#rules; regulations; and laws they set for everyone

[tar-frogs]

constantly taken aback by my dad being a fan of nirvana, fall out boy, green day, david bowie, etc and still being not only subtly homophobic but also outwardly republican.....

[odinsblog]

🗣️THIS IS WHAT INCLUSIVE, COMPASSIONATE DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE

Minnesota Dems enacted a raft of laws to make the state a trans refuge, and ensure people receiving trans care here can't be reached by far-right governments in places like Florida and Texas. (link)

Minnesota Dems ensured that everyone, including undocumented immigrants, can get drivers' licenses. (link)

They made public college free for the majority of Minnesota families. (link)

Minnesota Dems dropped a billion dollars into a bevy of affordable housing programs, including by creating a new state housing voucher program. (link)

Minnesota Dems massively increased funding for the state's perpetually-underfunded public defenders, which lets more public defenders be hired and existing public defenders get a salary increase. (link)

Dems raised Minnesota education spending by 10%, or about 2.3 billion. (link)

Minnesota Dems created an energy standard for 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. (link)

Minnesota already has some of the strongest election infrastructure (and highest voter participation) in the country, but the legislature just made it stronger, with automatic registration, preregistration for minors, and easier access to absentee ballots. (link)

Minnesota Dems expanded the publicly subsidized health insurance program to undocumented immigrants. This one's interesting because it's the sort of things Dems often balk at. The governor opposed it! The legislature rolled over him and passed it anyway. (link)

Minnesota Dems expanded background checks and enacted red-flag laws, passing gun safety measures that the GOP has thwarted for years. (link)

Minnesota Dems gave the state AG the power to block the huge healthcare mergers that have slowly gobbled up the state's medical system. (link)

Minnesota Dems restored voting rights to convicted felons as soon as they leave prison. (link)

Minnesota Dems made prison phone calls free. (link)

Minnesota Dems passed new wage protection rules for the construction industry, against industry resistance. (link)

Minnesota Dems created a new sales tax to fund bus and train lines, an enormous victory for the sustainability and quality of public transit. Transit be more pleasant to ride, more frequent, and have better shelters, along more lines. (link)

They passed strict new regulations on PFAS ("forever chemicals"). (link)

Minnesota Dems passed the largest bonding bill in state history! Funding improvements to parks, colleges, water infrastructure, bridges, etc. etc. etc. (link)

They're going to build a passenger train from the Twin Cities to Duluth. (link)

I can't even find a news story about it but there's tens of millions in funding for new BRT lines, too. (link)

A wonky-but-important change: Minnesota Dems indexed the state gas tax to inflation, effectively increasing the gas tax. (link)

They actually indexed a bunch of stuff to inflation, including the state's education funding formula, which helps ensure that school spending doesn't decline over time. (link)

Minnesota Dems made hourly school workers (e.g., bus drivers and paraprofessionals) eligible for unemployment during summer break, when they're not working or getting paid. (link)

Minnesota Dems passed a bunch of labor protections for teachers, including requiring school districts to negotiate class sizes as part of union contracts. (Yet another @SydneyJordanMN special here. (link)

Minnesota Dems created a state board to govern labor standards at nursing homes. (link)

Minnesota Dems created a Prescription Drug Affordability Board, which would set price caps for high-cost pharmaceuticals. (link)

Minnesota Dems created new worker protections for Amazon warehouse workers and refinery workers. (link)

Minnesota Dems passed a digital fair repair law, which requires electronics manufacturers to make tools and parts available so that consumers can repair their electronics rather than purchase new items. (link)

Minnesota Dems made Juneteenth a state holiday. (link)

Minnesota Dems banned conversion therapy. (link)

They spent nearly a billion dollars on a variety of environmental programs, from heat pumps to reforestation. (link)

Minnesota Dems expanded protections for pregnant and nursing workers - already in place for larger employers - to almost everyone in the state. (link)

Minnesota Dems created a new child tax credit that will cut child poverty by about a quarter. (link)

Minnesota Democrats dropped a quick $50 million into homelessness prevention programs. (link)

And because the small stuff didn't get lost in the big stuff, they passed a law to prevent catalytic converter thefts. (link)

Minnesota Dems increased child care assistance. (link)

Minnesota Dems banned "captive audience meetings," where employers force employees to watch anti-union presentations. (link)

No news story yet, but Minnesota Dems forced signal priority changes to Twin Cities transit. Right now the trains have to wait at intersections for cars, which, I can say from experience, is terrible. Soon that will change.

Minnesota Dems provided the largest increase to nursing home funding in state history. (link)

They also bumped up salaries for home health workers, to help address the shortage of in-home nurses. (link)

Minnesota Dems legalized drug paraphernalia, which allows social service providers to conduct needle exchanges and address substance abuse with reduced fear of incurring legal action. (link)

Minnesota Dems banned white supremacists and extremists from police forces, capped probation at 5 years for most crimes, improved clemency, and mostly banned no-knock warrants. (link)

Minnesota Dems also laid the groundwork for a public health insurance option. (link)

I’m happy for the people of Minnesota, but as a Floridian living under Ron DeSantis & hateful Republicans, I’m also very envious tbh. We know that democracy can work, and this is a shining example of what government could be like in the hands of legislators who actually care about helping people in need, and not pursuing the GOP’s “culture wars” and suppressing the votes of BIPOC, and inflicting maximum harm on those who aren’t cis/het, white, wealthy, Christian males. BRAVO MINNESOTA. This is how you do it! And the Minnesota Dems did it with a one seat majority, so no excuses. Forget about the next election and focus on doing as much good as you can, while you still can. 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

👉🏿 https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1660846689450688514.html

[philosopherking1887]

More good things the Biden administration is doing: OSHA heat safety rules for workers

Remember when Texas and Florida passed laws preventing local and municipal governments from implementing their own heat safety rules and said that if heat is such a big problem, OSHA should make rules that apply to everyone? If not, NPR can remind you. OSHA has now accepted the challenge, moving much faster than they usually do:

OSHA National News Release U.S. Department of Labor July 2, 2024 Biden-Harris administration announces proposed rule to protect indoor, outdoor workers from extreme heat WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has released a proposed rule with the goal of protecting millions of workers from the significant health risks of extreme heat. If finalized, the proposed rule would help protect approximately 36 million workers in indoor and outdoor work settings and substantially reduce heat injuries, illnesses, and deaths in the workplace. Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S. Excessive workplace heat can lead to heat stroke and even death. While heat hazards impact workers in many industries, workers of color have a higher likelihood of working in jobs with hazardous heat exposure. “Every worker should come home safe and healthy at the end of the day, which is why the Biden-Harris administration is taking this significant step to protect workers from the dangers posed by extreme heat,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “As the most pro-worker administration in history, we are committed to ensuring that those doing difficult work in some of our economy’s most critical sectors are valued and kept safe in the workplace.” The proposed rule would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in workplaces affected by excessive heat. Among other things, the plan would require employers to evaluate heat risks and — when heat increases risks to workers — implement requirements for drinking water, rest breaks and control of indoor heat. It would also require a plan to protect new or returning workers unaccustomed to working in high heat conditions. “Workers all over the country are passing out, suffering heat stroke and dying from heat exposure from just doing their jobs, and something must be done to protect them,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas L. Parker. “Today’s proposal is an important next step in the process to receive public input to craft a ‘win-win’ final rule that protects workers while being practical and workable for employers.” Employers would also be required to provide training, have procedures to respond if a worker is experiencing signs and symptoms of a heat-related illness, and take immediate action to help a worker experiencing signs and symptoms of a heat emergency. The public is encouraged to submit written comments on the rule once it is published in the Federal Register. The agency also anticipates a public hearing after the close of the written comment period. More information will be available on submitting comments when the rule is published. In the interim, OSHA continues to direct significant existing outreach and enforcement resources to educate employers and workers and hold businesses accountable for violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s general duty clause, 29 U.S.C. § 654(a)(1) and other applicable regulations. Record-breaking temperatures across the nation have increased the risks people face on-the-job, especially in summer months. Every year, dozens of workers die and thousands more suffer illnesses related to hazardous heat exposure that, sadly, are most often preventable. The agency continues to conduct heat-related inspections under its National Emphasis Program – Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards, launched in 2022. The program inspects workplaces with the highest exposures to heat-related hazards proactively to prevent workers from suffering injury, illness or death needlessly. Since the launch, OSHA has conducted more than 5,000 federal heat-related inspections. In addition, the agency is prioritizing programmed inspections in agricultural industries that employ temporary, nonimmigrant H-2A workers for seasonal labor. These workers face unique vulnerabilities, including potential language barriers, less control over their living and working conditions, and possible lack of acclimatization, and are at high risk of hazardous heat exposure.

[danieyells]

@2flowerz also asked for Lyca so

NOW WITH 100% MORE DOGGO LYCA. HE IS DEFINITELY A HUMAN AND NOT A WEREWOLF. He is trying very hard to be a human. I love him very much. . . .

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"...You again. Where're we going today?"

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"Hey, you got letters. Don't you have to read them? Oh, don't you know how?"

he understands if you can't read, man. neither can he.

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"You smell sweeter than usual today... Stop. Go away."

after learning that the pc is going to turn into the anomaly that cursed them any sort of 'you smell nicer than normal' feels like such a threat lmao

"You want to touch me? Fine. Ten seconds and that's it."

that is more than enough my good sir

"When I find Neros, I wanna prove I've been getting along with humans. Then he'll definitely let me live with him."

considering he related the term 'neglect play' to what Neros did to him. . .I'm not so sure. . .and if Neros was as old as he sounds like he was, I wonder if he's even still alive. . . .

"Hey! Moth-eaten Casanova! Where'd you go? I'm gonna show you my special move today."

"special move" in Japanese is 「必殺技」 or 'lethal move'/'killer technique', usually unique to a person or fighting style. Not sure if he wants to show Ed how cool he is or try and kill him lmao--

"This phone thingy they gave me keeps making noises and making me jump... Why do I gotta carry it everywhere? It's scary!"

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"Mnn... Let me sleep... Don't touch me... Zzz..."

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Laws, school regulations, anomalous law... Manners, morals, rules... How're you s'posed to remember all that?"

man i wish i could tell you. . .i've mostly got the morals in order, that's basically just 'don't do harm to others' when you get down to it. laws are about 50% 'don't do things that may endanger you or others' and 50% bullshit. the rest you're kinda on your own with.

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Urgh... My skin's crawling... Moon must be gettin' round soon..."

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"At first I was sad 'cause I got put in a different house to Suba, but all kinds of stuff happens here every day so it was fine."

awww he was sad because he doesn't get to see Subaru as often but he's not bored so it's alright! glad he's comfortable ;u;

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"H-Hey, don't come so close! Somethin' about your scent makes my stomach feel weird!"

WE'RE ONLY ON AFFINITY 5 DUDE YOU CAN'T BE CATCHING FEELINGS THIS EARLY it's probably because he's scared of girls or something lol

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I didn't do anything wrong! Those guys were saying mean stuff about me 'cause they thought I couldn't hear. All I did was yell at them."

I hate how they won't even let Lyca defend himself verbally. . . .

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I don't mind classes. The teachers say cool stuff. Once I learn to read the textbooks and the notes and the blackboard it'll be perfect."

HE'S GONNA BE SUCH A GOOD STUDENT WHEN HE CAN READ???

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"There was this big noise in our practical class and my ears popped out. Everyone ran away screaming. Damn it..."

wow they're cowards if the ears alone scared them. . .how're they supposed to deal with anomalies if that scared them!?

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"This? It's a picture book, duh. How come you don't know that when you're a human? I study with it before bed, everyone does it."

I wonder who made him a picture book of all the things he'd be learning as a first year to study with. . . . . .or maybe it's just a generic picture book lol

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"This blanket's not trash, it's just dirty. I can't sleep without it, so hands off."

he really loves that blanket huh. it must be one of the only things he had from his childhood or from being looked after by neros. . . .

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"What's a "so-shul skill"?  That blond gigolo was talking about them. He said I don't have any. Is that a good thing?"

he's got social skills!! Just. . .not very human social skills!!!

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I'm starving... I wanna eat Sho's food, but I can't order it without Suba... Wait, you can read, right?"

Lyca slowly realizing how many people he knows can actually read and thus can help him with placing orders for delicious foods--

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"That moth-eaten Casanova's in his room all day so I tried to take him for a walk, but he locked his door and ignored me. The hell?!"

LYCA CONTINUES TO SCRATCH AT ED'S DOOR COME FOR WALKIES ED!!!!

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"That stupid blond gigolo ran off with my blanket. I'm not done sleeping yet..."

tbf your blanket is filthy. . .and I get it, it's what you've got and it smells familiar but. . . .

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"I can't get back to sleep... I'm gonna wake up that moth-eaten Casanova for a walk."

lyca is a dog scratching at your bedroom door with his leash in his mouth like 'yes it is time for walkies now rise human'

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"The teacher asked us to name an anomalous plant you can eat but when I did he said humans can't eat it. So what? I can, so I'm not wrong."

I AGREE WITH HIM HE SHOULD NOT GET THAT MARKED WRONG. if you only want a human applicable question say 'humans' not 'you.

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"In the last place I never knew what time it was and I pretty much just slept all day. Now I gotta get used to having a "roo-teen.""

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I'm drawing. If I draw all the good stuff and bad stuff that happened every day I won't forget about it."

if he could write he'd keep a diary but since he can't write he's keeping a picture diary. . .and he's a really good artist according to his character story, so it's probably a pretty faithful recreation of whatever happened that day. i'd love to see his picture diary. . . .

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Huh? The blood on my bed? ...It's nothing. Don't touch my stuff, you're gonna get your smell all over it!"

WHY IS THERE BLOOD IN YOUR BED, BUDDY. ARE YOU OKAY??? IF YOU ATE SOMETHING IN BED THAT'S FINE I JUST DON'T WANT YOU TO BE INJURED. . . .

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"...Did you cry? Your scent is all squeezy. How come?"

smelling you sad makes him sad too so tell him why you're feeling sad and he can make the sad go away?

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I wanna go to the cafeteria, but the teachers won't give me my pocket money. They said I'll get "spoiled." The hell does that mean?!"

GIVE HIM SOME MONEY SO HE CAN BUY FOOD???? HE NEEDS TO EAT????? HE'S BUSY WITH CLASS SO HE CAN'T GO ON MISSIONS YOU CAN'T JUST STARVE THE BOY????

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"That moth-eaten Casanova told me humans like it if you ignore them sometimes. Something about playing hard to get? I'm gonna try it tomorrow."

I wonder if that has anything to do with Subaru's home screen chat where he wonders why Lyca hasn't messaged him back. . .he's trying to play hard to get because he thinks it'll make Subaru like him more. . . .

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I'll stay here and be quiet at night, even when the moon's not round. 'Cause you're tired, aren't you? Go sleep."

even if he doesn't have to stay or even if he wants to make lots of noise, he'll stay and be quiet so it's easier for you to fall asleep. He won't be loud and you don't have to worry about him! so sleep tight!

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Sleep here. Huh? Is there a law that says we can't sleep together? There's not, is there? Hurry up and lie down."

it's pretty much innocent. . .he just wants you close by. . .being able to smell you while he sleeps would probably make it easier to fall asleep. . .feel safe and familiar and everything. . . .

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"I'm gonna work hard... I'll gonna work so hard, they're gonna say I can live with humans forever..."

Lyca, despite being a werewolf, is a lot like Kaito in that he just wants to be a normal human. Except he never started as a normal human, so he has a bit further of a distance to go to become one. . .he's not a dog, he doesn't wanna be a pet or an animal or anything like that. He wants to be a person like everyone else. But it's hard when others reject him, and when everyone says they think he's too dangerous even when he hasn't done anything wrong. Other ghouls--other humans--do way worse stuff than he does, and yet he's still held to a higher standard. It's not fair. But he's working as hard as he can to catch up. . . .

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"That blond gigolo tried to wash my blanket! He's never coming in my room again!"

he does not like spring cleaning--

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Lately there's flower smells everywhere, but sometimes there's one that kinda smells like you."

IT'S GONNA BE HILARIOUS IF THE ANOMALY THAT CURSED YOU HAPPENS TO LIVE IN OBSCUARY'S FOREST. . .LIKE YEAH IT'S JUST OUT THERE IT WAS ALWAYS ON CAMPUS IDK WHAT TO TELL YOU WE COULD'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS CURE BEFORE YOU GOT IT.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Harurin kept nagging, so I went to the safari park. Not gonna lie...it was super fun."

I love that Lyca uses the nicknames Rui uses for some people lol and I bet he loved running around Jabberwock!!! All that fresh open air and the wildlife. . .he's a wolf at heart really and truly.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Cherry blossom petals are super fun. They're like, whoosh, then they fall everywhere. I wish our house had some."

