#also kai shiden is there

[cephalopistol]

rodney greenblat detour

[vamptoll]

Lesbian pride flag color picked from Miharu Ratokie's death scene in Mobile Suit Gundam. Color meanings explained below!

The first stripe represents the lesbian's initial affection toward any female character in Gundam.

The second stripe represents the lesbian's love toward antagonistic female characters more broadly.

The third stripe represents the amorphous and varied feelings of lesbians toward Kai Shiden.

The fourth stripe represents the lesbian's mounting terror knowing a female character will die in this episode of Gundam.

And the final stripe represents the lesbian's shock when a truly brutal death scene occurs for a female character in Gundam.

[oldfriendsseniortwittersanctuary]

Should they be at the club: Mobile Suit Gundam '79

Amuro Ray

There is no character that should "be at the club" less than Amuro Ray. There is no way you could keep him in the club for more than 15 minutes. He's waiting outside the entire time, if he hasn't already called an uber. Do not bother.

Sayla Mass

Absolutely, yes. Let this girl tear up the dance floor. Heaven knows she deserves it.

Bright Noa

I am of the firm belief that the only thing that would fix this guy is a life-changing experience in the bathroom of a seedy club, so yes, for the love of God, take this man to the club.

Fraw Bow

If you take her she's going to get roped into being the designated driver, and that's just not fair to her. She does not want to be here. The club is not her natural habitat. Let her go home and catch up on her netflix backlog.

Kai Shiden

God, you know he'll down two virgin daiquiris, say the wrong thing to someone, and get punched the fuck out. Yes, he should be at the club.

Hayato Kobayashi

He'd be quiet for the most of the evening, until at the very end when he says something deeply unpleasant and out of pocket, just dragging the whole mood down. No, he should not be at the club.

Mirai Yashima

Hell yeah. She'd have a grand ol' time, just living it up. And when she gets drunk she'll be That Drunk Girl In the Bathroom. You know the one. She belongs in the club.

Ryu Jose

He's the one making sure everyone's doing all right, not getting into too much trouble, and making sure the people who are way too drunk get home OK. He must be at the club; this is non-negotiable.

Sleggar Law

He'd be a absolute pain in the ass, however he will also be watching over every girl like a hawk. The second he sees someone slip something in her drink or try to cop a feel, he will throw hands. Him being at the club is an unfortunate necessity.

Char Aznable

Contrary to popular belief, no, do not let this man within 100 feet of the club. His latent Causing Problems instinct would go into overdrive, and there's no telling what Problems he would cause by the end of the night.

Lalah Sune

She would just sit... and watch... until at which point she just walks up to a random stranger and says the most off-putting shit you've ever heard. She should be at the club.

Ramba Ral & Crowley Hamon

Moot question, they're already at the club, scouting for a third. They do this every other Saturday.

M'Quve

*insert the lyrics to How Soon Is Now*

Garma Zabi

I mean, he'd be fun enough to be around, I suppose, but you know by the end of the night he's going to hook up with some blond twink that looks suspiciously similar to a Certain Someone We Know and like... don't let him keep hurting himself like this, man.

Icelina Eschonbach

The only way you're getting her in the club is if she's with Garma, and she will watch him pick up that twink and not even register that anything is amiss. That's just sad. Don't take either one to the club, it would just be too hard to watch.

Degwin Zabi

Uh, the spirit is unwilling and the flesh is ever so weak. Probably a bad idea for him to be at the club.

Gihren Zabi

So he wouldn't, but God could you imagine? Ideally the second he starts ranting about Hitler is the second he gets knocked on his ass, but sadly no one would dare to do it. No, he should not be at the club.

Dozle Zabi

Oh yeah, totally. He'd be louder than the music and would not stop bragging, but those stories would be the wildest fucking stories you'd ever heard. He should be at the club for that alone. Also, he could easily be talked into buying everyone a drink.

Kycilia Zabi

She would scare the hoes and the bros. She should be at the club.

Cucuruz Doan

[Redacted]

Miharu Ratokie

She would somehow end the evening lying face down in a pool of her own blood. No one would know how she ended up this way. It is not much a question of whether she should be at the club as it is an inevitability. We cannot help but to repeat the cycles of tragedy.

[amuwo]

kai b5 or kamille d3 for gundam ask game? also obsessed with the way u draw amuro!

eeeeee? ore? kai shiden??

kamiyu is coming up also I'm just posting him separate for Reasons :3 THANK YOU FOR THE ASK AND ALSO TYSM FOR LIKING MY AMUROS..... i love to draw him im so glad ppl haven't ran me out of the tags yet

[couldtransitionsaveher]

KAI SHIDEN from MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM

JUSTIFICATION:

"accidentally referred to kai as "she" one time and it stuck. it just makes sense to me....girlfailure who doesnt want to be in the military she just wants to be a journalist. also iirc sayla told once told kai to "be a man" and kai reacted very negatively to that" - Anonymous

Reminder: Submissions are always open! Submit here!

Did you make your daily click today?

[starlight-island-tomodachi-life]

Welcome to Starlight Island

One day, the goddess of the stars, Astra, got bored and decided to create a planet with a single island on it: Starlight Island. Thinking it was getting lonely on the island, she then decided to create the Starlight Islanders. The islanders are imbued with the personalities and memories that Astra created for them. This is their story.

(OOC: This is my Tomodachi Life blog, feel free to send me an ask! I also write short stories that expand on the lore of Starlight Island.)

Island Photo (may be updated in the future):

(Top to bottom, L-R:)

Row 1: Leo Ray (child of Squirrelflight and Amuro), Franky, Mineva Zabi, Vannie (human version of one of my Furbys, Vanilla Extract), Koromon, Bonney, Seaspray (human version of my Furby Boom of the same name), Judau Ashta, Haman Karn, Monkey D. Cindy (child of Leafpool and Luffy)

Row 2: Buggy, Crocodile, Shirahoshi, Garma, Nico Robin, Mihawk, Usopp, Kai Shiden, Sanja (fem!Sanji), Lalah Sune

Row 3: Nami, Shanks, Mimi, Ginjiro, Law, Bright Noa, Pochi, Graystripe, Greymon, Yamato

Row 4: Ivypool, Bluestar, Nefertari Vivi, Char Aznable, Hollyleaf, Sabo, Mapleshade, Zoro, Sanji, Dovewing

Row 5: Stella Rugaru (OC), Portgas D. Ace, Amuro Ray, Squirrelflight/star, Luffy, Astra Spica (lookalike/OC), Tony Tony Chopper, Leafpool, Kamille Bidan, Mothwing

[the-stray-liger]

Hiya Nate! We're in for a CLUSTERFUUUUCK!!!!! 1/2

Downtime went as expected. Arkady had several breakdowns over the course of three hours that required the party to take away his computer until he had some Xanax and Snickers. Arkady confided in Sergeant Reed that he couldn't believe Raskol fought not just Char and won, but also an entire squad (and he accidentally let it slip that said squad belonged to a former friend) and Reed, bless his heart, kept pushing the wound that friends ought to protect each other. They also confided in their insecurities regarding their own suits. Reed has a Bugu that is older than Methuselah, and Raskol is Arkady's son that literally has every disease xD

Amuro discussed with them about getting them Gundams, but Arkady outright rejected the possibility since he found them too "cold-hearted" though Reed suspects that Arkady was referring to Amuro rather than the RX-78.

