#WHICH MEANS; FOR YOU PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T DO WELL IN STATISTICS

[luckthebard]

So this is a very niche rant that is probably only something I've noticed or been annoyed by, but:

The longer Critical Role has gone on and the more changes they've made/content they've created, there's been an increase in weird people who are desperate and determined to prove that changes or content they don't like are "an objective failure" - but often lie or deliberately misunderstand viewership statistics to do so.

There are a few big "facts" I see repeated by people to argue that CR has "gone in the wrong direction" that are just plain wrong, and I think what annoys me most is seeing so many people engage with those "facts" without bothering to double-check them or push back against the certainty with which people state them. An example of one I keep seeing now is "twitch streaming numbers are down" and it's like, yeah, sure, in comparison to when they didn't simultaneously air on YouTube. If you add up the YT and Twitch numbers these days it's about the same as mid-late C2, but people love to act like YT streaming doesn't exist to make a point that "people don't like C3". And I tbh don't care if people like or dislike C3 but why this determination to falsely quantify and validate a personal preference?

The earliest I saw this was an intense agreement on reddit that Exandria Unlimited was a "failure" for CR, "unlike Undeadwood," because viewership numbers were lower. And it was tbh baffling to not see pushback against that narrative, because it's just objectively untrue. Original EXU's VOD streaming numbers are higher than every single episode of Undeadwood, and it premiered literally years later. It also has a lower "drop-off" in viewership (comparison of how many views episode 1 vs the finale has) than Undeadwood, despite frequent claims to the contrary. And don't mistake me here, I really enjoyed Undeadwood, but it actually was a viewership misstep for CR to the degree that they didn't try anything like it again for a while after and significantly changed how they approached marketing and airing miniseries. (A big one being: don't air a long miniseries simultaneously with the main series, it's too much content for most people to invest in during a week.)

(Sidebar, but another great miniseries CR did that didn't get a lot of viewership love is the Elder Scrolls Online trilogy, so I'm going to plug it here. It has some weirdly low viewership numbers on episodes 2 and 3 and I promise you they're both well worth it.)

The other one I keep seeing is "4 Sided Dive has lower numbers than Talks" which is also just not true. Most 4 Sided Dive VODs have nearly twice as many views as Talks VODs (and I'm using the ones that aired directly on the CR channel as a metric here, not the ones re-uploaded from G&S which lost numbers in the change-over). And I'll tbh chalk that up to the fact 4SD airs much less frequently - people are more likely to think it's necessary to watch whereas with Talks if you weren't interested in the guests you might skip a week. I'm not making any claims about the quality of either show, but the use of false viewership statistics to support "one of these sucks" is so rampant and so weird.

All this to say that yesterday I saw a weird viewer-hungry YouTube clickbait video titled "Midst a FAILURE for Critical Role!!" with a truly absurd confidence on what the VOD streaming numbers for the Midst YouTube videos mean for the series mere days after the premier and snapped.

tl;dr, people just make shit up and say whatever on the internet all the time and we hopefully all understand and expect that BUT (and here's the more annoying thing) 9 times out of 10 people just engage with that WITHOUT LOOKING INTO IT THEMSELVES

[dirtytransmasc]

mama Neytiri au: Jake and Spider father and son moments plzz

👉👈🥹

when jake first met the boy, he never expected him to become family, let alone a son. he knew it had been wrong to be so bitter towards the boy, he was barely a few months old, the only thing he had in common with his father was a bit of blood. but when he saw his mate light up at the mere sight of the child, taking him into her arms as if he was meant to be there, hearing her speak of him being willed to them by Eywa herself; he started to look past his own bias.

spider quickly wormed his way into jake's heart, becoming one of the few things that really mattered. it had been months at this point, spider was getting real good at walking, running laps around both him and neytiri; both parents had found themselves spending a lot of their time in the lab with spider. but now he was starting to talk, it was still close to babbling, but he had managed some simple words; mainly mama, he'd attempted a few na'vi words but hadn't gotten them quite yet, even tried his soon-to-be little brother's name, but not dad or dada. jake tried not to be upset, knew it would come in time, but he was longing to hear his son call for him.

he couldn't blame the kid, he didn't get to see him often as chief, but neytiri needed a day with her mother as she was coming close to the end of her pregnancy, giving jake a way out of his duties to go up to the lab with his boy.

spider was fully of energy as usual, running to greet his dad as soon as he heard the airlock, norm tailing after him desperately. upon seeing jake, currently scooping the little dude up, he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Jake, on time next time, he's learning his way around a clock and fast. he knows what a clock looks like at 9 o'clock, when neytiri comes, and now he gets all types of pepped up whenever that little red hand is sitting on the nine, meaning I've dealt with 2 hours of this Jake, 2 hours. your kid is wicked smart, which is great, except when he's excelling at symbol and pattern recognition, not to mention his ability at evading his caregivers." Norm was ranting and raving, if jake had actually been listening and not focused on his kid, then he probably brought up scientific jargon or some sort of statistics about how baby's can start pattern and symbol recognition right around their 2nd birthday.

jake however is not listening and he's rolling his eyes, getting the kid to giggle, earning another scornful look from norm.

"Jake?"

"yeah yeah, on time, I'll try not to get caught up in being chief again. now what should we do little man?" he ask, poking the baby earning a shrill laugh, "bother norm some more, rub our grubby hands all over his delicate and expensive machines?"

"Jake please, just keep him out of the lab, take him back to the nursery, neytiri has been practicing letters lately, don't let him fall behind or she'll have my head, not yours." he spoke with a huff before shoving the co2 pack in his hands and walking off to do whatever he had going on in the lab. neytiri had thought it important he knew his mother tongue, just as much as he knew na'vi. she said that Eywa forbid something happened to them, spider should know the language of the people who would most likely take custody of them.

"you hear that? you and mama been working on your letter's? well lets get to it little man, or you might not see me and norm around anymore," he cooed at the boy while slinging the pack over his shoulder and sliding the mask over her face and around his neck.

"mama, mama, mama," the little one babbled over and over again, bopping his head with each syllable.

"that's right, mama, but now dada is gonna teach you, can you say dada?" it was desperate, he knew that, but sue him, he was getting jealous.

the kid didn't in fact say mama, instead he hummed to himself as he played with his dads cummerbund, a few months earlier and he would have been running his gums over the cool edged, but the teething had just come to a standstill, most of his teeth had come in by then and spider was more interested in running his fingers over the thread work as jake walked the two back to the nursery.

spider was growing out of the place, but was too young to have his own room and still too little to move in with the family. it pained jake to have to leave the boy there day in and day out, unable to even bring him out to feel the breeze in his hair or the sun on his skin, to let him be one with Eywa. no, he had to leave him in this sterile lab devoid of color outside of the little makeshift nursery. but it was the place spider called home, and would call home until he fit an exo- pack. he shared the room with a few kids, but they all had some sort of foster parents within the compound so they rarely stayed in here other than to play. jake and neytiri made do with the space they had to raise spider bringing na'vi toys, blankets, even furniture to make the room feel a little more lived in, not so sterile; plus, neytiri seemed to have a vendetta against the blankets in the compound.

"alright spi, show me what you and mama have been working on," he directed, putting the boy down. spider took off to his little corner, where he kept all of his things; books, toys, whatever else the little bugger wanted. bringing back a book, just me and my dad, an earth classic, almost 200 years old, and damn was it pulling on jakes heartstrings.

"this one bud? mama's been reading you this" he asked, not knowing which answer he wanted more. yes, meaning neytiri had been trying to get him to say some variation of dad, no meaning spider, in his little child mind, was potentially communicating to jake. one was more likely than the other, but jake was gonna ignore that fact like the plague.

spider all but shoved the book into jakes hands before toddling over the pallet against the wall. he was a little spitfire alright, even if he could barely talk, he found ways to make it know what he wanted and when he wanted it.

jake wasn't unfamiliar with reading to the little thing, despite being a little ball of energy, he liked to just sit close and listen to the calm cadence of his parents reading to him. so when he sat down, spider climbed into his lap, curling against jake until his was comfortable, and waiting for him to start.

