#sci-fi healthcare

[dathomirdumpsterfire]

For fun, I wanted to think through which organs Darth Maul is actually missing. This gives us clues as to which bodily processes he just doesn't have anymore, which ones he's using sith juju to make up for, and what Talzin or Death Watch might've done for him with the prosthetics. To be fair, humans have about 70 to 80 possible organs systems (don't ask), but who knows what zabrak have, and where they truly are located. We can only guess.

✓ Means he probably has this.

X Means he probably doesn't have this.

O Means he probably only has some.

(Checklist and conclusions below the cut.)

✓ Adrenal glands (above the kidneys)

X Anus

X Appendix

X Bladder

O Bones

O Bone marrow (spongy part of the bone)

✓ Brain

✓ Bronchi (tubes in the lungs)

✓ Diaphragm (muscle of breathing)

✓ Ears

✓ Esophagus

✓ Eyes

✓ Gallbladder

X Genitals

✓ Heart ( 2 of them!)

✓ Hypothalamus (in the brain)

O Joints

✓ Kidneys

O Large intestine

✓ Larynx (voice box)

✓ Liver

✓ Lungs

O Lymph nodes

O Mesentery (Nerves, vessel, & fat storage in gut)

✓ Mouth

✓ Nasal cavity

✓ Nose

✓ Pancreas (hormones/enzymes)

✓ Pineal gland (in the brain- hormone production)

✓ Parathyroid glands (hormones, in the neck)

✓ Pharynx (back of the throat)

✓ Pituitary gland (in the brain, hormones)

X Prostate

X Rectum

✓ Salivary glands

O Skeletal muscles

O Skin

O Small intestine

O Spinal cord

✓ Spleen (big blood filter)

✓ Stomach

✓ Teeth

✓ Thymus gland (immune training, in the chest)

✓ Thyroid (hormones, in the neck)

✓ Trachea

✓ Tongue

O Ureters (Kidney to bladder tubes)

X Urethra

O Ligaments (connect muscles to bones)

O Tendons (connect bones to bones)

✓ Blood cells

✓ Hair (Uhhh... horns? I guess he has eyelashes?)

✓ The vestibular system (of the ear)

X Testes (unless zabrak locate them internally)

✓ Nails

X Vas deferens (testes to genitals tube)

X Seminal vesicles (semen fluid production)

X Bulbourethral glands (makes preejaculate)

X Penis

X Scrotum (if zabrak keep the testes externally)

✓ Parathyroid glands (neck, hormonal)

O Thoracic ducts (Where lymph flows into veins)

O Arteries

O Veins

O Capillaries

O Lymphatic vessels

✓ Tonsils

O Nerves

O Subcutaneous tissue

O Olfactory epithelium (nose)

✓ Cerebellum

Long story short, besides just his legs and genitals, Maul lost most of his digestive and urinary systems.

He actually kept almost all of his life-critical organs, so whatever sith voodoo he was doing to stay alive on Lotho Minor was probably focused on fighting off sepsis (due to the unclean end points of his digestive system. Remember he got cauterized by a lightsaber so assume he had to make... new holes. There may have also been some self-done surgery to reconnect what remained of his large and small intestines.)

The loss of his testes, if he indeed had human typical location for them, could have proven a growing problem, considering that they make 90% of a man's testosterone, and that's needed just to have normal amounts of energy.

The digestive track is also a problem, as the gut microbiome is where a lot of neurochemicals are produced. For example, 95%~ of the body's seratonin is produced in the gut. Lacking huge chunks of his small and large intestine means that Maul had poor absorbtion of nutrients, and probably needed to eat all the time just to get a fraction of the calories and nutrients from his food.

So. He lived on the edge of starvation due to a truncated digestive track, had low energy, mood imbalances like you wouldn't believe, and constant sepsis. I'm sure the acid rain being the only source of fresh water was also just, so helpful.

I assume, by the lack of black veins on him afterward, and (sort of?) stable mood, that talzin might've regrown some of his gut and fixed the end point issues. Later on, Death Watch (being mandalorians) might've given him more robust life support systems that included testosterone replacement and cybernetic genitals. Seems like what they would do for their own people.

Possible lingering complications? I assume he has a VERY weird relationship with food. He had spider legs for twelve years, so bipedal motion probably fails him sometimes. Back pain. Phantom leg pain. Nerve junction issues. Immune system weirdness (from all that missing marrow, and a long stint with sepsis). Issues storing fat. Talzin yoloed his brain back to sane-adjacent, so mental health is... I mean. Yeah. Triggers. Teeth prone to chipping and cavities (from malnutrition and acid water). Possibly goes to the bathroom once a day and urinates like a race horse. Issues with being touched, myriad phobias, and a squirrelly libido.

Did I miss anything?

[dysphoric-confessions]

I just recently found out I’m probably too fat for bottom surgery (while many surgeons seem to have bmi limits for all trans affirming surgeries, meta in particular does because the fat covers the neophallus and makes it harder to stp) and I’m absolutely devastated. It’s especially hard because it feels like my fault that I gained weight as I used to be skinny.

Trying really hard to outgrow internalized fatphobia, and this has definitely set me back a lot as well as made my dysphoria worse.

