#but maybe it's actually a squad 11 thing?

[recurring-polynya]

I've been really looking forward to getting to the episode of the Reigai Arc where Byakuya runs, because Byakuya running is the funniest thing in the world to me. Dude doesn't even walk, he glides around like he's wearing heelies. I think they got sheet ghosts up in the Kuchiki family tree somewhere.

Anyway, in my bated-breath anticipation for this event, I got completely sucker punched by the reason he was running, which was (are you ready for this?) because the only way to get back through the Dangai was to draft the Kōtotsu.

I have only seen one Fast and Furious, so I don't know if drafting was ever a plot point on one of those movies. I know in my heart that Hisagi would have begged to be included in Hitsugaya's Crew here, but unfortunately, he was busy doing this:

Everything about this episode is phenomenal (Byakuya makes a stinkface at Urahara, Komamura fights the Restrictive Current, Orihime has a cute fit), but you can go watch it yourself if you want. This is what I am really here for:

::here's Wonderwall voice:: here's Byakuya running

[screamlet]

i wish you would write an outtake from what are your intentions where tommy tries to explain that he was sooooo confused by eddie and buck and eddieandbuck at first and it made him feel insane

(for the "i wish you would write" game)

i miss these boys! but here's something that could have happened in what are your intentions? this would probably be set during chapter 11. you don't have to have read the story for it to make sense.

notes: established relationship bucktommy; tommy pov complete; 1.4k; rated cute for cute

read on the ao3 with the rest of the story!

---

It happens once in a while, that their days off are on an actual weekend, and those feel weirdly special to Tommy. He's participating in something… normal: it's 9 AM and he's lying in bed with his boyfriend, their limbs tangled into some mess that's not spooning as much as thrown in the cutlery drawer. Evan's legs are so long and they like to wind around Tommy's like a pair of vines; every shift that tightens makes him laugh. Their hands are linked on top of the covers and they've got nowhere to be. This is as close to perfect as life can get. 

So of course, his brain thinks of Eddie. 

It seems wild now, about six months into their relationship, that Tommy ever thought Eddie and Evan had something going on, because they're just… Eddie-and-Evan. Once Evan kissed him that first time, it felt like that question was answered and that door was shut. But that kiss was so… 

"Can I ask you something weird?"

"You promise?" Evan asks.

"Promise what?"

"That it'll be weird."

Tommy bites his shoulder. "Now your expectations are too high, so kick them back down a little, huh?" Evan shrugs and pushes back against Tommy's chest. "That time with the basketball game, when you messed up Eddie's ankle, and I came to talk to you after—"

"You mean our first kiss," Evan croons, dripping with sap and affection. 

"Yeah, yeah, I guess." Tommy kisses his shoulder like he's making a point. "Actually, even before that, when I was hanging out with Eddie but not you, I kept thinking: did you guys ever…"

"Ever…"

Tommy takes their joined hands and pats Evan's dick through the covers. Evan bursts out laughing.

"What? That's how you ask?"

"I'm trying to deflect from the fact that it's a dumb question!"

Evan glances over his shoulder. "You think it's dumb?"

Tommy makes a face and makes sure he can see it. "Yeah, now I do, but when I first met Eddie and I didn't know you, I wondered if the two of you…"

Evan shakes his head. "No. It's Eddie."

"He's a good-looking guy and you really were a dense-as-hell bisexual if it never occurred to you. Seriously? No guy crush or drunken—"

"It's Eddie."

"Yeah, exactly! You guys are joined at the hip and when it was just me and him—"

"Joined at the hip, not joined at the dick. It's Eddie." Evan's quiet for a second, like he's thinking. "I think Chim or Hen made fun of me when he first joined because I was really jealous of him and how cool he was, and he'd been in the army. Then on one of our first shifts, we extracted a live grenade that a dude had in his thigh? And—"

"You what."

"Okay, maybe now it sounds like how I acted when I first met you, less jealousy and more acting like an idiot, but—"

"No, the live grenade. It was where?"

Evan turns around. "It was in a dude's thigh. It was a collectible, but then it turned out it was a live round inside."

"And you survived?"

"We did! Eddie was so cool. He extracted it, right, and put it in one of those black boxes. The guy had a ton of blood loss so we got him out, got out of the ambulance, and then when the bomb squad sent in their robot, the whole ambulance blew up. And then that was it. Jealousy over, we were friends." Evan turns his head again. "Did you think we were together or something?"

"Hold on, I'm processing the live grenade thing. It blew up an ambulance. What the hell is your life?"

"Not the weirdest thing that ever happened to me."

"I'm so, so aware of that."

Evan nudges his elbow into Tommy's stomach. "What'd you think of me and Eddie?"

"So… you've gotta remember, okay? I walk around the world with a pair of big gay goggles that are invisibly welded to my head and they never come off, so… I was hanging out with Eddie and he was always talking about you! Always saying how much he loved you, you were his best friend, Christopher loved you, telling me you were so lovable, you were just the best guy in the world, and then Chris couldn't stop talking about you and he loved you so, you know."

"Huh."

Tommy unwraps himself from Evan's legs and sits up on his heels. "But that's the thing, he was so straight about it and—I can't explain it! All these gay things were coming out of his mouth, but all the vibes were like, even when I'm peeing I actively try not to think about my dick too much. I didn't get it. I still don't! And then Lucy compared you guys to the raptors in Jurassic Park, and how he was the bait but you were the clever girl about to jump me."

Evan laughs and tilts his head on the pillow, looking coy. "Really? I don't even know what that means."

"It made sense when I was insane, and I was completely insane. I wasn't even jealous, just confused!" Tommy huffs. "Confused and seriously horny when I got to your place to talk, but I didn't know!"

"Did you have to know?" Evan asks.

It rushes out of Tommy before he has time to think about it: "I mean, yeah. You two are pretty big guys, like, you could still punch me in the face if I read you wrong and hit on you. Not that you would, either of you, but." Evan reaches for his hand and Tommy half-smiles. "The gay goggles, right? They do more than set off awooga sirens when a hot guy walks by. You've gotta be sure about that stuff."

"Is that why you didn't call me?" Evan asks. "About getting a beer after we met up at Harbor and you abandoned me for Eddie?"

"Well. Yeah, kinda. I figured if this straight guy wants to hang out again, we'll hang out again. But if I ask you out—"

"You could have asked, though. Hanging out, just friends?"

Tommy takes a deep breath. "Even then, I think I knew I couldn't ask you out like that. Platonically. So I wanted to be sure. And you kept looking at me like you didn't want to be "just" friends, so—" Tommy groans and shifts around again so he's sitting cross legged on the bed. "Do you see what I mean? You drive me insane."

Evan reaches out and touches his chin, thumb in his cleft. "I love you. You're really sweet and completely insane."

"Obviously I'm fine now. Don't give me that look." 

Evan drags him back down to the bed. He tangles his legs with Tommy's again. This time they're facing each other, the better for Evan to wrap his arms around Tommy's back and kiss him, ensnare him forever. "Was that weird enough for you?" Tommy asks between kisses. 

"Getting there, but I've got a high tolerance," Evan says with a grin. "It's funny, though, you say those things—lots of people have said that about me and Eddie—but, I don't know. Literally never a thought in my head. Even when I used to go out with him and Chris and people would act like I'm also Chris's dad, I'd feel like: hey, they think I'm a dad, that's so cool. Not the Eddie part."

"So that's no to Eddie, yes to baby, got it." 

They freeze, suddenly, because that's—not a thing they've talked about—and maybe it's way too early to talk about—

"Can I ask you something really scary?" Evan asks quietly. "Can we put that question in a black box for a little bit and check it out later?"

"Leave it for when we've got our tactical gear and a bomb robot? Yeah, absolutely. I haven't even had coffee."

"We haven't even had coffee," Evan whines. "Let's go have coffee."

"Hey." Tommy holds him closer and kisses him. "I'll wait, okay? No rush."

Evan stares at him and nods slowly. "Yeah." When he kisses Tommy again, it's sure, not scared or worried. Confident, again. "We're not going anywhere." Tommy agrees, kisses him again, and stays. He loves him and he stays. 

---

read on the ao3 with the rest of the story!

[thanatika]

yeah i agree with your point about survival mechanics and i feel the same way about the lack of combat mechanics. "why would an educated city doctor need a weapon" because shit is hitting the fan in every way impossible and pretty much everyone is walking around armed... also why am i supposed to believe the the fact that he's a man of intellect will somehow provide him with food? i don't think anyone is going to be too eager to share food during an outbreak intellectual or not...

+ follow up for the previous ask but actually my favorite quest from the original pathologic is the day 11 bachelor quest that involves shooting down soldiers. i think it really drives the point home about how this random fuckass guy who is supposed to be battling a plague doesn't even have the time to do that anymore because the people in charge are asking completely irrelevant things of him now and he's at a position where he cannot refuse what is being asked of him. like i think it was good storytelling that even as the guy who lowkey wants to deal with the plague and solve its mystery you still have other, more pressing, less interesting and or pleasant tasks to complete

i agree! honestly, i feel this way about the combat mechanics even more than i do about the physical survival (food, health, illness, sleep) mechanics. because sure, i can see how it makes sense for daniil's position of authority to mean that his basic needs are somewhat provided for -- although i don't think it makes more sense than what we got in the original game. i've never seen anyone bring up "isn't it kind of unrealistic that the bachelor isn't given lots of food during a massive food shortage?" as a plothole that needed to be resolved. the townspeople generally don't like him much, and most of the people with power don't either, except for the kains. sure, maybe it's kind of weird that you can go see the kains while broke and on the verge of keeling over from hunger, and they won't do anything to help you, but... the kains are pretty self-centered, and they're so goddamn weird that maybe they forget that you need to eat food to live anyway. and it's half-implied that the powers that be are ultimately giving daniil this role as a convenient way to kill him, so it makes sense that they would put no pressure on the town authorities to keep him alive.

