#the ship name is a way for us to identify each other and having too many makes it confusing

[fireheartwraith]

I don't get the obsession with defining "oh i'm a dkbk" "i'm a bkdk". Guys. They're the same characters

[ecrivainsolitaire]

Humans have the capability of perceiving when they're being stared at, even if they can't see it.

Dr. T'Chem was staring at Lieutenant /θkɡɾɑːˈŋæ/ (or as his current fling affectionately nicknamed her, "Tucker-Annie"), whose dorsal spikes were still rattling after the incident at the holodeck. It was his first time at the witness stand, and he didn't want to ruin a young star sailor's life.

Lieutenant Tucker-Annie was the combat specialist in charge of the training dojo of Federation Vessel TSN457, named after the Terra-Saturn-Ceres coalition where Dr. T'Chem currently served as the xenoanthropologist charged with facilitating human integration to the local Federation of Fraternal Planets and Satellites. The FFPS had the goal of finding planets with intelligent life to trade resources and technology, and due to their recent incorporation, local research vessels were fitted with diverse crews to acclimate everyone to each other's cultures and biological needs. Dr. T'Chem was the human expert in the ship, and was tasked with helping smooth over interpersonal relations among the crew.

The relations were, at that moment, as bumpy as Lt. Tucker-Annie's dorsal spike line.

An incident had occurred during a training exercise. The squad consisted of a Venusian, two Saturnians, three Ceresians, two monks from the Transcorporeal Temple of Robotic Ascension, and five Terrans (two humans, two dogs and a cybernetically enhanced cat). The exercise consisted of getting through a generic jungle scenario and, unbeknownst to the squad, avoiding a team of ninjas lead by Lt. Tucker-Annie trying to take them out one by one. It was supposed to test the way they would react to a surprise attack.

It was not supposed to reveal that humans could sense when they were being stalked.

Of course, any trained sailor would have an ingrained knowledge of potential threats and how to spot them. Look for the shadows that are too dark, listen for the spot air isn't blowing from, things like that. Basic things most people don't think about but that can be identified if you think about them.

This was not that.

"Something's watching us," said Crew Johnson, in that sloppy way only creatures with lips spoke.

"What do you mean? There's cameras everywhere, of course they're watching us," responded Crew Hessikh, slithering over the vines on a tree branch to cross a river. She grabbed the axe in Crew Johnson's belt with her telekinesis and took down a small tree to serve as a bridge.

"Crew Flufflepaws, could you please take a look?" Asked Crew Johnson, nervously looking around. Crew Flufflepaws got on the tree as well and scanned the terrain from above.

"I can't see anything, or smell anything. And my hearing isn't what it used to be. I'll stay on the lookout for—" a horrendous hiss interrupted the automatic translator's feed. Crew Flufflepaws' comm line cut off.

Hessikh and Johnson looked at each other. That was the strongest fighter of their team, gone. They knew it was a simulation, but it still gave them chills.

The rest of their crew mates were split into two different teams further along the path. Crew Fanning's voice came from the comm line.

"Johnson, Hessikh, are you okay? What happened to Flufflepaws?"

"We don't know, Johnson said something was watching us and it went to check, then we lost comms."

"I felt it too. I know this isn't that kind of exercise but I think— AAAHHH!"

Two blaster shots were heard, then a thud.

Lieutenant Tucker-Annie, who was watching Hessikh and Johnson from the mud pit behind the latter, had her tranquilizer dart ready. She got ready to shoot down Hessikh, but then heard a voice over the comm line.

"Code Lithium, we have a Code Lithium, we have to end the simulation, I just took down- I can't-" the breathing was sounding heavier and faster, too fast for a human.

"Fanning, calm down, remember your sutras. We need you focused, what happened?"

"I felt like I was being watched, so I turned around and saw this thing and it scared me and I jumped and I thought it was on stun mode and-"

"It's alright, we're calling it off. Captain, we have a Code Lithium! End the simulation now or- fuck, there it is again. Hessikh, do you see any heat sources?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary- why haven't they shot it down alre-"

The next thing Lieutenant Tucker-Annie remembered was the sound of a heel turn over the mud, followed by darkness.

Lt. Tucker-Annie woke up in the hospital bay, getting her tail regenerated by a robot nurse. She looked over and found her underling on the next bed, with a huge bandage on the side of his neck and a wing in a cast. Thankfully, he would be alright as soon as the stem cell bank was reprogrammed after her treatment.

The disciplinary board was called, an investigation was open, and both Crew Fanning and their captain were put on paid leave while the investigation was ongoing. Dr. T'Chem was called in as an expert after a review of the holodeck footage revealed there was no way Crew Fanning could have heard, seen or smelled the hidden sailor.

It was the first time in a while he hadn't helped himself to a glass of Venusian whiskey for breakfast. He really didn't want to mess this up.

"And would you care to explain how this is possible, Doctor?" Asked the prosecution, staring him down with an unnerving amount of eyes.

"I am as astounded as this court; our firm has been looking into Terran medical literature and we're still trying to figure out how it works; they don't even know, but they know it does happen, it's been documented for thousands of years. I have a hypothesis, but I don't know if it's even testable."

There was a murmur in the court. The judge asked him to elaborate.

"The way eyesight works is the light bounces off of opaque bodies and in its way it collides with the lenses in our corneas, which send it to the brain as electrical signals to be interpreted. The light that doesn't go into our eyes just bounces off our bodies and other opaque objects as well, the photons go everywhere and anywhere. This is the same for most species in this constellation, including humans. But even other Terran species don't have these abilities, as Crew Flufflepaws has testified."

A begrudging meow was heard from the audience.

"Order in the court, please. Dr. T'Chem, what do you suggest is the origin of this mysterious sense?"

The camera drones all hoovered around him. Dr. T'Chem straightened his fins and got close to the microphone.

"I believe it's possible that humans have a sense of touch so sensitive that they can feel the photons that don't bounce back. The ones that go into an eye instead of an opaque body. I think humans can actually feel in their skin when they are being watched."

There was an uproar in the crowd. His paramour, a dark skinned young human from the human settlement known as "Colombia", grabbed the religious symbol on her necklace and made a gesture with it he hadn't quite figured out yet.

The trial had to go on recess.

The implications were incalculable. Three dozen biologists from six different planets, including Terra, had emailed him before the end of the day to ask him to justify himself. Multiple human religious leaders took the chance to link it to demonic possession or moral evils. By the end of the week, four different labs were trying to figure out a way to double blind test shooting a photon cannon on a human's back and trying to get them to sense it.

But most importantly, the news made it outside of the Federation. The rumours about this new species that couldn't be stalked got so far, it ended up affecting the outcome of a border conflict with the Betelgeuse Libertarian Army on the Federation's favour.

Humans were terrifying.

If this is what they evolved to be, what was their planet like?

[meshla-cyarika]

Migraines

Pairing: Hunter x gn!reader

Word count: 805

Tags/warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, established relationship, cuddles, Crosshair being Crosshair.

Summary: Your boyfriend is back from a mission, but all his sensory input is catching up with him.

--------------------------------------------------

Fuck the Sepratists.