"just me and my dad" jake read "we went camping, just me and my dad, dad drove the car because I'm too little,"

"remember, a car is the thing they had on earth, that went broom broom, you have a toy car in your little chest over there." jake pointed, spider's eyes followed. jake was almost surprised when he didn;t get up to grab it, but then in the middle of his imitation of pushing the little toy car around, he yawned a big yawn, tailing a little broom broom of his own to the end of his little display. jake was a little late, and norm had said he'd been at it since 9, which meant nap time was coming soon.

he held the book in one hand so he could reach for the blanket tossed on the edge of spider's bed, draping it over the boy where he had settled back down, being lolled by each breath jake took. he wasn't dozing just yet, so jake kept reading past the smile that graced his lips.

"I picked the campsite, but someone was already living there, so I gave it back. we found another nearby. my dad was tired so I pitched the tent."

"we made a camp fire, I found the wood, and my dad lit the fire. I wanted to take my dad for a ride in our canoe, but I launched it too hard,"

"looked, spi, see the bear across the lake," he said, pointing at the colorfully illustrated page, tapping a big blue finger, on the little brown bear, spiders fingers following.

"we went fishing instead,"

"and theres a fish, and a frog, and a turtle, and a bug. can you sound those out for me, F like in fish and frog, fff." he sounded out the letter, making sure to put in a little work before the boy took his nap, hoping it would put him out deeper, as the kid was starting to give up his naps and it wasn't doing any good for him.

"ffff" spider copied.

"good boy, that's really good. what about B like bug, b b b."

"b b b" he copied again, before yawning and bring a hand up to rub his eyes. jake felt his heart swell, sleepy babies were like cryptonite to him, always had been, but now he was a father, and damn did it double him over.

"ok, lessons over, lets finish this, and you young man, can go down for your nap."

"no" the little one whined, all while burrowing his head into jakes side, eyes seemingly weighed down by rocks.

"oh yes, but I'll cut you a deal squirt, if you can finish this book without falling asleep, you can stay up," it was a good trick, it almost always promised a fast asleep kid. he felt spider nod against him, so he continued.

"my dad took a snapshot of the fish we caught and then I made dinner for me and my dad."

"look, see the bear is back and he's stealing the fish," jake spoke softer, brushing fingers through his hair and over his forehead.

"we had eggs. after dinner I told my dad a ghost. boy he got scared." I gave my dad a big hug, that made him feel better, then we went to bed."

that line reminded him of spider; he would often do for others what he needed himself. if he needed attention, he gave others attention. if he needed a hug, he hugged others. when it came to the scientists, that didn't always pan out well for him, but he and neytiri always made sure to reflect those actions with 110%.

"I stayed up with my dad and let him read a story to me. we slept in our tent all night long- just me and my dad."

before jake could even put the book down he heard soft babbles against his skin.

"dada" over and over, barely whispered as his son fell into sleep.

he felt his heart swoon and his stomach do a backflip. he said it, his son had called him dad, he finally said it. jake wanted to celebrate, to praise his son, to hear it over and over, but he knew he couldn't. spider had just fallen asleep, and jake really needed to keep him down, so he opted to very slowly and very gently pull spider up to his chest, to kiss his brow softly, before resting his head against the wall and giving in to the peaceful space between awake and asleep, blissfully directing all his sense towards the boy sleeping on his chest; his breath, his skin, his smell, it was all he could focus on.

