#matt g/t community

[cyncerity]

with the update to the situation: i’m not gonna say much on it now, i wanna collect my thoughts more cause i think i need time to process. in the meantime, i’m gonna be posting a bunch of art for my aus that haven’t ever seen the light of day and hopefully answer some asks (none of which will be involving the person involved for the time being)

ik this all is gonna be hard for people to process, and i really do care about this little community, so if anything i make can help someone feel a bit better in the current state of things, then i want to do what i can.

[ittybluebell]

Roommate | Daredevil G/T | Chapter 1

AO3

Next

Matt Murdock didn't have anything against mice. He'd never been personally harrassed by one, but he understood the need to get rid of them. One easily turned into a dozen and with all the mess and digging into food, eviction was necessary. Despite how many rodents he heard daily, it wasn't something he thought about. The only reason mice were on his mind now was because one had moved into the floor, and he could hear it moving around as he laid in bed.

Now, like he said, Matt didn't have anything against mice.

Scrtch-scrtch-tick.

This one, however, was pushing its luck.

It showed up one night, moving in when he was out vigilante-ing and he only noticed the next day. At first, he didn't care. It was alone and hadn't yet realized there was food in his apartment. He had other, more pressing issues than a single mouse. It was a benign little thing - hardly a problem. Most nights, he could ignore the pitter-pattering and scraping or put in his noise-canceling earbuds.

Tonight, the mouse was too loud for earbuds. As he tossed and turned, Matt fumed, wondering what that rodent could possibly be up to. Rearranging furniture? Fuck, it sounded like it. Little mouse furniture.

Enough was enough. Matt threw a pillow at the floor and told the thing to shut up. To his surprise, it did. Matt sighed and finally went to sleep.

From that night on, he noticed a drastic decline in his downstairs neighbor's noise pollution.

How silly it was, Matt thought during a good mood, holding a grudge toward an animal. Especially one that was polite enough to let him sleep in peace.

Oh, how naïve he was.

The mouse quickly reinstated its grudge status when Matt noticed things going missing. It started with the bagels - a hole in the bag he noticed because the scent of bagel was particularly strong. Upon investigation, he discovered there was a complete lack of crumbs. And a chunk discreetly chewed from the middle. From there, things escalated. He smelled the shift in the air, smelled the remnants of another living being in his apartment. Little objects went missing - things even a seeing person might miss. But not Matt Murdock.

The sock was the last straw.

"What's the best bait for mouse traps?" Matt asked as soon as he entered the office.

"Cheese?" Foggy answered, confused. "Why? Do you have mice?"

"One. One mouse."

"How d- nevermind. Let me guess - you can't sleep."

"It's taking my stuff."

Foggy laughed. Karen huffed.

"At least tell me you're using non-lethal," said Karen. Upon his silence, she aww'd sadly. "Matt, no. It's just a mouse. You can't kill it."

"They're pests," said Foggy.

"But they're so cute. It just wants a place to live."

"Karen-" started Matt.

"No, no, she's got a point." Foggy spun his chair around. "Matt, you can't kill it! So cute and fuzzy!"

The lawyer-by-day, vigilante-by-night groaned. "Fine, I won't. Just stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Foggy, I can feel your eyes fake-tearing up."

Matt bought some glue traps and baited them with peanut butter. When Karen told him glue traps were worse - "They're so inhumane, Matt!" - he assured her that he'd know when the mouse got stuck; it wouldn't suffer. As much as the thing annoyed him, Karen was right: he wasn't going to abandon his no-killing rule for one mouse. (One mouse that must have a vendetta against him. He would not stoop to its level.) What kind of hypocrite would he be, huh?

The traps were set. Now to wait.

And wait.

A week passed. No mouse was caught. When he listened to its movement, he realized it was avoiding the spots he'd trapped. Avoiding the usual routes.

Smart. For a rodent. But Matt was smarter.

More traps, different bait. Traps disguised as the food and objects he'd noticed go missing, even the mate to his missing sock. It couldn't resist now.

Days passed.

Evidently, it could resist.

Foggy teased him about being outsmarted by an animal. Karen was on the mouse's side. Somebody must've told Jessica because he got a condescending text offering her services. Traitors, every one of them.

It all came to a head one terrible Friday night. Matt was already in a bad mood when he got home from work but going out, hearing and feeling New York City, pushed him over the edge. He was annoyed, his brain was overstimulated, and he just wanted to rest. The rooftop access door shut behind him and he threw his helmet into its trunk, about to shed the rest when the distinct sound of scratching and plastic crinkling in the kitchen cupboard caught his ear.

Matt stilled. It was here.

He marched with purpose toward the sounds.

That little bastard wasn't getting away this time. Catching it would be a satisfying end to a crappy day.

The mouse started fleeing before he was even close. It was headed for the other end of the cupboards - a hole in the floor Matt wasn't aware of but now could sense the air flowing from within. He'd have to seal that in the mor-

Mice didn't run on two legs.

Matt cocked his head, listening to the pattern of footfalls. He'd never cared to pay attention, but now it was impossible to miss. He knew what scurrying rodents sounded like. Whatever was in his kitchen, it was no rodent. It was bipedal. A bird? No, not with that speed. Not with that gait. He needed a closer examination.

Matt threw open the cupboard door. The first thing to hit his senses was the scent of corn chips.

The second was the heartbeat.

The creature's heart pounded swiftly in its chest. Air rushed from a mouth that was too upright for any kind of animal, a nose too humanlike. Small shoes hit the baseboard as it ran. Fabric rustled the same way he heard every single day in the street - like clothing.

Matt got lower, needing to be closer, needing to examine this little anomaly. How it moved, how it sounded, how uncannily familiar it was.

The living shape that his senses created was so alike to people that he was too shocked to outwardly react.

The little thing escaped into the floor, and Matt Murdock was left crouching there. Slowly, he shut the door. He took off the suit, dressed his wounds, and went to bed, his mind racing.

His body was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. Not when he was tracking the creature's movements. Every scrape, every soft thud of a step, the whisper-

Whispering?

"You're fine. He didn't see you. There's no way…"

Whispering. Okay.

Matt pretended he didn't hear anything and put in his earbuds. That was a tomorrow-Matt problem.

Unfortunately for tomorrow-Matt, another problem knocked on his door first. That problem rhymed with Stank Hassle and didn't like to be ignored. Frank did offer coffee when they left so at least it wasn't a total bust. It was a good opportunity to get Matt out of his head; to get a clear perspective of the night before. Matt decided he was exhausted and hallucinating. The alternative was a tiny person living in the walls of his apartment. Delusion was easier.

Delusion was also what kept the borrower from abandoning the apartment altogether.

Call them stubborn, or stupid, but Finch didn't want to leave. Borrowers could only get so lucky. Landing a decent apartment with an oblivious bean was a rare opportunity, and Finch had no intention of giving it up. They would use this good fortune. Even if they didn't deserve it.

Finch shook off the guilt following that thought.

They spent the first week setting up: finding a place to sleep and tidying it up, living off the rations they packed. They got a lay of the land, surveying the apartment and its infrastructure. The excessively bright billboard directly in front of the living room window, the kitchen, and - most importantly - the bean. Light - or lack thereof - was never an issue for him. Not once did he flip a switch or so much as use his phone, which read texts aloud to him. He hardly looked at whatever claimed his attention. Everything added up to limited vision, but they couldn't be sure. It was safest not to risk any assumptions.

Evidence pointed to some damn good hearing when Finch was carving planks of wood out of the floor's innards. They were minding their own business, content with their repetitive, calming task, when something large and loud impacted the ceiling a dozen paces away.

The borrower nearly jumped out of their overalls, giving a startled squeak.

"Shut up," yelled the muffled voice above.

Pretending their soul wasn't just violently expelled from their body, Finch smoothed down their curly brown hair and exhaled shakily, making a mental note to postpone noisy work till the bean was away.

And they did good on that: when the bean was home, Finch completed the quieter, slower tasks. They thought they'd discovered the formula for living under the radar, satisfied to have found a routine that worked.

Then the traps appeared. Finch cursed their luck. The jig was up. The bean set up gross glue traps in outer access points, a couple even getting to the paths Finch took. Finch avoided them and laid low for a bit, hoping the lack of activity would convince the bean they'd skipped town. But more traps appeared. Smart ones, too - they almost fell for a couple. Now, Finch knew a thing or two about a thing or two. They made new routes and took extra care when borrowing. They even started mapping paths to the apartments below. Despite their small stature, Finch had a lot of room for determination. After a life of sticking their hand in the fire, they learned to take the heat. If the bean wanted them gone, he'd have to try a lot harder.

Night fell. The bean was gone. He followed routines - ones he scarcely strayed from. It would be hours before his return.

Finch made their way to the kitchen. They pushed up the trapdoor and strolled through the cupboard. They still had to be careful: just because the human wasn't home didn't mean they could throw all caution to the wind. Leaving evidence was a massive negatory. Finch didn't care for stupid rules, but the rules of borrowing were locked in their brain. They were already careless with the bagels, something they couldn't afford again. Desperation wasn't an excuse for sloppy borrowing - not when it exposed them.

Finch observed the boxes and containers around them, reading labels and calculating risk and reward. There was no chance of getting into that cereal box, but the nutrition bars would be a good grab. The box was short and already open. Finch pushed a can of tuna against it and hopped on. They began extracting a bar only to realize they had no way of getting something so large home without a sled.

"No, that'd be too easy." With a huff, Finch dropped it and shoved the can back into place. "'cause food can never be-" plastic crinkled under their foot "-easy?" Finch inspected the blue packaging. It was an open bag of tortilla chips. They grinned.

The scent of corn chips filled the space as Finch unfurled the bag. They dropped their backpack and started breaking the triangular chips into smaller pieces. Salt-free, too? Hell, yes. They tested the backpack's weight, put a bit more inside, then pulled the strings tight. They slung the strap across their chest. Oh, yeah, this would last them a good while. Finch fought with the chip bag, trying to roll the top underneath like it was before.

"Come on. Stupid fuckin'-" They tried to simultaneously lift the heavy bag and pull the other end.

Over the sounds of plastic popping and crackling in their ears, Finch didn't hear a door open and shut.

DOOM.

They did, however…

DOOM.

…feel the approaching footsteps of the human bean.

Finch froze. Blue eyes snapped wide open, their head flinching away from the plastic. It couldn't be...

Finch bolted.

He's supposed to be out why is he back-

DOOM.

They didn't need to know why he was back - just that he was and he was approaching at an alarming rate.

DOOM.

Oh, fuck, that's actually really close-

The doors ripped open. The hinges didn't even get a chance to squeak.

Finch stumbled. Air caught in their throat. For a moment, Finch was rooted to the floor. Just a moment. Long enough to see the human's form towering beyond the counter, covered in some kind of dark red leather. Long enough to see boots more than capable of squishing the life out of them.

Legs like fenceposts bent as the human came unbelievably closer. Closer than Finch had ever been to a bean. A giant face suspended above them, features blank and expressionless. Not once did the bean look at them.

Finch ran. They didn't look back. When they reached the hole in the floor, they plugged it up and kept going. Keep running.

Only when they reached the safety of their shelter did they falter.

"Oh, shit," they gasped, resting their weight on a nearby post. If their heart didn't outright stop, they were sure it might burst from their ribcage. Finch felt that exploding was a reasonable response. "He didn't see me." The scene replayed in their mind, over and over like a glitched tape. "I'm fine. You're fine. He didn't see you. There's no way he saw you. Just breathe."

Delusion, like they said. It was a powerful thing. It pulled many tricks on the mind. Like convincing oneself that they weren't discovered.

The apartment was quiet. Too quiet, one might even say, if they weren't one Matt Murdock. He never got that phrase. Nothing was 'too quiet'. In his - correct - opinion, nothing was quiet enough. There was always something creaking, breathing, or thumping, even in the smallest hours of the night. But on some front he had to agree: there was a suspicious lack of activity from the critter in the floor lately. Reluctant as he was to admit it, he couldn't deny that it wasn't an animal. Animals didn't mutter to themselves, in full sentences, in English. He wasn't mentally, emotionally, or spiritually prepared to assess beyond whatever that meant. In the moments his mind wandered, however - such as now, sitting and listening to a recording for his current case - he found himself pondering the tiny being regardless.

The peace wasn't an accident. Finch had been avoiding that place, giving themself and the air time to settle. They continued work on their residence, slotting together panels of wood and cardboard to form walls. One room would do for now - they just needed protection from the elements and potential scavengers slinking around. Skies above, if a cockroach tried anything, it was next on the menu. Grind up the little fucker into a smoothie. Finch wished a bug would: it'd be miles better than those godforsaken tortilla chips. Finch gave the wood posts they'd just secured a good push, nodding in satisfaction and moving on to the wall. It would be the last one to seal up their box of a house.

Four days. It'd been four days since Finch was nearly discovered; four days since they stared a bean in the face and got away unscathed. Four days since they got an answer to what they'd only suspected: the human couldn't see. That explained the brilliantly bright billboard, the sensitive hearing, the lack of lights - it explained a lot. Finch had to re-evaluate their approach to borrowing. This human would be extra careful about his possessions - the sock was proof enough - and notice what was out of place. In some ways, this both simplified and complicated things.

But borrowers were nothing if not adaptable.

Finch ventured up to a peephole in the wall and looked out. Nothing had changed except the bean now sitting at the dining table, papers and an electronic box neatly laid out on the tabletop. Casually dressed, he was listening to… a podcast? No, too personal. Finch liked podcasts. There was a crime involved, but this sounded like a conversation Finch would overhear more than something designed to entertain. So this bean worked in solving crimes. A detective?

They listened to the dry as hell audio a scant longer before growing bored and moving on. Hey, at least the bean was preoccupied.

Naturally, they found themself puttering toward the kitchen. Wielding two bent nails tied to their belt, Finch climbed up the cupboard door, using hinges and decorative bevels alike to hoist themself up. Those bagels were good. Were there any left? Nothing but corn chips really wore down a person's capacity to give a damn. They perused the counter, confident that the bean was sufficiently distracted by his work. Finch was disappointed to find the bagels sealed in an airtight container. It was their own fault, slicing up the bag so messily. They pulled a face and resumed their search.

A plate of mostly-eaten pasta sat before them. Fuck yes! Finch scuttled to it, pulling out rolls of tinfoil from their bag. Careful to avoid crinkling, they gathered up all the leftover noodles and sauce that would fit.

Finch squirreled away their haul, licking their fingers clean of evidence and ignorant of the man listening to their heist just a few metres away.

Matt stopped paying attention to the tape some time ago.

The sounds of Hell's Kitchen couldn't drown out the little inhabitant in his walls. A scent had blown into the room, vaguely familiar with hints of tortilla chip. He sat straighter and listened, idly shuffling papers and tip-tapping his fingers on the table. He found himself unable to be anything other than impressed as they scaled his counter like a mountain climber. Whatever was left from dinner became his visitor's latest plunder. That was fine; less waste, right?

He was disappointed when they returned to the walls. He wound back the recording to get some work done, but found himself consistently distracted by his small neighbour's goings-on. This discovery was just so unique, so strange - how could he not be curious? He heard them venture out again, across the apartment now. Into his bedroom. What could they be doing?

Oho, if Matt found any more socks missing-

He turned in his seat, about to rise, when he heard:

"You hafta to be shittin' me."

The voice, quiet in size only and bold beyond that, was the mildly annoyed tone of someone who'd been inconvenienced. Matt had heard it before, in the late hush of the night, when no one else would. Muttered curses and remarks that blended into the creaking and groaning of buildings and chatter and sirens of the city. One voice that Matt Murdock had tried very hard not to think too much about.

"When is enough too much, huh?" the voice griped. "Does he think I'm just gonna lay on one? 'Oh, felt silly today, stepped on the massive rug of glue.' How 'bout I drag this onto your floor, see how you feel walkin' in a minefield?" They growled. "UGH. Beans."

Well.

There was no denying it anymore, was there? A tiny person was living in the walls of Matt's apartment.

Matt leaned back, processing. He'd tried ignoring it - for the sake of his mental health and faith - because it was insane. It was impossible. It shouldn't be.

And yet…

Matt wanted - needed - to investigate further.