You've been on a week long mission with Delta Squad and have only just gotten back Coruscant. You didn't even see any action, all you had to do was sit in hiding for a week and snoop around to find out if there were Separatists on the planet. There were, but they had left long before you even arrived.

A drawn out sigh leaves your lips, as you make your way towards the mess hall. You've already showered and you're planning on taking a long nap, but you know that if you dont eat anything before then, Scorch's mother hen instincts will take over.

Once you get to the front of the que, the option of stew, or a slop that looks like it could be used to build houses stands before you. You ask for the stew, then you're about to make your way to a quieter table, when a booming voice yells out your name.

Your eyes land on the misfit band of clones known as the Bad Batch, who are sat at a small table by themselves. You instantly notice a certain sergeant's absence.

"Wrecker, I thought you lot were on Kashyyyk?" You tactfully take a seat next to Crosshair, knowing it's the spot where you're least likely to get bits of bread thrown at you by the snarky sniper.

"We were, but we crushed those clankers to dust!" Wrecker's booming laugh fills the air, while he clasps his fist in his other hand to emphasise his point.

"Is that a new record of how fast you've completed a mission?" You arch a brow and take a bite out of a piece of bantha meat.

"Hardly." Tech speaks up, not looking at his datapad for once. "Remember Felucia?" He gives you a look, referring to when they managed to take out an entire droid factory without even leaving the Marauder.

You let Tech and Wrecker break out into their own conversation, then you turn to Crosshair. "Where's Hunter?"

You're not that concerned, because you know that if anything drastic happened to the sergeant, you'd be the first to know. He is your boyfriend after all.

"Migraine." The sniper replies, seemingly too busy with picking off pieces of his bread to use as ammunition to actually look at you.

You sigh quietly and continuing eating your meal. Migraines aren't an uncommon battle for Hunter. With his enhanced senses, everything can become all too much very quickly. His migraines can vary from just a very strong headache, to throwing up and not being able to form sentences. Considering Crosshair's unbothered tone, this is one of the more mild ones.

You finish your meal quickly and stand up from the table to make your leave. "Well, not like this isn't fun, but I have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Which translates to: "don't come back to the ship, unless you want to be scarred for life"." Crosshair smirks up at you.

"Please. In his state, that might kill him." You scoff at his words.

"Urgh! Some people are trying to eat!" Wrecker complains, with a grimace set on his face.

《》《》《》《》

It's almost eery how silent and dark the Marauder is, when you step inside. Tech had mentioned something a while back about how he had managed to get rid of most of the noise pollution that the ship creates. How much they are willing to do for each other never fails to tug on your heart strings.

The light from the open door allows you to see a lump on one of the bunks at the back that you identify as Hunter. You step out of the doorway and the durasteel slides shut behind you, leaving you in darkness.

"Hunter." You call out softly, navigating your way to his bunk from memory alone. There's a grunt and a mumble of something that sounds like your name. "You need anything, cyare?" You sit on the edge of his bunk and your eyes gradually adjust to the darkness, which allows you to notice the few strands of hair in his face that you tuck back behind his ear.

"You. Just you." Hunter murmurs and you can't help the warm smile that etches it's way onto your face at his words.

"Shift over then, trooper." You give him a playful smirk.

"Rude." He huffs back, as he shimmies closer to the wall. You slide off your shoes and crawl into the narrow bunk beside him. Instantly, Hunter's arms are around your torso and he's tucking his face into the crook of your neck.

"I love you, you know that?" You absentmindedly comb your fingers through his hair and press a kiss to the crown of his head.

"Ni kar'taylir gar darasuum." He sounds like he's already half asleep, so you nestle closer to him and let your eyes drift closed...

[jikooklove9795]

Was going through ur last post it was amazing. I am curious though! What was *that* moment of realization to u?

To be honest I am in this jikook shit for years now and feel very refreshed and happy when I see more and more people share and celebrate their relationship

Lots of love❤️❤️

Hi Sweetheart! Thanks so much for your kind words.

The first ever video I watched of BTS was their Dynamite MV. In 2020. I loved it! Everything. The beats, the choreography, their outfits, their voices, their sync. Everything! I started watching everything related to Dynamite. And that's how I stumbled upon the behinds of their MV. I loved how loud and fun the members were. How enthusiastic they seemed about their job.

By this time I was able to tell which members were which. It took me almost a week 😅 It was my first time watching anything Korean. So, I kept getting confused about who was who. However, Namjoon was easy to spot. Maybe it was his blue hair at that time. But by the end of a week I could comfortably identify all of them and got their names correct too.

While I was watching a behinds video of Dynamite I chanced upon this video here. And what struck me was the way Jungkook kept staring at Jimin. He was so into the staring that I doubt he heard anything what was being said until Taehyung had to tap him to get his attention. Not only that but I also noticed that Jimin felt Jungkook's stares on him and was trying not to look at him directly but still looked like he enjoyed the attention.

I got intrigued by what I saw and tried to dig into it to see if it was just a one time thing or if there was more to it. I watched a few Jikook videos on YT. And sure there seemed to be something but I realized all the members are touchy feely and super close with each other. But still the way Jungkook kept looking at Jimin in the above video was something else. It cannot be explained away with normal skin ship, affection or friendship. So, I decided to watch original content instead of compilation videos cause then I can get the proper context.

I saw all the big, loud Jikook moments: RB, GCFT, GCFS, MMA 2018. But what made me realize that Jikook are different, that they're a couple was when I started watching og content in chronological order. Starting from the pre debut days. I could see their story slowly unfolding.

Them being best friends and being fond of each other. Jungkook going up to seek Jimin's advice regarding him wanting to pursue a career in dance. We need to remember that Jimin was the last member to get in the team and Jikook knew each other for just 6 months at this time. But Jungkook still felt comfortable going upto Jimin for that talk and nobody else.

Both of them having a soft spot for each other. Jimin being loud and open about his fondness for Jungkook. But for me the more telling was Jungkook's behavior. Jungkook's constant teasing of Jimin (this is something I have seen a lot of teens do when they have a crush, want to get the other's attention but still not ready to admit that there is a romantic interest). Seeking him out, wanting to be next to him, wanting his affection and attention. All of it.

I could see the realization of feelings, the acting on it. By this time in almost every video, let it be backstage or even award shows Jikook were glued at the hip. They were constantly together all the time by their voluntary choice. Jungkook started openly enjoying Jimin's affection, he became more daring and outgoing in seeking out Jimin. He started enjoying his effect on Jimin. And was always coming up with ways to get more of that reaction out of Jimin.

There were grand gestures, most of it from Jungkook. Sometimes it's impulsive but most of the times its because he wants to show Jimin openly how much he's in love and cares for Jimin. He wanted everyone including us, fans to know that he sees and treats Jimin differently.

There's the living together theories (if I'm being honest its not a theory to me cause there's so much evidence pointing to it). Since we are talking about living together how can we not talk about sharing rooms in hotels. They're the only ones doing it. None of the other members are sharing rooms unless its decided by games that they have to share. The others are more than happy to have their own space.

By 2020 they gave an established, settled and secure in their relationship vibes.

So, yeah for me it was all the og content when watched in that order which cemented my belief that they're a couple. A long term one at that. Who cherish what they found unexpectedly when they came to Seoul for their careers.