he loved this boy and he thanked Eywa that she gave him this boy.

~~~

https://youtu.be/zHeLkoYw2ks - this is a video with the pages of the book, for anyone who hasn't seen/read it before.

[hoodoo12]

At Times Like These--

--we have only each other.

This past weekend was a blur but my exhaustion is worth it.

I splurged and saw the matinee on Sunday and well as the final show.

First, Andrew Kober as Beetlejuice for the matinee. He is AMAZING. It felt like watching the show for the first time again. People have their favorites and fans like us can appreciate the differences all the understudies put into the role, but Kober is the second best Beej. Full stop. He has a fantastic mix of desperation and manic energy, with an underlying menace that, ngl, Alex sort of lost as the show went on.

During the matinee there was audience participation I haven't heard ever happening:

Kober says his line, "All I want is for someone, anyone to look my way and say “Hey."

Couple of audience members say loudly, "Hey!"

Kober continues, "I see you."

More audience, "I see you!"

Kober, "I accept you."

More audience, "I accept you!"

Kober, "And I fear for my safety around you.”

All of the audience, "And I fear for my safety around you!"

Kober, pauses. Then, "Nope. Didn't work."

We, the entire audience, lost.our.minds.

Now. The closing show ...

Fucking hell. I mean that in the best possible way.

Standing ovations from the beginning. For every actor.

It took so long for Alex to even drop the newspaper. He tapped his foot. He leaned back (allllll the way back) to lean on the coffin. He got on the floor. Then, and only then, did he drop the paper to renewed enthusiastic applause.

Every actor played along with their rightfully deserved ovation and applause during their entrances. It was so heartwarming.

I know everyone has seen all the "what happened during the last performance" posts that people are doing, but NO ONE has mentioned these things:

1) at the end of the TBS reprise, Alex ran up the stairs with a clone and started aggressively making out with them as the set changed

2) when Adam stops him from murdering Charles and goes into his "you have groped me, etc" speech, Alex made these increasingly feral, increasingly loud snarling noises like he was getting ready to scrap (. . . or screw)

3) during the Adam and Beej kiss, it went hard. Alex groped David's ass and pretended to dip a finger between his ass cheeks/shove a finger in him, then smelled his finger when David was pulled away. Then he stalked after David for more before Kerry grabbed him.

(I know I am looking at all that though the lens of a smut writer, but hoooo boy.)

Alex Timbers' speech was nice, but not allowing anyone else to say anything?! Fuck whoever made that decision. Alex was actively walking forward for the mic when the curtain stared coming down. He and Elizabeth looked surprised, so they weren’t told about it, obviously, which is unfortunate and understandably upsetting. Here is someone who had been active with the show since 2017 helping to make it what it became plus a new star that embraced (and was embraced by) the fandom, to the point she cracked during the very last word of the show, and they were denied? I'd heard from reliable sources that other cast members had some things prepared as well, and they didn't get the chance to say anything either. It was just abrupt and crushed the energy that had been wild up till then.

This show has meant so much to so many people, including myself. Alex Timbers told us what we already knew: Over a million people saw Beetlejuice on Broadway. That the audience for Beetlejuice was statistically younger than the average for Broadway shows. That Beetlejuice was the first Broadway show for a huge number of audience members. That the fact that fans were so engaged and active that we helped bring it back from the dead. We said his name three times, and Beetlejuice returned for a real send off, one the show deserved, to 1600 adoring Netherlings.

[rayshippouuchiha]

About Ottabio being the Cloud Guardian, I have almost never seen that take. All I've seen is that Ottabio is the Cloud OFFICER, not Guardian. I agree with that, too. There wasn't nearly enough Rage from Xanxus when he talks about Ottabio. Like, the Varia hate him because he betrayed his Boss and got him Iced but not the Loathing I'd expect from him betraying Xanxus. Since the entire Fandom agrees that Harmonizing is a Thing, even if Canon never gave us that, that would have been a soul deep betrayal. Like on Nono's level.

What I've always been exposed to is that he was good enough at making sure the Clouds did their jobs and wrote a report on it but not talented, strong or smart enough for Xanxus to consider him for more.

Also, the opinion was that the Good Clouds all saw the pain in the butt job and bailed. Like they didn't want to wrangle other Clouds. I mean, just look at Hibari or Skull. Neither of them would want that responsibility and would leave entirely. Those 2 are just lucky that they're strong enough and geographically and familially lucky enough to escape being pressganged into a Family when they're at their weakest. Whereas the rest of the Italian Clouds need be to under someone's banner before they're forced into one. The Varia happens to encourage their violent tendencies so there should be Good Clouds Xanxus would like.

I think he never had a Cloud Guardian because none of them have stepped up to control the territory. Xanxus is the Boss. His Elements have to be ready to Step Up and since none of the Clouds he would have been willing to consider never took that step, he won't consider them in turn.

The only one that did step up wasn't qualified enough for Xanxus. Ottabio did the job so he was enough for the Officer position but not the Guardian one. Xanxus is Particular about his Guardians. Varia is a place for the Best which shows how good his Guardians are to be the Officers as well.

Varia is HC'd to be Survival of the Fittest, so if someone doesn't like you having the job, if they can kill/beat you, they get the job. So with Xanxus's Guardians all running their divisions, it shows that they are Very Good. Of course, there's always allowances for people who just don't want the jobs or just aren't suitable to the position but may be stronger. But his Guardians all run their divisions smoothly enough that there's no gossip about them being bad at it. (Umei no Mai's Black Sky shows good examples of this and is now the only way I can see the Varia operating. She also has fascinating theories on how Flames effect others, and might explain a bit of Nono's Everything and also has a Galaxy Brain Take on Giotto (and Alaude by extension). It's so freaking good.

And about Nono's betrayal being soul deep, I Highly Recommend that you read Hidden Sky by Sefiru. (I actually have the title AND the author memorized for this. That tells you it's good enough to Remember so you can look it up whenever.) It brings up such an amazing idea about Xanxus and a peek at what made the Cradle Affair happen (the Flame side of it, I mean). Also it has poly Tsuna, amazing PoVs, actually SHOWS how Skies are treated as Royalty, not just has people respecting a Sky (PoVs of Flame Actives in Namimori reacting to Tsuna, it was so clear how highly Tsuna was regarded and then they MET him) and Hana squaring off with the Vindice (Iconic).

Since I'm ranting about Clouds, I'm going to keep going. I hate that everyone says that Clouds are Lone Wolves. Like, statistically, yes some probably are, but Every Cloud we see is part of a Community. Whether they're the Leader of it (Hibari, Skull) or a Follower (Visconti), they are always connected with others.

Hibari is Obviously a Leader but I Swear Skull is, too. This HC will Never change. Cause this is a travelling stuntsman. The World's Greatest who does his own shows. That means he needs a Crew. People to rent venues, advertise, do the finances, his mechanics (for during the show to keep things moving, otherwise I HC Skull taking care of his bikes), the Run Around Agent (thanks, Serifu) and whoever is Skull's Right Hand to pass on Skull's orders. (I'm going to do a stunt here and this is what I'll do. Ok, Skull, I'll order/build the equipment, rent the venue, let everyone know you're performing, etc. Right Hand then makes the calls to his minions.) Because I can't believe that Skull wouldn't rigorously maintain his Crew since they are needed to let him break physics and go against the supposed laws of nature. His stunts should be impossible. I HC that as that being what Skull fights against, not people (no offense, Hibari). Also, I low-key HC the Carcassa Famiglia is Skull's Crew dressing up as Mafia to that Skull has his own banner to be under, otherwise people would be Stupid enough to keep bothering Skull since he's just a Civilian pushover. This way, if someone wants to hire Skull, they'll contact the Carcassa's and his Run Around Agent will "Lose" the requests. So Skull isn't having to fight off recruitment all the time.

Another Highly Recommended fic is Karmic Balance by Sanjuno. KHR/Naruto cover where Kakashi and Obito are reborn in KHR and break the patterns of Fate. The 10th Gen are taught to be BAMF ninjas and break off the worst of their character traits (ie Hana's misandy, Gokudera's Issues since he's taken in early enough, Hibari's disdain for everyone/thing(I love him but I would hate/fear him if I ever met him)). The idea of Clouds being Pack Animals became crystal clear to me in this. Through Kakashi's Summons, of all things. But so many subtle HCs that I had subconsciously thought but never articulated about both Fandoms were spelled out so clearly, it was amazing.

Once again, the recs are:

Black Sky by Umei no Mai

Hidden Sky by Sefiru

Karmic Balance by Sanjuno

!!!!

[olderthannetfic]

This might be controversial but...I have this nagging thought...

There are always people here talking how lgbtq representation in fanfiction or fandon is often derided or unwelcome. I think that's pretty sad tbh and there are definitely a lot of trolls, bigots and all sorts of phobes out there.

But tbh, I think most average people are just tired of a particular type of lgbtq representative, and they seem to be everywhere, who forcefully insists that anyone not shipping m/m, anyone not going along with their trans headcanons, anyone who disagrees basically is a homophobe, bigot, terf etc. These people make preferences into a morality issue and I think other people are just tired of it and quietly leaving, not openly and enthusiastically cheering it on and sometimes just getting frustrated.

