#covering theory

[plagueislost]

i love being late to trends. my new years resolution is to be late to every trend ever. and you know im serious because im even late to new years.

(theres an inverse version of this by @chamiryokuroi , you should go check it out! i started making this before i saw theirs, but i think its cool that now theres both versions)

[toxic-nugget]

Daan as Nosferatu (2024)

[bioethicists]

i genuinely have no animosity towards ppl who get upset abt not being able to read academic texts + i do think we need to expand the pathways/methods of being exposed to critical concepts so that "sit + read for 2 hours" is not the only option.

however, as someone dx with adhd + incapable of sitting still for even a minute (actually right at this moment i am writing this instead of reading the book sitting open in front of me), i do feel like a lot of ppl do not realize that not all readings are designed to be read like a novel.

as in, it's ok + normal + good to need to reread a paragraph several times, to only read part of a book, to have to research or reference words or concepts in order to grasp the reading, to skip over large chunks of text which are not relevant to your expertise, to continue reading despite not understanding a concept. this is something 'neurotypical' academics do frequently + many of these texts, especially contemporary ones, were designed with this in mind.

there are many ppl with accessibility needs that are not being met by academic texts at this time! many texts (in my humble opinion) are unnecessarily complex in order to show off or hide the fact that they have no idea what they're talking about.

i still feel like many of the kneejerk reactions on this site are based on the assumption that their experience reading academic texts should be similar to their experiences reading a nyt bestseller, rather than a process of thinking, analyzing, researching, processing, returning. some of u are telling yourself that any challenges u face while reading are a result of some internal fault u have + not an expected + precious part of the experience.

[transistoradio]

Wraparound cover art by Richard Powers (1921-1996) for Edward Bryant, Particle Theory (Timescape, 1981).

[liketolaugh-writes]

hey can we talk about how fucking insane it is that the whole 'evil future self' debacle got pinned on danny cheating on a test

can we talk about how danny came away from that genuinely believing that it was cheating on a test that had made him evil, as if it were any more than just. the reason they were all at the nasty burger that day

can we talk about how sam and tucker also seemed to think that and how we, the viewers, also were apparently supposed to believe it

because uhhhh

the whole idea is. ridiculous. and someone needs to gently tell danny so pleaseandthankyou

[gammija]

So... why tape recorders?

After hearing about the [ERROR]chivist from Sam, Georgie obviously immediately starts thinking the same thing that anyone familiar with the events of tma is: In what way is this related to Jon? Sam literally quotes the 'all eyes' line, this Archivist feeds off of people's Fear, makes people tell them stories about their trauma, and tape recorders keep following them around! All Jon powers, or at the very least Archivist powers!

...Except, as we learn in s5, while the tape recorders follow Jon and Martin around, despite them being such an Archivist motif from the audiences POV, the tapes are not of Jon, they're not of the Archivist.

In MAG196 and MAG197, it's revealed that the tapes have all along been part of the plan of the Web, to use them, Jon and the Eyepocalypse to spin a web and spread to other dimensions:

So if the tapes aren't and never were an Archivist power, why do they show up for the [ERROR]chivist?

Is it the Web spinning a new plan? It can't be ruled out, but the [ERROR]chivist seems a poor candidate for a new rituals lynchpin. Not to mention that the Fears don't seem to exist in those same categories in tmagp in the first place, or that doing the same thing twice seems kinda basic from a meta perspective.

Really, there is something the [ERROR]chivist is reminiscent of, more than anything else. Not Jon, or Getrude, nor any one character or person from either universe.

With their tape recorders, their gender ambiguity and cloaked form, their most identifiable feature being their eyes, All Eyes, being able to compel statements without even saying a word, making victims relive their trauma not just in spirit, but in body, what the [ERROR]chivist is, most of all, is the idea of the Archivist.

The [ERROR]chivist is the Archivist, insofar as he would exist to the minds of the people in the ruins of tma's post-apocalypse. A vague, watching creature, always tailed by tape recorders, making you spill your guts figuratively and literally before moving on, and those eyes, those eyes, the only feature you remember. It's a role without an actor.