May 19, 2024.

[drnic1]

Headsets, Hackers and Health Tech Busts

This month’s episode of “News You Can Use” on HealthcareNOWRadio features news from the month of March 2024 News You Can Use with your Hosts Dr Craig Joseph and Dr Nick van Terheyden The show that gives you a quick insight into the latest news, twists, turns and debacles going on in healthcare withmy friend and co-host Craig Joseph, MD (@CraigJoseph) Chief Medical Officer at Nordic Consulting…

[corpsecomplex]

Repo! The Genetic Opera was like. An objectively bad movie. But it got so close to perfection. A sci-fi horror movie critiquing how the monetization of healthcare leaves the poor one missed payment away from death? And it’s a rock opera? And everyone is a horny mallgoth? She could’ve been the Sistine Chapel of cinematography 

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

𝐎𝐟𝐟-𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐲 | Dogworthy

"Oh you'd be surprised by what this tiny package has to offer."

Tags/Warnings: Police Officer!Jungkook, Dog Hybrid!Reader, Partners to lovers?, Alternate law-system/made up laws, crime, futuristic, sci-fi, body-modifications?, Fluff, romance, Adult themes (sex, alcohol, mentions of drugs but no consumption), Comedy?, Angst, gender prejudice but it's resolved, past injury, MC tackles a guy?, wholesome police action, Seokjin being a menace

Length: 4k words

There is no taglist for this fic.

-> Masterlist

⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅

Jungkook and you have been partnered for almost four years now.

When he was training, he always wondered what his future hybrid partner would be like. Would they be older than him? Younger? He's seen a lot of officers with their hybrids- he will probably get a male partner, as it's the norm most of the time, female hybrids too fearful and nurturing most of the time. What he didn't think would happen was to be partnered with you- because, if he just had to look at you, he'd never think you'd work in the police force in the way that you do.

Basic tracking? Maybe. But actual criminal pursuits and field work? No way.

It's not until you both started training that he saw beyond your mere physical appearance. From seeing you in action in defense and attacks, to learning how to command you properly- and now, living with you, since he has to be ready as quickly as he can if a job comes in. You could loose valuable time if you had to go back to the station and get your partner and then respond to the call, after all. So Jungkook and you live in the same apartment- with you having your own room, while he takes care of you as a part of his main job.

Your diet, exercise, healthcare- all of that is a part of his job as a hybrid canine handler.

And it's a good job- it offers him a way to feel needed and valued, gives him a purpose even when he's off-duty. Although he has to admit, that sometimes, he does feel a little bad- because vacations he takes are off-limits for you, due to insurance reasons. Jungkook would have to file in for actual ownership over you, and that's out of the question after merely a four year span. You have to be with him for at least five.

And he knows handlers who haven't filed in for ownership after more than ten years even.

Turning off the stove as he prepares your breakfast, he hears the familiar sound of your room opening, before your naked feet tap into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. You typically wake up as soon as he does- you've told him that it's a simple instinct thing, that you've begun to adjust to his rhythm at this point in time, and it makes everything a whole lot easier. Because you can be a little grumpy whenever you have to get up early- so whenever you wake up yourself, it take a big weight off his shoulders.

When you walk in later, your food is already cooled off enough for you to sleepily dive in- a sight Jungkook has gotten used to by now, as he sips on his own coffee, watching you. "We're on call for today." He tells you, though he will probably have to tell you again later when you're actually awake. "Means you don't have to rush." he offers, and you nod, humming a reply as you eat your breakfast, tail floppy and hanging down, no tension in your body yet.

If anyone saw you right now, they'd never guess what your job is- or what you've been through already.

Like the first time you bit him, faint scar still decorating the back of his hand- which was entirely deserved, now that he looks back at it.

⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ Flashback ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅

Jungkook feels a bit.. odd, looking at his coworkers play around with their hybrid partners.

All of them are male,, roughhousing playfully, no need to hold back as they throw toys back and forth, chasing birds and just.. having fun. Meanwhile you're busy napping in a sunny spot, unbothered by the loud sounds of everyone enjoying the sunny weather.

"Having a hybrid can be exhausting, huh?" A friend of his and fellow handler, Seokjin says as he sits down next to the younger police officer who just shrugs. "Is she adapting well?" He wonders, and again, Jungkook shrugs, watching everyone playfight with a sense of longing. You've finished your basic training with Jungkook a few weeks ago- so it's not even been half a year yet that you both have worked together.

"Maybe." He just answers.

"You don't sound too enthusiastic about that." Jin jokes. "What's wrong?" He worries, always a bit protective over his younger friend.

"I don't know. I think because- you know, she's female, I feel like I can't really warm up to her." He admits. "It's weird."

"Did you even try and connect with her?" Seokjin offers. "She's pretty sweet if you ask me. I trained with her a bit when she joined here."

"Then change with me?" He asks. "I take Yoongi, and you take her." He offers, making Seokjin sigh- before he shakes his head, patting the younger one's back.

"Oh boy, you need to learn a thing or two first." He laughs a little, before he leaves him alone. And for a good moment Jungkook doesn't understand- until he looks over to where you're sitting, glaring, but not in an angry way.

