#i did try to proofread this

[finelythreadedsky]

one thing i have learned this far into my phd is that there are a LOT of typos in academic books. the editing standards are not high.

[mousemannation]

serious post time. concerning some thoughts ive had about zverev at LC. nothing too heavy but under the cut in case u just wanna scroll past.

i was talking to my mum about this and i think most of tennisblr share the same sentiment towards him so im not gonna be saying anything too radical. Its also not going to be super concise because im mostly spitballing here.

I was just thinking about how we talk about him and how we as a community navigate his presence on tour. I know that there's a vindictive joy that comes with seeing him lose that's especially potent since he basically got away with domestic violence scot free.

Seeing him lose is a good feeling because he clearly cares a lot and it feels like winning that he's upset, but it also doesn't actually mean anything in the scope of things. Obviously on some level if he lost enough he would no longer be relevant but it's inescapable that he is, unfortunately, very good at tennis. He's number 2 in the world. Call him a choker all you want, he's still vastly more successful that 99.9% of all tennis players.

But it's also just sport- a game. It's not the outcome of the match that amounts to anything outside of a very small community of people; its the celebrity, the money and clout and hero worship. The fact of the matter is it doesn't make a difference to the women he abused if he wins a match because he still abused them and he is still famous. He will always have been famous, even if he retires tomorrow. They will still interview him, laud him in press, put him in ads.

I just sometimes think- what right do I have to feel vindicated by his losses? To weigh his literal actual crimes against the outcome of some silly ball game? In a perfect world he would not be playing, he would be banned by the ITF and shunned publicly by his fellow players. He would not be invited to Laver Cup.

I won't say I don't look at tournament draws and hope for his early loss, but at least at tour events that means an early exit. I can't find it in myself to care if he wins or loses at Laver Cup, not really. Because he will still be there, he is still part of the team, he is still on the bench. It doesn't matter if he wins because he's still an abuser people paid thousands of dollars to watch play a game.

[artofluffy]

hi i am autistic! i just needed to get this off my chest: headcanonning characters as neurodivergent of any type (but specifically autism, adhd because they are most commonly headcannonned onto characters)

there is nothing wrong with with…i actually do it myself- for characters who resonate with me and my experiences! BUT it is not okay to be like

“OMG —— HAS ADHD, ITS MY HEADCANON”

“why?”

“they are a silly little goose”

what? that is messed up on so many levels. you’re infantilizing people who have neurodivergencies treating us like we are just ‘silly’. when it’s a thing that genuinely affects us in most of the time NEGATIVE ways! if you’re neurodivergent and reading this- name one time your neurdivergency has helped you? as for me- i cannot think of even one.

i think it’s great to headcanon characters as different sexuality (unless their canon is important to the story), gender identities (unless canon is important to the story), mental well being, and other harmless things…these are all fine, not every sunshine character is ‘adhd-coded’ not every quiet smart character is ‘autistic’ and not every scaredy cat character has ‘anxiety’,

it is fine to make headcanons when they are applicable to the character, giving some random ass character like luffy for example a headcanon of ocd because you have it is insane. you’re erasing the character and their personality, that’s rewriting fr (and there is nothing wrong with that either, just tell it like it is)

really i am not trying to say “YOU CANNOT HEADCANON NEURODIVERGENCIES ON CHARACTERS!” but rather i am saying, be mindful of what you headcanon, how it aligns with the character, does it make sense? or are you just projecting, and especially if you’re headcanonning something you don’t have…do research

[fallenwhumpee]

Worth it.

• Masterlist •

Warnings: Blood, magic whump, hypothermia, stranger caretaker, hallucination(?)

Leader always believed that their worth was defined by the people willing to help them when they were in their lowest. They always believed having people back them up was the real tresure.

Judging themselves by their own thoughts, Leader was worthless.

Trembling in the water, Leader tried to stay still. They were floating on their back, their blood oozing around and their thoughts as blurry as their vision. They had no strength to get themselves to the shore. Hell, they had no idea where the shore was.

Leader should have been panicking by now. But there was no point in trashing. Waste of their precious time and strength. They were probably not going to make it, and they could only hope the blood loss would rock them to sleep before hypothermia could.

When they eliminated panic, only an odd feeling left. The magic showed them another death. A lot more merciful one. A good ending, at least, even if getting there was torture.

Leader didn't think magic could be mistaken, or the future could be changed. They didn't think they would be dropped off in the middle of water just because of fear, after being ambushed by their own. If they had only listened Leader... that future could happen.

But maybe it wasn't the magic that showed Leader those. Maybe it was just what they wanted to see, and the truth just came to spit on their face. There was no way that they could explain how they didn't break any rules yet cast such powerful spell after fighting all day.

Leader felt their will crumbe as if it was frozen with the cold and someone was hammering it. Not for the first time, they felt the line between dark magic and the forbidden magic blur into each other. Sure, Leader was willing to sacrifice their emotions or give up some of their strength, but they weren't desperate enough to sacrifice something else.

Why not just give in? They could save themselves.

Leader trembled again, pushing the poisonous thought away. They didn't want to become a mindless puppet, and they were stronger than the temptation.

But did it really matter? When they were slowly fading away?

Leader breathed, their lungs screaking for some air. Those were dangerous thoughts, and they didn't belong to Leader.

A cough shook their body. They had to turn to expell some of the water from their lungs. Their head was barely above the water as they coughed their lungs out, their control over their body slipping.

Leader forced themselves to turn on their back again, not able to keep themselves afloat. They ignored how much water they swallowed in the progress and how it made their stomsch turn. They were too drained to care about it.

Leader’s vision blurred, the sky above merging with the depths below. The cold seeped deeper into their bones, numbing their limbs until they could barely tell where the water ended and their body began. They tried to take another breath, but their chest tightened, and a sharp pain shot through their ribs. The taste of salt and iron filled their mouth, darkness taking over their other senses momentarily.

A wave rolled over them, pulling them underwater for a brief, terrifying moment. When they resurfaced, Leader’s body barely responded to their will. Their wet clothes were sticking on them, the howling wind freezing their skin through the thick and wet layers.

They were so, so tired.

Deprived of their magic and strength, they didn't want anything else than closing their eyes. They doubted they would wake up, but at least they weren't in pain. Breathing slowly, they let their thoughts focused on only one thing.

Cold.

All they could feel eas cold. Reasonably, Leader thought. But it didn’t feel right. They had passed the point they were supposed to feel cold. They tried to move, but they didn't feel the swaying feeling of the waves. They were... still. Their back ached on the solid ground, their heavy body slumped on the floor.

Barely able to crack their eyes, Leader met with darkness. Soon, it became a thick, suffocating sight, as if it was wrapped against their throat and pressing their chest. Were they sinking? Was all of this just a last cry of help from their body to wake up their mind?

"You suffered too much," a voice whispered, gentle and soft. Leader struggled as they tried to remember if they had ever heard that voice before, but their mind failed to progress.

Slowly, it got easier to think. They could feel warmth embracing them, giving them a break from the constant shivering.

"You know you don't have to," the warmth burned their cheeks, the voice feeling closer to their ear. "You have the strength to make it stop."

Leader wanted to argue, but their body wouldn’t move, their voice trapped in their throat. The heat held them captive, and all they could do was listen as they felt their skin burn.

"You tried so hard," the voice murmured. "To be strong, to lead, to protect. Only to die alone, bleeding and broken. The people you cared never cared about you. But I won't let this injustice go on any longer."

Leader clenched their fists, nails digging into their palms as they struggled against the crushing weight on their chest. "No," they managed to whisper, the word barely audible. There was nothing to do within their strength to save themselves.

Leader’s heart pounded in their chest as they tried to move again. "No," they muttered again. They tried to open their eyes. Their body seized with pain as they found themselves on a softer ground, the world spinning around them. They were still cold and hot at the same time, still weak, but they were alive. Every part of them hurt, from the deep wound at their side to the biting cold that clung to their skin. The remnants of the dream (hallucination? nightmare? they weren't sure) clung to them, and for a moment, they almost wished they had given in—at least then, they wouldn’t be in this agony.