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"Urgh... My head...it hurts... This? It's shaved ice. The blond gigolo told me to eat it so I don't get "heat eggs-aw-schun.""

oh buddy you're eating it too fast. . . . . .

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I was just in that moth-eaten Casanova's room and it was so cold I thought it was gonna snow! Is he secretly a yeti?"

okay it was only 63 degrees in there it wasn't THAT cold Lyca.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'm gonna go practice swimming at Harurin's place. Can you do other stuff besides doggy paddle?"

I can't swim at all so. you are miles ahead of me my friend.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I know I said I always wanted to do sparklers, but... you sure this's okay? I thought we're not s'posed to play with fire!"

canid instincts are kicking in--fire BAD and SCARY and DANGEROUS. ABORT MISSION.

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"I just tried to join in with some guys playing with a ball, but they said I don't know the rules and told me to go away."

THEN TEACH HIM THE RULES god they're such jerks around here.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Blond Gigolo was makin' this massive fire near the garden just now. It smelled all burnt and sweet... Is that some kinda ritual?"

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Finished my picture. That Romi guy who comes to the bar all the time said he wanted one, so it's for him."

Romeo does like fine things. This just goes to show how good of an artist Lyca is! I bet Romeo's gonna frame it and put it somewhere people can see lol or maybe just keep it in his room. . .that or he wants to see if he can get him to make a forgery and profit off poor Lyca--

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Moth-eaten Casanova said humans like looking at the moon... D'you get sad if you can't see it?"

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"I'm gonna go play at that big ice castle after class! Huh? 'Cause playing in the snow's fun."

THE FROSTHEIMERS BETTER NOT GIVE HIM TROUBLE LET MY BOY RUN AND ROMP IN THE SNOW!!!!!!!

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Mm, I don't really feel the cold. Humans get warm when they run around too, don't they? Race you over there! "

he is having so much fun in the winter ;;;;; just running around and playing. . . .

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"My fingers have been gettin' all tingly and stiff and my hair's all crunchy! What's up with that? "

maybe playing in the snow a little too much lol--

(between 8pm and 5am)

"How d'you drink hot drinks so quick? They always burn my tongue... Huh? Dogs have sensitive tongues? I'm a wolf, not a dog..."

His birthday: (April 19th)

"Oh right, it's my birthday. Neros told me my mom wrote down the date."

Your birthday:

"It's your birthday, right? No, I only know 'cause that blond gigolo was yelling about it. ...Here's your present."

I bet he drew something really nice or found you something really cool ;3;

New Years: (January 1st)

"Hope you have a happy and prop...props... prosp...prospinous? new year... Damn it, I practiced that for ages..."

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Oh, thanks. Professor Nicolas said I can't eat chocolate, so I'll give it to Casanova and Gigolo!"

why would you even risk giving him chocolate in the first place lmao. . .also in Japanese he says "I'll share with those two idiots" instead of "casanova and gigolo" lmao

White Day: (March 13th)

"This is for you. I dunno what kinda stuff human girls like, but Suba helped me pick it, so it's prob'ly fine."

Subaru knows girls' tastes is Lyca's logic I guess lmao Subaru is a lil on the femme side comparatively--

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"Why's everyone being so mean today?! Telling lies and laughing at me... They're all jerks...!"

please explain the day to him. . .people are mean enough to him as it is. . . .

Halloween: (October 31st)

"My ears and tail are out? I know, I'm doing it on purpose. The moth-eaten Casanova said it's okay today."

THE ONE DAY HE CAN BE HIMSELF IS HALLOWEEN BECAUSE NO ONE WILL THINK ANYTHING OF IT. . .they'll just think it's a cool costume or maybe a fox robe! And he'll get candy for it!!!

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Hey, look! When I got up this present was next to my pillow! Santa really came..."

WHO TAUGHT HIM ABOUT SANTA. . .AND WHY. . .then again Romeo said Santa's reindeer is real so. . .it probably isn't actually harmful to teach him about Santa since Santa's probably somewhat real here. . . .

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"...I'm going for a walk."

(13 affinity and above)

"Hey, you alive? Huh, you're breathing so I guess so."

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"How come you stopped coming? Do you hate me? It made my heart all squeezy, so don't do it again."

oh no sweetie. . .sometimes we just have to take care of things and disappear without wanting to. . .sometimes life gets in the way instead of finding away. . . . . . . .

JUST. . .SWEETEST OF SWEETHEARTS. HE'S SO CHILDISH AND ADORABLE AND SWEET AND GOOD. . .I WILL USE MY TEN SECONDS OF PETTING TIME WISELY. He really does try harder than anyone, he's so determined and I believe in him so much. I want my boy to be happy.

[bardicbird]

Working on my own Disco Elysium skills! Individual art pieces and descriptions (in the style of the game) below the cut :]

DIALECTICS

Examine verbal landscapes. Get to the truth of the matter.

Cool for: Logicians, Philosophers, Asshole Devil’s Advocates

Dialetics urges you to look beyond the basics of conversation. It encourages you to discuss theories, truths and falsehoods, until you exhaust everyone around you with your sheer affinity for taking the most convoluted routes to your deductions—but, hey, it works! Those people are only *really* annoyed because you very accurately psychoanalyzed them.

At high levels, Dialectics will help you reason with even the most convoluted of situations. You will be an unstoppable detective, who may occasionally suffer from some unintended side effects such as: your brain and mouth moving too fast, overcomplicating little things, becoming an insufferable jerk, and joining your local debate team. With low levels of Dialectics, you’re going to have a difficult time seeing through both worldly and interpersonal deceptions. You may find yourself being taken advantage of. 

EVOCATION

Recall emotions and imagery. Paint complete pictures of the past. 

Cool for: Visualizers, Chronic Observers, Witnesses Of Crimes

Evocation allows you to call forth memories that may otherwise be lost in the recesses of your mind. Previous instances of sound, touch, taste, feeling, sight—all of these are at your beck and call: able to be summoned within and around you in a great miasma of experience. You will be able to relive important events, even those that were only mere seconds, and examine them closer to reveal what you couldn’t comprehend in the moment. 

At high levels, Evocation will help you reimagine scenes that may have happened years ago, lasted the length of a blink—or, perhaps, even allow you to picture memories that you were not present for. You will find yourself constantly transported to the past: a single whiff of a familiar perfume enough to completely derail your senses. With low levels of Evocation, you’re going to have a hard time remembering simple conversations and potentially important visual details. You will have to rely on others in such scenarios. 

BODY OF LAWS

Know your rights. Remember fun courtroom trivia. 

Cool for: Lawyers, Law-Evaders, Stick-In-The-Muds

Body Of Laws is responsible for your ability to follow the law at any given time—or don’t! Just because you know the rules doesn’t mean you have to play by them. Regardless, it certainly allows you to recall a, frankly, embarrassing amount of your government’s regulations, and may encourage you to ‘stay in your lane’, so to speak, regarding them. Governments aren’t the only entities that enact rules, though: you will also find yourself privy to understanding unspoken boundaries set by people, nature, and even your subconscious self.

At high levels, Body Of Laws will either make you an *extremely* insufferable goody-two-shoes, or a *wildly* effective cheat-of-the-system. You may end up feeling suffocated by all these restrictions you can so clearly see, causing you to become complicit with the movings of the machine—or potentially apathetic to why we need some of these restrictions in the first place. With low levels of Body Of Laws, you may find yourself accidentally violating boundaries you didn’t know existed—whether they be legal, personal, or cultural. 

[elumish]

I saw a post recent about the idea of, what happens after the revolution that some people are yearning for, and I have a lot of thoughts about that, but it actually also got me thinking about how a lot of people conceptualize government, and particularly how this shows up in books.

I've read a lot of books where someone is secretly or not-so-secretly the heir/rightful king or queen/the one true chosen leader/etc., and one thing that I see in a lot of those is this idea that government is its leader, and if you have an evil leader then the Government Is Bad and if you replace that evil leader with a good leader then the Goverment Will Become Good.

And there is definitely truth to the idea that an ineffective, immoral, greedy, cruel, etc. leader will generally lead to the government being worse and doing bad things, but a government is not simply the will of the person in charge taken form.

There are a few ways to think about a government, but I'd think of it like this:

A government is the services it provides, the rules it enforces, the external engagement it has, the people who decide all of that, the people who make it happen, and the fact that people agree that they are the government.

You'll see there that only one part of that is the leadership. Anyone can stand up in the middle of a town square or go on YouTube or whatever and say "I'm in charge and here are the four thousand rules that everyone needs to follow" and if they don't have legitimacy and enforcement power, it doesn't mean anything.

It also means that changing the head of state can't automatically change everything else. Most governments (especially national governments) have a large set of professional civil servants who do the business of government regardless of who is in charge, and that is a huge ship to resteer.

Often, the fastest way to resteer that ship is to literally fire everyone--and as we've seen in instances like the de-Ba'athification of Iraq, it can have massively negative impacts on the country and its ability to provide services.

There's a certain branch of fantasy that I've read where the government "is in charge" but doesn't seem to actually provide any of the services that exist in the world. There's a king or a ruling counsel or whatever--but there are no departments/ministries/public sector.

Who provides utilities? Who provides human services? Who collects taxes? Who manages the allocation of government funds? Who enforces regulations or laws? Who manages public spaces? Who delivers mail? Who prints money? Who facilitates relations with other countries? Who maintains public safety?

A lot of these stories act as though all of those things just happen, that they are self-perpetuating machines that have always existed and will always exist, and government is an unrelated piece of the world that is just there to look important and make decisions.

[cegantheayugipi]

The Idiot Internship (Itto x Reader)

An Arataki Itto x Reader oneshot

Word Count: 9.2k

WARNINGS: BIG SMUT AHEAD, MINORS DNI!!

Tags include: heats/ruts, omegaverse themes (Itto is an Oni after all), breeding, marathon sex, reader is AFAB

Summary: You’re a Liyuean law student looking for a summer work study. When an alumna from your school offers you one all the way in the beautiful islands of Inazuma, who are you to decline? However, it comes with a caveat – your boss knows nothing (and cares nothing) about the law.

OR: Itto was never taught about the birds and the bees. Heck, he wasn't even taught what masturbation was, and he was a little too dumb to figure out on his own. However, when your continuous presence around him during your internship sends him straight into an Oni rut, he's going to need a lot of teaching – fast.

~~~ When Kuki Shinobu gave you this job and told you that your boss would be dumb, you had no idea she meant this dumb.

And here you sat, at the back of the dilapidated office room where the Arataki Gang held meetings, listening to Arataki Itto’s ‘great and glorious’ idea.

“And then, at the end of the drumalong festival, we set off a bunch of fireworks! It’ll be great!”

“Uh, Boss.” Shinobu spoke up, raising her hand in protest. “We need to apply for a formal permit to have any sort of public demonstration, and the process will take weeks.”

Your white-haired boss shrugged dramatically, scoffing at his subordinate’s suggestion.

“Psh, who needs a permit, we can do everything first and ask for forgiveness later!” Itto brushed off Shinobu’s very important statement of fact.

When Kuki Shinobu gave you this job and told you that your boss would be dumb, you had no idea she meant this dumb.

And here you sat, at the back of the dilapidated office room where the Arataki Gang held meetings, listening to Arataki Itto’s ‘great and glorious’ idea.

“And then, at the end of the drumalong festival, we set off a bunch of fireworks! It’ll be great!”

“Uh, Boss.” Shinobu spoke up, raising her hand in protest. “We need to apply for a formal permit to have any sort of public demonstration, and the process will take weeks.”

Your white-haired boss shrugged dramatically, scoffing at his subordinate’s suggestion.

“Psh, who needs a permit, we can do everything first and ask for forgiveness later!” Itto brushed off Shinobu’s very important statement of fact.

You tried your best not to scoff, or make any noise for that matter. As a law student who had traveled all the way from Liyue for this work study, every single word that left the gang leader’s mouth in regards to rules and regulations made you wonder if he even had two brain cells to put together. While the Oni may be hot, what he had in body he lacked in brains.

“Boss, if it’s alright, I’ll talk to the Yashiro Commission about it anyways.” Shinobu spoke up, her arms crossed over her chest as she faced her boss nonchalantly. It seemed like she typically had to do things like this for him. She was sitting next to Itto, as per usual. 

“Alright, alright. It’s still a couple months away, so that’s enough talking for now. Let’s go have some udon!” Itto announced cheerfully.

You sighed loudly, not bothering to hide your exasperation. The gang members began to chatter loudly as they shuffled out of the run-down meeting room, excited for a good meal of Inazuman noodles, led by Itto who was the most excited out of the bunch. You wondered why on earth Kuki enjoyed managing an organization like the Arataki Gang when it seemed more like babysitting several adult children.

~~~

You followed the gang through the streets of Inazuma City, your stomach full from the large meal you all shared at the local noodle shop. Although you tended to miss your home country of Liyue, the food in Inazuma was so good that it always eased your homesickness.

Kuki Shinobu trailed at the back of the group, falling in step in front of you. She footed the bill for everyone, because somehow the Arataki Gang was always broke. You wondered how on earth Shinobu managed to pay your wages for the work-study, let alone the gang’s daily activities. However, according to your professor Yanfei, Kuki Shinobu was a woman of many miracles. You couldn’t deny she was incredibly intelligent – she single handedly made up for the gang’s collective lack of brain cells.

You were in the middle of thinking about how lucky you were to be offered a work study from Shinobu when you spotted your boss’s red and white hair in the corner of your eye. He was at a Taiyaki stand, chatting loudly to its owner. As you changed direction and walked closer to him you began to pick up their conversation. 

“Just one left?!” Itto exclaimed dramatically. “I’ll take it!” The Oni dug through his pockets, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper, some lint, and a handful of mora.

The woman who ran the stand reluctantly picked the mora from his hand, offering up the last Taiyaki in exchange. You admired the beautifully decorated Taiyaki stand, glancing over the intricate sign displaying the menu.

Taiyaki flavors:

Chocolate SOLD OUT

Matcha SOLD OUT

Red Bean

Pumpkin SOLD OUT

Custard SOLD OUT

Wait… the last one was red bean?

Itto was allergic to beans.

As he raised the Taiyaki to his mouth, you realized you needed to stop him.

“Don’t eat it!” You shouted, lunging for your dumbass Oni of a boss. You snatched the food from his grip with a surprising amount of ease, considering how much muscle Itto had. All he did was stare – meanwhile, you did the best thing you could think of.

Opening your mouth wide, you shoved the entire Taiyaki in your mouth. You couldn’t deny it was delicious, but your face burned bright red with embarrassment as you chewed on the dessert.

“Wh-” Itto gawked. “Who are you?!” His voice cracked with surprise as he shouted.

“I’m your intern.” Your voice was muffled by the absurd volume of dessert that filled your mouth.

“Oh, I see… Did you really want the last Taiyaki that bad?” Itto asked, his voice sounding disappointed that he didn’t get to taste the dessert.

“Beans.” You spoke, pointing to your mouth. You finally swallowed the last of the Taiyaki with one large gulp, continuing to talk now that your mouth was finally free. “The Taiyaki has red bean paste inside.”

Itto let out an overly-dramatic gasp, one hand flying up to cover his chest.

“You saved my life!” He exclaimed. “I’m allergic to beans!”

“I know.” You responded, giving your boss an awkward smile.

“You’re awesome! Who hired you?”

“Kuki Shinobu.”

“Of course it’s my right hand man who hired someone as great as you!” 

You nodded, knowing that you were, in fact, great and that you had most certainly saved Itto’s day – or possibly week, considering how bad his allergy was.

“What’s all this ruckus?” Shinobu spoke as she approached the two of you.

“The intern you hired saved me, Shinobu!” Itto pointed at you. “I was about to die!”

“Don’t be overly dramatic.” You responded flatly. “I just prevented you from eating beans.”

“Ah,” Shinobu nodded, “Thanks for staying sharp, boss doesn’t read menus well enough for someone with a severe food allergy.”

“Thank you, thank you so much!” Itto scooped you up in a huge hug, inadvertently squishing your face into his ginormous chest as he spun you around.

You were extremely annoyed at Itto’s irresponsible, reckless, and stupid behavior. However, you couldn’t deny it was strangely pleasant to be squished into such a soft chest.

You felt a little dizzy as Itto finally set you down, thinking perhaps the spinning had thrown your balance off.

“Oh, what’s your name, by the way?” Itto asked casually.

“Boss, I think they’re a little overwhelmed.” Shinobu spoke up. She noticed how red your face had gotten, and was worried that Itto had manhandled you a little too much.