[abbotjack]

Honestly I think Shawn, a grown man, can stand up for himself lol

“He’s a grown man, he can stand up for himself.”

Right—but that response isn’t as neutral as you think. It’s a deflection. A way of shifting responsibility for boundary enforcement back onto the individual who’s been placed in an uncomfortable position, rather than asking why he was put there in the first place.

Because this isn’t about whether Shawn Hatosy—or Pedro Pascal, or any other man—can assert a boundary. It’s about how we’ve created a culture that expects them not to. It’s about how consent is routinely ignored, overwritten, or turned into a joke in public space—especially when it comes to men, especially when it’s dressed up as irony, “feminist thirst,” or progressive kink-positivity.

It’s about the refusal to admit that consent isn’t just about sex.

Consent is about presence. It’s about participation. It’s about emotional safety. And it’s about power.

And that matters in every context—including fandom, celebrity culture, and the increasingly blurred space between admiration and projection.

When you call a male celebrity “daddy” in the middle of an interview—on camera, unprompted, fully aware it’ll go viral—you’re not giving a harmless compliment. You’re placing him inside a sexualized, hierarchical, kink-coded role, and demanding a performance. You’re not inviting him into a shared dynamic. You’re building one around him and daring him to resist.

And that’s not just parasocial behavior. That’s coercion. Coercion dressed up in a clickbait blazer and a winking “teehee.”

And patriarchy? Patriarchy loves that. Because patriarchy has always taught us that men, especially older, stoic, men, aren’t allowed to have boundaries. That they should be flattered by sexual attention. That their discomfort is a flaw in the man, not a failure of the situation. That a man’s silence means yes.

So when a male celebrity tenses up or shifts uncomfortably after being called “daddy,” we don’t pause. We dismiss him. We say:

“Come on, it’s just a joke.”

“He’s hot. He can take it.”

“It’s part of the job.”

That’s not the language of consent. That’s the language of normalized entitlement.

Now compare that to when I commented on Shawn Hatosy’s TikTok and said he was “so babygirl-coded.” And he liked it.

Why? Because “babygirl,” as it functions in contemporary online fan culture, isn’t built on dominance or performance. It doesn’t demand control. It doesn’t assign erotic authority. It’s a term that signals affection, vulnerability, softness—a playful, sometimes absurd, often tender reverence for men who deviate from traditional masculinity.

That kind of language lives within fandom culture—inside our sandboxes. And when I call someone “babygirl-coded,” that person can ignore it, engage with it, scroll past, or opt in. There’s no pressure. It’s an aesthetic label, not a demand. So when Shawn likes that comment, he’s participating on his own terms. That’s what parasocial consent looks like: voluntary, pressure-free, and rooted in choice.

Now imagine if I had written, “You’re such a daddy. Ruin me.” Totally different tone. Totally different power dynamic. Even if he never saw it, I’d still be inserting a kink-coded script into a public space as if he had agreed to it. And if he had seen it and felt uncomfortable? The onus would fall on him to disengage quietly or laugh it off, because culturally, we’ve given men almost no tools to say “no” without backlash.

Feminist methodology asks better questions:

Whose comfort is protected?

Whose silence is treated as consent?

Whose body is seen as public property?

Whose boundaries get overwritten for the sake of the bit?

We know the answers. They’re gendered. And they’re broken.

When a man is called “daddy” during a press tour, he’s not being asked to play. He’s being expected to perform, sexually, powerfully, on command. And if he doesn’t? The consequences aren’t just social, they’re structural. He’s seen as less fun. Less marketable. Less valuable as content.

That isn’t just unfair. It’s anti-consensual.

As Sara Ahmed writes, to be the one who names a problem is so often to become the problem. The one who says “this feels off,” “this crosses a line,” or simply, “this makes me uncomfortable” is marked as difficult, humorless, or ungrateful. We see this dynamic unfold constantly with male celebrities—especially those who don’t laugh when called “daddy” in person, or who subtly resist being pulled into a sexualized performance they didn’t agree to.