It took several long moments before Leader realized they weren’t alone. Someone must have pulled them from the water and wrapped them in a blanket. Not that they weren't grateful, but it did very little to chase away the cold.

Blinking through their blurry vision, Leader noticed a figure kneeling beside them.

Leader’s heart pounded in their chest. They flinched away from the person, their body too weak to do much more than that.

The figure said something softly, holding up their hands to show they meant no harm. Leader didn't understand one word from the stranger, and even though the gesture was clear, Leader wasn't buying it.

Leader tried to push themselves up to get away or at least seem intimidating, but their limbs were uncooperative, trembling violently with the effort. They barely managed to prop themselves up on one elbow before collapsing back, their breath coming in ragged gasps as a coughing fit took over.

The figure panicked, helping Leader back down with more words Leader couldn’t understand.

Leader’s vision swam as they stared up at the stranger, every instinct telling them not to trust, not to let their guard down. But they were too weak to fight, too drained to argue or make a point. They gritted their teed with frustration as they realized just how helpless they were.

The stranger mumbled, their voice soothing, almost hypnotic in its calmness. A magic circle with light colors glowed over them, but Leader couldn't summon the strength to break through it.

Leader’s eyes fluttered closed despite their efforts to stay awake, exhaustion - or the spell, they couldn’t tell - winning over. The last thing they felt before sleep claimed them was the gentle touch of the stranger’s hand on their forehead, cool and reassuring over their warm skin, even if it failed to ease the alarms taking over their fading consciousness.

Leader drifted in and out for a frustratingly long time, their mind a haze of pain and fevered dreams. The warmth that surrounded them was a far cry from the icy grip of the lake, but it was no less disorienting. Every breath was a struggle, their chest tight and burning, each inhale rattling painfully in their lungs.

But alongside that pain was something else—something softer, warmer. A hand, perhaps, carefully dabbing at their forehead with a damp cloth, or the feeling of a thick, scratchy blanket tucked securely around them.

When they finally managed to crack their eyes open, Leader found themselves in a small, dimly lit room. A fire crackled softly somewhere nearby, filling the air with warmth and the faint smell of burning wood. For a moment, Leader wondered if their mind finally pitied them and gave a calm dream, but the pain in their chest and the wet, rasping cough wasn't something they could make up.

The stranger was sitting on a stool beside the bed, busy with something Leader couldn’t see. When they noticed Leader’s eyes on them, they turned, offering a small, reassuring smile.

Leader tried to sit up, but their body refused to cooperate, a wave of dizziness forcing them to stay down. The stranger made a soft sound—something between a shushing noise and a hum—before gently pressing Leader back against the pillow.

The stranger patted the bed with a frown, pressing their hand to Leader's forehead.

Leader whined, frustration bubbling up inside them. They needed to know where they were, who this person was, and most importantly, why they had saved them. But when they tried to speak, their throat burned, and all that came out was a hoarse, unintelligible croak. They couldn't even raise their hand to push the stranger away.

The stranger sat next to them. They gestured to themselves, placing a hand on their chest. “Caretaker,” they said slowly, enunciating the word as if trying to make it easier for Leader to grasp.

“Caretaker…” Leader murmured, the name foreign on their tongue. They tried to repeat the gesture, but their hand barely lifted from the bed before falling back, too weak to complete the motion. Caretaker smiled again, this time with a hint of sadness, and placed their hand over Leader’s, giving it a gentle squeeze.

For a while, there was silence. Leader’s eyes drifted shut again, but they fought to keep them open, determined not to slip back into the void. Caretaker seemed to notice and began speaking softly, their voice low and melodic, though Leader couldn’t make out the words. It didn’t matter; the sound was comforting, a lifeline in Leader’s confusion and pain.

Leader tried to get a hold of themselves, and they did, even though they noticed Caretaker was gone by the time they regained awareness. Leader felt the loneliness crush them again, the emotions they supressed for the sake of staying calm surfacing. But they couldn't have that. They weren't ready to deal with any of those. So, they did the only thing they knew with those. Used them to cast a spell.

They knew how pathetic it sounded, but they were desperate to save their team, and it left them absolutely drained. Now they were feeling even worse. They had to relieve some of the pain to keep their sanity.

Leader weakly moved their hand to their chest, curling their fingers. They murmured the spell and let the dark circles surround their body like a blanket, their pain fading to the depts of their mind temporarily just like their feelings.

Leader flinched when they heard a gasp, the spell breaking with their concentration. Usually, such things wouldn't affect them, but they were too weak to keep the spell under check without focusing on it.

Leader turned their head to where the sound came, only to see Caretaker frozen in their place. Then suddenly, Caretaker began checking their plants with panic.

"Hey," Leader rasped. They tried again when Caretaker ignored them, but a coughing fit took over. Caretaker hesitantly came over, unsure if they want to help.

Leader pointed the plant in the corner, and weakly made a gesture like pulling it before shaking their head, hoping it meant no for Caretaker too. Then they pointed themselves and made a pulling motion towards up, magical energy forming for a moment before disappearing as Leader felt their strength fail.

Caretaker checked that plant. Leader knew what the other person thought, but they also believed they proved it wrong. Leader wasn't pulling life force from other things, which was the core of forbidden spells. There was nothing to be afraid of as long as Leader had their self-control.

Caretaker came back after making sure the plant was untouched. They took a paper and a pen, scribbling something. Leader recognised the basic healing spell, of course. The source came from the caster's magical energy, which Leader lacked. It was the reason of their lean towards dark magic— they used their emotions to make up their shortcomings.

Caretaker put the pen to Leader's hand. Leader wrote their own slowly, their hand trembling. Only a few symbols were different, but it must have satisfied Caretaker because Leader could see the relief in the other's eyes.

Leader closed their eyes as Caretaker looked at the spell more carefully. They were lucky that the magic came from the same runes. It proved Leader innocent.

With an excited smile, Caretaker tore the paper from Leader's hand— it didn't require much strength. They scribbled some spells and circled some symbols.

Safe, sleep, heal.

Caretaker looked at them proudly. Leader would laugh at the solution to their lack of communication if they had the energy. But they also knew if they laughed, they would start crying.

Did Leader deserve this? From a stranger? Perhaps not. But fate - and the stranger - decided they were worth it.

[shoshiwrites]

Band of Brothers Ages: IRL vs. Actors

Did you know that according to a 1947 study, almost half the men who served in WWII were still under age 26 by the end of the war?

What this is : A (very long) post comparing the ages of the actors in Band of Brothers vs. the IRL figures they are portraying.

Background: Did I need to do this? No. Did anyone ask for this? Also no. Did I do it anyway? Yes.

Disclaimers: This is SUPER approximate for the most part. I based IRL ages off of D-Day unless otherwise noted, and actor ages off of January 1, 2000, the year filming took place (the latter is where the most variation will be because I didn't try to figure out what month filming started). I also didn't fact-check birthdays beyond googling. Most are sourced from the Band of Brothers and Military Wikis on fandom.com, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

I broke them up into rough categories, which are, again, approximate. I know I often forget how young the real life people were here, and this was a good reminder of that. I also found it interesting to see which actors were actually younger than their roles!