(and honestly, artemy is taken under the olgimsky's auspices as much as the kains take daniil's under theirs! which is to say, selfishly, with ulterior motives that are more important to them than the well-being of their healer, but... the olgimskys are set up as the wealthiest of the 3 families financially, as well as the ones with the most access to food, given their control over the meat industry. so if anything it's "weirder" that artemy isn't more materially provided for, though to be clear i don't think there's an actual plothole there either way.)

but anyway, you could handwave it and say that daniil's position of privilege and authority gives him more perks than he got in the original game, but the amount of fighting you have to do to get through town is... kind of an unavoidable physical reality? like you're given so many sidequests that you often wind up walking around town after dark, and that's when the bandits come out. is the idea that the bandits would be too scared to attack him because he's so important? because that doesn't make a lot of sense to me, and even pathologic 2 establishes that he's seen as a valuable target by the bandits:

and then there's the quests where combat plays a more direct role in the story itself, like getting involved in saving andrey from the firing squad, or killing guards to break artemy out of prison, or the quest where you have to kill var in attempt to stop the arsonists (which i include on the same tier as the other ones because i really like the quest journal entry he has if you complete it where he blames himself for willow's death. it's a good character moment.)

hell, even in pathologic 2 itself, one of the biggest Bachelor Moments is on day 11, when you have that big dramatic convo with him after he killed a soldier for the papers he was delivering. plus one of bad grief's idle dialogues in patho 2 is commentary on the bachelor being "quick on the draw" and that he "already shot someone". like he just straight up is not living a combat-free existence. and overall, combat isn't just a good tool from a mechanical perspective, heightening the stakes and placing pressure on the player (though it is), it's also pretty important for him on a thematic level imo, almost as important as artemy and his "rivers of blood". in patho classic, daniil has this early interaction with the inquisitor:

which, thinking about it from a doylist perspective, was probably the writers' attempt to make it sound more plausible that this random medical researcher from the big city was competent with multiple types of guns. and i appreciate them coming up with that hint of backstory to cover their bases a bit, but with those bases covered, i think the fact that daniil ultimately spends more time shooting people than he does prescribing medicines for them actually does a lot for him thematically? i mean, if his whole thing is that he's this "tempted destroyer", someone who frames his career as a combative battle with death rather than a quest to save people's lives, whose "default" solution is to raze the town with artillery because he's too limited by his rationalist worldview and military upbringing (and bitterness over being manipulated and sabotaged) to come up with a solution that saves the any remaining infected survivors on his own. plus the way that clara frames artemy and daniil as two sides of the same coin in being violent destroyers and killers, who without player intervention will immediately devolve to running around chasing each other down in what's either an insanely dedicated tom and jerry LARP or some really elaborate foreplay. imo, that whole dichotomy (which is pretty core to the game, as the idea of dichotomies are core to it in general) works so much better with the way they're both presented in classic, stalking around with gun/scalpel in hand. hell, not to mention the effect that spending 12 in-game days trying not to starve and getting killed by bandits or guards or worms or soldiers every day would have on the player, and the way it would make them feel about the town and their natural projection of those feelings onto dankovsky, who is a perfectly fitting vessel for them as the avatar actually undergoing those virtual experiences.

ultimately i think they are mainly going this direction out of a desire to do something more creative and original, which is fine... it just seems a bit silly to me that they keep saying "well obviously that doesn't really work for the bachelor's scenario", when, well... even as recently as patho 2 in 2019, they seemed to think it fit his narrative pretty well! i'm also guessing that a lack of combat won't be that bandits are just no longer roaming the streets at night. it sounds more like pathologic 3 is set to be more of a nonlinear experience, where you'll probably fast travel from place to place instead of having to walk across town so much? so you'll be avoiding bandits just in the sense that the gameplay will be avoiding them. i guess i'm hoping that at the very least, there's still the implication of the crunch of not getting enough sleep or food and the threat of being stabbed to death while trying to get through town occurring to dankovsky in the background, even if those mechanics are deemphasized in favor of more macro-level town resource management, time control, and sherlock holmes fruit ninja or whatever the hell they were on about back in 2022 lmao.

[py-dreamer]

Ooop- so it's almost mid september...

Y'know what that means?

Yea so we have a return of the stickers!!!

Well less stickers and kinda whatever this is Ig

Don't get me wrong I'm still super proud of it! I suppose it was meant to be like stickers from last year but it kinda escalated and sort off got a wee bit out of hand...

...just a tad bit...

Woooh! So anyone who's in the KNY hotpot might recognize this style and yes I did basically use the KNY birthday art format but COME ON!!!

IT'S SO CUTE!!!

LOOK AT MAH BOIII SITTING ON THAT CAKE!!!

I JUST WANNA NOM BIG BITE!!!

(If you can't tell I do really like this cake art)

I promise this time it is really 10 days till my actual birthday unlike the whoopsie 11 I did last year -_-'

And I know it's not Mk's birthday even though it looks like it is, I know. But it's the bloody format of the art and Idk how else to change it. Besides I think they slay in those birthday outfits.

And it was fun to do my sticker style in a bigger thing!

But Idk if it's cause I haven't touched my bloody stylus in ages or I've been swimming in the KNY hotpot for too long BUT WHY WAS MK'S FACE SO HARD TO DRAW FROM THE FRONT VIEW!!!

I HAD TO COMPROMISE, MANS LOOKING TOWARDS THE SIDE!!!! LIKE XIAOTIAN I LOVE YOU AND WANT TO SQUEEZE THEM CUTE LIL CHEEKS OF YOURS BUT WHY ARE YOU SO HARD TO DRAW FROM THE FRONT!??!?

HE LOOKED LIKE A BLOODY CAT WITH SLIT EYES Y'ALL!!!

Oml...regardless, I did have a lot of fun with this and had lots of fun with the decorations and such. If you were here last year, your keen memory and astute eye might notice that the cake is the same cake I used in the 'shenanigans in space' birthday stickers I did last year!

@leesbian42, @cats-and-confusion remember that lol?

So the tiny memory flower thing and star candies are an homage to that :)

(btw, pssttt @emerialyncodevenice I know we haven't talked in a while but you mentioned that you liked the bloomin cake and was thinking of using it. Feel free to use this if you like, Idk how just credit me m'kay?)

But anyways, if y'all wanna use this pic, again. Pls credit me.

AND NO REPOSTING PLEASE!!!

The decorations are meant to be sugar cookies and idk what the icing is. Since I'm thinking more of an east asian fruit cake (those really really soft fluffy spongy ones) I was thinking more like light yellow dyed whipping cream and less buttercream.

Maybe even some kinda custard Idk...(does custard go well with cake?)

The orange chunks are meant to be like mango balls or chunks and hopefully the red thingys in the middle read across as strawberries

I had to include the Monkey king plush, he's just so little!

I was tempted to draw in the other characters as plushies since they are as important to MK probably but it's getting late and I'd already been working on this baby for like 3 hours already.

All in all, I do really like this and ngl, pray this doesn't flop.

I know my single stickers don't always do well but pls y'all I like this very much...

It is nice to compare this year's work and last year and I am proud to say I have improved at least somewhat

And as for why I rarely post, well I've gotten back from my holiday but sadly I'm at that age where work and stuff will be my main focus for the time being.

Got a lot of assignments and tests y'know...

(hell I have one due the 17th and tests to do tomorrow and here I am faffing on about legos on tumblr)

And like I said, I have been blipping and dabbing in demon slayer, read a lot more KNY fics lately (I actually have a mini sketch of kamaboko squad as hashiras, heavily inspired off of other designs but even so-, if I'm in the mood I might post that!)

But enough yapping, I'll try my best to keep up this 10 days thing

(if you don't know up till my birthday for 10 days I try to post a sticker or thingy like this one)

no promises since I am busier this year but this was a lot of fun so you'll definitely see some stuff.

(I just realized I have to keep up this level of detail in my other stuff T^T save meeeeeee plsssss)

[mystycalypso]

OKAY LETS TRY THIS AGAIN

Welcome To Ravenbrooks season 2 Theories before it comes out

Disclaimer uh- these are the ramblings of a mad man named Jack (me). Mainly so when it does eventually come out I can see what if anything I got right. Now lets get into it below the fold.

1. It's revealed that Jay Roth (Nicky's dad) is the one who died in Trinity's old house

We know in both the book and games and even the pilot, Nicky was the one living across from Mr. Peterson, but now it's Trinity's home. I think the grief of what happened in that house is why they moved

2. We'll get to see the rest of the Rescue Squad's parents

Pretty self-explanatory. I don't know what story purpose they'd serve exactly, aside from maybe how they react to their kids' shenanigans but it'd be really cool to see them. Especially Luanne Roth who I am currently head canoning to be neglectful in some manner (not necessarily on purpose) because of the lines about Nicky running away all the time and no one noticing he went missing.

3. We see a cultist in uniform

I think it'd be really interesting if specifically Trinity finds them mid ceremony or if bad things start happening to her family and she gets suspicious

4. The kids learn Mr. Peterson isn't "evil"

We know in the books that Theo is looking heavily into the cult, and he seems to be doing the same here. I think in Trinity's realization's she'll learn his real motivations for keeping them away, maybe even his side of the stories from episode 3

5. We learn what Trinity did

We have hints at what happened, obviously, but with the teaser image reusing the old photo of kid Trinity, l think we're going to learn what exactly happened and why it was so bad that they had to move towns

6. More nightmare sequences

From the hello neighbor franchise in general, we've learned that both Trinity and Nicky are prone to nightmares, and with the trauma they've gained from episode 6, I assume we'll get to see plenty other creepy cool nightmare scenes. (Seriously, just the maggots from episode 2 make me squirm physically when I see it. Every time)

7. Principle Abanante isn't dead

This might be clear to some, and yeah, it's far from the greatest stretch on this list but I think we'll see her again and maybe that she caused the school explosion

8. Delroy(and possibly Scout)'s investigations

I'm very curious about what Delroy was doing in the tunnels under the school, maybe doing his own investigations on the cult? Scout included to round out the Hello Neighbor hide and seek crew. Likely having to join forced with the current members of the rescue squad to stop a stronger force.

9. We see Theodore's brother in his "new form"

Not 100% sure if he became the Guest or the Thing, and I've seen good theories/evidence for both, but either way I think we'll get to see him with the knowledge that it's him.