Nyls would make a surprise appearance in the White Base, as an old acquaintance of Noah Bright. The ship's rendezvous location happened to be where Captain Dad was stationed at the time, and he spent that whole time monitoring the activities of the enemy squads to figure out their weaknesses. More importantly, he was able to figure out that one of the enemy squads involved (a GM original, called Midas' Hand) is the one that killed his daughter. Kai Shiden also helped, but was subject to much slapstick LMAO

Alicia on her part, decided to try and find out more about her last remaining friend on the field, who is part of Noisy Fairy. She tried to get some supplies, but her result came with consequences and turns out that Noisy Fairy got all the good supplies and left us with defective pieces. However, she did learn that Noisy Fairy is struggling a lot as well and its leadership is trying very hard to not cave in... especially because Killy Garrett actually gives a shit about the girls under her and is trying her damnest to protect them from ending like Cleopatra and her squad.

2/2 We returned to secret Federation base where Arkady's brother Raskolnikov is staying to give them more combat data thanks to Amuro and Arkady. While there, we were accosted by the team Witch Hunt, sworn enemies of the Noisy Fairies, who caught wind of Alicia's attempts at reaching out to that team and are trying to out her as a traitor... unaware that not only she personally put down several of their suits during combat but also singlehandledly dismantled several Zeon units thanks to her propaganda xD However, the incursion was loud enough to scare Arkady, who thought that someone leaked that he had contacts within NF. And this is where he talks with Alicia's friend Ingrid and reveals his connection to Alma Stirner. Ingrid, surprisingly, was sympathetic to his plight and actually encouraged him to talk to Alicia. After all, if she was able to find Ingrid, save Kanon and actually bail out one of her friends from Kycillia's honor guard, she for sure could convince Alma to surrender. Everything was going so well... until the power went out. Raskolnikov's voice channel went dead. And the alarm system keeps blaring "Intruder alert." To think we were on top of the game...

No way you just dropped a cliffhanger on my gay ass IN PRIDE MONTH I demand you come back and tell me what is coming next

[sanguinesweets]

Having a night in with Char Aznable, Kai Shiden, Chara Soon, and Mashymre Cello:

1. Char Aznable

• when you suggest having a movie night, he agrees to it pretty quickly, and gives suggestions on what to watch

• mostly throws action titles your way, a few psychological thrillers

• will also mention a lot of cult classics to seem cool

• shows up with his giant, soft, red blanket to cover both of you on the couch

• will keep his arm around you the whole movie, his face close to yours

• steals kisses between important scenes

• might start getting handsy if the movie begins to lose his attention

2. Kai Shiden

• when you mention wanting to have a night in, he suggests coming over and listening to his record collection

• he owns all sorts of different records from when he worked at a music store, and has an old player as well

• declines ordering takeout that night, despite how you both do it all the time

• surprises you with cooking skills you had no idea he possessed

• you end up snuggling on the couch after a delicious dinner and a couple of glasses of wine, listening to one of his favorite albums

• before you know it you're smiling and kissing him slowly to an 80s punk record you had never heard of

3. Chara Soon

• she suggested staying home and watching musicals that night, which surprised but intrigued you

• you had never seen Mamma Mia!, but you were in it now you guessed

• she offered you every alcohol under the sun from her pantry but you settled for a shitty bottle of yellowtail pinot grigio

• whether or not you liked the movie didn't matter, what made your night was seeing Chara so happy and sharing her interests with you

• by the end of the movie you two are making out on the couch, so you might never know how the movie ends

4. Mashymre Cello

• is silently freaking out internally after saying yes to you coming over to his place

• cleans every inch of his apartment bc he doesn't want you to think he lives like an animal

• overthought which snacks to get for the evening so ended up getting a huge catering charcuterie and a bunch of different kinds of dips

• will not suggest what to watch because he wants to learn what you're into, and also thinks you'll judge him a little for his tastes

• he's so awkward when trying to put his arm around you, or scoot closer, while watching the series you chose

• he's completely caught off guard when you rest a hand on his thigh and avert your attention from the TV, your gaze mischievous

• blushyy.

[newtypezaku]

Char’s Return (1988)

Literal months ago, I thought to myself, you know, I probably can’t read Japanese now, but I might be able to someday, so I may as well pick up some old-ass books while I can. And it turns out that with the gracious assistance of Google-sensei and the willingness to sink most of my free time into choking on kanji... I can eventually kind of read! I’ll admit, I was positively giddy when I realized that I didn’t have to consciously process the characters that make up the phrase “people whose souls are held back by gravity” anymore.

This is Char’s Return, a gamebook published by Keibunsha in 1988 that mixes elements of a single-player RPG and a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story. You’re Char, trying to organize scattered Neo Zeon remnants into something approximating a fighting force. Along the way, you pick up a lady friend who dies tragically because duh, fight former allies, and build the determination necessary to (Marvin the Martian voice) blow up the Earth.

I haven’t properly played the game, but I did try to build a tree representing every possible path, so what follows below the cut is a general summary of what happens.

Setting

The prologue starts in May, UC 0090. The world is more or less as it was at the end of ZZ, with the remains of Axis, Core 3, and Mousa forming a shoal zone in Side 3. According to the book, over the next few years, gravity naturally pulls Axis to L1 between the Earth and moon.

Texas has been hastily repurposed as a refugee colony, but the Federation hasn’t done much to actually repair it, resulting in appalling living conditions. Sweetwater is located somewhere between Sides 2 and 5 at L4, and Fifth Luna is stationed nearby as a resource satellite.

Londo Bell exists, with Nahel Argama as its flagship and many former AEUG members in its ranks. Char claims to recognize most of the bridge crew when he visits on one route during the game’s second half. Radical members who opposed reintegration with the Federation have formed their own organization, AEGM (I’ve also seen this romanized as EGUM), which you’d remember from Char’s Counterattack if they’d animated the first half of Hi-Streamer. 

Characters 

Char Aznable: The player assumes the role of Char, who tried to step aside after the Gryps War but was dispirited after witnessing the further tragedies of the subsequent conflict. Sensing no hope of change, Char chose to return to action and cleanse the Earth.

Danjidan Poseidon: The leader of a group of Neo Zeon remnants aboard the Gwadan-class cruiser Inxs hiding in the Side 3 shoal zone. Poseidon is an old one-eyed soldier who once fought alongside Ramba Ral and is as tenacious as he is stubborn. He pilots a Zaku III.

Leonhardt Lang: A former subordinate of Poseidon who is hiding in Hong Kong. Char arranges a meeting with him to learn Poseidon’s whereabouts.

Kai Shiden: Still a journalist whose self-appointed mission is exposing corruption within the Federation.

Stephanie Luio: Daugher of Woomin Luio and chief representative of Luio Company. Recognizes Char from the Dakar Speech she saw on TV.

Godarl: AEGM’s collaborator within Luio Company.