He got up, quietly, light on his feet. He didn't make it two steps before he heard a swear and the tiny person retreated once more. Into an electrical outlet, by the sounds of it.

Hm. He couldn't sneak up on them - not this time. They heard him- no. Matt quirked his head, considering. They felt him approaching. Like Matt, they could feel vibrations. Vibrations that alerted them of a threat. It only made sense.

Heh, 'threat'. Regular ol' Matt Murdock was the threat this time, not his alter ego. Wasn't that something?

The next time Matt encountered his new neighbour, he was trying - and failing - to fall asleep. There was too much on his mind for sleep. Frustrated, he huffed and flopped over, restless, his thoughts racing. Sounds of the city were extra distracting tonight. He considered getting up and making a cup of tea - maybe that would calm his mind.

Noises from the kitchen drew his scattered focus. He sat up, listening to the scuffing and tapping that he'd come to recognize as his uninvited houseguest. Three visits in one day. Were they always this proactive? Well, he did interrupt their attempted heist of his bedroom. Matt scooted to the edge of the bed. He would make that tea, actually. As he stood, he remembered sneaking didn't work last time. Right. Heavy-footed. However, he had a hunch that this attempt would yield a sneakier result.

Aided by socks, Matt softly padded through his apartment. Tiny - the name he assigned his little visitor - was fiddling with some kind of packaging on the top shelf. And as he got closer, lo and behold, they did not startle. His theory was correct: the further Tiny was from the floor, the weaker their pallesthesia became. Their ability to detect vibrations just wasn’t as sensitive as his own. Once he stepped foot into the kitchen, Matt dropped the Daredevil act and let himself be known. He grabbed a mug and turned on the kettle. Tiny's pulse quickened; their breath hitched. He gave them time to hide before he opened the cupboard for a tea bag. He quickly realized the box wasn't in its usual spot - his own doing, unfortunately.

"Stupid tea bags," he muttered for Tiny's sake; an 'I'm not looking for you, I swear!' assurance as he searched the cabinets. For extra sauce, he added, "Always misplacing them."

Would he forgo tea? He did start the kettle… as much as he got a kick out of playing the part of oblivious blind guy, causing Tiny undue terror wasn't his end goal. He wanted to test them, their cockiness, not scare them. Tiny may be a thief, but they were just trying to survive. Why else was food their number one haul? Matt dedicated his life to helping people in need. Wasn't Tiny part of that demographic? Weren't they someone in need? Unless small people were running drug cartels and trafficking rings, Tiny was innocent.

Doubt and guilt crept in. Maybe he was pushing the bit too far.

Matt was just about to get up and leave when something square and coarse pressed into his fingers.

He faltered, then pinched it, rubbing his thumb over the material. Its strong, earthy scent gave it away.

A tea bag.

Small shoes lightly retreated. Matt withdrew his hand. He held the sachet of dried herbs, cogs turning in his mind. He tilted his head.

Tiny handed him a tea bag. That…

Matt found himself puzzled and oddly touched. It was for their own good, to avoid getting found, but he couldn't not appreciate the nice gesture. He easily smelt where the tea was, of course. But Tiny didn't know that. Huh.

Maybe he was being too harsh about the sock.

The kettle's bubbling pitch rose to a squeal. Wincing, Matt shut it off. He dropped the tea bag into the mug and poured steaming water over it.

What a strange experience. He wondered what Tiny was thinking. Their heartbeat eased into the fluttering pace that he learned was its resting rate. It was the trait that had him most convinced his roommate was a rodent of some sort, though the way they squeaked when startled was a close second.

Matt threw out the tea bag and took the mug to his room, leaving Tiny to their task.

The next day, he casually slipped questions about tiny people into a conversation with Foggy. (It was not casual and quite random, actually.)

"You mean, like… fairies?" Foggy cautiously asked.

Sort of? Matt didn't know whether Tiny could be considered a fairy. They certainly didn't seem like the fairy type, not with the kind of language he heard them utter. Did fairies say 'fuck'? Would that break some kind of fairy law?

Karen told him about a book series that she'd been obsessed with as a kid: it contained many smaller magical beings. Brownies, for instance. Matt settled on definitely not that one. What favours was he receiving? Aside from the tea bag - an isolated incident - absolutely none.

Matt wasn't convinced they were a magical creature. Really, they just… seemed like a normal person, albeit smaller. They hummed to themself, snickered at their own dumb jokes, and swore a hot streak that would impress even Castle and Jones. Matt was pretty damn sure they'd been building a house under his floor, though he noticed all the loud busywork was put on pause when he was home, most notably when he was sleeping. Another nice gesture that was also for their own self-preservation.

Maybe they were a mutant. Or maybe they were mutated, like him.

When Matt got home, he discarded the glue traps. It felt wrong to leave them now that he knew it was a person he'd been trying to catch. Guilty, he started leaving crumbs in easy-to-reach locations. It wouldn’t hurt him any - his grocery budget wasn’t gonna tank because of some scraps. If chips and leftovers were what they were after, then they had free reign over the countertop. That didn’t stop him from being cheeky about it, though - if Tiny was getting confident, he might as well play along.

He found Tiny’s courage something to marvel at. Roaming a giant’s home? Without fear? His vigilante persona was literally named Daredevil and he was impressed.

However, bravery and foolishness were not mutually exclusive. That’s when the cockiness came in.

Matt was minding his business, washing the dishes, when Tiny wandered out. Brows hitching up, he continued sponging the plate. Surely, they wouldn't-

Oh, but they did.

Unwavering, Tiny climbed up the counter they same way as before. They walked up to the pan on the stove and hooked a leg over. Matt fought hard not to chuffle. This was getting out of hand. Matt remembered an adage about not feeding animals or else they'd grow dependent. Had Matt inadvertently done exactly that? Animals that were accustomed to people often didn't see the danger. Tiny was certainly no animal, but the absence of caution they displayed in the moment was, frankly, ridiculous. It was a massive leap from the times they would flee his presence. He was starting to think he'd played too ignorant.

A smirk tugged at his lips upon hearing the leftover eggs being pilfered. When he turned to fetch the pan, Tiny was already hopping to the floor and disappearing behind the fridge.

Stealing right behind his back. When was enough too much, indeed.

AO3

Next

[racheyace]

A Shifty Hero

A size shifty story in which Luke and Matt decide to be superheros. 1700 words.

“Help!” The woman cried out frantically, it wasn’t her first time being mugged in New York city and she thought bitterly that it wouldn’t be her last either. What scared her this time though was that she had left her apartment with the intent on only going for an evening walk, she didn’t bring her wallet with her, only a set of keys to her apartment.

Normally she’d throw the purse at them and split before they could do any more harm, however this guy was convinced she was lying about not having any money on her.

“Please somebody help!” She cried again, resulting in the man slamming her against the brick wall behind her harder, hurting the back of her head in the process.

“Shut it, lady.” The masked man hissed at her and moved the gun that he had been previously holding to her head and shoved it into her mouth instead. She whimpered, hands above her head in surrender, hoping he would just search her and find her with nothing and leave her be.

Letting her neck go, he held the gun steadily in her mouth as he used his now free hand to begin feeling up her body, albeit with the intent on finding her purse but he also took a sick pleasure to search in areas he knew full well he would not find a purse.

Just when the criminal was about too have too much fun, they both felt the ground shake beneath them, the small amount of light that had lit up the alleyway was blocked by an immense presence.

A pair of sneakers slamming down on the pavement made the mugger jump and caused the pavement to crack slightly from the immense weight forced onto it. Their gaze wandered up following a pair of jeans larger than either of them could comprehend, and up and up to the face of a giant man who held them both in his menacing stare.

Cold grey blue eyes stared down at them, letting them take in his intimidating stature.

“Hey! Pick on someone your own size!” The immense voice reverberated around them.

Without warning a hand bigger than life itself was launched at the man, fingers larger than tree trunks wrapped around his waist unforgivingly, having forgotten completely about the woman he was tormenting he dropped the gun and she fell clumsily to the floor, breathless.

The giant brought the criminal up to his face and smiled menacingly at him, flashing his teeth brutishly.

“P-Please, I swear I wasn’t g-gonna to do anything, I j-just needed a f-few bucks, ya know, to help me get by, that’s all, I wasn’t g-gonna hurt her.”

“Funny that’s not what it looked like from here.” His breathe washed over the man eliciting a shiver of fear to race down his spine, he began to shake uncontrollably.

“Now what to do with you?” The giant asked himself, licking his lips in contemplation.

“Please, oh god don’t eat me!” All dignity lost, the criminal proceeded to wet his pants in fear for his life, the giant’s face grimaced in disgust, very nearly dropping him altogether.

“Gross.” The giant said flatly.

With that he lifted the man up higher as he stood to his full height of 65 feet and deposited the man on the sloped roof of a nearby building. The criminal flung himself to a pole that was attached to the roof and continued to shake like the coward he was, the giant laughed at the sight before ducking out of sight and disappearing completely.

Around the corner, the woman had pulled herself up off the floor and scanned the alleyway skittishly. Fearing that once the giant was done with the mugger, he would go after her next, she counted her lucky stars that she hadn’t been chosen to be his first meal that night and fled the alley way.

The giant, meanwhile, watched quietly in the cover of the shadows and tall buildings around him, he watched as the woman ran, a pang of guilt stabbed him in the stomach as he realised that he had also been the cause of her fear tonight and not just the mugger.

He didn’t take his eyes off of her until he saw her fumble for some keys and practically fall into her apartment building, only then he let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh man! That was totally epic dude!” A loud voiced echoed in the alleyway, the voice being close to the giant and most certainly coming from his chest pocket.

“Shhhh.” The giant glanced down at the pocket harshly, shushing his overly excitable friend, he watched as he popped his head out of the pocket, holding the flap up with one arm and smiling cheesily up at him.

“Honestly Luke, why didn’t we think to do this sooner, you’re a superhero, a vigilante, the hero of the city helping those in need!”

Luke pinched his friend’s waist and hoisted him out of his shirt pocket, before carefully placing him on the ground all the while shrinking to his usual heigh of 6 foot 5, he still stood taller than his friend even now.

“You gotta be quiet dude, anyone could have heard you just now!” Luke whispered harshly at his friend.

“And I’m your side kick!”

“Matt!”

Luke held a hand over his friend’s mouth, who stared wide eyed at him with his hands up in surrender. When he was sure that his friend wouldn’t continue blabbing about their secret to the whole of New York city he dropped his hand and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Please tell me that wasn’t the hand he just peed in.”

Luke smirked in response to which Matt proceeded to dramatically dry heave and make exaggerated vomiting noises as they walked through the alley.

When they were safely back in their shared apartment, they both sighed falling back onto the worn sofa in their living room.

Luke closed his eyes in exhaustion, his ‘gift’ allowed his body to shift sizes, but there were limits, and it didn’t always make sense even to him.

Sometimes he would shift uncontrollably without warning, other days he could shift as much as he wanted, and other times it took an immense amount of energy to shift and hold a size for extended periods.

Tonight, it had been difficult to convince his body to shift and took a great amount of energy to hold it for so long, it had been physically draining for him and he felt as though he could sleep for a week.

His ‘sidekick’ however had different ideas.

“Okay, so I’ve got this police scanner app my brother showed me, I say we set up camp each night and listen in for any disturbances we could help with, yeah?”

Matt was holding up his phone to Luke’s face, the app like a radio scanning through channels quickly looking for any activity to pick up in the transmitter.

“Matt.” Luke sighed his name and ran a hand down his face.

“What?” his friend asked looking confused and a little bummed that he wasn’t more excited about the idea.

“I really don’t think we should make this a regular thing, stumbling across a mugging like tonight, sure, but I’m not going to interfere with police, especially since this…ability” he waved vaguely at his body “Is so darn unpredictable.”

“I guess your right.” Matt slouched back onto the sofa dejected.

“Can we at least come up with cool names, you know, like real superheros?”

Luke raised his eyebrows once more before rolling his eyes, they were both 22 years old but Luke often wondered if Matt had stopped aging at 10.

“If it pleases you, knock yourself out.”

“Okay, oh I know, what about Stretch and Speedy!”

“Stretch?” Luke almost laughed but held a flat look despite his quirking lips.

“Yeah, cos you grow and I’m a track star, I’m sure I can use my speed to aid you my friend.”

“I also shrink.” Luke replied flatly.

“Your right that doesn’t really work does it.” Matt tapped his stubbled chin in thought dramatically before jumping up in excitement.

“Oh, what about, get this, Shifty.” His hands waved from left to right as though highlighting the name on a lit-up billboard.

“That makes me sound kinda…. shifty…. don’t ya think?”

Matt frowned dramatically and threw his hands up in exasperation, his friend was being greatly unhelpful in the important subject of superhero naming.

“You keep thinking, I’m gonna get something to eat whoa-“Luke stood up and immediately regretted it, his head spun and his body itched like it was about to shift, he didn’t have time to say a word more before he lost consciousness and fell to the floor.

“Whoa dude, are you okay?” Matt watched as his friend crumpled to his knees and fell to the floor without a sound, he’d been shrinking rapidly throughout his decent to the floor and by the time his cheek hit the carpet he was 6 inches in height.

“Shit.” Matt muttered, he knew Luke didn’t particularly like when he shrunk, it made him feel vulnerable and unsafe, he crouched down and looked guiltily at his friend, he wondered if pushing him to grow tonight may have triggered this sudden episode.

Not wanting to leave him on the floor, he nudged his fingers under his small friend’s body until he was cupped in his palms, lifting him up to his face he couldn’t help but think how cute his buddy looked when he was this size, of course he’d never say that to his face, he’d never hear the end of it.

“I gotcha shifty, sleep it off buddy.” Matt sat back down on the couch, placing his small friend on his chest, it was warm he knew from personal experience, being held close to Luke’s chest when he was large.

He turned on the TV and switched it to a low volume before also nodding off for the night, a hand held protectively over his friend as they both slept off the excitement of the night.

[joshdonnas]

do you have any j/d fic recs? :D

Absolutely!! This fandom is really blessed with some of the best writers I've seen, so there's a lot of really good content out there to read, but I'll list some of my favorites under the cut ☺️

FAVORITE AUTHORS 💛

I thought I'd start by listing some of my authors, I’ll also be listing some of my personal favorite fics from theirs down bellow, but any of their works are totally worth the read: 

jessbakescakes | sam_writes_fics | BeneathAnOrangeSky | thotsandfeelings | littlefoolswritings | thefinestmuffins | joshatella (shuuuliet) | hanyolo | flowersinapril | spooky_spacegirl | hufflepuffhermione | mikaylawrites

FAVORITE FICS (in no particular order) 💛

running, by andyoureturntome (work in progress, rated M): "Matt Santos is running for president. Josh and Donna are just running away. Augmented canon for seasons six and seven. Ventures into AU territory from 6x18 on." (when I say this is one of my favorite fics ever you have no idea how much I mean it. it’s honestly so good, a must read in my opinion. it’s still in progress, and it’s not updated very frequently , but it’s still so so worth it (here’s to hoping we’ll get a next chapter soon!!).

the other side of the door, by sam_writes_fics (finished, rated M): "Donna wanders out of the bathroom, baffled by how late it is for the hundredth night in a row, and she drapes her coat over a chair before moving to plug in her cell phone. The blinking light catches her attention, and she flips it open. One missed call. From Josh. Perfect. Post-ep for 7x13: The Cold." (I honestly read this one every time I watch the cold)

say you’ll never let them tear us apart, by hanyolo (finished, rated M): "what would it be like in the santos era for josh and donna to get media coverage as a couple?"

love grows (where my donnatella goes), by sam_writes_fics (finished, rated T): "the first year of the santos administration in four parts"

how i love the view when i'm beside you, by JessBakesCakes (finished, rated E): "Josh and Donna on Valentine's Day; Chiefs of Staff era J/D"

cutting me open then healing me fine, by hufflepuffhermione (finished, rated T): "Josh and Donna are in the press room when it gets shot at, and the trajectory of a bullet changes the trajectory of their lives. Evidence of Things Not Seen AU."

there ain’t no need to go outside, by mikaylawrites (finished, rated E): "A lazy, rainy morning at home."

even cnn is wrong, sometimes, by BeneathAnOrangeSky (finished, rated M): "She snakes her hand between them, high instead of low, wrapping it around his bowtie. Starts to pull. And it’s this that snaps him out of it. Because Josh Lyman isn’t a press secretary and he isn’t a communications director and he isn’t Sam or Toby and he sure as hell isn’t Will, but he’s spent enough time around enough writers to appreciate the art of analogy (at the end of the night you wanna be able to pull it open like tony bennett), to recognize symmetry (donna? my tie’s falling apart), to understand that codas don’t exist merely in cello suites or stump speeches; that life makes space for sartorial bookends, too. Like bowties being tied, then untied." (utterly obsessed with the way this author writes)

gather ye rosebuds, by thefinestmuffins (finished, rated E): "A one and done smutshot, canon-divergent from 20 Hours in LA, in which Josh realizes where his rosebuds are and goes back to his hotel room to gather them."

we've been living on a fault line, by sam_writes_fics (finished, rated T): "6x02: Josh spends five days at Camp David, and every night all he thinks about is Donna."

burning slowly, my one and only, by thotsandfeelings (finished, rated T): "I can't stop thinking about you."

sacred new beginnings, by JessBakesCakes (finished, rated G): " But now, he doesn’t need her anymore – or he shouldn’t, anyway. So she’ll go back to her apartment, and he’ll go back to work, and things will go back to normal, whatever the hell that means. There’s something about that idea that makes his stomach churn."

an act of charity, by thatTWWgirl (finished, rated T): "A date with the White House Deputy Chief of Staff is put up for auction at the First Lady's fundraiser, and he's not too happy about it."

domestic days, by spooky_spacegirl (finished, rated G): "One day Josh and Donna look around and realize that, somewhere along the line, they have slipped into something that can only be described as Domesticated. One-Shot collection. Post-Canon." (so so so cute, never fails to bring a smile to my face)

this is the wonder (that's keeping the stars apart), by joshatella (shuuuliet) (work in progress, rated T): "A soulmate AU".

