#manufacturing an excuse to operate

[krasman]

Very, very excellent analysis. Thank you very much!

"Say you bring this whole place down, waltz outta the rubble with all these precious brains... Nothing changes. All the guys in charge are long gone. And we've got offices 'round the world."

I'm in an analytical mood again, so bear with me.

All the guys in charge are long gone.

Isn't it curious that Sundowner is implicitly excluding himself from 'those in charge'?

How much power over what's happening does he actually have?

It's all speculation, naturally, but I think it's possible to fill the gaps based on some other topics explained in decent detail in CODEC calls. Namely: Desperado, World Marshal and operation Tecumseh. And a little general cyborg info. So, operation Tecumseh – a false-flag operation planned by Steven Armstrong to ensure the revitalization of the war economy and his subsequent election, giving him free rein to reorganize America as a "survival of the fittest" society. Raiden and Maverick deduced that it involved President Hamilton's visit to the Shabhazabad region of Pakistan, and assassinating the President while making it seem as though Pakistani rebels were responsible for the assassination. And Desperado existed only to become the perfect scapegoat in this plan. Why I think that? First, reputation. It's as if Desperado LLC is purposefully trying to present itself as overtly evil to the public, it's aknowledged several times throughout the game.

What a name it is indeed. Quoting a dictinary: "A desperado is someone who does illegal, violent things without worrying about the danger." And the listed synonyms are: criminal, thug, outlaw, villain. Lovely. It's like writing "I'M EVIL" across your forehead. And speaking of exactly that. Agressive branding. We get to see three PMC's in action throughout the course of MGR's plot: Maverick, World Marshal, Desperado. Of all three of them Desperado marks their property the loudest. Raiden doesn't have Maverick's logo anywhere on his body, believe me, I've scoured all of his shiny metal ass for it. Regular Maverick soldiers from the prologue don't have the horse head anywhere on them either, neither do their vehicles. Only Gemini have these cute, easily missable pins on their jackets.

And I don't think I've seen World Marshal's logo on any of the enemies we fight, both their soldiers and and their UG's seem very "default" in that regard. Meanwhile Desperado:

(render by Yare-Yare-Dong) Especially prominent on Excelsus, a humongous advertisement for Desperado's involvement in the assassination, a good half of the final fight takes place on a giant Desperado logo.

Even the Winds themselves are branded like cattle, right on their chassis loud and clear.

All this to say is that they're advertising themselves as thugs and seem to be actively chasing publicity for it. No wonder, such reputation would make them a very convenient and believable target to pin the blame on. Why look deeper into it and try to find a potential secret third party behind them if this PMC already has an established history of extreme behavior? You'd think it would be pretty difficult to start out and grow with such presentation and their preferred clients being... fringe groups to say the least. That brings me to the idea that Desperado was never truly independent, and was always nothing but Armstrong's tool. Just a couple highlights to suggest how much money they must be getting from him. Quoting Kevin: "Of all registered PMC troops, we're still talkin', what, 3% have enhancements? Maybe 5%, tops? (...) Plus the surgery is highly specialized -- expensive as hell. Not to mention maintenance costs after that." Desperado is majority cyborgs. Imagine the costs. And the cherry on top - EXSELSUS. Boris: "I know Desperado makes good money, but this is not a thing thugs like that could purchase."

But even if they did start out independent it doesn't really matter, since with the amount of money Armstrong invested in them, his fist is so deep up Desperado's ass that he can use it like a Muppet. Seems Kev thinks the same: "Probably, given Desperado and World Marshal are basically one and the same. Careful down there..." There is no way Desperado could have continued to exist after Tecumseh. They're an american organization involved in an attempt on POTUS's life, they'd be torn apart immediately at the very beginning of the "war on terror" that Armstrong planned. The only possible excuse they could have used, as Raiden told Courtney, is to claim that their client set them up. But... That would never work with their track record of international terrorism and a history of assassinating high ranking politicians like N'Mani. And after all this exposition, let's circle back to the original question.

How much power over what's happening does Sundowner actually have? Chief Operating Officer of Desperado Enforcement LLC... sounds pretty nice if you don't think about it too much. Now let me put it more... idk, truthfully. De facto leader of a terrorist group that tried to kill the President. Scapegoat to end all scapegoats, eh? Especially with his colorful history of investigations for atrocities like torture and desecration of remains.

And Armstrong absolutely did intend for him to die as a result of Tecumseh. Don't believe me? Look.

What is Desperado? Lawless gang. And Sundowner - an extremist and a madman. Yeah. And when I'm calling him a scapegoat I'm not implying that he's innocent at all, dude's a monster. However! However. The real force behind the entire plan is undeniably Armstrong and World Marshal, NOT Sundowner and Desperado. Sundowner doesn't even believe in Armstrong's dream to be honest. None of the Desperado bosses we fight do, for that matter, but it's a topic I'll elaborate on in some other obnoxiously wordy post. Senator wants a future where everyone is free to fight their own wars, to fight for what they believe in. Does Sundowner personally fight for some kind of grand ideal? Well I guess he wants to see the return of war economy, but not to bring his country prosperity or anything, no no no. He wants war for the sake of war, just because that's what he loves, and what he thrives in. Sundowner is consumed by bloodlust, and the specifics of the cause that allow him to feed it don't matter all that much. Another proof is that he doesn't really care about the cause is that he yaps about Tecumseh to Raiden. First time in the server room can be chalked up to overconfidence (though I doubt it), but he actually answers Raiden's question on what's gonna happen in his last CODEC call, essentially sabotaging the entire mission by giving Jack a lead to follow. Could have kept his trap shut and Senator would have gotten what he wanted. But what about the quote "Even at mach two you wouldn't make it!" tho? Well I have a couple thoughts, they have to do with Sam.

So, Monsoon sent him to go "report to the chief." Safe to assume he went up to the server room, and him and Sundowner discussed what to do next. Ever wondered how Sam got to the spot his duel with Raiden takes place? Well there's this one easy to miss CODEC with Wolf in file 6: "Raiden: A World Marshal helicopter crashed in this vicinity earlier. It was en route to deliver a cache of cyborg repair materials. Should you locate any conspicuous crates, cut them open. See what is inside." Obviously his bike is still parked in Denver and I sincerely doubt Jetstream rawdogged it almost all the way to Solis on his own two legs, so that crashed helicopter is likely to have been his transport.

Server room is directly connected to the roof and helipad, Sundowner must have been the one who specifically sent him off to Solis. He is Sam's direct superior, let's not forget that. One of CODECs once you arrive at Pakistan: "Still, they've got to know I'm here. Sam was smart enough to figure out I'd take that launch vehicle." Idk if it's just Sam himself who figured it out, to be honest. Sundowner is shown to know a whole lot about Raiden, child soldier training, his experience with VR, the Patriots – it's reasonable to think he'd know of his connections in Solis as well.

So yes, I believe Sundowner purposely sabotaged Armstrong there. He's a lot of things, but he ain't stupid.

On the topic of sabotage, the way he was "defending" the HQ as Raiden advanced up the building is quite something. Not feeling like booting up the game to get the screenshots, but if you look up at HQ in the beginning of file 5, the building is utterly shagged. The only structural damage Jack himself caused I can think of is slicing up the helipad and everything else is basically Sundowner ordering the security to bomb the hell out of their own skyscraper.

And I see why he'd do that. It's logical to grow resentful of the company and the man that's setting you up to either get thrown in prison or killed as part of their plan. He can't not know that it's the fate that awaits him, he's aware what Tecumseh entails and he knows that all the blame will be pinned on him. So he might as well make his swan song as bombastic and destructive as possible.

There's also a big chance that he's actually indentured to World Marshal much like a lot of it's contractors, and that tie is likely to be stronger than the average cyborg's, because custom chassis are EXPENSIVE. I personally interpret the way he became involved with Desperado and by extension World Marshal as Armstrong plucking him out of some metaphorical ditch and offering him a way to escape the crippled potato life he was forced into after his run-in with an IED. It's not a charity though, and the price is what I was talking about above.

That would also explain why he's such a good sport about losing to Raiden. He must have lived with the knowledge of the exact date his life would end, either literally or by being dragged into court, so he's already made his peace with it. The other Winds seem to have done so too, judging by resignation in their last words. Not Khamsin though, that dumbass was definitely in the dark and it shows.

So in conclusion, does Sundower have power? Over day to day operations of Desperado – yes, over his own fate – ha. Haha. No. In the grand scheme of things his death does not matter. All actual strategic decisions are made by Armstrong and other "guys in charge" whoever they may be, meanwhile Sundowner is just a figurehead to pin their actions on.

At least Raiden gave him the death he would have wanted. It is flattering to fall to the state of the art cyborg who suplexed a Metal Gear. But that's just my speculation. I hope there are some interesting thoughts to find here even if you don't agree with the overall picture.

[reasonsforhope]

It’s an open secret in fashion. Unsold inventory goes to the incinerator; excess handbags are slashed so they can’t be resold; perfectly usable products are sent to the landfill to avoid discounts and flash sales. The European Union wants to put an end to these unsustainable practices. On Monday, [December 4, 2023], it banned the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear.

“It is time to end the model of ‘take, make, dispose’ that is so harmful to our planet, our health and our economy,” MEP Alessandra Moretti said in a statement. “Banning the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear will contribute to a shift in the way fast fashion manufacturers produce their goods.”

This comes as part of a broader push to tighten sustainable fashion legislation, with new policies around ecodesign, greenwashing and textile waste phasing in over the next few years. The ban on destroying unsold goods will be among the longer lead times: large businesses have two years to comply, and SMEs have been granted up to six years. It’s not yet clear on whether the ban applies to companies headquartered in the EU, or any that operate there, as well as how this ban might impact regions outside of Europe.

For many, this is a welcome decision that indirectly tackles the controversial topics of overproduction and degrowth. Policymakers may not be directly telling brands to produce less, or placing limits on how many units they can make each year, but they are penalising those overproducing, which is a step in the right direction, says Eco-Age sustainability consultant Philippa Grogan. “This has been a dirty secret of the fashion industry for so long. The ban won’t end overproduction on its own, but hopefully it will compel brands to be better organised, more responsible and less greedy.”

Clarifications to come

There are some kinks to iron out, says Scott Lipinski, CEO of Fashion Council Germany and the European Fashion Alliance (EFA). The EFA is calling on the EU to clarify what it means by both “unsold goods” and “destruction”. Unsold goods, to the EFA, mean they are fit for consumption or sale (excluding counterfeits, samples or prototypes)...

The question of what happens to these unsold goods if they are not destroyed is yet to be answered. “Will they be shipped around the world? Will they be reused as deadstock or shredded and downcycled? Will outlet stores have an abundance of stock to sell?” asks Grogan.

Large companies will also have to disclose how many unsold consumer products they discard each year and why, a rule the EU is hoping will curb overproduction and destruction...

Could this shift supply chains?

For Dio Kurazawa, founder of sustainable fashion consultancy The Bear Scouts, this is an opportunity for brands to increase supply chain agility and wean themselves off the wholesale model so many rely on. “This is the time to get behind innovations like pre-order and on-demand manufacturing,” he says. “It’s a chance for brands to play with AI to understand the future of forecasting. Technology can help brands be more intentional with what they make, so they have less unsold goods in the first place.”

Grogan is equally optimistic about what this could mean for sustainable fashion in general. “It’s great to see that this is more ambitious than the EU’s original proposal and that it specifically calls out textiles. It demonstrates a willingness from policymakers to create a more robust system,” she says. “Banning the destruction of unsold goods might make brands rethink their production models and possibly better forecast their collections.”

One of the outstanding questions is over enforcement. Time and again, brands have used the lack of supply chain transparency in fashion as an excuse for bad behaviour. Part of the challenge with the EU’s new ban will be proving that brands are destroying unsold goods, not to mention how they’re doing it and to what extent, says Kurazawa. “Someone obviously knows what is happening and where, but will the EU?”"