I was having a discussion on reddit the other day about something related to this and they said well, straight cis representation is like 99.9% of media so we (lgbtq) can have this one thing, and I said of course you can. You can have as much of it as you want in fandom but I don't like how cis/straight shipping gets shit on by these people. You don't have to tear something else down just to build yourself up. The vast majority of het shippers are just normal, nice people, just like the majority of lgbtq shippers but there are all these 'enlightened types' pushing their ships and headcanons and making it out like you're an enemy if you don't support them which is ridiculous.

I was lurking on a pretty big fanfiction forum a year or so ago and fanfiction hot takes came up and several people nervously put up their hand and said they wished there was more love for het shipping in fandom and fanfiction specifically, while doing huge long disclaimers that of course they love nd support the lgbtq community and are happy that all sorts of representation exists in fandom etc. And I think it's kinda sad that people feel they have to write this long disclaimer and pre-apologise for an opinion that's perfectly valid and innocuous because they're afraid of being vilified. If someone is cis/het it's not a crime for them to want cis/het content in their fandom, or for it to be viewed positively. Do you know what I mean? I'm sorry if I'm not explaining myself well -.-'

I feel like people are going to respond and say that cis/het stuff is already the majority but in fanfiction and shipping it's really not. And that's also not the point I'm trying to make. I'm trying to express frustration with people who think lgbtq orientated fan content is morally or in other ways superior to cis/het.

It even happens here. I remember when I first found your blog one of the very first asks I read was from someone acting quite smug and literally saying that het shippers are just superficial, horny self-inserters that want to seduce and bang the MC while they, a m/m shipper, were actually invested in plot and nuance and all those intelligent things that het shippers apparently don't get and that ask left a really bad taste in my mouth.

It's disheartening to see this kind of thing. Sorry again if I didn't express myself well. I'm just trying to say that if lgbtq representation in fandom space isn't getting recognition or people are avoiding it, an important reason might that people don't like feeling like they HAVE to support it or else...

--

It's ironic that you're sending this ask to me when one of the things I'm known for is compiling shipping statistics on FFN and Wattpad to prove that m/m is not the majority in fanfic fandom. This is one of my specific hobbyhorses. I find the constant spreading of this misinformation EXTREMELY ANNOYING.

Yes, there are lots of assholes going "ship my ship or you're not progressive", and they all suck, including the large number of them who yell at m/m shippers that we should ship het.

"I wish het ships got more love" is a fucking stupid opinion.

"I wish Wattpad had a functional search" or "I wish FFN weren't going down the drain" or "I wish the big het fandoms were less femsub" would all be perfectly reasonable takes that are based on actually seeking out het fandoms and hanging out with het fans. So would "I want more fellow hetshippers who have a queer sensibility but f/m ships". But for someone to act like there aren't massive het camps tells me they never bother to venture outside of their tiny bubble.

I have zero patience for fans who whine that their popular thing is unpopular because they're too lazy or clueless to go find all the zillions of other people who like it.

[nyxicnymph]

No matter which way, it's pretty gay.

(Original fiction story for pride month.)

Cross stared at the circle of people on the floor, blinking slowly. They didn't know their roommate had been hosting a party.

"Uh, hey?"

"Cross! Did I forget to tell you? Whatever, come here, sit down with us!" Charlotte said excitedly, practically grabbing their arm and dragging them over.

Cross hesitated. "I'll throw off your order," they pointed out, meaning the obvious man-woman-man-woman-etc order that everyone was sitting in. Cross would stick out like a sore thumb.

"It's spin the bottle, not statistics. It doesn't really matter!" Charlotte winked. "Besides, I know you don't care that much."

"Well, no, but... Spin the bottle? We're not in high school, Charlotte."

"But it's fun, come on, you'll have fun too. Please?"

Cross rolled their eyes. "Fine, I'll play. But next time, warn me when you have a party, okay?"

"Yes, yes, of course, come on, sit! We haven't started yet."

Cross and Charlotte both sat down, and someone, a guy Cross didn't recognize, placed an empty Coke bottle in the center. Charlotte, as the party's host, went first.

Cross got bored of watching the game pretty quickly, and instead scrutinized the faces of the people around them, wondering if there was even anyone to kind of hope the bottle landed on during their inevitable turn. There were a few pretty people there, but only a few Cross really knew. They were quite surprised to see two of their more frequent classmates in the circle.

Ace and Bea were in the same degree program as Cross, so Cross saw the two of them a lot. Even if all three of them weren't in all the exact same classes, they were still in a lot of them, and had even worked on a few projects together. Cross knew those two quite well, and wasn't ashamed to admit to people they really trusted that they maybe liked both Ace and Bea, but didn't know if either of them were queer. Or into their specific brand of gender-fuckery. Whichever.

Cross watched them both get picked by the bottle for a few others. Some people only kissed the person of their preferred gender, some kissed whoever the bottle landed on even if they weren't their preferred gender, some kissed whoever because they didn't have a preference, and two even refused a kiss. Nice.

Cross thought about refusing to play, but really, that would be a spit in the face to Charlotte and her dear, sweet attempts to get Cross a date. Or two. You know, whatever.

Surprisingly, no one had landed on Cross yet, and suddenly, it was their turn. Cross hesitated for a minute, but then reached out and sent the bottle spinning. It spun for what felt like forever, and with every rotation, Cross couldn't help but hope it landed on either Ace or Bea, and not someone they barely knew.

The bottle began to slow down as friction gained the upper hand.

Cross held a breath.

The botlle slowed more, the end appearing closer and closer to Ace.

Cross felt their shoulders tensing in anticipation.

The bottle slowed to a mere crawl, passing over Ace.

Then it stopped.

Between both Ace and Bea.

Cross panicked, and looked to Charlotte. She just shrugged.

"I guess you have to pick!"

Cross stared at Charlotte really hard, hoping the force of their staring would break all psychological reasoning and allow Charlotte to hear what Cross was very loudly thinking at her.

How can I choose? How do you expect me to pick?! Do I only get to pick one? This would be my first kiss!

Charlotte simply stuck her tongue out. "What's your choice, Cross?"

Cross felt it as everyone's eyes were on them. They glanced between Bea and Ace, feeling paralyzed. They opened their mouth after a minute.

"Can I say both?"

A whoop rose up from the circle, and Cross flinched. Charlotte burst out laughing.

"Sure, go ahead, I'm not gonna stop you!" Charlotte wiggled her eyebrows. "But you still gotta pick who you kiss first!"

Oh, god.

Cross closed their eyes and sighed. "Okay. Um." They opened their eyes and met Bea's. They smiled softly. "I guess Bea first?"

Bea tucked her head down shyly, her skin too dark to show blushing, but her body language being more than enough to tell that she was flattered. "Okay!"

Cross approached Bea, and knelt in front of the girl. They leaned in to her ear and whispered, "I hope you don't mind being my first?"

Bea shook her head enthusiastically, her braids bouncing. "Why would I mind?"

Cross smiled, placing a hand on Bea's cheek, and finally kissing her. Short and gentle, yet Cross felt oddly energized by it. They parted from Bea with a giddy grin, and turned to Ace.

Ace had been waiting patiently, a faint look of anticipation gracing his face. Cross took his hands gently.

"Are you okay with this?"

Ace nodded. "I don't mind at all."

Cross kissed him then, same as they did Bea, and just like with Bea, they felt that energy flow through them.

Maybe it's adrenaline. Maybe it's maybelline. Brain shut up.

Cross returned to their seat with little waves at both Ace and Bea, just as Charlotte stood up. She clapped her hands loudly.

"Okay! That was exciting, I don't think we can top that. Let's go play something else! Like ping pong."

"We don't have a ping pong table."

"The common room does." Charlotte pointed to the door. "But if you wanna stay and study or sleep or whatever you do, that's fine too, I'll make sure we don't get too rowdy."

Cross hesitated. Most people had already gotten up and were getting ready to leave the dorm. Normally, Cross would stay behind. But now, Ace and Bea were standing in front of them, both holding a hand out to them.

Charlotte laughed again. "Looks like you have something to talk about!" She cheerily left the room. "One less thing on your bucket list, right?"

"I don't have a bucket list because God won't let me die!" Cross yelled at Charlotte's retreating figure, completing a running bit they had. Charlotte simply laughed in response again before leading her party out of the dorm.

In the end, Cross took both Ace and Bea's hands.

[bentosandbox]

Lin's module summary question mark

>finally module lore surely she will be less of an enigma (clueless)

Lin orders cart noodles, the owner (i'll just use he/him here so it's clearer when the owner is referring to a 'they/them' and not just himself lol) knows her and mentions multiple times how he's indebted to the rat king but her as well.

She asks if there's enough medicine to get by and yes, he wouldn't dare get sick because it'd cause her trouble, (because Lin says he should take care of himself for his own sake) that the rat king and her basically saved their life, and that Lin even visits their stall, just how highly does she keep him in regard?

Does this sound a little sus??? Because yes, when Lin mentions how her dad says that 'everyone should be able to live a proper life' he cuts her off with an 'accidental' chop on his board as he's cooking, and makes an excuse about how the new guy sucks at sharpening knives, unlike the previous 'chopper Liang' who was really good at it.

Lin asks where this 'old Liang' is; and he says Liang died five years ago, just because he was loyal and honest to a fault, he stubbornly made that one mistake... it was a very serious mistake, Lin reminds him.

He praises her dad's ability to see through people and asks for her guidance in the future too, and she's surprised they're still willing to listen to her, and he says its because she didn't ask how Liang died, so he's thankful for that. ?????? what (see below musings)