10. We learn why Ivan acted the way he did in s1

He was more scared of just the mention of Peterson than anyone, and it's been bugging me since my first watch. I'd like to see if there's reason to his behavior or just general paranoia. Leaning towards the former, knowing this series.

11. Love triangle between Trinity, Nicky and Enzo

I'd really rather this doesn't happen. I hate love triangles so much. They're so dumb and useless and bad. But like I told kaydin during our third watch, I can feel it happening. It's breathing down my neck with the loud annoying sound of needless romantic tension.

12. The whole squad sits together at lunch

They escaped the basement together! The least they could do as friends is actually eat lunch together instead of Nicky and Trinity sitting seperate from everyone else

13. Nicky and Aaron's relationship is revealed

I'm really, REALLY hopeful that their friendship isn't retconned in the series. It was great motivation for Nicky to be investigating Mr. Peterson, and is also just generally sweet.

14. We see Aaron

Nicky was the basement for a couple of weeks. However, Aaron was in there for months! I'm eager to see how he is both mentally and physically. I feel like he's either gonna be much, much worse than Nicky or somehow way better.

15. Quentin becomes my favorite character

This is mostly on here as a joke. I'm not gonna lie, I know he'll be at least a favorite because he's my favorite Hello Neighbor game character. Like- the squeal I squealed when I saw his van and silly Hawaiian shirt was immense. I love him so much, and I hope he gets good screen time.

16. Nicky loses his bag

This is more just a- gut feeling? He's gained it as a sort of comfort item, it seems, and I feel like with the nature and badluck of Ravenbrooks, he's going to lose it. Bonus points if he has to choose between it or a member of the Rescue Squad

17. Mr. martaugh dies

Again, I have- no evidence for this. Yeah, he's in the teasers a lot, but like that doesn't imply he dies. Maybe I just really hope he dies because he's creepy /j, but yeah, uh- if it happens, I'll probably still be in shock even though it's on this list.

18. We see an on screen kiss

Tricky fans cross your fingers and pray, I know I will be. It'll probably just be a quick peck on the cheek, but I can just kind of feel it in my bones. Similar to the love triangle one.

And there you go! My predictions for Season 2!

As soon as it drops, you will probably see my reaction to it and a return to this list to see how close or far I was on these. (Spoiler tagged, of course) But until then, I will be patiently waiting, drawing, and rewatching the show too many times over (wonder if I can hit 50 watches before season 2 drops)

Cya!

- Jack

[lazyscience]

I'm so, so tired of the constant infighting between leftists and liberals about who's not listening to whom and how it lost the election, particularly "Libs didn't say anything about X issue" and "leftists couldn't shut up about Y issue!"

The problem is, a LOT of the United States isn't listening. To anybody.

People who care about politics are listening and have opinions about policy and platforms, but SO much of the United States does not. As soon as anybody mentions a party, a lot of people's brains turn off even among the educated and reading groups. "All politicians are crooks just trying to look important, except for my hero Trump, or my hero AOC" or whichever politician they feel like meets their vibe where it's at.

As far as Project 2025, or maternal mortality, or migrant child labor, or transphobia, or Palestine?

Well, let's start with how 54 percent of adults in the US read at a 6th grade level or below. They rarely even watch TV news except the sports and weather and maybe if there's a cute story about a dog playing pickleball or a kid with cancer sacrificing their Make-A-Wish to pay school lunch debt rather than going to Disneyworld like that's somehow "heartwarming." There were 262 million adults 18 years of age or older in 2023, and the number of people turning in to nightly news? Less than 20 milion. To newsmagazines like 60 Minutes that are more in-depth? Less than 15 million (and no way to tell how many of these are the same people or different ones)

Best guess is between 30-35% of people are getting their news ONLY from social media, as opposed to 7-11% from a newspaper/legacy media outlet.

Most adults in the US are most certainly are not reading over 700 pages from the Heritage Foundation, no matter how profoundly it looks to affect them when 46 percent of them did not read a single book in the last year. Most of the books they DID read were fiction, not dense policy statements.

In short? A fucking lot of people DON'T know about a lot of issues or what Democrats were or weren't doing about them. They are swiping past the TikTok leftists and Facebook MAGAts both in favor of focusing on baby animals, viral dances, recipes, or pretty pictures on Instagram where the politics have been pre-filtered out for them. I'm guilty of this myself, of hitting my anxiety threshold about my finances, my job future, my safety and that of my loved ones who aren't white, straight, cis and Christian, that so much feels out of my control and I just want to look at fucking cat pictures and crafts.

The problem is how many people do this every day, all the time, because they don't know how any of it works, it ALL feels out of their control, and they just want someone to tell them what to do.

Fascists love NOTHING better than telling people "I'll tell you what to do and it'll all be okay," while people who deal in facts don't want to do that because it's not true.

Which brings us to - leftists, fascists, and the large mushy middle in-between--very very few of ANY of them on social media are operating on facts. Most people are simply not equipped to engage with politics in terms of policy or platforms. It is all fucking vibes right now. And right now, with everybody's vibe feeling like the current situation re: job opportunity, cost of living and authoritarian regimes and hate groups getting bolder and bolder all the time is fucking rancid, the challenger party is ALWAYS going to have an advantage of "maybe things will be different." Especially when the people voting don't actually understand what concrete things have to happen to MAKE it different (like the difference between laws and executive orders, and the power of the courts to strike down EOs/laws, and who ACTUALLY controls the price of eggs and that there's fucking POTATO cartels).

Leftists and liberals alike, I beg of you, these two things.

stop the goddamn circular firing squad until the right is not in a position to eat us all, please and thank you, and

Don't lie to people about how shit can be fixed if you just do this one simple trick, BUT - encourage people to do concrete, actionable things that will make a visible change. The people advocating about showing up to city council meetings? I fucking LOVE YOU.

The giant problem I just word vomited about above is paralyzing. It feels insurmountable. We can't start there. We can't immediately fix country-level political coverage OR people's ability to read it. What we CAN do is make people feel like they CAN make a difference in the community where they live, a tangible one. They can make a difference about what kind of housing gets built, what happens to their trash, who can use a bathroom, what books can be in their library, whether unhoused people need to be Christian to access shelter when it's cold, if their town or suburb or city is a sanctuary.

And as people who didn't know before learn how to make arguments and navigate procedures in their community, it'll be more intuitive to them to ask these questions on the state level,on the national level "how do these things work? where do these decisions come from? and what can I do about them, me, myself?" Because they'll have reason to think they CAN. That it IS their problem, and not just a graphic to scroll past.

[pluckyredhead]

Hi! I've been reading through your character profiles recently (they're incredibly well done, and I love learning about less popular DC characters, so thank you for making them) and in one you said Hawkman mutilated his own godson, and now I'm overflowing with curiosity. Did he actually do that? Why? That sounds horrific.

It is SO BAD, friend!

So this happened during a 2004 JSA/Hawkman crossover called Black Reign in which Black Adam decides to liberate his home country of Kahndaq from a brutal dictator (and become, um, a benevolent dictator, but that's neither here nor there). To do so, he assembles the following squad:

Atom Smasher (Al Rothstein), who is there because he's frustrated that the JSA won't kill bad guys and also because he's hot for Black Adam

Brainwave (Hank King Jr.), who is there because he has a worm in his brain making him evil (yes really)

Alexander Montez, who is there because he's possessed by Eclipso

Nemesis, who is there because she's a random forgettable villain

And Northwind (Norda Cantrell), who is there because...

Well, we don't know! Norda, like Al and Hank, is a former member of Infinity, Inc. with a particularly goofy backstory: his father is Black human man and his mother is a bird lady who kind of looks like a sexy version of Woodstock from Peanuts. So Norda is a Black biracial man who is also part bird. He used to look like this:

He pretty much hadn't been seen for like a decade after Infinity, Inc. disbanded, but Black Reign reintroduces him like this:

Note his head and how much more animalistic it looks. Note the narrative box explaining that he can't speak anymore, because something something evolution.

Geoff Johns decided to take a Black character who had always been characterized as gentle, thoughtful, sensitive, and kind, and turn him into a savage, murderous animal, who is literally incapable of speech. He's the only character in this story given absolutely no motivation, because he cannot speak to express one. He's already been thoroughly dehumanized, and we haven't even gotten to the mutilation yet!

(It's also implied that Norda is the only one of Black Adam's squad, besides Adam, who knows that Hank has a worm in his brain that's controlling him/eating said brain, and just literally doesn't care. That's his friend! What the fuck!!)

Anyway, even though the people of Kahndaq welcome Black Adam as a liberator, the JSA decides to go into another sovereign nation and attack its new ruler with zero authorization from either the US or the UN, because obviously a Middle Eastern nation couldn't possibly have self-determination and a bunch of very very VERY old white American men know best. I'm not saying this is a simple political or ethical situation but I AM saying the story treats it like it is, and like the JSA completely and totally has the right to fart on over to another country and declare war. Probably worth pointing out that this was only three years after 9/11.

ANYWAY. Hawkman ends up fighting Norda, who is his godson, a fact which Hawkman reminds Norda of before doing this:

Jay is, correctly, horrified, and the following dialogue takes place:

It's okay! Sure, Carter ripped one of his godson's limbs out of its socket, but it'll probably grow back! Maybe!

It does in fact grow back, and it's worth acknowledging that Norda was totally ripping out random dudes' entrails at the beginning of this story so he's not exactly innocent here. But for me this particular moment has three key takeaways:

The obsession that comics in the post-9/11 era had with showing heroes doing ever more gruesomely violent, morally suspect things is just as exhausting now as it was back then, and ultimately contributes very little of substance to any conversations about heroism, justice, or the wars in the Middle East.

The treatment of Norda in this story is racist, full stop.

Norda has not appeared in any significant way in the 20 years since. He was never going to be a character with a major spotlight, but this sure didn't help.

[oleskyfm]

Rolled credits on Mass Effect (2007) with some minor mods and the aid of the Legendary Edition. My first playthrough since 2016. This was my favorite of the series, and I've got to go through 2 and 3 now to affirm this, but I'm pretty sure it still is. Some assorted #thots:

My playthrough clocked in at exactly 23 hours according to my final save. Lean and mean.. what a marvel! I don't think RPGs have to be any length, long or short - what matters is the pacing. (Fallout 1 can be comfortably beaten in ~15 hours, New Vegas can take anywhere from 10-60 - both are triumphs.)

