#spark of the resistance

[whoelsehasthathair]

I hereby present to you: My username-sake!

Literally, who else has that hair?

This excerpt is from the junior novel Spark of the Resistance by Justina Ireland. It's a quick read if you're longing for some Poe Dameron content!

The illustrations in the book are made by the one and only Phil Noto, who also illustrated some Star Wars comics including, but not limited to, the Poe Dameron comics. Which you should definitely read if you love some tasty Poe Dameron content.

[space-gutz]

I love you magical girl transformation powerup

[wingythingys]

i thought I would try joining in on @ineffablefamfeb ! if i manage to commit to this in any way shape or form I'll be posting on twitter and here, probably with nsfw and sfw prompt fills. genuinely in love with the vibes of this event and i'm so excited to see all the fun sweet (saucy?) pieces that come out of it. prompt fill 1: sfw / getting baby to sleep

[pineapplefulfillseveryneed]

Sparkstember day 10: Whomp That Sucker✨

[cilogram]

A very hazy summer day in the sunflower field, featuring flat Russell and flat Ron.

[spooky-pop]

Time to replay some Life is Strangeeee (Before the Storm)

[idrawgaystffs]

Hanging out with her best friend :)

[yrgirlkv]

SUNBLACK

They called it Collision Day, and it changed our worlds forever. From the leafside came humankind as you know them, emerging what was once part of California. From the rootside came a humankind you’ve never seen before: beings of wood and stone and metal, hailing from a shadow-Earth that mirrors our own. Together, we took the fragments of our old cities and built a new place to live: Sunblack. Unfortunately for us, Collision Day was a messy affair, and the tyrants of two worlds still dream of containing the chaos. Mutants, anomalies, paracausals—whatever they call us, we're everywhere, and every agency wants one of us on a leash and the rest in cages. Freaks are either assets or targets. But what's queerness if it's not a promise to mark out for the abnormal? The shining matter of the interworld has written a psychic power into your very soul, and you're going to use it to protect those like you: hardscrabble, down-on-their-luck, out-on-the-run weirdos who just want to be themselves. Once, people like us were small and fragile. No more. Now nothing stands between our thoughts and the world. This is our chance to show two Earths what we really are. Let's make the most of it.

the core pitch for my sparked by resistance* game of queer superpsychics smuggling refugees across the borders of an interdimensional city

*probably. i'm not committed to it though

[frogaroundandfindout]

Dick takes Rose to a gala to teach her how to blend in and infiltrate. He also tells her about the circles her dad runs in and warns her that slade will probably position himself against them all one day. (Nightwing Vol.2 #114)

[thearoacespark]

happy pride month everyone <3 is the bot chaos still goin on in the ace tag?

okay originally this blog was gonna be silly and I was just gonna start ocposting right away but! Then I fell down a completely different rabbit hole.

so yeah! I found myself super curious about how the research world viewed people like me! But also, I thought it could be a nice idea to make posts documenting my journey reading through these papers, in a more accessible manner like this to share the knowledge <3 There are already some interesting and important topics I have in mind to explore! Though the most material is on asexuality, there were a few on aromanticism and even a wider spectrum, including demisexuality and others!! Was very nice to see!

FULL DISCLAIMER: I’m by no means an expert on ANYTHING here, although I have a couple beginner research experiences under my belt + I am currently studying cognitive science as my major, so some of my coursework is applicable here. Also, I won’t necessarily agree or endorse every point or conclusion that the papers make, but in my view it never hurts to see what information and data is out there!

If you wanna see more posts about this, I’ll be posting it under the the sparks-acespec-research tag. Also, this is a sideblog, so if you follow, I might not always follow back right away since it gets confusing with the main blogs and the side blogs….

If there are any topics you’re especially interested in, please drop an ask and I may or may not be inspired to look for stuff mentioning that!