Lin says 'you still blame me.', which he denies because Lin and her dad saved their life after all, to which Lin does the classic '......'

But then the noodles are done so she eats them while the guy watches her closely the entire time, she leaves after she's done and they tell her to stay safe on the dangerous streets out there because they 'have' to follow her (how do i word this succinctly, like she's their leader so she can't just carelessly die on them but without like a job-level commitment if you get me lol) and asks one last question:

If she were in her own shoes 5 years ago, would she have done the same? And she replies she would because she doesn't want Lungmen to experience that again.

Okay so, thing five years ago = the chapter 6 slum purge... didn't that.... kind of not happen........ (beneath the surface), though I guess they didn't explicitly confirm that all the slum-dwellers were unharmed or something, because in Vernal Winds she runs into Taihe (The Forte Censor) and they very briefly reminiscence about that episode

Lin: Didn't expect (you) to remember me. The last time we met must have been five years back? Taihe: The circumstances of our meeting was truly unforgettable.. Lin: And not a pleasant one. Taihe: We were both just doing our jobs.

like sure Lin didn't ask how Liang died but uh hello!! i would like to!!! ask mister hypergrief to give us a clear answer on the slum purge statistics or something lmao...!! did Liang just refuse to evacuate and got whacked or crossed Lin somehow??????

the module name 七巧玲瓏 is uhhhhh a reference to a chapter in this i think (incidentally her S1 is the last 2 characters 玲珑) also what did they mean by the hourglass in the artwork wait fuck is it supposed to represent her DAD 😭

i didn't exactly scrutinise the text to make sure, but there's like a bunch of cantonese words in the dialogue that i feel like even hoshiguma's second module didn't feature but that's not the main point of this post but very nice nonetheless

[istherewifiinhell]

Following is an analysis of how Koisenu Futari writes it aro characters, aro narrative and what it intends to convey, and is also my own personal thoughts and feelings in regards to that. I refer to the characters by some stero- and archetypal categories because they are fictional, and how they are is a choice made by writers. I wouldn't say these things about real people, and you don't have to agree with me. Also of course its plot and character important that Takahashi and Sakuko are AroAce. But I will just be saying aro, because that's what was so revolutionary in the show for me and what I'm focusing on in this. Cool? Great, awesome. Let's go.

Koisenu Futari is a show that doesn't seem real to me. Part of my brain assumes, no they didn't actually make an aro show that actually cares about aros. A show that knows and shows aros of all kinds, all-be-it, some just briefly in the meet up group. But as I'll posit, ideologically this show has the space for loveless aros and all of us that really defy the more easier to digest notions of aro-ness.

Because, the thing that stuck me most about this show is that our point of view character Sakuko, is the newly discovered aro. She's a kind person with a sweet disposition and friendly to most. She doesn't relate to all the romance around her (including when someone is being insulting to her about the nature of her lack of relationships), but she is eager to please people, and doesn't like to make any trouble. She's younger and career focused that leaves people do assume any time she doesn't mesh with romance society is simply a matter of late blooming.

And enter Takahashi, the person who's words help her understand herself, help save herself. A person she meets and can finally feel a comfortable, understanding, connection with. Takahashi, an old aro, a bitter aro, he's someone who is knowledgeable about the societal construction and history of romance. He feels deeply the effects of, and understands structurally, amatonormativity. He has couple speeches about such things ready to go and bubbling under the surface, and given with an orator's tilt, compared to the rest of his conversations. And, he is epitome of your repulsed aro, your touch adverse aro and non neurotypical passing aro.

But of course, that's not the totality of what anybody is, and that's not all these characters are. Takahashi is a thoughtful and sentimental man, he's closeted even a bit shy. And through that we see his bravery when working against his reserved nature. He feels lonely, but not devoid of meaning or purpose because of it.

Takahashi's live does certainly seem much happier, and fulfilled. He maintains a blog, his garden, he keeps traditions the contented mundane rituals of life. And to me it brings to mind statistics about masking, being closeted, transition, and their relation to wellness. There is often an inverse relationship to the joy or peace of being yourself, and access to certain parts of society, or safety within it. Which of course, Sakuko, due to being younger and her general disposition, does pass mostly unnoticed in these spaces, but at great cost, some she didn't even realise, or really admit to herself.

Sakuko is, of the two, someone who comes across as more palatable to normative society. The kind of people and structures that might prefer to see aros in QPs specifically so they more closes resemble allo (& hetero) monogamous relationships. Kazu's plot line brings home that the expectations of a man and a women living together supersede the need for actually romance. So they aren't in romantic love, but shouldn't they still have the aesthetic patina of it. If you're a family should the woman not be a caretaker and the man a protector? And, obviously, no. Amantonormativity as a word, as a lens to view society, didn't even originate in aro subculture, and shares a lot of overlap with hetero- and cis- normativity for a reason. And the show's deftly handles how far that norm is from the reality.

Takahashi isn't, we learn, living his perfect life, for a mixture of reasons. Many that I would qualify under a flinch response. If you live your life in defiance of something, against others insistence. It makes sense to be resistant to change, headstrong and immutable. So he'll wholeheartedly commit to his own life, and respect others' choices and feelings. He doesn't talk as much as he simply acts, he wouldn't question someone even if he should. And he won't change his life if it may imply his current way of life is wrong, even if the change could be for the better.

So it is in this these two characters differences that their affect can be seen on each other. Sakuko learns to live a committed and more defiant life. She learns to do things that make her happy, to reach out and grab things by the throat, instead of settle. And from Sakuko who had to change just to keep being herself. Takahashi learns that he doesn't have to live just one way. He can change, if he isn't as happy as he could be he can take a risk, and if that doesn't work, it doesn't have to be permanent. And at no point do they have to change the immutable parts of themselves.

Obviously, there is no trick romance snuck in. But more importantly and, perhaps insightfully, what might be considered secondary character traits are equally respected. Sakuko doesn't have to endure more peoples romantic feelings for her, she doesn't have to stop being career oriented, or fun loving. And she doesn't have to be closer to her family before they can respect her. Takahashi, and this truly blew me away to realise. Doesn't ever have to welcome people touching him, or even being too close. He doesn't have change his affect or his demeanor in emotional conversations. The biggest changes our characters go through come from their increased happiness and increased desire to work towards happiness.

And if it wasn't clear enough yet, the end state of the show knocks it out of the fucking park, and directly into my, and I hope others brains. To be forever lodged in our subconsciouses. The prescribed ideals aren't what give us meaning. Straight couples aren't all perfect, sometimes romantic feelings cause you pain, and structuring your life so it seems familiar is never more important that if it brings you satisfaction and joy. Their lives, their family, their connection to each other doesn't end or stop having meaning when it no longer approximates the very things they were trying to live away from.

[africanization101]

Emmanuel Macron says Europe must take 60 million more refugees from Africa in the coming years, which is hugely exciting. Do you think Macron, or any other high-level European politicians, are privately supporters of Africanization?

Macron may perhaps have a personal interest in this topic. Remember when he went to the Caribbean island of Saint Martin for some disaster relief and ended up taking a few rather unusual pictures with the locals? I mean, there's a certain energy going on here, right:

He quite generally seems to enjoy surrounding himself with vaguely sexual, multicultural aesthetics:

He did marry his school teacher, which is already quite unique, so I wouldn't be surprised if they had a few other special arrangements in their relationship as well. It's certainly fun to think about.

But that wasn't really the point of your question, which was whether Macron and other centrist-liberal leaders privately support Africanization. I don't think they view the subject quite like I do on this blog (though if one of them might feel slightly sentimental about it, it would certainly be Macron); they have a more practical attitude about it, basically acknowledging that it's happening and trying to manage it instead of opposing it. Their calculus for this is very simple:

There will be big population movements from Africa in the near future due to climate change, economic disparity etc, and they will have to be accommodated somehow

This is necessary anyway due to Europe's demographic problems

There's no political benefit for them in opposing it; political movements opposing it already exist and their voters aren't going to go for a more saccharine form of nationalism. So as a centrist-liberal, you might as well embrace it to keep your own supporters happy, who tend to feel either indifferent or positive about it.

For people like Macron, the issue isn't so much whether an Africanization process should be happening, but how to best sell this inevitability to voters and make the transition as smooth as possible. Case in point: that statement about 60 million refugees you mentioned seems to have been a social media exaggeration of what he actually said, but I only noticed because I tried to find the context. It's so in keeping with his general policy preferences that it didn't strike me as odd at all when I first saw your question, lol.