ME is the last game Bioware put out before being moved under the banner of EA. I thought about this observation I saw once, made in the furor of ME3's launch, where people compared the credits of each game and noted that very little of the team that did 1 went on to do 2, and even less of 3, etc. Today, pretty much none of those people work at Bioware anymore in the wake of Veilguard and Anthem and EA's layoffs. It remains to be seen whether or not the next Mass Effect - of which we know very little of and is still in pre-production despite being announced in 2020 - will ever see the light of day.

ME is one of the last Bioware games to fit into their comfortable, classic formula and structure. This is still so far and away from what they'd established for themselves as one of the forebearers of popular western RPGs.. and yet ME2 and ME3 still manage to narrow the scope down even further, trim away even more and dilute the games into being an action game first, RPG second. ME1 is flawed and compromised in many of its systems, whether that's inventory management or the exploration of its worlds and the Mako.. but I don't think the answer was to do away with these systems entirely. I'll save the thoughts on 2 for when I'm done with that game - maybe a new playthrough after almost a decade away from it will give me different perspective, anyway.

I played this game when it came out in 2007 as a punk-ass 11 year old who didn't know dirt. I come back to it as a miserable 28 year old who knows a little more. Pretty funny the difference nearly two decades can make.. this game was developed and put out in the Bush era, the War on Terror, where Jack Bauer from 24 was commonly referenced in developer interviews as a touchstone and man does it show sometimes.

The implementation of the conversation wheel here is just as frustrating as it was back then, if not more. I tried to pick more renegade options than I usually did only to be hit with Shepard saying something wildly out of pocket because the little three-word choice did not convey what the actual line was gonna be at all. Reading pre-release interviews of this game with developers suggested that they viewed the wheel as a cinematic marvel - finally! You won't have to read a bunch of text, you can just sit back and enjoy the good stuff.. or so the intended sentiment was hoped to be. Big misfire. It's bad in Cyberpunk, it's worse in Fallout 4.. Dragon Age got a little closer, if only because they eschewed 'paragon/renegade' with tone indicators - but I can't help but grouse and groan and just wish they'd put the full line of dialogue there for you to savor it. I think developers could stand to have more confidence in their players with this stuff and we didn't have to lose as much as we did all in the pursuit of streamlining things.

It's a shame how little you really get to do much of anything with your companions. It dawned on me this time around that the most common form of squad banter - akin to the dialogue you'd hear just wandering around with your party in Dragon Age - is relegated to small chats in the elevator on the Citadel. Ashley and Kaiden are the only two you can regularly check in on after each mission both for a little more of their personal story as well as their thoughts on the actual mission. All 'loyalty/companion/personal' quests are paper-thin and over in less than five minutes, and most of your party has nothing new to say by the halfway mark of the game. Garrus and Tali get by surely on the strength of their vibes and aura and knowledge of where they go in the next two games.. because there is so little to grasp onto in this game for them. Poor Tali has it worst of all - each companion offers a little window into the setting, smoothly (mostly) delivering exposition for some part of the universe alongside their own flavor. Tali has to pull double-duty serving as the sole Quarian of this game + its representation AND a lot about the Geth and has precious little left for herself.

On a similar note.. you really feel the lack of proper interpersonal relations between the crew - it exists, but it's scant, clumsy, and not equal. It's fun seeing your party gather around for a debrief after each mission, but again - with few exceptions, only Ashley, Kaidan, and Liara ever have anything to say in these moments. Input from your crew is mostly just flavor and one-line bark/reacts in conversations - interjections that don't change anything..

Liara is on you almost immediately, it's hilarious. Romance in this series is ........ well ..... I should go.

I'm willing to put my life on the line for this one. Ashley is NOT that bad. There's definitely some clunky and straight up bad lines she's given, but she actually manages to have something resembling an arc in this game, has just as great of a VA as the rest of the companions, offers an interesting perspective and counterbalance that you can begin to shift more towards your way if you see fit .. yes, she's prejudiced - so is almost every other companion, barring Kaidan and Liara. She offers friction, something I find vital and enjoyable in a good RPG party. .. That said, I sacrificed her on Virmire this time because I usually sacrificed Kaidan and, frankly, I don't enjoy what they do with her in 2 and especially 3. It's not your fault, Ash. I like your concept art. If you were bi, I might actually have to flip a coin whether or not I go for Liara or you.

The music.. oh, the music. The music is so, so so good.

Despite it all... regrettably.. I have such a fondness for this setting. This world. These characters.

[badbatchposts]

Quiet Corners of the Galaxy, Ch. 24

Relevant tags/content warnings: Crosshair/Original Female Character, Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Periodic Smut, Canon-Typical Violence, Alcohol Use, 18+/Explicit

Read the full fic so far on AO3

Read previous chapters on Tumblr: Ch. 1 l Ch. 2 l Ch. 3 l Ch. 4 l Ch. 5 l Ch. 6 l Ch. 7 l Ch. 8 l Ch. 9 l Ch. 10 l Ch. 11 l Ch. 12 l Ch. 13 l Ch. 14 l Ch. 15 l Ch. 16 l Ch. 17 l Ch. 18 l Ch. 19 l Ch. 20 l Ch. 21 l Ch. 22 l Ch. 23

Chapter 24 summary: The squad searches an abandoned facility for clues to the whereabouts of the missing clones.

“So…how was it?” Wrecker demanded exuberantly, clapping Crosshair on the back hard enough to shove him forward a few feet. The sniper glared at his brother, huffing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he insisted. He did, of course—Wrecker could only be referring to one thing. Crosshair was actually surprised that Wrecker had managed to hold back on the subject for this long, chatting away about nothing in particular the whole morning while they searched for any clue as to what the Empire had been doing here.

Now, as they waited for the others to join them outside the abandoned facility, Wrecker had apparently finally deemed it the right time to gossip. It was just Crosshair’s luck that he was stuck with the two nosiest members of the squad—barring, perhaps, Omega. Hunter had already scolded him, and he suspected he wouldn’t hear another word about it from him unless the Sergeant felt like it had become disruptive for the team. Tech would surely make a snarky comment or two, but he wouldn’t expect to receive any information directly from Crosshair, preferring to observe and come to his own conclusions. No, it was Wrecker and Echo who were the problem, and already Crosshair could tell by the look on Echo’s face that he was relishing the opportunity to pry. Sure, he would act all innocent and embarrassed as long as Omega or Dara herself were around, and maybe he wouldn’t want every sordid detail, but the ARC was a busybody, and everyone knew it.

In fact, Echo and Wrecker were exchanging gleeful looks right now, their grins positively wolfish.

“Oh, I think you know, Crosshair,” Echo teased. “It took you two long enough. Thought the Marauder might blow up from the amount of sexual tension. Felt like we were losing oxygen in there the last few weeks.”

The sniper crossed his arms and looked away sullenly.

“Aww, come on, Crosshair! You should be happy! We all know ya like her.” Crosshair just barely managed to sidestep Wrecker, who was reaching out for what was likely to be a bone-crushing hug.

“No, I don’t,” he muttered petulantly. “It was just sex.”

Echo rolled his eyes. “Sure it was.”

“Piss off,” Crosshair growled. “I mean it. In case you forgot, the person you all thought she was is a lie. In reality, she’s stubborn and hotheaded and she spied on us. Not to mention, Wrecker, that she shot you.”

Wrecker rolled his eyes and gestured accusatively. “Yeah, well, you shot me before too! And that time wasn’t a stun!”

“That’s not the point,” Crosshair snapped. “The point is that we hate each other and last night was nothing but a chance to finally let all that out. It was a quick, rough fuck in the woods and that’s all.”

Echo grinned slyly and cleared his throat. “Oh? How quick?” He managed to dodge the shove that Crosshair aimed at him, but not the toothpick that the sniper flicked at his face.

Wrecker, on the other hand, knit his brows together in concern.

“So…it wasn’t good?” he asked.

Crosshair scoffed, then let a smirk just barely lift the corners of his mouth. “I didn’t say that.”

Echo guffawed, and Wrecker brightened considerably, the grin returning. “Knew it.”

The sniper inserted a new toothpick and rolled it from one corner of his mouth to the other, his scowl returning. “Doesn’t matter anyway. Won’t happen again.”

Wrecker frowned. “Well, if it was good, then why not?”

Crosshair stared off in the direction of the facility, avoiding his gaze. “She’ll never be able to look past what I did with the Empire.”

“You’ve changed since then, Cross,” his brother insisted gently, resting an oversized hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. She’ll see it.”

The sniper rolled his eyes, unable to come up with a retort and uncomfortable at his brother’s all-too-typical display of vulnerability and emotional support. He was relieved when they were interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the squad, though he took care to avoid looking anywhere in Dara’s direction.

If he had hoped that finally fucking would get her out of his system, he was sorely mistaken. If anything, he was worse, feeling drawn to her like a magnet so that he had to make the conscious effort to face toward the facility. The memory of her breathily moaning his name last night kept intruding into his thoughts.

With any luck, Hunter would continue to keep them separated as they searched the building, like he had split them into separate groups to scout this morning. Crosshair, still feeling the overwhelming urge to turn back towards her like a compass finding north, was certain that if they were alone together again he wouldn’t be able to resist touching her. He wasn’t prepared yet to find out if, after last night, she would even let him.

Hunter came to stand beside Crosshair and considered the building thoughtfully, no doubt tuning into his enhanced senses to assess the situation they were about to enter. “I’m not getting anything. Tech?”

“I am not scanning any heat signatures,” Tech affirmed from somewhere behind them. “This facility does, indeed, appear to be abandoned.”

“I hope it’s not ’cause of a giant monster or something. It always seems like it’s ’cause of a giant monster,” Wrecker groaned.

Tech blinked. “I have found no information to indicate that to be a concern on this planet, but much of its flora and fauna remains uncatalogued, so I am unfortunately unable to rule it out.”

“That’s real comforting, Tech,” Echo muttered.

The group approached the door cautiously. “Power’s out,” Hunter noted. “Wrecker?”