“Uhhhh…” you mumbled, staring at Itto’s chest, too dazed to respond.

~~~

Ever since you ate Itto’s dessert to prevent him from having an allergic reaction, Kuki began to assign you to more and more tasks related to your boss. First it was running simple errands for him, like helping Granny Oni with her groceries, making tea for the meetings, or helping Itto find Onikabuto for his ridiculous beetle fighting tournaments.

You did everything begrudgingly – you accepted this work study thinking you’d be shadowing Kuki, not running around as her idiot boss’s assistant. You felt almost like you were a glorified and well-paid babysitter for the seven-foot tall Oni.

Eventually, Shinobu even gave you keys to Itto’s house to wake him up, since he tended to sleep in and risk missing his morning meetings.

“Wait, what do you mean, make sure he attends today’s meeting?” You questioned, turning over the metal key in your hand. 

“If Boss isn’t up, can you make sure he is?” Shinobu explained. “The key is yours to keep, just make sure he doesn’t miss any more meetings.”

“Uhm…” You looked down at the key for another minute before responding to Shinobu. “Yes, Ma’am.”

“Great.” She responded, immediately switching her focus to another task as she poured over papers on her desk.

You immediately walked over to Itto’s house, nervous about the huge level of trust Kuki Shinobu must have in you to be giving you Itto’s house key.

‘Just make sure he doesn’t miss any more meetings.’

Shinobu’s words echoed in your head as you reached his front door. Afraid of invading your Boss’s privacy, you thought it would be best to knock first. You gave three loud raps on the door, and almost immediately a voice called from inside.

“Come in, the door’s open!” Itto’s voice came from inside. You turned the doorknob, thankful that you didn’t need to use the key that still sat in your back pocket. “I usually leave it unlocked in case anyone wants to stop by!”

“Uhm, is that safe, Mr. Arataki?” You asked, following the sound of his voice and clattering pots and pans to his kitchen. There he was, cooking up a storm. His jacket hung on the back of a chair at his dining table, an apron tied around his waist instead.

“Mr. Arataki? Are you calling me a Mister?” Itto asked, looking up from the stovetop where he seemed to be cooking something. He paused for a moment, then the realization dawned that you were referring to him. “Oh, of course! It must be because I'm the best.”

You laughed, now completely acclimated to Itto’s unusual personality.

“Yes, uhm, Miss Kuki sent me here because you have an important meeting soon,”

“Oh yeah, yeah! Of course, I totally do have a meeting!” Itto waved the cooking spoon he held in his hand. “Uhm, I’m sure they won’t mind if I’m a little late. I made breakfast, after all!”

You glanced over at the mess of pots and pans, only to see two beautifully decorated dishes of Yakisoba bread. 

“Here, sit down and have a plate, I’m sure you’ll love it!” Itto untied his apron, showing off his toned back as he reached for the two plates and carried them over to the table. “I call it ‘way of the strong’, it’s the perfect breakfast for champions!”

“You made two servings?” You questioned, staring at the beautiful dish he set down in front of you.

“Uhh, I had extra ingredients, so I thought I should make it all!” Itto responded awkwardly as he settled into the chair beside you. He didn’t want to tell you that he normally ate both servings whenever he cooked himself breakfast.

 Without even realizing it, your mouth began to water as you smelled the delicious meal.

“Go ahead, dig in!” Itto encouraged you, waiting eagerly for you to taste his cooking.

As soon as you took your first bite, you began to scarf down the meal as if you hadn’t eaten for a week. The food was delicious. Given Itto’s stupidity he had demonstrated over and over throughout your time working for him, he was somehow an amazing cook, and this fact blew you away.

“Mmmm!” You smiled, your eyes lighting up as you devoured his food.

A smile grew across Itto’s face, despite still chewing on a mouthful of food.

“See, it’s definitely worth being late!” Itto spoke before he swallowed his food, making his words come out muffled.

“Mhm.” You nodded enthusiastically, your mouth also full of food.

~~~

For the next several weeks, you began to form a habit of visiting Itto in the mornings. He was almost always cooking something, and somehow always had extras he insisted you should try. Over time you began to realize being Itto’s assistant wasn’t actually that bad… his strange personality finally began to grow on you.

However, today, you walked into Itto’s house to find it completely silent. There was no cheerful voice welcoming you inside, and no loud sounds coming from the kitchen. This was actually the case for the past couple of days… You would have to find your way up to the bedroom and bang on the door until you heard Itto shout from inside that he was awake.

“Mr. Arataki, you have a meeting soon, please wake up!” You called.

Almost immediately, you heard a loud groan come from the other side of the door.

“I’m up!” Itto’s voice was gravelly, thick with sleep.

This morning routine was far less fun than before. Not to mention, you would have to wait for several minutes before Itto finally emerged from his bedroom, disheveled, hair messy and eyes tired.

“Didn’t sleep well again?” You asked as your gaze scanned down Itto’s body, eyes lingering on the dark circles that grew beneath the Oni’s eyes.

“Y-yeah, I think I didn’t get much sleep.” Itto responded groggily, rubbing his eyes as he followed you out of his house and down the path towards the gang’s meeting room.

“I’ll bring you some Chamomile tea, it normally helps me a lot!” You responded cheerfully.

“Oh, thank you!” Itto gave you a slight smile, but began to pick his pace up. “We’re not too late, are we?”

“I’m sure we’re fine, don’t worry Mr. Arataki.”

~~~

The meeting seemed to begin just fine, although Itto definitely looked more tired and dazed than before. As Shinobu talked through the important details for the week ahead, you raised your arm to ask a question.

“Ms Kuki, will Mr. Arataki be helping-”  an abrupt bang interrupted your sentence. You nearly fell out of your seat as you jumped from the noise, but looked over to see that it was Itto who had slammed his hands onto the table all of a sudden. He shot up from his chair then bolted for the door, something seeming to be on his mind. 

“Boss?” Shinobu spoke, but Itto was long gone. She sighed as she turned towards you. “Can you go after him and make sure he’s fine?”

“Is it normal for him to act like this?” You questioned. You had noticed that his personality had begun to change recently, but today was completely different than before.

“Actually, we’ve never seen him like this before…” Shinobu responded. “Would you be able to find out what’s going on?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” you stood from the table and bowed before leaving the meeting room and searching for Itto.

You ran down the dirt path, scanning for Itto’s head of messy white hair. You managed to spot him on the path that led to his house, so you picked up the pace and called out to him.

“Mr. Arataki, are you okay?”

Itto seemed to bristle at the sound of your voice, immediately picking up the pace. You began to speed up as well, running after him since you didn’t know what was wrong.

“We just want to know if everything is alright!” You exclaimed, chasing after the Oni who only seemed to pick up his pace even more. Since Itto towered above most people at a shocking seven feet tall, his strides were far longer than yours which made it extremely difficult to keep up. You were a fast runner, but you didn’t know how much longer you could keep this up for.

Before you knew it, you were following Itto up his front steps and into his house. You raced up the stairs after him and watched him run into his bedroom.

Before you had the chance to reach his bedroom door, Itto slammed it shut, the hinges rattling violently against the doorframe.

“Sorry, door!” Itto shouted from inside.

“Is everything okay, Mr. Arataki?” You became more worried as you heard a pained groan from his bedroom.

“Uhhh, I’m fine, I just uhm… forgot to feed my Onikabuto that’s all!” Itto shouted awkwardly, as you heard shuffling and rattling coming from inside his bedroom. You heard the fluttering of bedsheets and the creaking of his bed, and wondered what on Teyvat Itto could be up to in there.

“Oh… Okay, if you’re alright, I’ll just head back then.” You spoke through the closed door, somehow feeling a little unsettled despite Itto’s insistence that he was alright.

The walk back felt strange. As soon as you walked back into the meeting room, everyone’s eyes were on you. Several people accosted you with questions too quickly for you to answer them.

“Is boss okay?”

“I’ve never seen him run out of a meeting like that before!”

“He looked upset!”

“Calm down, everyone, let Y/N speak.” Shinobu interrupted the group. Everyone fell silent as they looked at you, eagerly awaiting your explanation.

“I think Mr. Arataki hasn’t had enough sleep, so he forgot to feed his Onikabuto.” You explained.

“Oh, of course!”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“No, not his prized Onikabuto!”

“I’m glad he’s alright!”

Chatter began to fill the room as the tension instantly dissolved at your explanation. The gang members returned to their own conversations, but Shinobu seemed skeptical of your explanation.

“Boss normally sleeps like a baby.” She told you, “There’s probably a reason why he’s not sleeping well. Can you make sure he’s alright? I’ll treat the both of you to Ramen tonight.”

“O-okay, I’ll check on him later.” You responded, a little unsure about how you’d manage to get Itto to leave his room again.

~~~

Now that the sun was sinking lower in the sky, you approached the front door to Itto’s house once again. You needed to get your boss out of the house and make sure he was alright, and you were certain the prospect of Ramen would coerce Itto out of his bedroom easily.

However, as you turned the doorknob to his house, you realized it was actually locked.

In all your weeks of coming over to Itto’s house, his door was always unlocked. He never seemed to care about his own safety, but you figured it was since pretty much no petty criminal or monster had a chance of beating the 7-foot tall Oni stacked with muscle. Not to mention, your boss had very few material possessions – and the ones he actually cared about were his Onikabuto and trading cards.

For the first time, you reached into your pocket and pulled out the house key Shinobu had given you. You unlocked the front door, quietly swinging it open as you stepped inside.

You wondered why the door was locked… peering into the house, everything seemed to be in the same position as always. You crept through the hallway and back up the stairs, noticing Itto’s bedroom door was also closed, meaning he must be inside since Itto never closed doors behind him whenever he would leave.

You knocked on the door gently, calling out to your boss.

“Shinobu says she’ll treat us both to ramen, but only if you get out of bed!” You spoke loudly, reaching over to open the door. You stepped into Itto’s room, only to find that the place was far messier than you had ever seen before. There were feathers and torn pieces of fabric on the floor, evidently the remnants of what was once a pillow. Itto’s jacket was thrown haphazardly on the floor, alongside his gloves and bracelets. His purple shirt had also been thrown across the room, hanging over the windowsill that showed the setting sun outside. But what was likely the most striking difference was the rather large hole in the far wall, that looked like someone had simply punched through the wooden boards of the Inazuman home.

You disregarded this, instead striding over to the mountain of blankets on top of Itto’s bed. You could tell he was in there – one of his horns had poked a hole through the blanket. 

“Come on, Mr. Arataki, get out of bed!” You reached towards the blankets, hearing him whine from under the covers.

“I don’t wanna…” He complained, grabbing the edge of his blanket and pulling it tighter around him.

You sighed, fed up with his unusual behavior. 

“Fine, then. I’ll just drag you out of bed myself.” You grabbed onto Itto’s wrist, yanking him away from the bed with all your might. You weren’t weak, but Itto was a huge Oni, and it took all your strength just to slide him off the bed.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Itto shouted as he slipped off of the bed, arms flailing and knocking you off balance. “Stop, Y/N!”

You stumbled backwards, caught off balance by Itto’s sudden movements. You fell backwards onto the floor, followed by the Oni who landed on top of you with a loud crash.

You squeezed your eyes shut, expecting to be crushed by Itto’s heavy body, but he somehow managed to land with his hands and knees on either side of your body, catching his torso before it could fall on top of yours.

“Hey!” You blurted out, looking up at Itto’s face that burned bright red. He seemed to be out of breath, his chest heaving as he stared back down at you.

“A-ah I- I’m sorry!” Itto stuttered, his face reddening further. “I- I- don’t know what’s going on-”

That’s when you could feel it.

Something inside his pants was pressing against your thigh, and it was definitely not his leg. It twitched slightly, and Itto let out a whimper at the same time. Your eyes went wide as you realized you were feeling his dick.

Itto saw the look on your face, and his gaze immediately shifted to the floor.

“I- I’m sorry, normally this just happens when I need to pee in the mornings but now it’s happening all the time and for some reason I can’t pee it’s so bad it hurts and I can’t get it to go down I don’t know what to do or how to stop it from hurting it’s making me go crazy and sometimes I can’t even think at all it hurts so bad-”

Your jaw dropped open as you realized what Itto was saying through his nervous mumbling.

“A Rut…” You murmured, glancing around his room. It all made sense now.

“A what?” Itto questioned, his voice cracking.

“I think you’re in a rut.” You stated matter-of-factly. “Have you ever had this before? How long have you been feeling like this?”

“N-no, never! It’s been like this for almost a week… but it’s getting worse and worse I don’t know what to do-”

“A week?! And you… don’t know what to do?” You raised an eyebrow at Itto’s explanation. Firstly, from what little you knew about the subject, you understood that only a few unsatiated days would drive anyone in a state like his insane. But secondly, Itto sounded like he had no idea what was even going on with his body. “Like, you don’t know what to do when your dick is hard?”

“What do you mean? You’re supposed to wait until it goes away.” Itto spoke bluntly, and you stared up at him in disbelief.

“Mr. Arataki, do you really think it’s gonna go away this time if you just wait?” You felt his member pulse against your leg.

“N-not when you say my name like that,” Itto whined, “I don’t know why it keeps making it worse.”

You began to blush fiercely at his statement. Itto hung his head, groaning from the pain he was subjecting himself to. Did he really enjoy the way you said his name like that… all this time?

And… Why were you happy he liked it that much?

You opened your mouth to speak, but you suddenly became flustered as you thought about what you were going to say.

“Boss…” you called, and Itto’s ruby gaze lifted to meet yours. “Do you want me to help you? I can show you how to uhm…” Your gaze traveled to his dick that was straining against his pants. “Help it.”

“Yes, please, anything to help me!” Itto nearly cried with desperation as he begged.

“Are you sure?” you asked, your tone serious. “You have to be sure.”

“I’m sure, please Y/N, I’m completely sure!”

At his confirmation, you rubbed your leg against Itto’s painfully hard member. A pleasure-filled whine escaped his lips, surprising the both of you and sending heat straight to your core.

“W-why does it feel so good,” Itto groaned, gasping as you began to rub your leg back and forth.

“You’re telling me that you’ve never jerked yourself off before?” You asked bluntly.

“N-no, touching it is inappropriate!” Itto cried, realizing that what you were doing to him was dirty. “B-but why does it feel so good?”

“If you want me to stop, tell me.” You stated frankly, your thigh continuing to stroke him through his pants.

“N-no…” Itto murmured, squeezing his eyes shut and dropping his head. “Keep going…”

“Okay.” You hooked your fingers around his collar, dragging his head down so your lips could meet his.

“Mmh!” Itto groaned, his dick twitching against your thigh as his lips mashed against yours. Your lips caught on one of his sharp canines, eliciting a moan from yourself.

Itto had no clue what he was doing. He knew that people kissed, but he didn’t know it was anything more than putting your lips on top of someone else’s. So when your tongue slipped past his lips and began to roam his mouth, his arms began to shake.

Itto tried his best not to fall over as he moved his arms to rest his elbows on either side of your head. He was glad he did it when you began to slide one hand down his stomach until it reached his waistband. He felt like he was going to fall over as he felt you fumble with his belt. Somehow you managed to undo it while also exploring his mouth with your tongue.

Itto let out a low-pitched moan as he felt your hand slip into his pants, your cold fingers sliding down and wrapping around his cock. Itto seemed to malfunction as you stroked up and down his length. He broke from the kiss, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes as he moaned.

“Haah… o-oh my…shit Y/N, it’s so go~od…”

“Too good?” You asked, loosening your grip and slowing your movements.

“N-no!!” Itto snapped his head up to look at you, his eyes filled with fear of the possibility of you stopping whatever magic you were doing to him. “Keep- keep going…please…” Itto trailed off into a whisper, but was swiftly cut off with a loud gasp as you touched him again, beginning to push his hips into your hand almost instinctively.

“Okay, follow my lead.” You began to sit up, pushing Itto until he was sitting upright on the floor with his back against his bed frame. You began to loosen his belt, unzipping his pants and carefully freeing his member. No matter how careful you were, once it escaped his pants it slapped against his stomach, eliciting yet another hitched breath from the poor Oni’s mouth.

You stared at what you had just released – you could feel its large size from when you held it inside his pants, but only now were you able to see the red markings that wove its way from his lower stomach down to the tip of his angry, hard, and already leaking cock. You had never seen an Oni’s manhood before… despite the intimidating size, it was beautiful.

“Ngh…” Itto groaned as you closed your hand around him, stroking up and down his length. “...Feels so good…”

You trailed your gaze up to Itto’s face, where he was struggling between eagerly watching your movements with his eyes, and shutting them to fall fully into the incredible sensation. Itto’s half-lidded crimson eyes met with yours as you continued, your hand gripping tighter and pumping faster. You could feel his dick twitch as he panted from the pleasure.