One should also note, and this applies to Macron, France and Paris in particular, that the areas where these centrist-liberal leaders spend most of their time are already visibly Africanized. France doesn't collect racial statistics the way the US does, but it does provide information on immigrant demographics, and it just so happens that 40% of the below-20 population in Paris has at least one first-generation migrant parent, most of whom come from former French colonies in sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghreb. "First-generation" being an important qualifier here; if your family already lived there for 3 generations, you don't get counted in this statistic anymore. So that should give you an idea what Macron's world looks like.

And it's a world he apparently feels quite comfortable in, as do many other Parisians, some of whom have moved to Paris specifically to experience this multicultural, multiracial urbanism. In their world, Africanization isn't so much a question as a reality they're fine with. So why would they object to the idea that the rest of France might end up looking like this, too? They'd probably see it as an aesthetic improvement.

Case in point: Miss France 2014, Flora Coquerel, who embodies all the best virtues of a mixed France, wouldn't you agree?

[versegm]

Ok actually after a discussion with a friend I decided to run some more statistics re: fanfics and engagement, so here (statistics taken off my own fanfics):

General results:

I did both the median and the average to try to smooth out any statistical outlier, but the results were roughly the same lmao

Roughly, 11,20% of readers drops a kudo after clicking on a fic (which I assume to be a good baseline for "amount of readers who clicked here on purpose and didn't quit midway through")

On average, 2,8% of readers bookmark a fic after reading it (would be curious to know if that's a general thing? Because don't really write shippy fics or the "popular" stuff so that might incurs statistical bias. If anyone else is willing to run some numbers I'd love to know.)

On average, 0,88% of readers drop a comment after the fact.

Hypotheses:

I included the release date (or something close to) of each fandom to see if there was a correlation between ratio of comments vs age of the fanbase. There was none.

There are some fandoms where I actively linked my fics everywhere and got involved with people ect ect. I included that as well to see if there was a correlation between ratio of comments vs how much it was promoted. There was not. (It is possible that people directly dmed me their impressions instead of leaving a comment, in which case sorry guys I hold your compliments close to my heart but they were unfortunately lost to time.)

I wanted to add whether or not the fandom was currently active, but that's... actually really hard to gauge (what metric to use? Amount of fics uploaded on ao3 daily? Amount of new tweets under a given hashtag?) so I didn't.

Conclusion: I couldn't find any specific reasons for these numbers so uh I guess "10% of people bother finishing your fic/3% will like it enough to bookmark it/1% will go the extra step to tell you about it" is the default, and any deviation from that norm is fandom specific.

Fandom-specific observations:

Biggest ratio of comments/hits goes to all my Fate/Stay Night & Fate/Grand Order crossover fics, weirdly enough. Either 1) the fsn fandom is really generous in comments, or 2) the fact that it's a crossover means that it attracts two very different crowds which leads to twice the usual amount of comments.

The dubious award of having the worst ratio of comments/hits goes to the Amphibia fandom with a whooping 0,41%, half as much as any other fandom. Jesus Christ. That being said it is a fandom mostly populated by kids (I think?) which is probably (?) not the case for these other fandoms.

This is a fate blog so I do have to point out that the second worst ratio of comments/hits goes to the Fate/Grand Order fandom, so I can only encourage you guys to actually comment on the fics you like.

AI: The Somnium Files has a nearly 20% of kudos per hit. Though the ao3 tag is also not very active (last I checked it could go weeks without any update) so it might be a case of "we're so starved for new fics we'll read anything at this point."

TL;DR:

It seems like on average, 10% of people drop a kudo, 3% will like it enough to bookmark it, and 1% will go the extra step of leaving a comment. If you're a fic writer and you are despairing over the amount of attention your fic gets, worry not- that is normal.

[victoriadallonfan]

Rant Incoming!

I actually did like the storyline, but I think the idea that the Anti-Parahumans needed "valid arguments" is dangerous because it overlooks how bigoted they really are.

Like, this isn't "Anti-supervillains"; that's literally how most normal people and superheroes feel. This is Anti-Parahuman, as in "we want these people gone from existence or subservient to us" and, uh, noooo thank you.

Just as an example: Lets say you or a loved one gained superpowers after a traumatic incident. You are no longer allowed to run for any government position, you are actively feared and distrusted for powers you may or may not have, you cannot profit with your powers unless you submit to intense government oversight. Furthermore, that profit often requires that you have to engage in violent fights against other parahumans for the cameras, and if you don't protect your hometown from a killer kaiju (instead of, say, spending it with your loved ones) then you are seen with scorn and suspicion. And the moment the greatest hero turns evil, everyone looks at you like a ticking time bomb ready to go off.

A few of them, even, think you should be wiped off the face of the Earth or made second class citizens.

That's the parahuman experience.

For context:

Anti-parahumanism existed pre-GM. It was, in fact, established in the legal system. Parahumans were subservient to human Directors (many of whom openly were bigoted to them like Tagg and Piggot), they couldn't unionize for businesses, and - in the cases of Canary and Lustrum - overcharged in crimes. Reminder, Canary was so heavily demonized in court that the Prosecutor made up abilities she could have and she couldn't even defend herself. Her lawyer took days to respond to email, the Judge basically said he was ignoring all precedent to make her an example to other Parahumans because he didn't want Canary to ever be paroled. According to Lustrum, she was charged for a movement she had no control over, and Nailbiter believed her when she said it, because she could tell this woman wasn't built for violence.

Later, in PHO Sundays (which take place before Ward, during the 2 year timeskip with Weaver), we learn that the death of Protectorate cape was heavily downplayed by the PRT in favor of promoting new capes on the scene and that the killed cape had been trying for a long time to remove a drunk and disorderly teammate from her roster... only to be ignored by the PRT.

The Anti-parahuman movement in Ward is not something that just happened. It was always there.

Furthermore, most of humanity is actually under human control anyways, statistically, because of Cheit and Shin. Settlements under parahuman control are, statistically, the minority. There simply aren't enough parahumans for it to be viable.

And Cheit was only compromised by parahumans because they literally chose to trust someone who has a history of backstabbing and assassinating heads of state. Ditto with Shin trusting Amy and Chris, the former which was going to ally with Goddess to conquer Shin willingly.

Furthermore, Anti-Parahumans the mistake of painting a sweeping picture of Villain Control = Parahuman Control, which is just unfair. It's like comparing all past German Emperors with Hitler because both held the majority of the power. The Warden's aren't perfect by any means necessary, and neither is Citrine, but they do support society and protect the masses as best they can (including protecting Bet refugees) and refuse to wage war on people who actively want to wage war on them.

Even worse, Citrine is even stated by foreign governments to be the reason the City will do so well, because she's competent and has a council of civilian/non-parahuman leaders that she communicates with (of which Gary was part of), unless Gary tries to sabotage her (which he does).

Gary, for his part, is literally trying to sell Gimel out to a world conquering Cheit and doesn't even get a slap on the wrist for his crimes (that we know of). Note, his actions helped terrorists murder people. This coming from the guy who left his position of councilman over the City in Gimel out of spite because Jeanne Wynn was a parahuman and because he was tired of hearing about "bad news", who then goes on to complain about how he's not being told anything!

I really cannot stress this enough, that people like Gary cannot be allowed to think they have "valid points", because Gary and his ilk supported domestic terrorism that killed innocent Capes and was supporting supervillains like Love Lost by providing them weapons, and actively allied with Teacher.

Gary went on Television twice to attack a kid being abused by her parents (including lead poisoning) and the hero team who have literally been the sole reason that Gimel wasn't torn to pieces by dozens of portal bombs. He, to their face, called them the worst of the worst.

And yes, I totally understand why some people might initially think Anti-Parahumans have a point. Yes, it's understandable for blame to grow (as Vic says, blame can ruin nations), but I again behoove everyone to remember that humans are not the only victims of GM, as Parahumans were the ones who were facing down Scion constantly and consistently (and Endbringers before that).

And that an often-overlooked fact is simply that Parahumans are the only reason that Gimel exists and isn't a slave state to the religious conquest of Cheit or bigotry of Shin, and are the biggest factors in keeping refugees safe from Bet to Gimel.

They are, quite frankly, the only thing keeping civilization chugging along in the face of a multiversal catastrophe, where they themselves were betrayed by their own representation of the greatest hero of all.

And for 99% of them, it's not a choice. Society, pre-GM, made it very clear that parahumans are seen as less than humans, their only worth beyond merchandizing is to serve as (non)human shields for "real people". Which absolutely sucks when you want to use your powers for something other than fighting, but the government doesn't let you start up competing businesses and that not immediately joining the government as their lapdog makes you less trustworthy.

