#daily lambda

[ekkonus]

Daily Lambda until I miss a day: Day 1

I don't know how much I will be able to do this (hoping i can last more than a week).

These will not be in the same style or even quality. I will just do my best to do this.

[younes-ben-amara]

الأبيات التي يتلُوها كل نرجسيٍّ كي ينام مرتاحَ البال

ما هذه المجموعة من المختارات تسألني؟ إنّها عددٌ من أعداد نشرة “صيد الشابكة” اِعرف أكثر عن النشرة هنا: ما هي نشرة “صيد الشابكة” ما مصادرها، وما غرضها؛ وما معنى الشابكة أصلًا؟! 🎣🌐 🎣🌐 صيد الشابكة العدد #89 أهلًا والسلام عليكم؛ وبسم الله. عرفت اليوم بوجود شعر يُدعى “صلاة النرجسي” أو “ابتهال النرجسي” من مقال منتقى أدناه (الذي يحكي عن لمدا سكول) يحكي المقال عن محتال (طليق السراح) يبيع الأوهام في…

[tojicide]

chapter 2 ── too easy, this game.

the spider’s sense: a spidercaleb series.

♥︎ spider-man!caleb x fem!reader

synopsis. ┆ caleb’s life was perfect—until it wasn’t. a radioactive spider bite turned him into linkon’s friendly neighborhood spider-man, the daily bugle started hunting for the man behind the mask, and to top it all off, he was forced to partner up with you—his smart, competitive, and infuriatingly perfect classmate who threatened his spot as number one in the class rankings.

tags/warnings. ┆ college/modern au, academic rivals to lovers, fluff, angst, eventual smut, gran isn’t evil in this LOL, the canon event, college parties, alcohol consumption, cliches, depictions of serious crime, references to the spider-man comics and movies, mdni

chapter summary. ┆ after you’re forced to check up on caleb, you realize that your methods of revenge can be sweeter and much more interesting than you had originally anticipated.

prev: chapter one. ┆ series masterlist. ┆ next: chapter three.

“Remember that fundraiser I was telling you about?”

You lift your gaze from the sidewalk, giving Tara a sideways glance. “Yeah, I think so. What about it?”

“Well,” she sings, hugging her thick textbook tighter to her chest before nudging you with her elbow, “I was wondering if you’d like to help us out! We’re always looking for more girls, you know. The sisters of Delta Gamma can only do so much.”

You suck your teeth, tilting your head as your eyes drift to the towering oak tree at the center of the great lawn. The campus had spent the past few days drowning under gray skies and spring showers, but today, the sun had finally broken through. Its warmth pressed against your skin, so bright you had to squint just to avoid being completely blinded.

You look back at Tara. “What day is it again?”

“Next Saturday,” she says with a shrug. “2 PM, in the parking lot between the Delta Gamma house and Lambda Chi Alpha’s.” A pause, as if she was already sensing your impending rejection. “Please? Please!”

You hate when she does this. The puppy dog eyes. That hopeful little tilt of her head. The same look that had managed to drag you to one too many frat parties when you swore you wouldn’t go. Saying no made you feel like some heartless villain stomping on an ant just for the fun of it, and for a moment, you almost caved entirely.

“I’ll… think about it, but midterms are–” you start, but before you can finish, she’s already beaming.

“Yay!” Tara links her arm through yours, practically bouncing as you continue toward Grand Hall. “I’ll text you all the details, ‘kay? I so owe you one.”

You press your lips into a thin smile, debating whether to remind her that you hadn’t actually said yes. Instead, you settle for, “If I end up making it, we’ll call it even for you helping me study for chem.”

She grins. “Good luck on that, by the way. I know you’ll do great!”

The two of you stop outside the building, and Tara leans in, lowering her voice conspiratorially like she’s about to tell you a scandalous secret.

“And remember, the electron cloud model—”

“—is the area around an atom’s nucleus where electrons are most likely to be found,” you finish, unable to fight a smile. “I know, I know. You trained me well.”

You squeeze her arm before unhooking yourself and stepping into the lecture hall.

“I’ll find you after class!” she calls after you.

Inside, the air is sharp with cold, and a shiver runs down your spine. The mood of the room seems different today, as if the oxygen you were all breathing in was thick with anxiety. Your seatmate, Yvonne, is already at her desk, supplies neatly arranged in front of her. You give her a silent smile before sitting down and doing the same.

Once again, you can’t help but notice that the room is quiet—eerily so. Everyone is either too tired to talk or too nervous to form a coherent sentence. Probably a mixture of both.

As the exam begins, the only sounds filling the space are the rustling of paper and the scratch of pencils against scantrons. You’re on question 21 when you realize you’ve just marked “C” four times in a row. A bead of cold sweat pricks at your temple, and you read over each question about a hundred times, praying that you’ll catch your mistake. After all, that can’t be right… can it? Your gut says yes.

An hour later, relief ripples through the room as students zip up their backpacks and shuffle toward the front to turn in their scantrons. You’re right behind them, ready to bolt for the door—until Dr. Rappaccini calls your name.

Pausing mid-step, you turn back to face her, plastering on a polite smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes. “Yeah?”

She digs through her bag before pulling out a worn notebook, its cover littered with colorful tabs and sticky notes. Holding it out to you, she looks as if she couldn’t care less about the transaction.

“I believe your lab partner left this in the laboratory last class.”

Your brows furrow as you take the heavy notebook into your hands, flipping it open with a frown. Lo and behold, there it was—‘Property of Caleb Xia’ scribbled in that god-awful handwriting. Raising an eyebrow, you shake your head. “It’s his, yeah… but why are you giving it to me?”

“He didn’t show up for today’s exam, and I’ve canceled class next Monday,” she explains, slinging her tote bag over her shoulder. “Since you work closely with him, I figured you’d see him before I do.”

Now that catches your attention. A sliver—no, a slap—of satisfaction rolls through you. So his sabotage in the lab had already come back to bite him? Karma was fast today. You couldn’t be happier. But unfortunately, the thought of voluntarily interacting with Caleb makes your stomach churn, so you extend the notebook back to your professor without hesitation.