Once again thank you so much for sending this in 😊

Lots of love to you too ❤

[paramorerocker18]

An Ace from Beyond the Grave

Dove had become a vigilante by force, using stealth and cunning to try and help those in the worst area of Gotham.

When the Red Hood takes control of the territory the rot that runs through these cursed streets spills over. The vigilante and crime lord have a past that threatens to drown them both.

Or Reader doesn't know that Jason is the Red Hood. Red Hood doesn't realise that Reader is his first love from before his death. Jason doesn't know the extent of damage that his death caused.

CW: swearing, implied threat of SA, violence, trafficking ring, guns

A/N I know there is already a DC character with the name dove but its story relevant later so we are just ignoring that okay

Chapter 1

It was a simple recon mission, get in and get out. A small stealth mission, she would get in find the information she needed to help bring down the trafficking ring and then get out unnoticed.

An easy task.

Oracle had scouted out the warehouse well, she easily identified the best way to breach the building was via the unsecured sky light. After scaling the side of the warehouse with the help of her grappling hook she dropped herself onto the metal structure beams of the warehouse.

The warehouse was partitioned into two, down below were two hench men presumably on guarding the other room.

She flipped the infrared sensors in her mask on. The next room showed 6 heat signatures.

There was not supposed to be seven heat signatures.

She cursed under her breath and navigated along the beams to cross the dividing wall that luckily did not reach the roof of the warehouse.

Looking down, her stomach felt like it had fallen to the floor.

She wasn't expecting to find was the operation warehouse being used an active base to smuggle children. There was supposed to be a few guards, an easy one and done just a small foot note of the patrol and pass the information to Oracle.

Instead here she was crouched on the cold metal support beams, looking down at the far too small bound bodies of four children and two guards.

Quickly clambering along the steel frame to the adjacent room containing the two hench men as quietly as possible. She steeled herself and paused weighing up her options.

Flicking infrared off and upping the assisted listening device Dove could hear the guards below.

They were sat across from each other on fold out chairs playing some card game.

'This gig has got to be the worst one yet, why the fuck has the boss got four of us guarding the brats, what a fucking waste,' the larger man grumbled. Throwing down a card with more force than necessary.

'Quit your bitching, this is a sweet job and anyway the cargo gets shipped out in a few hours we just gotta sit here and get paid,' the leaner man with the crooked nose snapped back.

The man using the word cargo to refer to the stolen children filled Dove with revulsion, the taste of bile biting at the back of her throat.

Her options were looking much more slim than before.

There was no chance of calling in Oracle to ask for back up, not with the signal jammers she had set up to stop the hench man from calling for reinforcements before breaking in.

Idiot now your truly on your own! Her minds voice snarled.

If she left there was chance that by the time she had secured backup the traffickers could have already moved the children to the next location.

She had no choice she had to act. Taking a deep breath in to regulate her fried nervous system; she dropped down.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Jason crawled through the small sky light opening.

After beating the intel out of one of the many low lives that tainted this wretched city, he had finally found the warehouse. They were using it to smuggle the crime alley children to the highest bidders.

His alley, his jurisdiction and these animals thought they could steal his children. Pure venom was raging in Jason's veins. Making matters worse was they had taken Melanie.

Early into Jason's tenure of the Red Hood becoming the protector of crime alley, he had found Andi and Melanie, two street kids who's life story was not dissimilar to the others drowning in the cesspit of Gotham. Not too dissimilar to the life that he Jason had lived before.

Andi and Melanie were sisters, stuck in an abusive home where their mother spent the little money they had on drugs. Andi had been working the streets since she was 17 as well as two jobs in the day.

It had been the coldest natural (not caused by Mr Freeze natural) winter that had hit Gotham in years. The subzero temperatures had even frozen crime, the rogue gallery had gone quiet and even the petty criminals had stayed inside.

Jason was perched on a roof top surveying the still night when he heard a voice by the buildings fire escape.

"I know it's cold Melie, I'm sorry. Here wrap this around you," Jason peered down to see two girls, the eldest shrugging off her jacket and wrapping it around the younger girl.

"Andi, I want to go home please. I want to go home," the youngest girl pleaded, the shivering and tearful sound of her voice piercing the still night.

"I know duckie, we will soon. Mummy's just not very well at the moment. We will go back when she falls asleep." The elder girls voice shook with the lie as she pulled the tiny silhouette of the child into her and started stroking her hair.

Jason let out a hard breath. He was suddenly transported to being 12 years old thrown out by Willis because they were too high to deal with their own child. How many times had he told himself the same lie that his mum was just sick not too high out of her mind seeing things that weren't there to care for him.

The Red Hood would be damned to allow another child to be chewed up and spat back out by their parents neglect the way he had. In that moment he made a decision, Jason came down the fire escape and called out in the least intimidating voice he could muster.

"Hey, it's far too cold for you two in these temperatures, what are you doing out here," Jason cringed at the modulator in his helmet carrying out his voice, his attempt to sound friendly was a poor one.

The elder girl whipped around to the sound of his voice shoving the younger behind her body like a hunted animal protecting her young. The elder sister's arms were bare, she was lean and dark haired with dark brown distrusting eyes glaring at Jason.

Jason put his hands up in a surrender position as he stepped slowly towards the pair. "I am not here to hurt you, I swear."

The younger girl peeked around her sister and Jason caught site of her small rounded face, her nose red with the cold and two light brown plaits framing her face. Her sister was a darker complexion with her hair in a protective style he vaguely recognised as twists.

"Andi, that's the Red Hood he protects people I've seen him on the news," the younger girl exclaimed her wide brown eyes staring at him in amazement.

Having looked at the pair longer now, he could tell they were related but probably only half sisters. They both had the same heart shaped face and nose.

"Oh I know who he is," Andi said with distrust still evident in her voice. "The other girls say you help them, make sure to stop any men getting too rough with them. That true?" The Gotham accent rang out clear as day.

"I do what I can, anyone who breaks the rules, they deal with me," she is a working girl Jason thought, which explains why she didn't immediately book it at the sight of the helmet. Jason had made it very clear that in his territory anyone who messed with the sex workers will be dealt with. Brutally.

"Tiff said you helped her with Carson and he hasn't been seen since."

"If I did then I am sure Carson learnt his lesson," Jason didn't know who Carson was but he had hospitalised those who didn't heed his warnings or worse. "Listen," Jason scratched the back of his neck with anxiety, "I heard your Mum is sick, you really shouldn't be out in this cold. I know somewhere you can stay for a while... until she gets better."

After their first meeting, Jason had lead them to a nearby apartment he had rented as a safe house nearby. Andi had put Melanie to bed and had told him about their mums drug habit and her tendency to forget who her daughters were and freak out at them whilst high. Andi was working 2 jobs and working the streets at night to keep them afloat. Jason transferred the apartment over to Andi the next morning and had set up the payments to the landlord directly from him each month.

So when Andi came to Red Hood six months later in hysterics that Melanie had been taken whilst her girlfriend Lucy had been beaten half to death by a trafficking ring. Jason knew he had to find her.

