this is a rlly dumb crack au guys im sorry
okay but like i've been fucking brainrotting for some reason about my versions of my otps of some otome games and twitter is shit and no one rlly reads my tumblr so just
imagine the four of them meeting
so it's like this:
luke and his mc, belle (tears of themis)
victor and his mc, yu (mlqc)
osborn and his mc, jue xiyu (light and night)
ayn and his mc, xiao ling (lovebrush / for all time)
and when they meet its the funniest shit ever because they just talk about all the crazy things that happened to them aklsdjfhaskljdfhaklsjghaskl
Victor: I am the CEO of Loveland Financial Group, but I am also an EVOLver--someone that has enhanced supernatural abilities. Mine is the ability to manipulate time, whether moving to the past and future, or halting it in it's place. I've seen the world nearly come to ruin, but it was all resolved thanks to my dummy, Yu. We still have a long way to go, though. The Laws of our world are never finished with us, but I guarantee that nothing will stop me from finding her. Not time, not space.
Luke: I was a secret agent, but after a mission, I was struck with a chronic illness, so I don't have much time to live. I've been trying to find a miracle that will cure me of it, but nothing so far. I avoided my best friend, Belle, for so long, but after reuniting with her and joining NXX with her, I decided to try and live out what days I might have left and find our miracle, together.
Osborn: Racer by day, bounty hunter by night. I'm a free spirit, really, though I've had my own fair share of mess-ups and troubles. Sometimes, i questioned why I was still here, and argued with myself over and over again. Not to mention I can summon blue flames, which might mean I have God Blood running through me. Whatever it is, though, as long as Xiyu is by my side, I'm fine. After all, my Lil' Xiao Five is my light in the night.
Ayn:
Ayn: i.
Ayn: i am a music student at an academy.
Ayn: that. is dating xiao ling.
Ayn: i guess.
And then meanwhile the girls are all like--
Yu: So it turns out I'm an EVOLver, I became the QUEEN and rewrote the rules of the world multiple times, was stuck in a time loop, and I might... be the CORE or something? It hurts my head, honestly.
Xiyu: Tell me about it. I'm surrounded by angels, ancient foxes, vampires, and I might be related to a God? It's insane, and I don't even know up from down anymore. So much for living the normal fashion designer life, right?
Xiao Ling: Oh, I'm a comic artist, but some of the comics I draw are actually based on alternative realities that I've visited! In each one, I always manage to find my way back to Ayn.
Belle:
Belle: I AM. A LAWYER.
Belle: AS IN I HAVE A LAW DEGREE?
Belle: AND I DEAL WITH. CRIMINAL CHARGES. AND MURDER CASES.
Belle: ...WHAT IS THIS SUPERNATURAL STUFF, I AM SCARED--
in the end, ayn and belle shake hands.
Ayn: Oh, Belle, Xiao Ling is normal like us too. Right, A-Ling?
Xiao Ling: Y-Y... Y-yup!
Belle: *stares at Xiao Ling in astonishment*
Xiyu: ...you didn't tell him about the alternate universes thing, did you?
Xiao Ling: N-nope.
Yu: Thought so.
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i've seen a lot of theories about what the virtual singers signify to each character. the two main theories i've been seeing are that they're either symbolic of what the members of the sekai need to grow, or are just milestones of their growth and/or their desires. i'm not quite sure which camp i fall into personally, but i do think both theories are really interesting. especially since, when you think about it, what do the wonderlands x showtime virtual singers signify?
first of all, we have miku. miku is a bubbly younger sister type character. she's curious about everything, thinks everything is wonderful and amazing, and she literally has stars in her eyes all the time. she talks in onomatopoeias and is high energy. she was part of the sekai when tsukasa first discovered it.
then we have kaito. kaito is a parental/older sibling figure. he takes care of the plushies in the sekai, takes care of the other virtual singers, takes care of the unit members, and basically takes care of the sekai as a whole. he's shown bits of being a workaholic as well. he was also part of the sekai when tsukasa discovered it.
next is len. len is curious about anything he finds interesting. he's willing to learn from others, constantly spouts about how cool everyone is, and is always looking for ways to improve himself in the things he likes doing. he manifests right after the main wxs story ends, but only makes his actual first appearance in the story during "It's On! Wonder Halloween!".
after that is meiko. her characterization is the trickiest. she seems to be a "supporting role" kind of person, happy to be on the sidelines helping out, instead if being the center of attention. she first appears in "On This Holy Night, I Sing".
next is rin. she "completes" len, in that she's curious about her friends. she always wants to learn more things about them so they can be better friends. she first appears in "Musical Twilight Parade" (which isn't actually a wxs-centric event but they are there).
