" under your "Hot damn" and lets the notebook where he found it. He can't wait to watch you turn entirely red the next time you pick it up to draw again.

Outertale Sans - He draws a doodle of his S/O right next to him and then draws an arrow towards the "HOT DAMN". He then proudly comes to give the notebook to you, already flustered because you're scared he might have opened it, and then screeches in panic when you discover the drawing.

Outertale Papyrus - He comes to give it back to you, his cheeks entirely blue. He sure thinks he's doing an ok job giving it back to you without you knowing he saw what you did, but the more you're staring at him, the bluer his cheeks get. You flush when you start to understand he knows. Well, that's awkward.

Dancetale Sans - He just chuckles. Rambo is somewhat accustomed to people thinking he's sexy, being a global star and all, but he might say that it touches him more coming from you than from the other fans. He's way too shy to say it to your face, though, and just puts the notebook in your bag when you're not looking.

Dancetale Papyyrus - He gets a little too excited and runs straight to you to see it looks so cool, not even thinking once about how embarrassed you're going to be he just saw this. He loves your art and he's flattered you thought about drawing him, he just wants you to know what he thinks of it!

Dancefell Sans - He's nervous. It was fine when it was just him having feeling for you, but now that he knows you also might have feelings for him, it just got a whole lot more complicated. He shuts the notebook and pretends that it never happened for his own sake. He's not ready yet to confess he has a crush on you.

Dancefell Papyrus - Well, of course, he's hot, that's no news for him. Actually, he's correcting your drawings because he doesn't look hot enough. Who needs a T-shirt, just draw him naked, don't be ashamed. You are mortified when you find out.

Farmtale Sans - He knows he's strong, but maybe not to the point of carrying a whole damn combine harvester. He comes to tell you it's not realistic and that a combine harvester weighs around 100 tons, getting a little upset when all you do is flushing bright red and don't answer him. He doesn't think for even one second you drew him because you like him. Someone is going to stay speechless the day that happens.

Farmtale Papyrus - You watch as he randomly runs across the living-room, grabs his brother, and shakes him like a coconut whispering-screaming what he should do now. Neither Sam or you understands what's going on until he runs all the way back to his room to fetch the notebook and comes back... Then freeze,s finally noticing you're here, turning away bright yellow and running back to his room. Uh. You're not sure what just happened, but that was for sure something.

Mafiatale Sans - Because he's extremely mature, he adds a dick on his face to your drawing, chuckles, very proud of himself, then closes the notebook and goes on with on day. At least until an hour later, it suddenly strikes him it was a drawing of himself and that you did it. Shit. Oh no, he didn't ruin his chance, did he? Demon panic ran back home, hoping you didn't find the notebook yet lol.

Mafiatale Papyrus - So. It is not his proudest moment. He might have panicked, realizing you have an interest in him despite him being not ready at all, and ripped off the page to hide it somewhere. But then you entered the room, and he got scared you might get mad at him for digging into your stuff and so... He quickly puts the drawing in his mouth and swallows it. You stare in utter confusion, not sure what just happened, as he's trying really hard to not meet your eyes.

Mafiafell Sans - Uh oh. Well, that's scary. He didn't plan to have an existential crisis today. He's pretty much staring at the drawing in complete silence for a solid five minutes, not noticing you entering the room and then standing next to him. When you notice the drawing, you gulp and start staring anxiously, scared to look at him ... You two are going to stand there a long time, are you? This is going to be awkward.

Mafiafell Papyrus - He's smiling softly, a bit flattered. That is, of course, until you show up. He suddenly coughs, panics, closes the notebook and slams you in the face with it. Shit. He gives you back the notebook, heals your face, then runs away as fast as he can, looking at his boots. He needs a moment to recollect himself, he thinks.

Ink - He runs to you to insist that you both create an AU. I mean, you can draw good, and your art style is pretty. Pretty pleaaaaase.... Just one? You tell him that you understand, but creating an AU won't feed you this month, and not everyone can live outside like some kind of raccoon like he does. He pouts.