Yuka Kazama: AEGM’s contact person who is introduced by Godarl in Hong Kong. Yuka was born on the moon but moved to Musashino, Japan when she was young. She has vivid, painful memories of the colony drop and lost most of her family during the One Year War; now, she is around 18-19. Yuka has strong intuition that she can’t explain well, leading Char to suspect that she is a Newtype.

Yuma Kazama: Yuka’s younger sister. They became separated during the Gryps War and she reappears as an enhanced human piloting the Newtype-use mobile suit Nocturne. Her personality has become twisted as a result, and she lashes out against Yuka for trying to reconnect and against Char for “dropping the sky” during the OYW.

Aborigeni Stromatolite: Leader of AEGM’s cell in Mitaka, Japan, who accepts the mission of getting Char back into space.

Bright Noah: Captain of the Nahel Argama. He doesn’t believe that Londo Bell is serving corrupt interests, but is unable to convince Char.

Jay Nicholson: One of Poseidon’s ace pilots. He flies a Dreissen and is a veteran who takes every battle seriously.

Sakata: One of Poseidon’s ace pilots. He flies a prototype Geara Doga. While he opens with a surprise attack, once he addresses Char directly, he is extremely polite and fights gallantly.

Edo: One of Poseidon’s ace pilots. He flies a ReGelg. He’s been a pilot since he was in junior high, as the Principality of Zeon mobilized students near the end of the OYW.

Canning: Inxs bridge operator. 

Mechanics

MSN-100S Hyaku Shiki Kai: Carries no melee weapon, even though its Z-MSV equivalent is armed with a beam saber.

RMS-099 Rick Dias

RGM-86R GM III

ORX-005 Gaplant

RGM-89 Jegan

AMX-011 Zaku III

MS-14J ReGelg

AMX-009 Dreissen

AMX-017 Qubeley Mass Production Type: Same appearance and equipment as the AMX-004G that appears in ZZ. The one on the Inxs was found among debris and repaired, but will only boot up if the player acquires a card key before the final battle.

AMX-117X Prototype Geara Doga: Described by Char as an odd mish-mash when it appears as an enemy.

HMX-000-X3 Nocturne: A Newtype-use MS developed by the Titans near the end of the Gryps War using psycommu technology from Axis. Its size, appearance, and equipment are very similar to the Queen Mansa. It is also equipped with a deflection shield which reduces damage done by low-level beam weapons.

FF-S3 Saberfish

Dodai Kai

Nahel Argama

Gwadan-class Inxs

Garuda-class Audhumla

Story

Hong Kong

Having witnessed various tragedies since the One Year War, Char senses no hope of the Federation changing its ways. Tired of waiting, he intends to take action himself. He takes a shuttle to Hong Kong to meet Leonhardt Lang, who can connect him to Danjidan Poseidon’s Neo Zeon remnants. However, he immediately finds himself being tailed.

Char is given opportunities to fight or flee, as his pursuers have no problem using their handguns even in streets crowded with pedestrians. However, whenever he apprehends one of them, they choose to kill themselves with cyanide capsules rather than divulge any useful information. Eventually, the pursuit ends and Char acquires an elecar.

However, when he drives to the convenience store where Leonhardt is waiting, a bomb explodes and destroys the shop. Char survives unscathed, but Leonhardt is beyond saving. With his dying breath, he tells Char to meet with their collaborator at Luio Company. 

His next order of business is to determine the location of its headquarters. There are several routes to this information, one of which is stumbling into a seedy bar and running into Kai Shiden. When Char gets to Luio, his secretive demeanor and bizarre request result in security taking him to the back for a little working over... unless you found a letter of introduction while asking around. (This fight is designed to be unwinnable, anyway, so if you follow the “I win” path, the book scolds you for lying and sends you back to start.)

He eventually meets with Stephanie Luio and Godarl. Godarl hears about Char’s pursuers and notes that “Hunters,” private organizations chasing down Zeon remnants, have recently grown bolder now that they’re receiving direct support from some Federation officers. He also introduces Char to Yuka, who will help them make contact with AEGM in Japan.

They head to a base where Luio has prepared a Saberfish for them, but they are attacked by a Hyaku Shiki Kai. Char has the option of immediately boarding the plane and fighting back, or searching the base for something he can use to temporarily disable the Kai and buy himself more time. Once he is clear to take off and Yuka successfully boards, they dodge the Kai’s attacks until they’re out of its range.

Japan

Because Narita is under EFF administration, Char sets a course for the civilian airfield in Chofu. As he observes the nation from the sky, he notes that Japan’s position as a leader in technology and industry made it a target during the OYW and its coastal cities suffered massive damage during Operation British. Depending on how much damage the plane received from the Hyaku Shiki Kai, they either land safely or crash in Tokyo Bay, where an AEGM patrol boat picks them up.

At the hideout in Mitaka, Char meets Aborigeni Stromatolite, who pledges his organization’s full cooperation in returning him to space. In two days, the Audhumla is scheduled to land at the Federation’s Chiba City base. After it unloads its cargo, they plan to hijack it before its return flight, expecting to be able to seize a shuttle they can launch from high altitude. In between meetings and mission prep, Char finds the time to relieve Yuka of her virginity.

The mission immediately goes sideways. Although they pretend to be a transport company, their forged documents don’t pass muster at the front gate and they have to switch to Plan B, which is to just force their way through. The speed of their assault catches most of the EFF soldiers off guard, but one alert pilot chases them inside the Audhumla’s cargo bay with a GM III.

Char boards one of the MS inside the Audhumla and fights back as the plane takes off. Both suits are constrained by their battlefield, and Char eventually triumphs. AEGM’s crew prepare the shuttle and Char says his goodbyes to Yuka, who gives him a photo of her family and predicts her imminent doom.

Before they can launch the shuttle, a new threat appears -- the Nocturne, a Newtype-use MS using Titan and Axis technology. He tries to hold it off while AEGM prepares the shuttle for launch, but Yuka suddenly gets between him and his opponent because she recognizes the pilot as her missing sister, Yuma. Char surmises that Yuma is the source of the unpleasant pressure they’ve been feeling.

No matter what action Char takes from here, Yuka is unable to overcome Yuma’s rewritten memories and twisted personality. Her fatal premonition from earlier comes true -- Yuma kills her older sister and turns her attention to Char, who barely escapes on the shuttle. 

Side 3

When the shuttle reaches a point about halfway between L1 and the moon, they’re intercepted by the Nahel Argama. From here, there are three distinct routes that Char can take:

Flee immediately to Granada. This involves going through the Nahel Argama, so first they get close enough to render its big guns useless. Then, Char takes one of the MS from the Audhumla and fights off Londo Bell’s new Jegan. After breaking through, they proceed to Side 3 via Granada.

Flee immediately to Side 4. On this route, Char visits Texas Colony and observes the deplorable living conditions of the refugees there. A Federation official asks him if he’ll ferry some of them to Granada, which Char can choose to do on their way to Side 3.

When they’re first hailed by the Nahel Argama, Char confirms that Bright Noah is the one speaking and arranges a meeting onboard. However, Char hot-headedly denounces Londo Bell as tools of the corrupt Federation and talks break down. He unleashes sleeping gas on the bridge, steals a mobile suit from the Nahel Argama’s hanger, and physically breaks the hatch to escape the ship. The shuttle then goes straight to Side 3.