I want It all or nothing, no more in between, by scarmophogoghs (finished, rated E): "Want to go to Hawai'i? With me? Please?” (huuuge Hawaii fit we all cheered)

stuck with nowhere to go, by littlefoolswritings (finished, rated E): "what if it was only Josh and Donna who'd been left behind by the motorcade? just the two of them?)" (I love this one my god)

a pathological avoidance thing, by yanak324 (finished, rated M): "Josh isn’t sure what to make of the lack of surprise on the President-elect’s face when he explains why he’s taking time off. He has bigger fish to fry though." (this one is from Josh's POV, and this one is from Donna's!)

when a woman loves a man (who loves a woman), by BeneathAnOrangeSky (finished, rated M): "“You’re sensitive. It’s sweet.” She bites back a smile at the image she’s evoked. Everyone thinks they know the real Josh Lyman. Bartlet’s bulldog, political wunderkind, the man behind Washington’s curtain. But they don’t know him like this. She brushes a sweaty tangle of hair from his forehead and pretends not to notice when he leans into her touch. No, this side of him is reserved just for her. His mouth opens in surprise, voice pitching up a notch, “I am n—” “Your system,” she amends. “Your system is sensitive.”"

of the united states, by violet_storms (finished, rated G): "Fifty states, fifty sentences, fifty snapshots of Josh and Donna falling in love on the campaign trail."

on the line, by hufflepuffhermione (finished, rated G): "Josh and Donna and a pathological inability to hang up the phone."

you can run (but only so far), by swancharmings (finished, rated M): "The room is quaint, if a bit tacky, one sad sprig of holly greeting them at the door. A fine representation of how she feels this Christmas."

love is the only thing, by mikaylawrites (finished, rated T): "The Moss-Lyman girls read Little Women; Josh has a lot of feelings."

it was like autumn, looking at her, by cmbing (finished, rated T): "His eyelids flutter open, gentler than usual. Blearily, he catches the alarm clock blinking a red 7:48 a.m. If this were five years ago, he would already be on his third cup of coffee. If this were five months ago, he never would have made it to bed in the first place. But it’s now—and he wraps his arm tighter around Donna’s waist."

it's paradise as long as I'm with you, by thotsandfeelings (finished, rated E): "Hawaii."

only bought this dress so you could take it off, by hanyolo (finished, rated M): "josh has a thing for donna in red (as he should)"

nothing that i wouldn't do (to make you feel my love), by joshatella (shuuuliet) (finished, rated T): "Josh re-arranges his priorities. A Gaza hospital fix-it fic." (I'm always thinking about this one)

hell was the journey but it brought me heaven, by JessBakesCakes (finished, rated T): "On the drive, it starts to hit him. Leah was born on the anniversary of the Rosslyn shooting. What would this mean for him? Leah deserved a father who wouldn’t be absolutely miserable on his daughter’s birthday every year. Of course, he’d love to think that her birth could erase all of the negative feelings he’s ever had toward this day, that it could make all of the anxiety and trauma melt away. But if he couldn’t pull it together on the day she was born, the day she came into the world, what evidence does he have to support the idea that next year will be better? Or the year after that?"

there ain’t no need to go outside, by mikaylawrites (finished, rated E): "A lazy, rainy morning at home."

how to say I love you in subtext, by RhapsodyInProgress (finished, rated T): "If you know where to look and what to listen for, Josh and Donna have been telling each other how they feel for years. A series of vignettes on a theme."

annus primus, by hufflepuffhermione (finished, rated T): "The first year of the Santos administration, in twelve movements."

sit with you in the trenches, by swancharmings (finished, rated T): "”So you’ve got health and strength.” “And we’ll steal the rest?” “Bet your ass.” // Four ways they did exactly that."

oversight, by thefinestmuffins (finished, rated E): "War Crimes angst + hooking up" (a MUST read!!!)

can't call you a stranger (but i can't call you), by joshatella (shuuuliet) (finished, rated T): "King Corn. The elevator gets stuck."

for a long time, by onelargecoffeepls (finished, rated M): "Seven short glimpses into Donna falling in love with Josh based on "Love You For A Long Time" by Maggie Rogers."

this is how mythology is written (or: shards; scars; and whole again), by joshatella (shuuuliet) (finished, rated T): "The mosaic of Josh and Donna." (GOD this one!!!)

where the lovelight gleams, by JessBakesCakes (finished, rated E): "Donna brings Josh home for Christmas and has some thoughts about him in a holiday sweater; takes place during Transition" (OBSESSED!!!)

the way old friends do, by mikaylawrites (finished, rated T): "Donna, Toby, Charlie, and the chaotic people they love."

the first 100 days, by BimadaBomily (finished, rated T): "100 moments in Josh/Donna's relationship during the first 100 days of the Santos Administration."

like we were in paris (we were somewhere else), by BeneathAnOrangeSky (work in progress, rated M): "Josh, Donna, and the worlds they transform together // or: an ode to Paris (Taylor's Version)" (again, the way this author writes??!!?!)

find ourselves in the winter snow, by swancharmings (finished, rated E): "It’s when he leads her to dance, holding her impossibly close and swaying gently through the upbeat tempo, that she truly doesn’t know what to expect of the evening."

please linger near the door, by cmbing (finished, rated T): "They’re definitely not dating when there is a presidential dinner and they don’t think to invite dates. Instead, they assume they’ll go with each other. Him in a black tux, her in a red dress. Their arms are interlocked as they enter the ballroom, and Donna even goads Josh into dancing with her. It’s friendly, nothing more. They’re just having sex. That’s it."

with one hello, I'll never be the same, by JessBakesCakes (finished, rated T): "Josh and Donna and how 'hi' means so much more than 'hello'."

all you ever wanted from me (was sweet nothin'), by joshatella (shuuuliet) (finished, rated T): "Donna hadn’t had a nightmare about her ex since she started dating Josh, since well before she moved in with Josh after their week in Hawaii, since her life became better than it ever has been, since she became happier than she ever thought that she could be. Which is probably why she’s so shaken when the nightmare returns. Set post-series, in the Santos CoS era." (soooo sweet)

AUs 💛

i like shiny things (but i'd marry you with paper rings), by JessBakesCakes (finished, rated T): "In the aftermath of the First Lady's birthday party, Josh, Donna, and the rest of the Senior Staff deal with the fallout of Donna's realization that she's no longer a U.S. Citizen. CJ, Sam, and Toby have taken it upon themselves to get this figured out, and it’s a good thing, because Josh’s brain can only present him with one solution: Marry Donna Moss."

my days now end as they began (with thoughts of you), by flowersinapril (work in progress, rated T): "A new neighbour moves in next door to Josh and she isn't happy with how loud and chaotic he is." (can't wait for the next chapter of this one!!!)

sometimes it's like you grew up down the street, by starsontheceiling (finished, rated G): "Afterwards, he’ll say he did it without thinking and all their friends will laugh at him in disbelief, and he understands why but it’s still true."

you came like a resolution (under a starry sky), by JessBakesCakes (work in progress, rated G): "Donna, this is my brother, Josh. Josh, this is Donna. She lives across the hall"

an everlasting love, by sam_writes_fics (work in progress, rated T): "best man and maid of honor au" (has not been updated in a while but I love the idea of this pic so so much and I think about constantly)

think i missed the gun at the starting line, by ansatz (finished, rated T): "After qualifying for the Olympics in 2016, but being unable to compete due to an injury, Donna Moss is back, ready to run, and completely focused on earning a medal for Team Canada. Enter Josh Lyman, reigning Olympic champion with a heart of—you guessed it—gold. Two countries, two sports: one chance to fall in love?"

what if i told you, i feel like i know you? but we never met., by donnatellamoss (finished, rated G): "Donna Moss meets an unfamiliar face when she knocks on Sam Seaborn’s door for their English project. His name’s Josh Lyman and he’s good at bothering people."

absolutely smitten (never let you go), by JessBakesCakes (finished, rated G): "Josh feels all the air whoosh out of his lungs when he sees the teacher standing on the other side of the door. She looks at the group standing outside her door, puzzled for a moment, until her blue eyes lock with Josh’s. Her blonde hair is tucked neatly behind her ears, and pumpkin earrings dangle from her earlobes. She’s wearing a copper-colored fall sweater, adorned with leaves around the collar that match her bulletin board. Her ID badge dangles from her neck, one of those ink pens in a bright, funky color clipped to her lanyard.  “Miss Moss,” CJ says. “This is Mr. Lyman from the high school."" (always thinking about this one honestly I need more!!!)

the campaign around the corner, orphan_account (finished, rated G): "Donna Moss is working for Howard Stackhouse's presidential campaign in 1998. Josh Lyman is working for Jed Bartlet's presidential campaign in 1998. The two cannot stand each other. Little do they know the person each of them is beginning to fall in love with over email is the other." (you've got mail au!!!!!!!!!!)

everybody talks (it started with a whisper), by JessBakesCakes (work in progress, rated G): "Being the White House Press Secretary, Josh realizes, is one of the toughest jobs in the administration to begin with. But with her co-workers' propensity for going viral, CJ certainly deserves a raise. The West Wing, set 20 years later." (soooo obsessed with this one MY GOD)

darling, so it goes (some things are meant to be), by mikaylawrites (finished, rated M): "The story of rising country singers Josh Lyman and Donna Moss." (so good!!!)

ballerina, you've must have seen her, by thababes (work in progress, rated G): "It was always supposed to have been Josh and Mandy. After their successful run of Carmen, it had been expected that The Washington Ballet would stick to what worked. There was never supposed to be another audition. Company principles seemingly traveling from role to role was the usual. It had been an unusual season — schedule conflicts and last minute alternate class partners — and suddenly, everything seemed to have changed. And it had all started when he had danced with her." (I think about this one constantly)

[dailyanarchistposts]

Queer autonomous zones and participatory publics

Bobby Noble points to ‘the simultaneity of the relations between gendered embodi- ment, sex play, and racialization inside homonormative communities, neighbour- hoods and venues for cultural production’ (Noble, 2009). Similar critiques of the queer community have been taken up by Gay Shame anarchist activists organizing in the late 1990s. In That’s Revolting! Matt/Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore docu- ments their personal experience in Gay Shame collectives in San Francisco and New York City. ‘Gay Shame emerged to create a radical alternative to the confor- mity of gay neighbourhoods, bars, and institutions – most clearly symbolized by Gay Pride’ (Sycamore, 2004: 238). Gay Shame is ‘mostly anarchist leaning’ (2004: 239), and organizes gatherings, events and direct action protests against capitalism and intersecting oppressions. A San Francisco flyer asks, ‘Are you choking on the vomit of consumerist ‘gay pride’?’ (2004: 239). Another poster entitled ‘Gay pride, my ass: It’s all about gay shame’ (2004: 240) announces an ‘autonomous space’ (2004: 240) outdoors on Tire Beach with performances, art-making, bands, instal- lations, DJs, food, kidspace, and ‘politics and play’ (2004: 240). The event hosted ‘speakers on issues including San Francisco gentrification and the US colonization of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, as well as prison, youth, and trans activism’ (2004: 241). The range of issues and events in the ‘autonomous space’ point to a very different kind of sprawling, engaged public than Berlant and Warner’s indoor, circumscribed, queer counterpublic. ‘We encouraged people to participate in cre- ating their own radical queer space, and people argued about political issues, painted, poured concrete and made a mosaic, dyed hair, and mudwrestled naked’ (Sycamore, 2004: 241). Participation is a key element in the formation of a ‘Queer autonomous space’ (2004: 237) or zone, as are multiplicities of political focus (Puerto Rico, kids, youth, prisons, trans people, art production, gentrifica- tion and so on) and an over-arching anti-capitalist practice that includes free entrance, barter and trade, dressing to ‘ragged excess’ (2004: 240), and the provi- sion of ‘free food, T-shirts and various other gifts’ (2004: 241).

Queer autonomous zones thus are open-ended spaces in which participation of all comers is encouraged through a direct (rather than liberal) democracy model. They are facilitated via engagement with a multiplicity of intersectional anti- oppression politics. Interactions in queer autonomous spaces develop sustainable social relations and value-practices, based on mutual respect, consent, sexual lib- eration, and non-normativity, in which people engage in open-ended processes of developing alternative ways of being, feeling, thinking, engaging, acting and becoming-liberated. The question is – what’s next? How do we continue to expand our movements and theorizing to extend the becoming-liberated of queer?

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank the reviewers for their helpful comments, Jamie Heckert for encour- agement and patience with my process, and Sydney Neuman for engaged proofreading.

References

Berlant L and Freeman E (1992) Queer nationality. Boundary 2 19(1): 149–180.

Berlant L and Warner M (2000) Sex in public. In: Berlant L (ed.) Intimacy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 311–330.

Bordo S (1990) Reading the slender body. In: Jacobus M, Fox Keller E, Shuttleworth S (eds) Body/Politics: Women and the Discourses of Science. New York: Routledge, 83–112. Castiglia C (2000) Sex panics, sex publics, sex memories. Boundary 2 27(2): 149–175. Corber RJ, Valocchi S (eds) (2003) Queer Studies: An Interdisciplinary Reader. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Crimp D (2002) Mario montez, for shame. In: Barber SM, Clark DL (eds) Regarding Sedgwick: Essays on Queer Culture and Critical Theory. New York: Routledge, 57–70.

Deleuze G and Guattari F (1983) Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia Vol. 1. 1972. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

DeLuca KM (1999) Unruly arguments: The body rhetoric of EarthFirst!, act up, and queer nation. Argumentation and Advocacy 36(Summer): 9–21.

Duncan N (1996) Renegotiating gender and sexuality in public and private spaces. In: Duncan N (ed.) Body Space: Destabilizing Geographies of Gender and Sexuality. New York: Routledge, 125–143.

Dyer R (2006) Stereotyping. In: Durham MG, Kellner DM (eds) Media and Cultural Studies KeyWorks. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 353–365.

Heckert J (2004) Sexuality/identity/politics. In: Purkis J, Bowen J (eds) Changing Anarchism. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 101–116.

Hennessy R (1994–95) Queer visibility in commodity culture. Cultural Critique 29(Winter): 31–76.

Jeppesen S and Visser L (Leahfish) (1996) Projectile: Stories about Puking. Toronto: self- published.

Les Panthe‘ res Roses (2004) Operation ‘‘Pepto-bismol SVP!’’ URL (accessed 12 July 2008): http:/lespantheresroses.org.