“I assure you, I don’t care to see that man. It’s probably best if you return it to him.”

She glances at her watch, and you can practically see the sweat break out on her forehead. “Oh, I wish I had the time to. I’m running late!”

Gathering her belongings, she makes a beeline for the door. You’re quick to try and follow suit.

Her voice adds a swift, “Ask around! I’m sure someone can help you track him down.”

“But wait! I don’t even—”

The door slams behind Dr. Rappaccini, leaving you frozen in place with Caleb’s stupid notebook clutched to your chest.

“—know what building he lives in.”

You groan, dragging your feet toward the exit, already dreading the idea of having to track down that idiot. In fact, maybe you won’t.

♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Tara’s voice cuts through the air, startling you. The flicked lighter in your hand dies out before you can hold it to the bottom of Caleb’s notebook long enough for the flames to catch.

“The damn thing won’t light,” you huff, shaking your head in defeat. “Do you happen to know anyone on campus who has lighter fluid?”

Tara crouches beside you, watching with mild horror as you attempt—and fail—to ignite the corner of the notebook again. “Uh… no, not off the top of my head.” She pauses, tilting her head. “And just to be clear, you’re aware that you’re about to light your notebook on fire, right?”

You shrug. “It’s not mine.”

Her head snaps toward you so fast you worry about whiplash. “Okay, let me rephrase that. You’re aware that you’re about to commit a felony, right?”

You flick the lighter again, giving her a puzzled look. “Please, Tara, I don’t care about felonies right now. This is war, and I need to take my revenge.”

“Revenge?” she echoes, her lips tugging downward like she hadn’t considered that to be your motive. “On the notebook or the owner?”

“On Caleb fucking Xia,” you reply, punctuating each word with another flick of the lighter. Then, finally, a tiny flame flickers to life at the corner of the notebook. A wide grin spreads across your lips. “Yay! I did it! Look, I—”

Tara leans forward, blows out the flame, and snatches the lighter from your grasp. “Are you nuts? You can’t just burn his chem notebook!”

You hum, twisting your lips to the side. “You’re right. I’d totally get caught. Maybe I should pawn it off to a frat guy? Make a quick buck. They’d probably pay good money for his notes.”

“What? No! You can’t burn his notebook because that would mean stooping to his level!”

You reach for the lighter, but she stretches her arm out just far enough that you can’t reach.

“Tara! When they go low, we must go lower.”

“When they go low, we should be the bigger person,” she corrects, patting your head like a disobedient child. “How did you even get it? You didn’t steal it, did you?”

You sigh, shaking your head. “No, I wish. Dr. Rappaccini gave it to me to return to him. Apparently, he left it in the lab.”

Tara tilts her head. “Oh. He didn’t show up for the exam? That’s… unlike him.”

Shrugging, you brush off the singed paper flakes from the bottom of the notebook. “I guess. Can’t say I care, though. It’s what he deserves.”

She scoffs. “Geez, this whole scandal has turned you heartless. The Caleb I know would rather eat glass than miss an exam, especially the first one of the semester. I hope he’s alright.”

“In that case, maybe you should be the one to return it to him,” you suggest, holding it out. “You seem to know where he lives, and you actually care if he’s alive. That’s already two steps in the right direction.”

Tara glances at her phone, then sucks on her teeth before flashing you a wry smile. “Oh, shoot! I can’t. I have my physics exam in four minutes.” Before you can argue, she’s already bolting toward her class. “Uh, I think he’s close with Zayne! The one from our bio class!”

You toss your hands up. “Why the hell am I being sent on a manhunt?” Patting your pockets, you realize something’s missing. “Hey! You took my lighter.”

“It’s for the better!” she calls over her shoulder.

♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎

After a deep dive through Canvas, a trip to Outlook to send Zayne a rather frantic email, and a very long walk across campus, you find yourself stalking through the halls of an unfamiliar dorm building.

Your eyes flick up from your phone every few steps, scanning the numbers on the doors to make sure you haven’t somehow wandered into oblivion. It’s been ten minutes—too long, in your opinion—and you’re beginning to feel like a headless zombie, doomed to wander these halls forever.

That is, until your eyes land on a familiar set of numbers.

Room 323.

Exhaling sharply, you raise your fist and knock three times against the door. The response is almost immediate—an audible thud, followed by an impressive string of curses.

Then, the door swings open, revealing a very panicked and very shirtless Caleb.

And you? Your brain short-circuits. 

For a second—just one—you can’t help it. Your gaze drops straight to his torso, where sharp lines of muscle carve into his biceps and abdomen like a damn Michelangelo sculpture. You’re almost positive those weren’t there yesterday. Scratch that. You’re absolutely positive they weren’t. 

And you would have noticed. You’re nothing if not boundlessly observant. After all, you’re just a girl. You would have noticed if your infuriating classmate had nice biceps that would have certainly softened the blow of his sudden betrayal in the lab yesterday. 

Pretty privilege is alive and well, you can’t help but think. 

Caleb, looking equally flustered, yanks the door halfway shut, reducing the view to just his face. His chest still heaves from whatever chaos had preceded your arrival.

“I, uh… um.” He blinks, clearly rebooting his internal system. His brain fries, and of course the first thing he can do is lean his elbow against the door frame while not-so-obviously flexing his much larger bicep in the process. “So… what’s up?”

Dragging your gaze up to meet his with only minor difficulty, you hold up the slightly charred notebook in your hands. “You left this in class. Rappaccini told me to bring it to you.”

Caleb reaches for it, and the moment his fingers graze the cover, his brows furrow. He flips it over, rubbing his thumb against the edge. A smudge of soot stains his hand.

“What… happened to it?”

You lift your shoulders, hands flying up in a gesture of pure innocence. “No clue. Your guess is as good as mine.”

Before he can properly assess the obvious fire damage, you straighten your posture. If you beat him to it, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to walk away from this entire ordeal scot free. 

Just… be civil. You can do that much.

“Are you not going to say thank you? I literally had to email your roommate to find out where you live. It was a total inconvenience.”

Or not.