-via British Vogue, December 7, 2023

[fluentmoviequoter]

Pretending You Can't

Pairing: Adam Karadec x fem!cop(analyst)!reader

Summary: You're touch starved and wishing to make friends in the LAPD, but you move divisions so often that it becomes difficult. While working with the Major Crimes unit, you find a solution to both problems.

Warnings: depiction of touch starvation, discussion of difficulty making friends, murder case, fluff, comfort, OOC Karadec

Word Count: 4.1k+ words

A/N: I love Karadec so much. Hope someone can enjoy this.🫶🏼

“Melon alert,” someone whispers as they rush past you.

You roll your eyes and turn to the next page of your report. Lieutenant Melon is annoying, but he has yet to request your direct assistance. That is one of the few benefits of being quiet and reserved in a Los Angeles Police station. It is, however, far outweighed by the downfalls. You’re lonely, and you want to make friends at work, even though you are quiet. Each time you meet someone you think could be a friend, you get moved to a new desk or a new division and have to start all over. Maybe, you think, I’m just not made to have friends.

You stand and stretch your arms over your head. The report on your desk must be signed by Melon, but he’s busy, so you walk down the hall to stretch your legs and get something from the break room.

“Sorry,” you apologize as your shoulder hits someone backing out of the elevator. It feels like the skin on your shoulder is on fire, and pain like pins and needles travels down your arm. This would have been a good indicator something was wrong if you hadn’t already known you were touch-starved. Shaking your arm, you see the large box in his arms and ask, “Do you need help with that?”

“Please,” he answers.

You slide your hands under the side opposite him, and he lowers it to rest between your chests.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Detective Osman, right?”

He nods and somehow knows your name, too. You look around briefly as he leads you through the door into Major Crimes. This is one area you have not worked in, but you think you’d like it. The people in this division are kind when you see them in the station, and they do good work. Your gaze hits Detective Karadec, and you look away quickly, telling yourself it’s because you need to watch where you’re going.

“It’s too much,” he says, his shoulders moving up in a short shrug as he nods. Something about his body language disarms many people, but every time you see him, you’re drawn in by him.

Lieutenant Soto exits her office, pinching the bridge of her nose. Detective Osman sighs as he looks at her, then thanks you quietly. You smile and nod, then walk toward the door. Before you reach it, Soto calls your name. Turning slowly, you raise your brows and hold your hands against your stomach.

“Yes, ma’am?” you answer.

“You worked in the gang unit last year, correct?” she inquires.

“Yes, but only for a few months in the spring.”

“Are you familiar with the name…” she pauses to look at a sticky note in her hand, then says, “Victor Kwang?”

Nodding, you explain, “I did the paperwork for his arrest warrant, the affidavit, I mean, and some research into his accomplices and manufacturing.”

“Did you find the factory in Westlake?” a woman in a cheetah-print skirt asks.

“Excuse her,” Karadec interjects as he spins his chair to face you. “This is Morgan Gillory.”

You’ve heard about Morgan, or as Melon calls her, the cleaning lady, but if she already found Kwang’s Westlake factory, she’s better than you thought.

“I did,” you tell her. “It wasn’t operational at the time, but it was searched. Turned up practically nothing.”

“Okay,” Morgan drawls slowly. “It’s not in the report.”

Karadec watches how your brows pinch, and your eyes shift like you’re thinking.

“There’s another report,” he guesses.

“I only worked on one.”

He nods once before spinning his chair to use the computer. Opening the report they’re going on, he scrolls to the bottom of the first page to see who completed the report.

“It wasn’t this one,” he says, looking over his shoulder at Detective Daphne Forrester.

She raises her hands and says, “It’s the only one that came up when I typed in Victor Kwang.”

You focus on your memory of completing the report and ask Daphne, “Are most of his arrests for assault?”

“90%,” she replies.

“Wrong Victor Kwang,” you say. “When that case was open, there was a lot of.. discontent, I guess, in Koreatown. The DA said they had every right to be treated exactly the same here as in Korea.”

Karadec scoffs and shakes his head. You agree; it didn’t make sense, but you complied.

“So?” Osman asks.

“His arrest record and the reports from that investigation have his Korean name on it. Kwang Kyu. Surname first, given name, and everything we have on him is in that file.”

Soto raises her brows at Karadec, unseen by you. He looks between you and his lieutenant, then to Morgan.

“Who are you reporting to now?” Soto asks you.

“Lieutenant Melon,” you reply. Quieter, you add, “Technically.”

“I think it’s time for a change,” she muses before returning to her office.

“Did you do this whole report?” Daphne asks, looking up from her computer. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thanks,” you answer softly. Without Soto as a buffer and the contained topic of police work, you’re unsure how to talk to the detectives you’ve looked up to for so long.

Soto returns from her office and smiles as she instructs, “Pack up. You’re coming to Major Crimes.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Oz asks.

Soto looks away from the door that just closed behind you and levels her gaze on Karadec.

“I think she can help,” he states. “Morgan didn’t catch that the report was for the wrong guy.”

“You didn’t either,” she argues.

“Where does she usually work?” Daphne wonders aloud. “I see her around from time to time, but never in the same place twice.”

“She jumps around,” Soto explains.

“Why?” Oz adds. “Hard to work with? Trying to find where to use a golden ticket?”

“She’s good,” Karadec answers. “She can do close to everything. Chief decided to pass around the talent.”

“And how do you know that?” Soto challenges, her brows raised knowingly.

He looks at her from the corner of his eyes, then shakes his head.

“If Kwang opened a factory in Westlake, he probably did it to get away from the suspicions about what he was doing in Koreatown,” Morgan muses. “His factories form a parallelogram with an overlaid pyramid. When you look at those on a map, they center around one place.”

“Being?” Karadec presses, sounding more tired than he had with you.

She moves closer to the caseboard and examines the map briefly. “Hotel Normandie.”

“Koreatown?” Daphne clarifies.

“Yep. 605 Normandie Avenue.”

“And what is that supposed to tell us?” Karadec sighs.

“I…” Morgan purses her lips to trace her nail along the map.

“You’re missing another shape,” you point out as you return with a small tote bag of your things.

Soto’s eyes widen, and she presses her lips together to hide her smile. You’ve been here for less than five minutes, and you’re providing information Morgan can’t. They all know it’s because of how long you spent studying Victor Kwang, but it’s still interesting to see.

“Hotel Normandie is one of Kwang’s favorite spots. It’s less than thirty minutes from the Hollywood Bowl, Griffith Observatory, LA County Museum of Art, Natural History Museum, and Dodger Stadium. That’s a-“

“Pentagram,” Morgan finishes. “He could get around to all of them and back to the hotel in 2 hours without traffic.”

“Add Forest Lawn,” you add, setting your bag on an empty chair. “And you’ve got a hexagon.”

Karadec stands at the word hexagon, and you wonder what they’re working on.

“DB was called in this morning,” he tells you as he slides his cell phone and a bottle of hand sanitizer into his pocket. “It was found at the corner of Wilshire and Crenshaw. There was a note in the vic’s pocket with the name Victor Kwang written repeatedly. The note was folded into a hexagon.”

“And that intersection is in Kwang’s criminal hexagon,” Morgan adds.

“The victim had his visa,” Daphne says as if she’s reading your mind to answer your questions. “ID’ed him as Chang Shirong. Came in from China four months ago, so he likely would have been traveling back within the next few weeks.”

“Six months. He had a B-1 visa?” you realize incredulously. “What business activities was he conducting?”

“I’ve got that,” Oz interjects, holding an open file. “He had a relatively legitimate clothing business and was negotiating contracts with Lids and Fanatics.”

“How long ago did he get approved for the visa?” Morgan asks.

“Five years ago,” Daphne answers.

You fall silent and listen, happy to stay here and complete their paperwork while they go out in the field and put Kwang back in jail. Provided that he’s found guilty, of course.

“When was Kwang released after the sweatshop factory fiasco?” Karadec asks, though his gaze strays to you.

“Five-and-a-half years ago,” Oz reads. “Could have easily gotten in with Chang to move operations overseas.”

“The Government Accountability Office would’ve had Kwang on a short leash,” Soto states. “If Kwang broke that kind of labor law, he wouldn’t have been able to conduct business of any type, not for a while at least.”

“Not necessarily,” Morgan counters, raising her finger.

“Here we go,” Karadec murmurs, holding his fist against his chin.

“AB633 holds California garment manufacturers responsible for sweatshop conditions. It ensures workers are paid minimum wage and overtime. Because of that, the Labor Commissioner can bring lawsuits on behalf of the whole workforce to guarantee wages and – this is the important part – revoke the registration of the manufacturer that fails to pay a wage award. They up new registration fees, but can't legally keep someone from reopening a business based only on wage crimes.”

“Sounds like you need to look into the sweatshops,” Soto says before telling everyone where to go.

You pull a chair to Daphne’s desk to help her trace Kwang since his release from prison, and she smiles as she whispers, “Teach me your ways.”

You send her a small smile and immediately decide that you want to be friends with Daphne Forrester. The longer you sit beside her and across from Oz, the easier it is to open up and offer your ideas and theories.

“Oz,” Morgan calls as she returns a few hours after leaving. “Karadec needs you to throw a phone book at someone.”

“We still don’t do that,” he replies as he exits the office.

“What are we working on?” Morgan asks as she takes Oz’s chair.

“We found Kwang’s quote ‘professional’ activities since leaving prison,” Daphne explains.

“Any theories?”

“I don’t have any.” Daphne gestures toward you as she adds, “This one has some great ones.”

“Lay ‘em on me,” Morgan requests. “Unless you don’t want to.”

“You must be a very good mom,” you murmur.

“I have a teenager,” she says, “I know the signs of someone not wanting to talk to me. I also notice when someone’s eyes wander to a certain detective.”

“Karadec?!” Daphne exclaims, tapping her hand against your arm and igniting invisible flames beneath your sleeve.

You drop your head and wring your fingers together. “I think Kwang met someone in prison who could set him up with an overseas businessman. Your victim flew in on a visitor’s visa a week before Kwang was released and stayed for nearly two months. If they met then, Chang had a reason to get a business visa and make regular trips to visit his business partner.”

“Any idea who could’ve known both of them?” Morgan wonders.

“That’s where we found the hiccup,” Daphne answers.

You have an idea, but it doesn’t make sense, so you stay quiet. Morgan and Daphne look at you, then at each other. Morgan nods before she stands.

“You’re coming to my house for dinner,” she says. “It wasn’t an invitation or a question, you’re coming. Let’s go.”

Daphne nods and tells you to have a good night, so you follow Morgan out of the station. While you walk into the parking lot, she slows and looks toward you.

“You like Karadec,” she begins. “When you’re not incredibly focused, your eyes stray to him. It happens when you’re not confident in your statements, too.”

“I- he-“ you try before deciding to say, “Sorry.”

“Oh, don’t be. I notice a lot, and I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Maybe you should try to just talk to him tomorrow, share one of those good ideas you kept to yourself today.”

“I thought that was your job.”

Morgan smiles. “If it gets Karadec to smile, I’ll relinquish my duty to you for a day.”

“Why would that make him smile?”

“You can figure that out, detective.”

Morgan begins walking again, and as she opens her car door, you call, “I’m not a detective!”

The following morning, you enter the station early with a mental list of names and information to look into. Walking into Major Crimes, you’re not entirely surprised to see Karadec already at his desk.

“You’re early,” he muses. “You can use Oz’s desk.”

“Thanks.” You lower into Oz’s seat and use your station login to access the police database.

“Help yourself,” he offers, gesturing to a donut box.

You smile and take one of your favorites. If you had to guess, you never would have assumed that Karadec was the one who brought the donuts every week. Maybe they take turns, you think.