McCall L (2005) The complexity of intersectionality. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 30(3): 1771–1800.

Noble B (2009) Trans-Culture in the (White) City: Taking a Pass on a Queer Neighbourhood. URL (accessed 8 May 2009): http:/nomorepotlucks.org/article/ego/ trans-culture-white-city-taking-pass-queer-neighbourhood.

Sullivan N (2003) A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory. New York: New York University Press.

Sycamore M, Berstein M (eds) (2004) That’s Revolting! Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation. Brooklyn, NY: Soft Skull.

Vade D (2005) Expanding gender and expanding the law: Toward a social and legal con- ceptualization of gender that is more inclusive of transgender people. Michigan Journal of Gender and Law 11: 253–316.

Warner M (2002) Publics and Counterpublics. New York: Zone Books.

On the Author

Sandra Jeppesen is an activist, writer, and Assistant Professor in Communication Studies at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. Her research is in guerrilla texts and autonomous media, including analysis of discourses produced through anti-poverty activism, anti-colonial no-border activism, radical feminist and queer collectives, anti-racist pedagogies, and other social movement texts. Address: Communication Studies Department, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, CJ 3.230, 3rd Floor, Montreal, Canada H4B 1R6.

[1] Following Vade’s important article (2005) advocating the ‘Gender Galaxy’ which reveals the falsity of the gender/sex divide and the negative legal impact of this distinction on trans people, I am using the term ‘gender’ to be comprehensive.

[2] In the USA this is particularly true. In Canada same-sex marriage and human rights are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and immigration processes are begin- ning to include same-sex partners in sponsorship claims, as well as considering persecution for sexuality as a basis for refugee claims. These processes however remain heteronorma- tive. I’d like to thank Melissa White for sharing her insights and research on this issue.

[adastrafanfic]

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Ad Astra News - 7/9 - 7/14

State of the Archive

We're spending July well--posting stories, celebrating reviews, building community.

Weekly Challenge #12: Missing Moments

This week we're going to spend between 100 and 700 words exploring a missing scene, a moment, a character beat between the ones we see on screen or in between pages of a book! Interpret it as liberally or strictly as you like!

If you post it to the archive, add it to the Weekly Challenge collection with the freeform tag Weekly Challenge #12: Missing Moments

**Challenge closes at 11:59PM Eastern on 7/21/23.**

Stories Archived

Star Trek: Discovery

By Pixie The First Rule of Command - T - Gabriel Lorca/Katrina Cornwell, Philippa Georgiou/Commodore Paris I'm the star in this disaster movie - T - Katrina Cornwell, Multiple Pairings Snow - G - Gabriel Lorca/Katrina Cornwell Ondine - G - Gabriel Lorca/Katrina Cornwell Written in the Stardust - T - Katrina Cornwell, Sarek

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

By Pixie Ready or Not - T - Christine Chapel/Spock

Star Trek: The Original Series

By ChrisQ The Breaking of the Bridge - T - Matt Decker, James T. Kirk, Ensemble Cast

By kalima Arrhythmia - M - Nyota Uhura/Spock Before We Were Brittle - T - Spock/T'Pring The Assumption of Risk - M - Spock, Christine Chapel, James T. Kirk, Leonard "Bones" McCoy

By SLWalker Fire and Shore - G - Andrew "Corry" Corrigan & Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Peter Preston Processing - G - Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

Star Trek: Alternate Original Series

By daraoakwise Not Until We Are Lost - T - Nyota Uhura (AOS)/Spock (AOS), Montgomery “Scotty” Scotty (AOS) & Nyota Uhura (AOS) Again - G - Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (AOS)

By Kennel_Boy Live Life As It Happens - G - Goodnight Robicheaux/Billy Rocks, Magnficent Seven fusion - 🔒

By lah_mrh Your Own Kobayashi Maru - T - Reader

By Pixie Language - G - Nyota Uhura (AOS), Amanda Grayson (AOS)

Star Trek: The Next Generation

By jamaharon Imzadi - G - Deanna Troi/William Riker When the Rain Goes - T - Deanna Troi/William Riker

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

By nostalgia Vanilla - E - Julian Bashir/Ezri Dax Three Point Eight - T - Julian Bashir/Miles O'Brien, Keiko O'Brien The Common Thread - G - Jadzia Dax, Ezri Dax, Curzon Dax Five Things That Might Have Happened To Julian Bashir (If Anyone Had Asked) - M - Multiple Pairings Bring Something Back - T - Julian Bashir/Miles O'Brien, Keiko O'Brien/Miles O'Brien

Star Trek: Voyager

By CelticRomulan A Name Well Earned - G - Chakotay, Harry Kim, Tom Paris, Jal Karden

By nostalgia Four Times They Didn’t And One Time They Did - T - Kathryn Janeway/Chakotay Provocation - T - Ensemble Cast

By Pixie I am the soft stars that shine at night - T - Gabriel Lorca/Kathryn Janeway Written in the Stars - T - Kathryn Janeway/Kira Nerys

Multiple Series

By Pixie This Will Be Our Year - T - Multiple Relationships

Expanded Universe

By DavidFalkayn A Moment of Calm - M - Ensemble Cast Convergences: Clouds over Illium - M - Ensemble Cast Convergences 2: Lighting the Fuse - M - Ensemble Cast Convergences 3: The Explosions Commence - M - Ensemble Cast

By Gibraltar Oh No, She Didn't - Unrated - Rachel Garrett

By Hawku Hop, Skip and a Jump - G - Ensemble Cast

By Omicrex46 Star Trek: Fortitude - G - Ewan Llewellyn, Valerie Archie, Jason Armstrong

[elitehunter]

AEW Holiday One-Shots

Rather than doing an individual post of all of the stories I finally got to editing and posting, here's a list of the remaining holiday stories that are up on AO3. Here are the ones for AEW:

(It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas) But the Prettiest Sight to See is the Holly that Will Be On Your Own Front Door (Eddie Kingston x OFC) Rated T, 1,841 words

Eddie has accidentally invited everyone over to celebrate the holidays. Getting his place ready to host his friends and their families is not going to plan. She steps in to save the day, making some of the others look at their relationship a bit more curiously. Are they more than friends?

Warnings: just one instance of cursing

I Just Want You for My Own (More Than You Could Ever Know) (Jeff Parker x OFC) Rated G, 2,926 words

He's liked her for a long time and when she tells him she has a gift for him for Christmas, he scrambles to find something thoughtful to give her in return. But when Matt, Daniel, and Anna try to give him a nudge to just tell her how he feels, a few wires get crossed.

Warnings: None

I'll Be Home for Christmas (You Can Count On Me) (Nick Jackson x OFC) Rated G, 1,786 words

When his flight is delayed he kicks himself for staying in town an extra day instead of flying home with the others. But while stranded in the airport, he meets her - distressed that she may not get to visit her family in time for the holidays. As the airport fills with more disgruntled passengers on delayed flights, he thinks maybe they can make the best of it. And the more he gets to know her, he thinks maybe it's the best thing that could have happened to him.

Warnings: None

I See Your Smilin' Face Like I Never Seen Before (That's What Christmas Means to Me, My Love)  (Wardlow x OFC) Rated G, 1,510 words

Something is off. His girlfriend has been obsessing over finding a certain holiday song on the radio but won't even tell him this one. As they get closer to the holidays, she seems increasingly down about it. He's determined to put a smile back on her face again.

Warnings: Mentions of death of a family member (several years prior to the story taking place but just in case wanted to warn for it)

There's Bound to Be a Better Ride Than What You've Got Planned (And the Sky is a Hazy Shade of Winter) (MJF x OFC) Rated G, 1,547 words

The new hire for Community Outreach has organized a toy drive for a local children's hospital. When she approaches AEW's newly crowned Heavyweight Champion to sign some figures, he flat-out turns her down and patronizingly suggests she buy them on eBay. She doesn't let his bad attitude deter her, though and suddenly MJF is left feeling something he hasn't felt before - guilt.

Warnings: None. They do go to a children's hospital, but with no real details - but again, want to warn for it just in case it's a sensitivity for folks.

[themculibrary]

Clint Barton & Matt Murdock Masterlist

Daredevil is an asshole (or just blind) (ao3) - juma_disaster T, 1k

Summary: Hawkeye was deaf. That was a fact that was very known and his teammates always tried to make working with them as comfortable as possible for him. When they were in the middle of battle they would sign Clint short paragraphs so that he doesn’t need to read their lips.

So there was the thing with the famous devil of Hell’s Kitchen. He didn’t even sign short words. Ever.

Clint never asked him specifically to do so, but DD had to see the others sign to Hawkeye at least hundreds of times in these last weeks. So yeah, Clint was a little annoyed maybe even pissed off. And he normally wasn’t easy to piss of. Thank you very much. (Ignoring what Natasha or Ironman might say)

Dumpster Bros (ao3) - tiredpeterparker matt/foggy G, 3k

Summary: Matt and Clint end up forming a weird friendship after crashing in the same dumpster with a background of Matt and Foggy being lawyer husbands

Dumpster Bros......or something more? (ao3) - Smelling for crime (oLiDa_pRo_sCeLeRe) T, 3k

Summary: Who wouldn't have a little itty bitty crush on the Devil of Hell's Kitchen? He's probably the most desirable vigilante according to Clint. Those Abs! And the mystique! However, chasing down the tracksuit mafia leads to an unlikely encounter between Daredevil and Hawkeye, and the pair is forced to utilize one of Natasha's classic undercover tactics in order to escape (They kiss. Clint and Matt kiss).

Basically, just Clint having a massive crush on Daredevil, and then realizing that maybe, just maybe, he should look into dating people again (Also, Clint. You should probably ask if someone is already in a relationship before letting your crush completely spiral out of control).

everybody learns from disaster (ao3) - andibeth82 matt/claire T, 4k

Summary: Three and a half weeks after Clint pulls Matt out of a dumpster and helps him patch up his injuries, he gets Matt to return the favor.

Eyas (ao3) - prettybirdy979 T, 2k

Summary: So they're fighting some Hydra grunt with a grudge and access to Hydra mad-science. Normal day really except no one's quite sure what the gun does, since it doesn't seem to be having a consistent effect. See how Thor is now a baby while Clint's still the same wise-cracking a-hole, if maybe a bit younger than he was this morning.

Then the grunt scores a hit on Daredevil, there to help out, and now Clint has a whole host of other problems. Namely the screaming, recently blinded nine year old.

It's probably going to be a long day.

Fangs (ao3) - nitroglyphics T, 12k

Summary: Matt gets bit by a wolf after a botched mission with Bucky and Clint. He saved a little boy but now his anger is more impossible to fight and control than ever. Turning him into a real animal. And the only people who know are of course, team red. Who offer to help keep his emotional issues a secret for other people in Matt's life.

From Acquaintances to Team (ao3) - Annide T, 1k

Summary: When Clint and Matt have a communication issue during a job, they call Kate for help.

Hurts to Heal (helps to hide) (ao3) - CNWrites T, 3k

Summary: In which Clint Barton is not the only Avenger without superpowers; that is just what he would prefer everyone to believe.

Intuition/Assumptions (ao3) - salvabon G, 2k

Summary: Clint is surprised to find out the others don't know that their ally, a vigilante named Daredevil, is blind. He is pretty sure though. And he really wants to make sure he's being inclusive when making a sign language for work.

let's do everything before we die (ao3) - andibeth82 G, 2k

Summary: “Who’re you?”

“The guy who pulled you out of a dumpster. My dumpster, to be exact.” Clint rubs at his ear unconsciously and the man furrows his brow in a way that looks like it hurts.

“I thought that was a woman.”

Read this, Bitch (ao3) - Lesbian_Cowpoke T, 4k

Summary: Matt gets called to the Avengers Tower for a mission in Hell's Kitchen. Tony thinks he cant read. Matt is a little offended. Before he can address that, he has to go on a mission.

Sticks and Stones (ao3) - chlodobird T, 3k

Summary: When Stick blows back into town and gets himself on SHIELD's radar, Natasha snaps up the mission. No fucking child soldiers on her watch. Meanwhile, Matt heard that his old teacher was back in town, and goes to see what bullshit he's up to this time.

Take All The Courage (ao3) - prettybirdy979 T, 16k

Summary: When what should have been a straight forward mission in Hell's Kitchen goes pear shaped due to lack of communication, teaching his teammates sign language seems like a logical step to Clint. Communication when their comms are down - great plan! And including the local vigilante, who's been working closely with them on this, is a real no-brainer.

Until it turns out said vigilante is an asshole that thinks sign language is beneath him, judging by the way he's stubbornly refusing to learn it.

(Conversely - Matt's trying, he really is but damn it, those two signs are exactly the same... what do you mean they mean completely different things?!)

To all the dumpster talks and weird shit (ao3) - Marvel_10 N/R, 529

Summary: Matt Murdock and Clint Barton have a little holiday get together with friends.

[homemantis]

i know engaging with a south park fan is pointless because you're undoubtedly going to be a right-wing reactionary but what issue do you have with radical feminism?

Oh Jesus Christ okay!!

First off, people are saying I’m a “South Park Stan” when clearly in my pinned message, I have explained I have a hyper fixation with the show, however my relationship with it is complicated. I dont like Matt and Trey. The show has weird shitty messages at times that I don’t support. I’m obsessed with the characters. I’m obsessed with the way the fandom creates a whole new world about these weird campy paper cutouts. The fandom on tumblr is hilariously queer, something that would probably have these ‘right wing reactionary’s you speak of trembling in their boots. And I love it.

I’m queer. Non-binary. I don’t know what the fuck my sexuality is, but I know I like girls. I’m very left wing, and I hate shitty right-wingers. I’m their enemy.

I find radfems to be terrifying honestly. While I think feminism and womens movement to be fantastic, and holy shit is it needed…

I hate most radical feminism for it’s exclusion of trans people. I love trans people. I’ll say it again, I LOVE TRANS PEOPLE!! Gender is a social construct, and to let go of the restraints of gender is so, so freeing. I think people should be allowed to identify as whatever they want and be supported for it. At the end of the day, gender was made up by society, what we are described as, what we like, what we wear, is all just made up by society. So fuck it, go crazy and fight back, identify as whatever your heart desires. It’s freeing, it’s queer, it’s campy and it’s fun. People should always be allowed to express themself however they want.

Terfs, trans-exclusionary radical feminists are becoming increasingly popular. People like JK Rowling hasn’t helped. I think its so important for women and by extension, everyone to express love for themselves and their bodies and be allies for one another. But again, not at the cost of now allowing trans people to do the same. Jk Rowling is a radical feminist, and most radfems I see are gender-critical.

Im just going to use Wikipedia here:

Feminists who describe themselves as "gender-critical" say that biological sex is "real, important, and immutable" and is "not to be conflated with gender identity", and that feminism should organize with emphasis on the basis of sex rather than gender.

This is what the majority of radfems believe in. Kronkk, who I criticised, after a quick scroll of the word trans on their blog, I have found that yes, they too are very gender critical. Radfems like this contribute to the oppression of trans people. Your sex characteristics don’t equal your gender. As said before, gender is made up by society, it’s a way to express, and society has often made it a way to oppress. Intersex people exist. Cis females who don’t want to fit into the box of ‘pretty pink dresses’ exist. Trans men exist, who don’t feel like they want to be female at all. Trans women exist!! Non-binary people who don’t want to be either exist. Fuck it, shout out to people who use neo pronouns, who have decided all this gender bullshit is stupid and just want to be referred to as stuff like ‘cat/it’ fucking slay.

Again, I love the lgbtq+ community. But we can’t be a community without the T, just as we wouldnt be our community without the L’s and G’s. We need to support one another, not tear one another down. Our community will always be oppressed by the same people. Fucking hell, a member of my queer club at my school was stabbed in the street last year for ‘looking too queer’. We have enough shit coming from people who aren’t in our community. It’s awful to have allies and members of our own community have these shitty bigoted views as well. Out community wouldn’t be where it is without trans people. Trans people have been around from the beginning of time, look it up. I’m begging our allies, and queer siblings to stand up for us.