Check it all out under the cut ⬇️

~10+ years older

Dale Dye (55) as Col. Robert F. Sink (39) (~16 years)

Michael Cudlitz (35) as Denver "Bull" Randleman (23) (~12)

Marc Warren (32) as Albert Blithe (20) (~12)

Rocky Marshall (33) as Earl J. McClung (21) (~12)

Frank John Hughes (32) as William J. Guarnere (21) (~11)

Neal McDonough (33) as Lynn D. (Buck) Compton (22) (~11)

Dexter Fletcher (33) as John W. Martin (22) (~11)

~5+ years older

Simon Schatzberger (32) as Joseph A. Lesniewski (23) (~9)

Richard Speight Jr. (30) Warren H. (Skip) Muck (22) (~8)

Jason O'Mara (30) as Thomas Meehan (22) (~8)

Ron Livingston (32) as Lewis Nixon (25) (~7)

Donnie Wahlberg (30) as C. Carwood Lipton (24) (~6)

Matthew Settle (30) as Ronald C. Speirs (24) (~6)

Nolan Hemmings (28) as Charles E. "Chuck" Grant (22) (~6)

Douglas Spain (25) as Antonio C. Garcia (19) (~6)

George Calil (26) as James H. "Mo" Alley Jr. (21) (~5)

Rick Gomez (27) as George Luz (22) (~5 year)

Scott Grimes (28) as Donald G. Malarkey (23) (~5)

Stephen Graham (26) as Myron "Mike" Ranney (21) (~5)

~less than 5 years older

Shane Taylor (25) as Eugene G. Roe (21) (~4)

Tim Matthews (23) as Alex M. Penkala Jr. (19) (~4)

Matthew Leitch (24) as Floyd M. "Tab" Talbert (20) (~4)

Peter O'Meara (30) as Norman S. Dike Jr. (26) (~4)

Tom Hardy (22) as John A. Janovec (18) (~4)

Rick Warden (28) as Harry F. Welsh (25) (~3)

Kirk Acevedo (28) as Joseph D. Toye (25) (~3)

Eion Bailey (25) as David Kenyon Webster (22) (~3)

Craig Heaney (26) as Roy W. Cobb (29) (~3)

Damian Lewis (28) as Richard D. Winters (26) (~2)

Robin Laing as Edward J. "Babe" Heffron (~2, 21/23)

Ben Caplan (26) as Walter S. "Smokey" Gordon Jr. (24) (~2)

David Schwimmer (32) as Herbert M. Sobel (33) (~1 year)

Michael Fassbender (22) as Burton P. "Pat" Christenson (21) (~1)

Colin Hanks (22) as Lt. Henry Jones (21) (~1) (age around Bastogne)

Bart Ruspoli (23) as Edward J. Tipper (22) (~1)

~Same age

Peter Youngblood Hills as Darrell C. "Shifty" Powers (21)

Mark Huberman as Lester "Les" Hashey (19)

Younger

Lucie Jeanne (23) as Renée Lemaire (30) (age around Bastogne) (~7)

Ross McCall (23) as Joseph D. Liebgott (29) (~6)

Simon Pegg (29) as William S. Evans (~33) (~4)

Philip Barantini (19) as Wayne A. "Skinny" Sisk (22) (~3)

James Madio (24) as Frank J. Perconte (27) (~3)

Stephen McCole (25) as Frederick "Moose" Heyliger (27) (~2)

Matt Hickey (~16) as Patrick S. O'Keefe (18) (~2)

Incomplete/not found

Phil McKee as Maj. Robert L. Strayer (34)

Rene L. Moreno as Joseph Ramirez (30)

Doug Allen as Alton M. More (24)

David Nicolle as Lt. Thomas A. Peacock (24)

Rebecca Okot as Anna (Augusta Chiwy) (24) (age around Bastogne)

Alex Sabga-Brady as Francis J. Mellet (23)

Mark Lawrence as William H. Dukeman Jr. (22)

Nicholas Aaron as Robert E. (Popeye) Wynn (22)

Peter McCabe as Donald B. Hoobler (21)

Marcos D'Cruze as Joseph P. Domingus (not found)

[moongothic]

Do you have any thoughts on Dadan as Luffy's mother's figure? Anytime the topic of Luffy's "BIO" mom comes up in discussions the fandom LOVE to use the excuse well "We won't ever see Luffy's mother because Dadan already fits that role. Listen I love Dadan's character but some people are putting her on the pedestal like she is the best mother of all time, when she was literally taken by gunpoint by garp's to take care of Luffy NOT to raise him but to make sure he doesn't die. (literally the bare minimum)

Now I remember back in 2008 a fan asked Oda about Luffy's bio mom and if she would ever appear in the series and he gave the description of Luffy's bio mother she would be mean, strict, middle-aged, and not the girly type (and then starts talking about Robin who has strong ties to crocodile) and I think the question was to describe the ideal characteristics of Luffy's bio mom. Dandan just happens to fit that archetype that Oda was talking about but a fem crocodile would also fit that description like a T as well especially if the question was about Luffy's bio mom.

So if Luffy can have two dads then why can't he have two moms. Well past tense he "Used" to have two moms. I also find it hilarious how Dadan and Crocodile are both heavy Chainsmokers, Mean, and look very manly. Do you think I'm reaching with this?

Okay this had been bothering me for a while because I could not actually find this "comment from Oda" in the SBS, and because there's so many "Oda said this" and "Oda said that"s that I was starting to believe the "Oda's description of Luffy's mom is just Dadan" was just another case of Fandom Mandela Effect

But after some digging around, I did find the actual source for the original comment; it's from an AMERICAN Shounen Jump Q&A with Oda, from the 2009 December issue. This Reddit post has all the questions Oda answered, but here's the relevant one

So uh, now that I got to see the actual Q&A and confirm its existence (so it's not just hearsay)

Because Oda immidiately comments on how he doesn't really focus on blood-relatives in One Piece (referencing Robin's mother being the first blood-relative he had actually drawn in a flashback), I do think he is exclusively describing Dadan here. Because Dadan is Luffy's only mother, even if she isn't that by blood, and why would Oda bother to bring that (blood-connections not being necessary) up if it wasn't relevant to Luffy's mother.

Another thing is the timing of this interview along with that "I'm still thinking about this". For context, One Piece would have just started Marineford in 2009, so this Q&A would've been published quite some time before the ASL Flashback where we'd get introduced to Dadan. Another thing is that Oda did originally intend for Dadan to be a man, so that comment would reflect on how Oda might've been still somewhat unsure what Dadan would end up being like (in case he changed his mind again).

Not to mention Oda would have to be misgendering Crocodile in this description if it was about him, which Oda really wouldn't do, but also the description doesn't even match Crocodile, we know what he would look like on estrogen. Like the way Oda drew fem!Croc in that SBS is very much his standard conventionally attractive woman, and here he explicitly states "there's no way that she's a beautiful mother". And Croc doesn't have permed hair, like ever.

So no, between the misgendering and the way the description doesn't even match him, I do not think Oda was "lowkey also talking about Crocodile" here at all. Luffy only has one mom and that's Dadan. And either Luffy has an irrelevant (probably dead) bio-mom or two absentee bio-dads.

[havegaysex]

Why are you telling people to vote for the guy committing genocide :/

because voting is not an endorsement it's harm reduction.

Trump is going to be at best doing the same as Biden and likely much worse for Palestinians and all the countries suffering from American Imperialism than Biden is.

Republicans want to bring back child labor and get rid of social security, medicare, Medicaid. As someone who is surviving on Medicaid and social security I don't want those taken away. The Republican majority house already put a lot of limits on food stamps in this past term and I don't think we'll still have food stamps if we get a republican Congress and a Republican president.

They've made it pretty clear that if they get a republican Congress and a Republican president they're going to enact project 2025 and call a conference of states and try and take our rights back to the days when only wealthy white men had any rights when women and racial minorities had no rights, they want to make it illegal for LGBT+ folks to safely exist in public and get lifesaving healthcare.

In short

Do I support every single thing Biden has done as president?

No.

Do I like him?

Not particularly. But I'm still voting for him because apathy is not a choice.

Do I think that Joe Biden having another term means that we can actually make more progress for labor rights, trans healthcare, abortion access, advancement of the rights and protections for disabled people and so much more?

Yes absolutely.

Do I think that the genocide in Gaza needs to end and the United States needs to stop sending weapons to israel?

Yes, I think that un restricted flow of humanitarian aid into Palestine needs to happen, the siege needs to stop, and the country of Israel and the United States need to be held accountable at an international level. I think that the soldiers of the IDF/IOF need to be held accountable for their war crimes and pillaging that they continuously post evidence of on social medias. I'm trying to put a read more here so ce I've put a few linked articles and quotes from them.