As you work quietly beside Karadec, you run through each idea you have. Each search that fails to provide a helpful result discourages you more than the last.

“Pass me the Kwang file?” Karadec requests.

His fingers brush against yours as he takes the extended file. He thanks you, but you don’t hear it as your nerves alight. You try to hide the pain in your hand as you place it back on the keyboard. Failing to remember the last time you were hugged or even simply touched in a way that lets you know someone cared about you, you force yourself to focus. Your hand curls into a fist as the pain subsides, and then you return to work.

With your focus on the lack of touch you’ve experienced recently, you don’t notice Karadec watching you. He’s known since before you joined their team that there is more to you than people think.

As the rest of Major Crimes begins arriving, you log out and pull a chair to the corner of Daphne’s desk to continue working with her. Karadec tries to focus, but when you are close, he finds it hard to do.

“Good morning,” Morgan greets, sitting beside you. She lowers her voice to remind you, “Talk to Karadec.”

“All of my ideas turned up nothing,” you explain softly.

“And?” Oz asks as he approaches the other side of Daphne’s desk.

“She likes Karadec,” Morgan replies.

Your eyes widen as you look over at her. Daphne stifles a laugh, and Oz shrugs as if that isn’t new information.

“Yeah, yeah,” Morgan murmurs. “Et tu, good report maker. Seriously, tell him something. You have more ideas; I can see it.”

“Any new theories?” Karadec asks, turning his seat to face Daphne’s crowded desk.

“I think the order of the hexagon was wrong,” you blurt out.

“Why would the order matter?” Oz inquires.

Karadec watches you, listening carefully. Morgan smiles and shakes her head knowingly before she winks at Daphne.

“If the route matters, then traffic, travel times, and when the places are actual targets changes.”

“Targets?” Karadec repeats.

“I assumed you were evaluating the places based on their proximity to his former sweatshops,” you explain. “So, he could use them as alibis, to recruit workers, or in this case, to lure Chang into his previous enterprise to undermine Chang’s business.”

“Like a sightseeing tour for bad guys,” Oz translates.

“Alternatively, they were on their way to one of these places and Chang dropped some news about taking a larger profit margin or something, Kwang was outraged and killed him.”

“In which case, he’d want to get another shop up and running ASAP,” Morgan comments.

“Let’s run with that theory,” Karadec decides. “We’ll split up and check the different points on the hexagon. Use Kwang’s previous warehouses for ideas about where he’d be holed up or operating a new factory.”

“Someone from Immigration is here with Chang’s visa information,” Soto says.

“I got it,” Oz offers. “Go find this guy.”

“I’ll go with Daphne,” Morgan announces.

“Okay,” Karadec agrees, standing. “Which direction do we go?”

“Hotel Normandie faces east,” you answer. “Most people turn right when leaving a building, so he’d be pretty likely to go South. The art museum would either be first or last because it’s west of the hotel.”

“We’ll take the southern locations starting with the Natural History Museum. Then we’ll hit Dodger Stadium and go around. Daphne and Morgan, go west to the art museum then north toward Griffith Observatory. Overlapping visits should double our chances.”

“Yeah, that’s not how percentage of chance works,” Morgan replies. “I’ll explain it later.”

“Oh, good,” Karadec deadpans.

“So…” Karadec begins as he drives toward the natural history museum. “What did you want to do when you joined the department?”

“At first, I didn’t know. Then I realized I wanted to become a detective,” you answer. “I think it’s too late for that.”

“Never know. What made you decide?”

“A lot of detectives worth looking up to. Including you.”

You realize what you said and chew the inside of your bottom lip as you wait for Karadec to say something. Anything.

“Thank you,” he says after a moment. “Although you had better options.”

“I didn’t know Daphne yet,” you joke, pulling a rare smile from him. “Hey, slow down. That building should be condemned.”

Karadec slows as he steers the car onto the gravel shoulder. He watches the shadows moving in the covered windows and radios for backup.

“ETA two minutes,” dispatch replies.

“Uh, Karadec?” you interrupt.

“Yeah?”

“Door just opened.”

You watch Victor Kwang exit the warehouse in an expensive suit. He notices the car and then runs along the side of the building. You don’t hesitate to exit Karadec’s car and chase him, ignoring Karadec’s yells for you to wait.

As you round the western side of the warehouse, you speed up and push off your right foot to tackle Victor Kwang. He grunts as he lands in the dirt, and you pant through your recitation of his Miranda rights. Karadec approaches behind you and passes you a pair of handcuffs.

“Maybe we should let you carry those next time,” he says. “Is that your car, Mr. Kwang?”

“Lawyer,” Kwang replies as you turn him to make him sit up.

“In that case, I’ll go ahead and get it towed to the station in violation of California Vehicle Code 22500,” Karadec says, pulling his phone from his pocket.

You look at the car and smile. “Section f: A person shall not stop or park on a portion of a sidewalk.”

“It’s my sidewalk!” Kwang argues as sirens approach the front of the building.

“It’s the city’s sidewalk,” Karadec says. He takes your place and pulls Kwang’s arm to make him stand. “So, we’ll be searching your illegally parked car when it arrives at the station.”

After an officer takes Kwang, you take a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” Karadec checks, laying his hand on your shoulder.

Your muscles tense, pulling into a tight knot before immediately releasing to be more relaxed than before Karadec touched you. He feels every movement and realizes by the movement that you are devastatingly touch-starved. Karadec does not like touching things or people, you’ve noticed, but you’re both acutely aware of how well his hand fits on you.

“I’m okay,” you answer quietly.

The moment ends abruptly when Karadec’s phone rings. He removes his hand from your shoulder to answer Daphne’s call, but his warmth lingers as you follow him back to the car.

After Kwang confesses to receive a plea deal and offers up the international crime matchmaker who introduced him to Chang, you return home. Your hand raises to your shoulder, where Karadec touched you. Now that the case is closed, you’ll likely be transferred out of Major Crimes again and lose the four people you think you could have been friends with. Again.

Someone knocks on your door, and you approach it quietly to look through the peephole. Sighing, you open the door and silently invite Karadec into your home.

“Is everything okay?” you ask. “Soto told me I could finish the reports in the morning.”

“No, that’s fine,” he replies, looking briefly around your living room before bending back slightly with his hands in his pockets. “I… I think I can help you.”

Your mouth opens, but you take a moment to find the right words. “Do you mean that the other way? Can I help you again?”

“No, no,” he answers with a smile. “Can I just show you?”

“Sure,” you say slowly.

Adam pulls his hands from his pockets as he steps toward you. You inhale quickly at his proximity, and when his hands raise, you hold your breath. Tensing your muscles as Karadec lays his hands on your waist, you swallow. His thumbs brush wide arcs between your ribs as your body relaxes at his touch.

“Oh,” you realize under your breath.

“You said you looked up to me as a detective. I admire you as a lot more than that.”

The initial pain of his touch fades, and you seem to melt beneath his hands. If you’re going to react like this, Karadec thinks, he may never take his hands off you.

“I thought you didn’t like touching things with germs,” you remember.

“Found an exception.”

Karadec smiles as you argue, “Soto won’t like that.”

One of his hands slides from your waist and catches your hand. You instinctively try to pull away because it hurts, but he holds you tighter, drops his smile, and whispers, “It’s okay.”

You nod and shift your hands to interlace your fingers with his.

“If you want help with this,” he murmurs, brushing his thumb across your knuckles. “I’m here. But you tell me when to stop.”

“Why?” you inquire.

Karadec doesn’t answer, and you admit, “I have feelings for you. Like… feelings. I understand if that makes you feel different and you don’t want me close anymore.”

“Feelings?” he repeats, using the tone you used the second time. “Should it make me feel different?”

Your brows furrow and Karadec returns both hands to your waist.

“It doesn’t,” he assures you, dropping his hands.

“There’s hand sanitizer in my bag, behind you,” you offer.

“Soto sent me over to tell you she wants you in Major Crimes full-time,” Karadec interjects. “It’s up to you, though.”

“Would that… Do you care if I say yes?”

“I’m not going to answer that.”

“You’re not really helping me here.”

He nods in a small circular movement which tells you he doesn’t care about that. His smile, however, makes you smile.

“I have wanted to be a detective for a long time,” you muse.

“Anyone you’d be leaving behind in the other divisions?”

“Oh, yeah,” you answer sarcastically. “I’m just swimming in friends, hence the extreme touch starvation.”

“Give Soto your answer in the morning,” he requests. “I’ll see you there?”

“Of course.”

You watch Karadec leave, and when you wrap your arms around your waist, nothing happens. No pain, no pins or needles, just warmth and the memory of Karadec's touch.

When Karadec enters Major Crimes the morning after visiting you, you’re nowhere to be seen.

“Daph!” he calls. “Where is she?”

“Morgan?” she clarifies.

“She’s finishing paperwork,” Oz answers. “Transfer papers, I’d guess.”

“I need signatures,” Soto says, exiting her office.

“Beautiful,” Daphne whispers as she signs your completed report.

“Yes, it is,” Karadec agrees, though his eyes are up, watching you enter the office with a smile.

“Where’d the grumpy persona go?” you whisper as you place a donut box on your new desk.

“I’d guess wherever he left it last night,” Soto answers, looking between you.

Morgan enters, spouting theories about another case but stops when she sees you. “I told you! You just had to stop pretending you couldn’t do it.”

“Hey,” Daphne calls, pointing at you with a sprinkled donut. “No ‘will they, won’t they,’ okay? Do it or don’t, but I can’t watch my friends dance around each other.”

“We’re friends?” you repeat.

“Duh.”

“So…” Morgan begins. “Are you okay with a group hug or do you need some more time?”

You look at Karadec, who shrugs, and then you nod. As you’re wrapped in warmth and care by your new friends – and Karadec, who you hope can be more than a friend – you realize that you finally found where you belong, and you’re not pretending anymore. You can do this. You can do the job, the friendships, and the openness.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been dreaming of the Plotting Serpent.

A Sorcerer in the Sands seeks something far bigger than himself. Freedom, sweet freedom.

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

Bundled up in several layers, Jamil makes his way down a twisting path and into an open market.

The ground crunches softly under his boots. His breath is chilled, turning into a fleeting fog as he exhales. He retreats to the comfort and safety that his bulky coat provides, watching bales of white lazily drift down around him.

Snow instead of sand—imagine that.

The market operates straight out of the town square. From a vantage point--his temporary housing upon a hill--he can see the entirety of it, all the stalls forming a circle. The market is, by no means, large—but it has the spirit of something grander. The banter, the bartering.

Not so different from the bazaars at home.

Jamil ducks in, taking his time to pace around to each vendor. He’s agile and bright, like a child first viewing the moon and rushing to catch it in his palms.

Most sellers—and most customers—are elderly, gnarled like the roots of a tree. The cold colors their rounded cheeks the same red as many of the apples on display.

There’s pink and yellow and green too, and other fresh produce. The majority of it, he is told, is grown in Harveston. Others are foraged from Mt. Moln—nuts, plants, berries, and mushrooms.

Other stalls offer already manufactured goods. Scarves and gloves to protect against the winter, steaming apple drinks and sweetly spiced snacks, toiletries lovingly handcrafted with botanical oils.

His eyes light up with interest. He stops to inspect a row of shampoo and conditioner bars.

Feel free to touch and smell! says a sign at the stall.

He does, testing the weight of a bar in his hand. It is light and has an easy slip to it, and gives off the faint aroma of apples. Slightly tart and juicy.

It'll be good to have on hand, especially when it weighs less than liquid variants. The sign says these bars are made with apple seed oil, an ingredient that treats split ends and dryness while restoring a shine...

He absentmindedly feels the ends of his hair. The locks are normally dark and glossy, but the cold has not treated them well, leaving them slightly dry and brittle.