You're clearly hurt.

Later that day, when he opens the car door to let you out, he wants to offer you a pat on the head like he always does after a finished day at work-

but this time, you bite, teeth leaving a clear imprint in his palm, causing him to retract it in shock. "I'm sleeping in the car." You huff, arms crossed before you move to crawl into the furthest corner of the car, refusing to come out.

"You can't sleep in the car-"

"I can, and I will!" You bark back, as he signs, runs a hand over his face, and closes the door to walk around to the other side- but the moment he opens the door there, you've crawled into the opposite corner, and it's not a game you're playing, very obviously. "Leave me!" You growl. "I'll tell them you don't wanna be my partner tomorrow so you can get a new hybrid." You huff annoyed.

"I didn't mean it like that-" he wants to defend himself, but in all honesty, he did mean it like that. He doesn't know what to do- he feels this odd sense of awkwardness with you, and he blames it on your gender by default, not really looking past that for any other cause.

It was the easiest thing to do- and back then, Jungkook used to be lazy like that.

He slams the door shut in frustration, and even walks inside his apartment to get ready for bed. So be it! If you want to go be petty in the car, you can be his guest!

But the minute it starts raining, he feels horrible.

He shouldn't be so mean to you just because you might not be what he was expecting to get. You can't do anything about that- it's not your fault you've been paired up with him.

So he opens the car door and sits inside the back with you- rain pattering on the roof of the car, as he awkwardly plays with his hands. "I wanna sleep." You tell him. He nods. It's late.

"The come inside." He sighs, looking at you. "I'm sorry I said what I said. I.. that was uncalled for, and you have every reason to be upset." He agrees. "But.. please be upset inside. Where I know you're safe and warm and all that." He awkwardly requests.

"I'll still let them know you don't wanna be my partner." You mumble, wanting to get out- but he reaches out to you instead before you can open your door, not caring about being bitten again.

"Dont." He requests. "I want to make this work. I just.. don't know how." He explains himself. "I'm worried I might be too rough with you or I might upset you more than once or twice." He tells you. "I'm worried."

"...you were still mean." You huff. "Just because I'm a female dog hybrid doesn't mean I don't want to play tug.. Just because I'm a female doesn't mean I can't play-wrestle with you like the others sometimes do in the yard. You could've just asked." You express, and he nods, realizing that now as well.

"Will you let me be your partner still?" He asks, and you nod after a moment.

"We can try."

⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅Flashback End⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅

He's putting down his empty cup of coffee now, before me walks into the bathroom to fetch a hairbrush and hairtie.

As he starts to run the bristles through your hair, your tail wags sleepily- you enjoy things like these a lot, no matter in what context. Jungkook has grown on you over the years, and he'd even go as far as to already say that he'll take you with him into retirement- you just fit so well together at this point.

As he gathers your hair in his tattooed hand, he's gentle with it- knows that it gives you a headache if he pulls the hairtie too hard against your skull, and he doesn't want that to happen. It took trial and error to figure out things like this, and as he makes sure that the ponytail stays low on your head, he can't help but remember the moment he first got a taste of the dangers of his and most of all your job.

It was terrifying.

⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ Flashback ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅

It's your third major job.

Your first two went down effortlessly- you got this, after an entire year of working together. You're a good team, and he prides himself in knowing that he, in his opinion, has the best hybrid in the entire policeforce right now.

So he doesn't think when he opens the metal enforced car door of the back where you're sitting, pacing, waiting for something to do- eyes wide open and tail wagging, ready to receive instructions as he looks at you.

He steps aside, points to two people running.

"Get 'em!" He calls out, and it's your signal to do what you do best, boot pressing against the edge of the car as you practically fly out.

It's always surprising so everyone who sees you working for the first time just how fast and most of all efficient you chase after suspects or criminals. You make up for your lack in height by instead using shortcuts and taking on obstacles, and with your heightened senses, no one can escape you for long.

Jungkook runs after you, a little slower, gun drawn as he calls out numerous times for them to stop running- but they don't.

They never do.

And all goes well- one of the suspects tripping so another officer can cuff him down, when Jungkook hears a sound he never wanted to hear in his life.

Your voice, crying out, yelp echoing in the alleyway out of his sight.

Adrenaline is pumping in his veins as he rounds the corner and aims his gun at the man still holding the metal pipe. "Put the pipe down!" Jungkook calls out, voice angry and dripping as much authority as he can put in it. "Put it down!" He commands again, and at this point in time, the man understands that there is nowhere to run with multiple officers arriving behind Jungkook as well.

And when he tries to run you're there, doing your job despite clearly being hurt- tacking him down, so that responding officers can cuff him and take him to a car where his friend is already sitting inside.

Jungkook will never forget the sight of you there.

Scratches on your cheekbone, and later on at home, purple bruises where the metal pipe had connected with your leg- bruising it badly, but not enough to break.

You got away easy.

What he'll never forget is the blame he placed on himself though, because it was your little ponytail high on your head that he made rather sloppily that morning which gave the man a good piece to tug on- forcing you down so he'd been able to get you off of him and into a vulnerable position.