The anti-parahumans are absolutely believable in formation, but that doesn't negate the fact that it's based on intolerance, ignorance, and that parahumans themselves have been mistreated for far longer.

So no, I don't think they have valid points and I don't want them to.

[bleachbleachbleach]

Hello, I've been hooked up with Bleach since 2008 but still there are things that don't sit well with me. I hope your thought would bring me into the light lol. Like.. Didn't Masaki stay in Soul Society? I mean, is Ichigo able to meet her somewhere in SS since he now could easily travel between two worlds. Same question with, can Orihime meet Sora? Chad meet Abuelo? Uryuu meet his mommy, etc etc. Do you thonk Gotei 13 have the updated data of each residence of Soul Society? When I think it over, I hope it's not that easy for them to meet their late relatives since it wouldn't be special to be seperated by death 😅 Waiting for your amazing explanation! Thanks

As far as how the nature of souls and memory and the slippage between worlds works, I feel like canonically, different characters have offered several different explanations, which is a multiplicity I appreciate. But as to why people aren't meeting up, we get one fairly straightforward explanation:

[Bleach 076]

(Lol that woman doing her hair while standing in line. An icon)

That is, why don't people meet up with their dead loved ones in Soul Society? Because it's statistically hideously unlikely and logistically a nightmare. People are punted off all over the place and there's some implication that memories fade over time, though at what rate and for what reason may not have rhyme nor reason.

But I think that explanation also invites two additional interesting questions:

If each soul is numbered, why can't these numbers be used to locate souls?

Why wouldn't you expect reunions in an afterlife?

Ways of Knowing

You'd think that naming and numbering districts and giving souls numbers would suggest that there's some kind of great ledger of souls that the Gotei keeps and they know where everyone is. We know that the Gotei has enough Rukongai census data to know when fucktons of souls suddenly go missing, after all. But we also know that they don't know what number goes to which soul and which souls are where; if they did Byakuya probably could've reunited his dying wife with her baby sister, even if it were still logistically a nightmare to do so. What are logistics in the face of limitless money?

And I mean, most people living in the United States have a social security number. But even though there's a billion more ways that number comes into play when you're trying to live in the US than your soul ticket number is likely to bear on your Rukongai life--taxes, mandatory K-12, digital footprints, bills, etc.--it's still hard to keep track of people. And I say this living in a very modern, surveillance-state era. At 331 million-ish, does the US have more or fewer people living in it than Rukongai, making it easier or more difficult to keep track of them all? Who knows.

To use an example that's dealing with a smaller number of people--and therefore, one might think, a more manageable dataset--during World War II, the US forcibly removed and incarcerated Japanese Americans at 10 incarceration camps and a number of DOJ prison camps. Every Japanese American family was given a number and sent off to X or Y camp. Despite the fact that this is recent history, was a literal federal operation, and concerned a population of 125,000 (much smaller than 331 million, and much smaller than the number of souls in Rukongai), and multiple call numbers for related documents housed at the National Archives, there is no complete, official record of who was incarcerated where, when, or for how long. Only this year is any of that narrative-through-information beginning to take shape, and notably not through the labor of the federal government.

So do I think Soul Society has complete, updated, or remotely useable records of all the souls in Rukongai? Hell no. No, I do not! Just thinking about how straightforward such a task seems on paper in our world and how utterly apart it is in practice, it doesn't surprise me at all that there aren't records for these things, nor assumptions that locating lost family members would be possible. And that's just the practical aspect of it.

Ways of Being

One thing that separates the historical example I used from whatever it is Soul Society is doing is, if a federal government is going to forcibly remove and incarcerate people, they better not lose (or never create) the damn receipts. To do otherwise is a failing atop a failing.

By contrast, at the thematic and/or spiritual level, I think it's understood--it is an existential belief--that Soul Society/Rukongai is not a place of reunion. It is a place of passage and of wandering, and to arrive in Soul Society is usually not helped along by shinigami. Konsou, the tickets, the numbered districts--those are all accoutrements that now exist, they are things that created Soul Society, but they are not this afterlife. This afterlife was not a place of reunion before it was any of those things, and is remains one even after their creation.

I think it's possible to trigger a kernel panic if your soul was briefly housed by a bird and some very-much-alive guy wandered into the afterlife through a secret trapdoor, and then you get to reunite. But I think it's not necessarily something you come into the situation seeking.

Souls get stuck in the Living World because they snare on this or that element of what was once their life, so I think it makes sense that in Soul Society, those same holds are not part of what it means to be or feel as a soul in Rukongai (particularly as memories fade, but not necessarily because memories fade).

And to return to the practical, I think the churn of souls is unpredictable enough to help the mindset that Rukongai is not a place of reunion. Your soul could be in Rukongai for three days before you die and return to new form in the Living World. You could be there for centuries. If you were to enter Soul Society with the expectation of finding one specific soul, you could spend a frenzied, obsessive lifetime searching for a soul that has already lived seven different cycles, back and forth between the realms, further and further away from you, without you.

And then who's the hungry ghost?

--

For further reading, @unohanadaydreams has some awesome recent posts on the Rukongai Ticket Fiasco here and here!

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

I am so sorry, but I truly must be the one to ask this. What do you think the Cullens and Volturi’s a/b/o alignments/secondary genders are within the omegaverse? How do you think venom effects heats/rut patterns? Is it that upon turning only males have them as they’re the only ones capable of reproducing via hybrid? (Lol not a fic writer just want to know your thoughts)

...

Anon.

Come on.

Bold of you.

But come on.

I also like how you're weasling out of writing your own fic to answer these questions. Really, anon, your guess is as good as mine here.

Do You Have an Answer, Muffin?

No.

And it's not because I'm weaseling out or because this is an entirely made-up fanfiction concept: it's because it is entirely dependent on the porn the author wishes to write.

But What Do You Mean?

A/B/O gender alignments in fics is entirely dependent on who the author wants to be on top. The ageless question in slash fanfics and the cause of many a heated internet debate. BUT WHO IS ON TOP?!!!! WHO IS THE SEME?!!!!

Authors want whoever they want "on top" and then we get alpha characteristics on top of other slashy slashness to justify why this character is totally for realz on top.

It has nothing to do with anything.

Just how the author wants the porn to go down and who they want to get pregnant.

I could try to guess based off of fandom tropes and fanon cliches except, if you take a gander at the Ao3 shipping stats, the canon heterosexual pairings in Twilight are in the lead. When we do expand outside of them it's to the very Cullen pairings of things like Jasper/Bella and if we're getting really spicy Alice/Bella or Rosalie/Bella. Now we could do the wild and bold move of having heterosexual/female slash pairings that are ALSO somehow how A/B/O but it's well known that A/B/O has its lifeblood in male slash.

So, we're looking at... Jakeward? Pretty much? In which case if we go with what fandoms usually do... Edward's the omega and having the baby due to being shorter and skinnier and prettier than Jacob.

Beyond that it'd be me pontificating on who wins the coin flip of A/B/O to get whatever gender they get. Or, I could be that ass and say "oh but they're all Beta, you see" as Beta is generally in omegaverse statistically more likely (except when it isn't for strange reasons and what even is beta for in those fics? Honestly)

But How Would You Do It?

If you're forcing me to be in some alternate Twilight universe where they're also omega...

Well, caveat, this depends on if I'm doing this for a fic or not which may change things in service of the greater plot. Yes, even in an A/B/O fic, people, three should be at least some semblance of a plot. Somewhere. Somehow.

I'd decide via coin flip who gets what. It's a random genetic thing where a vampire is more likely than not Beta with relatively few Alphas or Omegas. It has nothing to do with personality or sexuality, it's just a weird genetic coin toss that affects relatively few people.

In terms of the Omega pregnancy thing... well, this would dramatically change the world of Twilight. Either these children would be known about and be illegal for being immortal children or else it'd be very well known that Omega vampires can produce offspring. Omegas would be desperately sought after by covens wanting children or covens with Alphas who are gifted. And I imagine many more humans might be turned on the off chance that they could end up a highly valued Omega.

Regardless, the Renesmee debacle would likely not happen or not in the same manner as children are a known quantity in Twilight. Now, I'm sure they didn't expect human Bella to get pregnant via Edward (who is statistically likely to be Beta here) but life is full of little surprises like that, isn't it?

And much of the plot of Twilight would be spent in angst as no one could guarantee that Edward and Bella will be compatible sexually due to the random coin flip of A/B/O that occurs upon turning.

Bella, I'm sure, assures Edward that her love is so strong it doesn't matter. Now, this may work out and it may... not.

Otherwise in terms of heat/rut patterns...

Nope, I can't even pretend to care, man.

Followers, you get to decide, which porn floats your boat best.

[crazykuroneko]