Grinning, the demo expert gave the panel a few well-placed hits from his large fist, denting it until it shifted out of place so that he could pry it open easily. The men activated their helmet lights while Dara and Omega pulled glowrods from their packs before proceeding into the darkened hallway.

“We shall have to restore power to see if we can access any information about this facility’s purpose,” Tech informed them.

Hunter nodded. “You and Echo go on ahead. We’ll do a sweep and see if we can find anything else useful.”

After the pair departed, the rest of the group took their time checking each room carefully, gleaning what information they could. The facility was not old, but the Empire had already been gone long enough for dust and debris to settle eerily in its corners. Some areas had been cleaned out entirely, leaving only faded outlines where equipment once stood, like ghosts imprinted along the walls. In others, state-of-the-art technology lay broken and derelict, unworthy of salvage. Their first clue as to the building’s purpose was revealed in a room still crowded with metal gurneys, the shattered remnants of broken vials, and chemicals gleaming in stoppered beakers.

“Woah,” Omega breathed. “I think this was a lab. Or some sort of medical center, maybe.”

Crosshair was staring hard into a corner of the room. “Is anyone else seeing that?” he asked.

“What is it? The rest of us can’t see everything you do, Cross,” Wrecker reminded him.

“Something’s…glowing,” the sniper explained.

“Hang on.” Dara fiddled with the settings on her glowrod until it emitted UV light, and the rest of the group was suddenly able to see the faint blue glow coming from the direction that Crosshair was facing. Amid a pile of shattered glass, one vial was cracked but remained intact, preserving the bright blue liquid inside. Dara stooped and carefully retrieved the vial, holding it up for the others with a knowing glance.

“This remind the rest of you of anything?”

Hunter furrowed his brow. “The chemical from the vault,” he pointed out, just as Crosshair murmured, “The river.”

Wrecker frowned. “What river?”

Crosshair hadn’t entirely meant to say it out loud. When Tech had launched into an explanation of bioluminescence as they were passing over the river yesterday, the daylight meant that its glow still wasn’t visible. Only he and Dara had seen it last night. The image of a nude Dara, haloed in blue, came into his mind unbidden. He shook away the thought as he explained, his voice clipped.

“Near the camp. There’s a bioluminescent river. It glows blue at night. Tech told us.”

Around them, the facility suddenly shuddered to life as the overhead lights came on.

“Indeed, I did tell you,” Tech informed them over comms. “That is most interesting. Echo and I are now proceeding to the facility’s records storage to determine if any data escaped being erased. It is too bad that the sample from Prium’s laboratory was lost—if we still had it, we would be able to determine if the chemicals are the same. As it is, we will have to rely on the rudimentary scan I took in the vault.”

“Ah… hmm. Well…” Dara stuttered. “I may have another confession.”

The clones in the room with her all turned to stare.

“What kind of a confession?” Echo growled over the comms.

Dara shrugged. “The vial didn’t actually get smashed. I thought it might be the project that Prium was working on for the Empire, and I was worried it might be dangerous. So I hid it. I was planning on taking it with me for us to study when I left. It’s still on the Marauder.”

“Well, that is most fortunate,” Tech replied cheerfully.

Dara looked relieved that he was taking it in stride, rather than holding it against her. “We’ll save the vial for you to match the sample from Prium’s lab, Tech,” she replied, holding her datapad up to the container. “For now, I’m sending you a scan of its chemical composition.”

Hunter just sighed and held a hand to his visor in exasperation. “Alright. Let’s keep moving,” he ordered.

The group returned to their search, but were stopped short a few doors later, when the panel slid open to flood the corridor with bright, midday sunlight. They stepped into the enormous room, whose roof and three sides were made of transparisteel. The area was divided by a series of raised beds in neat, even rows, though the soil that filled them was entirely devoid of plant life.

“A greenhouse?” Wrecker questioned.

Omega trailed her fingers through the nearest bed, swirling designs into the dirt. She grabbed a handful and gave it a curious sniff. “What were they growing?”

With a faint smile on his face at her futile mimicry, Hunter pinched his own sample and did the same, nostrils flaring slightly. “I think…they were growing that.” He gestured to Dara, who retrieved the herb they had found outside from her bag and handed it to him. He took a whiff of the plant and nodded firmly. “Yep, that’s definitely it.”

“Hey, guys,” Echo piped up over the comms. “We were able to restore some data that wasn’t erased properly. You might want to come meet us.”

Hunter held a hand up to his helmet. “There in a few,” he replied.

When the group had reunited with Tech and Echo, they all circled up, ready to report their findings. Echo’s brows were drawn together sharply with worry.

“Well, we were able to confirm that the missing clones were here,” he commented darkly. “We found a list of CT numbers. Dozens of them were being detained. But they’re not listed as prisoners—they’re listed as test subjects.” Hunter and Crosshair, who stood on either side of the cyborg, each laid a comforting hand on one of his shoulders. For obvious reasons after his imprisonment by the Techno Union, Echo was rather sensitive to the idea of experiments being conducted on sentients against their will.

Tech frowned sympathetically. “Yes. Unfortunately, the identical genetic makeup of clones makes us rather ideal for the purpose of controlling variables during the initial stages of scientific research.”

“Did you find any connection to Kumalon—Prium’s pharmaceutical company?” Dara inquired.

Echo shook his head. “We couldn’t retrieve much else—nothing on what they were testing or where the clones ended up.”

Omega frowned. “So we have some dug-up plants that the Empire was trying to grow indoors, a strange chemical that glows under UV light, and the clones are still missing.”

Hunter sighed. “We only have a few hours of daylight left. Wrecker, Tech, and Echo, search the rest of the facility in case anything else turns up. Dara, Omega and I will head back outside and look over the grounds—we might find more evidence of digging or a clue to where the clones are. Crosshair, head to the roof and check if you can see anything from a higher vantage point.”

The group separated, Crosshair searching for a roof access. By the time he emerged into the fresh air, Hunter, Omega, and Dara were exiting from the front of the facility where they had first entered. He watched through his scope as Dara and Hunter had a brief discussion before splitting up, Hunter and Omega heading right, while Dara headed left, each circling around the building’s perimeter. He did his own scan, searching the tree line that surrounded the facility for anything obviously out of place, but came up empty.

Finally, he found his scope drawn to Dara almost of its own accord. He tried to tell himself that he was just watching her back—Omega had Hunter to protect her, but Dara was alone, after all. He had pointedly kept his helmet turned away from her during their search of the facility, only allowing himself to check in on her out of the corners of his eyes. She, on the other hand, hadn’t looked at or spoken to him at all. He wondered if she could sense that he was watching her now. At the thought, he shifted his scope, checked in on Hunter and Omega’s progress—Omega was happily laughing at something as Hunter looked down on her with a fond smile—and scanned the area again.

When he turned back in the direction Dara had been walking, she had disappeared.

Crosshair forced down the uncharacteristic throb of panic clawing its way up his throat and searched again. She couldn’t have just vanished, there was no time, he must have just missed her somewhere, maybe she’d gone to check out something just inside the forest, she was—

There. Dara was scrambling her way back up over a small rise in the terrain between the facility and the tree line, looking the worse for wear, clothing coated in some sort of filth and debris. As he watched, she stood, turning and staring down at something he couldn’t quite make out, just beyond the rise. She bent over, brushing her hand against the soil, then suddenly dropped to her knees. He was just about to go against his better judgment and check if she was alright when her voice came through his comm.

“Crosshair.” It was a hoarse whisper, drained of strength.

“What happened?” He tried to keep his own tone even, although that inexplicable feeling of panic had not quit.

“Do you have eyes on Hunter and Omega?” Dara choked out. “Are they far from my position?”

With difficulty, Crosshair tore his scope away from the scene before him for long enough to locate the others.

“They’re still on the other side of the facility. What happened? Do you need help?”

Dara was facing away from him; her shoulders trembled, and he could hear a few shuddering breaths. After a tense moment, she stilled, and her breathing returned to normal. He heard a beep as she switched over to the open comm line.

“Hunter,” Dara began, voice now far steadier, although she stumbled over a few of her words. “I found—I found the missing clones. They’re dead.”

Next chapter

Tag list: @stardusthuntress @skellymom @megmegalodondon @somewhere-on-kamino @morerandombullshit @zahmaddog

Thanks again to @cloneflo99 for the amazing banner!!!

Author's note: I think it's a fun idea to imagine that Crosshair's enhanced eyesight includes being able to see part of the non-visible spectrum.

[heckthis-heckallofthis]

CAWF Tumblr simulator

🦠 Neutro-2145 Follow

B Cell hasn't worked in a while, the bacteria tastes bland…

(56 Notes)

❤️ IM1235 Follow

The neutrophils are so cool when they're saving the body! I should get them a gift to show my gratitude!

❤️ IM1235

Ok I just saw them rip out the insides of an infected cell, I don't think I can sleep tonight.

#oh my god #do they do that all the time???

(45 notes)

🧸 Dendri217 Follow

I don't think sewing lactic acid bacteria nearly everyday is good for my mental health, but it sure is fun! I need to go outside more I think

#lactic acid bacteria #my beloved #maybe I have too many of them #but you can never have too many lactic acid bacteria

(11 notes)

🎆 RegT59 Follow

As much as I love Helper T as a friend I wish he'd stop buying random things with our budget. He didn't even solve the Rubik's cube he bought last time, now he's buying those metal wire puzzles.

🎆 RegT59

He offered to get me something and I bought a conch shell just because it looked interesting. His bad habits are rubbing off on me.

#sigh #i should just stick to solitaire #our office is getting so cluttered

(64 notes)

⚪ Neutro-3033 Follow

The amount of people that don't know not all neutrophils enjoy eating bacteria or infected cells is wild. Have you tried to eat some?? It's terrible. Some of us only eat it because it's part of the job.

#i swear #its so annoying #at least the RBCS bring us stuff other than bacteria #i really wouldn't mind something less sweet

(82 notes)

✖️ Cross-TCell reblogged

🐦‍⬛ King-Killer

How do I tell my subordinates that I don't actually hate them and that I'm just strict and they need to stop being so sloppy? Believe me guys I like having you around please invite me to something I'm begging you

🐦‍⬛ King-Killer

That was a moment of weakness ignore that (please invite me please please please ple

🐦‍⬛ King-Killer

WHICH ONE OF YOU REBLOGGED THIS?? NOW ALL MY SUBORDINATES ARE CONSTANTLY BRINGING ME WITH THEM FOR LUNCH????