That's the cost of travel. It can be difficult to predict how my skin and hair react to different climates.

“Excuse me,” Jamil calls out to the stall owner, “I’d like to buy one of these shampoo bars, please. One in the conditioner bars as well."

“Sure thing!!” The owner wraps up the bars and slides them over. As Jamil hands him a few bills, he pipes up. “Say, yer not from ‘round here, are ya, sonny?”

“Yes. I am but a traveler.”

“Traveler!” The owner’s eyebrows shoot up. “Real fancy livin’ ya must have."

“No, not at all. I try to live humbly and travel light.” Jamil indicates his backpack, the one piece of luggage that follows him wherever he goes.

"That so? Not many young folk visit these parts." The owner strokes his rounded chin in contemplation. "I figured ya must be on yer way to the city. A lot more for youngins to see 'n do there."

“I beg to differ. The village has shown me incredible hospitality during my stay. Delicious foods, friendliness... I can enjoy Harveston's natural sights without worry. I'm content with just that."

With each word that leaves his lips, he feels the weight that has been on his shoulders lifting.

Jamil, you're free, the wind seems to whisper. The realization is intoxicatingly sweet and crisp, the first bite taken from a forbidden fruit.

"Aww, that warms mah heart ta hear ya say," the owner beams. "Yer a good kid, yer parents would be proud of ya."

"My... parents?" Jamil falters at the mention of them.

His parents are back home. His sister, too. Najma had texted not long ago, pestering him about bringing her a souvenir and asking when he’d be back.

His family is waiting for him. And... who else is there?

Jamil's brows furrow. Suddenly, he feels as though someone should be beside him, and he, trailing after them. A hopeless person buying up all the stalls, shoveling new dish after new dish at him.

"Here, try this, Jamil! Oooh, and this! That looks super tasty, have some too! And this cracker!"

"Where did you get all this food from?! There's no way we'll be able to feasibly finish this before it goes bad. Why do you never listen to me, Ka..."

A growl rips from his stomach. Jamil's eyes widen, and his face heats.

The stall owner's laugh cuts through his confusion. "Gahahah! Ya hungry there, son? Here, lemme grab ya somethin' on the house."

"Oh no, sir, I can't accept that."

"I insist!! Won't be long 'fore ya mosey on outta here and move on ta the next place. Eat yer fill while yer here, there ain't nothin' like a homegrown Harveston meal or snack anywhere else in Twisted Wonderland!"

The owner rustles with utensils behind the stall, He fills a container with a generous slice of pie--oozing with apple filling--and fluffy pancakes, plus a few potstickers. Then he pours hot tea, apple cubes bobbing in the spiced brown liquid, into a paper cup.

Jamil gets a whiff of it from where he stands and--against his better judgment, his mouth waters. When the owner hands him the container, cup, and a wooden fork, he doesn't refuse them.

"Remember us ‘n all the fun times ya spent here."

"Thank you, sir." Jamil bows his head. "I will. I'll never forget your kindness."

"Don't 'cha mention it. Go on 'n git now, ya got plenty more of the village to visit!""

Jamil departs with his purchase and his gifts, which he immediately settles into.

Lifting the paper cup to his lips, he sips his tea. It's deep and tangy from the cinnamon and apples it has been brewed with. He pleasantly warms from head to toe.

It isn't long before he downs the rest of the drink, apple cubes and all. They're not fresh, but dried--so when his teeth slices them into halves, they're springy and chewy, with a strong flavor.

Jamil lowers the cup, dragging out a satisfied sigh.

It's then that he realizes he's walking directly into a black wall. He veers sharply to the right, but still brushes his arm against that of the incoming person.

“Pardon me. I wasn't watching where I was going...” Jamil looks back, but is startled to find no one where his shoulder has made contact.

Hm? Was I imagining things?

Jamil glances around the marketplace. The crowd is too sparse for him to miss anyone. There are grandmothers and grandfathers, mothers and fathers, each dressed in thick coats and boots, some wrapped in scarves and others sporting fuzzy hats or earmuffs.

But no one is wearing all black.

He shakes his head.

It was probably nothing then.

Jamil returns to browsing the square, his every stride as light as a feather. He feels as though he is dancing atop the snow.

The cold no longer bothers him.

The wind, carrying a new message that resonates with his heart. It seems stronger now, rumbling like a deadly avalanche.

"Be free, Viper. Be free."

[theromanticscrooge]

The Shipping Corner: Voxman, A Balm for Capitalist-Induced Angst

Note: I'm sorry this took as long as it did. I've been in a pretty bad slump recently and am just now coming out of it.

Lord Boxman is the black sheep among his peers. This is first established with Professor Venomous' initial distaste towards him and the later reactions he gets when he unexpectedly shows up at Billiam Milliam's villain yacht party. The only kinds of relationships Boxman has with other villains amount to strictly business transactions to create their robot minions. The shareholders that directly fund Boxmore are especially skeptic of Boxman's destroy the Plaza side venture and see this as a misguided, Snidely Whiplash-esque escapade. He's just a Saturday morning cartoon villain and they're the respectable big leagues. When Boxman funnels so much time, effort, energy, and resources towards the Plaza attacks, it takes precious time away from robot production; the one thing he does they consider valuable or worthwhile. They threaten to cut off their support if Boxman's production doesn't increase and then gladly replace him with Darrell when the opportunity arises. Darrell fits the exact mold they need for a CEO: he focuses exclusively on production.

There's no respect. There's no interest in or concern for Lord Boxman as an individual. The dislike is mutual. Of course Boxman doesn't get along with other villains. Most of the known names and faces on screen hold the purse strings and by extension, the fate of Boxman's entire operation. He feels like he has to put on his best face and performance to keep his business afloat. Without Boxmore, he seemingly has nothing and loses everything material. After Boxman was fired by the shareholders, he becomes absolutely depressed and floats around for awhile until Venomous finds him in his trash can. As much as he hates answering to corporate interests, he's locked in as a "robot manufacturer" as much as an Average Joe is stuck at a 9-5 job because of bills, a mortgage; and most frustratingly, how easily someone can fall into the trappings of letting a job define their self-worth or sense of self.

--

When Professor Venomous gets introduced, he's partly in Boxman's mental bucket of shareholder/necessary business relationships. Boxman goes to great lengths to hide K.O., Rad, and Enid after accidentally booking his business dinner on the same night as an antagonize the Plaza event. He's scared that his 'hobby' would dissuade Venomous from buying any more of his robots and break their already tenuous business deal. Instead, Venomous starts to see Boxman through literal rose-tinted glasses and becomes interested in Boxman's ongoing Plaza rivalry but uses the robots as a continued excuse to check in again on this weird, intriguing man.

Another interesting precedent is that Boxman is more fond of Venomous from the jump. When interacting with other business partners, Boxman is over-the-top and eager to please in video calls and plays the oblivious idiot in casual settings, but behind closed doors, he's bitter towards them. Boxman won't hug his own children and scoffs at open displays of affection. Yet he wants to touch or hug Venomous as often as he can reasonably get away with. Part of his behavior is the same eager to please facade he gives other interested business parties, but the bigger part is a legitimate interest in developing a more personal relationship with Venomous.

The pink shoujo sparkles and elevator eyes Boxman has for Venomous are a blatant indicator he finds him attractive. That's a surprisingly huge part of what kicks off his interest. Look at how he reacts to Dr. Blight in the Captain Planet crossover. Boxman initially shows skepticism and disinterest towards her crazy plans, but the second she flirts with him, the flip switches. The promise of romantic interest grants her access to the full power and force of Boxmore. When she leaves at the end of the episode, Boxman is disappointed. He wanted to continue their partnership, especially their potential interpersonal one.

In Venomous' case, he gets extra points for joining in the fight after the Plaza brats interrupt dinner. He asks about the design and Lego brick-esque connectivity of the Boxbots. He's not above participating in the Saturday morning cartoon skirmish. Rather, he misses that kind of fight and yearns to experience more exploits like it. Venomous is the only on-screen character outside of Boxman's kids that shows a willingness to listen to, try to understand, and engage with Boxman in a more personable, intimate way.

--

Professor Venomous fell into villainy after he lost his powers and realized how overbearing he found the moral code heroes have. Being a villain comes naturally to him; he likes the fruits of his labor in the vast amounts of wealth, prestige, and material power that he could gain. Fast forward to present-day in the series and he's the picture of a successful villain. He figures out the easy button for amassing stupid amounts of money by threatening a Congresswoman with a death ray. He's sought out for deals involving his scientific prowess. He's respected and liked among other villains to the point he's invited to Billiam's parties. Though while he has a comfortable position, he's become jaded.

Enter Lord Boxman. Compared to the villains Venomous is used to, Boxman dances to the beat of his own drum. He's more interested in defeating the Plaza than an endless vie for prestige, wealth, or power. He says he doesn't care what the other villains think of him and how he does things. No matter what happens, he's going to carve out his own path as a villain and do what he wants to with his life. Somehow, Venomous got tied up in a new, different kind of bureaucratic process as a villain. As a hero, he felt like an outcast and a loser everybody looked down on without super powers. As a villain, he has everything he thought he wanted but it was more of a means to make up for what he lost. It was more compensating and filling in an existential hole vs actually taking meaningful control of his life. In stark contrast to that, Boxman knows exactly what he wants and puts his all into every pursuit, consequences and obstacles be damned.

Collaborating with Boxman is an epiphany. Dreaming up new schemes and plots to challenge the Plaza is fun. It's fulfilling and satisfying to Venomous in a way that heroics and solo villain ventures weren't. There's one scene in particular after Boxman and Venomous join forces for the first time and lose spectacularly. Both of them are smiling; it's joyous. Boxman was down and out without Boxmore, but building Fink's attack trike was a spark of hope that he can rebuild even if its from the ground-up. Venomous just lost his nice house and all of his current material possessions because Boxman blew everything up. But then Boxman turned around and presented the exact existential solution Venomous didn't know he needed by suggesting attacking the Plaza. It's the dinner party attack, but this time, Venomous was a full part of the planning phases. He gets to share in and fully experience the devil-may-care and more whimsical parts of being a villain he thought were long gone.

Venomous offers to buy out Boxmore and root out the shareholders. Finally, Boxman is free of one of the bigger obstacles between him and his all-time favorite venture. Not only does Boxman have free reign, but also the equal partner he so desperately desired; someone that's on his same wavelength and as invested in his kind of villainy as he is.

--

Another important dimension to Venomous' character is his destructive spiral as Shadowy Venomous. Finding that 'missing piece' in Boxman and Boxmore respectively isn't a magic solution. There's significant baggage in how much emphasis Venomous placed on his need for power. This was such a huge quest and chunk of his life that its difficult to give up on the idea entirely. Its similar to how some people spend so much time chasing after a specific job title or promotion that this elusive thing becomes an important part of what defines them or contributes to their sense of self worth. Venomous left Carol because of a gross misunderstanding that she saw him as weak. He was missing the value he assigned to super powers for so long that every new solution was always a band-aid or a stop gap.

Someone can find a thing or circumstances that significantly improves their life, but they need to see and recognize this psychologically too for it to be completely effective. In other words, Venomous needed to recognize the real-time changes and results from joining Boxmore, then figure out how to weigh those continued changes with his own self-discovery or improvement.

Boxman started improving on being a more proactive parent. Unfortunately, Venomous started getting lost in his own head and pulling away from his other responsibilities or general life. A change as big as a new partner, surroundings, and blended family would be enough to kickstart depression; especially because Venomous hadn't appropriately addressed why he needed this abstract concept of what it meant to be the 'most powerful being.' Success and self-actualization weren't included with the previous accolades he achieved as a villain. It wasn't obvious and forthcoming with Boxman either. The lack of introspection and vulnerable talks with Boxman or anyone else is exactly what led to the wind-up and eventual "I'll destroy everything if it means getting rid of the years of resentment and frustration."