“So, this is what you do when it gets this way.” You spoke calmly, ignoring the wetness that grew in your own underwear.

“Aahh…” Itto gasped, “Why did nobody tell me this?”

“It’s something you should really figure out on your own, dumbass.” You smirked as you shifted in your seat. You pressed your thighs together, trying not to reveal that you were also getting turned on.

Itto groaned louder, leaning his head backwards to rest on top of his bed. You could feel his dick pulsating harder… The Oni squeezed his eyes shut, panting harder, confused about this new feeling that seemed to send stars into his vision.

“S-something’s happening, w-wait- FUCK!” Itto exclaimed, his chest shuddering as he felt something build up in his lower abdomen. It was good – almost too good. He dug his fingernails into the wooden floor, leaving deep scratches with his sharp nails.

“It’s okay, let it happen.” You spoke soothingly, giving a couple fast pumps before Itto climaxed into your hand. 

Thick and hot ropes of white burst from Itto’s swollen cock, the member twitching and throbbing like nothing the poor Oni had ever experienced before. He moaned, his voice quivering, tears pricking at his eyes from the intense pleasure.

It took him several seconds to regain his senses; you tried not to touch his overly-sensitive member as cum continued to spill from it in short spurts. It was a surprisingly large amount; but then again, Itto wasn’t exactly human.

“A-ah, I’m sorry…” Itto whimpered as he picked his head up to meet your eyes. “I don’t know what that was…”

“It’s called an orgasm, and this is cum.” You spoke, holding up your hand covered in white. “It’s a normal thing for… adults to do.”

“An orgasm?” Itto spoke in disbelief. “It felt like I died and went to heaven.”

You laughed. “That’s what orgasms feel like, dummy.”

“I wanna do it again.” Itto spoke, and that’s when you noticed his ruby eyes still half-lidded with desire. “Holy shit… You smell so good… how did I not notice it before..?”

Your thighs squeezed together at Itto’s statement.

“Wh- I smell good?” You stuttered, your eyes drifting down to his cock that was still standing completely erect. He began to push himself away from the bed to lean closer to you, dipping his head down to your neck to take a deep breath in.

“I don’t know what it is…” Itto murmured, “you smell like, really good.”

Your eyes widened as you looked down at your lap. You realized he could smell your arousal.

“Please, can you keep going?” Itto’s voice was barely more than a whisper, but his pleas sent heat straight to your core.

“I suppose…” You trailed off, staring down at his still-swollen manhood. “I could show you something more.”

“More?” Itto asked, bringing his head back to look you in the eyes. “There’s more?”

You laughed, still in shock that Itto, one of the hottest men you’ve ever seen, could be this clueless when it came to sex.

“Yes, of course there’s more. There’s endless things you can do when it comes to sex.”

“Sex? Like the bad word?” Itto questioned.

“Yes, this is what it means.” You responded, surprised by your ability to remain stoic. You wrapped your hand back around his cock, stroking Itto with his own climax.

“Ahh, it feels even better-” Itto whined, “Why does it feel even better-”

“Because now it’s wet.” You spoke plainly, listening to the squelching noises you made with your hand. 

“Nghh…” Itto began to shift his hips, trying to buck into your hand.

“Tsk tsk,” you released your grip. “Stay still. Let me guide you.”

“O-okay,” Itto agreed, settling back onto the floor so you could continue stroking him. You used your free hand to fumble with the bottom half of your clothing, undoing your buttons and buckles. As you began to peel off your clothes one-handedly, the smell of your arousal hit him like a truck.

“W-what are you doing?” Itto whined, staring at the skin of your upper thighs that you had revealed.

“I think this might feel a lot better for you.” You spoke. “Do you want to try putting it inside me?”

“Wait, wait.” Itto’s eyes widened. “It’s not gonna hurt you, is it?”

“Not if we do it slowly.” You responded, taking your hand off of Itto’s member to slide your undergarments off of your legs.

Itto held back a whimper as you crawled closer to him – he could feel the heat radiating off of your skin and smell the salty-sweet scent of your arousal. You began to straddle his hips, lowering your core until your lips met the tip of his leaking cock.

“Now tell me if you want to stop.” You spoke, surprising yourself with how calm you were acting. Ever since you saw his manhood, you had wanted it inside of you. You craved it so badly, you didn’t know if you’d be able to hold back if he told you no.

Itto nodded, staring down at your bare legs, digging his nails into the wooden floor even more to avoid digging them into the plush of your thighs. He didn’t know where these aggressive, lewd, lustful thoughts were coming from – but he couldn’t stop them.

“Ah-!” Itto’s eyes went wide as you began to sink down onto his dick. You were so hot, so wet, and you squeezed him like nothing else as your pussy slowly began to stretch around his length.

You let out the faintest whimper at the stretching sensation, not used to anything near his size. It bordered on painful, but you were so turned on that you had to stop yourself from pushing too far too soon. Itto’s ears pricked at the sound, the sensation going straight to his erection.

“A- are you okay?” Itto groaned, trying his best to remain calm as you sank down onto him.

“Y-yeah, it feels good.” You blushed, sinking slightly further down. It already felt like he was filling you completely, but you knew you weren’t even halfway down his length.

Itto stared down at his dick, watching you swallow more and more of it as you sank down. It was so warm, so wet, he thought he might already orgasm again.

You felt like you couldn’t fit any more of him in despite only having half of his length inside you – you felt too full, and it was getting difficult to continue to slide down over the widest part in the middle of his shaft. You decided to stop there, shifting your legs to kneel comfortably on the floor. You began to move back up, until only the tip remained inside. Itto watched you, his ruby eyes fixed on your heat, staring at the strings of slick you left behind on him. What he didn’t expect, however, was for you to start moving up and down on him.

“Hnn, ahh,” Itto panted, pleasure building up all too fast from how you moved, making him enter you over and over again. It felt like he was being swallowed up by the heat radiating from your pussy.

You began to move faster, bouncing off of your heels to keep up your momentum. Itto’s pants turned into moans and whines as he gripped onto the bed frame behind him in an attempt to avoid bucking his hips up into you. You had told him to stay still, and he would do his best to stay still.

You could feel your own climax begin to build as you moved – it got harder and harder to keep up your pace, your head clouding with lust from the sensation of being stretched and filled over and over. Your legs began to shake as you tried to continue, your stamina running low, pleasure beginning to take over your body.

“Ah, it’s gonna happen again-” Itto whimpered, the corners of his eyes wrinkling as he struggled to maintain his composure. Itto’s desperation made you smirk. You didn’t realize you could have such a huge and strong Oni quivering so helplessly below you. Trying your best to keep moving, you bounced over and over until you couldn’t suppress your own moans anymore.

With a cry, Itto’s hands flew up to your thighs, his nails biting into the fat of your thighs. He couldn’t help it anymore; he came hard, his cock pulsating as it unloaded inside of you.

You could feel the warmth spreading inside you. His load was huge; it made you shudder, pushing you further towards your own climax.

“Ahh- Mr. Arataki, not inside…” You whined, realizing that you probably should have told him to not finish inside of you. But for some reason, you found it pleasurable – you enjoyed the sensation of his hot release filling you.

“A-ah, I’m sorry!” Itto’s eyes grew wide as his face turned bright red, his grip loosening as he began to lift you up and off of him.

“I-it’s okay.” You spoke, whimpering at the empty sensation he left inside you, “It’s already done.” You moved your hands to cover Itto’s that were placed on your thighs.

“O-oh,” Itto murmured, “that’s good, because I don’t wanna stop just yet…” He lifted his hips slightly, pushing back inside of you.

“Aah, again?” You gasped at the sensation of being filled again.

“O-only if you want to!” Itto stopped moving, his gaze snapping to meet yours, worried that he was hurting or upsetting you. You began to chuckle. You haven’t orgasmed yet, but you were close, and Itto’s hesitation was beginning to drive you crazy.

“Of course I want to continue, dumbass.”

“Oh, o-okay!” Itto nodded, “C-can I move, this time?”

“Yes!” You exclaimed a little too loudly as you collapsed and rested all your weight onto Itto’s hips. With the load of cum inside you and the sex you just had, you were able to slide slightly lower down Itto’s length.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Itto asked, worried about the way you seemed to squirm on his dick.

“Yes, I’m fine…” You spoke, staring at him through half-lidded eyes. “It feels really good for me too.”

“O-okay. I’ll try to go slow…” Itto could feel himself twitch inside of you at the sound of your voice. The way you told him it felt good turned him on far too much. He wanted to move so desperately, to just go wild and pummel into you like you were a ragdoll. However, he knew he would only hurt you if he did that. And so, with as much restraint as he could muster, he slowly pushed his hips up into you and then back out.

“If you keep up a rhythm like I did, it feels goo-” You were caught off guard as Itto picked up his pace to match what you had done before. “-aah~”

You closed your eyes, the pleasure stealing away your vision. As Itto began to thrust deeper and deeper into you, he began to reach a part of you that you never thought existed. The pleasure built up in your core and made you feel like you could pass out. You had finally taken in all of him, the Oni bottoming out with each thrust, his inhuman size completely filling you.

You lost control of your speech – gasps and moans left your mouth that you would be humiliated of in any other situation. Yet somehow, Itto found the noises you made so enticing… he didn’t know why, but it felt like you were urging him on to go faster and faster.

“Hng! A-ahn, hahh~” You couldn’t focus on anything as Itto continued his rhythm. He squeezed your thighs harder, his hips slapping against the plush of your ass with each thrust. He looked down, watching himself enter you over and over, eyeing the strings of cum that slipped out of you and began to make a mess on his pants and the floor.

“F-fuck, Y/N-” Itto gasped, “You’re so…”

You could feel your own climax encroaching, and you began to lose control over your balance. You didn’t know why… but your hands flew up to grab onto the horns on his head.

“-Aah, fuck!” Itto cried, not knowing why his horns were so sensitive – or why they felt so good when you held onto them. He tried his best to continue at the pace he started but everything you did seemed to push him to just let loose.

The pressure in your core, the snap of Itto’s hips against your ass, and the iron grip of his hands on your thighs sent you over the edge. You wailed as you came hard, your walls convulsing around his cock like nothing you felt before.

“Fuckfuckfuck Y/N you’re squeezing me too hard-” Itto cried, gasping at the sudden tightness around him. He couldn’t move anymore; your orgasm was constricting him too much. He fell still, resting your hips on top of his own. In the throes of your orgasm, you had finally been able to take all of him, now settling down at the bottom of his shaft. You felt like all your energy was gone as you slumped forwards against Itto’s chest.

“Ahn, Itto… so good…” You hummed, resting your head against his soft chest, almost forgetting that you were still inside him and that he was still very turned on. Your grip around the Oni’s horns loosened, your arms falling down to your sides.

“W-wait what happened, are you alright?” Itto asked, his voice reverberating through his chest as he spoke, his ruby eyes scanning over your body to see if anything was wrong. 

“No, ‘m fine…” You murmured. “Just had an orgasm too…”

“Oh-” Itto’s mouth formed an o-shape, his eyes widening as he realized what had just happened. “D-does it feel good for you too?”

“So good…” You hummed, your head resting on his chest.

Itto released his grip on your thighs, wrapping his arms around your torso and carefully standing up while still inside you. He turned carefully and set you down on the bed, trying his best not to hurt you in the process.

“Can I… continue?” Itto asked, and you gazed up at the Oni who stood above you. You nodded, and he slowly began to pull out of you. 

An empty feeling began to take over you as you watched him pull his entire length out of you. It was coated in a thick and white mixture of his cum and yours, but you realized something that shocked you – he seemed to be even bigger than before, despite cumming twice already. On top of that, he seemed to be all too eager to continue, making you wonder just what kind of libido an Oni might have while in his rut.

“You smell… so good…” Itto began to bend down, his head dipping between your legs as he smelled your leaking cunt.

“A-ah, Itto, not there-” Your sentence was cut off by a moan as you felt his wet tongue slide across your entrance. Itto licked a strip up your lips, gathering the mixture of climaxes in his mouth, the taste and smell going straight to his head.

“H-hey!” You grabbed both of his horns, pulling his head away from your pussy. When you saw the slick running down his chin and the lust in his eyes you realized the smell of sex must be some sort of aphrodisiac for him.

“I want more…” The white-haired Oni whined, sending a fierce blush across your face and turning you on again.

“Me too…” you responded, beginning to get up from where you laid on the bed. You rolled over and got onto all fours, showing Itto a new view of your entrance. You reached one hand back, fingers probing gently at your entrance, putting yourself on display for him. “Here, you can put it-”

Itto didn’t seem to need instruction. He pressed his engorged cock into you again, the sensation of being speared open by something so huge cutting off your sentence with a gasp. He wasted no time pressing further, fully sheathing himself inside of you within seconds. 

“Ahn, Itto~” You moaned, shocked that you could take something his size just like that. “S-so big…”

As Itto began to move, attempting to replicate the same pace as before, you felt fuller and fuller. He hadn’t been moving for long when you realized your arms and legs were already shaking. His hands subconsciously went to your hips, and you were thankful for the support as you leaned into his grip.

Itto’s hips began to make noise as they snapped against your ass, the skin-on-skin slapping growing wetter and wetter. Somehow, despite being completely inexperienced, Itto was excellent at holding his pace – so excellent that you couldn’t maintain your composure. As he fucked into you, your arms failed. You fell face-first onto his bed, your shoulders and chest resting on the soft mattress. Your back was now arched as Itto continued to hold your hips in the same place before.

You let out a garbled moan as Itto lifted your hips and pulled you backwards, your legs now dangling off the side of the bed so he could enter you more easily. Your ass was now facing the ceiling; this angle made your eyes roll back in your head.

Your head was so clouded with lust that you couldn’t spare a thought to wonder how Itto could do this with no experience whatsoever; neither of you knew just how much his Oni instincts were taking over. He relentlessly pounded into you again and again, losing all restraint. It felt so good. The sounds of skin slapping on skin, the wet sounds of his cock bullying into your pussy, and your moans mixed together into a lewd symphony inside his head that made him want to keep going and going.

Itto panted as he neared another climax, completely unaware that he was pushing you towards yours as well. You wailed, the sensation of being filled to the brim over and over sending stars into your vision. He had begun to thrust harder; the impact of his hips against your ass would send you flying if it wasn’t for his iron grip on your upper thighs.

As Itto reached the precipice of orgasm, you could feel him swell. The Oni moved his hands, using one arm to hook under your hips as he planted his other palm on the mattress beside your head. His movements fell still as he bent down and placed his lips against the nape of your neck. You felt a sharp pinch – Itto had bitten into your delicate skin, his fangs drawing blood. At the same time, however, you felt his cock swell and twitch as something warm spread inside you; he had bitten you at the same time that he came.

His lips remained planted firmly on your neck, eliciting a moan of both pain and pleasure from you. After a few moments, Itto began to move again, stirring the cum inside of you. You whimpered at the feeling, surprised at how animalistic he was acting.

Itto released you, leaning back and slowly removing his length from you. You could feel a thick liquid leaking out of your entrance and hear it dripping onto the mattress, as Itto finally set you down on the bed and rolled you over onto your back.

You stared up at the Oni, noticing the red tinge to his lips that you could only guess was your own blood. His hair was even more unruly than normal, and his expression was glazed over with desire. He didn’t utter a single word as he grabbed your thighs once again, the sharp edges of his nails digging painfully into your flesh.

He pushed your thighs up and against your chest, exposing your abused entrance yet again. You glanced down at Itto’s member – it was even bigger than before, particularly towards the middle. 

“Hahhh- Itto, will that even fi-” You were cut off again as he bullied his way into your cunt, filling you completely, hitting a very different spot inside of you. “Ahn, Itto!”

You didn’t have any time to adjust to the new, better feeling. His thrusts were fast, needy, hard. He pummeled into you relentlessly, pressing your knees into your chest harder, his nails digging into the fat of your thighs. Your moans began to turn into screams of pleasure. You’ve never felt this way before – and never expected to feel this way from someone who was a complete virgin. Your body shook as his hips snapped against your ass, the movements needy and hungry.

“Itto~ Aah!” You cried, tears welling up in your eyes from the overstimulation. You came hard, almost too hard for you to handle, the avalanche of pleasure combined with Itto’s unrelenting movements forcing fat tears to roll down your face as you wailed. Your walls clenched around him, but he continued pummeling into you without any indication of stopping.