Caleb presses his lips into a thin line, tossing the notebook onto his desk before giving you a barely-there nod. “Right. Thanks.”

His clipped tone does nothing to soothe your irritation. You’re actually starting to regret not letting the damn thing go up in flames. If it weren’t for Tara and her obnoxious morality complex, you would have.

“You’re welcome,” you say sweetly, pivoting to leave. But just before he can close the door, something crosses your mind. “Oh! By the way, I wrote my number in the margin.”

Caleb’s eyes widen. His grip on the door frame tightens. “What? For me?”

A beat of silence. Then, you burst into laughter, and the fact that he isn’t laughing with you makes it ten times funnier. You have to physically wipe the tears from your eyes before you can speak again.

“Oh, you’re serious?” you wheeze, still catching your breath. “God, no. It’s for Zayne.”

“For… Zayne?”

You nod. “Yup. I have biology with him.”

Caleb leans back slightly, like you’ve just personally offended his ancestors. “And? You have chem with me.”

You flash him an expression that Caleb can only assume is the most passive-aggressive smile known to mankind. “Mm-hmm. Well, maybe I want to get in kahoots with people who don’t sabotage my lab reports.”

Ouch. Caleb rubs the back of his neck, swallowing hard. “About that…”

“Save it,” you hum, turning to leave. “Just be a doll and relay the message, yeah?”

But just before you step away, your eyes flicker to his chest again—this time, with an exaggerated furrow of concern. “Wait a sec… what the hell is that? You should really get that nasty mole checked out.”

Caleb’s brows knit together. He instinctively glances down—

And just as his chin tilts, your hand smacks against it, forcing it back up. Your laughter is louder this time. Almost cruel.

“Too easy, this game,” you taunt, shaking your head.

You’re gone before he can do anything other than stand there, jaw slack, ears burning a shade of red that rivals a fire hydrant. How could you prank him with the easiest trick in the book? He rubs his chin, shaking his head in utter defeat as he nudges his door shut. 

Yeah. He doesn’t like you one bit.

Before he can dwell on that fact, his phone buzzes in his pocket. 

xavier (pres of lambda chi alpha): i woke up late and missed physics. can U slide me the notes for the past week? i also slept through those days too… btw Ur still coming to the frat car wash next saturday right ?? we need U bro. U brought in so many new customers 

caleb: sure man :)

xavier (pres of lambda chi alpha): the goat

♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎

Sirens blare loud enough to wake you, their wailing cries bouncing off the buildings outside your window. The flashing of red and blue does little to ease your nerves—if anything, it invites the perfect storm of overthinking.

Your room is a mess. You haven’t eaten a balanced meal in days. A biology project is due next week. But above all? Midterms are rapidly approaching.

Lately, most of your days are spent holed up on the second floor of the library, tucked away in your usual corner seat. From there, you can people-watch from above and soak in just enough sunlight to keep from feeling like life is draining from you with each word you scribble down or type up. But after a while, even the comfort of routine turns into a cage.

It’s monotonous. Tiring. Far too predictable for your liking. If you don’t see at least one interesting thing each day—whether it’s someone walking their adorable dog or a person wearing a sweater so blindingly neon it makes your eyes hurt—you consider the day a waste. You still study, of course, but you need something of substance to fuel your brain. Something besides your bitter iced coffee, which barely manages to keep you conscious.

Maybe it’s the exhaustion of your second midterm season settling into your bones. Maybe it’s the weight of all your responsibilities pressing down on your shoulders. Whatever it is, it drives you to seek out a new place to study.

Is it 4 AM? Yes. Are the sirens especially loud tonight? Also yes. You can’t sleep. Sue you.

It makes perfect sense why you find yourself trudging into your university’s 24-hour café, headphones snug over your ears and meal card already in hand. Fuzzy pajama pants and an oversized hoodie hang off your frame, but if the cashier doesn’t care, neither do you. You’d be damned if you didn’t at least get your usual morning drink and a slice of banana bread to kickstart your day.

No more than an hour passes before the faint jingle of the entrance bell rings to life, prompting you to spare a glance over your shoulder, curiosity piqued.

Luck isn’t on your side. Of course it’s Caleb. 

And he looks… different. Not in the way he did a few days ago—no, he looks worn. Tired. A bruise blooms across his cheek, stark even in the café’s dim lighting. You force yourself to look away before you can start ogling like a freak. Again.

But as he makes his way in your direction, you barely suppress a groan, turning back toward your laptop in a last-ditch effort to seem busy. It doesn’t work. Not when you feel the weight of his beady little amethyst stare boring into the back of your head. 

You sigh, forcing a cheery tone. “Can you maybe not stand next to me looking like a decaying corpse? You’re going to attract flies.” 

Caleb shrugs, managing to pick an almond off your banana bread before you slap his hand away. “You’re doing that on your own. Didn’t you hear? This café was infested with fruit flies last semester. Your perfume is basically a mating call for ‘em.”

You huff, tilting your head. “Aw. Is that your way of saying I smell nice?” 

Rolling his eyes, Caleb crosses his arms over his chest. You notice a small cut on his bicep, but you do your best not to stare. You've done enough of that lately. 

“No,” he flatly says. “I’m just… stating my observation.” 

You turn back to your laptop, sliding your headphones over your ears. “Well, stop observing me.”

”Psh. Gladly.”

His actions are the first thing to betray his words, because he makes the executive decision to sit in the chair directly behind yours. He was sitting so damn close that you could feel the warmth of his skin through his hoodie—which you now notice is thrashed in a few places, as if he had taken scissors to the fabric and snipped away. It was odd, but you managed to look away as he shifted around to fish his own laptop out of his backpack. 

Then, before you can finish typing the sentence you’d been working on before he walked in, he beats you to it. Obnoxiously so. His fingers slam against his keyboard with such force you briefly wonder if an elephant from the Linkon City Zoo has escaped and taken up tap dancing behind you.

Your teeth clench. “Can you stop typing so damn loud?” 

“Oh, I’m not the loud one here.” 

You glance over your shoulder, finding that he was already looking at you, “And that means what exactly?”