and last but not least is luka. she's always sleeping. she's said to sleep when everyone is happy, because she can rest knowing everyone is doing well. she appears during the "Doll Festival at the Tenma's" event (which is a tenma siblings centric event).
so. what do they symbolize? well, the easiest ones are len and rin.
like i said, len first manifests right after the main story of wxs, and him being curious of things he finds interesting could be symbolic of tsukasa actually making new friends after like. a decade. which i WILL get back to.
it works with both theories. tsukasa needs to be more curious to get his friends to open up/get himself to open up to his friends, but it could also signify tsukasa Actually Being Curious About His Friends. he's never known anyone like emu, or rui, or nene, so he wants to get to know them and what they do. it also fits that len's first proper appearance was during the halloween event (or, if you remember events by the songs, the Becoming Potatoes event), because that's the same event where tsukasa gets injured by one of rui's robots, rui shuts down, and tsukasa has to reassure him that it's okay.
rin is basically the same. she's symbolic of love, care, and curiosity for her friends. i haven't read the twilight parade story in full, so i'm not exactly sure how she ties into the story, but it makes sense that she'd show up then, because right before her was meiko.
SPEAKING OF MEIKO! meiko is also relatively easy to figure out. like i said, she's a "supporting role". there to help out when needed, not to take the lead. it makes sense that she'd show up during the christmas event because the event isn't tsukasa-centric. it largely doesn't involve him. but meiko is also loving and caring and, as i said before, supportive. she's symbolic of always wanting to help and support friends, even if from a distance. tsukasa reflects this by complimenting nene in the event, often saying things like "that's our diva!" and such.
again, this works in both theories. nene needed support and, seeing this and (likely) wanting to help (idk like i said he isn't shown much lol), meiko manifested. but she could also be symbolic of how tsukasa has grown past his earlier actions in the main story, where he yells at nene for messing up the show. meiko is a symbol of how he's come to care for her, and genuinely wants to help her.
luka is. a bit trickier. as i said, she sleeps when everyone is happy. that means, if she's wide awake, someone is upset. she first appears in the doll festival event which is. worrying.
in the doll festival event, tsukasa misinterprets a memory from his childhood. when he was younger, he wanted to give his little sister saki these 2 dolls, but on his way to the hospital, he trips and ruins them. when he shows them to saki, she cries. he misinterprets this to mean that she hates him for it, when in reality she was touched by the gesture.
luka's appearance in an event like this is... concerning, because tsukasa is also shown as a bit of a workaholic at times (kinda like kaito). he doesn't stop until he reaches his goal, and even then, he quickly moves on to an even greater goal. this means, depending on which theory we're following, luka could either signify
a.) how tsukasa needs to rest every once in a while. how he doesn't need to shoulder everything on his own. how he's Allowed to Rest When Everyone's Happy. or
b.) how tsukasa FINALLY LEARNS EVERYTHING IN A.
so then. we get to the last 2. the duo that had been there from the very start. miku and kaito.
miku and kaito are kind of polar opposites. one is bouncy and bubbly and full of energy, while the other is calm and collected. one is a playful little sister figure, while the other is a responsible older brother or parental figure.
i want to briefly talk about another theory (or rather, headcanon), separate from this, that has become quite popular lately: the theory that miku and whoever else was there since the discovery of the sekai has been there since the unit members were children. i mention this theory because...
miku is a little sibling. she thinks everything is wonderful. she thinks everything is amazing. she literally has stars in her eyes.
she could have only been made when tsukasa was a child because, depending on the theory, she's either:
a.) a manifestation of how tsukasa needs to let loose and have fun and enjoy life like a kid would?? (which doesn't make sense bc of kaito)
b.) a manifestation of either tsukasa's childlike wonder, tsukasa's Want to experience childlike wonder, and/or his want to spend more time with saki
and kaito is an older brother/parental figure. he's responsible. he's calm and collected. he's cool. so depending on the theory, he's either:
a.) a manifestation of tsukasa needing to be a reliable/responsible older brother figure for everyone around him (which is worrying)
b.) tsukasa's need for a parental unit in his life, or tsukasa's desire to be seen as a reliable older brother figure (Which Are Both Worrying (seeing as kaito seems to be a workaholic and tsukasa has also been shown to be a workaholic as well!!))
which brings me to my next point: the designs of some of the virtual singers.
miku, rin, and luka are designed a bit specially in comparison to the others. they all have elements of animals in them, implying their designs are supposed to resemble plushies. (which makes sense considering how many "fluffy" elements and pompoms they have in comparison to all the other characters.) miku is a cat plushie, rin is a bunny plushie, and luka is a sheep plushie. but.
why?
why is miku, the embodiment of childlike wonder, a plushie?
why is rin, the embodiment of excitement and love and care for friends, a plushie?