--

Both Venomous and Boxman have some sort of adult trapped in the shitty corporate world element to their character writing. In a nutshell, Boxman struggles with the existential threat of losing who he is to one specific job he performs; Venomous finds villainy gratifying as more of a hobby or extracurricular activity vs a full-time job. He's successful at it but the version he's successful at is more of a distraction or a means to fill in a missing part of himself than true interest in his corporate role. Boxman's approach to villainy is considered juvenile and worthless. Venomous still loves villainy but he wants the freedom to have fun and go all-out without worrying about reputation or meeting the specific standards that comes with his current position.

In 2024, after the various rise of corporate buzzwords trying to guilt employees back to pre-pandemic work standards and inflation vs stagnant wages, there's new weight to the Boxman and Venomous character allegories respectively. These two are that success story of Boxman giving the middle finger to a crappy boss and Venomous making that leap of faith from an empty, soul-sucking job to the more wild, out of pocket thing. Venomous' ill-obtained funds becomes that treasured pile of "fuck you" money that so many people dream about having and using to take a risk on something personally, meaningfully valuable to them. Or just having a window of opportunity to enjoy life the way they want to without having to worry about bills and necessities.

More importantly though, while they describe themselves as business partners, it's two single, lonely men building a life and trying to healthfully blend their families together. Part of this life is making space for someone new that makes the other man want to work on becoming a better, more thoughtful person. Regardless of where a person sits in their job hunt or even at the height of personal achievement, the most important part is the support network they come home to or regularly interact with.

Thematically, Boxman and Venomous are the opposite side of the coin to the more straightforward found family K.O. builds and maintains. It's a reminder that no one has to be lonely. They can and will find someone that brings meaningful, valuable things to their life; someone that makes them want to change and grow. While this is about an explicitly romantic pair, the message applies whether that hypothetical person and relationship is romantic, platonic, or a new addition to a found family.

[kokoasci]

could you give us a rundown on project nova please!! i'm so curious what it's about you make it look so fun 🤍

oh absolutely i can (i will take any excuse to talk about my ocs)

project nova is a slightly dystopian fiction story/comic set in Nova, a city somewhere near what was once the U.S.-Canada border. due to uprisings and international turmoil (along with increasingly harsh climate change disasters) that destroyed the previous countries where it stands, Nova is broken into four different classes (kind of like, big labor unions) that specialize in different areas needed for a city to thrive. each class has its own rules and regulations for their members, some are stricter than others, etc. these are:

Technics: industrial, mechanical, infrastructure, urban planning

Astutes: medical, scientific research, education

Executives: company administration, police enforcement, distribution and manufacturing operations

Laymen: other roles for either private or public sector, can be baristas, office workers, farmers, etc.

there are 6 main-ish characters:

August Anderson - Layman barista/skilled thief taking jobs from the underground illicit market

Maple Fernsby - Technic who owns a small mechanic shop in uptown Nova

Beau Jones - recent graduate from the Astute academy focusing on virology research for therapeutics

Amelie Hargraves - an apprentice Exec operative with a strange ability to influence memories and manipulate deceased souls

Rowan Sawkins - estranged youngest son of the affluent Sawkins Exec family, who's bad falling-out led him to join the Astutes as a physician

Rosie - the western sector resistance leader unaffiliated with any class and wants to get out of the city by any means necessary, and take as many people as possible with her

the main story follows August, who's close friends with Beau and Maple living in the outskirts of the inner city. chance lands him to meet Rowan, a physician that works with Beau and who ends up saving August's life after a job gone wrong. on the other side of the city, Amelie is taken in by the Execs after finding out she has an almost supernatural ability to manipulate memories, which they see as an incredible asset. after a combined agreement between the Execs and the Astutes leads to Rowan's manipulation into a pawn for a mysterious plan called Project Nova, the 6 chars' lives now get tangled together as they all pursue conflicting goals

at least, that's the basic rundown !! most everything i draw or post about takes place before or slightly after this exposition dump, who knows if ill ever get around to either writing and/or drawing this story in the first place. mostly they're just my ocs that i will draw situations for, small skits, stuff like that. none of this is set in stone it changes all of the time and ill probably retcon half of it later but for now this is what i have

more info: primary charas + info, secondary charas

[siyelius]

Literally all of this is so true omg 😤😤 especially the frankenstein part — I’d always loved the implications that it’s why he was probably able to recalibrate his legs back up in Stratford tower. He’s had to have known his own body inside and out to operate on himself and make it back under such stressful circumstances. Being visibly the most well put together in the beginning of Jericho I think also says a lot, North and Josh are both in dirty single shirts whereas Simon’s had the time to develop and establish himself with Jericho being his home (I assumed his layers were scrapped from dying androids he’s comforted and sworn to remember them by). Jericho’s quite literally been his home for YEARS. It should’ve stirred up much more tension amongst the whole organization with his death with how much he cared for his people, hell they could’ve established and implied a bond between him and Josh since he was the one to even bring up his death if Markus decides to shoot him.

Perks of being a common commercial model has made him so compatible with most biocomponents theres quite literally nothing original of his left within his body. And giving his heart away just means he’s repeating the cycle and accepting he’s no different in this recycled circuit of nature amongst scrapped androids. He doesn’t see himself as important enough to be remembered.

Through Markus we could’ve seen the history/founding of Jericho if there were more choices to explore the intimate pasts of each Jericho member like Simon and Josh. AND it could’ve left room to flesh them out and establish their bond as a group !! QD had the potential to seriously cook if they didn’t treat Simon like a determinant lamb archetype and gave him the complexity he deserves.

Simon being both metaphorically and the literal embodiment of a Sacrificial Lamb. Seeing himself as nothing but a failure of his people — viewing his own vessel as a farm for biocomponents to feed his comrades and provide their sustenance with his death like defeated prey. Made up himself of parts he’s salvaged and torn off others of his own kind in their final moments to keep himself going over the years, believing he’s joining the cycle by sharing the same fate of the ones he’s seen die in Jericho prior to Markus’ arrival.

His persistence in Markus tearing out his heart akin to a sheep forcing its exposed neck into the maws of a starving wolf; wishing it’d kill him to live on. Knowing a piece of him lives forever from within Markus’ chest, beating his heart for him to keep his companion alive even with Simon gone. Not caring he’s forgotten and lost in the chaos of war. Body but a limp plastic chassis with him gone.

Not even giving Markus a choice. Urging to just eat him and let him die already for the benefit of everyone. Simon valuing all life but his own.

God I love him as a character but please give that man some happiness. No wonder he’s so tired all the time, he’s probably worn down from all the shit he’s seen throughout the years in that rotting boat and just wants to go out being useful for once. Bro looks like he just wants a nap.

[magz]

June 6, 2024.

Israel targetted and bombed a school in central Gaza with Palestinian refugees, with the excuse that "Hamas" must be at the school.

Quote: "Witnesses and hospital officials said the predawn strike hit the al-Sardi School, run by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees known by the acronym UNRWA. The school was filled with Palestinians who had fled Israeli operations and bombardment in northern Gaza, they said.

Ayman Rashed, a man displaced from Gaza City who was sheltering at the school, said the missiles hit classrooms on the second and third floor where families were sheltering. He said he helped carry out five dead, including an old man and two children, one with his head shattered open. "It was dark, with no electricity, and we struggled to get out the victims," Rashed said." [...]

Hospital records and an Associated Press reporter at the hospital recorded at least 33 dead from the strike, including 14 children and nine women. Another strike on a house overnight killed six people, according to the records. Both strikes occurred in Nuseirat, one of several built-up refugee camps in Gaza dating to the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes in what became the new state.

Excuse with no evidence by Israeli Occupation Forces:

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the spokesman for the Israeli military, said it carried out a "precise strike" based on concrete intelligence that militants were planning and conducting attacks from inside three classrooms. He said only those rooms were attacked.

"We conducted the strike once our intelligence and surveillance indicated that there were no women or children inside the Hamas compound, inside those classrooms," he said.

Hagari said there were around 30 suspected militants in the three rooms. He said the military had confirmed killing nine of them, and displayed a slide showing their names and photos. He provided no other evidence to substantiate the military's claims.

Note: Excusing slaughter of Palestinians by insisting they must be ""hamas"" is a form of propaganda to manufacture consent of mass death and genocide. To target schools and refugee camps.

[elffees]

MK12 Bi Han Analysis

Y’all bringing out the essayist in me so now I gotta make a Bi Han post.

Ahem

So contrary to extremely popular opinion, I actually think Bi Han was given a bit of depth in MK12. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking but I thought this was the most compelling he’s been since Mythologies. At least to me.

“Had we not held back, you would not have survived.” — Bi Han to Kung Lao after the bar fight

I can actually understand his frustrations with Liu Kang. While I think the bar fight between the Lin Kuei vs Raiden & Kung Lao was super fun to watch and interesting from Liu Kang’s POV, it had to be pretty humiliating for someone as prideful as Bi Han.

Liu Kang told them to intentionally make themselves seem weaker just to give actually weaker fighters more of a chance. Not only that, but they had to come off like they were nothing but obnoxious & lowly thugs, instead of the elite, powerhouse of a clan the Lin Kuei actually are.

Not to mention the relationship the Lin Kuei have with Liu Kang irritates him just in general. It’s clear Bi Han doesn’t like having to take orders from someone, and wants to be the boss rather than an underling. But with the Lin Kuei’s goal being Earthrealm’s protection, and Liu Kang being Earthrealm’s protector, that’s always the dynamic they were going to have with him. To operate underneath FG Liu Kang. There’s no way to be equals with a god.

This is only reinforced once it’s revealed to everyone that mere Earthrealm Protector God Liu Kang is actually Titan Liu Kang, manufacturer of their entire timeline and all of their destinies. All of the characters have different opinions and concerns about Liu Kang’s actual status and involvement in their lives. Bi Han included.

“This is what you were meant to do. Defend Earthrealm.”

“I am not allowed to desire a different future?” — Convo between Liu Kang & Bi Han in Khaos Reigns

There’s no way to be equals with a god, but there is zero chance in hell of ever being equal with the Keeper of Time and ultimate creator of your destiny who knew and fabricated your life’s path before your ancestors were ever even conceived.

But circling back to before the reveal, Bi Han already had issues with working underneath Earthrealm Protector God Liu Kang.

I’m not excusing Bi Han’s actions, but I think the game did a decent job of making us understand why he was so frustrated with Liu Kang. The Lin Kuei are powerful, but at the rate they were going, they would always have to bend to Liu Kang. For members like Kuai Liang, Tomas, Cyrax, etc. this was not an issue. But for those like Bi Han and Sektor, it clearly is.

And this all goes into why he accepted Shang Tsung’s offer when he, Kuai Liang, and Tomas infiltrated the hideout. Some people have said it was too sudden, I disagree. Bi Han went there to take them out, then got curious, and only agreed to join after he and Kuai Liang had been taken prisoner. He was hesitant at first and wasn’t interested in Shang Tsung’s proposal, but his frustration with being inferior to Liu Kang was the perfect in for Shang Tsung to persuade him, because anyone could see Bi Han was not satisfied with his current position in life.

I wouldn’t even say Bi Han trusted Shang Tsung, but that it’s just as Shang Tsung himself said:

“I’m sure you’re asking yourself: ‘Can I afford to trust a man I have never met?’ But the true question you must ask is: ‘Can I afford not to?’”

This scene told me it’s not about genuine trust. Bi Han just views “being Liu Kang’s inferior forever” as a worst fate than anything Shang Tsung could do to him. He viewed Shang Tsung as the lesser of two evils. Whether that’s objectively true or not is irrelevant.