“It means that I could probably hear your music if I was three miles away.” With his new heightened senses, that was hardly an exaggeration. He gave you an all-too-charming smile. “Turn it down a few levels, yeah? Thanks.” 

The lilt to his voice made you want to set him straight in more ways than one. “You little—”

“New Magic Wand by Tyler, The Creator at 4 AM is crazy work, by the way.” 

“Boy, I’ll show you crazy—”

Suddenly, a chipper voice rings through the air. Much to your surprise, it called out your name.

Tara strides in as if you all aren’t up at the crack of dawn, looking incredibly enthusiastic about life, much like she always did. You wish you could inherit whatever will she has to live.

“Hey!” she greets with a wave. She plops down beside you, turning around in her seat so that she could face both you and Caleb at the same time. “Funny seeing you guys here. Are you talking about the fundraiser?”

You blink. “Huh?”

“Why would we be talking about the fundraiser?” he can’t help but question. 

“Well,” Tara sings, “my girl here is going to be helping out Delta Gamma with the sorority wash! And you’re going to be helping out Lambda Chi Alpha again this year, right?” 

Caleb is almost positive that his heart has just dropped to his ass. 

He looks between you and Tara. “What? She can’t come.”

You let out a short, annoyed breath. “And why can’t I?”

And he knows he sounds like a petulant child when he mutters, “It’s my thing.”

“Aw,” you coo, tilting your head with a forced pout. “Is it your thing? Womp womp.” 

Caleb rolls his eyes, but you don’t care to see it as you lean toward Tara, lowering your voice as if you were telling her top secret information. “Why didn’t you tell me he would be there?”

“Because if I had, you would have totally refused,” she says matter-of-factly. “And we need you! We can’t let the guys bring in more revenue than us this semester, they held it over our heads for, like… months last time! Plus, I need you to combat him. I swear, he brought in more customers than anyone ever has, it’s no wonder Xavier begged him to do it again.”

You blink. “Are you serious?” 

Tara nods. 

You can’t help but rub your chin. “I’m surprised anyone paid him for that.” 

Caleb glances between the two of you. “I’m sitting right here.”

You glance his way. “We know.”

He lets out a harsh breath. “Look. If you don’t want to see me there, don’t come. Real easy fix.”

You tilt your head, raising a brow. “Why do I have to be the one to cancel? Why can’t you just skip it? You already had your fun last year playing chick magnet or… whatever.”

“I can’t. I already made a commitment.”

“Well, so did I.”

“Perfect!” Tara beams, clasping her hands together. “I’ll see you both there then. This is gonna be sooo much fun, guys! You can probably even get over the little feud you have going on, I swear, it’ll be…”

Caleb can’t even hear the rest of whatever Tara was saying. His mind is too busy short-circuiting over this very dreadful realization. 

You’ll be there. 

In a bikini top.

Covered in soap suds. 

Trying to pass him up yet again. 

This was going to be a damn nightmare.

series masterlist. ┆ next: chapter three.

a/n consider liking, commenting, or rb if you enjoyed :) i’m sorry this update took so long </3 i got so swamped with my uni work and wasn’t entirely satisfied with the chapter sooo i pushed it off.

i know that this is lowkey a slow start with really short chapters and there isn’t much spider-man stuff going on rn but… trust me guys. just trust me.

also ofc there’s a xavier cameo bc that’s my man soooo i had to include him somehow, even if he’s just a sleepy frat boy

edit: if you don’t know what a frat/sorority wash is just look them up on tiktok LMAO, it’s usually shirtless frat guys and sorority girls in bikini tops who wash cars to raise money for their foundations. it’s just a silly college tradition idk 😭

taglist. (join it by commenting under this post!)

@leonskenthusiast @universallysoulcreator @devonjs-blog @lacieohlacie @kisswithyoureyesclosed @lovesick-sylus @livonianmaia @hqnge @yuuuumii @mizzfizz @simpfortheseven @nyxthejinx-rantsaboutlads @mariojins @rcvcngers @yizhoupilled @irlsammy @gloomuri671 @risagichi @drinking2nite @seikamuzu @flowers-wilt-on-juniper-lane

@that-one-scoundrel @joy-laufeyson @missaengg @wheatrice @gvenone @desiree-archive @jayhyunglover @flwerie @miffysoo @jijijihanji @ssetsuka @mglwhor3 @sureconfused @vorfreudevortex @honehbee42 @angelbeat994 @codedove @cheesemachine44 @mocha-the-muse @msanimeotaku181 @breadiestpuffs @idkwhatursayinh @hannahchk @rxelarailuj @littlebabyypeach @wooasecret @nikilig @theweevilofsweetreef @etsuniiru

[sugar-grigri]

Neither Denji, Yoshida nor their author can achieve normalcy

Let's look at Chainsaw Man as a narrative whole. There's no point in an author dealing with a subject that's already been dealt with, except to say something additional: so what does this chapter tell us?

Entitled "Normal Life", the chapter refers directly to Denji's previous dream: a normal life became Yoshida's offer to push him to stop being Chainsaw Man.

Fujimoto knows that you've understood that Denji intends to go beyond normality. This is something we learned from the whole of Part 1: normality had already been used by Makima to manipulate Denji. Here, things seem redundant, as Yoshida follows in the footsteps of the former antagonist. On top of that, while Denji was communicating and showing a certain emotional vulnerability, he's being sexually assaulted?

Why this chapter? Why tell it like it is? Fujimoto doesn't seem to initiate anything new, worse, erases his own developments.

The answer is easy, and Fujimoto gives it to us: this chapter is frustrating because it consciously shows you that he's incapable of writing and describing a normal life.

The first few pages serve to show that Denji is incapable of living anonymously and incognito when his environment permanently gravitates around the figure of Chainsaw Man. Denji literally finds himself in a fight to his detriment, and is punched in the face in the name of his heroic identity. Back in the face.

The second page serves to show that Denji can't achieve this so-called normativity by his past, by who he is, but above all by the way he's perceived by society and his guardians. He doesn't have a normal past, so how can he achieve a normal present? The others don't see him as lambda, so how can he become one?