As Jason positioned himself on the metal structure of support beams what he wasn't expecting was to see a dark figure clad in a black vigilante costume in one hand holding a rag to the mouth of a struggling man with the other arm wrapped around his neck in a headlock.

He watched as the man went unconscious and the vigilante dropped their hold on the guard, who very unceremoniously slumped to the ground.

The other guard flew upwards from his chair and shouted something, presumably for the guards next door.

The guard clearly breaking through the shocked stupor of what had just happened raised his hands in a fighting stance, but his reactions were too slow the masked figure had already launched towards him and expertly used their weight to tackle him to the ground. They tussled back and forth until the masked vigilante grabbed something and dug it into his neck. The man managed to throw the vigilante off and staggered to his feet.

The guard reached up to his neck and removed whatever had been stabbed into his neck and tossed it aside. Jason's eyes followed to where it fell and saw the needle tipped syringe with the plunger fully pushed down.

"You fucking bitch," the nearly 6 foot man spat at the vigilante, "I will make you pay for that you stupid"

The beginning of whatever explicit that he was going to hurl out was cut short by a swift punch to the face.

Jason couldn't help but be impressed as the guard staggered backward, the drugs he had been injected with clearly having taken effect.

The vigilante pivoted away quick on their feet, almost gracefully towards the door as Jason followed along the steel beams.

"It's the Dove," he heard one of the men call as she broke through the door. The Dove, great another bird for the bats Jason thought bitterly.

The three men had their weapons drawn pointing at who Jason presumed was the Dove. He hadn't noticed that she had also entered the room armed with a gun in hand. The thought struck him that she had a gun, Jason didn't know all the vigilantes that protected Gotham but she couldn't be a Bat if she used guns. Get a grip Hood, what did that matter right now he thought.

Jason saw looked down past the standoff and saw the children who were bound and gagged, he could hear the small sobbing muffled by the rags stuffed in their mouths. He saw Melanie in her signature plaits with a purple welt on her tear stained face gazing at the intruder.

Anger filled Jason at the site of the bruising to her face and the rage that the Lazuraus Pit had imbued within him rolled through his body in hot waves. It took everything in him not to jump down then and start unloading bullets into the pathetic filth that had stolen vulnerable children.

He pulled his gun from his right holster and began tying a rope to the cross section of the beam he was on as the voices of the vigilante apparently named Dove and the guards carried up to him.

"Drop your weapons and leave the kids and you get to live," Dove barked at them.

The tall greasy guard let out a mirthless laugh, "I don't think so birdie, it's three to one. It's nice of you to drop by, we aren't allowed to touch the merchandise," his predatory eyes flicking to the children, "but now you are here we can show them what they have to look forward to once they are bought. It will be a teaching moment" The henchmen all twitter with excitement at the leaders threats as Dove grips the barrel of her weapon harder.

That was all Jason needed to hear and he swung off the beam down the rope.

Part 2

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Let me know what you think, it's my first fic go easy on me

[tiredbogwitch]

No one has any clue what the fuck the Firelights actually Do so I'm gonna dump my headcanon here as the official lore in continuation of my saga of Zaun headcanons.

The Firelights are basically like a nonprofit organization with a Robin Hood twist. Their mission is to be a stabilizing force in Zaun, trying to do whatever they can to take care of both each other and their people. Since they aren't an actual nonprofit, and Piltover doesn't give a damn about human rights, this is where the Robin Hood stuff comes in.

They have to gain their resources (food, water, medicine, etc.) Via theft. So they tend to rob Piltie ships. They try to avoid the foreign ones just to lower the risk of backlash (the foreign governments putting pressure on Piltover to crack down on them, etc.), but they'll do what they believe is necessary to get supplies (and also sometimes mistakes just happen).

They're not above violence, but they do try not to kill people just because they know it can get messy with Piltover if they do. That being said, I believe they probably have killed a few, at the very least on accident. Fights can be brutal, especially if your opponent isn't holding back like you are.

Another thing: their masks aren't just to hide their identities from their enemies. The reality is, things can happen. If they started walking around bare-faced in Zaun, it would be easy for other Zaunites to identify them and possibly give them up (whether to Silco or enforcers or whoever). So they wear them til they're back in their hideout.

The Firelights try not to operate in Zaun beyond distributing supplies or fighting Silco. This is to both prevent their identities being leaked and because they never want to be seen as a "policing" force in their own home. The last thing Ekko wants is to see his own people as "others" or "suspects". Yes, the Firelights are his family, so he seeks to protect them. But Zaun is his home, the Zaunites are his people. He IS a Zaunite, just as all the Firelights are. And he never wants any of them to forget that.

As for who he DOES fight in Zaun: in season 1, Silco is at the top of that list. However, I feel like they probably have other enemies too, even if Silco is the biggest fish (as de facto leader of Zaun at the time). The Firelights have been around (by act 2 s1) for seemingly a few years at that point. It's entirely believable they'd ruffle some feathers along the way. Perhaps a few gang leaders/drug lords (the type to either follow Silco or be desperate to usurp him) who think taking the Firelights out would be the next step towards their goals. Other enemies might include of Silco's allied chembarons and anyone who tries to attack their deliveries.

Distribution of supplies: after robbing a Piltie ship, they'd take stock of whatever they got and send anything they can spare to a connection of theirs in the rest of Zaun. I'd imagine (since they don't seem to have hospitals) to an orphanage of some kind. So, food, clothes, medical supplies, etc. Basically anything a trading ship might have that would be useful to people.

If they snag loot that happens to not be immediately useful (nonessentials like jewelry or knick-knacks or something) they'll either try to repurpose/upcycle it or they'll sell it and use the money to either buy those supplies or put towards projects (such as building tech) to help their mission.

My musings are only half fleshed out and I'm really expanding most of this on the fly as I write it. But I do like to explore the possibility that they're not as sunshine and rainbows as they might seem in their rare moments in canon (and in my post so far).

Less sunny ideas under the cut:

I saw a clip from s1 the other day of a scene that I totally forgot about. When Caitlyn first tells Ekko about the Hexcore, his first thought is about what they (he) can do with it. Namely, as a weapon. Against Silco.

And yes, his traumatizing childhood punctuated by Silco basically coming in and fucking his life up out of nowhere DOES mean it makes sense that Silco is Enemy Number One in Ekko's eyes, arguably even more than Piltover. (Because Piltover ruined the world around him, but Silco might as well have personally walked in and shot everyone he loves right in front of him. Silco IS the villain of Ekko's story, arguably more than anyone else). THAT BEING SAID, he's expressed anti-Piltover sentiments since basically the first time we meet him. So what if Silco telling Marcus to paint the Firelights as terrorists... isn't entirely baseless?

When I say terrorists of course, I really only mean to Piltover. Actual terrorists exist, but many revolutionaries are also painted as terrorists. Silco saying this and giving the bomb as "evidence" isn't just him "being evil", it MAKES SENSE because that's probably already what Piltover would think even without the fake evidence. So what if the Firelights WERE planning to attack Piltover at some point?