Ever since then, Jungkook either puts your hair in a low bun, or a low ponytail tucked once into your hairtie to keep it out of the way.

Because he never wants to feel that guilt again.

⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅Flashback End⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅

You're slowly waking up as he finishes up your hair, patting your head a little before he walks past you to bring your brush back into the bathroom.

Jungkook is an odd person to you.

He used to by almost childish- and not in the funny way. He'd also been extremely competitive to the point where it didn't feel at all as if you were partners- but as if he had to find reason after reason as to why you didn't need a hybrid for this or for that.

Tracking? Nowadays, most people have trackable body-mods like he himself has, so why need a hybrid? And wouldn't it be easier to just use a regular dog?

Intimidation was useless according to Jungkook, because no one would ever be intimidated by a hybrid like you. A male dog hybrid, maybe- but not you. That one, you remember, hurt a lot- because it tugged on every little insecurity you had.

Chasing could just be done by the cops themselves- Jungkook even trained to be able to outrun you, just to prove a point. Funnily enough, when it comes to actual field work however, he missed the key difference- because it's not just speed. It's about calculating where a suspect might go, and how you can be there faster to catch up.

Clearing rooms was done in the past by officers anyways- so why use a hybrid now? One could just use a scanner outside to search for any signs of live in a building.

It was weird to you. If he hated hybrid work so much, then why sign up for it? Why train for it?

And then it hit you. He didn't hate hybrid work. He just didn't want you.

You're not sure when that changed- maybe he just accepted the fact that you're his partner now, or maybe he simply grew up. But these days, things are easy. Trust is easy.

And that's one of the most important parts of your job.

⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅

You're on a regular patrol, walking around just so you can get some stretches into your legs from being in the car for so long, when Jungkook spots a woman, child in her arm, running through a field. It's clear that she's searching for something, and it must be important.

"Hey!" Jungkook calls out, walking closer with you walking behind. You're intimidating to some people due to people being aware that police hybrids are trained to be highly responsive to things like noise and faint signs of aggression- so you keep your distance, especially from children. "Everything alright?" Jungkook wonders, walking almost lazily to ensure the woman doesn't feel threatened.

"Ah- yes, I just lost my keys." She sighs, carefully rocking her child. "I don't know where- we were just playing around and they must've fallen out of my dress pocket when I didn't notice." She expresses in frustration, making Jungkook nod.

"Well, how about we help?" He offers, looking over his shoulder at you, who's tail instantly starts to wag at the prospect of a job. "Can she get closer so she can pick up the scent?" He asks, and the woman nods, holding out her hand for you to smell, her wrist providing optimal scent for you.

And then, Jungkook nods, and tells you to search.

Jungkook watches as you roam around, uncaring of the taller patches of grass or bugs you scare up into flying away in the field. "She's walking exactly where I walked.." The woman says, and even the toddler in her arm is now quiet, watching with big brown eyes as you search around, causing Jungkook to chuckle.

"Hybrids are really good at tracking." He explains. "They can somewhat see scents they concentrate on- it's pretty interesting." He shrugs, when you suddenly call his name, making him look at you. "Bring it here!" He calls to you, and you nod with excitement, running towards him to drop the keychain into his hand, the woman sighing in relief.

"That's my keys! Oh god, I would've been here hours!" She says happily, though her toddler tries reaching out for you now, clearly interested in your big ears in top of your head. "No no no, she might not like that honey." She scolds gently, but Jungkook smiles.

"If you're nice and don't tug, it's okay." He explains, as the mother let's her toddler down onto her feet, as you sit down into the grass, letting the child closer, her tiny hands feeling your ears.

"Ah this is so adorable.. is it okay if I take a picture of them together?" The mother asks, and he nods, happy that he's getting these moments.

Jungkook and you are set to soon move from active duty to community police- something Jungkook signed you both up for when the most recent team resigned after seven years. A new, fresh set of officers was needed- and considering that you've never had any mishaps in your entire time of service, the department though that you two and two other teams would be perfect to raise the people's trust in the police again, just like the teams before you already started to do.

So moments like these, captured and shared, are important. Because it's word of mouth, it's people telling people that there's nothing to be afraid of.

Making your way back home, Jungkook stops at a fast food place- walks in with you, causing a lot of people to stare, since it's not something many officers tend to do due to the uniforms you both wear being not really subtle.

But the tenseness of the room quickly melts away as you jump excitedly next to Jungkook when he orders you your favorite food- and a small cup of icecream to go along with it. Your tail wags wildly, and Jungkook can't help but laugh as you carefully walk up to the counter to get your icecream first before anything else-

a thank you falling from your mouth, as you begin to dive into your treat.

⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅

Jungkook laughs when you lay your head over Taehyung's lap- the young man having just finished his training, now set to start his additional training time to receive a hybrid of his own.

He's scratching your ears, playing around, clearly unaware of the fact that you're not a pet at all. "She's so cute!" He laughs when you slip a little, Jungkook helping you dust off your vest for you.