#its okay squad leader #we honestly just thought you'd be too busy to bother with us #so glad you actually do like us #the boys love you too

(19 notes)

🍸 Microfold108 Follow

What even is the point of living? If not just for the sake of a higher being we don't even know? Are they good? Are they bad? Maybe they're the nicest person in the world, maybe they're a serial killer who has murdered countless of their kind. Do they know we work only for them? Do they know how many of us love them?

🍸 Microfold108

Nevermind Dendritic cell came over with a lot of friends and he said they all enjoyed me so maybe there is more to life than that.

#i need to find an actual interest #maybe then I'll stop being so negative about everything

(4 notes)

🟩 HelperT31 Follow

Apparently you can just buy a house??? On Sellular?? I'm going to prank Reg T with this. It's going to be so funny, imagine I pull out a whole house right in front of the office, she'd go insane.

#nobody reblog this I can't let reg t see this #itll ruin the surprise

(1,129 notes)

🗡️ NatKiller095 Follow

Non-immune cells are literally so scary, how do you socialize everyday without getting tired or stressed out??? What do you MEAN you think us murdering cells is scarier?? At least I don't have to go around the ENTIRE body just to hand over a box of gases to someone I barely know!

✨ Eosin-9024 Follow

I agree!! How else would you relieve stress if you can't straight up explode? I would rather die than have to deal with that everyday, I'm so glad parasitic infections are rarer than bacterial and viral infections.

#non immune cells #im sorry for exploding your houses all the time but you guys genuinely terrify me

(34 notes)

🪩 B265 Follow

I love working on the skin! So many beautiful women up here! Way better than working for that insane idiot boss in the alimentary tract

#talking about helper T cell #he sucks so bad #wont let me live my life for just 5 minutes #i do really miss reg t tho #she was way better than helper T

(8 notes)

🪄 Mast92 Follow

The reason why Cellor-sun was so adamant about saving her friends despite risking her life to do so was because if she didn't she risked the Natchlor absorbing her powers and in turn causing the destruction of the whole vessel. Yes she loves her friends but she needed to take the risk, it was a big part of the plot, how do people not see that the first time they watched??

Also I hate how they forcefully gave Cellor-sun a love interest. Soma was an interesting character as Cellor-sun's new companion but they didn't have to force the love interest trope on him. I feel like the trope was so one dimensional, like two different people wrote him. The Cellor-sun I know would never instantly fall in love with someone like that! Their arc was literally 20 minutes long!!! She has high standards and yet just happened to meet someone who has all those exact standards??? Where do you find a cell that happens to be into all your interests, mesh well with your friends, and don't mind that you are a magical girl constantly risking your life for the sake of the vessel?? Soma would've been fine if he was just a friend of Cellor, he could've been her love interest, just stretch it out realistically. He has interesting powers that interact well with the rest of the cast, I really just wish his arc with Cellor would've been written better. Whoever wrote that needs to post a public apology right now.

#cellor-sun against the univessel #cellor-sun #soma-san catu #i could've written it better for real #catu

(424 notes)

[recurring-polynya]

The Bount Arc features many things and one of them is a rare glimpse of a place I had previously assumed didn't even exist: The Squad 11 Captain's Office.

As I said, I generally refuse to believe that Zaraki maintains any sort of "administrative space"--I think Yumichika does all the squad paperwork on a Formica, diner-style table that somehow died and got sent to Soul Society in the "officer's lounge", which has orange shag carpeting and smells mysteriously like Miller High Life (the Champagne of Beers).

Even so, this place is beyond my wildest imaginings. The pink walls? The elegant, arcing windows, spilling natural light into the room? It's hard to tell from this shot, but the chairs are purple:

The couches look oddly like the Squad 6 couches, but they are not--the Squad 6 couches are wingbacks and don't have that wooden frame along the back and sides, and they have legs so they are up off the floor. Also, Zaraki has a very similar mysterious paperwork tray-table to the one Ginrei had in the Zanpakutou Rebellion arc. Zaraki's seems taller. Also, why is there actual paperwork on it???

I can only come up with two possible explanations for this:

Squad 11 has a Captain's Office, but Zaraki never uses it, so he let Yachiru make all the decor decisions. This would explain the pink walls, and we know she likes Byakuya's house, so maybe she cribbed the rest from him. Possibly even stole the furniture out of the dumpster the last time Squad 6 redecorated (which I assume happens, like, twice yearly)

This isn't even their office. They're just squatting in Byakuya's digs while he's out running around in Rukongai.

Update!!: A few episodes later, they were still sitting here (over the same time period that Renji, Matsumoto and Hitsugaya ran from the Seireitei to Kusajishi, for the record) and it was identified as Squad 11, so I guess option 1 is the winner!

[katsona-the-katsequel]

Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad Activity Report

Part 10

One more after this!

1/3 (Sun) - Reporter: Yukari Takeba

Uh, this is Takeba.

Junpei's first comment of the new year is a bit silly, but I'll just say one thing for now...I'm wearing them!

Even so, the city is in a cult color. I wonder what kind of monster Nyx is. No matter how strong the enemy is, we have to win. This was Takeba.

1/4 (Mon) - Reporter: Fuuka Yamagishi

Good evening, this is Yamagishi.

It seems like the influence of the cult is spreading at an alarming rate... Today, I was in the dorm and checking the news on TV and the internet, and I noticed that a number of related incidents had occurred.

It seems like we can't afford to waste a moment now...

1/5 (Tue) - Reporter: Akihiko Sanada

Cult activities have become quite intense. Actually, speaking of cults, I remember when I was still in elementary school, a dojo for a big new religion was set up. It quickly fell into disuse, but now that I think about it, I wonder if that was the influence of the shadows gathered in Kirijo's experiments? If we investigate, we might find something.

1/6 (Wed) - Reporter: Aigis

Today, I was watching TV and there was a documentary program that interviewed people in medical institutions. The main subject was a new doctor, and it was quite moving, but the patient was a Lost.

I don't know much about TV programs, but... just considering the time lapse that can be seen in the program, this program would not have worked if they had not continued to interview people for quite some time. If there were so many Apathy Syndrome patients before that that were chosen as subjects for interviews... perhaps the extent of the disease among the Lost we know does not fully grasp its true extent? I wonder how many patients there are now...

1/7 (Thu) - Reporter: Junpei Iori

Hey, Junpei here! The new semester finally starts tomorrow. I hope the school isn't taken over by the Forces of Evil... Hearing those guys' crazy words reminds me of Strega. I'm trying not to look at them as much as possible... Anyway, let's get pumped!

1/8 (Fri) - Reporter: Mitsuru Kirijo

It's Kirijo. The cult's influence on the school seems to be greater than expected. I was prepared for it to some extent, but to be honest, I'm at a loss as to what to do.

1/12 (Tue) - Reporter: Fuuka Yamagishi

Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be anyone on the Student Council executive committee who is leaning towards cults, but we'll still be very careful.

1/9 (Sat) - Reporter: Akihiko Sanada

It seems that several juniors in the boxing club were taken in by the cult. I thought that there would be no one in a sports club who would get caught up in the cult, but... People's hearts are surprisingly weak.

Anyway, while I'm trying to bring those guys back to normal, I might as well look into the inner workings of the cult. Maybe I'll find something useful.

1/10 (Sun) - Reporter: Aigis

I hear there's something called a "coming-of-age ceremony" tomorrow, isn't there? I understand that this is a celebration to celebrate turning 20, when you are legally recognized as an "adult", but is that correct?

I thought that humans grew in an analog, non-linear way, so it's interesting that there's an event that ranks up digitally like that.

So far, I've had a lot of fun experiencing summer festivals and first shrine visits, so I'd like to experience the coming-of-age ceremony if I can.

But... how old am I now? If I don't grow up during the downtime, I'm not even one year old yet...

1/11 (Mon) - Reporter: Yukari Takeba

Uh, this is Takeba.

Today's Coming of Age Ceremony was a big mess at the Coming of Age Ceremony venues across the country due to the effects of Apathy Syndrome. The world is really being influenced by cults.

Isn't there some way to counter this with a media strategy? Mitsuru-senpai, is the Kirijo Group's media department worth using?

Good evening, this is Yamagishi.

Yesterday, Yukari-chan mentioned the media strategy, but we were preempted.

Apparently, Sanada-senpai and his friends found a magazine at a ramen shop in Iwatodai that had an interview with the leader of a cult, and that leader turned out to be Takaya of Strega, who had been missing. To put it simply, it was a praise of Nyx and a condemnation of those who rebel against Nyx...which is us. What's more, they even blamed us for the incident involving the Lost patient...which is a good move for an enemy like them. I'll try to think of something I can do to counter it.

1/13 (Wed) - Reporter: Ken Amada

The Strega interview article that Fuuka-san mentioned yesterday has somehow become strangely popular. It's been featured on the TV news. This isn't due to Nyx's influence, it's clearly the fault of the frivolous media, right? Why are adults so irresponsible? All our efforts are going to waste.

1/14 (Thu) - Reporter: Aigis

Where does the difference between those who get caught up in cults and those who don't come from? Will my heart be swept away by that cult?

I never knew staying strong in an uncertain world could be so scary. I need some guidance...

1/15(Fri) - Reporter: Mitsuru Kirijo

It's Kirijo.

Aigis, the answer is surprisingly simple. You are not made up of just yourself. Your existence includes your connections with others. If we said we didn't want you to join a cult, you wouldn't go now, right? That's it.

1/16 (Sat) - Reporter: Akihiko Sanada

Honestly, Mitsuru is brutally simple. And to ask for a life consultation the day before the national exam. Well, I'm also up late at night, even though it's the second day of the exam. Even though the final battle with Nyx is coming up, I don't feel like we're going to lose at all. Let's get the exam and the final battle over with as quickly as possible!

1/17 (Sun) - Reporter: Junpei Iori

Hey! It's Junpei!