A quote from the article below:

"While our map focuses solely on high school aged youth (age 13-17), some states, such as Oklahoma, Texas, and South Carolina, have considered banning care for transgender people up to 26 years of age. "

I've seen lawmakers in some states try to make it felony punishable by life in prison to get your trans child healthcare to keep them alive because they want to make it illegal for us to exist and a legal for anyone who helps us exist.

some quotes from the article above:

"Led by the long-established Heritage Foundation think tank and fueled by former Trump administration officials, the far-reaching effort is essentially a government-in-waiting for the former president’s second term — or any candidate who aligns with their ideals and can defeat President Joe Biden in 2024. With a nearly 1,000-page “Project 2025” handbook and an “army” of Americans, the idea is to have the civic infrastructure in place on Day One to commandeer, reshape and do away with what Republicans deride as the “deep state” bureaucracy, in part by firing as many as 50,000 federal workers. “We need to flood the zone with conservatives,” said Paul Dans, director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project and a former Trump administration official who speaks with historical flourish about the undertaking. “This is a clarion call to come to Washington,” he said. “People need to lay down their tools, and step aside from their professional life and say, ‘This is my lifetime moment to serve.’” The unprecedented effort is being orchestrated with dozens of right-flank organizations, many new to Washington, and represents a changed approach from conservatives, who traditionally have sought to limit the federal government by cutting federal taxes and slashing federal spending. Instead, Trump-era conservatives want to gut the “administrative state” from within, by ousting federal employees they believe are standing in the way of the president’s agenda and replacing them with like-minded officials more eager to fulfill a new executive’s approach to governing. The goal is to avoid the pitfalls of Trump’s first years in office, when the Republican president’s team was ill-prepared, his Cabinet nominees had trouble winning Senate confirmation and policies were met with resistance — by lawmakers, government workers and even Trump’s own appointees who refused to bend or break protocol, or in some cases violate laws, to achieve his goals. While many of the Project 2025 proposals are inspired by Trump, they are being echoed by GOP rivals Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy and are gaining prominence among other Republicans. And if Trump wins a second term, the work from the Heritage coalition ensures the president will have the personnel to carry forward his unfinished White House business. “The president Day One will be a wrecking ball for the administrative state,” said Russ Vought, a former Trump administration official involved in the effort who is now president at the conservative Center for Renewing America. Much of the new president’s agenda would be accomplished by reinstating what’s called Schedule F — a Trump-era executive order that would reclassify tens of thousands of the 2 million federal employees as essentially at-will workers who could more easily be fired. Biden had rescinded the executive order upon taking office in 2021, but Trump — and other presidential hopefuls — now vow to reinstate it."

"There’s a “top to bottom overhaul” of the Department of Justice, particularly curbing its independence and ending FBI efforts to combat the spread of misinformation. It calls for stepped-up prosecution of anyone providing or distributing abortion pills by mail."

Personally I think that voting for Joe Biden is better than someone who wants to enact this stuff on day one. It's like they read handmaid's tale and want to make that the reality of this country.

"Chapter by chapter, the pages offer a how-to manual for the next president, similar to one Heritage produced 50 years ago, ahead of the Ronald Reagan administration. Authored by some of today’s most prominent thinkers in the conservative movement, it’s often sprinkled with apocalyptic language." Ronald Reagan is a big reason we have a lot of problems we have today with our economy and with a lot more things. The people that supported Ronald Reagan do not need another term in office.

A quote from the article linked below:

"Trump has given no indication that he would be more sympathetic to Palestinian claims, nor that he would place more pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire. “The approach of the United States would be that Israel needs to win this war, it was attacked brutally,” Trump’s ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, describing how Trump would act. Friedman is now a campaign surrogate for Trump."

Personally I think Trump telling Israel to finish the job is indicators that another Trump presidency doesn't mean that weapons would stop being sent to Israel from United States

I fail to see how another term of Donald trump will be any better for the victims of the ongoing genocide in Palestine than President Joe Biden.

i think our system is absolutely messed up and broken but I don't think abstaining from voting is going to actually help.

[permettez-moi]

A new dawn

The steady tread of the horse came to a stop as the first light of day hit it’s riders face. It was a nearly subconscious response to come to a stop as the forest opened up for a clear view of the castle laying ahead, the soft slope of the hilly landscape giving him a peaceful landscape of both the castle and village surrounding it. The forest he had now reached the edge of curved around the village in a wide bow. A small thin path curved out of it, branching out once it reached the village. Halts heart couldn’t help but clench at the sight, as it reminded him of what he had left behind. Redmond, even from this distance felt very different from Clonmel in every regard, it was stocky and straight, getting it’s beauty, not from the build itself, but from it’s stones that glowed red in the morning light. Clonmel castle was elegant and pretty in every regard, differently coloured stones made up details, pinnacles grazed the corners of the walls, courtesy of queen Niamh the third, grotesques were placed all around by a king long ago. His mother would sometimes compare him to them if he didn’t do his work well. It became a game between the siblings to find the ones that most resembled each other. All in all, the castle came together in a grandiose structure with many details, add-ons and different colours. Back when they still were true siblings. One of his favourite things used to be the red roofing tiles his great grandad had ordered to be painted. This type of red was his lovers favourite colour. It was the same colour of the blood he had bled when his brother dropped the tiles on him. The stained glass windows blue like the eyes that had betrayed him, like the water that had killed a piece of him. The open gaping wound it left behind would rot and fester forever, until one day he would simply succumb to it, until he was nothing more than his horror filled memories. But, he thought with a sigh, he was no longer in Clonmel and he better get used to it. burying his memories down deep where he could not stumble across them on accident any more, he urged his horse onward, to the future that Crowley had promised him. He smiled this time, as different, newer memories resurfaced. Redmont, he thought, didn’t look anything like Clonmel, but right here, in this light, the red stone reminded him of the read-headed man that had changed the course of his life so drastically that he never could have imagined it even if he had tried. The man he was today did not have the same inclination for poetry he used to have, but the Halt that still bore the name O’ Carrick with pride would love the beauty of the scene. A dawn reminding him of days past, reminding him of the future he was promised. A dawn to which he could bury bygones, could revel in the promises he made. And whether he intended to or not, as he stood there, Halt buried O’ Carrick deep beneath his skin, to lock it away, and to protect what little had not yet rotten, as he let Arratay steer Abelard toward Redmont castle.

[reji-z]

Alright, finally I was able to write something after a long time of a writers block, also this is the first time I upload my stuff to tumblr so yeagh.

For a little of context this is in the spirit's eve of the second year.

It's also up on Ao3 here

First night

The meet-up at the saloon after the spirit’s eve festival is your favorite part of the holiday, everyone is in a good mood, belly full of Gus’s food and some are even slightly drunk already, some as in Shane and you.

You started getting closer to him this past month mostly because of your regular stops at Marnie’s ranch regarding your animals, although it’s hard to say if at some point they were more for catching up with Shane than anything else.

In the beginning it was just about the chickens and whatnot, but eventually you started to talk more, about other stuff, hanging out once or twice and just getting to know each other, and the more you knew him there was this weird feeling about him swelling up deep inside you, a feeling you were trying to hold back as much as you could.

But none of that matters right now, you are sitting next to him at the bar with a couple of empty glasses between you, in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

“So… today was fun, spending it with you, I mean” You break the silence, looking at your finger as you trace it on the rim of your empty glass and rest your head on your free hand “I … kinda have to go now, it’s getting late and i have to get up early tomorrow you know”

Shane turns his head at you way too fast, almost as if your words activated a directive on him “Can I go with you” As soon as the words leave his mouth he realizes what he just said and turns his head away, looking in front of him, at the shelves filled with bottles “I-I mean, if you want to… ”

Was the blush on his cheeks from embarrassment of asking if he could walk with you or just because the saloon was warm from all the people in it, probably the second one, right?