"Oh she's even cuter when she tackles murder suspects!" Jimin laughs as he walks in, giving you a small bottle of water, Taehyung tensing up. "And she's got a great grip once she gets her teeth on you. Jungkook would know." He chuckles. "Do you still have that scar?" He wonders, and Jungkook chuckles, nodding before he pushes up one of his sleeves-

clear bitemark faint but still visible, Tattoos having lost the ink in those spots, especially the two most prominent points from your canine teeth.

"Wait- how'd that happen?" Taehyung asks, watching how Jungkook pets your head, having noticed you shrinking in on yourself as you remember the day.

"It was my fault." Jungkook shrugs. "I forgot my training, and this was a consequence." He offers, pulling you to sit on his lap now, everyone on break sitting on the concrete part of the large yards where hybrids train and play.

"How come?" Taehyung asks, as you lean your back into Jungkook's front, looking around.

"It was right after a job." Jungkook says. "She was still high on adrenaline because she had to both chase someone and hold them down while they were armed and shooting." He remembers the day. "When I brought her back into the car, I reached out to pat her head, just like I always do- but because she was still in her work-mindset, she bit out of instinct." He shrugs.

"Oh." Taehyung nods, understanding. "I guess.. she can be underestimated?" He wonders, and Jimin laughs.

"Oh definitely!" He says, pushing Jungkook's shoulder a little, causing you to growl out of instinct. "Sorry munchkin. But, you should've seen them train! Jungkookies face every time she'd tackle down the instructor was hilarious to watch!"

"Wait, instructor Welsh?" Taehyung asks, making everyone nod in amusement. "But that guy is a beast.!" He wonders, looking at you with wide eyes-

though you just nod proudly and wag your tail.

⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅

"Seokjin, I'm about to commit a first-degree murder right now, I swear." Jungkook groans, head on the table while the squeaking echoes through the breakroom, Jin however laughing loudly, windshield wiper laugh almost as high pitched as the new toy he brought for you.

"Oh come on- you can't tell me that isn't cute!" He argues, watching how you put the toy back on the table, pushing his shoulder to get him to throw it again-

and he groans again as if in pain, throwing it anyways, because Seokjin is fucking right.

You are too cute.

[fox-teeth]

In honor of the final days of @shortboxcomicsfair 2024 I wanted to write a post about "The Maker of Grave-Goods" journey from vague sketches to final comic!

This comic started with a single idea in 2020: how would sci-fi tech like faster-than-light travel effect the life of an artist?

At the time I was writing a lot of outlines for adult sci-fi comics and dreaming about ways to publish them. Two things stalled that project at the end of 2020--struggling with how to get them "out there" in the current US comics landscape, which is very focused on kids' comics and autobio/nonfiction as the main adult genres, and me becoming a frontline covid-19 healthcare worker.

(I have wondered if people read this comic as a reaction to genAI "art"--no, it's more about what's happened to webcomics since the early 2000s)

Some things in the original 2020 sketches stayed the same--compare this sketch of the intro pages with the actual page one--while others changed a lot. Originally the story focused on Mazu meeting other unfamiliar aliens in the space station more and her backstory was less fleshed out and told quickly. Also at one point Mazu's species had technology like telephones, and the species name was "Mazu". They always looked vaguely like dragons though.

I was frankly shocked when I got into ShortBox Comic Fair! And after much hemming and hawing I decided to resurrect one of those sci-fi comics for it, because I figured if any audience could appreciate difficult, literary genre fiction for adults in my ~indie comics for girls~ art style it was SBCF's.

I didn't really get started in this comic in earnest until May (dayjob stuff). I wrote most of the comic in the AMNH's Gottesman Library, both because it's the quietest most beautiful library in Manhattan (IMHO) and I could wander the halls looking for inspiration. Much of the look of this comic--especially the clay objects Mazu makes--were based on drawings I did of artworks in the AMNH and the Met.

As I worked on the outline and script/thumbs the story began to take shape, and became more about Mazu's life story within her extant culture contrasted with the precipice of complete social upheaval her people were standing on with the introduction of FTL travel. It also became twice as long as I estimated...

PART TWO: page from outline to final art

Buy "The Maker of Grave-Goods" on ShortBox Comics Fair

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

Masterlist of Writing

Oh my goodness this took so long to finish haha! Anyways this is a compilation of everything I've written so far, it will be updated as I go along. Btw Here's an about me tag game I once did :)

Worldbuilding:

Geography

OCs

Linguistic Post

Linguistics Part 2!

Hygiene, Healthcare and Hieroglyphs

Ceredell

High Fantasy:

The Holy Crusader

Honey-cake

Deer-shade

A Thousand Lives

My Worst Nightmare

Tabitha-Who-Saw-the-gods

The Fae Prince

The Oracle and the King (aka the story of Iraela's sister)

Daughter

The Godhuntress & the Void:

The End of the World

The Beginning of the World

Old Friends

For Want of a Flower

Spirits:

The Spirit Emperor

No

Merida

History (Not a lorepost) (commentary included)

Put up a Sign

Attempts at fluff/Writing experiments:

Pt 1 (fluff)

Pt 2(angst)

Ones Such As Us (romance)

Requests:

Public transport

Field Researcher

Urban Fantasy:

Tituba and the Darkness

It watched me without eyes

Now, now Dearie

The Devil Drives a Good Bargain

Goodbye

Russian Roulette Club

The Saga of Maizen, Shatterer of Worlds

Rage

The Serpent, part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The Wanderer:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Impossibility

Home

Homesick

Fast Food:

Childhood

Adolescence

Travels

Non-fiction:

On Reading

Bird In a Cage

Dawn

Crumpling Butterflies

Expressions

Love

Hate

Box

Can I?