Anyway. This became a bit of a love letter to trans people by me. But I hope you understand where I’m coming from. I love our community, and we don’t need anymore hate for it. Have a nice day <3

[jessilynallendilla]

VOLTRON FIC REC

TITLE/LINK RATING COMPLETED-WORD-COUNT SERIES

had to break it up because tumblr was once again being a bitch

GALRA KEITH AND THE DADS OF MAMORA

let me know if the links aren't working and feel free to recommend any

SHIRO 

We Who Are About To Die  T 5,024 

Every night he names himself. Shiro. And every day the crowd screams his name in a voice like blood. Champion 

Days Of Gladiator Love  M 3,589 

Turns out, there was a fair bit of merchandising involved with the Gladiator battles, especially with their more famous fighters. Apparently, this includes romance novels 

Play Your Part  T 2,549 SERIES 

It's the right decision to step into Matt's place in the gladiator arena. But when he defeats Myzax, and refuses to kill him, he sets a couple things in motion by mistake. One of these mistakes, is catching Emperor Zarkon's attention. 

Fractured  T 

What if Shiro’s time in captivity ended differently? What if he had been made into something other than just a gladiator? Two years after his initial capture alongside Dr. Holt and his son, Matt, Shiro returns. But, he doesn't return to Earth, and he’s not quite himself. Instead, he goes to Arus, acting as Zarkon’s inquisitor when four of the five Lions are activated. However, during a fight with the Paladins, Shiro receives a concussive blow to the head, which causes him to become amnesiac. Taking mercy on their enemy, the Paladins, along with Allura and Coran, take him in to nurse him back to health and try to get his memories back, as well as his will to fight. 

Allowed To Be  G 1,303 

He’s not Shiro, and they all know it. He is someone though, and he gets a say in that. 

Not Mine  T 462 SERIES 

Allura tries to communicate with Shiro, but he seems to have a lapse in memory... 

Prince Of Memory  T 20,169 

Shiro escaped the gladiator arenas. Hundreds of others didn't; hundreds of others perished. But Shiro's memories contain more than just patrol routes and battle techniques—and there may yet be a way to bring at least a few of those lost prisoners home, even after death. 

Shiro The Hero  NR 1,160 

What was wrong with him? It had been a simple performance! The crowd had loved him, cheered for him. So why did he feel like clawing his itching skin off? The stadium forced itself to the front of his mind. Brightly lit, full of noise and excitement. Not the first arena he had been popular in. His head gave a vicious pound. Hot tears leaked from his closed eyes, intermingling with the cold streams from the shower. The sobs were coming freely now. He was finally alone now. He didn't have to pretend to be fine anymore. He didn't have to act like he was okay with being displayed like a trophy. Like a toy. Like a slave. 

Slip The Surly Bonds  T 86,701 

Tasked with finding and teaching fifty students with the potential to reach his caliber as a pilot, Shiro instead finds one who has the potential to surpass him. But first, he's got to get the scrawny delinquent to shape up and fly right. 

Tried To Go To Heaven (But He Went The Other Way)  NR 3,320 

Human endurance is unmatched by any other creature on their planet. Shiro is no exception. OR In which Shiro loses an arm. 

Lion Soul  T 64,745 SERIES 

Allura is one of the leaders of a nomadic pride of werelions. Shiro is the lone human in the pride, always out of place, unable to be a part of the culture he was raised in. Whatever he feels for Allura is irrelevant. He's no match for her, no matter how much he wishes he were. The pride is considering going on the offensive against the Hunters - humans who stalk and kill weres - rather than continuing to flee and hide. And Shiro has to decide if the only home he's ever known is really home, and, if it's not, what should he do about that? What can he do? 

Consequences  G 1,185 

direct follow up to part of episode 5 from season 5. 

Over And Overture  M 14,531 SERIES 

Since Shiro returned, something has been... off about him. But he deals with it, just like he's dealt with everything else. Until the problems begin to build. 

Repetition In Practice  T 1,800 

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The Blue Lion waits for her Paladin. 

LOTOR 

Adrenaline Rush  M 164,634 

Lotor is a pro stock biker, undefeated with his Sincline motorcycles. Allura is a rising star in the top fuel dragster circuit, taking up her father’s mantle after his fiery death during a race with quintessence-injected fuel. Allura knows racing can be lethal. But between competing against her father’s rival and once-friend, Zarkon, and dealing with his arrogant son Lotor, she barely has time to consider the types of danger she’s in. 

The Blackest Sheep  T 

With Lotor's comet ship destroyed and his crew dead and gone, Lotor's been captured by the Voltron crew, and is suffering through injuries compromising to his form. He's at the mercy of Allura and the others, and slowly, secrets that were once hidden under lock and key come spilling out about his history, and more importantly, things crawling under his skin. Can Allura truly trust someone who's been hiding behind a mask their whole life, or will Allura's trust be broken the moment she lets him past her particle barrier? Or, will Lotor prove to be the blackest sheep of them all? 

Quantum Entanglement  M  

Princess Allura of Altea didn’t die in VLD s8. Instead, in saving the multiverse, she became lost in it, crash-landing on an Earth different from the one she knows. She is found by the human Lotor Dalir, who mourns for a dead Allura Singh. But death is not so mysterious when one knows alchemy. And the realm of the dead, where both Allura Singh and Emperor Lotor reside, is not as far as it might seem. 

The Second Law  T 

Allura discovers Shiro was not the only person Haggar cloned for insidious purposes. After a strategic battle, she finds the real Lotor imprisoned and barely clinging to life inside a Galra command ship. His existence brings to light an even greater conspiracy than Team Voltron could have imagined possible. 

Rites Of Passage  M 20,110 

A story about Lotor's first captured Alliance ship. Told from his pov. Language warning, sex,violence and an unhealthy amount of the Crown Prince's famous ego. 

Do We Torture The Captives, Or Eat The Birthday Cake?  T 649 

A tribute to my favorite line from 80's Voltron, in which Lotor tortures the captives by eating the cake in front of them 

Perdu  M 40,652 

He did everything they'd asked of him. He had fought a war that had not been his to begin with because it was the right thing to do, because at the end of it all stood the promise of returning to his family. He was done. He wanted home. What he did not expect was for a man obviously just as lonely as him to join him on the journey. A man willing to listen, willing to understand. So many possible realities and so many ways that it could go wrong. Or maybe just right. 

Gone With The Fallen Leaves  M 51,577 

The longer Lotor stays with the team, the more Shiro begins to dream of what seems to be his past. It makes his life even more complicated. 

Temporary Accommodations   T 

Nothing lasts, is what he tells himself. Childhood, family, home, friends... all of it leaves or betrays you eventually. He doesn't see why Voltron would be any different, but it could be a safe haven for a while at least. 

KLANCE KEITHXLANCE 

Dirty Laundry 

Lance makes the mistake of telling his Mom he has a boyfriend coming home 

with him for Christmas. Keith makes the mistake of agreeing to be Lance’fake boyfriend' 

Where People Go To Die  M 48,805 SERIES 

Lotor mistakenly believes that Lance, acting as a spy for the Galra, has killed Keith, and invites him to return to the Empire with him. Team Voltron uses this to their advantage.    “You finally get to return to your real people, Blue Paladin. You no longer have to run around with those…scumbags? Is that a term they use on Earth to describe the lowest filth they can think of?”    Recognition seemed to dawn on the Blue Paladin’s face.    “Oh! Right—well, I’m…not quite finished with my mission,” the Paladin said, returning his bayard to his side. He bent down and yanked up the Red Paladin, “I, uh—have to get rid of him myself, you know? Make sure he’s really dead and all that. Put him somewhere where no one will find him and be able to revive him.” 

Shadow Of The Past   T  

When Lance is thrown through time, he finds himself one year in the future, in place of the Lance that should be here. He finds his team to be remarkably familiar, yet distinctly different. They have more scars, a better grip on the whole saving the universe thing, and over a year’s worth of teamwork to bind them together. But the weirdest part? Keith seems to be a lot more touchy with him. Not that he’s complaining… much. The team must try and work out how to reverse the two Lance’s places and restore them to their original timelines. But despite the fact that they’re still his friends, Lance can’t help but feel a little out of place among a team that’s been through so much with a Lance that just isn’t him. And it doesn’t help that the team is on edge around him, refusing to tell him anything for fear of influencing and changing the past. Things get even more complicated when they have to rely on the team in the past to complete the switch, leaving Lance to little more than sit, wait, and attempt to fill in his future self’s shoes. 

Ghost Of The Future   T 

When Lance is thrown through time, his future self from one year ahead is transported to the past in his place. This Lance is faster, stronger, and markedly more mature. Not only that, but he's distinctly more intuitive about his teammates and A LOT more touchy with Keith. The team must try and work out how to reverse the two Lance's places and restore them to their original timelines. Things only get more complicated when the Future Lance can't seem to remember where he was when the switch happened, and he refuses to reveal anything about his own time for fear of influencing the team's decisions. 

The Enemy Of My Enemy   EX 

When Lance wakes up after ten thousand years with only his Princess and her assistant having survived the destruction of their entire civilization, he's at a loss. Even his long time dream of being one of the Paladin's of Voltron, a high honour, doesn't bring him much comfort. And to make matters worse, the Red Paladin turns out to be an enemy, one of the very kind who destroyed his home, and his family. In order to form Voltron though, Lance will have to learn to accept and trust Keith as a member of their team. To make matters even worse though? Keith is also pretty damned cute. 

Language Barrier   T 1,818 

Lance isn't overly happily with his life right now, but he's thankful for the eye-candy he gets to share an elevator with every day. Too bad the gorgeous guy doesn't speak English... 

Language Barrier On A People Carrier  T 1,754 

Keith speaks English just fine, but he still likes speaking Korean when he can. When he leaves work and takes the elevator down from the seventh floor he liked to talk to Shiro about what's for dinner in his mother tongue. Because of this it seems he's never spoken an English word in front of the dance instructor from the sixth floor that rides the elevator with him every day, leading the other to believe that there was such thing as a private conversation in an elevator. 

Silver Tongued   M 14,848 

One way or another, His truth they will learn Although perhaps the message For them, incapable to discern 

Follow My Lead   M 117,792 

Becoming “hook-up buddies” with Lance Sanchez was just supposed to be a small, insignificant fraction of Keith’s life. But of course, things don’t work out that way at all. 

Antidote  EX 121,880 

Keith is stung by a bug that makes every moment he spends away from Lance physically excruciating. Lance just wants to help, but he knows that Keith doesn't like to be touched. 

Calling Me To Come Back   T 50,464 SERIES 

Keith is a witch who owns a shop where he breaks curses on both magical items and people under spells. Love spells, family curses passed down generations, cursed heirlooms lurking the attic -- he can handle them all. But one day a boy named Lance walks into his shop, and his curse is darker and more difficult to break than anything Keith has ever seen before: the curse is draining his magic, and without his magic, Lance will die. 

Shut Up And Dance With Me   M 249.827 

Lance and his friends have been regulars at the Altea Dance Studio for years. Not just for classes, but to hang out, practice, and spend time with good people who love dancing. Every year, they audition to be one of the few representing Altea at the regional dance competition. Lance always auditions solo, but this year he misses out on auditions and blows his chance to participate. And so does his self-proclaimed rival, Keith. Luckily, Shiro comes up with a brilliant plan: convince Lance and Keith to audition as a duo. With a little convincing, and a lot of effort, these two might just be able to pull it off and go to regionals... or they might crash and burn. 

I Think I Know Enough Of Hate  T  SERIES 

Some nights, Keith waits until he’s the last one in that section of the base, and he brings up the broadcast again, replays it over and over. He pauses it on Lance’s face and tries to look for the signs of how they grew older. He reaches out and his fingertips smudge the glass screen and he thinks they always did love you. You always knew how to make them love you. 

Altea Rising  T  

When Shiro and Matt disappear without a trace, Keith seeks out the help of Matt's sister, Pidge—who, like him, suspects that something paranormal is afoot. A trail of clues leads them to a ghost town called Altea, where they meet ghost hunters Hunk and Lance. The group soon discovers they are paladins—they have the ability to walk between the physical and spirit worlds. An evil spirit named Zarkon is planning to invade the human world... and the only way to stop him, and to save Shiro and Matt in time, is to form an immensely powerful being called Voltron. But in order to do that, they'll need to find all five ghost lions—each located in one of the most haunted locations in the world. 

A Smooth Sea Never Made A Skilled Sailor   M 5,918 

Keith is a captain in the Royal Navy. Lance is the son of a merchant sailor. 

Reach Out For You (Break These Walls)   T 9,139 

Keith is trying to make himself smaller, to bury his head deeper in his knees, and Lance’s heart freezes in his chest. Anger dissipating like an exploded firework, Lance lets his hand fall limply to his side, mind blurring with static. When he tries to speak, nothing comes out but a choked noise, so he tries again. “Keith,” he breathes. “Keith I’m not going to hurt you.” 

Audience Of One  M 45,987 SERIES 

Lance gets captured by the Galra and sent to a prison ship. Keith, raised Galra, visits Lance's cell, driven by the unshakable curiosity about the new prisoner who looks like him. 

Other Reality, Same Love  NR 39,302 

After restoring all the realities, the remain paladins land in the incorrect reality, where alteans are the bad guys, there are mindless slaves, and some guys that look just like them that are part of a resistance against the alteans, so now they have to figure how to go back home and maybe help this reality to get free of the alteans. Or Keith have this massive crush on Lance, but he can't do anything about it (because Allura have just died) but he is stuck in this reality when he sees Leandro and Akira in love and happy, and can’t help want that. 

Love Interest   M 195,396 SERIES 

Lance is getting his big American debut on a new T.V series called Voltron. He's excited and nervous about how amazingly talented and famous his cast members are. But most importantly Lance is anticipating meeting his character -Leandro's- love interest in the show. Who happens to played by the be mega famous, mega hot Keith Kogane. But due to a misunderstanding during their first encounter, Lance now thinks Keith is the biggest jerk alive. Keith now has to try and fix it, for the sake of the show, and also for the sake of their on screen romance, which may start venture off screen as well. 

The Stars Are Shining Red And Blue  T 1,620 

Akira Kogane was known for five things in the Western Sector of the American Empire:-His eyes, a shining unnatural indigo that was no doubt the effect of layered mutations-His knife, sharp and with deadly accuracy, known to leave marks and often mistaken as a sword in some accounts of his escapades-His scar, running down his left cheek, story untold.-His hair, white as snow and obviously dyed, but iconic nonetheless. And his ruthless behavior, his inability to feel, to empathize, to understand when to stop. People feared him because he wasn’t afraid to cross boundaries, and that was just how he wanted it. 

Chase It Down   T 11,529 

The helmet was taken off in one smooth pull and Leandro’s retort dried up on his tongue. Akira’s helmet hid….a lot. Like the shock of snow white hair that was half up, half curled around his shoulders as long, choppy bangs fell gently over his forehead. They almost obscured the annoyance that reflected in eyes the color of dusk from a rooftop and thick eyebrows furrowed, contorting an unfairly symmetrical face into a grimace that only further accentuated his handsome-scratch that-beautiful features. Leandro’s eyes, raked over the long tan scar that started from the bottom of Akira’s left cheek and ended just below his eye, an unnatural marker of some past struggle that shocked Leandro with such a powerful wave of familiarity, he could feel his body start to sway. Swords clanging in dim hallways, lips pressed to healing skin, fingers brushing hair back, ocean salt and wildfire, red and blue-The last thing saw before falling forward was Akira’s gorgeously angry expression quickly shift into one of concern as he ran forward to catch Leandro’s collapsing form. 

Ride Or Die   NR 6,377 

“Let's get out of here while that dude’s still distracted with his stab wound, ” Akira grabbed Leandro’s arm hastily. 

“You stabbed him?” he asked, genuinely shocked that Akira managed to land a hit on him. Akira nodded as he dragged Leandro to the back exit as quickly as he could. 

Akira turned to face Leandro,“My motorcycle is parked in the alley next to the restaurant to the le--” 

“Hold up! Go back like, 3 steps. You have a motorbike?” Leandro interrupted. 

Akira raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, so?” 

He shrugged, “That’s hot.” 

Akira choked on air as blood rushed to his cheeks, “Okay, that's enough out of you, fugitive.” 

Navigator  G 37,712 

"Have you felt unsafe on campus? Threatened? Afraid to walk around campus? We will walk with you!" 