Once they’re within visual range of Mousa’s ruins, they spot the Inxs and meet Danjidan Poseidon on the bridge. He’s not convinced that Char is who he says he is, so Char tries to sweeten the pot by dangling Mineva Zabi as bait -- he says he’s protecting her and intends to restore her to leadership when the time is right.

Ultimately, though, Poseidon doesn’t care about Char’s true identity, but only about his abilities. He suggests a game: Char is given six hours to navigate through nearby space and pass through three checkpoints. The game space is represented as a rectangular grid made up of blocks A1-A4 on the top row and B1-B4 on the bottom. From A1 or B1, Char must reach B4 in six hours or less. Each move, including the first, takes one hour. Furthermore, some blocks have events that burn another hour.

The three checkpoints are MS battles against one of Poseidon’s aces: Nicholson in a Driessen, Sakata in a Geara Doga, and Edo in a ReGelg. Three blocks contain traps which can further damage Char’s MS, which cannot be repaired during the game. Two blocks have items. After successfully winning his three battles and reaching B4, Char battles Poseidon’s Zaku III. The Zaku III’s specs make the fight a difficult one, but Char ekes out a victory after both units trade serious blows.

The Final Battle

As soon as the game ends and Poseidon is satisfied with Char’s strength and leadership, the Nocturne attacks. Char struggles to keep both himself and Poseidon alive as they withdraw to the Inxs, but once there, they realize the ship probably isn’t capable of fighting it off. Poseidon takes off again in his battered Zaku III despite Char’s protests. While Poseidon alarms Yuma with his tenacity and ferocious fighting style, she eventually overwhelms him with funnels.

At this point, the Nahel Argama appears. It launches its mobile suits and Char is left to rally the despondent Inxs crew. After surviving an early salvo, Char leads the MS team in a successful defense of the bridge, but Nicholson, Sakata, and Edo are all killed in action. Nahel Argama switches to long-range attacks, and Char throws down the gauntlet, declaring that he’s buried his AEUG past.

During the exchange, Inxs takes severe damage and its main guns almost overload to the point of self-destruction. But in a stroke of fortune, one shot takes out the Nahel Argama’s Hyper Mega Particle Gun. This also knocks out the adjacent MS catapults and reduces the Nahel Argama's combat capability by 80%, forcing Bright to order a retreat to Amman City.

Yuma renews her assault, leading to a final showdown with Char. Char intends to kill Yuma for everything she’s done, but Yuka’s spirit begs him to forgive her, saying she’s not really to blame. Char is eventually talked down and wins the battle, which relieves Yuma of her mental chains and removes all the tension from her body and soul. Char cradles her body and pounds his console, vowing to punish the people who keep repeating these tragedies.

The epilogue takes place three years later. Yuma remains in a mental facility and Char’s bad memories of the incident are dredged up when Nanai uses the phrase “enhanced human” to introduce Gyunei. Later that night, he tells her a bit about what happened and also that he gave psycommu technology to the team building the Nu Gundam so he can have a proper showdown with Amuro. Nanai is saddened that there’s still so much he’s keeping from her, but Char attempts to reassure her by saying that right now it’s her strength that he needs. 

In the final scene, Char addresses Neo Zeon troops in Sweetwater and declares that humanity must never again fight another war, and to realize this, he will punish the people on Earth who are at the root of it all.

So there you have it!

My vocabulary flash cards have now become oddly domain-specific and I’ve gotten better at figuring out how and why Google Translate fails. I can’t claim to be literate, but I was definitely reading faster the farther I got into the book. It’s almost like consistent, focused practice is good.

I bought more books when it became clear that I was going to get through this one, but no promises how long it’ll be until I have another summary :)

[cosmoshiden]

What are the Earth Federation’s acts of misconduct in Gundam 0079?

In the opening scene of each episode of the anime and each instalment of the film trilogy Mobile Suit Gundam, the audience is shown the horrific, genocidal, and destructive massacre of a major city and people from a space colony. This action was done deliberately by the antagonist, fascist nation, the Principality of Zeon. While the Principality, headed by the Zabi family is based on the fascist governments of Italy and Nazi Germany, and some their genocidal actions based on Imperial Japan’s own terrorist acts in Manchuria, and many of their crimes against humanity and other war crimes are easy to point out, it’s not always the case when it comes to the Federation in my opinion. So what are the Federation’s own crimes against humanity and war crimes? That we shall see below and conclude how every morally gray UC Gundam is.

To begin with, what could be considered a real world war crime the Federation commits is the fact that Amuro Ray, Hiyato Kobayashi, Kai Shiden, Sayla Mass, and Fraw Bow are recruited as child soldiers to fight for the Federation. Now according to the Geneva Convention and the International Criminal Court, recruitment of child soldiers is indeed a war crime. This is but one war crime committed by the Federation. Another war crime committed by the Federation in concert with child soldiers is how Amuro Ray goes through physical and mental abuse by his commanding officer, Bright Noa, captain of the White Base. For instance, Bright Noa resorts to hitting the 15-year-old Amuro in the face in episode 12 when he refuses to fight, after going through shell shock, and the captain disregards his mental health as a result. Bright. Not to mention that, Bright also has Amuro and company are conditioned to hate the Zeon when watching dictator and fleet admiral Girhen Zabi’s broadcasted speech, and to serve the Federation’s “cause” to defend “democracy and individual rights”. We see later that Amuro considers the Zeons to be evil space invaders in episodes 13, 14 and 15 as per his conditioning by Bright. Ergo, Amuro is taught to see all Zeon as evil and thus is gas-lighted to seeing them as dehumanized beings. 

Aside from being condited by Bright, Amuro and company have also been recruited unwillingly as human guinea pigs. What is meant by that is how Amuro and co. are made to test experimental weapons in battle. This also comes at the cost of the child soldiers in the Federation’s prototype mobile weapons, to suffer further from shell shock. Additionally, the kids are also being used as part of the Federation high command, especially General Revil, to be part of a eugenics program to breed newtype troops. Revil in specific, wants to breed a new race of super soldiers in order to help the Federation not only win the war, but to enforce its will over the colonies and defend the neoliberal order.

In addition, other war crimes and crimes against humanity are the use of human shields. This is not stated in the tv series and film trilogy, however, the Federation does have a habit of placing and intermingling military personnel and installations in civilian areas. To give an example, in the first episode of the tv series, the Federation has a base and testing ground for their prototype mobile weapons, which makes it a target for Zeon attack, and an endangerment of civilians. Not only that, but there was also a military installation in Belfest in the tv series, which was also in a civilian area. This can be assumed that the Federation is using civilian areas as human shields as the Federation assumes that their foes won’t attack an area full of non-combatants in them. However, it seems that they did not learn this lesson, especially as earlier in the war, they did the same thing. It can also be inferred that the Federation thought that the colonies of Sides 1, 2 and 4 would not be attacked by Zeon; yet this proved to be disastrous and entailed the deaths of 4 billion people. As such, it puts blood on the Federation’s hands. Plus, another instance of human shielding is when the refugees of Side 7 were left on board White Base. This happens in episode 4 of the tv series when the White Base arrives at Luna II, but are refused to leave the ship and settle on Luna II by order of the paranoid Admiral Watkins. 