[glorious-blackout]

On a scale of one to ten, how cheesy is it that the first album I chose to listen to in my very first car was... The Car? 😅

[cybertron-after-dark]

What are the humans like in wayward sparks? Are there any notable ones?

They're not necessarily as prominent in the story as they tend to be in any canon series that includes them, but they're definitely there. The bots spend the first arc just trying to survive on earth until they find a way home, and they have quite a few run ins with the locals. Most of which are relatively unhinged, many of which are not very friendly, because they crash in an itty bitty, rural new england mountain town called Ironwood, wayyyyy out in the sticks. Most residents aren't particularly afraid to fire at will when giant robot aliens decide to show up.

Least alien-friendly would be Rusty Williams, a local logger with one hell of a trigger finger for anyone and anything on his property he sees as a threat. Aliens, government agents asking a few too many questions, cops, whatever. All of them only get one warning.

Fortunately for the stranded Cybertronians, gunshots aren't really fatal or even particularly damaging long-term for giant robots that can put themselves back together if they sustain enough damage to fall to pieces. Unfortunately, they still do enough damage to tear through their outer armor layers and that tends to hurt like a bitch.

In the very least, there are plenty of humans around with their heads screwed on right that won't try to blast anything that looks at them funny. Like Rusty's Daughter, Crystal.

That said, Crystal is an elusive type. A middle schooler Going Through It, trying REALLY hard to be edgy so people stay away (hence the $2 Spirit Halloween horns headband), she'd really prefer to spend her free time hiding in the woods where nobody can perceive her. Thats been a little more difficult ever since a bunch of giant robots started stomping around out there and all they know about her is her dad is super cringe, so she's pretty scared of a bad first imprsssion.

She'd be lying if she said she didn't want to be friends with them (which she does lie about frequently because ew, genuine feelings), especially the Decepticons, because she thinks they're cooler, but she also knows her dad would flip his lid if he knew.

Also interested in approaching the Resident Aliens, is Marie Lambert.

Marie's only just recently moved into Ironwood. It's been a rocky transition to say the least. Her dad's a biologist, a real science-y type, and he moved out to the boonies to be closer to the wildlife. Marie's plenty used to being out in the sticks, camping trips with her dad were a regular occurrence before the move, but it's a little hard to get used to the new place when there aren't very many kids her age around. And the ones that are there aren't exactly very welcoming to flatlanders showing up taking over the place.

But in the very least, Marie makes ONE friend when she finds Crystal out in the woods. And a few more when they find what the adult residents of Ironwood have been telling them to stay the hell away from.

They don't approach them straightaway (mostly because their first encounter consists of watching Shockwave scare away Bumblebee, and Shockwave skulking off when he realizes he spooked the Autobot), but the next day at school they start Planning. They HAVE to know more about the robots, and they're willing to pool their resources and information to make that happen. They figure if there's two sides and they don't play nice with each other, it's easiest for one girl to pick one side and they tell each other whatever they can find out.

This begins several beautiful friendships

Marie chooses to gather info on the Autobots. Mostly because, well, they seem less scary and potentially friendlier. She tries the polite thing (which she's hoping will result in the least possible chance for things to go off the rails) and knocks right on their door. The bots aren't really sure how to respond to a very small, very shy alien critter that showed up right at their door to ask what they are and if she can hang out. Marie isn't sure if any of this was a good idea.

They turn out to be pretty welcoming, especially because organics that aren't actively shooting at them are a nice change of pace.

She gets especially close with Bumblebee. Hes comforting. Makes her feel like everything's going to be okay. She gets pretty anxious, and he's good at keeping her grounded. So far, anyway...

On Crystal's side, it's been... Well, it's been different.

The cons would not admit it on their deathbeds but good lord did Crystal scare the slag out of them when they first realized she was there. She snuck right on aboard their crashed ship and nobody noticed her for about 15 minutes.