Trust The Love Experts: Relationship Advice From Keith Kogane  G 23,170  

Keith doesn’t consider himself a very romantic boy. He likes knives, the colour black and has never seen a rom-com in his life. But he’s going to need to be romantic because he’s hopelessly in love with his best friend, Lance McClain and he has finally worked up the nerve to ask him out. But after a disastrous attempt that only left him more friend-zoned than ever before. He's frustrated, pining, and desperately wants to kiss Lance’s face off. He’s further from being Lance’s boyfriend than ever, but luckily, he’s about to get a little help from an unlikely source: an article from Cosmopolitan magazine called, 10 Steps to Seduce Your Man! 

Cinnamon Bagels And Peppermint Tea  G 4,452 SERIES 

Lance owns a cute marketplace bakery, and Shiro tries his damn best to make sure his delinquent brother knows about it. Alternative Title: Shiro is the ultimate wingman and Keith has a gay crisis 

Handsome Stranger You Have Made Him Wonder  T 32,875 

When Lance wakes up on a flying castle with no memories, a crew of familiar strangers and a million questions he's determined to rediscover what he lost So what happens when his mysterious rival Keith returns to the castle they all call home? And why is Keith not acting the way Lance expected? 

Speak For The Stars  T 49,349 

All Lance has ever wanted is to prove his worth. So, maybe it’s fitting that the Black Lion picked him right when Lotor betrayed them and Shiro’s clone went rogue. Right when the team was at its lowest and closest to failing. The desire for glory that Lance grew up with—that drove him to join the Garrison and pursue fighter class, that drove him into his one-sided rivalry with Keith, that drove him after Keith in the Sonoran Desert and into Blue’s cockpit and into space and into the war in the first place—it’s a relic of the past for him now. All he wants these days is to keep his friends alive and the Coalition afloat, and he tries his best, despite the pervasive fear that he isn’t the right person for this monumental task. Despite the growing certainty that Black picked the wrong guy. This fear will be put to the ultimate test when the mess that ensnares the team after the clone disaster turns out to be a labyrinth more winding than any of them were prepared for. Because Lance might just be the only person equipped to lead them through this maze and into the light. 

SHEITH SHIRO/KEITH 

The Mermaid Of Lake Altea  M 24,367 

The Mermaid of Lake Altea has been a story passed from camper to camper for almost ten years. It's the tale of a lonely young mermaid who gets rejected by her crush when they find out she has fins. When camp counselor Keith hears it, he becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth. While projecting his own loneliness on the mermaid, he also tries to uncover his handsome, co-counselor, Shiro. Keith has fallen hard and fast for him, but there's something mysterious about Shiro as well. What's his connection to the mermaid? Will Keith's quest for a mythical creature sabotage his quest to get with Shiro? 

The Uncertain Hour  M 268,839 

Keith trudged from the room, his steps heavier, but still barely audible. He was easily half the weight of any full-grown Galra, and only a little over half the height. He had a speed and agility that rivaled Kolivan's best, but nowhere near the reserves. Kolivan had learned to respect that ferocity, but it did make missions exhausting. Of all the orders he'd given, had Keith ever followed one to the letter? 

Old Wounds  T 3,731 

The team is having a conversation about scars and Lance decides to ask how Shiro how he got his scar. They were all expecting some wild tale of a vicious gladiator fight, or something heroic of the sort. They weren't expecting it to have been because of a muzzle. 

A Difference In Morality  T 1,995 

Shiro was the captain of the very first mission out to Kerberos, a science expedition that's doubling as a live training exercise for a promising year of cadets from the Garrison. When they're taken by the Galra, divided up to work as slaves or fight in the arena, he lets others be sacrificed first, as he watches and picks out exactly what weakness the gladiator there has. After all, he has to make a memorable first impression. 

Thrill Of The Night   M 1,560 

Drinking blood from arteries was always a messy and dangerous situation. The pressure would make the blood squirt, running not only to the vampire’s mouth, but also through the victim’s neck. So much blood that there was a great possibility of exsanguinating the victim. And yet, Shiro just couldn’t help himself. At least, not when he was feeding on Keith. 

Wisdom Cries  M 2,458 

Keith has been distant from Shiro ever since Shiro returned to the team a second time. The loneliness and unexplained coldness from the one who once supported him the most has left Shiro at the end of his rope. 

Don’t Say His Name  T 1,057 SERIES 

“How? When?” 

“I don’t know,” Keith says. His voice wobbles slightly, but he clears his throat in an attempt to hide it. It works, for the most part. “I just thought you didn’t feel right.” 

“Right,” Kuron mutters. He stares into his mug of steaming Altean tea, feeling incredibly nauseous as the sickly sweet scent wafts up to his nose. “Of course I didn’t.” 

Closing In On You  G 7,899 

Shiro wants coffee, Keith just wants to go home — they meet in the middle. 

Just A Kid I Once Knew  M 2,612 SERIES 

Keith still can't believe that Shiro is here, even if he's still unconscious. When they had told him that the Kerberos mission had failed he had thought he would have never seen Shiro again. He's so happy. Then Shiro wakes up and the first thing he says is "Yes, Master". 

Lay Your Weapons Down  M 

Following in the footsteps of the mother who raised him, Keith joins the Blade of Marmora as soon as he comes of age. But on his first mission, he is captured by the Galra, who decide to put his fighting spirit to use. Months after being taken from Kerberos, just as he is starting to earn the title 'Champion', Shiro is shocked to find himself facing down a boy who looks like he is human in the gladiator pits. 

Between The Shadow And The Soul  EX 161,623 SERIES 

The most terrifying things in the desert were the men. Of this, Keith had no doubt. Until Keith found him. 

Your Sharp And Glorious Thorn  T 38,300 

To end the war they inherited, Keith marries the King he lead an army against. 

Where The Light Doesn't Reach  M 229,972 SERIES 

Football Captain Takashi Shirogane always looked like he had a charmed life. A full ride scholarship to a top university, worshipping fans wherever he turned, never wanting for a single thing. Keith’s never needed to have anything to do with him. Keith has his own problems, his own friends, his art. They’re from two different worlds. But one day, Shiro doesn’t come home. One day, there’s blood all over the streets but no body. And it’s Keith, and only Keith, who can see Shiro, shirt splattered with blood, panicking through a hallway of people who ignore and pass right through him. It’s only Keith who can see his ghost. And it’s only Keith who can help him find who did it. 

MISC 

We Go Forward G 4,076

A visit to the Castle of Lions leaves Keith with a lot to think about regarding his place on the team. Or, his lack thereof.

Finding Home  G 34,969 SERIES 

Shiro is nowhere to be found, but the paladins aren't going to give up on finding him. Problem is, the galaxy is a big place to find one person. Shiro isn't sure exactly where he is, but he's determined to find his way back. But the road home is longer when one doesn't know where it is. 

Dear Little One  G 

The paladins hadn't been expecting to find the baby Allura hadn't been expecting their reaction to it 

The Prince  M 

10,000 years ago, Prince Lotor died and it changed the course of the universe. Now, the chance for him to return drives Emperor Zarkon and Druid Haggar to risk everything--even the Empire itself--to have their son back. 

Keeping The Secret  T 10,008 

Lance is trying his hardest to keep his identity a secret from his space family, which gets more difficult when devices can read your entire anatomy and people overhear conversations behind closed doors. 

Sweet Poison  G 

“The Blue Lion was hidden on my planet – Earth – and led us to the Castle of Lions,” Shiro explains. “Princess Allura was put into cryosleep by King Alfor – she showed us how to find our lions and form Voltron. We’ve been fighting Zarkon together for the past three years.” 

“Zarkon is dead.” 

It’s the third who speaks up, and Shiro freezes at their voice. It can’t be – and yet, as she steps in the light, it is. Allura stares coolly down at him, her eyes hard as ice chips. There is no warmth there, no fondness or love. She’s not his Allura, he knows instinctively 

When It Was Too Much But You Were Enough  T 4,493 

Keith just wants a break, but finds much more. He's probably going to die. Takashi Shirogane just wants Keith to have a home. The Holts haven't seen a human in years. Lance's life is in constant danger. Hunk's new friend is a little strange. 

Golden Madness  EX 

The war started with her death. The war started as a means of getting revenge for a beloved wife and mother. The war started because Altea killed one of their own for loving a Galra. After Shiro's disappearance in "Blackout," the shattered remains of the Voltron Paladins must come to terms with the fact that the former Paladins did exist, and it is their responsibility to deal with their repercussions. Some more so than others. In addition to that, the team struggles with adjusting to new roles and feelings of abandonment as a result of their leader's disappearance. But they're not the only ones. Prince Lotor, after being saved from the stomach a Weblum, has come home to see his beloved father is critical condition and their empire in shambles. He takes up his father's mantle and vows death to those who threaten of his people. Death in his dear mother's name. 

K31T4  T 38,669 

The Galra and Earth have teamed up to defeat an enemy which they call, Alteans. As a reward, Shiro and his team are rewarded with the first service Droid, K31T4. But something about this Droid seems off to the team and there are more lies than truths when it comes to the Galra Empire. 

The Empress's Tears  T 

The paladins end up in the Altean Empire reality again, but this time they've also gone back in time and Keith makes a big discovery. 

At The End Of The Road With You  EX 

Incident One started the zombie outbreak two years ago. Now most only survive thanks to organized groups like The Garrison. Lance, Pidge, and Hunk are members of the Echo Scouting and Scavenging Team. They find themselves out on the far outer regions when they come across a survivor from another team that they were lead to believe were killed. This discovery leads to a new horrifying truth and the team has to find another way to survive in this cruel undead world. 

Beacon  NR 

An emergency mission to answer a distress call wasn’t unusual. The urgency in Allura’s voice wasn’t necessarily unusual, either—she was very much of the mind that Voltron was obligated to answer every single distress call brought to their attention. Being the defender of the known universe came with a certain number of responsibilities, after all. But seeing the pinched, pale look on both Allura and Coran’s faces when they converged on the bridge was unusual. "The universe is vast even in terms of those planets still yet beyond the grips of the Galra. But…. the distress call came from the Terra Firma Quadrant.” Earth. 

The Price Of Victory  T SERIES 

As a Galran Prince, Commander and Druid Acolyte, in an Empire steeped in magic, violence, deception and betrayal, Lotor is conversely one of the most powerful yet powerless beings in the universe. The simple act of rescuing a single human slave has far-reaching consequences that shatter all preconceptions and restores hope. But when Lotor has finally achieved his wildest dreams and the universe is at peace, the pillar he has built his life around is cruelly snatched from his side. Now, in an unlikely alliance with the Red Paladin, the two seek to regain all they have lost. If anyone had ever told Matt Holt that he’d become not only an alien abductee, but a modern day Helen of Troy, that his face would one day launch a thousand ships, with an alien Prince leading the massive armada, he’d have asked to analyze whatever drugs they were using for his biochemistry thesis. But that was before he was made a slave, before the enigmatic Prince Lotor rescued him and became Emperor, before four of the Paladins of Voltron were betrayed and imprisoned, and Lotor and Keith came to save them. All Matt had wanted was to be reunited with his family, to finally go home, but now the Earth is threatened with annihilation because of it 

Stealing Our Own Place In The Sun  M 

Keith struggles to come to grips with being the Black Paladin, Shiro's acting weird, Lance's insecurities deepen as his heritage comes into question, Hunk finds it harder and harder to play peacemaker, Pidge carries on the search for her father and brother, and Allura's determined to see this whole saving the universe thing through. With allies who should be enemies and enemies who should be allies, and a path that's never completely clear, the Paladins learn to put their faith in each other if they're gonna do this right. 

Stay Of Execution  T 2,875 

When the Altean Empire rose to power, Empress Allura converted the Galran Royal Guard into her personal hit squad. The Altean Court treated them as little more than attack dogs, keeping them in line with threats of the hoktril. When there's an attack on the Empress's life, and the culprit gets away, Thace and Ulaz are sent after the rebel. In the process, their loyalties to the Altean Empire are tested. 

[spacenutspod]

3 Min Read NASA’s Space Station Laser Comm Terminal Achieves First Link NASA’s ILLUMA-T payload at Goddard Space Flight Center fully tested and integrated prior to its delivery to Kennedy Space Center. Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center A NASA technology experiment on the International Space Station completed its first laser link with an in-orbit laser relay system on Dec. 5, 2023. Together, they complete NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system. NASA’s LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration) and the new space station demonstration, ILLUMA-T (Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal), successfully exchanged data for the first time. LCRD and ILLUMA-T are demonstrating how a user mission, in this case the space station, can benefit from a laser communications relay located in geosynchronous orbit. NASA’s ILLUMA-T payload communicating with LCRD over laser signals.NASA / Dave Ryan Laser communications, also known known as optical communications, uses infrared light rather than traditional radio waves to send and receive signals. The tighter wavelength of infrared light allows spacecraft to pack more data into each transmission. Using laser communications greatly increases the efficiency of data transfer and can lead to a faster pace of scientific discoveries. The benefits of laser communications: more efficient, lighter systems, increased security, and more flexible ground systems.NASA / Dave Ryan On Nov. 9, NASA’s SpaceX 29th commercial resupply services mission launched cargo and new science experiments, including ILLUMA-T, to the space station. Following its arrival, the payload was installed onto the station’s Japanese Experiment Module-Exposed Facility. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, on the company’s 29th commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:28 p.m. EST. SpaceX ILLUMA-T and LCRD are a part of the NASA Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program’s effort to demonstrate how laser communications technologies can significantly benefit science and exploration missions. “ILLUMA-T’s first link with LCRD – known as first light – is the latest demonstration proving that laser communications is the future.” said Dr. Jason Mitchell, director of SCaN’s Advanced Communications and Navigation Technology division. “Laser communications will not only return more data from science missions, but could serve as NASA’s critical, two-way link to keep astronauts connected to Earth as they explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond.” To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video NASA's ILLUMA-T payload achieved First Light with LCRD. In this video, Matt Magsamen explains the First Light milestone. Shortly after space station installation, operation engineers began conducting on-orbit testing to ensure the ILLUMA-T payload operated nominally. Now, it is communicating with LCRD, a relay launched in 2021 that has conducted over 300 experiment configurations to help NASA refine laser communications technologies. LCRD and ILLUMA-T are exchanging data at 1.2 gigabits-per-second. “We have demonstrated that we can overcome the technical challenges for successful space communications using laser communications. We are now performing operational demonstrations and experiments that will allow us to optimize our infusion of proven technology into our missions to maximize our exploration and science,” said David Israel, a NASA space communications and navigation architect. NASA’s Laser Communications Roadmap: Demonstrating laser communications capabilities on multiple missions in a variety of space regimes.NASA/Dave Ryan The LCRD experiments are conducted with industry, academia, and other government agencies. ILLUMA-T is now LCRD’s first in-space user experiment. NASA is still accepting experiments to work with LCRD. Interested parties should contact lcrd-experiments@nasa.onmicrosoft.com for more information. ILLUMA-T is funded by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The payload is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Partners include the International Space Station program office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts. For more information: https://nasa.gov/scan About the AuthorKatherine SchauerKatherine Schauer is a writer for the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program office and covers emerging technologies, commercialization efforts, exploration activities, and more. Share Details Last Updated Dec 18, 2023 ContactKatherine Schauerkatherine.s.schauer@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related TermsCommunicating and Navigating with MissionsGeneralGoddard Space Flight CenterInternational Space Station (ISS)ISS ResearchLaser Communications RelaySpace Communications & Navigation ProgramTechnology Demonstration Explore More 5 min read NASA’s First Two-way End-to-End Laser Communications Relay System Article 2 months ago 6 min read NASA’s Laser Communications Relay: A Year of Experimentation NASA’s first two-way laser relay system completed its first year of experiments on June 28… Article 6 months ago 4 min read NASA to Demonstrate Laser Communications from Space Station In 2023, NASA is sending a technology demonstration known as the Integrated LCRD Low Earth… Article 4 months ago

[ittybluebell]

Roommate | Daredevil G/T | Chapter 2

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Finch didn't consider how they survived ‘stealing’. It was borrowing - they only took what they needed; what wouldn't be missed. Finch didn't borrow with malevolence. Well, not much, anyway - it was easy to resent the humans that had so much while borrowers struggled. And there were definitely things a borrower didn't need to survive, per se, but dammit, couldn't a person want nice things? The beans wouldn't miss a strip of fabric or the odd bauble. It would go to good use, anyway!