Maybe not the same way Silco was. At the end of the day, his whole thing is being calculating (he's also got more life experience than Ekko, who's the same age as his daughter). So Silco definitely thought through Zaun's independence plan waayyy more than Ekko has (whether or not the plan is a good one is notwithstanding, stay focused here). So maybe the Firelights kinda have this plan to like. Destroy Piltover.

Not with bombs, but to be fair, Ekko IS a smart techy guy. He's not into grenades like Jinx, but he did make those hoverboards. He designed the fans to be able to withstand the thick air in Zaun. So what if he's generally just really familiar with the ventilation system? What if he was planning on doing something similar to what happened in Season 2 (redirecting the air to Piltover), but like, worse? Maybe he'd make it so the air system was permanently pushing the Grey into Topside, and maybe he even wanted to put something else in it? Give them a taste of their own chemical warfare? It would take years to do, and might be his end goal, but really, what else would someone who's been radicalized by oppression, who's filled with all this pain and anger, who has so much innovative skill - what else would someone like that do? Lay down and take it? Considering he made the Firelights... I don't think so.

Obviously I don't think he was actually planning on doing this; I don't think they thought him or the Firelights through at all. But he's expressed interest in violence before, and he's also anti-Piltover, so I figure he has to do SOMETHING with his anger (and also as much as I love him, being that squeaky clean and perfect of a character is.... suspicious to me. Or at least not as interesting. You can't live in a world so unforgiving and come out unstained, especially with all that- understandable- anger in him). He clearly wants peace, in whatever way he can (hence he wanted to give the Hexcore to the council himself; likely to bargain for benefits for Zaun). He's hopeful, but I don't think he's necessarily naive about it. He knows that they're most likely never going to just hand it to them- or else they would've done that already. So just in case, he has a plan to take it for himself.

[hozukitofu]

not a ship post but how funny would it be for people to mix shino and kiba's names up? at some point people give up and call them by 'shiba' just because it's guaranteed to send both kids running (we are talking genin-age).

tsume at some point: shi - ki - argh whatever SHIBA!

shino and kiba tuning into a very old summoning technique - call your kids the wrong name jutsu: THAT'S NOT MY NAME!!

bonus fun facts

tsume and hana had genuinely mixed up shino, kiba and akamaru. shino by virtue of his association with kiba had been called akamaru more times than his name. he's used to it

kakashi has a ninken named shiba that runs loose and he doesn't genuinely want to summon kibashino but somehow they've been trained to react to the name so kakashi is walking the street calling for shiba (the dog) and two teenagers (shiba - shino and kiba - unholy duo) turn up like 'you called?'

people who haven't met shino or kiba before think shiba is their name

shino and kiba have called each other shiba completely on instincts and now they just sigh and move on

it was funny when they were 12 but now naruto can't tease kiba anymore because kiba hypes up shino like you wouldn't believe. every team needs a cool guy and kiba nominates shino for this title (he literally told everyone but shino and hinata)

actually convenient to summon all three of them (akamaru is now part of the shiba bundle). imagine you're out in a field then suddenly there's a dog, a dog ninja and a bug ninja summoned from thin air. i'd retire

easier to shift blame. kiba played this card well into adulthood. he's perfected 'did you mean to call for shino or kiba?' and when people try to deliberate this he would disappear

shino's kids at the academy call him 'shiba sensei' and it stuck. they think shino's legal name is shiba aburame

kakashi somehow worked out a deal with akamaru and occasionally takes the massive dog out for a walk with all his 8 dogs (sometimes even without kiba knowing). when asked, he makes sure to introduce akamaru as shiba 2.0 and akamaru would nod and shake (why does he have two dogs name shiba? why not?)

it's listed in bingo books under aliases and as someone who have to endure bureaucracy weekly, making changes is akin to hell so people leave 'shiba' where it is. the trouble is that both shibas get in a rotten mood if they hear 'are you shiba?' from an enemy because that should really never leave village gossip

kiba very seriously said one day that if they get married it would be mr shiba aburame or shiba inuzuka x2 (think mr and mrs taylor lautner) and shino gave him fleas

mirai doesn't know who is who but she does know shiba. shino will let her have that one up until the age of 3

a lot of people just assumed they got married somewhere along the way? anbu delivering messages for kiba sometimes would find shino who's dead on his feet and would receive the message like it's for him. ANBU: are you mr inuzuka? shino who is too tired to correct the joke at this point: yes i am. people call kiba mr aburame in the same vein except kiba takes it with more fanfare

tsume wasn't that happy they eloped without her knowledge but shibi also genuinely doesn't know what's going on and he's not going to ask shino, so they roll with it and have family dinners between the two clans every fortnight and the shiba trio don't register this as anything unusual

im southeast asian and my aunt was a teacher so the spouse of a teacher is also a teacher by association. what this means is that kids also call kiba sensei. inuzuka sensei. shiba sensei. kiba who had never taught in his life after a child incorrectly identified him as married to his best friend and also his first name: yes sensei is here. how can i help you my child

when they do get married they were threatened by the clan elders to actually say kiba (shiba) aburame (he is a second son and the aburames love akamaru) and shino likewise dutifully put (shiba) on his actual legal marriage certificate

[eveledoze]

Which tadc ship do you like more? Funnybunny or Showtime?

oh well long-post comes-

okay i did a little searching, since i often don't understand such ship names. if google doesn't lie to me, then the first one is Pomni/Jax, and the second is Pomni/Caine.

damn, I thought funnybunny was the name for Ragatha/Jax 💔💔

i don't ship Pomni/Jax but i find the pairing cute. i don't sense any special dynamic between them, Jax just makes fun of her the same way he makes fun of everyone else because he's a jerk (i say this lovingly). when i discovered that this pairing was the most popular in the fandom, i didn’t really understand why, since i wouldn’t say that there was anything particularly interesting going on between these two. I think the dynamics between Jax and Ragatha were more distinct, which I immediately noticed, they had tension and i really liked it x) but then, after thinking about it a little, i realized why Pomni/Jax is the most popular ship (I guess?? it's just my supposition) — people combined two of the most main characters, one of whom is a badass-tumblr-sexyman, and the second is an angsty ordinary person with whom people could identify themselves. anyway i just find it funny that so many people like this ship. i saved fanarts of these two a couple of times because i thought they were cute. to be honest, kitsch's (@ bunnyjesters/ nuzipilled) works probably influenced my opinion about this ship the most. arts with Pomni and Jax from kitsch is probably my favorite among all the other fanarts for this couple, i think that he well preserves their canon behavior and characters despite the fact that the pairing itself in the cartoon is non-canon, and their interactions in his art feel quite realistic for me! i love how kitsch draws them and how he uses gestures and body language to show their emotions, it's very, very cute. so yeah, i don't ship them, but i do find some of the fanart of them cute. i drew this a while ago, so have this if it will make you happy 🌸

now Kaine/Pomni...ahmmm, to be honest, i was even more surprised that this is probably the second most popular pairing in the fandom? :D apparently it really comes across often and haha, i don’t understand it... i’ve never been interested in the dynamics of student/teacher or employee/boss, in my understanding there can be no romance in their relationship, maximum platonic, family relationships, understanding each other. Kaine is very quirky and doesn't seem like he's interested in romance (i generally like Kaine/Moon, but i really think Kaine is just confused by Moon's behavior since he's not interested in her romantically x)). it's more like he treats all the guys in circus like friends, colleagues or something like that. so yeah, it's weird for me to see romantic stuff with Pomni/Caine, but like the first one, occasionally i might come across fanart with them that i think is cute. once I saw a mini-comic (don't remember the author) dedicated to that circus teaser, in the comic Caine suddenly appeared in Pomni's room. Pomni, out of fear, hits him sharply, after which he got upset and she began to apologize <з