After the initial scare, and a bunch of big bad giant robots scrambling around because there is a Tiny Squishy Critter in their Space and they do NOT know what to do about that, Crystal starts in trying to get answers. Answers most of the cons aren't particularly willing to give out (other than Shockwave, who is just very excited at the opportunity to make a new friend).

Megatron eventually deems her more or less harmless. She isn't really causing problems or hurting anyone, she doesn't appear to be hostile (other than hissing at Lugnut when he got too close), and he can't really fault the little gremlin for her curiosity. An ally in a foreign world can be very very valuable when you're stranded, so he lets her stay, "as long as she doesn't get in the way."

Marie and Crystal meet up at school during lunch to share notes. It gets confusing trying to keep track of everything when the two sides give conflicting information so often. The girls try to keep an open mind. Hard to remember things about someone you don't like, but they can't really figure out which version is true for any given story, but they're hoping if they spend enough time with their robot friends, they'll figure it out together.

Maybe they can even help the bots and the cons make up. It's just a silly fight, after all.

It's not like anyone's going to get hurt, right? They're all good people.

[olibavee]

i've had this issue for many years now but i miss when i used to get routinely and consistently excited to draw just for the sake of it. i still get the "i need to draw!" urge because i'm pretty sure the need to draw is hardcoded into my DNA at this point, but nowadays, i pick up a pencil and the thought that i won't make something i deem wonderful and beautiful keeps me from enjoying it at all and i put the pencil down. this is no way to make art. come onnnnn

[blackjackkent]

OK, the Underdark bit I've been most worried about for Rakha...

"Ah! A visitor! You're a welcome sight!"

Rakha is on guard immediately meeting this man. The only other such person she's met before - Wyll identified them as hobgoblins - was Ragzlin, one of the three leaders of the goblin camp aboveground. This fellow, though, smiles brightly at her and turns away from the large stack of books he has been examining, with no trace of hostility or malice in his manner.

"But," he goes on cheerfully, "let us observe the customs of the locals."

Narrator: The scholar's brow tenses. His voice spills into your skull, the spores connecting mind to mind.

Rakha squeezes her own eyes shut as her brain seems to vibrate with the man's voice. Blurg, proud member of the Society of Brilliance, at your service.

Then he flinches back and groans, rubbing his temple. "Hgn--nzzt. Or perhaps not. Your mind is far more complex than that of the fungi."

Rakha opens her eyes slowly. Society of Brilliance. She recognizes that name, too - the trader on the road to the creche mentioned working for them. The trader Rakha killed for being an ass to Lae'zel and threatening to steal a githyanki egg.

The man seems harmless, but she does not trust him. "Were you here when the duergar attacked?" she asks carefully.

Blurg smiles ruefully. "I observed the fight from a distance," he says. "Combat is not my field of expertise, but the myconids handled themselves well enough." He gestures around him. "My colleagues and I are working to improve conditions in the Underdark. This need not be such a dire, hostile place."

Rakha considers this, then relaxes slightly. Whatever this Society might be, Blurg does not grate on her the way Esther did; the beast urge remains at its low-level hum in the back of her mind.

Blurg, on the other hand, is looking at her with sincere interest. "It's curious to find a surface dweller here. What has brought you down so deep?"

(A/N: As usual - Rakha's primary resemblance to Hector is that her inclination is to be completely honest roughly 100% of the time. However, the only honest answer here goes straight to the tadpole; I think Rakha would have been more likely to talk about Moonrise Towers and their destination.

I know why they did it this way - bc they're setting up Omeluum's arrival - but it's always a bit annoying when the exact conversational tack I want to use isn't an option. Cos realistically it's already been established that telling a stranger who knows about such things that you have a tadpole is a recipe for being treated like a ticking time bomb. But we work with what we've got. XD )

"A mind flayer infected me with a tadpole," Rakha says with a slight shrug. She doubts this man will know anything about what that means, of course - and if he does, his reaction will probably be only fear. But there's no more point in sugarcoating the situation here than there has been anywhere else.