There was something feral about the way Itto moved, his grunts as he thrusted, the wild look in his eyes. You had never seen someone with this kind of stamina, with this kind of animalistic desire. You gasped as you felt him grow even larger, a bulge beginning to grow at the base of his length, stretching you further as it popped in and out of you wetly. It grew bigger until it became stuck inside you, Itto no longer being able to pull his engorged cock out of your abused pussy. You were stretched so tightly around it that nothing escaped, even his final release.

Itto groaned as he came and his movements finally fell still. He collapsed on top of you, his arms landing on either side of your body to prevent his weight from crushing you. He unloaded a final time inside of you, his member twitching as hot ropes of cum painted your insides, this time trapped inside of you by the huge knot at the base.

“Hahhh… ‘m so tired…” Itto sighed, his hot breath blowing across your neck. He buried his face into the nape of your neck where he had bitten you, pressing his lips gently against the bleeding bite mark.

“W-what was that,” You murmured, staring up at the ceiling as you finally came down from your high..

“Dunno…” Itto mumbled, “but now I can’t pull it out… ‘n I’m sleepy…”

The Oni relaxed and you felt more of his weight shift on top of you. His breathing became more even, and it sounded to you like he had just fallen asleep.

“I-Itto?” You whispered, looking to the side to see his eyes peacefully closed.

It was weirdly characteristic of your boss to pass out on top of you after fucking you silly.

You smiled to yourself, finally closing your eyes as well.

‘I suppose I’ll have to apologize to Miss Kuki tomorrow…’ You thought to yourself as you drifted off.

~~~

The next morning, you woke up in a different position. You were underneath heaps of blankets, wrapped in something very soft and warm. You opened your eyes to see that you were inside Itto’s (pretty much destroyed) bedroom. The clothes you were wearing – if you could call it that – were hanging off of you like rags. You didn’t realize the sex you had the previous evening was that crazy. There were bite marks and scratches that littered what skin was visible above the blankets, and you dreaded seeing how you felt once you started walking.

You shifted in place, and heard a loud creak. you looked down to see the bed was sloped at an unusual angle, evidence that the entire bed frame had been broken. You looked around to see scraps of yours and Itto’s clothes littered across the floor. You tried sitting up to get a better look, but felt something slightly tighten around you as you moved. That was when you realized Itto was sleeping behind you, his arms wrapped around your torso, hugging you close to his chest. You turned your head to see his serene face, feeling his messy yet soft hair tickle your face and neck.

You smiled. Arataki Itto really was a good guy, no matter how dumb. You decided it was likely a good idea to slip out before he woke up, since there’d be no doubt he would feel bad for what he did to you last night if he was awake to see the state of your body. Besides, you had to somehow get home and shower before you needed to turn up for work. 

You began to shift slightly, figuring out a good angle to slip out of his grasp and inch out of bed.

“Don’t go…” Itto murmured, his voice raspy and deep from sleep. It was as if he could sense you were trying to leave, even though he wasn’t fully awake – he hadn’t even opened his eyes yet. 

“H-huh?” you stuttered, confused. You believed you were only there to help him with his… unique problem. So when Itto held you close the next morning, you didn’t understand why.

“I like you a lot… I've liked you since I first laid eyes on you.” Itto finally opened his eyes, giving you a soft smile. Your gaze traveled up to meet his sleepy ruby eyes.

“You mean when I stopped you from eating beans?” You scoffed, but you couldn’t stop the smile that grew across your face.

“Yeah, you saved my life! How could I not fall head over heels for you?”

“You do realize that I’d already been working for you for like… three weeks when that happened.” You quipped.

“Hey, that was the first time I noticed you!” Itto whined, and you never expected to say the words that came out of your mouth next.

“Well, I’m glad you finally noticed me.” You moved one hand up to run your fingers through his unruly hair. “And I like you too.”

You laid a sweet peck on his forehead then retreated back under the covers, nuzzling your face into Itto’s chest and closing your eyes again. Work could wait.

~~~

Bonus: The Previous Night

Kuki Shinobu hadn’t heard from you in a couple hours. It was beginning to get dark, and she wondered if you had given up on trying to get Itto to leave his room. She decided to turn up at his house and check to see if he was still there.

As she approached the house, she could hear strange sounds coming from the upstairs window that happened to be completely open. Itto’s purple undershirt was hanging out of the window, and a dim light came from inside… Shinobu knew that meant Itto must be at home. However, as she got closer, she could hear someone else inside.

“Ahn, Itto~”

That sounded like your voice… she wondered why you would still be at his house, when you told her you would go fetch Itto hours ago. However, your voice sounded a little unusual.

“S-so big…” Your voice sounded more like a moan, and Shinobu’s eyes went round with shock as she heard Itto speak next.

“A-ah, Y/N you feel so good!”

Shinobu had to slap a hand over her mouth to stop her from making a noise of death. She spun on her heels and ran away, completely scarred by what she just heard her boss exclaim.

‘Well, at least I know Boss is alright now…’ She thought to herself, nauseated at the thought of what he and you were likely doing right now.

[astrology-by-sita]

ON CANCER RISINGS ♋️

This is a part of series on the rising signs, not necessarily in Zodiacal order.

So this is something I have pondered about. Cancer placements - since they're ruled by the moon - represent the 3 faces of the Moon Goddess : Maiden, Mother and D*eath-crone. Cancers might suffer mood swings and anger issues etc because they remain stuck in one of these phases, mostly the Mother.

Also it's independent of gender - Maiden, Mother etc are just energies, or attitudes. And it has nothing to do with age either. Again it's just an energy. Some are old and still stuck in the Mother phase while other younger cancers have already embodied the Crone.

Maiden : Cancers have Leo in the 2nd house of values. The maiden is free spirited and curious. She gives value to creativity and self expression. She wants to discover the world and explore everything. She doesn't want to remain stuck in her family's house or confined between four walls.

The Maiden wants to go out and have fun and fall in love. The maiden does not want to be tied down by familial obligations, so she isn't about nurturing or maternal energy. The spirit of youth is the Maiden, the eternal spring where playfulness and fun take over.

The Mother : Cancers have Scorpio 5h. When does the Maiden transform (Scorpio)? You guessed it - when she becomes a Mother (5h of children). It doesn't have to do with biological motherhood or procreation. 5h is also falling in love - anything that's close to your heart and you love passionately. It can be children, partner, property, house, money, etc...

Once cancers stop being the Maiden (exploring and having fun) and start to seriously care about stuff and people, they attach and refuse to detach. As the Mother clings to her children, cancers cling to anything they love and refuse to let go. They are likely to treat a loved one like their own child. They can be quiet possessive over everything they hold dear (again, Scorpio 5h).

Cancers have Sagittarius in the 6th house. The 6th house is rules and regulations which civilization sets. The routines, grind, discipline, submission, obedience, schedules, strictness, all "nitty gritty" of human daily life can contain humans but not Mother Nature. Sagittarius is an expansive sign and it can't be contained in a restraining house such as the 6th.

Mother Nature is indeed expansive, powerful and wild, natural disasters cause sudden damage to cities that humans constructed. No rule or law or restriction can contain Mother Nature because she's so powerful and does her own thing at will. No one can understand her or regulate her or control her. Even bushes start to grow over a destroyed wasteland. Nature takes over again and overcomes everything, after humans ruin stuff.

Oh, but yes, only one thing can overcome Mother Nature : Time... Saturn. Cancers have Capricorn in 7h. With time, green becomes gray, plants, trees etc d*ie out - so that new ones grow and flourish later and the cycle repeats. Interactions with other people (7h) can force Cancers to detach.

"Come on, grow the hell up" is something Cancers are likely to often hear from partners, friends, family members, and basically everyone. "Grow up" here means stop being attached to impermanent stuff which time might take away someday. Children grow up and leave the home. Partners might leave too. Money, possessions and property might go away etc...

When cancers learn to detach eventually, they become the Crone. The difference between the Mother and the Crone is that the former loves with attachement, the latter loves with detachment. The former only loves her children but the latter loves all children and everyone as her own children even if there's no bIood relation.

The Crone cares about everyone, about humanity as a whole, independently of whether they're from her family, or her tribe, or her country etc. Same as Mother Nature, She nurtures everyone, she helps them grow, and doesn't care about nationality or race.

The second transformation for cancers occurs in the actual 8th house of transformation, where they have the rational, detached Aquarius. Saturn rules the 7th as well as the 8th house, so if cancers themselves do not decide by themselves to detach and become the Crone, disappointment from interactions with other people is likely to make them detach. It's better to detach as a result of inner wisdom than disappointment from others, right?

So if you have a cancer placement, think about this. Try to find out whether you're the Maiden, Mother or Crone. Try to become the Crone. Keep in mind that it's not a linear process, you can go back and forth between those phases. But the goal is embodying the Crone.

[a-very-tired-jew]

Dropout Discord Keeps on Giving

You'd think with the server shutting down / freezing in a week or so that there would not be anything to report, but you'd be wrong.

In the past few days the current batch of users, specifically that one young Jew who believes all of us are brainwashed, have been posting some out there stuff.

I have the screen shots but at this point it can be summarized as Everyone is Brainwashed but Me still thinks their family is brainwashed and they can't be honest with them about the Truth™ without being labeled a "traitor". But they know the Truth™ that this is a Genocide and the worst thing ever and their family doesn't (remember this is someone in their early 20s). Their family gave them Noa Tishby's book to read and its full of Zionist lies and propaganda. In response another use recommended this link.

Fig. 1. User responding to Everyone is Brainwashed but Me with a video to "argue" back with.

This video features Dr. Lara Sheehi. If you don't know who that is, Dr. Sheehi has a history of antisemitic behavior and targeting of Jews in her classes. Dr. Sheehi has openly supported Hamas and her social media was the infamous Blackflaghag that posted such wonderful things as "FUCK YOU AND FUCK YOUR AID". Profiles on Dr. Sheehi repeat the same thing that much of her time as a professor was spent demonizing Jews and Israel and trying to recruit people to BDS and other causes.

She was a professor at GWU and the university's investigation "cleared" her. However, the Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation into her and suddenly she left GWU in January 2024 and is now a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in Qatar. Considering that Qatar has funneled billions of dollars into the USA collegiate system, was host to leaders of Hamas for years, and their state media acts as a mouth piece for Hamas, it's not surprising that she would end up there considering the amount of work she did for the Cause™ in the USA.

I doubt anyone will point out any of this to them, nor would they accept it as anything other than "Hasbara". Later, they tell us that they finished the book and that it's full of apartheid denial and denial that Israel is a colonial state (there's a collage of pictures in between the two comments that I won't include here).

Fig. 2. Everyone is Brainwashed but Me mentions finishing the book.

The apartheid argument is one I have seen come up a multitude of times by activists, and it makes no sense to me. Apartheid, as defined, is the discriminatory authoritarian ruling of the majority by a minority population that results in segregation based on race within a country. As many have previously established, Arab Israelis have the same rights as all other non-Arab Israelis. They are part of the government, military, businesses, and so on. If the argument is to be made that there is apartheid like laws regarding Palestinians...well that makes no sense. The Palestinian territories are their own separate entity with their own separate governments, laws, and structures. Meaning, Palestinians entering Israel from Gaza or the WB are foreign nationals, they will of course be subject to different laws. In fact, every country has a set of laws for foreign nationals that differ in some capacity from the laws that govern their civilians. So we either have the Palestinian territories actually being a part of Israel in the mind of activists, which only area C could be considered this, or they're separate entities entirely. Area C gets into a whole realm of murky politicking that is outside of my realm of expertise, but it's the only place where I can see this argument hold any weight (and yes, the settlement stuff is bullshit and the military laws get into a whole weird realm of things, I'm well aware of this). However, I have yet to encounter any Western Activists acknowledging the complexity of Area C and the international laws and regulations regarding it, let alone the average activist even knowing the difference between the Areas, Israel, and Palestinian territories. Now, I have seen the lack of a right of return for Palestinians be used as an argument that Israel is an apartheid state. And again, I have to ask how? This type of law is not characteristic of apartheid as we know and define it. But again, if we get into this territory then what happens? Do they become Israelis or are they Palestinian citizens? What laws are they subject to? If they're foreign nationals living in Israel due to a right of return then they have different laws that adhere to them, which is not part of an apartheid system. If they become Israeli citizens then they have all the rights given to them as citizens. Neither of these support the claim. Simply put, they insist Israel is an apartheid state and when you mention any form of the above they call you a racist spreading propaganda and then shut down any meaningful discussion (in Dropout's case they kick you from the server for pointing out how wrong they are about things). We have a clear definition of what apartheid means and what practices are involved, but like "genocide" it seems that this definition has gone out the window and is now defined as anything people want it to be. As for the colonial state argument, who is Israel a colony of? And don't say the USA or the UK, that would mean that they send resources back to those countries, are taxed by them, their government is controlled in every capacity by them, and so much more. Considering anti-Zionists like to say the USA's government is controlled by Israel, it's quite contradictory. It appears that so much of the Western Activist's antisemitism anti-Zionism is couched within just believing everything Jews Israelis Zionists say is lies while openly believing a terrorist organization's narrative (an organization that I, once again, need remind everyone is on record saying they would manipulate Westerns into believing their narrative regardless of its veracity).

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The Chronicle Herald :: Michael de Adder :: @deAdder

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

July 28, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Jul 29, 2024

Just a week ago, it seems, a new America began. I’ve struggled ever since to figure out what the apparent sudden revolution in our politics means.

I keep coming back to the Ernest Hemingway quote about how bankruptcy happens. He said it happens in two stages, first gradually and then suddenly.

That’s how scholars say fascism happens, too—first slowly and then all at once—and that’s what has been keeping us up at night.

But the more I think about it, the more I think maybe democracy happens the same way, too: slowly, and then all at once. 

At this country’s most important revolutionary moments, it has seemed as if the country turned on a dime. 

In 1763, just after the end of the French and Indian War, American colonists loved that they were part of the British empire. And yet, by 1776, just a little more than a decade later, they had declared independence from that empire and set down the principles that everyone has a right to be treated equally before the law and to have a say in their government.

The change was just as quick in the 1850s. In 1853 it sure looked as if the elite southern enslavers had taken over the country. They controlled the Senate, the White House, and the Supreme Court. They explicitly rejected the Declaration of Independence and declared that they had the right to rule over the country’s majority. They planned to take over the United States and then to take over the world, creating a global economy based on human enslavement. 

And yet, just seven years later, voters put Abraham Lincoln in the White House with a promise to stand against the Slave Power and to protect a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” He ushered in “a new birth of freedom” in what historians call the second American revolution. 

The same pattern was true in the 1920s, when it seemed as if business interests and government were so deeply entwined that it was only a question of time until the United States went down the same dark path to fascism that so many other nations did in that era. In 1927, after the execution of immigrant anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, poet John Dos Passos wrote: “they have clubbed us off the streets they are stronger they are rich they hire and fire the politicians the newspaper editors the old judges the small men with reputations….” 

And yet, just five years later, voters elected Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who promised Americans a New Deal and ushered in a country that regulated business, provided a basic social safety net, promoted infrastructure, and protected civil rights.

Every time we expand democracy, it seems we get complacent, thinking it’s a done deal. We forget that democracy is a process and that it’s never finished.

And when we get complacent, people who want power use our system to take over the government. They get control of the Senate, the White House, and the Supreme Court, and they begin to undermine the principle that we should be treated equally before the law and to chip away at the idea that we have a right to a say in our government. And it starts to seem like we have lost our democracy. 

But all the while, there are people who keep the faith. Lawmakers, of course, but also teachers and journalists and the musicians who push back against the fear by reminding us of love and family and community. And in those communities, people begin to organize—the marginalized people who are the first to feel the bite of reaction, and grassroots groups. They keep the embers of democracy alive.

And then something fans them into flame. 

In the 1760s it was the Stamp Act, which said that men in Great Britain had the right to rule over men in the American colonies. In the 1850s it was the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which gave the elite enslavers the power to rule the United States. And in 1929 it was the Great Crash, which proved that the businessmen had no idea what they were doing and had no plan for getting the country out of the Great Depression.

The last several decades have felt like we were fighting a holding action, trying to protect democracy first from an oligarchy and then from a dictator. Many Americans saw their rights being stripped away…even as they were quietly becoming stronger. 

That strength showed in the Women’s March of January 2017, and it continued to grow—quietly under Donald Trump and more openly under the protections of the Biden administration. People began to organize in school boards and state legislatures and Congress. They also began to organize over TikTok and Instagram and Facebook and newsletters and Zoom calls. 

And then something set them ablaze. The 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision stripped away from the American people a constitutional right they had enjoyed for almost fifty years, and made it clear that a small minority intended to destroy democracy and replace it with a dictatorship based in Christian nationalism. 

When President Joe Biden announced just a week ago that he would not accept the Democratic nomination for president, he did not pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris.