An Ode to Tofu

Love, or the lack thereof

Misc:

Mahogany (IDK what genre)

God (Sci-fi)

Will you listen, please? (Sci-Fi)

Spirit of the Hole in the Wall (Horror)

An Explorer's Log (Sci-fi)

Heroes (Superhero)

False-Moon (Fantasy but unrelated to everything else)

Lantern (fantasy unrelated to anything else)

Envy (genreless)

Have a nice day! (Joke)

Grass (NSFW, gore)

Take and Give (horror)

How to Become a Hero (don't ask)

Little Men in Taps (joke)

The Smile of Misfortune (realistic fiction)

FAQ:

Q: I'm new to your work... Where should I start?

A: I would recommend The Spirit Emperor as an intro to the universe, and Old Friends as an intro to my writing style!

Q: What is your favourite work?

A: It's not similar to anything else I've written, and the last bits aren't that great, but I have a personal soft spot for Heroes

Q: Have you looked into the Void that lies beyond all things?

A: No. And I'd recommend you don't either.

[steampunkforever]

To be clear, and I bag on it enough that it should be, Solarpunk is a nothing-genre working as a synthesis of generational Toyota Prius stockholme syndrome and the consequences of corporate and social reduction of “punk” to mere aesthetics.

Though littered with trashy romance novels (thanks to its high percentage of bodices ready for ripping) Steampunk had antiimperialism at its core. Dieselpunk, which I’m less familiar with, provides opportunities to critique industrialization* and nationalism by its inherent interwar setting. These are ‘punk genres that, though often misused (insert debate on efficacy of cyberpunk here, or at least copy and paste it from my capstone paper) have a sort of basic ideological discussion baked into them. It might be just a dusting of commentary, but its ingrained into the genre.

Solarpunk has none of this! It’s sci-fi with a kudzu problem! There is no punk. It’s just futurism with extra trees. 

Look at you, you’ve managed to place some shrubs on top of a tower. unfortunately, that does not a genre make. It’s not even a new idea architecturally. The city of Lucca’s had that on lock for centuries.

Fixing Solarpunk and making it earn the title of genre means putting some substance in the aesthetic and filling the hollowness with some conflict, be it against social engineering/ecofascism (Logans Run, a bit of a reach), or greenwashing (Soylent Green, also a reach) Or government over-regulation (Red Barchetta, right on the money). But that’ll never happen, because the solarpunk aesthetic is inherently built on a naive ever-smiling idiocy. And you need the cynicism of counterculture to be punk.

Solarpunk has no counterculture. Its entire aesthetics point to there being no counterculture. The literal architecture of the “genre” tells us: “the establishment has accepted and is actively supporting sustainable living. You have nothing to fight for, the war on pollution is won.”

Solarpunk is to its twee fans what The Libertarian Free Market is to guys who think we should privatize healthcare MORE or what the “Revolution” is to tankies who treat it like a Government-funded-rapture-utopia. Everything will be all right, Society is on our side, and the sun comes out precisely when we tell it to.

That’s not a genre, and it certainly isn’t punk.

*By this metric, Dieselpunk would’ve been the logical wellspring for cottagecore, but funnily enough the cottagecore aesthetic actually owes more of its existence to the same cultural impulses that popularized Solarpunk stock photography. I’m gonna say the word “hopepunk” here because you can only look at the word solarpunk so many times before written language has ceased to maintain any semblance of coherence so why not embrace my role as a monkey seated at a overused typewriter?

[maiesio]

One thing I absolutely love about kink is the stupidly elaborate worldbuilding that can go into it. Sure, you can just have somebody getting knocked up over and over again, but there's something just plain fun about imagining why. It makes the story go from a single little whore pushing out kid after kid to the implication that tens of thousands of people are going through the same thing all the time and it's treated as the norm.

Some of my personal favorites:

Post-Apocalyptic Repopulation - Something fun about a postapocalyptica where everyone is concerned with having as many kids as possible. It makes the pregnancies that much more gritty and weightful, especially when you consider how a warlord may want to populate their territory as fast and brutally as possible...

Space Colony - The sci-fi aspect makes it easy to reconcile how everyone is getting fed and make it so that everyone involved can have access to proper healthcare. It makes a perfect, wholesome explanation for why somebody could spend 20+ years of their life doing nothing but getting pregnant and giving birth. (I'd absolutely love to be a breeder for a living)

Pact Pregnancy - I've seen this toyed with with a few different creators, one on deviantart with a pregnant mercenary series comes to mind. Essentially, people getting pregnant to harness the magical power of their fetus for spellcasting. Mages become constant incubators, using their magic to speed up the process and get to full term as fast as possible. Of course, the closer you are to popping, the more power your can wield, leaving most mages on the brink of labor for most of their days. Magical combat tends to thus be fought to the birth, not death. Perhaps some even sign deals with ancient demons or horrible monsters, holding huge, extremely powerful and active spawn that grants them great powers and terrible orgasms as they push out the horns.