why is luka, the embodiment of resting well knowing everyone is happy and healthy, a plushie?
actually, why are plushies way more important to tsukasa than they ever were to saki?
tsukasa's sekai is all made of things he made for SAKI, right? all of the things, from the giant train in the sky to the singing flowers, were for SAKI, right?
but saki barely ever mentions it in her story. in fact, it only ever comes up when TSUKASA is involved. saki sees them as nothing more than toys, meanwhile tsukasa has personified them. it may just be because of his sekai, but let's not forget...
while these were SAKI'S plushies, they were also TSUKASA'S co-stars. they were with him when he put on all those shows for saki in the hospital. they were with him when the plushies were brought back home.
and what else is a lonely little boy at home, with no family and no friends, supposed to do, other than to anthropomorphize inanimate objects to keep him company.
suddenly, we have a reason why miku, the embodiment of childlike wonder, is a Plushie. we have a reason why luka, the embodiment of being able to Rest now that Everyone is Happy, is a Plushie. we have a reason why rin, the embodiment of the Excitement of Friendship, is a Plushie.
because tsukasa's childlike wonder Started with plushies. he made them act out scenes from the wonders created in his brain, and the plushies were there to bring them to life.
because tsukasa always used plushies to cheer people up (like in the shows he put on for saki). because the plushies were always there to cheer Him up.
because for the longest time, for maybe a decade, or more, for most of tsukasa's childhood...
his only friends
were
the plushies.
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It cannot be overstated just how earth-shattering Alito’s leaked Supreme Court opinion is - not simply for its dismantling of womens’ bodily autonomy (though that in itself is egregious enough) but also for how it goes about overturning the foundational precedent Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey are built on: the right to privacy and the due process clauses as outlined in the 14th Amendment.
Roe and Casey work on the precedent that the “privacy” of the 14th Amendment can be applied to a woman’s personal medical decisions. This is what’s called an “unenumerated right,” or a right that is implied to exist based off of what other laws say. For instance, the right to a public defender isn’t stated in the constitution at all, but was implied to exist because of a Supreme Court decision in 1963. Alito’s opinion however, asserts that a right must “must be deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition.”
The fuck does that mean?
Y’see, as an Originalist (like Amy Coney Barrett), Alito is concerned with the original public meaning of a law at the time it was written.
To an Originalist, since the 14th Amendment was drafted in 1868 - a time when most states criminalized abortion - to apply a “modern” interpretation of privacy to abortion like Roe did twists the 14th Amendment beyond what the drafters would have ever intended or even considered, which to Alito and other Originalists like him is Constitutional anathema.
So why is this legalese important?
Simple: while Alito insists that Roe v. Wade is a special case because abortion is a unique issue, that doesn’t change the fact that his Originalist interpretation of the 14 Amendment will topple that privacy precedent, setting a brand new legal precedent that can be applied to a huge number cases that were also decided on the 14th’s Privacy and Due Process clauses. Rights that may also lack the “history and tradition” that Alito so treasures.
What other unenumerated rights does this endanger? To name a few:
Interracial marriage (Loving v. Virginia)
The right to a public defender (Gideon v. Wainwright)
“Miranda Rights,” or a person’s legal rights being read to them by police during arrest (Miranda v. Arizona)
The right to buy and use contraceptives (Griswold v. Connecticut)
The illegality of sodomy laws (Lawrence v. Texas)
Same-sex marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges)
Overruling Roe and Casey isn’t solely a horrible miscarriage of justice for women’s reproductive rights. If the legal logic of Alito’s draft carries into the Court’s final decision, then the legal precedence that toppled it will be legitimized and could theoretically be applied to...well. Pretty much all modern civil rights.
Now, Alito assures us that Roe is a special case and that other decisions such as interracial marriage (Loving) or contraception (Griswold) are in no danger of being overturned. They are decided law, so we have nothing to worry about.
Except...that’s exactly what a few recent Supreme Court nominees said about Roe, as well.
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PART 20
of the dfk 2023 audiobook translation
@cnka
Narrator (audiobook):
Robert puts another piece of wood on the trunk and swings the axe.
Bökh: „And you never wanted to get in touch?"
The Nichtraucher picks up a piece of wood.
Silence.
Nichtraucher: „Why should I? We didn’t see each other for the past ten years either.“
He rips the piece of wood apart with his bare hands. While holding eye contact with Justus.
Silence.
Justus lowers his head.
Jo: „Uh.. weren’t you-"
Martina, quietly: „Jo, leave it. Lets go.“
Martina, louder: „We need to go! We still have something to do.“
The kids leave. Jo and Martina are holding hands as they walk away.
Bökh: „Yeah… Thank you, kids.“
Jo, whispering as they walk away: "What was that just now?!"