It was laughably easy to borrow from this bean. Finch was reasonably cautious in the beginning, but they quickly learned that they could get away with a lot. Borrowing food in the same room? Easy squeezy, done and did. The only threat was making too much noise, but Finch padded the soles of their boots so that was a great big non-issue.

Was Finch balancing too close to the proverbial ledge? Oh, yeah.

Were they gonna keep doing it? Oh, yeah. The adrenaline rush was crazy.

What reason had they to stop? The bean wasn't aware of them and got rid of the traps - Finch must've been doing something right. They were on the hottest borrowing streak in their life. Now, obviously, they didn't take too much, but Finch wasn't worried about their next meal and that was every borrower's goal. An honest-to-dirt stock of food. Finch got so lucky with this place.

The tell-tale guilt came back. Faces flooded their mind: faces they were supposed to protect and cowardly abandoned. The grating snarl of grinding metal, of brick and wood falling and the screams-

Finch snatched up their thimble bucket. Shower, they decided. It was time for a shower.

Later when Finch went out, there were strawberries on the counter. Fucking strawberries. How could they resist? Sure, the human was right there, but when would Finch get another opportunity like this?

The human's name was Matt. Finch overheard it from a phone call with another man. 'Froggy', they believed that one was called. A bean with a proper name.

Finch crept into the open, not bothering with that time-consuming ducking and hiding nonsense. His back was turned. Voices from the radio filled the apartment. Finch had the advantage. It was fine. It was fine. Hairs on the back of their neck stood on end and their nape vaguely prickled. A borrower's warning system, triggered by a bean's proximity, and just another sense to bombard their brain with information.

Was the man's head twitching their imagination?

Finch reached the countertop and grabbed a strawberry. They backpedaled. For such a large being, he moved with such ease and speed. It was easy to forget how big a human was till they were in the same room. Finch stuffed the strawberry in their bag and climbed down. They took a final peek at the bean before slipping into the crack behind the fridge.

Finch was learning how much they could get away with. They were testing the waters. Taking food right out from under his nose? Oh-ho, no other borrower would dare. But Finch did. They froze, statuesque, when he moved around the apartment. A dangerous but thrilling game of lights on-lights out. He lumbered and stomped like one of those gigantic movie monsters that terrorized cities. His steps shook the floor, even when Finch was safe in their shack under it. And when Finch was above... they could feel their bones rattle with each thundering impact. The random smirks he sometimes wore were unsettling. Like he was sharing a private joke with himself. Finch tried not to think about it.

Matt was making tea.

Matt. It felt odd not referring to him as simply 'the bean'. A name was personal; it was a connection. It was unsettling.

Matt was making tea. Finch wanted one of those sugar cubes, normally sealed in a jar with a lid too heavy to even consider lifting. They peeked out from behind the fridge. The bea- Ma- he was standing there with a kettle, pouring water into a tall mug. Finch swallowed. If they were human, he would be one of those skyscrapers that reached for the clouds.

He turned around. Finch jogged to the discrete handholds they'd made in the side of the counter. Even a sighted bean wouldn't notice the indents - they made sure of that. Finch had yet to make the same accessibility for the island, but it was top of the to-do list. They climbed, unable to see the bean. They heard crinkling.

When Finch peeked over the countertop, a sleeve of cookies was in the bean's grasp. Finch's vision tunneled. Damn. Fresh cookies…

No, stop, bad! Get the cube, get out. You have food at home.

Finch pulled themself up and over the edge. They watched the bean closely, looking out for sudden movements or changes on his face. The open jar stood between themself and Matt.

Easy. No problem. Just don't make a sound and everything will be fine.

The bean in question was fighting to contain his astonishment.

Matt's intrigue piqued. Tiny was getting braver. With every moment spent in his presence, they grew more confident. It nearly drew a chuckle out of him. Tiny was cocky - cocky that they were getting away with all this, and that he remained ignorant during their escapades. That's why he could only sense a bare trace of fear on them: they were underestimating him. They were assuming a blind man couldn't possibly know when someone was stealing food and office supplies right under his nose, even making a ladder in his furniture. That was vandalism. Matt tracked Tiny's soft steps on the countertop, closer and closer, as he placed a few cookies on a plate. Did they think he was that oblivious? Matt was honestly a little offended.

He wondered how far they would go if he kept up the act.

He walked away - suddenly, he needed something from the fridge - and they took the opportunity to scale the jar and snatch a sugar cube. He heard shuffling fabric as they stored it somewhere - it seemed to be a mini duffel bag. They paused next to the plate of cookies and walked away with a sharp exhale. Tempted, but deciding they didn't want to risk it. Priorities.

Matt returned to fish out the teabag. Tiny froze. A fawn response. Matt was familiar with it. It never worked. This time, though… he let it slide. He felt bad scaring the little guy. Then again, they had the audacity to steal right in his face. A little surprise would be good for that ego they were sporting.

Tiny snuck away, down their makeshift ladder and into the floor once more. He heard the release of breath followed by a relieved giggle. Alright, it was kind of endearing, letting them get away with shit. Matt would never deny his soft spot for those in need. Matt allowed himself a secret smile. He broke a piece off a cookie and dropped it next to the fridge. He didn't know there were so many weak points in his apartment. He should probably get that checked out.

Despite cleaning up the glue traps, there was one the bean forgot about. Maybe there were others. Maybe it was intentional - awfully convenient that it was in a spot Finch rarely traveled by, and also very conveniently below a drop with poor visibility.

How did Finch know this?

They were stuck in the damn thing, that's how.

"No, no, fuck," they hissed, lifting either leg. The glue was unfairly strong and the edge too far. They didn't have any rope to throw. The nails that Finch climbed with were useless, and the rubber bands tied around those too pliant for any length.

Regardless, Finch detached the rubber bands from their belt. Clutching them tight, Finch threw a bent nail at the edge of the trap. The metal recoiled and dragged straight into the glue. Finch swore a vehement streak. They tugged, but the elastic had zero resistance. It was stuck just the same as Finch. Their single remaining nail burned like a rod of fire in their clammy palm. They desperately searched for some kind of ledge. Furious tears shone in their eyes.

When they'd dropped down and felt the floor squish under their feet, they were merely annoyed. Then they heaved and pried and pulled till sweat coated their face and the severity of the situation dawned on them. They were stuck. They hadn't felt so helpless since that building came down. That fucking building. Anger rolled in their gut for being so careless and stupid and not trying hard enough.

The glue was like one of those tar pits they'd heard about: the ones that trapped mammoths and dinosaurs and preserved their remains. Finch had never seen a fossil. To humans, dinosaurs were the titans that walked the earth. Finch would've liked to see a skeleton of a creature to earn that title.

Finch was going to die here. The human had doomed them. Really, how long would it be until he remembered the trap existed? If he remembered it existed. Finch always pictured a brave or exciting end: eaten by a bird, in battle against a rat or spider, run over by a car. Here, slowly wasting away... hm. Acceptance washed over them.

Time passed. Not once did their grip on that nail loosen. They could do nothing but think and wait and wait and think. Every choice and regret hit them in succession. Was their life flashing before their eyes? It felt far longer than a flash.

Finch was replaying their biggest regret on loop when the front door shutting knocked them out of it. Oh, goodie, the orchestrator of their demise was home from work. Abruptly, Finch realized they never got to try one of those cookies.

Something was different when Matt got home.

He couldn't put his finger on it. He put his cane away and shrugged off his jacket. There had been a tangible shift in the atmosphere. Wary, Matt walked around and scanned his apartment. No new scents - nobody had broken in. Matt tried to ignore it and spread out the papers from their case on the table. He was trying to take his dedication to his job seriously this time - letting Karen and Foggy down again wasn't something he could stomach. Foggy, especially, had hurt too much to bear.

Matt was too distracted. Finally, he realized what was wrong.

Tiny was silent.

It wasn't uncommon - there was the odd time they went down to another apartment, a result of Matt lacking in the goods department. Nothing worrying.

Suspicious, Matt did another sweep. No, he found. Tiny was still here. They were... quiet. Not moving. Somewhere under the stairs to the roof. Their heartrate was elevated. Their breaths were quick, stuttering, with an undercurrent of sniffles. They sounded all too much like someone Matt wouldn't second guess saving out on the street.

Tiny grunted under strain. There was a strange noise under their feet, like mud.

Matt jolted as if electrocuted. He forgot a trap.

What followed was Matt lunging for the loose floorboard. He tried to estimate how long they'd been stuck. Since he left this morning? The pungent scent of glue wisped into the air and guilt twisted inside him. How could he forget? Were there others? How long had Tiny been there?

There was still food in their stomach. The smell of strawberry and wheat cracker was fresh on their breath. Matt felt a tinge of relief, replaced by guilt again - not nearly as long as he'd feared, but any length of time was too long.

Tiny's reaction was one of their squeak-yelps and a subsequent stabbing.

Matt hissed, "Ow," and flinched back when something sharp stung his finger. Tiny made another motion to defend themself and Matt withdrew his arm. "You know, most people don't attack the person trying to save them," he said, mildly put out. He understood he was an actual, literal giant here, but give him some credit.

Alright, so he should have announced his intentions first - that was on him.

Matt said, "I don't want to hurt you. I'm trying to help."

"The hell you are!" Tiny bellowed with all the ferocity contained in their little body. It was an unexpectedly Herculean amount. "Who set the traps in the first place, huh? Then you come in tryin' to snatch me up like a damn claw machine. 'Help' my ass!"

"I'm trying to help. I'm sorry about the traps - really, I am. I thought I got all of them out. I'm truly sorry. Will you let me fix this? Without stabbing me again? Please?"

A contemplative silence fell over the two. It was only respectful to ask: as someone who'd been stabbed and shot and hit more times than he could remember, Matt could handle a poke or two. But he didn't like being grabbed without his consent - why would someone who's just a few inches tall?

What even was that weapon, a nail?

...He should update his vaccines.

"You don't plan to lock me up and reveal me to the world for fame and wealth or ship me off to scientists that'll experiment on me?" Tiny asked suspiciously.

That was... shockingly specific. And all completely valid concerns. "No."

"Liar."

"I'm not. In God's name, I swear I'm not lying. Would I be trying to gain your trust if that was my goal? Why would I bother?"

"I guess... you just don't want me to stab you again."

"Oh, for- I owe Foggy several apologies if this is what he deals with."

Tiny agreed to let him help after admitting they were prepared to die anyway - ouch - and that being captured by a 'bean' - what? - really couldn't be worse. A win was a win and Matt didn't argue, reaching under the floorboards to rescue them.

It was a surreal experience for both parties. Feeling a tiny, human body fit in his hand, and for Finch, a massive hand wrapping around them. They were stiff as a board, bracing against fingers as wide as their torso. For every borrower, this was the worst case. This was the nightmare that made children hide under the covers. A human had discovered them - was holding them. Finch resisted the urge to bite and scrap and do anything in their limited power to free themself. A second hand pressed down on the edges of the trap and then Finch was being pried off. The glue was reluctant to let them go and threatened to claim their boots as a prize. Finch squawked and fought to keep them.

"Shit," they blurted. "Oh, sewers. Fuck me running. Mother of termites. Pissberry."

The glue released. Matt lifted both borrower and trap out of the floor and got up from his prone position.

He was holding a tiny person. He could hardly believe it, but feeling was believing. All of his focus lasered in on the small being. How their chest rapidly expanded and fell, the thrum of their terrified heart against his thumb and ears. How delicate their bones were as his fingers closed around them, thin as a bird's. A bag was slung diagonally across their back, the items inside pressing into his palm. Their clothes were handmade, stitched together with large thread - thankfully with textures that didn't make him gag. Were those overalls? Or maybe a jumpsuit. Buttons on their flat front dug into his thumb - small, yet still bigger than their hands. And their hands... they were miniscule. Teeny fingers pushed at his own, digging into the creases of his skin and their prints indecipherable. Shoes scraped the underside of Matt's fist, sharp points on the toe of each boot threatening to scrape him up like the furniture they were fashioned to dig into.

Everything about them was fascinating. But he couldn't help noticing how pronounced their ribs were.

Finch remained tense as Matt carried them to the kitchen. Trapped in his clutches, they could do nothing but let him. What happened now? The cautionary tales never got this far. Being caught was the ultimate end for all those stories, with the killing and torture reserved for the footnotes and overactive imaginations of listeners. Finch weakly struggled, knowing they couldn't possibly escape but not wanting to just sit and take it.

"Here. I'm putting you down," Matt said. He lowered his hand and released Finch before walking away. "Just a second."

Finch tried to book it. Their shoes peeled off the countertop like prickly burs and they cringed at the sound and sensation. Taking a single step was a harsh, sticky ordeal. "Damn," they muttered under their breath.

"Going somewhere?" asked Matt, more lighthearted than he had any right to be.

Finch shot a glare at him over their shoulder. It didn't matter that he couldn't see it. All the better, actually: they could show as much vitriol as they liked without repercussion. "Yeah, chuckle it up, twelve stories. I wouldn't be here if you didn't set that shit up."

Matt disposed of the trap and sought out a roll of paper towel, which he ripped and ran under the tap. "You're right. I'm sorry." He placed the damp paper towel near them. "For the glue."

Finch accepted it and glowered the whole time. The warm water rubbed the glue off their soles. A train of curses filled their brain that were one lapse in self-control away from becoming external. One thing had been itching at them; they decided to voice that instead.

"How'd you know where I was? How did you even know I was stuck?" Realization struck. "Or how I even exist. I didn't think of that. Fuck."

Finch watched his features wrinkle and strain before relaxing. Matt said, "That's on you for assuming a blind man won't notice someone stealing right in front of him. Really, it's insulting."

"Stealing? Heh, no, no, it's called borrowing. We borrow things. There's a clear distinction. Beans steal, borrowers borrow." Their eyes widened.We. I just revealed our name. They played up the aggression, rising to their full, diminutive height. "So I got a little carried away. And what about it? You gonna put me in a jar, huh? Oh, no, I borrowed some food. You got plenty! You gonna miss some crumbs? Some string? A bottle cap here or there?" They scoffed and planted their hands on their hips. "You try to survive and suddenly you're stealing. Yeah, lemme go get a human job real quick in your human economy to pay my human bills for my human house. I'll get right on that."

Matt, who was prepared to argue the definition of stealing vs borrowing, was left sufficiently gobsmacked. The lawyer in him wanted to correct their language; the empathy in him knew that they were right. He'd concluded on his own that Tiny had no other options. Many people rarely did. Hearing it made the legal voice pipe down, and also make the connection that Tiny wasn't the same species as him. Which... yeah, should have been obvious. Were they a fairy?

"I'm not mad about the stealing," he said. "Sorry, 'borrowing'. Which isn't the right- anyway. I'm annoyed about the sock but- but that's it. I even left some crumbs around for you. Once I figured out you weren't a mouse. I really don't have a problem with you living here. Well, there's- no, nevermind. You probably don't care about that." He frowned in thought. Would a tiny person living in the walls even know about Daredevil?

Finch's whole face furrowed. "Oh... kaay. That's- wait, actually? Like, actually? You're not lying?"

Matt huffed. "Again, why would I be lying?"

Finch threw their hands in the air, giving them a frustrated shake and gesturing wildly. "I don't know! You could still switch up on me! I can't trust you. Avoiding beans is how I made it this far. I'd be dead or imprisoned or dead if I didn't. I can't trust you. How am I supposed to believe you?" They ruffled their hair and growled. They pulled their bandana down around their neck and played with the smooth fabric, pacing. "I thought I'd be some kind of pet or- or- or experiment. Or dead. I'm so confused. I'm so confused. It's all so confusing."

Matt didn't respond at first. He let their confession sit in the air, giving it the room it deserved as he thought it over. A pet. Something distinctly sub-human; lower than personhood, undeserving of self-determination. Or an experiment - even lower. That was how the world perceived Tiny. That was how Tiny believed he perceived them.

Matt loved nothing more than proving expectations wrong.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Finch scowled up at him, then exhaled harshly. "Goldfinch. I go by Finch."

"Hello, Finch. I'm Matt. Would you like something to drink?"