When a man sets a boundary, even quietly, he disrupts the fantasy. And instead of asking what created the discomfort, the culture asks why he couldn't just go along. Because admitting that men can say no, that they’re allowed to feel uneasy, that they don’t exist for our projection, requires challenging the very entitlement fandom often runs on.

So let’s be clear: You can thirst. You can spiral. You can bark, cry, and post your little essays about his shoulders in peace. You can call him whatever in your sandbox corner of the internet.

But forcing someone into your kink-coded fantasy in person, without their consent, and then reacting negatively when they don’t play along, isn’t empowering. It’s not subversive. It’s just public boundary crossing, dressed up as flirtation.

It’s not “owning the gaze.” It’s replicating it—just with the roles reversed.

And reversing the roles isn’t the same as dismantling them.

Roles—no matter how ironic or reversed—are still roles. And assigning someone a role without their participation isn’t liberation. It’s just performance under pressure.

So yes, he’s a grown man.

And that’s exactly why his boundaries matter—especially because he’s not just a celebrity, but a real person, and a parent. Being called “daddy” in person, during a professional setting, isn’t just awkward—it’s an unsolicited invitation into a kink-coded dynamic he didn’t agree to. And when that man is a father in real life, the term becomes even more jarring, blurring roles in a way that’s neither funny nor flattering. His visibility shouldn’t come with the expectation that he absorb sexual projection or emotional labor just to keep the mood light. Silence is not consent. And feminist ethics, if we’re actually practicing them, demand more than clever thirst and role reversal. They require awareness, accountability, and respect for boundaries, no matter who you’re talking to or how attractive you think they are.

And if your only defense is “He can take it,” you’ve already admitted he might not want it, and decided you didn’t care.

That’s not fandom. That’s entitlement. Wrapped in a punchline and passed off as progressive. (referencing this interview)

[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

[saintjamboni]

Yk what? Fuck you *unlysergides your daydream

(So I dequantized it from a swing rhythm into equal eighth notes for anyone wondering)

It physically pained me to have to play this

[crisisensues]

This started out a simple anatomy practice what the hell happened

(Open image for better quality lol)

[huggywuggysuppy]

love Gem so much. mentioning onstream the past few weeks (hers and other peoples) how there's not a lot of expectation to upload during February... been editing Impossible MC... oh she'll see you all in March...

And posting on the final day of February. absolute power move.

[viquipo]

Benji about to go on date except their love language is calling each other slurs

Also this unwoke comic

[bbbbbbbbatman]

you know that post that's like the best way to deal with conspiracy theorists is to suggest an even wilder conspiracy (ex. "did you know the moon landing was faked?" "you believe in the moon?")?

well that but with tim and bernard. every time bernard gets a little too close to the bat secret, tim suggests something insane and then goes to great lengths to find (or occasionally manufacture) evidence for his stupid theory.

-----

bernard: okay hear me out, what if the second robin came back to life and is now red hood

tim: okay but what if red hood is actually joker from a different dimension where he didn't go mad and his life of crime escalated?

-----

bernard: i think the youngest robin might actually be blood-related to batman

tim: maybe the youngest robin is a literal demon that batman summoned and bound to him

-----

sometimes he goes a little too deep down the rabbit hole and manages to convince himself of his theories. And, on one notable occasion, one of theories actually turned out to be true and helped solve a case.

[aweebshitdrawings]

@artistredfox , @thenoellebird, @ravmycupine , @anarchysammichh and @flawlesslogic5 and @hellsquills

[idle-compy]

wait I just noticed how bloody they made the handlers shoulder after red attacked her

[muchanmocha]

What to Know About Mizi & Death

I bought receipts. A LOT of them.

—

Mizi and the other kids have always known they would die if they lose.

SUA: My parents and my teachers all said that it is an honor to be able to participate in ALIEN STAGE.