He passed it to us. 

It is up to us to decide whether we want a country based on fear or on facts, on reaction or on reality, on hatred or on hope.

It is up to us whether it will be fascism or democracy that, in the end, moves swiftly, and up to us whether we will choose to follow in the footsteps of those Americans who came before us in our noblest moments, and launch a brand new era in American history.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[xluna-reclipse]

The devotion of a Lan and why Lan Xichen will never marry

(unless that person is Jin Guangyao)

From the likes of Lan An down to Lan Wangji, the Lan, at times tragic, were deeply romantic and always faithful. It’s hard to consider love at first sight to be a genetic trait, but the evidence doesn’t lie. Not a single Lan married a person they did not love. Not a single Lan moved on after the loss of their soulmate.

Lan Forehead Ribbon

The mark of a Lan is their forehead ribbon. At first glance, it is a symbol of self-control. In actuality, it is a blatant declaration of wild passion. The ribbon which represents the obligation to regulate oneself, can only be removed by a destined one? Isn’t this just another way of saying, the three thousands rules are to contain us, for in the name of our soulmate AND ONLY for our soulmate, we observe no laws, no bonds, no morals? The Lan follow the dao, but not even the intentions and punishments of heaven can hold them back from their Destined One. 

The Lan are kind and just to everyone. The woman who crosses the street. The child who begs for alms. The man who nearly drowns. They are all the same, no more, no less deserving of help. The world is a calm and reassuring beige, every tragedy of equal hue and intensity, every joy a drop of water in a deep well. 

Only the Instance of Lan is that great disturbance in their life. A warmth worth suffering for.

It’s fascinating to look at all the joy and pain that love brought the Lan. 

And the singular way they dealt with loss.

Lan concept of love

The common process of the Lan romance is a strong initial first spark. Love at first sight (or first fight for Lan Wangji). 

After that comes devotion. Devotion during life is to seek to be with the other. Lan An and Qingheng-jun married their Destined Ones. Lan Xichen would disappear for months at a time to see Jin Guangyao. Lan Wangji tried his best, appearing at the burial mounds in Wei Wuxian’s first life, but was chased away time and again. In his second life, he drags Wei Wuxian back to the Cloud Recesses and follows him on his adventures. The first part of devotion is to keep your north pointed towards your soulmate.

The second part, is to not hurt others, or involve third parties. The ability to refuse to marry, unless that person is the one you love, is quite admirable. There will never be a Jiang Fengmian in the Lan family, someone who marries a woman he doesn’t love and causes both family and wife to be subject to rumors and mockery, children to self-doubt and insecurity. No Lan marries for convenience. They marry out of love or not at all. It must be reassuring to such a deeply romantic family, to not have to be forced by their elders into loveless matches. (Otherwise, before asking Lan Xichen to marry, Lan Qiren would be served to platter.) Lan Xichen already anticipates this and treats Lan Jingyi as heir. 

Then at the end, after your Fated One passes away, the Lan leave too.

The founder of the Sect set a poignant example for all of his descendent after. Lan An left the monastery for the love of his life and returned to the mountain, leaving not even dust behind after they left. 

Lan Yi, in the Untamed has a hinted romance with Baoshan Sanren. While she did not witness her lover die, she never married another person. She also spent the rest of her days in seclusion.

Qingheng-jun fell in love at first sight and stood against sect and world to marry and protect her. He paid for her ‘sins’ as if they were his. And after she died, he did not leave seclusion until his death during the war.

The current Sect Leader, Lan Xichen also went into retreat after the love of his life died. And he will never leave unless Jin Guangyao returns, or in pursuit of Jin Guangyao’s return.

Not even Lan Wangji was an exception. Sometimes people will say that he moved on with his life after Wei Wuxian’s life, citing his night hunts as an example. But actually, Lan Wangji ‘appeared wherever there was chaos.’ Why? Because he was looking for Wei Wuxian. Because he wanted to be there if Wei Wuxian found himself in trouble (which Lan Wangji was right, Wei Wuxian nearly gets dragged back to Lotus Pier immediately). Lan Wangji never ‘moved on.’ He was waiting. He was searching. Why was it so easy for him to accept Wei Wuxian had returned from the dead? Because he was hoping it would happen. Wei Wuxian had already ‘died’ in the eyes of the world once before, when he was kicked into the Yiling Burial Mounds by the Wen. But! Wei Wuxian returned stronger than ever, albeit with literal ghosts, but he was back all the same.

He was different than his father and ancestors. He was lucky to love the Yiling Laozu. Wei Wuxian was exceptional. He proved the dead could return--sentient! Why did Lan Wangji have to live as dead when his heart had not died?

Lan Xichen will never remarry. Because he’s already married. The moment he looked into the eyes of his savior amidst the flames of war, his ribbon found an owner. Why would he marry when his clan will not ask it of him? Why did he raise Lan Jingyi like his heir, a child whose entitlement and sass can only be rivaled by Jin Ling? A child who is capable of being rude to Sect Leaders with out repercussion? A child who oozes the confidence of someone loved, respected, and of high rank, when he is a supposed orphan? Because he is the heir Lan Xichen prepared when he realized he had already found the love of his life. 

And the love of his life had married a woman. But that is irrelevant in the face of the Love of a Lan. It does not matter if the other party does not love me (Qingheng-jun, I’m squinting at you; Lan Wangji who asks what is to be done when the person he wants to protect refuses to return with him), what matters is that I love them. And that they do not want my ribbon, does not make it any less theirs (when Lan Xichen cancels the permission of the jade order, but tells Jin Guangyao that it still belongs to him). 

Why did he, after the death of Jin Guangyao, retreat as Lan An did for his Fated One, as Qingheng-jun did for his wife, as a Lan does for his soulmate?

And why, do we find it tragic?  

Lan Xichen before Jin Guangyao was untouched by worldly emotions. Because of Jin Guangyao, he descended from the dais and was made human. 

Lan An cultivated in the monastery, because of his Destined One, he went down the mountain. When that person left, he left too. 

All he did was return from whence he came.

While I believe Lan Xichen will open the coffin because even if he does not want to, the Lan owe Jin Guangyao, a life in seclusion is not to be pitied.

A gift for Meng Haoran

I love a Master Meng, exalted across the world. The beauty abandoned his post, to rest white-haired in seclusion. Often drinking under the moon, preferring flowers to the king. To the mountain I long to reach, this disciple can only bow here.

Li Bai Translated by Luna_reclipse

赠孟浩然 (Zèng mènghàorán)

吾爱孟夫子， 风流天下闻 wú ài mèng fūzǐ, fēngliú tiānxià wén 红颜弃轩冕， 白首卧松云 hóngyán qì xuān miǎn, bái shǒu wò sōng yún 醉月频中圣， 迷花不事君 zuì yuè pín zhōng shèng, mí huā bu shì jūn 高山安可仰,  徒此挹清芬 gāoshān ān kě yǎng, tú cǐ yì qīng fēn

李白 (lǐ bái)

Lan Xichen’s soulmate is Jin Guangyao and he will never trade him out.

Liu Haikuan, the actor who portrayed Lan Xichen in the Untamed, said in an interview, that Lan Xichen will never leave seclusion without Jin Guangyao.

Zhu Zanjin, the actor who portrayed Jin Guangyao in the Untamed, said that the relationship between Lan Xichen and JIn Guangyao is the same as that between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. 

The Lan through their now 4000 precepts, have bound themselves with rule after rule with only one release. And because of this Destined One, descend to become mortal, and without them, return to the mountain.

Lan Xichen has proven through layers and layers of Lan patterns that his soulmate is Jin Guangyao and this soulmate was worth it.

I leave you with Liu Haikuan’s words, “Both of their lives were tragic, but the relationship they had was not a tragedy. A-Yao, through the end, was very good to Lan Xichen.”  (他们两个的人生各自都是悲剧，但这段友情不是悲剧，阿瑶直到最后还是对曦臣很好.)

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

Of Frogs and Clones

Hardcase x Fem!Reader

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Liquid

Summary: It's the clone's last night in the barracks together as soldiers and Hardcase drinks a mysterious liquid from Jesse's duffle that turns him into a frog. With the help of his brothers and the Right To Love Matchmaking service, they work against the clock to find him "true love's kiss" and turn him back into a human.

Pairing: Hardcase x Fem!Reader

Characters: Hardcase, Jesse, Kix, Rex, Fives, Echo, Tup, Dogma

Tags & Warnings: matchmaking!au, fluff, humor, strange magic, clone shenanigans, unconventional love story, dialogue heavy

Word Count: 3.6k

Author's Note: My first entry for the @tcwmatchmakingau! This series is pure fun and ridiculousness. There's no angst, no hurt, no underlying themes, and no deep meanings. Only utter nonsense. Reader and RTL are not in the first chapter. I know I have other series to finish, but I needed to cross off another bingo square first 😅 As always, please enjoy 💚

@clonexreaderbingo Square: Mystery

Chapter 1

The Clone Wars have finally drawn to a close, leaving the remaining clones in a precarious spot of facing the unknown civilian life before them. To aid in their assimilation, the senate passed legislation to give clones official citizenship status, government subsidized housing, a credit stipend, and help with job placement. Tonight is their last night sleeping in the barracks and as they pack their belongings and prepare for life outside of the GAR, things get a little hectic.

“What do you think it’s going to be like?” Jesse asks while pulling things out of his overstuffed duffle.

“Dunno,” Hardcase answers as he stares at the bunk above him, hands laced behind his head. His duffle doesn’t have much in it, so he finished packing a while ago.

“I bet it’s going to be fun,” Fives smiles while throwing his things haphazardly into his duffle. “No rules, no regulations, no chain of command.”

Echo stops folding his blacks and grimaces at the thought. “That sounds awful.”

“Lighten up,” Tup playfully punches Echo’s shoulder. “We can finally do whatever we want.”

“I’m with Echo,” Dogma adds. “A bunch of people doing whatever they want sounds chaotic. Where’s the order?”

“We make our own order,” Kix chimes in. “We follow the laws and do the right thing. Like we’ve always done.”

“What if we mess up?” Echo wonders, a twinge of apprehension in his voice. “I don’t want to be court-martialed on day one.”

“You can’t be court-martialed if you’re a civilian,” Fives chuckles. “But if you do mess up… Then Fox will get you!” Fives jumps on Echo’s back for dramatic effect.

Echo groans and pushes Fives off while the rest of the group laughs.

“As long as we stick together, we’ll be fine,” Jesse reassures.

Murmurs of agreements resound through the barracks and they resume organizing what little belongings they have.

Hardcase rolls onto his side and watches Jesse attempt to pack his duffle bag so that the zipper will close. He’s still unsure how Jesse accumulated so much junk over the past few years. The ARC has a souvenir from almost every planet he’s ever been on. Even after everyone else is done packing, Jesse is still sifting through his things, picking which ones to take with him and which ones to leave behind. He pulls out a bottle of green liquid and places it on the ground.

“What’s that?” Hardcase asks while pointing at the bottle.

“I’m not sure,” Jesse answers. He picks up the bottle and inspects it for a second before setting it back down. “It was given to me by a local at the beginning of the war. I must have forgotten about it.”

“Is it alcohol?” Hardcase asks curiously. He sits up in his bunk and grabs the bottle off the floor, tilting it from side to side to watch the strange liquid slosh around.

“Maybe,” Jesse shrugs. “I couldn’t understand the local language and I never opened it to try it.”

Hardcase wonders what it could be as he continues to turn the bottle in different directions, completely mesmerized by its shimmering contents. “Can I drink it?”

“I don’t see why not,” Jesse says.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Kix warns. He swipes the bottle from Hardcase’s hands.

“Hey,” Hardcase pouts. He sits back down on his bunk and crosses his arms. “That’s mine.”

“Technically–”

“You don’t know what’s in it,” Kix interrupts Jesse’s rebuttal to give a warning. “It could be poisonous.”

“We won’t know that unless we try it,” Hardcase argues.

“Listen,” Kix sighs. “We’re one night away from being free men. I’m not going to let a bottle of suspicious liquid ruin that for you.”

“Isn’t that my choice now?” Hardcase questions.

“Not until 05:00,” Rex chimes in. Upon hearing their captain's voice, all of the Torrent Company stops what they’re doing and stands to attention.

In preparation for their official discharge from the GAR, Rex spent the entire day with the senate and a specialized CCL (civilian clone liaison) to make sure that his men’s transition was taken care of and that it would be as smooth as possible. He meticulously worked each clone’s case with the CCL to approve their housing, their new identichips, and their credit stipends. It was an exhausting process, but his signature was required on every form in the assimilation packets.

“At ease men,” Rex says.

“So,” Fives begins with anticipation. “What’s the word?”

Rex smiles and reveals a stack of identichips. “It’s official.”

Rex walks around to each one of his men and hands them their new identichip. The clones take them eagerly and marvel with wonder at the digital cards with their chosen names and faces inscribed on them. Not a CT number in sight. The excitement in the room is almost too much for the clones to contain. Whispers and wide-eyes turn into hollers, whoops, and hugs. They’re now official citizens of Coruscant and have the same rights as any other citizen.

“Settle down and listen up!” Rex exclaims. “These identichips are your key to life. Do not lose them. They will go into effect at 05:00 tomorrow morning, so until then, you are still under my command.”

The clones stop their chatter and nod their heads in understanding.

“Tomorrow, you’ll be free men,” he starts, “and I will no longer be your captain, but your friend. You’ll be able to make your own choices, live your own lives, and decide your own destinies.” Rex pauses and shifts his weight. “Help each other, help others, and be good citizens.” Rex pauses one more time, his voice wavering with emotion. “It truly has been an honor to serve alongside the finest men in the galaxy.”

The barrack of clones erupts with the sound of clapping and whistling. Rex takes in the moment before he puts up his hand to quiet the men and pull out his data-pad.

“A couple more things,” he begins while scrolling through a list. “Housing assignments have been allocated and your new addresses can be found on your identichips. The apartments are fully furnished, but you’ll have to buy your own clothes, food, and any extra comforts. Credit stipends will be automatically deposited monthly into your bank account until you gain employment. You can keep your armor, but they have asked that you not wear it in public. You are also allowed to own a single DC-17 hand blaster, but it must be registered with the Coruscant Police and tied to your identichips. Any questions?”

Hardcase raises his hand, a look of concern painting his face. “So, I can’t keep my Z-6?”

“No, you can’t,” Rex answers. “Anything that was considered infantry or heavy weaponry cannot be owned by civilians and must be turned in to the Coruscant Police. It was difficult enough to convince them to let us keep a single hand blaster.”

Hardcase plops onto his bunk and crosses his arms while grumbling to himself. That Z-6 was his best friend during the war and now he has to give it up. It really is a shame.

“Any other questions?” Rex asks as he scans the room. “Alright then. Get a good night's sleep and I’ll touch base with you in the morning.”

As Rex leaves the barracks, more chatter erupts amongst the clones. They are both excited and nervous to get their new lives started. The jitters are evident and no one is sure they can actually sleep tonight. They’re like children on Christmas Eve, wanting to stay up late and wait for their presents to arrive instead of sleeping. The anticipation is too much to contain. However, once curfew rolls around, the clones have to turn out the lights and at least try to go to sleep.

The clones all nestle into their bunks for one last night and fall into dreams of what their new lives will be like. Well, everyone that is except for Hardcase. He’s lying awake, staring up at the bunk above him and feeling restless. He’s still thinking about that bottle of green liquid Kix took away from him. He’s not sure what it is about that mysterious bottle that has him so enraptured. Maybe it’s the color, or the way the liquid moves from one end of the glass bottle to the other.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Hardcase decides he wants the bottle back. He waits a couple of hours, and when he hears some of his brothers snoring, he quietly gets out of his bunk and meanders his way to Kix’s bunk. Kix is sleeping on his stomach, one hand under his shirt and the other stretched out over his pillow, with his leg hanging off the side with the blanket falling off. Hardcase shakes his head. He’ll never understand how Kix finds that sleeping position comfortable.

He waves his hand near Kix’s face, checking to make sure he is asleep, then crouches down to look through his duffle. He quietly rummages around, being careful not to knock anything too far out of place, and eventually finds the little glass bottle of green liquid under a pack of gauze. He picks it up, smiles, and admires the bottle like it’s a precious jewel. He puts Kix’s duffle back together, brings the bottle back to his bunk, then looks around to make sure no one saw him.

Once he knows he’s alone and the only one awake, Hardcase pulls the cork off the top of the bottle and it makes a loud popping sound. He winces at the unexpected noise as it echoes through the barracks, then looks around to make sure no one woke up. He relaxes his shoulders and sighs when no one stirs. He looks into the glass bottle and swishes the green liquid around. It’s a shame to drink it when it’s so pretty, but he has to know what it tastes like.