if we talk about my fav ship, i love Ragatha/Jax! i don't remember this "name" for the pairing, but yes, that's them. dynamics like theirs are my favorite dynamic in couples, i just love it when characters can't stand each other lol. i love the tension between them and i'm afraid i paid too much attention to it while watching the pilot... oh my god, a moron, who pisses everyone off, with a good-natured girl, who wants to help everyone, but she has to deal with this asshole. i guess it's the "from hate to love" trope, right? i like that the first thing that manifests itself in such couples is negativity, they just piss each other off and cannot calm down. but after a while the annoying cools down and they begin to open up to each other. ofc i don't know Gooseworks’ plans, but you guys probably thought that Jax is actually not such a jerk as he shows himself to be, and in fact he is a deeper character, with his own traumas and trials? let's not turn this into a tragic sob story, but nevertheless, Gooseworks said "every tadc character has a reason why they behave the way they do" and i believe that we will be revealed that. it seems to me that to some extent Jax and Ragatha can complement each other. Like, you know, it’s like N helps Uzi cool down and be calm, and Uzi helps N to be confident and defend his positions. maybe Jax can show Ragata that her toxic positivity is not the best option and sometimes you need to be tough, and Ragatha can help him open up, share his problems and well...to be less jerk-like. and yes, of course i can't get it out of my head that Jax called her "dollface" while he gave the others rude nicknames haha

also i like Ragatha/Pomni, i probably don’t pay much attention to them, but they're good. there are cute interactions between them and it seems that Ragatha was better than the others in being able to approach her and become somewhat of a friend. Ragatha has this energy of a caring mother or something, so her desire to help Pomni get comfortable in the circus and direct her to positive thoughts is cute. at the same time, Pomni looks extremely confused, but Ragatha is the one she turns to because she seems the most adequate and friendly of the others. i liked to draw how they hug, but in i think that most likely Ragatha would not have allowed herself to hug someone without asking, at least she would have asked permission x) however, it seems to me that physical contact and kind words are Ragatha's way of support, so simply holding hands with her would calm Pomni down

also i like Pomni/Gangle and Gangle/Kinger and i don'tind other ships as well !!

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

I'm aroacespec (and honestly confused about where I fall on that spectrum, but I do know I'm sex/romance favorable) and tbh my relationship with shipping is weird.

There are some ships I look at and I'm like "how can you see this as anything but romantic" and there are other ships where I'm like "okay but why do we have to ship them, can't they just be friends?" and it's almost always the total opposite of what the fandom majority's view is. For example, my Sonic "how can you see this as anything but romantic" ship is Espilver, and my "okay but why do we have to ship them, can't they just be friends?" ship is Silvaze.

I will say that something I've noticed is there tends to be a double-standard with allo people (specifically cishet people) when it comes to ships. You get a ton of "why can't they just be friends" with slash and femslash ships, but then those same people will ship a het pairing that look at each other in a single frame. I don't know if it's something that's more obvious to me because I'm gay myself (or even if it's more obvious because I'm aroacespec specifically), but it's weird to me. I choose to look at it this way: if this was a het ship with the same character dynamic, would people still say "why can't they just be friends?"

That's not to say aroace people are in the wrong for looking at a pairing and saying "can't they just be friends? Why do we have to ship them?" but with a lot of cishet people specifically, it feels like there's a lot of people perpetuating a borderline homophobic double-standard. I get it when it's something like Scott and Jay from Ninjago, but so many masc characters' dynamics are canonically given homoerotic or even just romantic undertones (a good example of this being, in my opinion, Sonadow; there's not an almost 3 and a half hour long Sonadow iceberg video on YouTube for no reason. As far as I'm aware it's the longest Sonic-related iceberg video on YouTube that covers exclusively official content) which is why people tend to gravitate towards those ships. I could do an entire analysis on why gay ships tend to have bigger followings than het ships but if I did this would get too long lmao. I will once again point to the Sonadow iceberg video though.

I generally use shipping to explore my own relationship with my aroace-ness, and usually I do that using characters I either headcanon as aroace in some way or who are canonically aroace, because I can relate to those experiences. It's kinda weird to me to see other aroace people acting like doing that is bad or wrong, because usually that's what people are doing, and even if that's not what's going on, fanfiction doesn't affect canon.

There is no right or wrong way to participate in fandom (unless you're harassing people and/or actively putting people in danger), no matter what you identify as.

Basically: People should be allowed to do what they want, if something bothers you that bad there's nothing wrong with blocking a person or tag.

(I might've gotten off subject a few times, sorry lol)

Okay, that thing about blocking tags inspired me to look through my blocked tags to see what ships I've blocked and here's my petty aroace thoughts on all of them without naming names lmao

Fanon het ship. They've never given any indication that they know of each other's existence. Her girlfriend is right there.

Canon het ship. Had the chemistry of two wet paper bags. Literally just shoehorned in there because god forbid any story exist without a romance subplot.

Semi-canon het ship. I'm mostly neutral about them. Just unnecessary.

Fanon mlm ship. Literally brothers?? I don't care that one of them is adopted, they grew up together?? As brothers??

Fanon het ship. I don't care what you call their relationship. You can call it professional, platonic, familial, just please don't call it romantic.

Semi-canon het ship. Again, completely unnecessary. God forbid a man convince a woman to become a villain without there being ~attraction~

Fanon het ship. She is 14?? And he is like 30??

Semi-semi-canon het ship. He did have a crush on her when he was, like, 14 but he's a grown adult now and she's the most lesbian-looking woman to ever exist and they're the most found family siblings to ever find a family

Fanon het ship. LET MEN AND WOMEN BE FRIENDS. LET MEN AND WOMEN BE PLATONICALLY MARRIED.

Fanon mlm ship. I personally see them more as brothers. But whatever floats your boat.

Semi-canon het ship. Just really shoehorned. I don't like the woman very much. I liked her more when she was allowed to be a badass without being a ~flirty badass~

Fanon mlm ship. Again. Adopted brothers. Gross.

Canon het ship. I've seen many things from this director. He's a creative man. He couldn't think of a way to move the plot forward without a smooch?? He couldn't create a series that didn't have an unnecessary love triangle??