Error - That's his now. He rips off the page and quickly hides it in his jacket, immediately feeling guilty. You completely forget about the drawing until three months later he makes you visit the antivoid and you found it hanging on his wall with little hearts all around it. You both decide it's best to never mention that ever again. He's so embarrassed omg.

Disbelief Papyrus - He's flattered, but worried. He doesn't think he's ready to be in a relationship yet, but he doesn't want you to think he's running away. He's not sure how to think about this, and might get a little bit anxious, to the point he needs to talk to you about his feelings. Why is everything so complicated?

Killer Sans - He was goofing around, flexing in front of the mirror with your drawing in hand, when some of his goop fell on the notebook. Now Killer if frantically freaking out trying to clear the page because the last thing he wants is for you to find out he dig into your stuff again. In the end, it just looks like someone cried over your notebook, and when he gives it to you, you just think he got emotional and tries to comfort him. Damn, this is awkward.

Dustale Sans - Oh, that's cute. He wants to do something nice to you too! Later that day, you find your notebook on your bed next to a half-eaten dead rat. Sorry, he got hungry and ate a part of your gift, but the gesture is more important, right?

[centrally-unplanned]

It does take up a ton of time! The bill definitely - and intentionally - makes these kind of class action suits harder.

Re: Biden debt relief, I mean it might not be "total relief", right? This decision just doesn't say. I am not sure the initial Biden relief plan even had a temporary nationwide injunction against it? His later versions did, but I don't think they have ever been upheld by the Supreme Court? This is complicated case law but the point is that there isn't some inherent contradiction here. It might be very well be that the Supreme Court would uphold that a temporary injunction against the Biden debt relief would be invalid. IMO they have been partisanly inconsistent, but not 100% of the time.

Re: the "big picture" I do think you need to not model them as like partisan power grabbing hacks. They are sometimes partisan, I think this decision personally is partisan, but every judge is to some extent - humans be humans. They are in fact something-like-Federalist-Society-Types who have principled-esque understandings of the law. They are conservatives - which isn't libertarians. They think the constitution puts strong limits on the ability of government to say regulate some forms of private property, but don't think there are the same strong limits on the ability of the government to regulate immigration. That isn't some insane stance, it is coherent. Modern conservatism has generally understood the power of the executive branch to be expansive, which while recent trends have accelerated this, it dates back decades to the Cold War's demands for a powerful security state and the like. Far from being "toadies" the Trump appointees have handed the Trump administration dozens of defeats - such that he has raged against them and seems to finally understand how badly he "fucked up" vis a vis his own goals outsourcing these appointments last time, and has pledged to appoint actual toadies this time around.

I don't like them generally because I hate this whole field, but the US conservative judicial system is not, as the Hanania Kids are saying, "low human capital". It isn't built out of Dear Leader cult nonsense and lib owning. It is still pretty dumb, but it has its own ideological foundations and principles, and those need to be taken seriously if one wants to understand what vision of government it has. The field definitely has one. And the fact that they not infrequently deviate from that vision for random topics or partisan hackery is not that surprising when every judge ever has done that at least sometimes. It isn't a new thing requiring a new explanation, even if imo they are doing it 30% more than normal (which is worrying for sure, don't get me wrong).

(You absolutely could have a toady naked-power Supreme Court! It would in fact be incredibly trivial for Congress to create that, and would breezily permit the imposition of dictatorship from a legal standpoint! This is a "testable theory" with observable data that could falsify it, not a no-true-toady-Scotsman thing. We are very, very lucky that we do not currently have such a court, but it isn't completely impossible for that to change.)

So... IS the new Supreme Court decision that lower courts can only start injunctions with respect to specific plaintiffs?

i.e. That if the next President signs an executive order making hand gun ownership illegal, the lower courts can only block the executive from seizing the particular guns of specific, named plaintiffs, but cannot block the executive from seizing the guns of anybody else?

Hey, so, the question I have with basically every single one of these rulings and Trump executive orders follows here:

How come this didn't apply to student loan debt cancellation?

Doesn't this mean Biden should have been allowed to continue moving forward with student loan cancellation in all the states that weren't suing him?

What, uh, is supposed to happen in cases where the Supreme Court actually rules against the government, but, e.g., the government has at that point already seized and destroyed all the firearms.