In another case, we see a pair of war crimes committed by Federal troops when Amuro visits his hometown. One is a squad of drunken federal soldiers in his mother’s home. In this instance, we see the Federal soldiers disregarding his personal property and possessions. Here it can be inferred that the Federation during the war has resorted to destruction, looting, and pilagging of civilian property, which is yet another war crime on their part. Then when Amuro goes to visit an apple vendor who is an old family friend, we see Federal troops harassing her over not paying the vendor for food. This shows the elitism and disregard for the poor on the part of the Federation. Not to mention the human rights abuse of economic harm in not allowing a poor vendor to have basic income.  

One final war crime and crime against humanity that the Federation committed we shall explore is unlawful imprisonment and forced deportation. When attempting to leave the civilian population behind on Luna II, Admiral Watkins places the crew of the White Base and its civilian refugees under arrest, imprisonment, and accusses them of being spies. This is done on a pretense of suspicion, but without due process or evidence. Hence, Watkins causes willful harm to the civilians aboard White Base, unlawful arrest, detention without trial, disregard for human rights, willful harm to political groups (refugees notwithstanding), extrajugdicial punishment, and dehumanizes them through his suspions. 

As for the act of forced deportation, this is an act committed by the Earth Federation before the One Year War. When it came to the planet’s environmental catastophy, the Federation began their massive colonization program by forcibly evicting, displacing, and relocating 7 billion people in the O’Neill space islands, under the guise of relieving the earth of its “excess population”. This is for the most part a crime against humanity, as the civilian populace had no say or consent to being coerced into deportation. Other crimes to consider is how this also means that the Federation used political repression in deporting hundreds of millions of people into space and how it also leads into curtailment of human rights, such as crushing demonstrations and assembly rights.This also entails that the Federation used climate change as an excuse for land grabs, in order to satisfy their capitalistic interests. 

Overall, I just wanted to put this out as there isn’t a whole lot of talk on some of the Earth Federations’ own war crimes during the OYW. It’s pretty common to hear of their usual war crimes, human rights abuses, and crimes against humanity. Normally, common responses to abuses by the Federation are that it’s bascially the military and not the civil government of the Federation. My response to that is, the military is the government of the Federation. Other responses in defense of the Federation is one is reading too much into the lines. Although, there is no such thing and that is more like what we call interpretation. With all that, I hope this sheds some light as to how in Gundam UC, the Earth Federation is a totalitarian police state. 

[shinsengumidreams]

Researching about Shinsengumi members height.

I found other things.

Shitty google translation beware. I post the original source so a good soul may read Japanese and confirm this mess.

The article begins here:

Souji Okita's appearance is also a mystery.

As for the face, many people have been studying it, so if you put it here, how was your height?

Regarding the height, many of them are said to be "5 shaku 5 inch" ( almost 167 cm) .

This is, "historical research" 1972 years 4 seems to sentence that was published in the May issue of "look at another Soji Okita" is set to the original.

According to it, a person named Mitsuo Mihonki, a feudal lord of Nihonmatsu, had met Soji Okita and said, "When I was lined up, I talked sideways." Because there was, it is speculated that Okita is also about 5 shaku and 5 inch.

This sentence was written by Yukio Endo. He heard from his mother the story that his grandfather heard from Mitsuo Mihongi.

It seems to be Mr. Yukitaka Endo, a writer who has written such as "Tokugawa Yoshinobu Afterglow", and considering that Mr. Endo is the end of the Omi Mikami feudal lord, such a story can be told among the family. I think it was there.

( By the way, Makiko Mori's "Okita Souji Omokagesho", which is owned by the manager, says "Kouzo Endo", but it seems to be a typographical error. "History Study" says "Yukitake Endo" Was )

However, I don't know where this Mitsuo Mihongi met Okita.

 The Nihonmatsu feudal clan was also guarding Kyoto, so it is possible that they met in Kyoto.

Okita was in Kyoto between the ages of 22 and 26 , so if he met in Kyoto, it would be almost certain that he was about 5 shaku and 5 inch.

 However, if we meet in Edo, it will be a little different.

Mitsuo Mihonki also says that Okita hated the bath.

However, according to an old woman who was thinking about Okita at that time in Kyoto, in "Soji Okita Omokagesho".

"Okita was very clean and clean."

The author, Makiko Mori, said

"I didn't like taking a bath when I was a boy in the test center, so I may have been dressed up and kept clean since I was a young Shinsengumi."

I'm guessing.

Certainly, considering that I went to Nijo Castle etc. with Isami Kondo after becoming a Shinsengumi, I should have been careful about my appearance, and I do not think that Isami Kondo will allow filthy appearance. Hmm.

If so, it is highly probable that Mitsuo Mihonki met Okita in Edo.

Depending on when you met in Edo, if you met in boyhood, you could grow taller after that.

Tamesaburo Yagi, the second son of the Gennosuke Yagi family, who used to stay in Mibu, Kyoto, took Okita.

"He was a bluish-black person with tall shoulders."

It says.

The person who Tamesaburo described as "tall"

・ Serizawa Kamo

・ Kenji Noguchi

・ Soji Okita

It is three people.

About Hijikata Toshizo

"My eyes were tight and my face was tight."

"I'm sullen and don't say anything left over."

I thought, "It's the son of a drugstore, but I can't see such a place at all."

And so on.

Among the Shinsengumi, the one whose height is clear is about Toshizo Hijikata, and the specific number is shown in "Ryoyu Shiden Remains" as "height 5 shaku 5 inch".

Speaking of 5 shaku and 5 inch, it is the same as Okita, but why didn't Tamesaburo say that Hijikata was also a "tall person"?

The average height at that time is said to be about 5 shaku and 1 inch (155 to 157 cm) .

Hijikata, who is more than 10 cm taller than the average height, should still be "tall".

However, it seems that many Shinsengumi members were taller than average.

Isami Kondo is, minute only low of topknot crushed than Hijikata (162～3Cm or ) , Saito Hajime is estimated 175cm long.

Kai Shimada is about 6 shaku (180 cm) , and Yamazaki Steam is also said to be tall.

When Okita was staying at Yagi's residence, Tamesaburo was 13 to 16 years old, and he was very sensitive.

From the perspective of the Shinsengumi as a whole, Hijikata's impression was not that he was "tall", but that he was "smooth" and "invisible to the drugstore".

Then, Serizawa, Noguchi, and Okita had the strongest impression of being "tall".

Okita's height seems to be 5 shaku 7 inch (172 cm) , or maybe it was about that.

At least Okita was taller than Hijikata.

Source :

[greatworldwar2]

• Consolidated B-32 Dominator

The Consolidated B-32 Dominator was an American heavy strategic bomber built for United States Army Air Forces during World War II, which had the distinction of being the last Allied aircraft to be engaged in combat during World War II.