Perhaps its bc the tv landscape is just too crowded but for such a seemingly popular book series (and movie), the show's audience seems really small? Like it can't get major nominations at award that's solely made up of LGBT critics (losing their one nomination to the other two that ppl weren't even sure would get renewed)! It can't even get better ratings than that flop mayfair witches (both on streaming and linear), which is a much less popular book series and a total critics dud. Its actually quite concerning that the viewers dropped from pilot (600k) to finale (400k) so significantly.

I wonder what's going on cause sure amc is struggling but walking dead + spinoff numbers are still very good for cable these days, better call saul had consistently good viewership.. is it just too gay? was the wider vc fanbase too racist to get on board? is the abuse/toxicity too much for viewers who would normally be into a more fun vampire romance like true blood?

1. I don't know which awards you mean, but the ones they got noms for all are won by major studio shows. Even though a show is probably on the brink of cancellation or even trash, they still get more publicity if they come from a big studio just from the fact they're on a platform who has way more subscribers than AMC+.

2. AMC didn't do a simulcast for IWTV premiere yet they did for MW (broadcast on ALL AMC's cable and streaming channels). IWTV and MW average rating for all ages only has 0.01 difference. IWTV has a higher average rating than MW for the 18–49 age group, which is used by advertisers. A lot of the general audience and other Anne's fans saw the good reactions IWTV received and only signed up when MW was released to save money.

3. MW maybe bad to us, but Daddario is a B or C-list Hollywood actress. I personally know people who will watch any films/shows with her in it without caring about the quality. MW is also geared to a different group of audience than IWTV *cough* households of white straight people *cough*, so I'm not surprised if it does better on cable.

4. Being said that, it's obvious AMC knew "prestige TV" angle is better fit for IWTV, because as someone pointed out months before, judging from the numbers of IWTV crews, IWTV definitely got way more budget than MW. IWTV is still AMC's best hope for awards shows after BSC cos Lucky Hank (starring Bob Odenkirk) flopped. They'll probably push the Orphan Black spin off starring Krysten Ritter as well for critics (said to be released later this year).

Anyway, I don't even know what I'm trying to say with this because I'm not AMC, I don't have the numbers and statistics so I can't give you real answers. I can't find AMC+ ratings on Nielsen either so it's really only AMC who knows the real numbers.

From what I see though the word of mouth promotion works and that's the best way to reach the right people who will like IWTV. But the thing is they'll usually be stopped by the fact it's on AMC+ (either they can't afford to pay more service or it's not available for them). And judging from reactions from social media, IWTV should have better numbers in acquisitions (new subscribers) and views than MW, given it still gains new viewers over time and fans like to rewatch.

[55ludovicoplace]

Sorry to still be yammering on about the pulped billionaires but I'm disasters guy and safety is a thing I think about a lot and also the way people talk about this really gets me??

A bunch of people are being like oh this? This happened because he was WOKE, actually. Because he said that he didn't want to hire 50 year old white guys in one interview video which then proceeded to show a bunch of white guys in their 20s-30s (and one white woman who they zoomed in on). The issue he had was 100% with the "50 year old" part - recent graduates can get paid barely anything, after all. And regardless of who he hired it is utterly deranged to think the primary driver of this incident was anyone other than this particular 61 year old white man.

The excuse he gave was that he wants to """inspire younger generations""" which, well, he has accomplished the opposite of. I think very obviously. What he has done is taken a handful of recent graduates, probably paid them way under industry standard, traumatized them by having them be involved with The Great Billionaire Pulping Incident, and probably tanked their careers forever because now they have that giant blotch on their resumés. Nice job.

Another one of his stated goals was making underwater tourism more freely accessible and popular and, well, he certainly probably killed that. I imagine anything as simple as a shallow dive to see some cool marine life will now have a massive stigma attached to it. Can't stop winning.

I struggle somewhat to tell how much of what he was doing he understood. I can't get over the website saying that safety standards aren't that important because most accidents are caused by operator error. I mean, fair, why do you think that is? It's because catastrophic mechanical failure is almost unheard of, and what the statistics about operator error don't mention is a lot of the time it's a mishandling of something, like a non-catastrophic mechanical failure, other than some idiot crashing the plane for no reason. Like did he understand that at all or did he think a submersible was a magic machine that takes you wherever you want? I lean towards the latter but he absolutely knew this because he had a degree in aerospace engineering! Truly terminal raised-wealthy brain where you just don't understand that anything bad can ever happen as a result of your insanely reckless short-sighted actions.

I do ultimately think I wish Stockton Rush survived and had to see what he had done and got sued for everything he owned and died sad and lonely and penniless and boring. I think he would have much preferred a death at sea, where the implosion was so instantaneous he wouldn't have known it was happening, to having to live with the consequences of his actions undeniably spread out in front of him. The result of him jawing on about safety regulations getting in the way of progress would be him having to see regulations written in the blood of the people he doomed. I think it would've imploded his brain.

(Can I just sort of point out how stupid the 'advanced warning system' was? King, an implosion takes five milliseconds, that's not going to do anything. Why do you want to save weight on a submersible. Do you understand that carbon fiber is very strong against inside pressure, the exact opposite of what you want in a submersible, and that's the reason it's used for pressure hulls in aircraft? Why would you ever combine titanium and carbon fiber? You literal idiot?)

[ghor-dranas]

Don't be suspicious: Group Stealth Checks in Critical Role - Vox Machina edition!

Hello and welcome to the first of a four part series looking at group stealth checks in all three campaigns of Critical Role! This first post is looking at Vox Machina, the second will be the Mighty Nein, the third Bells Hells and the fourth will be a comparison between the three. I've split it in this fashion for easier consumption because there's a LOT of data here. All of them will be tagged under both #cr-stats and #don't-be-suspicious for your perusal.

Disclaimers first!

Most of the data on this post was compiled by @critrolestats, who I'm eternally grateful for, but some of it was done by myself, and all charts and graphs were made by myself. As such, everything is subject to human error.

Now, what is a group stealth check, and why am I looking at them specifically?

A group stealth check, for sake of this project, is any time 4 or more members of an adventuring party roll a stealth check at the same time. I chose 4 as the start point fairly arbitrarily, mainly to limit my data set. As for why I'm looking at it, I just think it'd be fun to see which party is statistically the sneakiest.

Let's begin under the cut!

Vox Machina made 88 group stealth checks over the main campaign and all of their specials. Their overall average is 24.48014

But before we get deeper into the nitty gritty, I first must acknowledge a certain spell that wildly skews averages. Pass Without Trace is a wonderful spell that adds a +10 to everyone's rolls, and so because it is so powerful, I'd charted every time the used it, and take it into consideration in each table.

So, first of all, let's look at each individual member of Vox Machina's averages.

Unsurprisingly, Vax is head and shoulders above everyone else, and Pike is dead last. A quick reminder that this is not their total for all stealth checks ever, but for every time they participated in a group stealth check.

As I mentioned Pass Without Trace, let's look at it specifically.

So, as we can see here, Vox Machina cast Pass Without Trace for well over half of their group stealth checks. About 64.77% in fact. In which case, why don't we compare how well they do with the spell up versus without.

Almost exactly 10 points better, nice!

Now, I mentioned that these checks start at 4 participants and go up, but how many people exactly are in these checks? How often is it just four people? I'm so glad you asked, have another chart!

Interestingly, despite being a group of 7, the highest frequency is groups of 6! This could be due to a combination of Vax scouting ahead instead of participating, and Pike's frequent absences.

If you're looking at this and wondering "how the fuck did they have 9 participants in some of these checks?" then this is the part where I inform you that they had guests partake in these checks!

Vox Machina had a total of 23 group stealth checks performed with at least one guest present, and 12 with 2 guests at once. Which guests? Let's see!

15 separate guests! Yes, we are including Scanlan 2 as a guest and not lumping him under Scanlan, simply for weird technical reasons. I am not going to do that math, but if you want to you can take Scanlan's average from above, and Scanlan 2's average from below and work it out from there.

Speaking of guest's averages!

Our sneakiest guest is Kerrek, with 26.5, and our least sneaky is Lyra with 11. But wait, this doesn't factor in Pass Without Trace! Lyra didn't have Pass Without Trace for her single check, and Kerrek did for both! Hell, Tova had it for both of hers, which means her ACTUAL average is 5. That'd be due to the disadvantage caused by her armour. As you can see, there are a lot of contributing factors here that I can't possibly account for, so this is what we've got.

One quick note to end on is that most of these numbers are rounded to two decimal places, simply because the full numbers looked really messy.

These stats are pretty interesting, but they don't really say a lot on their own, there's no point of comparison here for the other groups! Well, in that case please stay tuned for the next three posts in the series, where I'll be looking at everyone else. Once again, you can check those posts out under the #don't-be-suspicious tag on my blog.