— Audition Interview

Anakt Garden's brainwashing had planted a misguided, sanitized concept of death in them.

Death only meant the end of their journey. They knew they would be "gone" and spiritually "return to the Great Anakt." They were taught dying on that stage is the best ending, the most blessed ending they could possibly achieve.

They didn't know the brutality of it — the ugliness, the twisted horror of an abrupt, violent end.

[...] despite falling into a state of shock after discovering the horrifying truths of reality.

— All-In Q&A

Sua did succeed in keeping Mizi in the dark. It was only upon her cruel end that Mizi found out death was far bloodier, far uglier than she could have ever imagined.

"You always knew what dying was right? Why didn't you tell me? If I had known I wouldn't have stood still like an idiot. I wouldn't have left you like that. I don't have anything Sua. Since I live in a universe without you, I want to follow you."

— disc:mizisua, scrapped dialogue

From the beginning, Sua's sister made sure she was well aware of the reality of death... but that wasn't the reality she wanted to live in.

"Mizi, I liked my spoken hope. I liked the dreams I dreamt. The world I saw through your eyes was everything to me. Sorry. Please protect my entire world."

— disc:mizisua, scrapped dialogue

For Mizi to know the same realities Sua did meant Sua would lose her world. But no matter how much Sua tried to keep it hidden from her, Mizi did have the opportunity to open her eyes to the truth. She just didn't take it.

Death gave Mizi pause, as it does naturally for all living beings, and she was not completely unaware of the flaws in Anakt Garden's facade.

Yet as a people pleaser and Sua's devotee, Mizi wanted what her God wanted — to preserve her "world." And that meant maintaining her ignorance for as long and thorough as she possibly can.

So she turned a blind eye to the occasional ugliness of their reality and pretended everything is fine.

The Mizi up until Alien Stage had let other people's decisions and wants dictate her path.

Pixie-cut-Mizi is determined to no longer be swayed by the situations she finds herself in, but rather, choose and act upon her own decisions.

— All-In Q&A

However that became a source of guilt. In the endless hours after, she obssessed over the fact that if she had allowed herself to know, to dig for the truth when the seams in the illusion showed itself, things would be different.

"If I had known I wouldn't have stood still like an idiot. I wouldn't have left you like that."

Mizi had a dream.

MIZI: Even if I lose, I get to go back to the Great Anakt… Still, I want to sing and perform with SUA for as long as possible, so I want to win with her, together!

SUA: I really want to go on stage and perform with MIZI. My dream is MIZI’s dream as well.

— Audition Interview

Death, blessed as the teachers made it sound, was still scary. Because to die would mean the end of her journey. To die would mean separation from Sua. But if they tie? Tying meant staying together with Sua, never to be parted by death. She put her faith in this outcome.

Sua was no different from an obstacle blocking Mizi's growth. She always made Mizi dream, giving her faith in a good ending.

— R1 Commentary, Artbook

MIZI: I heard that there’s never been a tie in all of ALIEN STAGE’s history… But if we get that tie, then I bet everyone will call us the most fantastic duo to exist in history, right?!

— Audition Interview

Yet the requirement of winning every match before reaching Sua is a formidable one.

So she's willing to take every advantage she's got to make it happen.

After it was clear neither of them could change Till's feelings for her, she had the ugly thought that at least it would help her achieve her dream. She turned a blind eye to what Till's love meant for him — how inevitably he'd die on stage for her victory, so she could live and move on to see Sua.

But at that time, she didn't truly understand the cost, the price of competing in Alien Stage.

Now she does.

This was not what she asked for.

This was not what she wanted.

The truth is, Hyuna's plan didn't include Till's rescue, as it was impossible. Mizi, aware of this, pushed aside her doubts and headed straight for Till's stage.

Mizi also holds a familial affection for Till. That's why, despite the risks involved (putting her own safety aside) her instincts compelled her to go to him.

— Wiege Q&A

She risked her safety to save Till.

She risked death to save Till.

Knowing intimately well what death involves now, she could not let him die.

But he did.