“Uuhhhh… Yeah, why not” you try to not make it obvious that the idea of walking with him late at night excites you, but it feels like your tone betrays you, and if he was more sober, he probably would have noticed.

It takes a while of sitting in silence before any of you finally gets up to actually get out of the establishment, he did first, and you followed him behind only standing by his side once you were both outside.

“So, your place first?, since it’s closer” You ask while turning your head to look at him.

“Sure” He turns to look at you too, and you can’t help but to stare at him, those weirdly charming green eyes draw you in, sitting above eye bags that seem to be permanently glued to him and below some of the prettiest eyebrows you’ve ever seen, and the way the light of the saloon windows lights up his whole face is close to divine, of course he noticed you were staring, and lifted his right eyebrow curiously, breaking you out of your trance and making you whip your head away, feeling your cheeks warm up as soon as he lets out a chuckle “Let’s go”

It was nice, really nice, not only because of the pleasing night breeze, nor the euphoria of the alcohol, but also because of him, walking by your side, it just made you feel happy, somehow, for some reason, a reason that honestly you didn’t want to get into right now.

It… was a short walk, way shorter than you expected, or wanted, now both of you under the ranch’s doorway, lingering, looking at each other, hoping to make these few seconds last an eternity, hoping to burn them in your mind to be able to recall them late at night, hugging a pillow on your bed that felt a little bit too big and too lonely for just one person.

At least that was your reason to stay there, leaving you wondering about why he was still there, why isn’t he turning the doorknob and entering his home to call it a night, why is he also looking at you, into your eyes, maybe he is also—no, that’s a dumb idea, he’s not into you like that, you guys are just friends and—

“Uuhhmm…. do you want to hang out a while more?” What? “I mean, if it’s not too late for you” What? “We can go to the pond right here or something” WHAT? Why is he asking to spend more time with you, and why does he sound nervous, and is he blushing? “Actually never mind, forget I said anything” shit, you are taking too long to answer and he’s backing up, it’s now or never.

“NonoIwanttodothat” shit, too eager.

He smiles, he doesn’t do that a lot, especially if it’s for other people, his smile gets bigger, you feel your heart skip a beat.

“Sooooo, to the pond it is” he says while still keeping eye contact.

“Actually I know a place” Do you?... Oh yeah you do “It’s this small part of the forest with a pond that’s hidden away, it’s pretty nice” 

“Really? That sounds perfect, lead the way” another smile, you can feel your insides stirring around from the mere fact of him smiling because of you, wait, perfect? Why would he say that? No time to think about that though, he said yes, and soon enough you were walking to the secret woods, trying to not make too much noise, as if worrying about the critters noticing you.

Once you reached the path leading to the pond (and certain primate statue that you forgot to tell Shane about) you heard him gasp.

“Wow… I’m surprised I didn’t know about this place” He says while looking around.

“Nah, not really, it used to be blocked by this huge log of hardwood”

“And you cleared the path yourself?” 

“Y–yeah” for some reason it’s kinda embarrassing to admit that, you don’t really know why

“Heh, you must be pretty strong then” huh? Is he… flirting? Probably not, ignore it.

It didn’t really matter that you didn’t answer, you were already standing in the entryway to the clearing, not really being able to see much in the dark.

“Wait here” you said before walking towards the torches you’ve left around the pond to light them up and returning to his side “So? What do you think”

The torches themselves reflected on the clear waters of the pond, the images flickering from time to time thanks to the movement of the fishes below, their light shining into it and making a faint glow all along the shore, and in turn, reflecting into Shane’s eyes, making their color shine brightly, pairing well with the greenery around you.

He turns around to look at you, his eyes still glistening, open more than usual “It’s really pretty” your heart skips a beat once again, you feel your cheeks start to burn up, he’s got to be flirting, right?

“I-I know right” you start walking towards the east side of the pond, hoping he didn’t notice your reaction “Come, let’s sit”

He followed behind you and placed himself to your left, as you lowered to start untying your shoes you hear him let out a scream and jump in place.

“FUCK! What IS that!” he points to your right, into the dark, and you don’t even have to look to know what he saw to start laughing at him, making him turn his head to you with a puzzled face “Why are you laughing?”

“Sorry…” It’s hard to stop the giggles to form a sentence “…It’s just an old statue of a monkey, i forgot to tell you about it”

He drops his arm and relaxes, lowering to untie his own shoes “God, it scared the shit out of me”

Now both of you had your feet inside the pond, swaying them back and forth, sitting next to each other, your hands so close together yet not touching, keeping just enough distance to not make things too awkward.

“So, what’s that statue doing here?” He asks while looking at the woodskips swim circles in the middle of the pond.

“No idea, it has a plate saying something about a search for something sweet” now you are looking in the direction of the statue, just barely being able to make out its shape, no wonder he got scared, it really looks like a monster from here.

“Huh” It’s all he says back, now both of you fall silent again, still the nice kind of silence, the one where the mere fact of you sharing this moment encompass any words anyone might be able to muster, the kind of silence you didn’t realize you were yearning for, the kind of silence that feels just right. “You know…” he breaks it, making you turn your head to him “… It used to be boring around here…” now he’s looking at you “…but you managed to change that”

“Y-yeah, well, I kinda need a change from my old life and…” now his fingertips are touching yours “…t-the whole farm in a small town seemed like that change”

His fingers are getting closer and closer to yours, getting on top of them, moving around playfully and so are yours, sort of intertwining them in a dance without rhythm, it feels nice.

Once again you find yourself staring at his eyes, and by god they looked even better now, you feel like you could just stare at them all day, stare at him all day, his eyes, his eyebrows, his hair, his nose, his cheeks, his… lips, at this point it was pretty much clear that you liked him, there’s no point in trying to shove down those feelings anymore, at least not now, not when his hand is on top of yours, his eyes fixated into yours, his whole body turning to face you as his left hand raised to hold your cheek.

Wait, you quickly glance at his hand with your eyes and then back at him, he’s still looking at you, and gives you a little smile, what is going on, weren’t you supposed to just hang out, what happened, when did this happened, how did it happened, does he really like you as well? If he didn’t then why would he be—

Your train of thought ends the instant his lips meet yours, you didn’t even notice him getting closer, fuck it, it feels nice, you close your eyes to properly enjoy it, his lips are soft, more than you’d expect from someone that is always drinking at least, they are also warm, sharing their heat with you, spreading it trough your whole body and converging in your chest, warming up a body you didn’t even notice was cold.

It really couldn’t get better than this right?, the guy you like kissing you in a secluded spot in the forest away from prying eyes and only both of you to bear witness to a thousand years old demonstration of one’s affection for someone else, wrong, it could get better, and it did when you felt his tongue poking at your lips, asking for permission to explore further, to feel more of you, and who are you to deny such kind request.

His tongue was slow, careful, maybe he was nervous, how couldn’t he, he’s been making all the moves since the beginning and you just can’t have that now, can you? So you took the lead this time, pushing your tongue into his to make it retreat into his own mouth to let you move around, faster, more aggressive, more needy, as if you’ve been craving for this since the very first time you arrived in town, which you may or may not have.

Your tongues were not the only thing moving around, you feel his right hand move from on top of yours to land at your knee, slowly moving up, gripping your leg at times, making you get more into the kiss, but this feels a little bit too much, too far, especially when he reaches your thigh and gets dangerously close to your crotch, a feeling that makes you break the kiss abruptly and lean back, both of your eyes opening as soon as the contact breaks, and what you see is Shane with a worried expression in his face, an expression that makes your heart sink, you hate that look on him and you hate even more that it’s because of you.

“I–I…” you finally open your mouth to say something “…sorry, It’s just–too much”

“Shit, sorry…” he looks so guilty “…of course I would go and ruin things right? God I’m so stupid”

“Nonono, It’s…” the words seem to be harder to come up with now, the whole build up of the feelings and alcohol catching up with you “…I like it, but not right now, not here” it kills you to say no but you really don’t want that “It’s fine, really”

You move closer to him, making him look in front of him once again so you can lean on him, your head falling slightly on top of his, trying to really show him that it’s okay and you are not mad.