"...what do you have?"

Previous | Next

AO3

[racheyace]

What's Wrong With You?

An Asexual Awareness Week Special!

Introducing Luke as a Gay Ace in this short story about his first breakup as a young adult. I was saving this story for later, but I thought it fit the theme of the week, so you get a bonus story. This is still a G/t fic however the G/t happens towards the end. Approx 2.2k words.

Luke walked beside Jason wondering if this was what it felt like to be falling in love. They had been seeing each other for about six months after they were introduced by a mutual work colleague and had been basically inseparable since.

Spending all their free time outside of work together, playing video games, going out to community events, nature walks and frequent romantic date nights. Outside of Matt, Luke wasn’t sure he had ever adored someone as much he adored Jason, he was polite and gentlemanly, considerate of his personal space and was always looking for things to do that Luke genuinely enjoyed.

They walked towards Luke’s apartment that he shared with Matt and stopped at the steps just outside the door, Jason turned to face him with a twinkle in his hypnotizing blue eyes. They reminded him of his own but where his eyes were a pale light blue, Jason’s had flecks of aqua through them, he loved them, he loved him.

“I think that had to be the best date night so far, if I do say so myself.” Jason whispered with a soft smile on his lips.

They had just had dinner out at what had to be an expensive restaurant for which Jason had lovingly paid for followed by a sunset cruise down the Hudson River, the night had been absolutely perfect.

“It was incredible Jay.” Luke wrapped his arms around the slightly shorter but stockier man pulling him in for a soft hug and squeezing him lightly, appreciatively. He rested his head in the crook of Jason’s shoulder and inhaled his scent of expensive cologne sighing in contentment.

Jason pulled away only slightly so that their faces were inches away, Luke stared into his eyes, a soft smile creasing his features. He was about to invite Jason inside for a coffee and maybe some more snuggles, as was their usual routine, when Jason began to lean in closer, lips half an inch away from his own and aqua blue eyes fluttering closed.

Luke pulled away only slightly, he averted his eyes as Jason opened his own back up again, presumably to see what the problem was. Luke sidled over the awkwardness by grasping Jay’s hand in his and tugging him up the steps, towards the door.

Jason resisted, only going up half a step before staying in place with a hurt look clouding his eyes.

“What did I do wrong?” Jason whispered, lowering his head as he stared at the ground with eyes clenched shut.

“Jay, you haven’t done anything wrong.” Luke tried to laugh it away as though he were just being silly.

“Come on let’s go inside, pretty sure we have some mocha iced coffees in the fridge, I know you love them.” Luke continued to try and skirt the subject, but he knew it would come up eventually, he had just hoped it wouldn’t be tonight when tonight had been so perfect.

“Why won’t you kiss me?” He dropped Luke’s hand.

“What?” It was all that Luke could think to say, Jason had never once pushed him into anything he didn’t want to do, or said he wasn’t ready for, and he was so grateful, but he also knew he couldn’t keep avoiding that kind of physical intimacy forever.

He had been trying to practice how this conversation would go in his head for months but now he drew a blank, how do you tell someone you love that you don’t enjoy kissing them.

A kiss didn’t make him feel more connected to Jason, being in his presence did, laughing with him did, spending any kind of time around him did, Luke felt that their emotional connection was strong without the need for physical actions of intimacy to prove it.

“You never kiss me.” Jason said quiet but firmly, Luke felt his heart race.

“I do.” Luke defended mind racing to the number of times they had kissed during the course of their relationship.

Jason just shook his head before snapping his head up to look at him fiercely. “No, you don’t.” He shot back.

“I kiss you and that’s only if you allow it to happen which is rare. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve kissed you in the months we’ve been together. It’s not right Luke, it’s not how a relationship should be.” Jason appeared somehow angry, cold, and hurt all at the same time, Luke had never seen him like this.

“I just think we should take things s-.”

“Slow. I know, and I’ve been patient Luke, I really have. I just-.” He looked to the sky as though the stars might give him the right words to express what he was feeling and what he wanted, he sighed before meeting Luke’s worried eyes once more.

“I just don’t understand why you don’t want me.” Jason’s voice cracked with emotion.

“I do want you Jay, I-I love you.” Luke was pleading, he’d never said those three words out loud to Jason before, but he felt like Jay was slipping away and he was so desperate not to lose him.

“Then why won’t you kiss me? Why won’t you sleep with me?” He snapped fiercely, accusing now.

“I-I do sleep with you.” Luke’s words were weak, and he held back tears behind his eyes.

“Fuck Luke, you know full well what I meant, why won’t you have sex with me?” He was raising his voice now, causing Luke to flinch like he’d just slapped him.

“I- I don’t know, I just don’t want-.” He groaned in frustration with himself, his mind racing to word this better.

“I want to be with you Jay, I just don’t like that stuff.” Luke’s words dwindled to a whisper as he spoke, he couldn’t find the words to just tell him that he wasn’t interested in intimacy in that way without hurting him.

“Is it me? Are you not attracted to me?”

“No Jay.” Luke said firmly. “It’s not you, I swear, I-it’s me, I just don’t-.” he sighed again, why was this so hard to explain?

“Right.” Jason said sharply, cutting him off. “It’s not you it’s me, right? God, what’s wrong with you?” Jason had crossed his arms over his chest now, creating a cold space between them and glared at him.

Luke wondered if maybe there was something wrong with him, why did this have to be so hard, it shouldn’t be this hard to be with someone you love, he should want to be together in a more intimate way, to move their relationship forward, right?

“I’ve been understanding Luke, I’ve been so patient with you, I even put up with the secrets you keep from me, secrets that you only seem to share with your precious Matthew, but I’m done. You have to give a little too.”

Luke felt a tear slip down his cheek, taking a steadying breathe and thinking rapidly about what he could do to give Jay what he needed.

“Jay, I’ll kiss you, please just stay with me.” Luke sobbed, his skin began to tingle, the itching feeling creeping down his spine as though the mention of his stupid secret had called upon his curse, trying to convince him to shrink down to the size he felt right now.

Luke stepped closer to Jay again, grasping his hands to the sides of his face in desperation but this time Jason was the one to pull away jerkily.

“Do you even want too though?”

Luke felt his heart plummet into his stomach, and he felt sick, and itchy and he fought with himself to remain standing, to remain at a normal height, but he was losing control quickly.

“I-I can’t tell you what you want to hear.” Luke whispered, grasping the handrails to keep himself standing, he was losing him.

“I’ll see you around Luke.” He said with finality, closing his eyes once more and turning away. Luke flung his arms out ready to pull Jay back to him, but he was already fast walking in the opposite direction.

“Jay please!” Luke called after him, more tears rolled down his cheeks as he skipped down the steps but stopped at the bottom when the itch in his skin got stronger, unable to contain it anymore.

He watched in agony as Jason disappeared down the street and out of sight before turning back to the apartment door and ripping it open, he climbed the stairs two at a time while he could, feeling himself shrink inch by inch, the stairs becoming further with each stride and more difficult to climb but he pushed on.

He reached his door just as he was reaching the seven-inch mark, he ducked under the gap between the door and the floor, wriggling his way through before collapsing against the wall beside it.

Sinking to the thick carpet below him, he curled up, bringing his knees close to his chest and cried.

A short while later Matt emerged from his bedroom, he’d gone to bed early knowing that Luke was out with Jason and would be home late, he didn’t want to disturb them if they decided to come into the apartment.

Quietly Matt tip toed through the hall heading toward the kitchen to get a drink of water, he passed the front door on his way but stopped short.

He had almost missed it, his eyes scanning right past the small figure curled up against the wall.

Matt slowly approached, knowing his friend better than anyone else in the world, he knew something must have happened, Luke only shrank like this when he was really upset.

He laid down on his stomach, arms crossed in front of him on the carpet and his head resting on his forearms, looking at his diminutive friend with worry. He knew being on the same level as Luke when he was small made him feel more comfortable, shrinking wasn’t one of his favorite abilities.

“Luke, buddy? What’s wrong? What happened?” Matt kept his voice as low and gentle as possible.

Luke sniffled and rubbed at his eyes, Matt had to suppress an ‘awwww’ as he did this, he just looked so damn cute, but his concern for his friend won over and he inched his hand closer, wrapping it gently around Luke’s back in a show of support.

Luke sat up slowly leaning into the warmth the hand behind him radiated, he held Matt’s thumb in his lap as though it were a puppy and petted it absently, still not meeting his eyes.

“I-I think Jason j-just broke up with m-me.” His words shook and his tears startled falling with renewed vigor.

Matt closed his eyes, resisting the urge to clench his fists, fighting the anger building within him, he wanted to punch Jason in the face in all honesty, he never liked the guy anyway but that wasn’t what Luke needed to hear right now. Instead, he closed his fingers ever so slightly around his friend in a soft hug.

“What happened, I can organize a hit man if necessary.” He said calmly, hoping to make Luke at least laugh a little.

Luke didn’t laugh though, he didn’t even smile, he only hung his head practically whispering his words.

“I-I’m not enough for him, he n-needed more a-and I couldn’t give it to him.” He hiccupped, burying his hot wet face in his little hands.

“Did he know your Ace?”

“No. That’s my f-fault, I didn’t know how to tell him, I tried b-but I couldn’t say it r-right.”

Matt sighed, he’d known Luke was Asexual since they were teenagers, Luke was only coming to terms with this fact in the last few years and he clearly still felt a lot of shame around the subject.

“Luke, this isn’t your fault, do you hear me?” Luke met Matt’s large hazel eyes then, staring so intently into his own, he nodded weakly, not really believing it himself.

“Relationships aren’t all about sex, he should have respected your boundaries instead of thinking with his dick.”

Luke nodded again, he knew Matt was right, it didn’t help the ache he felt in his heart though.

“There are better guys out there for you Luke, one’s that will actually understand you.” He scooped his hands beneath Luke’s body gently, allowing Luke to adjust himself in the palms of his hands before standing.

“Now quite moping and let’s have some ice cream, you’re lucky you’re so small right now cos there’s only a little left and I wasn’t planning on sharing it, but I guess you can have a little bit.” Matt winked, trying to change the mood in the room.

He wasn’t comfortable in emotional situations like this, he was the kind of guy to replace tension or awkwardness with humor instead.

Luke sniffled again with a small chuckle, allowing a small smile to cross his features as he was carried into the kitchen by his best friend.

“Hey Matt?” He called prompting the dirty blonde to look down at him.

“Yeah dude?”

“Thank you.”

Matt felt a small blush touch his cheeks and he looked away promptly, muttering a grunted ‘no problem’ before dropping him off on the kitchen bench and preparing their ice cream.

A message to all my fellow Asexual’s out there, you are not alone, you are not broken and there is nothing wrong with you. You are capable of love and affection in whatever way you feel comfortable to give and receive it, don’t ever let a partner or anyone else tell you that you are incapable or undeserving of love.

[vintageimageryx-blog]

Old Dallas Texas Map Vintage Historical map Antique Restoration Style Map of Dallas Texas Wall Map Texas Map Home decor Texas art by VintageImageryX

19.00 USD

Old Dallas Texas Map Vintage Historical map Antique Restoration Style Map of Dallas Texas Wall Map Texas Map Home decor Texas art ◆ NEED A CUSTOM SIZE ?!?! Send us a message and we can create you one! ◆ D E S C R I P T I O N This is a rare map of the city of Dallas from 1905. Originally a small community built around agriculture, the convergence of several railroads made Dallas a strategic location for several expanding industries. This map features wonderful ads from the era. a beautiful map for any Home or Office decor - more of our antique reproductions you can find here - https://ift.tt/Qfa4uiP ◆ S I Z E 11" x 17" / 28 x 43 cm 18" x 24" / 45 x 61 cm 24" x 30" / 61 x 76 cm 24" x 36" / 61 x 91 cm 32" x 43" / 81 x 109 cm 43" x 60" / 109 x 152 cm *You can choose Your preferred size in listing size menu ◆ P A P E R Archival quality Ultra smooth fine art matte paper 250gsm ◆ I N K Giclee print with Epson Ultrachrome inks that will last up to 108 years indoors ◆ B O R D E R All our prints are without border. But if You need one for framing choose it in dropdown menu ◆FRAMING: NONE of our prints come framed, stretched or mounted. Frames can be purchased through a couple of on line wholesalers: PictureFrames.com framespec.com When ordering a frame make sure you order it UN-assembled otherwise you could get dinged with an over sized shipping charge depending on the size frame. Assembling a frame is very easy and takes no more than 5-10 minutes and some glue. We recommend purchasing glass or plexi from your local hardware store or at a frame shop. ◆COLOR OF PRODUCT- Please also note that, although every effort is made to show our items accurately and describe my products in detail, we cannot guarantee every computer monitor will accurately depict the actual color of the merchandise. Please contact us with any further questions or concerns about the color or size of any map before purchasing. ◆ S H I P P I N G Print is shipped in a strong tube for secure shipping and it will be shipped as a priority mail for fast delivery. All International buyers are responsible for any duties & taxes that may be charged per country. ◆Disclaimer: These Restoration Hardware World Map prints are similar in style but are in no way affiliated with or produced by Restoration Hardware.

[tahalia02]

Machines Vs the Rest of Humanity: Past and Present. - H.G. Wells: The War of the Worlds

Image: Canepari, Zackary. [n.d.]. ‘The Eye of a “Real Dolls” at the San Marcos Headquarters of Real Dolls. The Real Doll Is a High-End Sex Doll Created by Matt McMullen. Mr McMullen Is Now Trying to Combine Different Technologies to Make a Sex Robot. He Is Experimenting with Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Animatronics.’, JSTOR< https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.16820687  > [accessed 4 May 2023]

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Since the dawn of time (well, that might considerably be an exaggeration), but for an extended period, the fear of technology advancing out of the control of humans and possibly taking over has been a constant topic of discussion, and considerably H.G. Wells’ story acts on that suspicion in the 19th century. 

During this period, it was supposed to be an age of empathy, yet H.G Wells opens his novella with this underlying emphasis that there is super being that are superior and show no form of sympathy to humanity as well. Within the first chapter of this book, we are told that “Minds that are to our minds as ours to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes and lowly and surely drew their plans against us.”  This is a form of ecology, which investigates “the relationships between people, social groups, and their environment; (also) the system of such relationships in an area of human settlement.” (Oxford English Dictionary) 

These unearthly creatures are portrayed as extremely terrifying and spine-chilling, and clearly their relationship with humanity is not on a positive scale.  They have plans that go “against us”, and clearly that is an indication of the negativity that this new species plans to bring on earth, even though one could argue that this isn’t the best way to come to a judgement about them, as Wells’ description and account of them isn’t the most accurate to begin with any way…I shall allow you to decide that for yourself.

Wells feared that humans were taking the world and her resources for granted, so it would make sense that the intelligent being that we have created or in this case, exist on other planets would want to destroy us and show just a fraction of the damage that we are doing to the world.  The narrator in this novella states that “no one would have believed in the last years of the 19th century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own.” (Page 4). 

Wells believed we were too comfortable in the destruction that we were causing through his experiences in Russia and believed that particularly “The Western world should accept the Revolution and should be prepared to come to terms with the new regime.” (Olga Soboleva and Wrenn Angus, ‘Interpreting the ‘Writing on the Eastern Wall of Europe’, page 104) The World in the West were quite comfortable in their situation regarding technology and the future and Wells’ hypothetical aim might have been to ruffle a few feathers and displace that level of comfortability, as “man’s complacent assumption of the future is too confident. “(H.G. Wells, 'The Extinction of Man' (1894), in S. McLean, The Early Fiction of H. G. Wells (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2009) p. 96.

But that is not the case for technology, as of right now. Who knows what the future holds? Firstly, we have discovered that as of right now there is no life on other planets, so the possibility of an invasions of foreign species is thrown out of view, and although technology advances every day, it is not to the extent where it will bring about catastrophe and despair.  Artificial intelligence has advanced to our advancement for example we can use robots to help move materials in construction sites and we can also use robotic structures to aid in cleaning our households.

But regardless of this, The War of the Worlds is still a very big eye-opener, teaching us the possibility of what could happen if we remain in a state of security of the future, when something as bad as a world invasion could occur, and even though the Martians invade just southern England, it could affect the rest of the world too. 

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