Semi-canon het ship. The man isn't coming back for S2 and boy golly gee am I glad

Fanon het ship. Not my cup of tea. Just let them be friends

good lord I have a lot more ship tags blocked than I thought

anyway, this is your daily reminder to just block stuff you don't want to see and move on

[allthishumanityforfree]

I'm the tangfastics at stage door lady (50 years old) and Paul Mescal is the first crush that I've had of this size on a celebrity since Cary Elwes in The Princess Bride. I've been examining it big time... Some of it is impulse control, diagnosed with ADHD and perimenopause and went through some trouble at work which evidently can lead to crushes as a way to deal with things. Happily married. But way way way way addicted and wasting way too much time on following him on social media. I was trying to cut down and found this account just googling his name because I had taken Instagram off of my phone. First saw him a year ago on Hulu and all of the strangers and thought he was Pedro Pascal for the first few minutes, then looked him up and started watching normal people which I had started before not realizing it and liked it more the second time. I think it might be just those two movies in a row that really created the attraction. I didn't even know what shipped meant until I got on Instagram just for paul. I totally had shipped him and Andrew quite some time so you properly identified me as a mescott but then I equally shipped him in Daisy just as hard. I have had some jealousy issues about Gracie, but he just wore another one of her sweatshirts last night at stage door. I do think the relationship is real. It will be interesting to see how his career grows and who end up being his long-term partner. I think his natural reaction to being given the Tangfastics was pure joy and he brought up vanya, so I don't think there's any awkward breakups I have a feeling they're just trying to keep their private lives private. Paul would hate all of these conversations we're having about his private life. But my self-control is seriously lacking these days! Curious how you became such a shipper and is it in jest or are you full on tinhat.

Hello. I hope you don't mind me posting this ask. Thank you for giving him those sweets, you certainly were a talk of the fandom and gave us all a little Mescott hope. I am so so relieved that he seemed happy and there was no awkwardness, although you have to admit that the lack of public appearances, even at professional events, is unusual. No reason Paul and Andrew can't attend opening events and promote each other's stuff.

Can you tell us what he said about vanya and more about meeting him?

I worrying am quite a tinhatter, I believe everything I write on here. I mean, I am not in peoples dms and like this in real life. This Tumblr is the only place I talk about Mescott, and I chose it because it's quiet and hidden. I would hate for people involved to read these thoughts, which is why I do not have a Twitter, TikTok or Instagram about Mescott. It's just here and the Discord, where I feel I can get feral, and no one will notice. Of course, I am aware that it's not totally hidden and people can still find me. (I am shocked I have this many followers).

But 80% of my thoughts when they drift are about Mescott. And yes, I do think they had a thing going on during the AOUS promo. I have always thought Paul was queer. I liked him as an actor since Aftersun, well actually I saw Carmen when it came out and thought he had huge potential as an actor. I just presumed he was queer, like a straight guy would not be engaged to Phoebe Bridgers.

How did I become a shipper? I watched Mescott on Graham Norton promoting AOUS and perceived. My TikTok fyp is generally celeb interviews and press tours, so I started seeing those purple cardigan/blue shirt interviews. I became low-key obsessed with were fucking. I perceive a lot about celebs hooking up (I could list a few I think have theories about) but thanks to some good gifmakers I really got into Mescott. For whatever reason, it itched my RPF brain. I just loved how happy and comfortable Paul was with Andrew compared to older interviews, I guess.

I also am not sold on P&G being real, but I am worried if I say some theories I could tempt fate.

[babyrdie]

Have you ever thought about how Iphigenia and Achilles only have bad ship names?

Iphichilles, Achigenia, Iphilles, Achinia, Achiphi... they're all really horrible, although I think Iphichilles is the least worst.

Maybe call them The Sacrificial Couple™ lol if we consider Alexandra, in which Neoptolemus is the son of both, then it's The Sacrificial Family™ since he also participated in that obscure business of the family (in case anyone somehow forgot, Achilles is with the twelve Trojans, Neoptolemus is with Polyxena and Iphigenia is with the foreigners in Tauris). Owww Neoptolemus, you have the same skilled hands in taking human lives as your parents!, people will say! Everyone braiding each other's long hair with their bloody hands <3 okay, I'll stop with the jokes…it worries me to know that Neoptolemus, who is the youngest of the three, is the one who was the most "normal" while doing it. Iphigenia was literally forced, Achilles was clearly in a not normal state of mind (to be fair, I have my doubts that him being in a normal state of mind would prevent him from doing it. But Iphigenia? She took the first opportunity she had to stop doing this, so clearly she wasn't having a good time. I bet she was swearing every day in Tauris), but Neoptolemus? To him it was just a "awww daddy is going to be proud of me" thing... boy you are SO… show the cool drawing you made, I don't know, don't sacrifice people on your father's grave!!!

Or I don't know, maybe considering that Iphigenia is linked to a goddess associated with the wild world and Achilles grew up in the forest with Chiron….Forest Duo™. Now I think about it, if they were in a modern world, Iphigenia would be the person who won't let you kill a bug and would rather peacefully return it to nature and Achilles would be the person who somehow not only identifies the species of the bug but knows if it's female or male lol they would be unbearable together in a modern world, they would ride Achilles' motorcycle at high speed in the city (much to Agamemnon's dismay and Clytemnestra's enthusiasm. Electra is soooo jealous. Not of her sister's boyfriend, but of the boyfriend's motorcycle) and during the day they would go hiking.

And then when Orestes went with them, Achilles would spend the entire trail acting as if the boy dying of exhaustion from walking so much was "lack of motivation" like an asshole (affectionate) while Iphigenia would be more empathetic and show concern while trying to motivate with "don't worry, I initially had difficulty too!!! You can do it, honey!", which would somehow make her more annoying because she says it with a smile and it's already been a 2 hour hike and she's not sweating. Orestes doesn't understand how the hell she's not sweating and my god, can someone make Achilles stop looking like he's in a shopping with that interested look in every different tree they see? The fact that Achilles corrects Iphigenia by commenting that she actually got used to it quickly only makes it worse. Girl was trying SO hard to be humble with her little brother, too bad her boyfriend won't follow that policy lol.

Achilles is torn between taking Orestes with them because he thinks it's funny to see him trying to pretend he can keep up with Iphigenia or taking Electra because he thinks she looks really badass the way she keeps walking, hands firmly on her cute purple thermos. Orestes agrees with his father in that Achilles is insufferable, but Electra is willing to gain his favor if it means she gets to ride the really expensive motorcycle (again, much to Agamemnon's dismay). Achilles would probably take her on the bike just because he knew it would make his father-in-law angrier, now that I think about it. In fact, I'm sure he's actively encouraging Iphigenia to learn how to ride a bike too, and she can't deny that she's delighted at the prospect. Clytemnestra is 100% encouraging Iphigenia with it and argues that she took Agamemnon on her bike when they were young, so he can't complain. Achilles thinks his mother-in-law is very dear.

Now seriously…Iphichilles is probably the least ugly, but I have to admit that mentally I just think of them as The Doomed Bride and Bridegroom™.

[brainbuffering]

Top New Manga of 2024!

Another year has come to an end, so it's time to talk about all the great manga that came out this year! So in no particular order, these are my Top 6 New Manga of the Year!

In the Name of the Mermaid Princess by Writer Yoshino Fumikawa and Artist Miya Tashiro

T: Junko Goda, Adap: Shaenon K. Garrity, L: Susan Daigle-Leach, E: Annette Roman Publisher: Shojo Beat

“In the classic fairy tale, a mermaid princess gives up her special abilities for love. What happens if she doesn’t? Princess Mio is betrothed to Prince Chika. However, they’ve never met, and he doesn’t know her secret—she’s a mermaid! When her tutor, Yuri, takes her out of the castle to meet her subjects, Mio begins to accept her true self. But Yuri has a secret too… And when Mio tells her father, the king, she wants to live life openly as a mermaid, he punishes her. How can she stay true to herself? Plus, a bonus story about a royal subject with wings!”