The engineering development of the B-29 had been underway since mid-1938 when, in June 1940, the United States Army Air Corps requested a similar design from the Consolidated Aircraft Company in case of development difficulties with the B-29. The Model 33 on which Consolidated based its proposal was similar to the B-24 Liberator. Like the B-24 it was originally designed with a twin tail and a large Davis wing, but with a longer, rounder fuselage and a rounded nose. The powerplants were to be the same quartet of eighteen-cylinder, 2,200 horsepower (1,600 kW) Wright Duplex-Cyclones, as specified for B-29s. The aircraft was designed to be pressurized, and have remote-controlled retractable gun turrets with fourteen .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns. It was to have an estimated gross weight of 101,000 lb (46,000 kg). The first XB-32-CO, AAF s/n 41-141, was constructed next to the Army Air Forces (AAF) Base Tarrant Field Airdrome at the AAF Aircraft Plant No. 4 just west of Fort Worth, Texas along the south side of Lake Worth. The Consolidated Vultee Bomber Plant assembly line was six months behind schedule, the aircraft making its first flight on 7 September 1942. Due to problems with the pressurization system, the gun turrets and landing gear doors, these items were omitted on the first prototype. The aircraft had R-3350-13 engines inboard and R-3350-21s outboard, with all four powerplants driving three-bladed propellers. The XB-32 had persistent problems with engine oil leaks and poor cooling, but the B-29 also had similar engine problems. The first XB-32 was armed with eight .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in dorsal and ventral turrets, and an odd combination of two .50 caliber and one 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon in each outboard engine nacelle firing rearwards, plus two .50 caliber machine guns in the wings outboard of the propellers. The turrets were remotely controlled from periscopic sights in aiming stations inside the aircraft. The sights were coordinated by a sophisticated analog computer system developed by Sperry Gyroscope Company.

On March 17th, 1943, the initial contract was signed for 300 B-32-CFs but development problems continued. On May 10th, 1943, the first XB-32 crashed on takeoff after making a total of 30 flights before the second XB-32, s/n 41-142, finally flew on July 2nd, 1943. This aircraft had a traditional stepped cockpit canopy. Upon examination and testing, the USAAF recommended a large number of changes that included more conventional gun stations. The pressurization system had problems which were never solved and so the role of the aircraft was changed to operating at low to medium altitude. This decision meant that the pressurization system was easily eliminated from production aircraft. Problems with the remote-controlled gun turrets were never solved and the armament on production aircraft was changed to 10 .50 caliber machine guns in manually operated turrets: Sperry A-17 turrets in the nose and tail, two Martin A-3F-A dorsal turrets, and one Sperry A-13-A ball turret. The bomb load was increased by 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) to 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg). The second XB-32 continued to have stability problems. In an attempt to resolve this a B-29 style tail was fitted to the aircraft after its 25th flight but this did not resolve the problem and a Consolidated-designed 19.5 ft (5.9 m) vertical tail was added and first flown on the third XB-32, s/n 41-18336 on November 3rd, 1943. The first production aircraft was fitted with a B-29 vertical tail until a new tail was substituted. By 1944 testing of the three prototypes permitted the AAF to place orders for over 1,500 B-32s. The first production aircraft was delivered on September 19th, 1944, by which time the B-29 was in combat in China. The first B-32 crashed on the same day it was delivered when the nose wheel collapsed on landing. Beginning on January 17th, 1945, 40 B-32A-5, -10 and -15 aircraft were delivered as unarmed TB-32-CF crew trainers.

Originally, the Army Air Forces intended the B-32 as a "fallback" design to be used only if the B-29 program fell significantly behind in its development schedule. As development of the B-32 became seriously delayed this plan became unnecessary due to the success of the B-29. Initial plans to use the B-32 to supplement the B-29 in re-equipping B-17 and B-24 groups before redeployment of the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces to the Pacific were stymied when only five production models had been delivered by the end of 1944, by which time B-29 operations were underway in the Twentieth Air Force. The first assignment of the B-32 began when General George Kenney, the commander of Allied air forces in the South West Pacific Area and commander of the U.S. Fifth Air Force, traveled to Washington D.C. to request B-29s. Since priority had been given to strategic bombing by the B-29, Kenney's request was denied, after which he then requested the B-32. Following a demonstration, the Army General Staff agreed that Kenney could conduct a combat evaluation, and a test schedule of 11 missions was set up, followed by a plan to re-equip two of the 312th Bomb Group's four Douglas A-20 Havoc squadrons with the B-32. Project crews took three B-32s to Clark Field, Luzon, Philippine Islands, in mid-May 1945 for a series of test flights completed on June 17th. The three test B-32s were assigned to the 312th BG's 386th Bombardment Squadron. On May 29th, 1945, the first of four combat missions by the B-32 was flown against a supply depot at Antatet in the Philippines, followed by two B-32s dropping 16 2,000 lb (910 kg) bombs on a sugar mill at Taito, Formosa, on June 15th. On June 22nd, a B-32 bombed an alcohol plant at Heito, Formosa, with 500 lb (230 kg) bombs, but a second B-32 missed flak positions with its 260 lb (120 kg) fragmentation bombs. The last mission was flown on June 25th, against bridges near Kiirun on Formosa.

The test crews were impressed with its unique reversible-pitch inboard propellers and the Davis wing which gave it excellent landing performance. However, they found a number of faults: the cockpit was noisy and had a poor instrument layout, the bombardier's vision was limited, the aircraft was overweight, and the nacelle design resulted in frequent engine fires (a deficiency shared with the B-29 Superfortress). However, the testing missions were mostly successful. In July 1945, the 386th Bomb Squadron completed its transition to the B-32, flying six more combat missions before the war ended. On August 13th, the 386th BS moved from Luzon to Yontan Airfield on Okinawa and flew mostly photographic reconnaissance missions. The missions were intended to monitor Japan's compliance with the ceasefire and to gather information such as possible routes occupation forces could take into Tokyo. On August 17th, the B-32s were intercepted by Japanese fighters. During the two-hour engagement, the Dominators suffered only minor damage and none of their crew were injured. "Though the B-32 gunners later claimed to have damaged one fighter and 'probably destroyed' two others, surviving Japanese records list no losses for that day or next." On August 18th, 1945, four Dominators were given the task of photographing many of the targets covered on the previous day; however, mechanical problems caused two to be pulled from the flight. Over Japan, a formation of 14 A6M Zeros and three N1K2-J Shiden-Kai (George) fighters attacked the remaining two U.S. aircraft. Saburō Sakai, a Japanese ace, said later that there was concern that the Dominators were attacking. The last B-32 combat photo reconnaissance mission was completed on August 28th, during which two B-32s were destroyed in separate accidents, with 15 of the 26 crewmen killed. On August 30th, the 386th Bomb Squadron stood down from operations.

Production contracts of the B-32 were cancelled on September 8th, 1945, with production ceased by October 12th. Many B-32s ended up being salvaged at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas with a total of 38 flown to Kingman Army Airfield for disposal. No examples of a B-32 remain today. The XB-32 (AAF Ser. No. 41-18336) was used as a ground instructional airframe for fire fighting training. Others were written off after suffering major damage in operational accidents. Excess inventories were flown either to Walnut Ridge Army Airfield, Arkansas, to be scrapped by the Texas Railway Equipment Company, or to Kingman Army Airfield, Arizona to be scrapped by the Wunderlich Construction Company. One of the few portions of a B-32 surviving is a wing panel removed from a static test model and erected at the Montgomery Memorial near San Diego, California as a monument to aviation pioneer John J. Montgomery.