Anyway, Sanada-san, Kirijo-senpai, good job on the national exam! I'm sure you got good marks...

I realized for the first time today that if I choose to continue my studies, it'll be me next year, right? Hmm, I've already prepared myself to take on Nyx, but I'm still not prepared to take on the national exam. Isn't that bad?

Um, if you have time, could you tell me the questions for the national exam next time? I'm sure cramming the night before is not going to be that scary.

1/18 (Mon) - Reporter: Fuuka Yamagishi

Good evening, this is Yamagishi.

Junpei-kun... Even for regular school exams, cramming the night before is no good because it doesn't give you the creeps. By the way, today I met a female reporter who has amazing insight. Amada-kun says that adults are unreliable, but I feel a little relieved to hear that people are watching.

1/19 (Tue) - Reporter: Yukari Takeba

Well, it's Takeba. I'm satisfied with using my cooking skills for the first time in a while today! Well, my opponent is Koro-chan, though. This is a menu to build up our strength before the final battle. Mitsuru-senpai praised me for it, but in fact, it's also a way for me to relieve stress... By the way, Sanada-senpai was looking at me with envy, so maybe he was hungry?

1/20 (Wed) - Reporter: Aigis

Today, Junpei-san was staring intently at the seat where Ryoji-san had previously sat. Was he hoping for a miracle that would bring him back? I would not have been able to understand such feelings before, but now I think I do. But I will not complain. I cannot stop yet, because I want to fulfill my promise to me.

1/21 (Thu) - Reporter: Junpei Iori

Hey, it's Junpei! Oh, Aigis saw me. Well, I guess... I was expecting Ryoji to come back. After all, he was a friend. I'm still thinking about getting him back together. I'm a bit timid too. I won't watch the seat again. Let's both do our best!

<-PREVIOUS●NEXT->

Tag List: @kerto-p

[player1064]

Ok after the amazing angst one about their first time might I request a hurt/comfort… I love the complications of them being secretly together as players. Maybe Gary (srry bby) gets injured in a match and it’s scholes that has to tell Jamie and that’s how they come out to their friends or to the world, maybe Jamie’s there, idkkkkkk but something in the following of the SAF finding out one? 😁❤️

tbh like. at this point this is fully just a full length fic. perhaps I'm insane about them...

LOVE the idea of them being together in their playing days. wish I could find footage of Gary breaking his ankle but there's none!!!!!

Set as a sort of prequel to this one from a few days ago

---

17th March 2007

Jamie is on the team bus headed for Birmingham when it happens. Up front, the radio is playing match coverage, but he’s sat further back, he and Stevie too busy holding court with the players sat around them to pay it much attention. It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on what United are doing, but as it stands they’re twenty points clear of Liverpool and are certainly going to get another three today – it’s only Bolton, and they’re at home too.

So, he’s on the bus when it happens, but he doesn’t find out until the team is sat around watching Match of the Day later that evening. Even then, he doesn’t get to see the footage, the only mention that anything happened at all being a short “Gary Neville came off after 11 minutes with an ankle injury.”

His teammates cheer and Jamie tries to laugh along, but all he can think is why hasn’t he texted.

“Reckon that’s him off England squad this summer, then” Stevie says, grinning, “finally, some peace and quiet. An’ they’ll be needing someone to step in for ‘im, Carra, you might get more minutes.”

“I fuckin’ hate playin’ right back,” he groans, rolling his eyes (why hasn’t he texted why hasn’t he texted why hasn’t he texted).

He makes a show of looking at the clock, says something about needing to call his parents to let them know he’s got to the hotel alright, and high-tails it out of there to go back to his and Stevie’s empty room.

Still no texts, so he brings Gary’s number up and calls, pacing the floor while it rings.

It takes longer than usual, but eventually he’s greeted with a quiet “’lo?” and breathes a sigh of relief.

“Are y’alright, love?” he asks quickly, his words rushing together. “Only just heard, else I’d’ve called sooner – what ‘appened? That twat Lineker was so vague.”

There’s a long pause, long enough that Jamie starts to wonder if his signal’s dropped out, and then:

A voice which he now hears is definitely not Gary, saying “this is Scholes.”

“Fuck,” he hisses, and snaps his phone shut.

His phone starts ringing a few seconds later.

Jamie, because maybe he’s a bit stupid, answers it.

“Yeah?”

“Er,” he hears Scholes say, “Who’m I speakin’ to, exactly? Gaz’s only got this number saved as ‘J’.”

“Um,” Jamie says, panicking. “I’m just a friend of ‘is, heard he got injured so wanted to check he were alright.”

“’e’s still waitin’ on some scans, but they reckon it’s broken,” Scholes says. “Gaz doesn’t really have friends, does he, outside of team. An’ you sound –”

“—Okay, good t’hear he’s alright, bye then.”

Jamie snaps his phone shut again and tosses it onto his bed, wipes both hands down his face.

Broken. Fuck. That’s him out for the remainder of the season, then, he’ll be devastated. At least he’s already racked up enough appearances to get a medal when United inevitably win the league, not that the prick needs another one of those.

This thing of theirs, whatever it actually is, it’s not been going on that long. Not even a full year, if you’re ignoring the few mistaken fumbles at England camps over the years and only counting from when they’d made it – not official, exactly, because again Jamie’s not entirely sure what it is they’d be making official – but as close to official as it’s likely to get.

Gary, the prick, would probably give him a smack if he said all that to him. It all comes a lot easier to him, the – the words, and the feelings. Jamie can almost hear him now, why’s everythin’ always so complicated w’you, Jamie, stop bein’ a baby and just admit I’m your boyfriend.

His ankle is probably broken. Jamie should be there.

He has a match tomorrow.

He sits on the end of his bed, hunched over with his head in his hands while he tries to sort through the mess in his head to work out what he’s meant to do. There’s a buzzing in his head that feels so loud he doesn’t notice the soft click of the door opening until there’s a dip in the mattress beside him and Stevie’s hand patting him on the shoulder.

“Y’alright, lad?” he asks gently, shifting his hand to rub firm circles on Jamie’s back. “We’re headin’ down for dinner soon, boss sent me to find you.”

“I’m fine,” he says automatically, but when he looks up he can see the disbelief in Stevie’s face. “I am, I just – if somethin’ happened to Alex, like, if she’d been hurt. Would you go home? Even if you’re meant to be startin’ tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Stevie replies, like he doesn’t even have to think about it. “’Course I would, you know that. She’s – y’know, she’s the mother of my children, in’t she? I’d drop anythin’.”

Jamie groans, puts his face back in his hands. “’s not helpful, Stevie.”

“Well, no, ‘cause you don’t ‘ave kids.” Stevie pauses for a second, frowns. “Unless you –”

“—No!” Jamie says quickly, shaking his head. “Christ, y’think I could ‘ave a secret family? Give us a break. No, it’s just – I dunno, I been seein’ someone, for a little bit now, and somethin’s happened, and – and I feel like I’m meant to go home, aren’t I? Help out? But I –”

“But you can’t miss the game tomorrow,” Stevie finishes for him, because of course he knows that, he knows him, knows how his head works. “So there’s yer answer. Carra, she won’t hold it against you. If she – I mean, does she love you? Are the two of yous, like – why’ve you not said anythin’?”

Jamie feels a twinge of guilt. “’s complicated,” he says with a sigh. “But we – I s’pose so, yeah. I s’pose you might say that we’re – that.”

Stevie, god bless the man, seems to lose any trace of annoyance or upset over being left out of the loop, and throws an arm around Jamie’s shoulder with a grin. “My boy’s in love!” he says, squeezing Jamie tight. “Too much of a prick to tell ‘is best mate, but what else is fuckin’ new? Look, Jay, I know you, don’t I? And if she knows you, then she’ll know you ‘ave to play this game. Long as she’s not dyin’, I’m sure she’ll understand waitin’ ‘til tomorrow evenin’ for you to get home.”

“Ha,” Jamie says humourlessly, still feeling guilt clawing away at his insides, “prob’ly won’t notice if I’m there or not, anyway.”

Stevie pats him on the shoulder one last time and then stands back up, nodding his head towards the door in question.

Jamie gets up too, but they’ve only taken a couple of steps towards the door when another wave of guilt crashes into him and he blurts out “Stevie –”

“I’m bloody starving, Carra, c’mon now.”

“Stevie,” he says again, clenching his fists at his sides. He can’t look at Stevie, is staring up at the ceiling instead as he says “’s not a girl. That I’ve been seein’. That’s why I couldn’t tell you.”

There’s a long pause, where it feels like the air between them is humming, and then Stevie just nods and says “okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They make it all the way out of the room and into the lift down to the dining room when Stevie’s brow furrows for a second and then he turns to Jamie, eyes wide.

“Carra,” he says grimly, “please tell me the guy you’ve been seeing that’s got hurt today’s not another footballer.”

Jamie feels himself blush. “Um,” he replies.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Jamie, what is wrong w’you?”

*

When Gary is wheeled back into his private hospital room, it’s to the sight of Scholesy sat in an armchair looking thoughtfully at the phone in his hands.

He blinks when he hears Gary come in, looks up with a grimace. “X-ray gone alright?”

Gary shrugs, looks away. “Broken,” he says, trying to sound nonchalant. “Like they thought. Guess it’s gonna be more’n just three weeks out, then.”

Scholesy sighs, deflating slightly. “’m sorry, Gaz.”

“Is what it is. They said I can go home now, at least, so that’s somethin’. You got all my things?”

“Yeah, give us a second,” Scholesy says, turning around to rummage through the pockets of the coat that’s hanging on the back of his chair. He pulls another phone out, opens it up. “I’ll call us a cab, yeah? Want me to stay at yours tonight?”

It takes a second to compute that if the new phone is Scholesy’s, then the one he’d been staring at when Gary came in was –

“Erm. Were there any calls for me, while I was out?”

“Yeah,” Scholesy says, back to sounding sort of distant.

Please be from my mum, Gary thinks desperately, almost wanting to squeeze his eyes shut while he waits for Scholesy to elaborate.

“Um, texts from the family, of course. But just the one call.”

He hands the phone back to Gary, who opens up the call log to see exactly what he was hoping he wouldn’t.