The third thing that will prevent Denji from achieving this normal life is the man who intends to offer it to him: Yoshida. In his equally unconventional present as a demon hunter. He tells him explicitly: he has no idea what a normal high-school student does. Normal he isn't, since a normal high-school student is a professional cover for him.

Denji and Yoshida perceive a normal schoolgirl, that is, the ordinary life of a schoolboy, as something projected and unattainable. Just like the love of a hug is unattainable for Denji and Makima. Yoshida and Denji are distanced from it by this abnormality embedded in their daily lives: a demon.

Yoshida's assertion that the world won't end without Chainsaw Man also loses its meaning. Granted, Chainsaw Man isn't the only one to eradicate demons. But who will save the world?

How can a boy whose family includes a demonic little sister, and a demonic dog who is both his heart and his family, find his way in this normal life other than by being isolated?

In this empty room, doesn't it seem more like Chainsaw Man is deliberately isolated? Trapped in this normal life he can't quite fit into. Whether it's because of his identity as Chainsaw Man, as Denji, whether it's because Yoshida offers him this girl who looks like a demon who literally followed orders to sleep with him, this sex-obsessed boy?

Why abruptly cut off Denji's realization that he's in a bad way? With this demon-like girl sexually assaulting him? Why does this ending seem so abrupt?

Because what Fujimoto is indicating is that he's not capable of writing a normal life for Denji either, that his writing will never be gentle, that his character will never be able to give himself up in appropriate, normal circumstances: that a trauma will always resurface.

Whether it's the demon that prevents him from accessing the life projected before him, or the demon that brutally cuts him off from his confessions by attacking him. Fujimoto confronts his own hero, who no longer knows what to do?

Make love? In a world populated by demons? In a world crawling with Chainsaw Man? With an author unable to depict a normal life without brutally interrupting it, frustrating his own reader?

The normal life we'd all like Denji to have: neither he, nor the man who offers it, nor the man who writes it, will give it to us.

[iii-official]

Happy Slaaneshmas!

It's that time of year again! While we're sure your local warbands and cults have plenty planned to celebrate the season, we have some larger events to announce:

Canticle City Slaaneshmas Market - Running for the next six days, come out and get all the gifts you could need and then some! In addition to the booths selling just about anything you can think of and beautiful decorations, we've expanded to THREE open-air stages for musical performances this year. Market runs daily from noon to midnight.

Chemosian Memorials - Honouring those who could never see the season. Candlelight vigils will be held on the evening of the fifth day of Slaaneshmas. Contact your local warband or cult for more information on their events.

Festival of Illumination - A three-day music festival to close out the Slaaneshmas season! Hosted on Knaus Lambda, camping spots and cabins are sold out, but single-day tickets are still available at the entrance! End your Slaaneshmas with a bang!

And of course, keep an eye out for pop-up events and local happenings!

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … December 18

1788 – Ferdinand Philipp Grimm, born in Hanau, Germany, (d.1845) was a German collector of sagas. He is known as the "unknown brother" of the Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. The portrait above, of Ferdinand at 19 years old, was drawn by his artist brother Ludwig Grimm.

From 1815 he worked as a proofreader at the Berlin publishing house Reimer and was financially supported by his brothers Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm. Dismissed from the publishers in 1834, he lived with his brothers in Göttingen until 1836 , then as a writer in Wolfenbüttel.

He helped his famous brothers collect legends, but also published three collections of his own under the pseudonyms Lothar , Philipp von Steinau and Friedrich Grimm.

Heiner Boehncke writes that Ferdinand was wrongly overshadowed by his brothers, as his fairy tales are of very good literary quality. He writes that Ferdinand was very lonely and that this showed in his work.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm wrote in a several letters that their brother was extremely strange and the Germanist Heiner Boehncke came to the conclusion that Ferdinand had come out as homosexual during the Grimms' public Christmas party in 1810.

When he was dying, Jacob visited him, but Wilhelm had broken off contact completely.

1939 – Born in Leavenworth, Texas, gay rights activist Tim Campbell (d.2015) was perhaps best known as the publisher of the GLC Voice newspaper in Minneapolis, which came out from 1979 through 1992. During that period he was the go to person in Minneapolis for the media whenever they needed a quick quote on some gay related event. Campbell was also known for a number of street theater type gay rights protests scattered over the years.

Campbell was pushed into an openly gay lifestyle by the US Army in 1962 when he was called to register for the draft. He checked the box for people who had “homosexual tendencies” even though he had never yet acted on them. For years thereafter, Campbell had to list "1Y" as his draft status on every application for employment he filled out. This had a chilling effect on his pursuit of respectable employment, so he worked in department stores and waited tables.

Bruce Brockway partnered with him to start the Positively Gay newspaper, which became the GLC Voice newspaper.

Campbell himself often said his most important contribution to the national drive for gay rights was the energy he put, during 1974 and 1975, into convincing the Advocate (a national gay publication), the Minneapolis and St. Paul newspapers, including the university's Minnesota Daily, the Washington Post, Dear Abby (Van Buren), and the New York Times to direct their style sheets to use "gay" or "gay and lesbian" or "lesbian and gay" instead of "homosexual". Ever since the mid 1960s, gays themselves throughout the gay bar system and other fledgling organizations had started using "gay" for themselves.

Campbell was also very involved in helping gays, lesbians and others to recover from alcoholism and drug addiction. He sobered up August 25, 1973, in Minneapolis. He was the founding Chair of the Lambda Sobriety Center in Minneapolis in 1981.

Tim Campbell died December 26, 2015, in Houston, Texas, at the age of 76, from esophageal cancer.

1945 – Robert Eads (d.1999) was an American trans man, whose life and death was the subject of the award-winning documentary Southern Comfort.