To her surprise, though, he perks up curiously. "Truly remarkable! But why come to the Underdark where they hold so much power?"

Rakha blinks. Curiosity is not the reaction she expected. And she can't help wondering if there are answers to be had here.

Explain the whole story.

Blurg listens with intent interest as Rakha, in quick clipped sentences, lays out the state of their adventure so far. He clicks his tongue thoughtfully when she's finished. "You were infected by an illithid tadpole? It's a miracle you're still intact. You must be worried sick - but have no fear! I have a friend who may be able to assist!"

Before she can ask him what she means by that, her head rings as the hobgoblin gives a shout through the connecting network of spores around them. Omeluum!

A pause - and then another ringing mental voice, this one lower and more resonant than Blurg's. I hope this is important, Blurg. My zurkhwood samples need constant attention.

"It is!" Blurg says excitedly, abandoning the mental communication and calling down the pathway behind him. "This adventurer has an illithid tadpole inside her head. But she hasn't turned!"

"No ceremorphosis?" says the deeper voice, now aloud as well. Rakha turns in time to see the new arrival--

"That's impossible," the mind flayer says placidly. "But intriguing. Are you looking to have it extracted?"

All of them go completely still, staring wide-eyed - for a moment too astonished to react.

Lae'zel finds her voice first, and her tone has gone ice-cold with trembling rage. "Ghaik!" she snaps. "Your head will make a fine trophy for my queen!"

"Please - hold," says the illithid; its tone has a muted urgency that might be a panicked shout in any other race. "I understand your rage against my kin. One of my brethren forced a tadpole into your eye - or ear, perhaps? But I assure you, I stand with the Society of Brilliance, not the colonies of my people."

Rakha barely hears him. Her heartbeat feels suddenly very loud in her ears, rage suddenly consuming everything else. Her vision pales out and the beast roars in her head. ENEMY. KILL.

She trembles with the urge to leap forward as she did back on the nautiloid, to hurl itself at this creature that is like those who captured her and destroy it, rip the tentacles from its head and shove a knife through that gaping maw of teeth beneath.

But--

She looks past Lae'zel's seething expression to Wyll behind her. He knows the hunting of monsters, but he has gone still with an expression of wary curiosity. He hears the same thing she does - there is something different about this illithid. Something strange, a mystery that tugs at the rational part of her mind.

And if she fights here, it might turn the myconids against them. And she does not wish them dead; she wants to bring them Nere's head and purchase another moment of peace.

"The myconids wouldn't appreciate us fighting here," she rasps out, her voice strained with the effort of resisting the blood urge. "I'll listen."

"Fool!" Lae'zel snarls. "They infest your head and invade your dreams, and still you would parley?"

Rakha ignores her. This isn't about the illithid, not really-- it's about the strangeness of this moment, and her need for answers, and her own inward struggle. It's another moment where the beast has wanted to kill and she has held it back, which is a sort of victory.

She half-expects Lae'zel to attack regardless, and hasn't quite decided whether to stop her. But Lae'zel remains still; her eyes are burning like coals with frustration... but she follows Rakha's lead and waits, a hand on her sword but leaving it undrawn.

The illithid seems to relax slightly. "I ask only that you refrain from violence," it says gravely. "I respect that your opinion of my kind may be... charged." It takes a slow, careful step forward. "If that settles matters for the time being - would you like a diagnosis? Open your mind to me. Let us see what lurks within?"

Rakha's jaw sets tightly at once. She has many invaders already in her head; she does not need another. Certainly not an illithid. "Never mind," she says curtly. "I'm done with mind flayers touching me."

The illithid tilts its head to the side. "I see," it says. It does not seem bothered by her attitude - but there is an odd air of regret in its monotone voice. "I will remain here... if you change your mind..."

[parttimesarah]

Ben Willbond walking towards me like…

[tinctureofdissolution]

my aethers vs. their colorpicked palettes