Afterwards, Bi Han actually shows remorse about aligning with Shang Tsung. This is evident in his intros.

“Your mother’s death is regrettable.” — To Kitana

“If it is asylum you want, I won’t grant it.” — To Shang Tsung

“You have been cold to my entreaties.” / “Because you proved you can’t be trusted.” — Convo between Shang Tsung & Bi Han

“I was wrong to trust you.” — To General Shao

“I wasn’t aware of Shang Tsung’s experiments.” — To Liu Kang

Alongside his regret with aligning with Shang Tsung, Bi Han does NOT want to kill Kuai Liang. Shocking I know, but it’s true!

This is probably the first game I’ve seen where he actually values Kuai Liang as his brother. PLEASE BARE WITH ME I SWEAR IM NOT INSANE LMAO!

In both the main story and in Khaos Reigns, Bi Han clearly states that his intention is to capture and imprison Kuai Liang.

“And you must be imprisoned alongside my brother.” — To Cyrax in Khaos Reigns

And while hypocritical as hell, I do believe Sektor’s “immense shock” at Kuai Liang willing to leave Bi Han trapped and brainwashed in Havik’s timeline is because she knows, in turn, that Bi Han doesn’t plan to actually kill Kuai Liang, only punish and imprison him. (I am not saying her annoyance was well founded! It was for sure hypocritical. I am simply explaining why she was shocked and what she knows of Bi Han’s intentions.)

Does this mean Bi Han cares about those around Kuai Liang? No. He doesn’t care at all about Harumi and was fine with killing her if she got in the way. She is not Lin Kuei. Even worse, she’s hinted to have ties with the Umgadi and Outworld. A fact Bi Han and Sektor may be aware of since in one of their intros together (with Bi Han as Noob), they say she’s a “formidable problem”.

But, interestingly, it doesn’t seem as though Bi Han wants to kill other Lin Kuei that have turned to Kuai Liang’s side. When opposed, he threatens to punish and capture Tomas and Cyrax, not kill them. Just like he does with Kuai Liang.

Alongside this, in most of his and Kuai Liang’s direct conversations with each other, it’s mostly Bi Han defending his stance and encouraging Kuai Liang to return to his side. Frequently telling him to “heed” and “obey” him as Grandmaster.

“You could have ruled at my side.” — To Kuai Liang in an intro

“Your rebellion stings.” — To Kuai Liang in an intro

“End this, brother! Embrace the future.” — To Kuai Liang in the main story after he aligns with Shang Tsung

“You would shed your brother’s blood?” / “Because you CHOOSE to stand in my way!” — Convo between Kuai Liang and Bi Han in an intro

“Your brotherS regret losing your fellowship.” / “Then THEY shouldn’t have disobeyed my commands.” — Convo between Liu Kang and Bi Han in an intro

Bi Han is definitely pissed and plans to beat his ass, that’s not debatable, but it’s clear he’d much rather Kuai Liang just come back to the Lin Kuei than them full on fighting each other. And he has no intention of actually killing Kuai Liang. He will punish his “treachery” and imprison him, but never talks about straight up killing him. The one single time he references Kuai Liang’s possible death is when he’s boasting to General Shao in an intro, who he has currently lost all respect for and sees as an enemy (plus Shao is the one who mentions Kuai Liang first in that convo).

He thinks Kuai Liang made the wrong choice when refusing to stand with him, and seems to think their current feud is Kuai Liang’s own fault. That they COULD reconcile, but it’s Kuai Liang who is refusing to “see reason” and support him. Bi Han truly thinks he is “defending” the Lin Kuei from Kuai Liang’s poor vision. He does not actually view himself or his actions as evil, despite what fans seem to think. He even opposes this perspective in-universe whenever a character says he’s turned evil.

“There are many in the Netherrealm just like you.” / “You conflate ambition with evil, Ashrah.” — Convo between Ashrah and Bi Han in an intro

Bi Han’s real malice is reserved mostly towards Liu Kang. He hated having to work underneath the Fire God, and now with the Titan status revealed, he’s even more furious and thinks Liu Kang has always only ever been about control. This is made especially evident in his intros.

“You are content being Liu Kang’s servant?” — To Raiden

“Liu Kang wants to help, Bi Han!” / “No, Tomas. He wants to control.” — Convo between Tomas and Noob!Bi Han

“Earthrealm isn’t yours to rule!” — To Liu Kang

“You’ve turned Kuai Liang against me!” — To Liu Kang

“Come in from the cold Bi Han.” / “And again kneel before you?” — Convo between Liu Kang and Bi Han

I suspect that the sole reason Bi Han prefers being Noob is because it was against Liu Kang’s design for him. In a lot of Noob’s intros, he praises his newfound “chaos”, but in a very easily missed few, he says these:

“Is it best for you to remain this way?” / “It is best for the Lin Kuei.” — Convo between Sektor and Noob!Bi Han

“Weren’t you supposed to be on ice?” / “Liu Kang’s plan has been disrupted.” — Convo between Takeda and Noob!Bi Han

“I’m envious. The things you must have seen…” / “No one should experience such chaos.” — Convo between Shang Tsung and Noob!Bi Han

“Throwing the Lin Kuei into chaos-” / “Is NOT what I am doing!” — Convo between Kenshi and Noob!Bi Han

I don’t think Bi Han enjoys being Noob simply for the “sinister nature” of being Noob Saibot. I think it’s actually because the transition was against Liu Kang’s plans. A sort’ve rebellion even though it was also forced upon him. This is just a theory though.

I want to clarify: BI HAN IS AN ASSHOLE!

I am in no way saying that Bi Han isn’t a douchebag and should be pitied.

This post is solely intended to refute the claims that he’s not a complex character. There is actually a lot of subtlety in how he’s been written so far. There ARE genuine reasons he doesn’t want to keep bowing to Liu Kang (who is a proven liar love my boy tho). He does NOT want to kill his own brother, and would actually prefer Kuai Liang come to his side, rather than them being at odds.

Bi Han is an asshole. He’s arrogant, impulsive, selfish, and overwhelmingly prideful. But he DOES actually care about Kuai Liang as his brother and doesn’t have any interest in killing ex-Lin Kuei members. His goal is to punish their treachery, but then imprison them. Not kill.

And while he heavily dislikes Tomas and doesn’t hold any respect for him, Bi Han slips up and does acknowledge Tomas as his brother when talking with Liu Kang in one of the intros I shared above. A very small part of him does subconsciously view Tomas as his brother. He will never ever admit this though.

Not counting Mythologies, this is probably my favorite rendition of Bi Han to date. I could actually see where he was coming from most of the time, and he didn’t seem just “one dimensionally” angry and evil. He’s a raging dick, but he’s not just “evil to be evil” nor is that his goal.

He regrets some of the events that have come from his actions, has affections for Sektor, refuses to abandon the Lin Kuei after becoming Noob (unlike past Noobs), and still values Kuai Liang as his brother with zero plans to actually kill him only imprison him.

In Khaos Reigns, even Liu Kang states that Bi Han’s desire for a different future isn’t actually an issue, it’s just his methods that are.

Bi Han is a massive problem child, but he’s not a one dimensionally evil thoughtlessly written character. I actually think this is the most compelling iteration Bi Han’s ever been (TO ME) and I find the current nuances in his and Kuai Liang’s dynamic more fascinating than ever.

[praxcrown5]

Cars Headcanon: Vehicle Growth and Development

*note: this Headcanon is for civilian-class vehicles, only. The process is slightly different for carrier and combat class vehicles...as is the siring process.*

Following the events of the Factory Wars (1819-1864, Cycle 9), most newborn, sapient vehicles are manufactured in factories. The long and the short of things is that vehicles actually do "grow up," after they are manufactured, and have distinct phases of development between infancy and adulthood.

*I used Doc as an example...because it gave me an excuse to draw him as an adorable babeh.*

A vehicle wanting to procreate must go through the siring process with a partner of the opposite gender (see my post on reproduction). Recently, some factories (Chrysler, Jeep, Chevrolet, Stellantis, and Mazda) have allowed people to petition them directly if they are unable to create a flame due to injury, manufacturing defect and/or sexual orientation.

Once a flame is sired, the female carrier will begin receiving internal notifications with instructions on what factory they'll need to report to. If she can't get to the factory right away, she can maintain the flame for three weeks by doubling her food intake. After this time, the energy is reabsorbed, and she'll have to go through the siring process if she wants to try again.

No one outside of a factory knows how a newborn is actually manufactured. In conversations with an angel at the Hudson Motor Car Factory, Doc's mother and grandfather learn that there are at least two processes involved beyond the initial "harvesting" (the operation that extracts the flame from the female's body): "grafting" and "nurturing." The time between harvesting and being introduced to the family is, on average, three and a half days…though it can take as long as seven if the flame splits, resulting in twins.

A newborn is always the same make as their factory of origin, and the type of vehicle created is dependent on the vehicles involved in the siring process. If both parents are one type of vehicle (a car, for example), the child will be that type of vehicle. If the parents are two, different types of vehicle (a car and a plane, for example), the resulting child has a 50% chance of being one or the other. Gender is random. Twins are always the same gender and model.

When newly manufactured, a vehicle begins life with a simple, two-cycle engine and are capable of self-locomotion. The moment a child emerges from the factory, they memorize their parents UV patterns, and the sound of their parent's voices on the way home initiates their natal learning software. By the end of their first day, the newborn can speak in complete sentences and will spend every waking moment asking questions and generally absorbing as much information as their budding minds can handle. This period of hyper information gathering, known as the Infant Period, lasts until the child's third birthday…and the dreaded First Appetency Phase.

In preparation for their most intense growth spurt, the child develops an insatiable appetite for metal, especially objects made of iron, copper and lead. And…much to the horror of those around them, they're not picky about where the metal comes from. Non-sapient machines, road markers, pipes, unattended parts, steel bridge supports, power poles, tools, cooking utensils…really anything that the child can stuff into their crop whole or tear apart with their incredibly strong teeth is fair game. It's not uncommon for children, during the height of the phase, to attempt to eat their parents and/or siblings. They do not attend school during this phase for obvious safety reasons.

The excess metals are stored within the child's body, melding with existing metals in the frame, engine, and mechanical components. The infant eventually becomes so dense and heavy that they can't move; eleven hours later the spurt begins. The child's body metals "slacken," taking on a texture similar to the metals around and inside the mouth. Stored metals from the Appetency Phase are re-mobilized, and the child's body begins to slowly grow. It's a painful period fraught with danger, and many parents don't leave their children unattended for even a minute.

Manufacturing defects (misshapen wheels, bent frames, UV blindness, etc) manifest during this growth spurt. Many can be corrected, especially with modern technology…but some cannot.

After two weeks, the growth spurt runs its course and the infant vehicle matures into an adolescent. They are now about half the size of an adult with a four cycle engine. Adolescents are much more mobile than infants, and this is the age when they really began to interact with the world around them. They are still insanely curious and learning rapidly, and this is when most parents start teaching them a trade…or at the very least the life skills that they'll need to survive on their own.

Almost immediately after their seventh birthday, the adolescent enters their Second Appetency Phase…though by this point, they tend to have enough self-control that they're not eating their family out of literal house and home. This time around, they crave rarer metals, like titanium, palladium, and magnesium, and they're taking in almost triple the amount of food as an adult. The slackening phase of this spurt is more dangerous than the first due to the fact that the child's engine is powerful enough to allow mobility, despite the increase in weight. Most families opt to keep their children confined to the house until the spurt runs its course, as even a minor fender-bender during this time can be lethal.

After two weeks, the adolescent matures into a young-adult. They are now about 75% the size of an adult, with a significantly more powerful engine and a greater capacity for strategic problem-solving, deductive reasoning, and information processing. They are strong enough to work and participate in competitive sports, though there is mounting evidence that overtaxing the body and engine too much during this phase can cause developmental issues during their 11th year growth spurt.