[girlgerard]

thinking about red and blue being an explicit and pretty unavoidable AIDS metaphor within killjoys really hits home how grounded and truthful all of gerard’s fantastical storylines are tbh.

within this universe of classic superhero neons, robots, and laser guns, not only is there commentary about commodification, chosen family, anti-capitalism (debatably imo), and even doctorow-esque data privacy, there’s also a deeply grounded illustration about the experiences of many queer people during the AIDS crisis. here you have red and blue, who are not only a lesbian couple but also sex workers who are discriminated against because of those intersections, navigating what is obviously meant to be read as the heathcare system. you have a storyline focusing on their dedication and love for one another, on the reality of being on the poverty line, of not being considered fully autonomous or deserving of rights based on the fact that they’re androids. you have a tragic decline of red slowly losing her hair, her blush, her skin cracking and her body shutting down as her battery dies. you have the incredibly pointed arc where blue, attempting to save red, gets denied a new battery, and has to attempt drastic and back-alley measures that ultimately fail. through this sci-fi overlay, gerard managed to write a deeply tragic and beautiful love story about two queer people and their relationships with each other, with sex work, with the healthcare system, with their economic status, and with AIDS in a comic that most people only know about because they heard nanana on the radio in 2013. and it’s only highlighted by how heavily 80s-inspired all of the killjoys visuals are.

obviously it can be read in many different ways, but thinking about gerard growing up near a major american city in the 1980s during the reagan administration and thinking about the depth that these two characters have even as side plots. idk. there isn’t exactly a point to this. i just really, really appreciate gerard as an artist. in every capacity

[probablyasocialecologist]

AI can turn some impressive party tricks, but it's unsuited for solving serious problems in the real world. This is true of predictive AI, whose correlations are data-driven conspiracy theories, and of large language models like ChatGPT, whose plausible waffle is always trying to pull free of the facts. The real issue is not only that AI doesn't work as advertised, but the impact it will have before this becomes painfully obvious to everyone. AI is being used as form of 'shock doctrine', where the sense of urgency generated by an allegedly world-transforming technology is used as an opportunity to transform social systems without democratic debate. Faced with social structures whose foundations have been eaten away by decades of privatisation and austerity, the political response is to pump money into 'frontier AI' while hyping it up as the most awe-inspiring technology since the Manhattan Project. The Prime Minister says he will "harness the incredible potential of AI to transform our hospitals and schools" while ignoring leaking roofs in the NHS and the literally collapsing ceilings in local schools. This focus on the immaterial fantasies of AI is a deliberate diversion. When large language models are touted as passing basic medical exams, it's because they've absorbed answers from across the internet. They are incapable of the embodied understanding and common sense that underpin medicine, education or any other form of care. One thing that these models definitely do, though, is transfer control to large corporations. The amount of computing power and data required is so incomprehensibly vast that very few companies in the world have the wherewithal to train them. To promote large language models anywhere is privatisation by the back door. The evidence so far suggests that this will be accompanied by extensive job losses, as employers take AI's shoddy emulation of real tasks as an excuse to trim their workforce. The goal isn't to "support" teachers and healthcare workers but to plug the gaps with AI instead of with the desperately needed staff and resources. Real AI isn't sci-fi but the precaritisation of jobs, the continued privatisation of everything and the erasure of actual social relations. AI is Thatcherism in computational form. Like Thatcher herself, real world AI boosts bureaucratic cruelty towards the most vulnerable. Case after case, from Australia to the Netherlands, has proven that unleashing machine learning in welfare systems amplifies injustice and the punishment of the poor. AI doesn't provide insights as it's just a giant statistical guessing game. What it does do is amplify thoughtlessness, a lack of care, and a distancing from actual consequences. The logics of ranking and superiority are buried deep in the make up of artificial intelligence; married to populist politics, it becomes another vector for deciding who is disposable.

[creating-with-words]

Writeblr Introduction

Hi!  I’m Jen, she/her, in my mid-thirties, and I live in the Midwest (US).  I work in healthcare to pay the bills, but in my free time (when I’m not chasing my kids around) I enjoy reading and writing.

I write contemporary fiction and dabble in poetry, but I enjoy reading all genres including literary, sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers, romance, etc.

I completed the first draft of my novel 4 years ago and since then I’ve been slogging through the editing process/not doing much with it (probably because I also had two kids during that time), but now I’m trying to get back at it.

I’m new to the writeblr community, and I’m hoping to find some friends/mutuals for support and commiseration (writing is hard).  I'm also up to answering any questions/fact checking for fellow writers with anything to do with injuries/illnesses/medical field/medical training. Feel free to DM me!