“Bottoms up,” he whispers to himself. He knocks the drink back like a shot and swallows. His face scrunches at the bitter aftertaste and he makes an audible noise of disgust. “Yuck! Definitely not alcohol.”

Disappointed in the gross tasting drink, Hardcase flops back onto his bunk and sighs. He doesn’t feel any different, so it’s probably not poison. If he had to venture a guess, it’s probably some type of tribal medicine native to the planet Jesse got it from. Medicine is the only thing he’s ever tasted that matches that level of bitterness, and he hates medicine. He shutters at the residual taste in the back of his throat, then tucks himself into his bunk to finally go to sleep.

As dawn breaks and the light of the morning peeks into the barracks, Jesse stirs in his bunk. He stretches his limbs and yawns while sitting up, then breathes a contented sigh when he remembers that today is the day he’s a free man. He looks around the sunlit room and sees the rest of the clones stirring as their internal alarm clocks activate. Excited to get moving, he slides down the back ladder of the bunk, his bare feet hitting the barrack’s cold floor with a dull thud.

Jesse looks at Hardcase’s bunk, which sits right beneath his, but his brother is not in it. “Has anyone seen Hardcase?”

“Not since lights out,” Echo answers while stretching his arms.

“I haven’t seen him either,” Tup yawns.

“Got me,” Kix shrugs.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fives catches the blanket on Hardcase’s bunk move. “Did anyone else see that?”

“See what?” Dogma asks while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Fives stares at the blanket and watches it move again. He points his finger at the lump in the center. “That!”

“What do you think it is?” Jesse asks as he moves to stand next to Fives.

“I don’t know,” Fives tilts his head to the side as he thinks.

“Only one way to find out,” Echo says as he grabs the corner of the blanket and rips it off, revealing what is underneath.

“It’s a… frog?” Kix raises an eyebrow at Fives.

“Don’t look at me!” Fives puts up his hands in defense. “I didn’t put it there.”

“Guys, it’s me,” a voice says.

The group of clones whip around looking for the source of the voice.

“That sounds like Hardcase,” Jesse says. “But I don’t see him.”

“Down here,” the voice says.

Tup crouches down on the ground and looks under the bunk, but there’s no one there.

“Too far,” the voice says. “On the bunk.”

Tup slowly peeks up from his crouched position and looks at the frog sitting on the bunk. They stare at each other for a moment.

“Hey,” the frog says.

“Ah!” Tup startles and crashes backwards into the adjacent bunk. “That frog just talked!”

Dogma rolls his eyes. “Frogs don’t talk.”

“I'm telling you that frog talked,” Tup argues.

Jesse snorts. “Tup, I think you’ve lost a few marbles.”

“You're the one who’s lost his marbles,” the frog says as it jumps from the bunk onto Jesse’s arm.

“Ah!” Jesse jerks and flings the frog off his arm.

“Catch it!” Tup yells.

Kix catches the frog in his hands and examines it curiously. It looks like a regular bullfrog to him. Mottled olive-green mucus-covered skin, a dull-yellow belly, raised eyes, short little forelegs, and long-webbed hind legs. The only strange thing about this bullfrog is the blue lines going down the left side of its body. He’s never seen a bullfrog with blue stripes before, but then again, he doesn’t claim to be an expert in frog species. Kix brings the frog closer to his face to look at the lines.

“Hi Kix,” the frog says.

Kix startles and opens his hands, dropping the talking frog onto the floor of the barracks.

“Hey!” the frog says. “Watch it!”

Fives kneels down in front of the frog. “Hardcase?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Hardcase sighs.

“You’re a frog!” Fives exclaims as he picks him up.

“I noticed,” Hardcase says.

“How is that even possible?” Echo questions in bewilderment.

“I don’t know,” Hardcase says. “I just woke up like this. I had a heck of a time trying to find my way out of that blanket though. Thanks.”

“Kix?” Dogma looks at the shocked medic for an explanation.

“Don’t ask me,” Kix raises his hands. “There’s nothing in the medical texts about clones turning into frogs.”

Jesse looks at the frog, that is Hardcase, and narrows his eyes. “What did you do?”

“What do you mean, ‘what did I do’?” Hardcase retorts as he jumps from Fives’ hands to Jesse’s.

Jesse cups his hands together to catch Hardcase. “Kix is right, clones don’t just turn into frogs,” he says. "What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Hardcase shouts. “I just woke up like this. I’m as lost as you are!”

Kix gets curious and looks around Hardcase’s bunk area. He rifles through his duffle bag and grabs the empty bottle. He takes a deep breath, straightens up, and crosses his arms. “You drank it.”

“Oh, yeah,” Hardcase chuckles nervously. “I forgot about that.”

Kix grabs Hardcase out of Jesse’s hands, encircling his fingers around Hardcase’s stomach as his long hind legs dangle down freely. He brings Hardcase’s little frog face close to his. “You idiot!"

“How was I supposed to know this would happen?” Hardcase argues as he squirms to escape Kix’s grasp.

Kix closes his eyes and rubs his forehead with his free hand. “If you would've waited one rotation, I could have done an analysis!”

“Oops,” Hardcase says.

“Oops?” Kix scowls. “That’s all you have to say for yourself, oops? You’re a kriffing frog!”

Hardcase tries to roll his eyes, then spits out his tongue and whacks Kix’s nose to shut him up.

Kix scrunches his face in disgust, pulls Hardcase away, and places him back in Jesse’s hands.

“He’s your problem now,” Kix says as he wipes the slime off of his nose.

“Me?” Jesse protests as he looks between Hardcase and Kix. “What am I supposed to do with him?”

“I don’t know,” Kix says. “Figure it out.”

“Can someone please explain to me what is going on?” Dogma asks in confusion. “I’m so lost.”

“Hardcase drank some weird liquid and it turned him into a frog,” Fives recounts.

Dogma takes a moment to digest Fives’ words. “You’re joking, right?”

“Wait!” Tup interjects. “I’ve heard about this before.”

Everyone turns to look at Tup. “You have?” the group asks in unison.

“Yes!” Tup says. “I read it in a holo-book once.”

“Since when do you read?” Dogma asks with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve never seen you read before.”

Tup shoots Dogma an unamused look. “I did when I was a cadet.”

“So, what did the holo-book say?” Jesse eagerly asks.

Tup thinks for a moment. “There were a couple different stories. I can’t remember if this is the one where he’ll turn into a pumpkin at midnight or fall asleep and never wake up. Either way he needs a true love’s kiss to turn him back into a human.”

Silence fills the room.

“Jesse?” Hardcase asks while looking up at him.

“Yes,” Jesse answers while looking down at him.

“I don’t like squash,” Hardcase says.

Jesse sighs. “Then we’ll hope for the ‘sleep and never wake up’ one.”

Hardcase turns to face Tup. “So, if I get a girl to kiss me, I’ll turn back into a man?”

“According to the stories,” Tup explains. “Except it can’t be any random kiss. It has to be a true love’s kiss.”

“What’s the difference?” Hardcase asks.

Tup knits his eyebrows. “Not really sure to be honest.”

“Amateurs,” Fives says. “True love is when you love someone more than anyone else.”

“Oh,” Hardcase says. “I still don’t get it.”

Fives sighs. “You need to get a girl to fall in love with you.”

“In three days!” Tup interjects.

Fives nods his head. “Yes, in three day– Wait, what?”

“I think,” Tup says. “That might have been the seafoam story.”

“Can we focus on the frog story please?” Jesse says with exasperation.

“Does it really matter?” Hardcase asks. 

“Yes, it matters!” Jesse exclaims. “We don’t need you dying on us!”

The room goes silent at the words that everyone is thinking, but no one wants to say. As funny as the situation is, they really have no idea what will happen to him and it has them all worried. They're finally free men, but that freedom won’t mean much if one of them is missing from it. They can’t replace Hardcase and they don’t want to think about enjoying their new lives without him. Regardless of how dumb his action was, they all need to work together to try and save him.

“I think we should tell Rex,” Echo says. “Maybe he can–”

“Maybe he can do what?” Dogma interjects. “Look it up in a reg manual?”

Echo huffs. “I’m just trying to be helpful.”

“And we appreciate it,” Kix places a hand on Echo’s shoulder. “I agree with him. The next course of action is to tell Rex and then work together to turn him back to normal.”

As Kix finishes his sentence, Rex enters the barracks. The group of clones mumble amongst themselves on how they’ll break the news to their captain that one of his men is no longer a man, but a frog. It sounds like a joke, and maybe it is, but this is their reality at the moment and lying is not an option. They think about hiding Hardcase and telling Rex at a later time, but they can’t come up with a good excuse as to why he isn’t in the barracks and where he is.

“Morning,” Rex happily greets the clones with a smile.

Jesse hides Hardcase behind his back.

“Morning, captain,” Kix says.

Rex chuckles. “It’s just Rex now.”

“Oh, right,” Kix rubs his neck in embarrassment. “That’s gonna be an adjustment.”

“Are you boys ready to check out your new home?” Rex asks with excitement.

The room stays silent.

Rex furrows his brows. “Don’t everyone jump up at once…”

The room is still silent.

Rex puts his hands on his hips. “Alright, spit it out. What’s going on?”

“We have a slight problem,” Fives says.

Rex sighs. “What did you do this time?”

“It wasn’t Fives,” Echo answers quickly.

“Well, that’s a surprise,” Rex mumbles under his breath. “Then what is it?”

Jesse brings his hands around from his back to show Rex the frog.

Rex is confused. “Okay… It’s a frog. I don’t get it.”

“Hi Rex,” Hardcase says.

Rex jumps. “Kriffing stars! Did that thing just talk?”

“That thing,” Kix begins, “is Hardcase.”

“What?!” Rex asks, his mouth hung open in shock.

The group of clones explain to Rex the events leading up to this point. Rex listens intently, but maintains a bewildered expression on his face. He’s not surprised at Hardcase’s actions, but he’s not once in his life ever heard of a man changing into a frog. He wonders if the green bottle of liquid was some kind of magic potion. Unfortunately, Jesse can’t remember which planet it came from, so researching it is out. Rex ends up agreeing with the only other option, true love’s kiss.

“First things first,” Rex starts. “Let’s get moved out of the barracks and into our new apartments. Then we can strategize a plan of attack.”

The group of clones nod in agreement and disperse to grab their belongings. Jesse puts Hardcase down on his bunk while he grabs his things.

“Oh, and Hardcase,” Rex squats down to look Hardcase in his little frog eyes. “Don’t get squashed in the meantime.”

“Yes, sir,” Hardcase sighs.

Chapter 1

Masterlist

AO3

Tag List: @nahoney22 @commander-sunshine @sunshinesdaydream @padawancat97 @verndusk @starrrgazingbunny @coraex @lickylickylicky @homemade-clones @523rdrebel @clonemedickix @starrylothcat @mooncommlink @ladyzirkonia @stunkbiggu @cdblake1565 @ladytano420 @moonlightwarriorqueen @anxiouspineapple99 @clonethirstingisreal @dreamie411 @trixie2023 @cw80831 @novas-daydreaming

Join my taglist HERE

Tip me a tea on Ko-fi HERE

[thatfrenchacademic]

Local European law PhD person is breaking down why Twitter is in trouble with European authorities - bc we live in a dystopia and I am procrastinating my research.

TL;DR : Twitter is loosing all the experts required to actually make (good, but really any) decisions regarding data privacy in Europe, and it's even funnier because they picked the one(1) European country that would give them the most tax cut but it's also the one that is really into dragging Big Tech all the way to the highest instances in the EU to make knock them down a peg.

But also more under the cut bc this is hilarious and I CANNOT WAIT for Elon Musk to discover the EU. Very much going to be a unstoppable force meets unmovable object situation, because trust me, TRUST ME, there are few things as slow, inhert and full of bureaucrats who are NOT on twitter as the EU. Anyway here is too many paragraph of me putting my diploma to good use or something, my Masters Director would be proud.

Step 1: TF is the GDPR, like, actually.

Ok the the General Directive on Privacy Regulation is a European Union Regulation, which sets clear rule on what you can and cannot do with people's information/data, in order to protect their privacy. It is very wide and very cool and the US wishes it had it (Except you, California, you're doing great).

And what's cool is also that the moment you want your digital services to be available on European territory, you need to comply with the GDPR. Doesn't matter where you are based, if it's not GDPR compliant, you don't get access to that sweet sweet European market.

For example, after the GDPR was entered into force, there were a bunch of US News Media website I could not access, because they were not complying with the GDPR yet, and were not willing to take the risk to infringe on the GDPR. Doesn't matter if they are not Europe based. What matters is the market. Dw they are fine now.

Ok, cool.

.

Step 2: Twitter was doing ok so far - I know, I'm surprised as well.

So Twitter is a US-based company, but blue-bird had to comply with the GDPR like everyone else. So far, so good-ish, and by that I mean that Twitter was not really targeted by any European or national authority for not complying.

But let me tell you the thing about the GDPR: it is. a. mess. Getting to UNDERSTAND what's even required guaranteed my cohort of European Law major that we would ALL be employed in the upcoming years. It is atrociously difficult. THE REGULATION HAS ITS OWN WEBSITE imagine a law having its own website, what the hell honestly.

The GDPR is challenging for your local true crime book club handling the email addresses of its 12 members, ok.

IMAGINE WHAT IT'S LIKE FOR TWITTER.

Behemoth social media platforms require a massive amount of workforce and expertise to make sure they comply with the GDPR. Like, I cannot stress the absurd amount of work and constant vigilance it requires. But they were doing ok.

.

Step 3: Elon Musk is an authoritarian manchild and Twitter is bleeding experts

I know both things are related but trust me, it's important to mention them separately, you'll see in a second.

Among the many high-ranking people who left, we have:

The Chief Information Security Officer

The Chief Privacy Officer / Data Protection Officier

The Chief Compliance Officer (unconfirmed officially but I would bet on it)

So they are trying to do some emergency creative problem solving by apparently having data engineers be the ones certifying compliance with the GDPR (lmao as someone who works with a bunch of data scientist I would pay money to see that happening) and nominate people to temporarily take over all these positions. To be transparent the guy they nominated as "acting GPO" (lmao I'm really feeling the confidence right now) does not seem fully incompetent, but this is still hilarious.

.

Step 4: Haha it's funny because it's Ireland

Now, ok, here is the kicker.

Twitter so far has been using a system that the GDPR allows, which is the One-Stop Shop. OSS means that Twitter picked the authorities of a specific EU State to report to, when it comes to compliance to the GDPR, it's easier for everyone than massive online companies like Twitter going to 27 different states to report what they are doing.

So they picked Ireland, because their European headquarters are based in Ireland.

HA.

I. WONDER. WHY. IRELAND???

(spoiler: it's because Ireland is a tax haven).

Now. You might think there is ONE problem on the table, but get ready, there are TWO, baby.

Haha Twitter's GDPR person has left, mate, you want to explain how you're going to comply with the GDPR when you don't have you GDPR experts anymore??

Elon Musk is, as stated before, an authoritarian manchild and the GDPR is also not super super fond of that, mate if you want the OSS system you actually need to give minimal guarantee that the data-privacy-decision-making is happening in the State of the OSS. When clearly, right now, decisions are happening wherever the hell Elon Musk decided to have his morning protein shake, and I'm pretty sure it's not Dublin. And also around 50% of the Dublin headquarters have been fired, so I don't know who is supposed to take decisions over there, honestly.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S EVEN FUNNIER.

IRISH COURTS IS REALLY. REALLY INTO EU LAW AND EU DATA PRIVACY

Like the case about the guy who sued Facebook for violating the right to privacy in the way it handled data? It's the Maximillian Schrems v Data Protection Commissioner case, and it comes from Ireland. Irish Judges had no issue being like "Yeah, Facebook or not, we're choosing violence".

.

Step 5: Ok now what ? Aka I sit back and grab some popcorn

So right now, Twitter is trying to convince the DPC that it's totally absolutely doing GREAT.

Sure Jan.

Anyway, the question is whether the DPC is willing to buy it. We know there has been meetings, and the DPC is at least putting SOME form of pressure on Twitter.

Outcome 1: the DPC is feeling petty and does NOT buy it. Then I'll write another post, but I think the DPC would give Twitter some time to put things in order and give enough guarantees before going on the offensive.

Outcome 2: the DPC buys it (because Dublin LOVES its Big Tech companies, and they are driving prices up to the point where Dublin is experiencing a massive housing crisis, it's fine, this is fine) . And we wait for an individual/NGO to bring a formal complain to the DPC, for the DPC to refuse it, and for the individual/NGO to challenge that decision before the Irish Courts and that becomes a whole new story that will warrant its own post - and I get to show off some useless knowledge on EU procedural law.