[filmgatorisnotonfire-blog]

Play like Surefour

If you have ever attended an Overwatch League game in person, you have seen every player perform a particular pre-match ritual. Ahead of the spectacle of walkouts, team cried, and audience high-fives, every player approaches their chair, gently taking computer gear.

Maybe it is a computer keyboard using the cable wrapped tight, stuffed under a arm, or perhaps they have gathered everything within a huge mouse pad, folded like a taco. These tools of this trade are subsequently found and plugged in with caution generally reserved for sacred relics. Like their counterparts at the non-virtual planet, esports experts take their gear badly, for the purposes of relaxation and rivalry.

Perhaps they believe the secret to his amazing goal must lie inside his mousekeyboard or mouse, or his mousepad.

But, Surefour warns that too many choices can be a responsibility. "Sometimes you're able to change to a mouse and also perceive that you do better using it when you may not. Then, if your goal feels awful, you would like to change mice "

Is it wiser to remain secure and easy using hardware, then?

"It is more so in case you've got a lot of alternatives, you get them and think that it's a hardware problem instead of another [trigger ]. However, the main thing [about pc mice] is the way that it fits your hands and your grip fashion "

Surefour's favorite mouse is your Logitech G403 Prodigy.

What is more intriguing is that, based on Surefour, his goal style might have even prevented accidents. "I believe one reason I had wrist problems is since I really don't place a good deal of pressure [in my mouse]," he clarifies. "That is why my goal appears so smooth."

Surefour from the Widowmaker 1v1 throughout All-Star Weekend

If obtaining the proper mouse has become the most essential step in attaining Overwatch installation nirvana, pairing that mouse with the proper mouse pad might be the second. For a while, Surefour employed a technical mouse pad known as the Shiden-Kai, made by a Japanese company named Artisan. The mouse pad has been popular among several Overwatch League players last year and comes with a glass-like surface that is still elastic and rollable.

"It is dependent upon the type of aim style you've got, actually," he states. "The Zowie GSR is generally great for flickers, but it is bad for monitoring. Since I've a broad aim style I must cover, figuring out how a mouse pad has been challenging."

Flicking is a kind of aim style which needs big, fast, eloquent mouse motions, while monitoring generally relies on continuous velocity and smoother motions. Instead of dimensions, Surefour states, it is the mouse pad's feel which may impact a participant's aim.

"Individuals add several kinds of strain to their own mice," he adds. "Some push while they plan, some do not. For a big portion of [the Overwatch League] I had been using the GSR to get Widowmaker, however I wanted to change mouse pads since I always enjoyed playing different personalities too, along with the GSR is overly'stoppy' for a few personalities "

When Surefour is about the search for brand new gear, there is not really a particular manner he sees out about new equipment. Occasionally he notices tendencies on the internet, other instances he peruses what other gamers utilize. By his estimation, however, he is the man who researches the maximum on his own team.

[recentanimenews]

Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island Full Trailer Depicts Fierce Mobile Suit Battles

    Along with a main poster visual featuring its main characters, the official website for he forthcoming anime feature film Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island to be released in Japan on June 3 has posted a 60-second full trailer.

  The film is based on the first Mobile Suit Gundam TV anime's 15th episode of the same name, which was aired in Japan on July 14, 1979. The new clip features the crew of White Base, M'Quve of the Principality of Zeon army, as well as Doan's MS-06F Zaku, the MS-06GD Zaku High Mobility Type, and the RX-78-02 Gundam holding two beam sabers. You can also listen to the theme song "Ubugoe" sung by Hiroko Moriguchi.

    60-second trailer:

    30-second trailer:

    RELATED: Hiroko Moriguchi Sings Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island Theme Song "Ubugoe"

    Main poster visual:

    映画『機動戦士ガンダム ククルス・ドアンの島』 【新ビジュアル 本ポスター公開！✨】 いま、名もなき者たちの大いなる戦いが始まるーー。 4月29日（金）より全国���公開劇場にて順次、掲出予定になります！#ククルス・ドアンの島 は6月3日公開 pic.twitter.com/a8ftTiUaUD

— 機動戦士ガンダム ククルス・ドアンの島 (@g_cucuruzdoan) April 26, 2022

    Also, two additional voice cast members were announced. Fu Hirohara voices Cara, an island girl whom Doan has protected, as her debut role. Meanwhile, Yuma Uchida (Megumi Fushiguro in JUJUTSU KAISEN) plays Marcos, the oldest of the children in the island.

    【追加キャスト発表✨】 カーラ役：#廣原ふう さん マルコス役：#内田雄馬 さん　に決定！！！ ▼6月3日全国ロードショー ????映画の詳細は公式HPをチェックhttps://t.co/A4JfsQi7qg#機動戦士ガンダム　#ククルス・ドアンの島 pic.twitter.com/yMPGy9CocF

— 機動戦士ガンダム ククルス・ドアンの島 (@g_cucuruzdoan) April 26, 2022

    Main voice cast:

  Amuro Ray: Toru Furuya (Tuxedo Mask in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon)

Bright Noah: Ken Narita (Sesshomaru in InuYasha)

Mirai Yashima: Satomi Arai (Beatrice in Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-)

Sayla Mass: Mugumi Han (Momiji Soma in Fruits Basket)

Kai Shiden: Toshio Furukawa (Asuma Shinohara in Mobile Police Patlabor)

Hayato Kobayashi: Hideki Nakanishi (Alan in Nodame Cantabile)

Fraw Bow: Misato Fukuen (Yoshika Miyafuji in Strike Witches)

Sleggar Law: Tomofumi Ikezoe (Furanken in Francesca)

Cucuruz Doan: Shunsuke Takeuchi (Alexander Yamato in KING OF PRISM) 

    RELATED: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Says Cucuruz Doan's Island will be His Last Gundam Film and Anime Work

    Source: "Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island" official website / Twitter

  ©SOTSU, SUNRISE

  By: Mikikazu Komatsu

[the-star-hunter]

Favorite Gundam character?

hnnGGHhgg i have too many to count! but some of them are: Bright Noa, Duo Maxwell, Sayla Mass, Char and Quattro, Zechs Merquise (to an extent), Kamille Bidan, and Kai Shiden (im also still watching each gundam series one by one wee)

though i guess my favorite in terms of relatabilitythough, would probably be Amuro Ray. he and i have so much in common. like. zoinks scoob

[sanguinesweets]

Thank you for the prompt, [name omitted to protect identity]. To all those who would also enjoy being trapped in a closet with guerrilla journalist Kai Shiden, come get your juice.

--

Federation soldiers were hot on your trail, and the two of you had about 30 seconds to figure out a place to hide before the enemy caught up to you and shot you both down without any hesitation. Though you knew sneaking into Jaburo with Kai would be dangerous, you hadn't expected to run into trouble this quickly, and felt the panic creeping in as the dead end ahead of you grew closer.