Still, there’s a little glowy feeling in his chest at the fact he’d called.

“Ah,” he says. “Did you, er, d’you speak to him?”

“For a minute,” Scholesy says carefully. “Said he were a friend of yours.”

“Yeah,” Gary says with a relieved chuckle. His idiot boyfriend is good for something, after all. “Yeah, he’s a good friend. Good of him to check up on us.”

Except, then Scholesy adds: “Sounded Scouse.”

“Ah, yeah,” he replies, rubs a hand over his jaw. “Well, can’t hold it against him, I s’pose.”

Except, then Scholesy looks him dead in the eye and says: “Called you ‘love’.”

Fuck,

Fuck.

“Scholesy,” he says, feeling panic rise up inside him, “Scholesy, I can explain –”

“First boyfriend in how many years and it’s a bloody Scouser,” Scholesy mutters, which –

Which isn’t what Gary had thought he’d say, not even close.

“You don’t – you don’t mind that he’s – that he’s a man?”

Scholesy frowns at him like he’s lost his marbles. “Well, what else would he be?”

“I – a woman, Scholesy!” Gary screeches.

“But you’re gay?”

“You’re not meant to know that!”

Scholesy’s eyes flit up towards the ceiling. “Oh my god,” he mutters. He looks back at Gary, voice even. “You are so annoying, d’you know that? Nobody cares about the gay thing.”

“Oh,” Gary says, even though his head is screaming other people know too???

“He sounded worried, your lad on the phone.”

Gary feels himself relax a bit as it finally clicks how nice it is to be able to talk about this. “Yeah,” he says fondly, “’cause he’s bloody stupid.”

Scholesy hums thoughtfully. “What’s ‘is name?”

Ah, right. There is still that one, teeny tiny little problem.

“Um,” he says. “’s name’s Jamie.”

There’s a brief second while Scholesy’s brain works through the complicated equation of ‘Jamie + Scouser’, and Gary can tell the exact moment it computes because his eyes go wide and he says “Carragher?”

[twopoppies]

Hi Gina!

Please don't take this as shots fired against you (because you are one of the most supportive people in the fandom) but do you happen to know people who recs WIPs?

I know WIPs are generally stigmatised things for many people (like some people hate the wait, some people fear the story they invest their time and love into might not be finished).

I want to start writing, I have big plans, and I know that I would be able to start only with a WIP fic, but before that I want to put something down on the table, and support those writers who are in a very difficult situation writing and posting their fics as WIPs, who don't get the attention their work deserves.

With a little bit of help from friends and fandom in general, probably many of those stories could actually come to fruition and see their completion.

I see many people with WIPs or even with finished fics complain about barely getting people’s interaction, if any, for their stories. And it's genuinely sad to see some very talented people even giving up creating just because they don't get the positive feedback they so badly crave (and deserve).

Fandom could change in a positive way with even tiny steps like supporting all fics, (not expecting writers to give a finished story immediately just to ignore it completely once it's posted and let it be forgotten…) and also mainly leaving comments and stuff, interacting with content creators (including artists and writers too)

Sorry about my rambling. Back to my question, do you know blogs who also recommend works in progress?

Hi, sugar. I actually have never seen anyone focus on recommending WIPs. Maybe that's something you want to tackle. I'd imagine you're not the only one who'd like it.

As for the rest of your message, yes. I've been in this fandom for 11 years, and that dynamic has always been here. Content creators have been begging for reblogs for years. New writers and/or authors with a small following have always found it difficult to get eyes on their fics. I've tried a number of ways to help (I organized a fic promo squad of hundreds of blogs that were willing to repost fics, I've made several posts about how to get traction on your fics, etc.) I know other bloggers have hosted fic fests and offered other ideas. It's extremely frustrating. Believe me, I get it.

I'm open to any suggestions. And, as always, I'm happy to reblog people's fic posts if you send them to me.

[skyfallscotland]

Hi friend!!! For the ask game you just reblogged: 🖍️♻️🤡

Hello, hello! 👋👋

7. 🖍️ Post any sentence from your WIP

From "keep quiet (nothing comes as easy as you)"

“Off-limits.” Liam says immediately. Riorson pauses, arms folded over his chest and turns back to him, arching a brow. “She’s on my squad and one of my best friends.” Liam says darkly. “Off. Limits. Xaden.”

10. 🤡 How many WIPs are you actually working on?

In my head? Around 10-11. Actively typing out this week? Three

8. ♻️ A scrapped idea from your current WIP

I actually haven't scrapped anything lately, so this is maybe, maybe not scrapped? I'd originally intended to have Lía and Deigh bond in Fear & Flame and I wrote the entire scene out (for the morning after Remi felt them the first time) but didn't end up including it.

They might actually not bond at all in Truth & Talon either, because if there's one thing Lía is, it's clever. She knows it could be a detriment right now if they need to be separated. Anyway, here's part of the scene below the cut that may or may not end up making it into Remi-verse at some point.

I freeze, a picture flashing behind my eyelids of my sister, her eyes closed in rapture as she arches up, pressing her naked breasts into—“Oh what the fuck?!” I curse, slamming my eyes shut as if that vision wasn’t taking place inside my head. “What the fuck, what the fuck.” I whimper.

“What are you—” 

“NO!” I yelp, slamming down every shield I have. “Do not look at that. Do not re—” I cut myself off, knowing better than to mention his second signet out loud. I stare at him wide-eyed. 

“Unfortunately…” He winces.

“You already did.” I groan in disgust.

“Sorry.” He kisses my cheek gently. “If it’s any consolation, I wished I hadn’t immediately.” 

[flightfoot]

do you have any fic recs about the miraculous squad post-canon as adults, that focuses on other characters besides just adrien and marinette?

Hmmm. So I guess for this, I'll look for any fics set in the canon universe where the main characters aren't Adrien or Marinette. Or at least, where other characters get equal billing.

---

The 8 Weddings of Alix Kubdel by The_Rabbit42

The bet is simple: with the Rabbit Miraculous, Alix will be speaking at all of her friends’ weddings. No matter what age they tie the knot, she’ll be there looking the same. From Alix’s perspective, she’s going to each ceremony and reception one right after another in a nonstop bender.

This fic’s a lot of fun! I loved seeing all the different weddings, as well as how Alix slowly felt more and more out of place, with going forwards in time. Some of the weddings could get, uh. Exciting as well XD. And while there’s been years in-between Alix’s appearances for her friends at the wedding, for Alix, it’s only been a few hours, if that…

---

Strangely Familiar by @sunfoxfic

Alya Césaire’s life is perfect. Indeed, between the success of the Ladyblog, how well she’s doing in school, and the fact that she’s a superhero who has never bore the weight of a crisis of epic proportions, her life almost couldn’t be better. Almost. But Alya has always been a go-getter, and so she’ll chase after that perfect life if it kills her. Which is how she ends up rushing to move out of her father’s apartment and in with Marinette, Adrien, and a complete stranger: Nino Lahiffe. And in fact, her life does seem perfect — she and Nino are fast friends. They spend a lot of time together and get to know each other really well. But in the end, fortunate situations will bear unfortunate truths, and she learns things about herself that aren’t quite comfortable. Like I said, though: Alya has always been a go-getter, and she won’t let new feelings deter her from chasing after her perfect life.

This is the single longest DJWifi-centric fic on AO3 (which is a travesty) and it is GLORIOUS. Alya and Nino are both well fleshed-out here, with their own problems and baggage they’re dealing with, but it’s easier together.

---

When Feelings Are Too Big For Words by ClockworkCaptain:

When Luka takes a gig playing for a drag show he’s falls hard and fast for the drag queen Buttercup who uses her performances to work through her own em otions. Meanwhile Adrien’s been using drag to work through his own emotions and thinks maybe Luka coming back into his life and showing interest might mean a second chance. Made for @mlsecretsanta 2022

Published on New Year’s Eve, this just barely makes it to the deadline for this list. I’m glad I don’t need to wait a year to talk about it though! One of the issues I tend to have with Luka shipfics, and with Lukadrien especially (though I think Lukanette actually has this problem worse) is how Luka tends to disappear within the fic and the pairing, feeling more like “The Love Interest” than his own person. Not so here! While most of the intrigue surrounds Adrien, I still got the sense of Luka being his own person, not just existing in the fic for Adrien.

 I adored Adrien getting to display an aspect of himself through persona and performance - that does align well with how he approaches Chat Noir -  and overall I just had a lot of fun with this fic!

---

Everybody's Changing by @coffeebanana

Alya's finding it a little hard to adjust to her new normal, post-Shadow Moth. Which...might be why she's a little more focused on getting Marinette and Adrien to finally figure out they have feelings for each other than actually enjoying her graduation party. She knows she should feel relieved that Shadow Moth's gone, but...things just feel so much more complicated. It's hard to accept that some things just won't be the same, anymore. Thankfully, Nino knows exactly what to say and do to help her figure things out. Or: DJwifi for day 11 of Kiss Prompt November (effervescent)

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may we write it all down (in cursive light) by @sunfoxfic

Since retiring as a journalist, Alya hasn't been involved in an interview in several years. But now that her identity is out, that's about to change.

---

Number One by christallized

Marc and Nath have been dating for a while, but the rest of the world doesn't have to know that. It's complicated, it brings unwanted questions and anxiety. But the Comic of the Year contest is coming up, and Marc knows that sometimes what matters most isn't the thoughts of the rest of the world. Sometimes it only has to matter to one.

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raw honey: a coffee with chloe bourgeois by demistories

I meet up with Mlle. Bourgeois at a classy, upscale café just in time for brunch. When I arrive, she’s sitting at an outside table and typing on her phone, glittering nails clicking against the screen. She doesn’t even look up at me when she says, “Fancier than you’re used to, huh, Césaire? Think it’ll break the bank?”  I remind her that she still owes me a meal from the last time we saw each other, and she scoffs and removes her sunglasses.  “You asked me for an interview,” my former classmate says. “The polite thing would be to foot the bill, but I suppose I can cover you just this once.” Her sarcasm is biting, but her smile is genuine.  an interview between alya césaire and her former classmate, chloé bourgeois

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I hope these satisfy you!