Eads began transitioning in his forties, after a marriage to a man and after having borne two children. Eads later described being pregnant as "the best and the worst (time) in my life," as he was thrilled by the feeling of having another life grow inside him, but was also disgusted by the fact that his pregnancy made him as a trans man feel even more "trapped" inside his female body. He divorced his husband after the birth of their second son, and presented for some time as a lesbian, though he would later point out that he always viewed his attraction to women as the product of being a heterosexual man rather than a homosexual woman.Eads began transitioning in the late 1980s following a move to Florida. He began testosterone therapy and underwent a modified double mastectomy to create a male physique. However, given his age (early- to mid-40s) as well as the fact that he had already begun to show symptoms of menopause, Eads was counseled that he would not need to undergo a hysterectomy and oophorectomy as part of his sexual reassignment. Eads transitioned later in life and as such it was deemed unadvisable to seek surgical sex assignment to male genitalia. Eads never underwent phalloplasty, and retained external female genitalia throughout his entire life. After living in Florida for some time, and following the failure of his second marriage (to a female psychologist), Eads moved back to Georgia in 1996.

In 1996, after a severe bout of abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, Eads sought emergency medical treatment, and received a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. However, more than two dozen doctors subsequently refused to treat Eads on the grounds that taking him on as a patient might harm their practice.

It was not until 1997 that Eads was finally accepted for treatment by the Medical College of Georgia hospital, where he underwent surgical, medical, and radiation therapy over the next year. At the time Southern Comfort was filmed in 1998, his cancer had metastasized to the uterus, cervix, and other abdominal organs, and his prognosis was poor. Despite aggressive treatment, Eads died in a nursing home in 1999 at the age of 53.

1950 – Ankha Shamin (nee Donn E. Holley d.2012) was a committed activist for gay rights beginning in the 1970s with the Mattachine Society of New York.

He was born in Rochester, New York. He graduated from Buffalo State University, New York. Most recently he worked as a records manager/senior analyst at Allianz Life and was previously employed as a reference and corporate librarian for Minnesota Technology and Braun Intertec.

Early years in Minneapolis found him singing with the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus and helping to develop and facilitate “Voices and Visions.” He trained with the School of Body Electric organizing and facilitating numerous BE workshops here in the Twin Cities. He avidly participated in the Mankind Project Rainbow Circles and Midwest Radical Faeries.

His life partner and soulmate, Mark S. Mueller, died some time before him.

1990 – Anthony Bowens is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling.

Bowens was born in Nutley, New Jersey. He attended Nutley High School and Montclair State University. He played baseball for eleven years, including at Montclair State and Seton Hall University. He was discovered by professional wrestler Santino Marella, who asked him whether he had ever thought about professional wrestling. He went on to train under Pat Buck.

Bowens started training in 2012 and made his professional wrestling debut in 2013. In November 2016, he suffered a concussion during a match on WWE NXT. In November 2020, All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan announced that Bowens, alongside Max Caster, had been signed to a five-year contract with the promotion. The announcement also stated that Bowens and Caster would compete as a tag team named The Acclaimed.

Bowens came out as bisexual in January 2017 (he now identifies as gay), showing courage and bravery in that decision, and acting as another role model in the world of pro wrestling.

“It means something when a person can see someone that looks like them, gets them, and understands what they’re going through,” said the 28-year-old Bowens.

“I’m representing the LGBT community and athletes that are LGBT, but even more than that, too. I’m representing the small-town kid who was told he’d never make it, and I’m here for the shy kid that is ready to burst out of his shell and be that beautiful butterfly."

1997 – Navy Secretary John Dalton denied that the US Navy violates the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy by participating in witch hunts.

[codeapprentice]

Back to going forward!

Hello to all of the wonderful people reading this, and a hello to future me!

I'm back I think! I had a few days where i couldn't get started, and to be honest my last few progress updates were exaggerated, I couldn't get myself to study, and when I did, I would just read a sentence or two and walk away.

But today, I managed to ACTUALLY progress a bit. It was still difficult to start, but when I did, time just flew by (after posting this I'm going straight to bed).

I've been taking my time learning this, because I really want to grasp all of the concepts, and I would say it's going pretty well! (even though the concepts aren't that difficult yet lol)

Lambda expressions blew my mind honestly, if I was any better with words I would write multiple paragraphs here about how happy I am that after learning how to program from the beginning but never getting any further than the basics far too many times to count, to finally get to a concept that I didn't know anything about before.

Since today's study session was longer than usual, I drank 2 teas in bigger-than-average mugs, 1 mint and 1 apple & cinnamon, and 1 coffee in a normal sized mug. I don't think I've said it before, but I'm pretty sure it's easy to guess that I love hot beverages. :)

Also, I'll try to post 1-3 times a week, since daily posts would get old quick. I'll still do my best to study daily tho!

Thanks for reading! cya! :D

[fiercynn]

palestinian poets: george abraham

george abraham (they/he/هو) is a palestinian american poet, performance arist, and writer who was born and raised on unceded timucuan lands (jacksonville, FL). their debut poetry collection birthright (button poetry) won the arab american book award and the big other book award, and was a lambda literary award finalist. he is also the author of the chapbooks al youm and the specimen's apology. their collaborations include co-editing a palestinian poetry anthology with noor hindi (haymarket books, 2025), and a performance art project titled EVE with fargo nissim tbakhi. 

they are a recipient of fellowships from kundiman, the arab american national museum, the boston foundation, the national performance network, and the MAP fund, and more. their writing has appeared in poetry magazine, the nation, the american poetry review, guernica, the baffler, the paris review, mizna, and many other journals and anthologies. a graduate of swarthmore college and harvard university, they have taught at emerson college, and are currently a litowitz MFA+MA candidate in poetry at northwestern university. he is also currently executive editor of the whiting award-winning journal mizna.

you can follow them on twitter @IntifadaBatata.