[haakaan00502]

Wake at four in the morning, take a jog for half an hour and hit the gym. High protein breakfast, limit alcohol, drink but don’t get drunk. A pistol on his right hip, a concealed knife on the other. Always linger by the exit, always observe your surroundings, observe everyone’s manner.

Loose floorboards, the loud creaking of a door, tinted windows, a platform bed; these are small rules to Ghost. Regulations he had created in order for him to live, to survive.

Mask. Always. On.

It's easier to hide in plain sight if no one knows what you look like.

These seemingly random things all accumulate to form a law, things that just are in order for him to live. As a ball would follow the laws of gravity, and as the rules of biology would require one with food and water.

Then an anomaly came in the form of a comrade, a friend. Someone who Ghost would name anything but a lover, any word in the dictionary than what Soap truly is to him.

Soap defies every logic Ghost has, breaking every law he has set up. Turning Ghost to a criminal to his own self.

Like a blackhole, besides the mysterious pulling force Ghost feels whenever he is with Soap, it defies all logic. Breaking all laws of physics, all the laws he set up, giving Ghost a feeling of longing that feels disorientating.

And as he draws closer, a warmth in his chest comparable to that of a star, they hold close, they become one, with, and for each other. Twisting and turning like

choreography in space.

[bratty-telepath]

can i know more on how sadil lost their arm?

How Sadhil lost his arm

*Peeks my head out of my cave* Oh? this should be a good time/pos

So Sadhil Kapoor(my SH for context of other readers) used to be a part of department, he was a rookie who was training to be an investigator and was partnered with:

Colm Greer

//Now, we all know Colm to be a betting man (he has a gambling addiction) so I figured that I could play around with via Sadhil, I am sincerely messing with canon to have fun.//

Colm, you see was a man who loved to take chances. If there was a risk, he would take it if it meant results which is probably what earned him his spot as an investigator.

Sadhil was not like that, at the time he was very straight-laced, by the rules and regulation oriented-which as you can imagine made them such GREAT partners on the field. Colm could admit that Sadhil was great at his job, they were an excellent detective with a knock for problem solving and had impeccable reasoning but they were too restricted by rules and protocol so he sought to help shake them out of it by simply continuing to take risks on missions.

Sadhil was not a fan of this and constantly questioned Colm's methods, deeming his behaviour unprofessional and furthermore counterproductive to law enforcement procedure.

This all came to a head on a particular mission.

Here's the set-up: Gang of energetics & elementals, Colm and Sadhil are there alone, Sadhil urges colm to get back-up, Colm is like "nahhhh, we'll be fine", Sadhil is like "no, we won't", Colm ignores this and storms into the action, Sadhil follows, they're actually managing, Colm is confident until he makes a mistake and lets down his guard. A sheet of metal comes flying at him and Sadhil intercepts to protect his partner, pushing him out the way but getting caught in the attack as the metal severed his arm.

The incident leads to Sadhil being more or less "suggested" to leave, Colm gets a pat on the back and they leave, never having forgiven Colm as he never truly did even apologise. The experience taught Sadhil about really understanding and examining the trust he had in D.U.M.P, making him confront the reality that everyone there placed so much expectations on him to perform above and beyond but when it came time form them to help, he had no support. This entire incident is what pushes him to become a P.I tho and he did that .

[kaelio]

Full article:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has cost it dearly on many fronts, but especially when it comes to casualties. Since the first days of the war, the invaders have been bleeding manpower. Plugging those holes became one of the tasks of the Wagner Group, the mercenary company with close ties to the Russian state. Its founder, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, began to actively and sometimes forcibly recruit from the country’s prisons, offering convicts the chance of freedom in return for service. The Russian army has gone on to follow that model itself.  

With those recruitments have come a whole series of subcultural notions that are shaping the lives of soldiers and the conduct of the war—but which are often ignored or overlooked by Western analysts. The power of Russia’s criminal culture, known as the “thieves’ world,” is not new. Prigozhin himself, like a surprising number of players in Putin’s world, is a former convict—because the men who profited most in the chaos of the 1990s were very often outright criminals. But the invasion of Ukraine has made these notions even more prominent, and understanding them all the more important.

On April 9, Prigozhin’s press service posted a response on Telegram to a question about the state of prison recruitment that had been sent to the Glas Naroda (Voice of the People) news site—one of the many parts of his media empire. In response, Prigozhin had some harsh criticism toward how prisoners are treated by the state authorities: “There are rumors of roosters, downcast and resentful prisoners fighting together with ordinary prisoners, which violates their [the prisoners’] internal laws, so-called unspoken rules, in a flagrant way. Everyone knows that Russia has been living by these rules, by a certain way of life for centuries, and therefore it seems to me that such situations are absolutely unacceptable.”

From the outside, Prigozhin’s statement seems incomprehensible. But in the world of Russia’s prison culture, where brutally imposed caste systems govern life and death, his statement makes perfect sense. The thieves’ culture is a set of rules, modes of action, and a strict social hierarchy that regulates everyday life among those in the criminal underground. It is especially focused on organizing the life of inmates in the many prisons and camps, known as “zones,” of Russia and other former Soviet countries. While traces of it existed even under the tsars, the system was largely forged in the vast gulags of the Soviet Union, the network of camps that formed almost a separate country inside Soviet borders.

The thieves’ culture gets its name from the ruling class, the “lawful thieves” who enforce the thieves’ law—an unwritten set of rules called ponyatiya, literally translated as “concepts” or “notions.” These rules include positive recommendations on how a “proper criminal” should act, harsh prohibitions on various actions with corresponding punishments, as well as a basis for how the social hierarchy in prisons should be organized. All this is described in jargon that, even for ordinary Russians, is hard to understand. For instance, the prisons themselves are measured on a scale from blackness to redness—those prisons where everyday life is mostly organized by the criminal authorities are called “black,” and the prisons where the unspoken rules and thieves’ culture are being actively suppressed and everyday life is in the control of the prison administration are considered “red.” Very few prisons are entirely one way or the other, of course, so arguments about whether a particular institution is red or black are commonplace—and baffling to outsiders.

The unspoken rules enforce a harsh hierarchy, one that serves the interests of the men on top—and sometimes of authorities who see it as a way to help keep prisoners under control. There are four basic groups of prisoners, known as “suits,” as if they were a deck of cards. This is essentially a caste system; it is extremely hard to move up, extremely easy to move down, and fear of degradation governs every social interaction. Of course, each suit, like any caste system, has many detailed subdivisions, branches, and complex substructures, but at the basic level, they are the following: blatniye (thieves), muzhiki (men), kozliy (billy goats), and petukhi (roosters).

Blatniye are the criminal authorities. They are career criminals—thieves and those who have chosen to embrace the rules and live by them full time. They are few in number but hold a lot of power and influence. Among them, the lawful thieves or thieves-in-law are a special subcategory, the equivalent of a mafia don or a yakuza elder. Their word is literally law in the criminal underworld—and they are bound only to the ponyatiya themselves, which they also have the power to change in specially organized gatherings.

Men and billy goats make up the “middle class” of this hierarchy. Men are those who just want to serve their terms with no fuss, but who are also informed about these prison laws, who pay respects to the notions, listen to the blatniye, and most importantly, do not cooperate in any way or form with the prison administration, even when it comes to, say, kitchen or library duties.

Billy goats are inmates who participate in formal prison structures, and are willing to work with the prison authorities but also pay some respect to the criminal ones. The people who run the black market inside a prison, who can get you cigarettes, drugs, gaming consoles, or whatever else, are also in the billy goat caste—but they’re obviously left alone and respected as long as they pay their tax into the common pool for the blatniye to use as they please. There is a subsection of those people, called “activists,” who are lower in the hierarchy and try to hide their position. Those are the billy goats who actively try to cooperate with the administration for extra benefits, which often are more than just being released on parole. In black prisons they’re hated like snitches are in U.S. prisons, whereas in extremely red ones, they often take positions that a blatniye would take otherwise.

The lowest caste, and the one that every prisoner fears degradation to, are the roosters, also known as the “offended,” the “pederasts,” or the “downcast.” That is a position to which it is extremely easy to fall down to, but one that you can never climb up from. They’re forced to do all the worst jobs—such as cleaning the cell’s latrine, washing everyone’s underwear—because no, your average Russian prison does not have any washing machines—and often serving as sexual slaves. They also get the worst sleeping spots in the cell, usually next to the latrine.

A rooster is untouchable outside of sex. One is not allowed to share anything with a rooster except as a payment for services—not only is it taboo to touch them, but also anything that they have touched, as that instantly moves one to their caste. Their kitchenware is explicitly marked as such, for one, and whenever transferring cells, they’re supposed to publicly announce their suit status and move in with “their own” accordingly. There is also an extensive list of other infractions that can instantly move one into this caste, far too long for me to list here. Many of those are linked to a toxic sense of masculinity. Gay and transgender prisoners are automatically placed among the roosters, but so are those who foolishly admit to having given oral sex to a woman—an act that, as among the ancient Romans or the modern Italian mafia, is seen as fundamentally impure.

The only interactions allowed between higher-caste prisoners and roosters are purchasing sexual services from them, raping them (my personal sources say that this was completely acceptable up until approximately 2010, but that currently, although it won’t make you a rooster, it is considered to be a minor infraction with a material fine attached to it), and beating them up—but only with kicks or using improvised weapons, as even the touch of a punch is still considered taboo. It might seem bizarre that a man who rapes another man is not seen as impure, but his victim is—but it harks back to a sense of sexual dominance found in prison cultures and reactionary machismo worldwide. A rooster’s status is truly miserable. It’s driven many people to suicide and made people so miserable that they used to rebel and intentionally touch blatniye inmates as a last attempt of revenge—sure, they would be instantly killed by other inmates, but the prisoner who previously belonged to the higher caste would instantly be a rooster inside the prison system and out, and would never be able to move upwards in the hierarchy.

These notions, especially the revulsion against LGBTQ people, are powerful in Russian mainstream culture as well. Take the ex-liberal, now extremely pro-war and pro-Putin Russian journalist Anton Krasovsky, who was thrown out of the Donbas under threats of violence because he’s also openly gay. He’s the kind of gay man who agrees with the Kremlin’s stance of “traditional values” and believes that “gay cure” procedures should be mandatory, but nonetheless, he reported that he’s received messages that he’s not welcome there although he completely supports the Russian side in the war. Those messages included people stating he couldn’t even dig trenches, because the shovels he used would have to be burnt afterward.

In his post on Telegram, then, Prigozhin was making it clear that there was no redemption from prison caste even when fighting for the nation—and that the caste mixing was an active threat to morale. It might seem bizarre to stick to such prejudices given Russia’s dire need for manpower, but the laws of the underworld can’t be cast aside that easily.

This isn’t Prigozhin’s only extolment of the virtues of the thieves’ law. In a leaked video from the Feb. 21 this year, where he’s giving a recruitment speech to inmates, he explains the “working conditions” in the Wagner Group. He notes, “We need criminal talent. I did 10 years myself before becoming a hero of Russia,” letting the potential recruits know that Wagner Group is being run according to the thieves’ law. “We don’t take any kind of the offended, the downcast, and so on—we respect all the unwritten rules.” Prigozhin says that those who are in prison for drugs are “taken care of.” Violence, on the other hand, puts you on the top of the hierarchy. The desirable charges are murder, grievous bodily harm, robbery, and armed robbery. He especially notes that “If you beat up  the administration or the cops, that’s even better.”

In another cruel example, Wagner Group recruits who are suffering from HIV, hepatitis, and other hard-to-cure illnesses, who have been enticed with the promise of a cure should they survive, are made to wear specific wristbands that mark them as “impure” in an attempt to not “taint” others. And, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda, “according to the [Ukrainian] intelligence, the fighters are becoming angry about this situation. Russian medics are known to routinely refuse to treat injured [soldiers] with hepatitis or HIV.”

None of this makes for good soldiers, and it’s already having serious consequences in Russian society. Organized violence is both physically and mentally demanding. A sense of camaraderie among the soldiers and respect, or at least obedience, for officers is vital. The Wagner Group operates on a different culture—one where such mutual respect and military tradition does not exist, and obeying formal superiors is literally taboo for the highest castes of prisoners. Nor can the dead be respected—after all, they might be roosters. Because of these prison laws and hierarchy, soldiers in the Wagner Group are not encouraged to bond; instead, they’re treated as expendable and sent as a human wave into the  “meat grinder.”

Extreme violence—like the shocking sledgehammer execution of a Wagner recruit who tried to defect to Ukraine—is used to keep soldiers in check. As Prigozhin commented about that event: “A dog’s death for a dog.” And while this does keep the prisoner recruits under some control and can achieve limited results, it also has made the Wagner Group tactically inflexible and predictable. Once Ukrainian defenders of Bakhmut understood that these blunt, straightforward assaults were the only thing that Wagner forces would ever do, the Ukrainians adapted and improved, eventually negating the costly gains that Prigozhin’s private army had made.

The normalization of prison culture may be contributing to the brutalization of the Russian army and its war crimes in Ukraine—but it’s also affecting the home front. Many of the prisoner recruits return home with a full pardon after serving out the six months they’re contracted for, often having served a tiny fraction of their sentence. Wagner specifically looked for violent criminals—who usually have long sentences. Already, the crimes of these returning Wagner soldiers are piling up, and analysts and Russian opposition politicians, such as Mikhail Khodorkosky, are warning against the return of the violence of the 1990s, when crime soared. Lawful thieves, prison laws, and ponyatiya in general are surging again, as the country is once again criminalizing itself to the point of gang wars, but this time, with military-grade armaments. Yet the Western press has largely missed most of this. The reports of Prigozhin’s comments, such as this UPI wire, entirely skipped it over. The lede simply states: “Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia’s Wagner Group, said Sunday that the mercenary group “acted honestly” by hiring prisoners to fight in Ukraine as he branded the convicts “heroes.”

In an April 10 report from the Institute for the Study of War, the ponyatiya are entirely ignored. Instead, it mentions only “Prigozhin insinuated that the Russian MoD [Ministry of Defense] would treat convicts worse than Wagner treated them to further advertise recruitment into Wagner and discredit the MoD’s recruitment efforts. The insinuation seems odd given that Wagner reportedly used convicts in human wave attacks that cost thousands of them their lives.” That misses the point entirely. Prigozhin isn’t talking about regular treatment, but about the deeply embedded caste notions—and under those, being degraded to a rooster is far worse than death.

While Prigozhin frequently uses the language of thieves , Putin avoids explicitly stating the rules, but nevertheless hints that he sticks to them himself. Putin was a KGB agent, of the organization that jailed many “thieves” back in Soviet days, and never a convict himself. However, he has long-standing ties to Russian organized crime—most notably through the Cooperative Ozero, which was founded as a dacha cooperative in November 1996 by Putin and his friends and has since grown to a powerful group, bonding together oligarchs and more conventional criminal activities.

Putin’s emphasis on supposedly traditional Russian values also implicitly includes the laws of the prison—especially when it comes to macho behavior and sexual purity. The Russian state’s homophobia can’t be understood without recognizing the sadism of a caste system that sees raping men as normal but loving them as degrading. Maxim Katz, a prominent Russian opposition journalist and politician currently living in Israel, told me that the ponyatiya are important to understand Putin and the Russian political elite in general. But he said  that “it is not the criminal authorities’ notions of the Russian prison that reign in the Russian security services, but their ersatz version.

Chekists, especially retired Chekists [a term for former KGB officers such as Putin, referring to the old Soviet secret police service], like to copy the style of behavior of high-ranking criminals. But for these criminals themselves, the Chekists are second-rate people, frankly not even people. The moment an employee of the ‘office’—current or former—is taken to a detention facility, he is immediately relegated to a lower caste and never gets beyond the latrine.

“Putin’s criminal behavior is more the case of a boy from an educated family trying to imitate the behavior of school bullies—but never quite becoming one of them. The Russian criminal world distinguishes between the blatniye and the ‘trash’ very clearly; the trash can try all they want to mimic this world, but they will always be subhuman to it, and their rhetoric is cheap cosplay, not true adherence to ‘the notions,’ since the notion is to kill them on the spot.” Putin may only be playing at the rules, but the criminal world takes them very seriously. So too should Western analysts striving to understand the actions of Russian troops, especially Wagner’s, in Ukraine, and the kind of culture that will become even more prominent back in Moscow and St. Petersburg when they return from the war.    

Kristaps Andrejsons is a journalist in Latvia and the creator of The Eastern Border podcast on the USSR and modern Eastern European politics.