Your accomplice's eyes darted to a door marked with a janitorial sign, and he wasted no time wrapping his fingers around your wrist and pulling you forward.

"There! C'mon, they're almost here!" He whispered sharply, pushing down on the old-school handle and plunging you both into the cramped darkness of the supply closet.

"Ka--!" Your protest was muted by his other hand clasping itself over your mouth, his surprisingly soft skin pressed tightly against your lips.

There were definitely several mops poking into your back, maybe a sponge or something underneath the heavy soles of your boots, though you couldn't quite tell. All the discomfort you felt from being stuffed in a janitorial closet with your colleague of only a few months would be nothing compared to the physical pain you'd most likely endure if the two of you were caught. The fear of the alternative only grew stronger as the heavy footfall of boots became louder with every second, making your heart skip a beat.

"This way! They can't be far," a Federation soldier shrieked, causing more footsteps to fall in line behind him.

Your blood was beginning to run cold, and you felt your heartbeat quicken as the shuffling of boots began to slow to a halt. Kai's grip over your mouth became tighter, holding back the heavy breaths that could get you both killed if you dared to exhale too loudly. Despite the pitch black interior of the closet obscuring your vision, your eyes widened as you heard a door a few feet down the hallway swing open.

"In here! Try the stairwell!" You heard the same squeaky commands coming from who you presumed to be the head officer, and silently breathed into Kai's hand as the footfall started to head the other direction.

Moving as slowly as you could, you removed your back from the prodding metal of the mop handles that had been poking into your spine. Sighing quietly from relief, you arched your back as you shuffled forward, your cheeks reddening as you found the front of your body pressed tightly against that of your colleague's. Both of his legs were angled to either side of you, and you held in a yelp as one of your hands accidentally made contact with the muscle of his inner thigh.

Slowly retracting his fingers from your lips, you felt Kai rustle in the front pocket of his jacket and pull out a lighter, igniting the flame quickly and raising a finger to his mouth in its faint glow. 'Careful,' he mouthed, his other hand motioning to the light underneath the crack of the door.

You nodded slowly, leaning in as the tiny flame disappeared from the head of the lighter, once again plunged into darkness. More footsteps sounded down the hallway, none of them getting close enough to make your heart jump like it had before.

A sudden crash just a few feet away shattered your moment of peace, and you felt yourself leaning into Kai's warmth as fear shot down your spine. The buckle of his belt dug into your stomach through the thin fabric of your shirt as you stood as still as you possibly could, hoping that whatever happened the two of you could get out of there unharmed. Squeezing your eyes shut and holding your breath, you listened carefully for any other indications you might have been found.

After several minutes passed, you felt your colleague lean forward, his breath hot on your ear. "I think we're safe. But we still need to lie low for a little bit."

Exhaling softly, you shuffled to your left side a little bit, to see if maybe any more free space would be available to you. To your dismay, you felt the undefined shapes of more cleaning supplies. Just as you tried to slide back in place, the very blunt handle of a broom pushed itself into the area between your shoulder blades, knocking you further into Kai's personal space.

There was virtually nothing between the two of you now, and you could feel the outline of his lean muscles beneath the thin fabric of his button-up. "Sorry," you whispered, pressing a few fingers to his chest.

His breath on your face, though warm, wasn't completely unpleasant. It was evident your colleague had been chewing cinnamon-flavored gum recently, the scent filling your nose as you leaned up to adjust your footing. Something about being caught in this confined space with him felt comforting, even if your heart was still palpatating from nearly being caught by the Federation.

"Jeez, your heart is beating so fast," Kai teased, the playful smirk audible in his voice. "You okay, [Y/N]?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," you whispered sharply, frowning in the darkness. At the very least, you knew if he tried to make fun of you that his expensive Italian leather shoes were in good stomping range.

"Just making sure. You're shaking."

You hadn't noticed until he had said anything, but your body was definitely trembling as you pressed your weight against his. Trying to ease up, you slid a hand down from the breast pocket of his shirt, fumbling in the darkness as your fingers once again found the hard muscle of his thigh.

"Dammit.." you breathed, relieved that he couldn't see the heat rising to your cheeks.

Kai stifled a laugh, carefully wrapping an arm around the small of your back. "Don't be so embarrassed," he whispered into your ear, all teasing gone from his voice. Something about it was so gentle, revealing a side of Kai you weren't used to hearing or seeing. It was a good change of pace, but you were also mildly ashamed of how much you were starting to enjoy being smushed in a closet with him.

This whole mission had been a perilous one, from obtaining fake identities, to sneaking into Jaburo, to nearly being caught by soldiers who wouldn't have hesitated to torture information out of you. All of it had your body on high alert, but this particular part of the trip somehow felt the most dangerous. It was no secret to anyone at your publisher that you'd had a small crush on the journalist since you had started working there, though you had always denied the concept when asked about it.

Now here you both were, pressed up against one another, your fingers sliding down the sleek fabric of his expensive slacks absent-mindedly as he whispered words of comfort into the shell of your ear. It was enough to drive you mad, and without any further hesitation, you found your other hand gripping the silk of his tie, standing up on the tips of your toes as you searched for the warmth of his breath.

Kai's fingers squeezed the small of your back as his lips brushed tenderly against your own, testing the waters before deepening the kiss beneath the veil of complete darkness. Your fingers knotted and twisted in the patterned fabric of his tie as he pulled you closer, his cinnamon tongue darting carefully against your own as your mouths crashed into one another in your moment of relief. Your other hand gripped the side of his thigh as you kissed, and your colleague suppressed a moan as you bumped your groin into his teasingly.

Pulling away for air, Kai's breathing verged on ragged, his desire unhidden as his chest heaved against your own. Swallowing hard and leaning forward, the journalist tilted your neck slightly before pressing soft kisses below your ear, eliciting quiet moans from your wet, parted lips. His teeth just barely grazed the skin of your neck as he kissed a trail all the way down to your collarbone, and you felt the width of his hand grabbing at your ass as your body threatened to go limp from the stimulation.

"Kai," you whined, possibly a little louder than you should have, as you felt yourself becoming more and more aroused with every touch. The last piece of information you expected to gather from this mission was the type of lover your colleague was, and yet here you were, being cradled in his arms as if you were made of glass, every kiss pressed to your skin full of worship and reverence. It all felt way too good to be true, but you reveled in every sensation as if this moment together could be your last.

"We should get the fuck out of here," Kai pulled away suddenly, his voice hoarse with thinly-veiled arousal. "We can find a better place to continue this later, after we've found a way to sneak out."

You were glad he couldn't see your pout in the darkness, but you knew he was right. Getting caught fooling around in Jaburo's janitorial closet wasn't exactly the way you wanted to end your journalism career.

Straightening the front of your shirt, you knelt down to peer through the crack at the bottom of the closet door. "No footsteps. I think we're clear."

"Good," Kai whispered, quietly dusting off the lapels of his suit jacket. "One more thing, though."

Standing from your place on the ground, you turned to face your colleague in the darkness. Another strong, feverish kiss was pressed to your lips, threatening to pull you back in to the hypnotic rhythm that held you both just moments before.

"One for the road." Kai murmured against your lips, reminding you of your incentive to make it out of there alive.