IF YOU READ JUST ONE POEM BY GEORGE ABRAHAM, MAKE IT THIS ONE

OTHER POEMS ONLINE THAT I LOVE BY GEORGE ABRAHAM

Field Notes on Terror & Beginnings at poetry daily

Love Letter to the Eve of the End of the World at the margins

Of Nation, at rusted radishes: beirut literary and art journal

Searching for a Palestinian After at the nation

Stage Directions for a Representation in which Eve and Adam travel through their first checkpoint at mosaic theatre company

the ghosts of the dead sea are rising at the drift

ars poetica in which every pronoun is FREE PALESTINE at the margins

“from UNIVERSAL THEORY IN WHICH EVERY FAILED ATTEMPT AT LOVE IS A SOULMATE FROM AN ALTERNATE TIMELINE” at fiyah literary magazine

Ode to My Swollen, Mono-Infected Spleen at brooklyn poets

The Olive Tree Speaks of Deforestation to my body at crabfat magazine

arab/queer vs. Imaginary at shade literary arts

self-portrait with second-degree sunburn at

[ summer / winter ] is the worst time to lose a [ country / lover ] at wildness

maqam of moonlight, for the wandering at the rumpus

against perturbation at the scores

apology, at cordite poetry review

i also adore this 2021 essay of abraham's at guernica magazine called teaching poetry in the palestinian apocalypse: towards a collective, lyric "i".

[bistrocule]

we officially have too many blogs to keep them all updated with each other so I'm makin a list that we can just link to and update instead :] with headmate credits. for funsies. <3

all of them run on a queue and the queue is 1 per day. except for SOoC which is 2-8 per day. group and personal blogs are almost entirely reblogs.

Content Blogs

[PT: Content Blogs]

@syscord-out-of-context - SOoC, for funnies [made by Odysseus].

@plural-rambles - For talking about anything to do with plurality [made by Avery].

@headmate-polls - Things like 'kiss marry kill' but with your headmates [made by Lucas L.]

@natalgenic-culture-is - Born in-sys, includes the parents [made by Tay AS.]

@musicative-culture-is - For folks sourced from, based in or related to music [made by David A. and Haze].

@small-culture-is - Age(d)re, pet(d)re, littles, caregivers, the works :] [made by Avery].

@one-song-at-a-time - Daily song recommendations [made by Odysseus].

Collective Blogs

[PT: Collective Blogs]

@aesthetaquarius - Aesthetics blog because Aphrodite told us to [made by Haze].

@hermes-helpol - Hellenic polytheism, the worship of the Greek gods [made by Odysseus].

@hermesseus - Fandom blog [made by Odysseus].

@hydor-coining - Term coining blog [made by Angel Dust].

@hydor-graphics - Art blog. Sometimes art is posted to personal/group blogs but will still be reblogged there [made by Angel Dust].

@hydor-hoarding [Currently privated] Hoard blog. Might unprivate eventually once we get it sorted, might need to remake.

@soa-intros - For headmates with lists of names and/or pronouns so they may be linked to [made by Bailey W.]

Group Blogs

[PT: Group Blogs]

@the-lambda-aquarii - For anyone not a part of a group that has another blog [made by Francie].

@apache-sanchez - For a very big family with several Rick and Morty introjects and a lot of eresians and found family. Not super active. [made by C-137].

@bistrocule - :] For a lot of Bistro Huddy introjects and our families. The most active [made by Nicole].

@dreamland-haunted - Musicatives [made by David A. and Haze].

@krishalta - For a sidesystem made entirely of crystals. The highest headcount [several hundred] but the least active.

@wine-cult - Various Greek mythology and relatedly sourced folks and their lovers and children [made by Dionysus].

Personal Blogs

[PT: Personal Blogs]

@cowboy-agere - Avery's age regression blog [will be used by others though].

@fallout--six - Venndian/parasian subsystem really into guns.

-- Avery (he/it)

[ii-strange-confessions]

[ooc: triangle here, just to clear some things up.

strangelet and lambda are still looking for delta because the last few weeks did NOT happen as kris said. kris doesnt know how to write lambda so if they show up, they're written by me. 9/10 times tho everything here should be made by kris. keep in mind them searching is a part of the thing coming up, so no roleplays that could mess it up.

but anyways. what is that thing? well, i'm working on a sort of... conclusion? more of a prequel, really. to all of my characters storylines. it'll be split up into 5 parts and will HOPEFULLY be released in a week. they'll likely be released daily though that might change. it'll introduce the one most important thing to charm, lambda and delta's backstory (not really strangelet though, theirs has been covered.)

anyways. what about after the thing is released? well, if my hyperfixation doesnt implode on itself by then, then i'll likely return- i have big plans with various new characters. but! its related to the thing (why am i just calling it "the thing." lol) so i cant talk about it until its fully released.

delta's account will probably be abandoned, unfortunately. not really in an ask mood anymore, im more focused on writing, and delta's storyline is basically finished. strangelet will stay normal tho bc. how could you not love them????? theyre amazing

so. yeah. b ye]

[mechahero]

@gazelessmenagerie asked- 👊🕹️ give us the fighting game lore of the funny lil guy Send 👊🕹️ for an arcade mode ending for my muse! (accepting!)

[Forever Night Market, post final boss defeat]

The hustle and bustle of the undercity's usual chaos, creatures of all kinds roaming out and about going about their daily nights. Voices and noise melting together in the background. Perched on top of a table, is the head of the mech the latest big bad had used.

"I'm thinkin' this could fit somewhere on the 4th Wall." Lambda finally pipes up, hand on his chin. Next to him is Elevator Steve, or rather, his tentacles poking out of his cove.

"You really ought to have someone take a look at it first.", Steve replied, flicking a tendril over at the head. "It's junk, Steve." "It could be useful in more ways than one. My point still stands."

He couldn't argue with that. Steve was right, even if he didn't want to admit right now.

"Fiiine. I'll go take it down Kaput's place later." Lambda says with a sigh, his cheeks puffed with air underneath his mask. "Right on, little man." And once again, the two fall into contemplative silence. A singular question on both their minds.

Who was the one who hired the mech pilot in the first place?

[ekkonus]

Daily Lambda Day 4/7: Short haired Lamb.

I'm cutting this challenge short after a week. It's not that I'm not enjoying drawing her and that I'm running out of ideas; but I feel like it's too restrictive and leads me to not put as much effort as I want to.

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 154

Chapter 154: "A Breakthrough"

Hearing someone declare that they wanna turn their life around and live hits the feelings hard every single time. From Ray, to Yuugo, with Norman now and eventually with Isabella as well, I'm glad they all found something to cherish during their lives.