[pennedinblood]

We need a continuation to the 2 blind mice Vees AU.

ask and you shall receive. :] [original post here] -voxtek (originally voxicare) was founded so the vees could have their own institution for medical care that didn't exploit their recently-descended broke asses. of course, when they're in charge, everybody else in hell gets exploited...just a wee bit. it's ok if they do it ;), and they're marginally better than everyone else, so that competitive advantage over other corporations is what gave them the edge (lesser of two evils)

-if you work for the vees you get free healthcare, they aren't that heartless (major incentive to form contracts with them tee hee). wink wink angel's one black eye being a sign of contract? also—vox's assistant canonically wears glasses—anyways. ;)

-the later addition of voxtek was initially created to pour mountains of research into optical care tech (fancy shmancy glasses, high-tech prosthetics, etc.)

-originally i liked the idea of vox's visual processors (or whatever the hell he sees with) being damaged at some point, BUT i think i much prefer the concept of him being completely blind when he lands in hell to kinda match with the other two. televisions are naturally loud, they have speakers, of course, which makes sense as to why he can talk. but televisions can't see you, can they? :]

-vark was originally a guide dog!!<33 :D

-so yeah between the three of them the only one who can see anything at ALL is val, but it's blurry as shit, naturally. they learn to deal with it together, growing in the ranks towards overlordship, and when their empire is at such a point— val gets the fancy shmancy glasses. vel gets the sci-fi robotic eyes to replace the plastic doll ones. vox upgrades himself to the point of being able to translate images to his mind. it's far from perfect, these things conk out left and right, and there's a shit ton of other issues they deal with just because of the nature of their bodies. but they've grown accustomed to dealing with it, and they're rich enough to afford the best of accommodations

-also the alastor bit still makes me giggle. vox found out about that monocle and instantly felt that shared connection 😭

[dropdeadbf]

rocky horror wasn't transsexual enough. I need sci-fi fantasy trans freedom fighters forcibly transsexualizing their government officials for passing anti-trans healthcare laws and being capitalist pigs. I need transsexuals to be performing their cruel and unusual punishments thru god-like creation. also make sure this one still has its queer eroticism

[tsenya]

brief overview of some movies ive watched and rewatched over the last few months.

first time viewings:

strange darling - i liked it ! i waited months to watch it and deliberately avoided reading reviews and watching trailers for it and im glad i did.

leave my girl alone - honestly one of the funnest movies ive watched in months. i already want to rewatch. the last 30-60 seconds are glorious.

vhs beyond - ok i was a LITTLE harsh in my review. ok i was entirely petty because [SPOILER] they put real life youtubers in the movie and i was so discombobulated like what are YOUTUBERS doing in my HORROR MOVIE! i also have gripes with the 'little green men' subgenre that mostly stem from the fact that my dad believes in aliens and like im gonna be so honest with you i have 1000000 other things on my mind i dont have time or room to think about whether aliens are real and if the US government is using their technology or whatever i do not care. unless theyre giving me free healthcare i do not want to hear about it.

SEGMENTS I LIKED: Stowaway, Fur Babies, and Dream Girl. (tw for body horror, gore, animal death, etc etc etc)

cuckoo - i wanted a little bit more from it but it was good! i liked hunter schaefer as the lead. i think dan stevens should pull a brad dourif and play scuzzy dudes the rest of his career hes good at it and always looks like hes having fun. i will not pretend to understand what was going on i'll prolly have to rewatch

longlegs - full disclaimer i probably set my expectations too high and it's entirely possible that this movie simply wasnt for me. i really wanted to like it and expected to but. i did not. theres more i could say but i think i said enough. i'll try rewatching next year and see how i feel about it.

dracula 3000 - im not bringing this movie up because it's good, it was horrible, i just want to say that it's been 20 years can someone please make a movie about a vampire in space that's GOOD i know someone out there can do it PLEASE

rewatches:

pandorum - i couldnt tell you if this was a good movie or not i really couldnt i cannot objectively assess movies i watched when i was younger very well. all i can tell you is that i really really really liked the sci-fi/horror fusion. also the creature design still holds up i need to know who did it bec it looks better than some of the stuff out today

lake mungo - found footage horror movie OF ALL TIME

sunshine - im in love w this movie i love everything about it. also something i thought about was that it was weird watching chr*s ev*ns in something not marvel is was actually refreshing for once. we need to get cillian murphy into horror/suspenseful sci fi PLEASE.

the slumber party massacre - idk what to say other than 1) idc what i thought when i first watched it i was WRONG i love this movie so much and i do recommend all the reviews i liked if u want to know some of my thoughts/stuff i agree w 2) valerie bates is currently no. 1 girl in horror for me. as u could probably tell from my icon. and header. and sidebar image. and blog page. and

[stary-night]

Thinking about sci-fi stories as a force to advocate for better societies and critiquing modern capitalism.

Particularly with the Iain M Banks Culture series and The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells.

Both series present a utopian society that offers food, healthcare and education to it's residents, as well as being inclusive and welcoming of different genders and sexualities.

This is shown in contrast to other parts of the galaxy, which mirror our own world in late stage capitalism - where people are often unable to afford necessities and work themselves to death and conflicts are common because they help fund wealthy individuals/companies.

Through both books being set in the future, they are able to critique and imagine the further development of modern problems, while also being able to advocate for hope for the future through community.

It's a really cool theme I've seen in the scifi genre as a whole.