He sighs, leaning more into you and, once again, sharing each other's heat, your bodies taking part of this give and take of energy.

“I guess we feel the same way then” you whisper, not looking at him.

He chuckles “I hope so, it would be really awkward if we didn’t” his comment making you chuckle too, this guy, you swear to god, but that managed to ease the mood, now both of you reveling in the comfort of knowing that your feelings were reciprocated.

But alas, no matter how sweet new love may be, it is still not sweet enough for a certain someone in a quest that didn’t seem to be any closer to end.

[welcometoteyvat]

ZHONGSCARA. FOR THE RANDOM PAIRING MEME........ THIS IS @zhongscara

hi user zhongscara i am finally making an attempt to release this from asks jail i hope this is at least a mediocre crumb

———

Scaramouche still cries in his sleep. Zhongli watches yet another teardrop roll gently down his cheek, and notes how the wet streak on his face glistens in the glow of the dim cor lapis nightlight. It softens Scaramouche’s edges, smooths out all that pointiness, that cutting ruthlessness in his eyes and figure. His cheeks are still somewhat flushed, peony blush lightly glazed on his face—the same color of his wanton lips, his eyeliner that he didn’t take off. It seems that he enjoyed earlier more than he’d let on… Well, Zhongli will make a note of that for next time. For now—he carefully wipes away the half-dried tear stain, trails his long, graceful fingers along Scaramouche’s cheek, down his collarbone, across the perfect lines of his body. Hm. He’s exceedingly pretty like this, even without his acidic tongue and mercury-quick mind. Zhongli smiles.

“Sleep well, gentle breeze."

———

notes: had another snippet idea that maybe i'll add later bc idk how to write yeah also idk how sex works if this is bad then 🧍‍♀️ also ty for answering the nickname ask <3 this was partially what it was for (风眠（处?）is sooo cute..) oh also i kinda fuck hard w scara pottery motifs idk if that matters but i tried adding some in. dk how well it worked

edit: actually this snippet idea would be a lot longer than i think i'd be willing to stick with. and i don't have enough of a grasp on these two to feel confident doing it either, so i'll just drop it here. anyways the concept is scara's puppet body and him and zhongli and kintsugi (and the gold lines work bc it's zhongli, mr. mora and cor lapis eyes) and breaking and patching him together (probably 50% through sex, but also through like talking and shit). 10k words, spans their initial meeting until they like properly get together, canon or modern au. at some point it's gotta include zhongli bending scara in half and also actual physical punishment. would be very metaphoric and touches on scara's bodily ""imperfections""

[acesammy]

Honestly growing up is realizing that normal people don’t have to set timers to remember they’re cooking ramen… which notoriously only takes 3 minutes to cook… and maybe I do have adhd

[ruelin024]

I wanna have opinions so uh, what do you think of my SacredFell AU? (So far anyway haha)

Hello, my mutual compadre, @littleyukki5033 , I have traveled down to the depths of your blog and will now commence judgment.

Kehehehe. ψ(｀∇´)ψ

[Gonna be long, I like/wanted to try making my responses worthwhile and attentive, to show you I went in on your AU and posts.]

(And you can laugh at me or with me on this, but I may not be the best at giving opinions, 😖 I think. Just know I'm typing this with my miniscule overthinkin’ brain and hurt wrist.)

START!

Feb 4: Don’t be afraid to post your AU and talk about it, beautiful or not, unique or not, complicated or not, similar or not, cringe or not, demented or not, eh or not. 

Share your mind, you’ll find people who share it with you. And if you get hate, show them San’s ass or something. It tells others how nonexistent they are to you. (though I’ve seen someone draw Sans very beautifully thicc, we will keep in mind he is bones, which we indeed simp for). 

Observe Exhibit A:

(I found this silly image saved on my desktop, so I thought it'd be cool to share it with you.)

So never let a negative comment change your love and view of your au and undertale. 

Undertale is amazing, it’s good to ramble, even if others don’t talk about it, even if you’ll never get reciprocated. There’s other people there reading it, like me sometimes I read and forget to heart, or I don’t heart a post because I don’t wanna bombard their notifications and all that. 

Yes, post your art, even if you’ve got no idea what to post, doodle, ask for ideas, or even take a break. I think it’s beautiful to share your mind’s eye. Show no fear, you’ve got this!

Everyone starts where you were once. 

Feb 12: Your Introduction of your own Underfell AU called SacredFell

I am interested. I am in fact one of many who are and will be interested for days to come, for as long as you build and love your AU, as it becomes whatever completion you dreamt of it to be, so on and so forth, even if one day you stop.

I’m finna be there bruh, late or on time.  

And imma let you know that right now as you reading this. You actually asked me first about your AU and lemme tell you, you beat me to it. I actually have fanart for you. AND was gonna find a time to ask you first.

(~(>_<。)＼ Usually I'm ready to send art cause I plan before hand, but someone used a wrist twist move on me for fun recently. ಥ_ಥ)

Anyway, moving forward.

Frisk and Chara of SacredFell: I enjoy teh designs. And me personally, I like Frisks design, the fact Frisk went through multiple design phases is nice to know. Would you ever show Frisk's previous designs?

Oof, you changed SacredFell Sans height from 5’2 to 6ft, damn what a stretch. And he part of the Royal Guard, whoa! 😆hotsome big skeleman.

Also, I love the art style of @/melikitinas, too. 💖

Feb 14: … ScaredFell Papyrus…. I-... 11ft height, yeah, we gonna need a height chart. I short, so they a fucking tree at this point, imagine Paps just bending at the waist towards a shorty like me, he’s gotta be prone on the ground or something. AND his fine ass a 2nd in Command Royal Guard, too. ○( ＾皿＾)っ AWWHEHESJDHWU ✨

Feb 21: LORE Ah, so the beginning is different, interesting. *reads through it with glasses* (I was recently working on my other OCs at the time as well :D.) 

Yukki sounds like a good character! And portaled? Oooooh, portaled, I wanna know backstory! 

Did Yukki not go through the ruins? She just collapsed in Snowdin? Was she unconscious the entire time she was taken to Asgore, up until Toriel saved her?

And usually humans, are strong, is Yukki weak due to something? (you don’t have to reveal too much lore unless you wanna) How much power does Yukki have? Why does it drain so quickly? 

Also, love Toriel, to save one instead of all, what a mother. Even if Yukki wasn’t her own, that was such a big sacrifice for the price of saving one child over freedom. I would love to see how you draw that part out.

And Toriel left Yukki behind the waterfalls, why not take Yukki with her? 

Why out of all the souls, Kindness was taken, would this serve as a significant plot point in the AU?

Would Yukki grow to harbor bad intent or negative emotions towards the monster or would she end up sacrificing herself after understanding the monster’s want for freedom, would she find another way, would she resort to genocide at some point(despite her being weak)? 

Would Toriel come in clutch next time Yukki is in grave danger? 

And what plans would Asgore have after he gets Toriel, I would’ve expected that he wanted Toriel dead, not with a bounty on her head to be returned ALIVE to his home. I'm probably just thinking to the extremes. 😂

I like this plot. I’d love to know how Frisk and Yukki will come together. And if within the one or two years, Yukki stayed with Sans and Papyrus, would the brothers falter when they need to get their jobs done for Asgore when the time comes? Would Sans and Papyrus eventually come to value Yukki as their own friend? Does Yukki know Sans and Papyrus are working to gain her trust to betray her in the end? 

Also is Toriel and Sans doing the knock knock joke through the gate in this AU too? What’s Toriel’s relationship with the characters so far? Within the time Yukki was living in the Underground, does she come to meet Toriel again?

Feb 23: YUKKI I agree Yukki is a main focal point in the beginning of this AU, I really like this. I can’t wait to see how you build this lore up. Would Toriel act again when Frisk comes? Would Toriel talk to Frisk about Yukki? How old is Yukki again? To me, Yukki looks like she has a strong presence, tongue sticking out, seems playful. ✨

Feb 27: Comic Heh. Middle school art is always nostalgic to look back on. I wish I still had some of mine. I threw most out due to the fact, I didn’t want physical evidence of my cringe art tying back to me, but looking back on it now. I was stupid and paranoid. 