Imagine planning out this entire extermination idea, creating a poison to wipe out the demons, going out to destroy farms and make alliances, keeping the paradise hideout under control, on top of dealing with such troublesome seizures. Not to mention that he suffered from them during his time at Lambda when he had to worry about the daily tests and preparing an escape in secret away from the staff's eyes. It's a miracle Norman didn't crash sooner.

Emma doesn't look too happy that he kept such a serious problem to himself but at least Norman's apologizing for it now. Still wish he apologized for not waiting for her & Ray to return like he promised but I understand the extermination plan couldn't wait since it had a set date, on top of the Lambda crew all slowly dying.

Forget about the medications, Vincent needs some serious chill pills.

Cislo best Lambda child confirmed. He's seriously so sweet. He needs more love.

I like how well "supposedly" is used here because it's true how Ray, Emma, Don & Gilda wouldn't truly know for themselves if Adam had any seizures during the last couple years since the four of them were away from the shelter the majority of the time while searching for Cuvitidala & the Seven Walls.

Of course our medics Anna & Sandy are already testing stuff out but I love how Rossi is there helping too since we saw him learning from Lucas in ch97. It's cute how him & Jemima are trying to keep Adam distracted and calm. I wish we got to see more of this group figure out a cure for the seizures, especially since it would give more focus to characters like Sonya, Nat and the two troublemakers who we all haven't seen them do much of anything recently. Granted, they didn't have much time to work out a solution between Jin informing everyone of the situation and the demon soldiers attacking the base, but it would've been something. We don't hear much of this issue again until ch181 when we learn the medicine was already developed and everyone in Lambda had their side effects taken care of.

I know I praise Emma for getting back up after her stab wound from Leuvis, but Barbara is on a whole other level seeing how this girl didn't pass out once. She doesn't even have protagonist plot armor to rely on. Lambda kids are totally built differently.

How did y'all not hear or see Legravalima get back up?? She's pretty hard to miss!

Favorite panel/moment:

I can't get over how good of a boy Cislo is. He knows his boss well.

All the younger kiddos being happy with Adam (although being reminded that Chris is still unconscious is upsetting!).

And lastly, Cislo's face here.

[dailymarshtomp]

announcement!

this blog has become a bit crowded with ocs, so i'm going to be moving some to different blogs!

bear and co will be moving to a new blog, @tundratales! the plot will continue there, but will also open up opportunities to explore different characters other than bear.

uri and co will be moving to @lambda-asks as background characters, and will also be available to send out asks! uri's plot will continue there as well, albeit in the background and only if people are really curious about it lol.

please bear with me while i reblog relevant posts to each characters' respective blogs! i will continue to use these blogs as part of the 'daily posting' routine, so if you want to keep receiving your daily dose of marshtomp, i recommend following them as well!

[certainwill]

kinda wanna make an oc... well, "oc."

but like more specifically. a modern day "incarnation" of satoko. another 34. another piece and/or part of lambda on a new gameboard. you could interpret her as being the same as lambda/satoko in essence but a new "identity" in another world, or if you don't view lambda/satoko as the same, a new piece of lambda's that's kind of been "recycled" from satoko's.

daily reminder that i have not read umineko so i don't know what the FUCK i am talking about but these are the general vibes... i'm not sure though, because this would be extremely self-indulgent. and i'm not sure if i should count this "character" as an oc or a au version of satoko?? i feel like the concept is kind of on the borderline??

am i being dumb. does this make sense. and most importantly what are your thoughts, i would genuinely really appreciate them because i'm very uncertain about this idea and whether or not i should pursue it atm!

[pashterlengkap]

Kansas is going to change gender markers on trans people’s IDs back to their sex assigned at birth

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) announced Monday that the state will change the gender marker on transgender people’s birth certificates and driver’s licenses back to the gender marker that corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. Kobach made the announcement Monday as part of his office’s formal legal guidance on enforcing S.B. 180, a sweeping new anti-trans law passed in April and set to take effect on July 1, according to NBC News. --- Related Stories Tennessee judge upholds anti-transgender birth certificate law Devastated plaintiffs argued that the policy forces trans people “to out themselves.” --- As KMUW notes, transgender Kansans have been able to change the gender markers on their birth certificates and driver’s licenses since 2019, when the state agreed to a consent decree settling a 2018 lawsuit brought by four transgender residents who claimed that the state’s refusal to correct birth certificates violated their constitutional right to equal protection. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you. Last Friday, Kobach filed a motion asking a federal judge to end that consent decree. “If you were a person who transitioned and got a birth certificate reflecting a different sex, that piece of paper can remain with you,” Kobach said at a news conference on Monday. “There���s nothing in the law that forces someone to surrender a certificate that was changed. However, the state’s data will reflect the original sex at birth.” Lambda Legal counsel and health care strategist Omar Gonzalez-Pagan said the organization would fight Kobach’s effort to end the consent decree. “S.B. 180, while misguided and discriminatory, does not conflict with the Consent Judgment,” Gonzalez-Pagan said in a statement. “Lambda Legal will not allow the Attorney General to nullify a binding, years-old federal judgment.” Prior to Kobach’s announcement, legal experts had assumed that the state would not move to change gender markers that had already been updated under the 2019 consent decree. KMUW reports that hundreds of transgender people in the state rushed to update their documents before S.B. 180 was scheduled to take effect.   S.B. 180 has been characterized as a “women’s bill of rights” by Republican supporters who claim it is necessary to keep transgender women and girls out of women’s restrooms and locker rooms. In addition to legally defining “sex” in terms of reproductive biology, the law also bans trans people from accessing facilities that correspond with their gender identity in schools, prisons, women’s shelters, rape crisis shelters, and locker rooms, and bans trans people from updating the gender marker on their birth certificates and driver’s licenses. But as NBC News notes, the law—which does not change any criminal statutes, mandate any criminal penalties or fines, or allow people to sue others for alleged violations—lacks clear enforcement mechanisms. American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas executive director Micah Kubic told KMUW that S.B. 180 does not require the measures Kobach announced on Monday. “These are of his own volition and interpretation, driven by his own extreme ideological perspective, not by requirements of the law, the constitution, or the best interests of Kansans,” Kubic said. http://dlvr.it/SrKvHd