Upon reaching their eleventh birthday, a vehicle experiences their Third, and final, Appetency Phase. While they still need extra metal in their diet (copper and aluminum, especially) they find themselves craving organic materials like peat, kerogen, coal and, oddly enough, crab meat. The final growth spurt takes three weeks…but once a vehicle's body metals harden, they are considered an adult, socially and legally. They can drink, get married, live independent of their parents, own property, run for public office, and work full-time somewhere other than a family-owned business.

Probably the most important physical change is the development of reproductive hardware. The ability to hook up with another vehicle for pleasure usually drives the first two or three years of adulthood as a vehicle figures out, not only out how their own hardware works, but what preferences they have in terms of sexuality, foreplay, and hook up configurations. Because there's an extra step involved in actually siring a child, accidental children aren't really a thing, and most vehicles (in the modern era) don't even think about parenthood until their late twenties/early thirties.

Now, that's not to say there aren't risks involved with casual hookups. Vehicles are immune to most of the organic viruses left over from the Great Dying and The Return, but they can be susceptible to digital viruses…and the easiest way for a virus to transfer between vehicles is during physical intimacy. Outbreaks can occur suddenly and spread rapidly, devastating populations…and even disrupting the factories, themselves. Cycle 8, for example, was rocked by a powerful, almost sapient, computer virus…and the resultant hardware crashes wiped out 60% of all bio-mechanical life on the planet, necessitating a full recall.

In 1900 (Cycle 9), the global, average life expectancy of a vehicle was 32 years. By 2017 this had more than doubled to 65 years. Advances in bio-mechanics, public health, automation, safety standards, and a more robust biosphere have led to decreases in mortality, for all age groups, in much of the world. Part obsolescence, usually caused by political infighting between factories, is the major limiting factor to longevity, though the advent of 3D printing is helping to counteract it.

[go-to-two]

If you could rewrite one thing about each PD character ending that has left (so you can't change the whole thing), what would you change?

Ohhhh I'm definitely going to forget people. I'll do the major ones I can think of.

Roman: Eh, I was actually fine with this exit. I guess my change would be that I wouldn't bring him back to kill the person who killed his sister, mainly just because it really didn't do much story-wise.

Erin: again, not mad at most of Erin's exit. It all kind of worked for her character. I'd just have let her say goodbyes to the team. I didn't realize it would be such a pattern for characters to only say goodbye to Voight. Erin 100% needed a meaningful final scene with Voight, but not saying bye to the team and leaving Jay without a word was nasty business.

Al: I know I'm kind of in a minority on this one, but I kind of liked that they killed Al (if he was being written out either way). I don't mind a "bad" ending for a character like that, if it makes sense for the character and the plot. My big change would be what they did with it after, which was... not much. Yeah. I'd make his death have a more profound impact on the way the team operated. Voight especially.

Antonio: Oof. This one is hard to verbalize because I don't actually mind that they went the drug addiction route, I just wish that whole story wasn't so weighed down with him murdering a man and Adam covering it up. I guess that's my change- I would separate those storylines if I could. If Antonio's final story was going to be the addiction and then getting out of Chicago to heal, I wish it was done in a less "procedural drama" way and given a more realistic view for what addiction and recovery can look like for a first responder like him.

Vanessa: I'd give her an exit 😂

Jay: are you sure I can't rewrite this one? There's genuinely not one part of it that I think is well constructed or written. But okay- let's say he spirals so far, so fast that he has to get away for a while. Let him stay in touch with Hailey. It really did nothing but hurt the development of both characters to have him stop talking to her. It was unnecessary, made no sense, and quite honestly felt petty from a writers standpoint.

Hailey: again, can I rewrite it? 😂 The manufactured Voight and Hailey father/daughter stuff was pretty gross given how he'd treated her and spoken to her for years, but I guess to me, that's second to making her end up alone and running. My change would be letting Jay be part of her exit. The whole LeT hEr ExIt Be AbOuT hEr thing feels like an excuse for bad writing by way of a pseudo-feminist girl power message that did not land. Jay was a big part of Hailey's life, and damn near the only really happy thing that happened to her on that show. It would be okay (and better for the characters development tbh) to acknowledge that and let her have that happiness back as she goes.

[thestitchesarchive]

They’re Not Cybertronian

It had been a joint effort between Arcee and Ultra Magnus to catch that Sweep, yet still a leviathan task- one where all the stars had aligned closely enough to finally subdue one of Scourge’s elusive huntsmen. For the rather clumsy, bumbling things they were, they were still far stronger (and far faster…) than they looked, and their numbers gave them a scary amount of strength. This one simply hadn’t been fast enough to rejoin the group.

It had also been very damaged in the fight, Magnus noted- it was a miracle it was even able to walk, with one of its wings barely hanging on by a few wires and deep lacerations and laser burns crosshatched across cracked blue plating. First Aid had nearly flipped his lid when they dragged it back to HQ- no Cybertronian should have to sit in a cell with such life-threatening wounds. Especially when there was almost no energon seeping out of any of those broken panels- a telltale sign of energon depletion. Despite Rodimus’s insistence, he and Perceptor had managed to make their claim on the Sweep, citing both Cybertronian war convention and repair for the sake of research as their excuse- maybe they could open this specimen up and figure out the secret to the mysterious strength of the Sweeps and those that they answered to.

But repair, as they found out, would not be any easy task- even in this state, the Sweep struggled and fought back against intubation- and only fell into stasis when Perceptor managed to wrangle a cord into it containing the strongest of cybersedatives.

That should’ve been a red flag- but Perceptor had chalked it up to the energon depletion, and curiosity had gotten the better of them already. First Aid took the lead in hooking the Sweep up to an energon drip, as Perceptor started removing pieces of the damaged abdominal plating, placing some of the more intact pieces on trays for further study.

They had no intent on fixing the Sweep’s external armor plates- no point in repairing the enemy more than what was vital- but there was massive internal damage that would need to be fixed if they wanted to see the Sweep survive the night. Once most of the armor plates were stripped, First Aid finally had his first look at the interior wiring of the subject, and his vents stopped in their tracks as he took it all in.

First Aid had been a medic for a long, long time now- he’d repaired hundreds of frames, opened up dozens of his compatriots- and even operated on Decepticon bodies, too. One could say he knew the anatomy of a Cybertronian like the back of his hand. But as he peered into the leaking, exposed innards of the Sweep on the table, for the first time since his Academy years, he couldn’t comprehend any of it.

The discrepancies in anatomy could not be attributed to the manufacturing differences of a Decepticon frame. In fact, the body did not look Cybertronian in origin at all- the thing on the table had no fuel tank, but four energon pumps- its spark casing was two times too big and had too many cables, and in three separate places, he found pistons that seemed to pump into nothing at all. Half of the vital Cybertronian circuits and parts were missing outright, or in wildly erroneous places- and that was all of the parts he understood.

In place of necessary components lay components completely alien to him, all whirring and ticking angrily as he tried to wrap his processor around what he was seeing. He found a leak in one of what might’ve been a main fuel line- instead of leaking pink, it dribbled an iridescent blackish-purple fluid. He tried to collect a sample of it, and the pipette disintegrated in contact with the substance.

Whatever was lying on his table was not Cybertronian, no matter what the frame it wore. It was more of a mockery of the mechanical body- like a freshly-minted medical student had taken access to loose parts and tried to play Primus with the Cybertronian frame. And the worst part was, they had succeeded. Despite all of the inconsistencies and incorrectly-placed parts, the resulting monstrosity was stronger, it was faster, and it was laying on the table before them.

And this was one of the weak ones. One of the hunters that served under Scourge, and under Cyclonus and Galvatron…

“Perceptor?” First Aid asked, venting slowly as he discarded the useless pipette. “What do we know about the manufacturer of the Sweeps?”

Perceptor didn’t answer First Aid at first. He was too focused on another part of the machinery- a deep laceration that had cleaved through the Sweep’s abdominal wiring. When he had looked at it pre-operation, it had been almost as long as his hand- now, as he’d measured it, it had shrunk by almost a fingertip.

He transformed into his alt mode, landing in microscope form on the operating table just next to the damaged area, and zoomed in- just to meet the same horror First Aid had discovered.

At the microscopic level at the very edge of the wound was a thin, blackish-purple lining- slowly creeping forward, filling empty space- and leaving healthy living-metal in its wake. The Sweep was regenerating its wounds just like an organic tumor, creeping forth and spreading its darkness, just like…

First Aid’s query rang in his audials. He transformed back, the energon churning in his fuel tank.

“They were first seen with the world-eater, Unicron.” He said gravely. “Along with the new warlord- Galvatron.”

There was a moment of dreadful silence as the two basked in their revelation, in the presence of a threat that was not even their own kind.

“Oh, Primus. Oh, Primus save us.” First Aid was the first to break the silence, burying his helm in his hands. “What do we tell Rodimus?”

[beardedmrbean]

Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists occupied and vandalised offices of the insurer Allianz overnight, throwing red paint over walls and windows in protest at the firm’s links with Israel.

Surrey Police said three activists had been arrested at the Allianz Insurance building in Guildford. 

A man and two women were detained on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage, and were being held in custody. The force said inquiries remained ongoing.

The action began on Monday evening as people around the world commemorated the first anniversary of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Palestine Action said it targeted 10 offices owned by the German financial services firm in protest at the company’s investment in Elbit Systems, Israel’s biggest weapons firm. It has said Allianz is one of Elbit Systems’ “principal institutional shareholders”.

In a statement, the group called for Allianz to pull out of Israel, adding: “Without insurance, Elbit couldn’t operate in Britain. Palestine Action will cost more than you gain from enabling genocide. 

“Allianz, it’s time to stop insuring and investing in Israeli weapons firm Elbit Systems.”

Nine of the occupations ended within hours, but the Guildford office remained occupied on Tuesday morning. 

A number of Palestine Action supporters could be seen on the roof of the office’s entrance, spraying the walls with red paint and daubing slogans on the windows that read “drop Elbit” and “free Palestine”.

A police team trained in the removal of protesters at height arrived at  Allianz Insurance building by mid-morning, and staff were asked to work from home. Surrey Police later said the three activists had been arrested, bringing an end to the occupation.

Supt Mark Offord said: “Officers were sent to the premises as soon as we became aware that the protesters had broken into the Allianz Insurance premises. While we recognise the right to protest, there is no excuse for anybody using it as an excuse to engage in criminal activity.”

Sites in Manchester, Lancaster, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol and Milton Keynes were also targeted. The cost of repairing the damage is estimated to run into tens of thousands of pounds.

In September, the group vandalised 10 branches of Barclays Bank in protest against what it described as the bank’s ties to Israel. 

The targeting of Allianz offices came as vigils were held to remember those killed and taken hostage by Hamas on Oct 7. 

Palestine Action claims Israel’s response to Hamas, which has killed as many as 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza, has justified its tactics of direct action against businesses with links to the Jewish state.

Elbit System manufactures over 85 per cent of Israel’s drones, including quadcopters used by the nation’s military to perform targeted attacks.

The group added: “Elbit has publicly advertised its weaponry as being ‘battle-tested’ on Palestinians. Its business operations are central to Israeli war crimes in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, and its technologies uphold the brutal occupation regime.

“These nationwide actions serve as a reminder that, throughout the past 12 months, Western capital has continued to profit from the mass murder of Palestinians. 

“If Allianz refuses to understand that dealing with Elbit is immoral, it must be made clear that maintaining its involvement will become increasingly unprofitable.”

A spokesman for Allianz said: “We have had disruption overnight at several of our offices. The safety and security of our colleagues is paramount, and we have closed these sites today. Our operations and service to customers and clients are unaffected. As this is an ongoing police matter we have no further comment at this stage.”