Now cringe art is one of my favorite art pieces to discover, it brings a certain emotion outta you, am I right? Yeaahh.  

Anyway, I admire you for sharing your old art and comic. 

An AU, especially when a creator is lovingly dedicated to it, can become hectic and mentally crowded and out of order, or as you say “all over the place.” Good luck on that journey, creating comlex stories is hard! I was overwhelmed by my own ideas and burned out at some point and stopped entirely. You make me wanna go back to my little world.

And Yukki and SacredFell Sans look like they get along noicely. yukki hand on her hip, confidence and power ✨👌 makin' Sansy sweat.

Mar 7: Yay Toriel Character Sheet Me like tall woman. She taller than Sans, haha. I gotta learn how to draw a goat at some point. And she looks good in my opinion. Do SOUL Protectors gain power from the souls? Wouldn't they accidentally at some point absorb the soul? Has any of the protectors even thought of doing that? Doesn't the barrier need one monster soul and one human soul to break the barrier, or is that different in this AU?

Mar 11: Another comic redraw, SacredFell Asgore WIP

Aw SacredFell Sans and Yukki smiling together, your old drawing of them is cute. ANd that’s a jump, good to know they're out of the underground. Hope you eventually find the right design for Yukki, that you’re gonna be satisfied with. I’m excited to find out how they got out of the underground, too.

What's the key on Sans? And the heart necklace on Yukki?

And yes, I think Tumblr does something with the quality of an image when posted, because compared to my computer view, my phone view of some posts are different a bit.

Yass, show off the Goat man. 

ANd I also saw your Avatar DTIYS, looks awesome! I love the coloring, shading, and perspective! 

Mar 15: Update Eh, it didn’t take a while for me to gather info on your AU, it was spread out a little yes, but not so much, for me the pacing was alright. 

Ah and the ask blogs, yeah I dunno how I’m doing this tbh. 

And a webtoon would be great! But I hear it’s a lot of work to put into it, take small steps, so you won’t stress or burn yourself out. But I would definitely read teh webtoon if you were to make one. 

Mar 16: SacredFell Undyne WIP I love Undyne, I just dunno how to draw her yet. Love the art! She pretty. 

Mar 16: SacredFell Flowey Flowey in a bag, hahahahaha. I like how annoyed he looks in the drawing.  

Mar 17: SacredFell Monster Kid Another main character, you developing a lot of lore right now I bet. I wonder how MK will play out in your AU. 

Mar 18,22 : It’s UNDYNE >.< Fangirling. Another Tall strong woman. And missing parents during gaster’s disappearance, is this what I think it is, a lore hint?!?!   

Mar 23: Alphys Alphys is gonna be somewhat of a sly character in the plot huh, wow! And she fights, you gotta make art of that at some point! Alphys having bravery is interesting! 

Pfft, you spelled “Bavery” I didn’t even notice until you mentioned it. 

Mar 23: Gaster I love how you drew Sans and Papyrus in at Gaster’s “You’re in Trouble” expression.

And me like the tinted glasses as well.

Mar 24: Mettaton! He a Bravery SOUL Decoy! Was that Alphy’s idea to make him like that? Is he famous in the underground as well? He’s a looker. And he got four arms! Yuuusss! 

Mar 26?: Muffet Indeed a 5’7 lady spider is a cutie patootie, the arms are good, multiple is betta. Good design!  And she is also part of the Royal Guard, what will the fight be like? I’m curious! 

Mar 26?: That Sacredfell Mini Comic/Story was nicely put together! The end where SacredFell Sans responds with, “I don’t know.” I enjoyed reading this conversation! And Undyne in her royal armor MWUAH!  

So from all this, hopefully I did something good for you, most are just questions and comments, but I hope it served as an answer. *ahem*

A new character was added. [Yukki] = Will lead to more plot. *Check*

There’s a different backstory before the arrival of Frisk. *Check*

Toriel makes an act against Asgore before leaving, Asgore ordering Sans and papyrus to gain Yukki’s trust until the “time” comes = Complicated relationships *Check* 

I can fangirl, which means I can simp, which means, I’m invested. ✨ *CHECK CHECK CHECK*

The concept is really good! (The fact Asgore would entrust the souls to another and make them SOUL Protectors, and you still fight Alphys even in the pacifist route, and I sense "things" though not sure what, but it makes me look forward to your lore.) *ChecK* 

It’s a Fell type Universe. (I love Underfell) *CHECK* 

The art is noice!!!! *CHecK* 

I find interest in how characters will interact or encounter each other. *Check* 

I can see the work put into this AU! I see their dedication based from the dates you posted things about your AU. I really look forward to seeing how you continue to develop and make art for your SacredFell AU! With what you’ve shown at this time, I can happily tell you, for me this AU is interesting, there’s potential in many areas, character development, choice of dialogue, different relationship dynamics, personality, world building, plot changes, etc.

I wish I had more to say, I think most of my response here sounded... I think repetitive, maybe some questions were even answered already and I didn't catch it? Though hopefully I conveyed to you that I think you're doing well for what've you've shown thus far!

That's my grand opinion. 😁✨

Also, I found you through graphictale au. 💕💖👌✨

😙 Both ya'll wonderful.

[drowninginthoughts27]

Snapchat memories keep reminding me of the hell that was high school

[possumkingluca]

dnd story time so.. the party I'm in was camping out on this island to avoid a giant fucking sea serpent swimming around while we figure out what we're gonna do about it, and while on final watch our druid saw a sahuagin peeking around the corner at us.. so they woke us up because gross fish person alert and also what the fuck are they supposed to about it. They might speak every language in the phb but the very specific ones??? They don't speak fish person. Also they only have a +1 in charisma and also are the bluntest mf alive they are NOT allowed to speak. now we are awake and very clearly see it trying to hide behind a rock and we start plotting how the hell we're gonna deal with it. I play an eloquence bard. I have universal speech. I wont be able to understand it because universal speech is a dumb feature BUT idk we can play charades or some shit. Draw in the sand maybe ???

fun little fact: i fucked up a conversation with someone really bad the prior session (i was eepy and couldn't think very well :((( ) and ended up buying a dried fish from them to escape. fighter: you could offer them that fish me: i could..... .....does that count as cannibalism??? DM: ...probably not So i walk up close enough to it so i can use universal speech and held out the dried fish me: would you like fish?

sahuagin: *very carefully walks up* and

ok. so the sahuagin goes back into the water for a minute and.. out comes, a lot of them. ten fish people. ten. me: ... *turns back to our druid* WE'RE GONNA NEED MORE FISH. druid: *starts frantically catching fish* so we start a like fish conveyor belt with our druid catching the fish, throwing it to our fighter, and our fighter tossing it to me to offer. eventually the fighter joins in fishing and luckily they both have a good survival skill so it goes pretty quickly. then out comes one that is a.. woman? maybe? i don't know fish person anatomy, why would i know fish person anatomy this is like the third/fourth time i've ever seen an ocean. and while she's fucking staring me down another one comes out who is much. much. bigger. we just mugged a young dragon (yeah this session started out with us mugging a dragon, happens all the time don't worry about it) and this fucker is the like same height as it. and he has four arms. (kackles is that you ???? (no it's not he's much shorter. and also a bug.)) me: ..do i need like two fish for each of his pair of arms????? priestess sahuagin: touches her finger to my head me: oh shit she gon blow my head off she did not. instead she cast tounges on me. great. because I WANT to have a conversation with these people. so they complement our fishing ability and big fuck asks us if we take commissions.

me: what the fuck do they mean commissions druid's player: say yes. me: ...yes. they want us to catch 50 pounds of fish.