[bogkeep]

i did my best this weekend, but my thesis is still not done... i had such a productive day yesterday, i was on top, i was focused, i met my goal... but today my brain was mush and i flopped around like a fish on land....... squeezed out two paltry paragraphs about sun dials and water clocks........ unfortunately my source for this particular section is a very long and dense text, and i have to sort of. extract the Essence. i need to dig up three paragraphs that explain the Things like an artefact from a burial site. can i do it? i must do it. i will do it

[egophiliac]

Hi it's just to let you know that the official romanization of Revaan's name is Raverne ! Also they have romanized Baul's name to Baur !

Twst coming back at us again with the least expected romanization! thank you everybody (oh god my inbox) (no it's great, I literally asked for this and the reactions have been INCREDIBLE, thank you all!)

I do like Raverne though, I think it's got a nice fancy sound to it! (I had kinda suspected it was going to be an R instead of an L, so the fact that it's SO close to Laverne except for that is hilarious to me personally.) and Dragoneye Duke is honestly probably the best translation for his title, I wasn't envying the localizers that one. :') Baur instead of Baul I was NOT expecting, but in retrospect I think his name's supposed to be a reference to the Bauru crocodile, so that actually makes way more sense!

someone else also said Meleanor has become Maleanor, which is the REALLY weird one to me, because I was so surprised it was written as Mel instead of Mal in the first place?! oh god no I can't decide which one I like better. 😭 (I wonder if they might change it to Mal...they have made romanization changes before) (like I remember House of Distraction being corrected to House of Destruction in Playful Land) (I did check and she's still Mel for now, but I dunno, they might Mal her up and some point and save me from having to make a decision about which one to use) (HECK I CAN'T DECIDE)

uhhhh thank you for letting me ramble about anime names, let's just say MONOGRAMMED SWEATERS FOR EVERYONE

[lyricwritesprose]

Before this, the only times it has ever talked to humans (as far as we know) have been to report facts or get them to stop doing a thing. And the second one comes down to threats more often than not, I would think. It's not always, "Drop the weapon now," (implied threat: I can and will splatter you on a wall if you make this a hostage situation), but I suspect there's a fair amount of, "Do not start the bar fight," and, "Go home you are drunk," to working security in a rough mining town, and there are implied threats there. Do not start the bar fight (I can and will stop anyone who throws a punch, and although I will do it nonlethally, you Will Not Like It*). Go home you are drunk (or alternately we do have a drunk tank and I can just carry you there).

And then there's information, and the problem is, the information that it can give to PresAux at this point tends to be all alarming information. Someone is trying to kill you. You're already ridiculously vulnerable, the company could just poison your supplies. The people who are trying to kill you are coming. Right now. I could kill all of you and there's no way you could stop me.

From its perspective, that last one is actually somewhat reassuring: I could kill you, you will notice I haven't, therefore let's assume that's not what I want and go from there. But it can't phrase it nonthreateningly, both because it doesn't know how and because it is alarming information. (Significantly, Ratthi does not share that it said that; I think he gets it, sort of, he at least gets that it is not hostile, but he can't translate that to reassuring either.)

Nobody has the toolbox for this. Nobody. Not even Mensah, really. First contact would actually be easier at this point, because at least everyone would have a blank slate with regards to each other. Murderbot already has a few crude templates for how to communicate with humans and those templates are part of what's completely fucking it up.

(Random footnote with minor book spoilers under the cut)

Minor book spoiler: to the best of my knowledge, book!Murderbot has never actually knocked someone over the head when it really wants them unconscious. The one time it gets knocked unconscious itself, it notes that it isn't at risk of complications like a human—meaning that concussion is taken pretty seriously in this universe. No, when Murderbot really wants someone unconscious, it chokes them out—which is legit one of the most frightening things that could happen to someone, and also a go-to move that it is really confident in its ability to control. Getting put down nonlethally by Murderbot is still not a thing you want to have happen to you. It's a lot better than having it actually want to kill you, but it's still scary as fuck.