Robert picks up the chopped wood and walks back to his wagon. Justus looks after him.
Narrator (audiobook):
If the two friends will find back together? Matze isn’t so sure of that.
Matze, sarcastically: „Well, that was a great success!“
Jo: „Yeah, so much for friendship between Internals and Externs.“
Narrator (audiobook):
At least Robert granted Herr Bökh access to his wagon. He looks around lost in thought more or less, while Robert washes the dishes.
Dishes clatter. There is silence otherwise.
Justus stares wistfully at Robert while he washes the dishes.
Justus takes his eyes off Robert and starts looking around while Robert continues to ignore him.
Bökh: „I thought you were living in London.“
Nichtraucher: (silence)
Bökh: „It's nice here.“
Nichtraucher: (silence)
Justus starts walking around.
Bökh: „I told the kids about our friendship.“
Nichtraucher: „As a cautionary tale?“
Bökh: (chuckles/scoffs) „No. Of course not.“
Narrator (audiobook):
Bökh spots the poster of „the Bandits“, the same one hanging in his apartment.
Bökh: „The 'Wild Dog' that we always played in is still there.“
Nichtraucher: (silence)
Bökh: „Should we meet there sometime? For a beer?“
Robert looks up.
He lets out a small huff, almost like an incredulous laugh or a scoff.
He dries his hands on a towel and folds it.
Nichtraucher: (silence)
Nichtraucher: „I don’t know what we would have to say to each other.“
Bökh: „Hm. Well. A lot of time has passed.“
Narrator (audiobook):
Robert sits down at the table and lights himself a cigarette.
Justus turns as well and starts looking around again.
Nichtraucher: „Why didn’t you come to Marie’s funeral back then?“
Nichtraucher: „You didn’t even get in touch.“
[„You didn't even get in touch“ -> parallels to „And you never wanted to get in touch?“]
Justus is silent. He starts fiddling with his jacket and pulls it off his shoulder. He lets out a deep, shaky sigh and is silent for another few moments.
Bökh: „…I don’t know, you met her and… and suddenly you were gone.“
[Parallels to „suddenly your closest loved ones are gone“]
Bökh: „As if everything -our friendship, the band- as if that had all just been a dream.“
Justus turns around and looks at Robert.
Bökh: „Wir zwei. Wir hatten doch Pläne.“
Bökh: „That really hurt me.“
Nichtraucher: „It hurt you.“
Silence. Just the music.
Bökh: „Yes. Very much back then.“
The Nichtraucher lets out a soft incredulous laugh again, almost like a scoff.
Nichtraucher: „I see.“
Long silence. Justus stares out the window. Finally, he turns and walks to the door.
Bökh: „You know where to find me.“
Justus leaves the wagon. Robert nods to himself silently.
Narrator (audiobook):
And with these words, Herr Bökh leaves his friend’s train wagon. If the two will ever see each other again?
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Sorry for the double post, I just realized I have come across r selection species. 😅 But now I'm curious, why are the trolls in your essay an r selected instead of a k selected? Are their lives really short or is it just to do with their breeding? Also, is this a fan essay or are you the one who made this world?
@patch-zirwes I honestly have no idea how you ended up on a six year old blog post about lingerie for weird alien relationships--one that tbh I didn't even remember writing and had to go look up when you sent your first ask, lol. But uhhhh okay, let's see.
First of all, trolls and moirallegiance aren't original, they're from a webcomic called Homestuck. I just find them fascinating and have been known to put a lot of thought into xenosociological worldbuilding.
Trolls are aliens and their species as we meet them is very violent and aggressive and focused on weeding out weakness. I referred to them as an r-selection species because of their breeding structure in-comic, and the way their society approaches the worth of individual life.
to broadly summarize; trolls all contribute genetic material, which is taken to a creature called their Mother Grub, who combines it through unspecified biological means and then produces grubs that grow up to become trolls
Through various exposition we also learn a) trolls are a warlike society with an expanding interplanetary empire, suggesting there are LOTS of them even though b) trolls tend to treat each other with fairly callous disregard (very "if you're weak enough to die, you deserved it" vibe)
therefore: it seems their species' strategy to thrive and spread is probably to produce many, many offspring at low energy cost, and if the weakest ones die then oh well, there are thousands of others on the way.
((Further complicating this is the fact that trolls also exist on a spectrum of blood colors, from rust-red to royal fuchsia, and it's implied that a) colder/"higher" colors are increasingly rare, and b) higher bloods are exponentially longer-lived. Individuals are pretty much all treated as disposable to some extent, but the extreme societal imbalance of power definitely makes some trolls more disposable than others, societally-speaking.))
Anyway I am not an expert on this stuff and I desperately need to go to sleep but there's all that.
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