Police said officers were called at 4am to reports of red paint being sprayed onto two buildings in the City of London. They arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of criminal damage following a chase on foot.  The offices were later sealed off by police.

[shyocean]

While we are thinking about the way that English--language cultures hide, obviate, and redirect blame.

I want you to take all the skills you use when thinking about stories about cops murdering people, and apply them here.

Passive voice, not naming the culprit, downplaying their responsibility.

Neither the headline nor the first paragraph name the Israeli military. If I didn't know the story, I would assume from the title that Hezbollah was the creator of the attack, not the recipient. If the devices had blown up in the US, Europe, or Israel, they would also be referred to Hezbollah explosions, or perhaps as Hezbollah terror attacks.

Please, please be aware that the Israeli government is "conducting targeted strikes" and against "terrorist organizations."

But the Likud right-wing nationalists are also committing unprecedented terror attacks targeting the elected political parties of two other countries, and the civilians, medics, and community organizations associated with them. They murdered dozens, inclduing children and medics, indiscriminately, in order to traumatize everyone living there and reduce them to a state of ongoing panic.

itsthesamepicture.jpg

This is not a neutral article. By linguistically ignoring Israel and burying the lede that

the Israeli state department used several shell companies to manufacture these pagers, by focusing on a Taiwanese manufacturer etc etc

They are rhetorically and emotionally excusing Israel.

The Israeli government broke godknowswhat international and business laws to plant thousands of explosives the the everyday items of purchased by another government and indiscriminately injured 3,000 people.

The fact that this is being reported so gently is not unbiased.

Even this article that is like, well it looks like maybe they did break international law, isn't unbiaesed.

The framing is enormously gentle, because the answer to the question is yes. Israel's terrorist attack broke laws.

These articles will seem moderate against this rhetorical monstrosity.

because it is unvarnished propoganda that entirely reframes the nature of right and wrong based on who is doing the action.

Their mindset will never be the same. They will no longer view a refrigerator, microwave, or light bulb in the same way. Until their last day, they will never feel safe, no matter where they are. They will live in constant fear of what might explode next. Just as Trump changed the rules of political campaigns and Apple revolutionized marketing, Israel has redefined military operations. It is no longer enough to incapacitate the enemy’s capabilities or eliminate personnel. To truly defeat terrorists, one must dismantle their mental defenses and make them feel powerless. This demands immense creativity and flawless execution—qualities possessed by only a few, much like the visionaries behind groundbreaking technologies. The ability to carry out such an operation underscores the difference between a strong, dynamic country with brilliant minds and a terrorist organization.

The author doesn't believe terrorism has to do with actions, but is an identity inherent to the other.

How can you say that a really dirty, traumatizing, textbook example of a terrorist attack shows that you are a strong dynamic country and *not* a terrorist organization masquerading as a government?

The word country is key here.

Another way that the English language hides violence has to do with the idea that certain groups have a right to infinite violence in terms of self defense and protection of well-being, and that they have a monopoly on it.

Other groups have absolutely no right to self defense, and even the most basic self defense is an illegal assault.

Think about how cops are in the US. They can assault you and kill you with immunity for not following their commands quickly enough. Any self defense or defense of others against a cop is grounds for a assault and a prison sentence.

A group the law binds but does not protect, and a group the law protects but does not bind.

The English, who stole Palestine from the Palestinians and gave it to the Israelis, where very fond of deciding that any government, nation, organization, clan, tribe, people group, that they didn't want to deal with was illegitimate, with no right to self determination or power.

They starved several Million Irish to death, after deciding they didn't have a right to their own country, they murdered tens of thousands who resisted their rule. because not a people. And all their responses were illegitimate and morally evil, because the British had a right to power, dominion, gain, and violence, but the Irish did not. have a right to self determination or self defense.

Now, I don't like terrorism, and I don't like governments that enage in it, like Hamas, Hezbollah, the US, The UK, and Israel. I think its bad to do that.

Just objectively. I think the murder of civilians is bad. I think murdering children is bad.

I think trying to take everything that someone else owns and then committing mass civilian murder when they try to resist you is bad, and that is the pattern of the English-derived governments--the UK, the East Indian Company and the British raj, all the British Empire, everything to do with the way the United States of America acquired terrirtory and now defends itself, Australia, Canada not off the hook, and inevitably, Israel was forged by this exact same thing. The Ebglish unpeopled a People, took everything they had, made resistance illegal, and gave it to someone else.

I also do not want people to attack the civilians of these countries. I think terror attacks agains the US and UK and Israel are also bad.

You can be on the side of "murdering civilians is bad" and not pick a country that its ok when they murder civilians and inspire mass terror.

You don't have to be like, this one is the one who gets to do it, and if you criticize them doing it, you hate babies and want to murder me. Right?

I need to find out what this is actually called. In science its the god trick. There has to be a word for the way that perspective makes some mass murders into unfortunate civilian causalities and others into brutal terror attacks.

[witchofthesouls]

After reading about the queef comment anon sent, that means cybertronians have their own form of gynecologists right?

And since not all cybs can be carriers (I assume only a certain selected group is) Would birth hurt like humans? Do they tear when pushing out their sparklings? And could emergency “C-sections” be performed if the carrier is having issues pushing?

Sorry for the ramble I just love all this kinda stuff.

Why not?

Cybertronians do have specialists that focus on reproductive health and fertility. It's their version of a gynecologist, an andrologist, and an endocrinologist/cardiologist all rolled into one doctor since their methods of reproduction are centered on the spark.

When it comes to the question: who can carry? It depends on the story or verse I'm building, but-

I do like to think there are three primary methods to carry: budding (asexual), sparklet (sexual), and full gestation (sexual).

Sparklets are initially formed against a parent's and tethered by its rotation. In this method, any mech or femme, regardless of their reproductive hardware, can be a carrier as long as their spark can sustain and nurture a sparklet's density and pull. Their partner(s) help with the process via spark merges, which heavily influences the sparklet's coding. Once a sparklet is sufficiently strong enough to be on its own, it's medically 'sniped' away to be dropped into a batch of prepared cybermatter/sentio metallico to finish the rest of its growth and development. Think of it as an artificial womb and test tube baby.

Should a sparklet drop inside their carrier, it's now classified as a full-carriage. As long as a mech or femme has a fully functional gestational chamber, this method is available.

Carriage is its own specialty since it could encompass so many complications.

I'm boring with childbirth because I do like it when newsparks emerge from their carriers similar to a human: head first, soft and squishy, and very dependent on their parents. (Because I got an excuse for why Functionists went ewwww, it's too organic and/or collective trauma from the Quintesson occupation and try to outright ban it/manufacture it away.)

C-sections are an absolute last-ditch effort to save the carrier and/or the newspark. Medics would exhaust other interventions, such as an episiotomy, forceps, and accessing a medical port to code the valve calipers to widen to its maximum capacity and reach a hand inside. This is because, unlike nearly all other parts and systems of a Cybertronian, a gestational chamber is notoriously difficult to replace, nor is it meant to be opened by surgical means.

A C-section would be their equivalent of a hysterectomy since it's irrevocably damaged by surgical intervention. This system is so complex and finicky as it's not only entwined with both spark biosignature and valve systems, but the mechanisms on how it transforms external fluids into living metal of another being is not very understood. This part can not be replicated at their current technology. The only replacement is done by donation, but so many variables need to be lined up to get it operational and function decently that it's easier for a mecha to climb up the social caste or win the lottery back to back to back.

Imagine the Cybertronian medics screaming and hollering how a human uterus can heal after C-section. The medics will be pestering the nearby humans with this experience.

[spineless-lobster]

Alright so I was reading the wikipedia article for the limpet mine because I am Very Normal™ about the antics my favourite characters get up to, and I went down a rabbit hole about this guy who I believe to have somewhat inspired the character of the Captain. (long post warning, TL;DR at the end)

I present to you, Cecil Vandepeer Clarke, the man who helped develop the limpet mine. (the last name Clarke might ring a bell to those who have read There’s A War Going On by Glowinggreeneyes)

Born in 1897, (which could’ve been the Captain’s birth year) he first served in WWI as a second lieutenant. He did quite a few things but the main thing that I want to focus on was his achievements. He was rewarded the Military Cross medal for his part in the battle of Vittorio Veneto in Italy in 1918. If you’ve seen my other infodump post you know that in the Captain’s pilot design, he had the Military Cross (underlined in red) and the Italy Star (underlined in blue) as medals (which later changed). Now, the Italy Star was specifically for WWII but I feel like we can excuse that because of creative licensing and all that. I just think the link between Italy is interesting. The France and Germany Star and the War Medal are part of his canon design, so which ever part of his story that relates to that must’ve made it through the cut which is 👀

Clarke married Dorothy Aileen Kendrick and had three children, which isn’t that important but my brain won’t let go of “a friend of Dorothy” so there’s that.

Clarke developed the limpet mine during WWII with his friend Stuart Macrae. They had to think of a detonation technique (remember, they had to attach the mine to the hull of the ship. You can’t have your frogmen blowing up) they found that an aniseed ball (a type of candy that resembles a gobstopper, only smaller) left by Clarke’s children in his office disintegrated at the perfect rate in water in order to detonate the mine.

While they were testing the limpet mine, they had to make sure it didn’t get damp in any way lest the aniseed ball starts dissolving. So naturally they wrapped it in a condom while not in use.

I initially made this post because the thought of the Captain being all flustered next to Havers while handling a detonator wrapped in a condom was sending me into hysterics but uhhh I got a bit carried away.

The Captain mentions that the limpet mine used suckers to attach to the side of the hull. But in reality they used magnets to attach them to the ship, which was the idea from the start. So tbh I have no idea what he’s going on about.

Now here’s something interesting; Clarke worked on improvements with the limpet mine in a country house called Aston House, which was acquired by the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in 1939. The mine was being manufactured by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the house was handed over to them by the SIS where it was known as Station XII (hm, oddly close to Button House XI don’t you think?) Clarke also developed many other weapons at the house. Aston House is in Stevenage, Hertfordshire which means literally nothing to me but it might mean something to someone else.

While developing the limpet mine Clarke had come up with the idea of an underground tank (which sounds cool as hell) and proposed his idea twice, the first time to the Ministry of Supply (which was rejected) and the second time directly to Churchill himself (who essentially said “that’s great, but we’re making one of those already”). Although he was put in charge of the “trenching machine” as he was made assistant director in the Naval Land Section, he grew to hate his job and was called for military service shortly after he left. (Hm, who else absolutely despises the navy? Perhaps our favourite little army man?)

Clarke was later promoted to captain (but acted as a major) and was stationed at Brickendonbury Manor (Station XVII) where he trained SOE agents. There he suffered a bone fracture due to a rough landing during parachute training. The wiki article doesn’t mention where the fracture was but if it was in his knees I might punch a wall.

Clarke was released from the army in November of 1945. He returned to Bedford where he joined the Territorial Army as a captain and served there for six years before being transferred to the Intelligence Corps. Later he ran as like a counsellor or something and was part of the Labour/Liberal Party, but I don’t think that’s very relevant. He retired as a major at the age of 60 and died in 1961. The wiki article doesn’t mention a cause of death (which is just poetic irony at this point) but it does mention that he had a non fatal heart attack. But non fatal means he didn’t die from it so ?????

TL;DR:

- Possibly same birth year?

- Similar(ish) medals

- Developed the limpet mine with a close friend

- Stationed at a country house (twice in the case of Clarke) during WWII

- Hate the navy (though that seems to be common amongst soldiers)

- Fucked up bones

- Worked in intelligence and weapons development

- Prominently known as a captain

- Died under mysterious circumstances apparently

I am leaving out A LOT of other information so there might be more connections that I’m missing. If you wanna learn more about Clarke and the limpet mine I found this article which delves further into the development and it was a very fun read.

I… I need to lie down