They are offering payment though! Got a pearl necklace worth about 1000 gold.. some earrings worth i think about 500 gold idk i forgor and a big ass gold ship steering wheel worth who fucking knows what the hell ??? They claim they got these from 'the beast' which we assumed meant a ship Now back to the 50 pounds of fish issue. We do have a solution to this problem. Kill the sea serpent and take 50 pounds of meat from it. Solving two problems at once. We give these guys their fish, and we deal with the serpent. But because we are sometimes smart I ask about their opinion on the serpent so we don't like accidentally kill their friend or some shit cause that'd be certified not good

"We care not for the monster who protects the beast" ...sea serpents eat ships.... W A I T. TANAZIR?????

so. this campaign started as a Strixhaven campaign that we continued on after graduation. currently one of our many tasks on our quest to save the world (why are we here what are we doing none of us should be here besides the fighter) is to find where all the founder dragons are hiding. We've already found Shadrix Silverquill and we guessed that Tanazir Quandrix (women in S.T.E.M!!!!) was around here and during mine and the fighter's watches we saw her come out of this whirpool thing and talk to the sea serpent. these fuckers stole from one of the fucking founder dragons. how? how the hell do you accomplish that??

and also now we know that the serpent is friends with Tanazir so we can't kill it because that'd probably piss her off and uh let's not do that. (also we should probably return the treasure to her :((( our money :(((( don't you know robbing two young dragons of their entire hoard is simply not nearly enough money ??? (we are greedy and also lunatics)) anyway okay so not killing the serpent. and we are 100% gonna have to backstab our new fish friends :((( we end up deciding to send our fighter (who has a cloak of the manta ray) and our druid (can just.. become a fish) to go into deeper water to hopefully find some tuna, while me and our wizard (he's here too, just has been comatose cause his player wasn't here. gonna be a fun surprise for him next session.) stay here to make sure the sahuagin don't think we're scamming them or something. Also i can compensate for our wizard's zero in charisma, and while our fighter has a -1 in charisma he was a quandrix student so he'll probably be ok if they encounter the serpent maybe. the sahuagin asked how long it would take for us to get the fish (it would take maybe a week maybe longer) so with a not technically a lie (the DM let me use persuasion thank god because i can't get lower than a 21 in persuasion (silver tounge rizz)) i convinced them that'd it take about two weeks BUT if they provided us a harpoon (the fighter wanted one) it'd only take a week-ish Before our druid and fighter could escape the sahuagin start circling around them.. singing? some ritual's going on, mayhaps blessing their trip. maybe. and the fuckin priestess one comes up to me and starts having a conversation. Priestess Sahuagin: Are you of faith? Me: /i don't follow any gods i'm just an english major. welp the founder dragons are like almost gods so Shadrix can count sure why not/ ..yes Priestess Sahuagin: *asking me if i like the spell guiding bolt* (I forgot exactly what she said) Me: *considers the like 10 times i've ended a fight with a well timed crit using guiding bolt* yes. Priestess Sahuagin: *something about their shark god i don't remember i'm tired* druid's player: he's pretty neat Me: ...he's pretty neat. Priestess Sahuagin: He is pretty neat :) (help) anyway so I planned for our wizard and i to kinda hang out on the beach while we wait for the other two to return. the sahuagin had other plans. They ask if we have gills (no) They ask what we are

me: do they want an actual answer ??? DM: yeah me: ...im a lizardfolk ...*points at fighter* he's a dragonborn *points at druid* they're a tiefling (the sahuagin have no fucking clue what the hell (heh) a tiefling is and maybe that's for the best) and *points at wizard* he's a human. Sahuagin: *death staring our wizard* that explains why he's elf like. ??why does everyone have beef with elves?? let's just leave out the fact our druid has an elven husband. and be glad we didn't bring him with us on this trip. i mean he's not a sea elf but y'know anyway so the session ends with our wizard and i about to be kidnapped and dragged to the ocean where the sahuagin live (im pretty sure we were given potions of water breathing which is good cause i would prefer not drowning.) and the druid and fighter setting out to go get a shit ton of fish pray for our souls

@datfatnerd are you proud us

[lucalicatteart]

Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 15: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression

(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)

Yesterday's poll decided that The Adventurer should purchase some new shoes for himself while he's in the city...

~

It costs quite a bit of coin, but in the end he decides that having a new sturdy pair of boots will serve him well on his travels. After he's done in the shop, he rushes back to the local inn before nightfall, eventually settling into a somewhat restless sleep..

The next morning, he orders some cheap vegetable stew from a food stall, then lounges in a park as he has his breakfast, watching the squirrels weave through flowering trees and birds pecking about in the dewy grass.. When finished with his meal (and sufficiently recovered from the emotional turmoil of burning his tongue on the soup), he quickly sells his old pair of shoes to a sketchy pawn shop before finally getting back to his journey...

By his calculations, if he he walks all day, it should only be two more sleeps before he gets to his destination, so he sets out to travel as efficiently as possible. He doesn't have the money to rent a cart, or the skill to ride a borrowed horse, but, he does have some fancy new walking shoes and a renewed sense of purpose. No more meandering through fields looking for flowers, napping in the shade, or scanning the ground for cool rocks.. He's going to focus this time!

......After a few hours, he comes across a broken down carriage in the middle of the road, with few people surrounding it, seemingly stuck trying to repair a wheel or something. It's hard to discern from afar..

Maybe if he helps them, he could get a free ride.. or some coins.. or make a new lifelong friend! Who knows? Possibilities flood his mind, this is what adventuring is all about! Wandering into interesting situations and making the most out of them!! .. But, then he recalls his previous oath.. he's supposed to focus today and not allow himself to sidetracked.. And who says he has the skills to help anyway? It could always just be a waste of time... Hmm...

What should he do?

~

~

Additional Information

the adventurer's current main quest: follow his map to reach the abandoned castle ruins and see the rare animal specialist about the mysterious egg he has

[moongothic]

Also Lu feld ( the underworld emperor that funded MADS) looks veryyy similar to Crocodile, maybe there is a relationship between them both?

So Oda does have certain design tropes he likes to use, and so all his characters that fit into the "mob boss" archetype, including Capone Bege, all have similar design elements; a large coat over their shoulders (not exclusive to the mafia characters mind you), fine suits, cigars, expensive looking jewelry; they look very formal and they all even style their hair the same way (slicked back). So the similarities could be easily chacked up to Oda using the same design tropes for characters that fit into the same trope. If you look past those elements, the differences become more obvious

Like the facial anatomy etc between them all is quite different (Crocodile having Oda's default attractive male facial anatomy, compared to Lu Feld's bulbous, round shapes, while Bege has these triangular shapes to his face) along with body build etc etc

Reason I wanted to point this out is because I'm preeeetty sure I've seen people on Reddit speculate that Crocodile could be related to Lu Feld by blood, even be his son? And to be fair, this is One Piece, the characters don't need to look one-bit similar to one-another to be blood relatives, not by a long shot. And since we don't know how old Lu Feld is, theoretically sure, that could be possible.

But when all we're going off of is "they're both mafia bosses and dress kinda similar", I feel that theory is a bit weak, and more importantly, I'm not sure there's much of a point in it. As in, what would these two being related add to their characters? Like you could totally write an interesting story about them that could impact them both, but it's not like the two other famous theories (that Croc could be the son of WB or Xebec) where you almost immidiately understand the emotional baggage between the two (former Croc would have unknown beef with his bio-dad possibly related to him adopting so many sons while he's just there, the latter having once again questionable implications for Xebec's character but could immidiately shed light on Croc's beef with WB and his general trust issues).

Considdering Lu Feld is an Emperor of the Underworld though I would not be surprised if our beloved Mr Zero had purchased his Dance Powder from Lu Feld, maaaybe been involved with the underworld in other ways, who knows. But I personally don't believe Crocodile has deep ties to Lu Feld, I just think it's Oda giving a less important, borderline-background character a design with a few too many similarities to more important characters and not enough unique features--- but Lu Feld isn't that important, it's not like he needed a super unique design to communicate who and what he's supposed to be in the story