I do love Murderbot's complete failure to articulate itself in a comforting manner XD Or rather, I love that it tries - it's consciously trying to comfort its clients, and just... doesn't have the toolbox for it.

Which leads to moments like the end of episode 8 where it strides in and announces "I have a plan!" only to see everyone jump and cower at its sudden appearance, so it backpedals and tries again, but... doesn't know what to do, so just ends up going "I have... a plan..." like it got partway through "oops, gotta say this better" and then realized it didn't actually have a way to do that and just ended up repeating itself but like, slightly quieter.

Or episode 7, when it's trying to get them to the hopper and goes for a "softer approach" (helmet down, like they keep asking, emphasize the danger) only to immediately lose track of its expression and tone and only catch up to having threatened them after the words are out. And then backpedaling again to clarify that it meant the bad guys...

Like, it's clearly trying SO HARD to get its clients through this mess intact and also feeling safe! With Murderbot! Because it's their SecUnit, and it wants to help, but more than that, it wants them to not be afraid of it (obviously ONLY because scared people are more likely to do something stupid, not because Murderbot's formed some kind of - bleh - emotional connection to them). But it just. Doesn't know what to say.

So it tries anyway and that just translates to it being so awkward and I love it.

[serpentface]

Faiza performing the Kagnoma Odo (pretty literally 'lion dance'), a weapons dance and one of the more important ritual duties of Odonii priestesses. A relatively new addition to this traditional dance involves the musket as the primary weapon, which is fired mid-twirl into the ground at the climax of the dance. Faiza is experiencing an 'oh fuck' moment because her shot is more than ideally diagonal, but she’s being so cool with it.

This is a wholly ceremonial performance at the onset of the pilgrimage, performed in full regalia and lion skin (of the small, semi-domesticated strain) but no armor. It’s also distinctly a display of political allegiance between the powerful and beloved Odonii priesthood (and its loyal military) with the increasingly reviled and destabilized imperial family, with Faiza prominently wearing a bracelet of the royal serpent, which was gifted (along with the musket) by the usoma Stavis Amanti himself (Usoma is the Wardi word for king, which has been retained in the context of emperors).

The Kagnoma Odo is the ultimate demonstration of the Odonii as an embodiment of the Lion Face of God and living vessel of military might and sovereignty, demonstrating her fitness and proficiency with weapons and as a spiritual unifier for soldiers. It is accompanied by drumming and occurs in stages, running through the three keymost weapons used in war- the spear, the sword, and the musket. The musket is of the most significance, given the weapon has developed a particular esteem as the ultimate embodiment of might and superiority. Assistants (almost always other priestesses, occasionally high ranking soldiers) load and prime the musket to be fired at the climax of the dance, where it is shot into the ground as the priestess leaps out of range of the shot. The firing signals the end of the dance and the rite itself.

While not the utmost exemplar of trigger discipline, only fully inducted and senior (and therefore very thoroughly trained) Odonii are permitted to perform the dance, and injuries during actual performances are quite rare (though are known to occur during training, more than a few Odonii have burns and wounds on their feet).

The most important renditions of this dance are performed upon declarations of war and before battles (in this case, generally done in full armor along with the lion pelt). It is also done during some trainings (while a dance, it is carefully choreographed to include naturalistic maneuvers of the weapons involved and helps soldiers limber up and learn to move their weapons). It is regarded as an impressive and motivating sight and a morale booster, and, seen at a distance, potentially intimidating to enemies.

A special variant of this dance is performed as means of fully incarnating the Odomache, which is done in full nudity with the body covered in the blood of the freshly sacrificed lion and cloaked in its raw pelt (the lion has become the corpse of Odomache in the moment of death, as part of its recreation of God's sacrifice). Her public, full nude appearance once (and only once) in this act is what allows the Lion Face of God to incarnate within her. Those in attendance see the spiritually vulnerable, naked human body obscured with the sanctified and deified blood and cloaked in the sanctified and deified skin. It is a merger of the contradictions of mortality and divinity, the boundaries between the two indistinct in flickering firelight and the flash of musketfire. She is witnessed by her people, dangling in between humanity and divinity and leading them in dance, and and is thus transformed.