This series was an absolute surprise to me! I always keep an eye out for new Shojo releases, but I accept that I am not the target audience for all of them. I assumed that was the case here, Mermaid Princesses were something I felt was in my past. Yet I took a chance on it on the Viz Media App and felt an immediate kinship with Mio! The story of the Unhumans' struggles for safety and respect really resonated with me as a disabled person. The series acts as a great “Disability Metaphor 101” for younger readers. With solid artwork, an enchanting story, and really moving and relatable moments it’s definitely been my highlight of the year! 

Otonari Complex by Saku Nonomura

T: Jenny McKeon, Adap: Carly Smith, L: Aidan Clarke, E: Kristina Korpus Publisher: SevenSeas

“Kuji Akira and Ninomiya Makoto are childhood friends and neighbors. Since Akira is “handsome” for a girl and Makoto is “pretty” for a boy, their gender presentation is often confused. As they try to untangle their complex feelings about themselves and each other, they find out their friends are crushing on them, too. It’s a complicated childhood friend love story!”

This was one of the series I was most looking forward to this year and it did not disappoint! “Gender Fuckery” has been a key component of all good Shojo since it began! From Princess Knight to Rose of Versailles to Fruits Basket, narratives about people discovering their gender identity, and playing around with what that means, are some of the most beloved. This was the year that I finally came out to my family as Gender Queer, so a having a book that has such a complex look at the notion of gender and gender identity in such a queer way was wonderful. I especially loved the way it explored body dysmorphia and misgendering. When Makoto presents as female, they WANT to have folks use she/her pronouns for them! Even if they still identify as a cis-man throughout the book. Meanwhile Akira chooses to present masculine, but when she gets misgendered as a boy she doesn’t experience the same euphoria that Makoto does. For her, it’s something painful and shaming. Volume 2 hasn't shipped to me yet, but I’m very much looking forward to seeing how these two love birds’ gender journey goes. 

Tank Chair by Manabu Yashiro

T: Max Greenway L: Evan Hayden  E: Maggie Le Publisher: Kodansha

“Shizuka takes on the most dangerous of assassin jobs, but she's not the one doing the killing. Rather, it's her brother, Nagi, a strong assassin who took a bullet to protect his sister, leaving him in a comatose state and having to use a wheelchair. However, Shizuka has figured out the key to waking her brother up: he must be faced with killing intent! Thus begins a violent journey of recovery, battling the most dangerous foes!”

I’ve already written about why I loved Tank Chair so much, but it’s worth repeating that whilst series like “A Sign of Affection” and “Blade Girl” are still great to have for disabled representation in popular media – nothing quite beats the euphoria I felt reading Tank Chair and seeing people get viciously murdered with disabled rage fueled Boudica spikes.

Magical Girl Dandelion by Kaeru Mizuho

T: Mei Amaki L: Finn K Publisher: Viz Media (App)

“Magical girls and villains are enemies, but can neophyte Tanpopo's bond with the villain Shade topple that destiny?”

To my knowledge, this is the first Shojo Manga that Viz have been simul-publishing from the get go! And they absolutely picked a superstar to start! Western Manga Fans have been chomping at the bit for more magical girl series to get localised into English, and this has not disappointed! Whilst series like Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon take a few chapters to get to their darker tones, Magical Girl Dandelion gets to it right off the bat! With cool battle sequences, fun character designs, and the battle between good and evil being morally murky from the start – Dandelion has the potential to be one of the all time greats!

Tokyo These Days by Taiyo Matsumoto

T: Michael Arias L: Deron Bennett Publisher: Viz

“After 30 years as a manga editor, Kazuo Shiozawa suddenly quits. Although he feels early retirement is the only way to atone for his failures as an editor, the manga world isn’t done with him. On his final day as an editor, Shiozawa takes a train he’s ridden hundreds of times to impart some last advice to a manga creator whose work he used to edit. Later, he is drawn to return to a bookshop at the request of a junior editor who wants his help dealing with an incorrigible manga creator who used to be edited by Shiozawa and now refuses to work with anyone else. For Shiozawa, Tokyo these days is full of memory and is cocooned in the inescapable bonds among manga creators, their editors, art, and life itself.”

A slow, thoughtful manga that gives you plenty of time to breathe and contemplate. The slower, and more mature pace was a great break from my usual diet of high energy action adventure romance. The book is a somber look at what it is to work in the manga industry in present day Japan, how it has changed over the decades, and what it means to age out of a business that’s famous for working their most talented artists to an early grave.

Colette Decides To Die by Alto Yukimura

T: Max Greenway L: Inori Fukada Trant E: Nancy Thistlethwaite Publisher: Shojo Beat

“Colette meets Hades, a fellow workaholic, while he is ill in bed with a rash and fever. After treating his condition, she learns about the work he does and what drives him, in turn renewing her sense of purpose as an apothecary. Colette is sent back to her own world, but is this the last she will see of Hades?”

This was one of those series that half my social media feed seemed to be absolutely begging to get published in English. And having read the first two volumes, I can see why! Whilst I don’t think it’s doing anything revolutionary, it’s still a cosy story of two people who struggle with self care falling in love and providing support, with a fun backdrop of greek mythology (although the lack of accuracy would make academics rage harder than at Disney’s Hercules) which makes it absolutely peek HanaYume. And heaven knows how much I love HanaYume! 

[anghraine]

I've been scraping 500+ words a day out every day for the last week, and while I've written a bit more of Éowyn/f!Faramir queen-lionheart maximally self indulgent fantasyland, I'm usually so tired by the time that I get around to it that I started having trouble even with that. So instead, I spent the last couple of days writing fic not for the challenging P&P/ME fusion AU, but just pure Mass Effect fic about the terrifyingly relentless but ideologically driven version of Shepard in my current playthrough. CW for a canonical massacre that can be Shepard's backstory:

Afterwards, the raiders abandoned the dead, dragging off a few screaming humans without realizing they’d missed a living witness, one motionless girl among all those they’d killed and left to rot. But Alexandra kept still, kept waiting, long after the sounds of shouting and crying and ships had receded into the distance, after she’d stopped hearing anything at all. Her grandfather’s urgent whisper after he knocked her down and half-buried her in rubble kept cycling through her mind. Stay here, Alex, stay still. Don’t move a muscle, you understand? You can’t let them know you’re here. The smell stayed, too. It reminded her a bit of Armistice Day, the way her parents always overcooked the meat before the celebrations, but more acrid and bitter. It filled her nose while she lay motionless, her heart thumping, proof that she still lived. Not only before but after. The Alliance found her at least an hour later, maybe more. It could easily have been much more, she came to understand later, after she got a decent sense of how much time it might take the Alliance to pick up a local garrison’s distress signal, send reinforcements and leadership, and coordinate the specialized strike forces and search teams, avoiding probable traps. More likely she had waited three or four hours at the shortest. At the time, it felt like days, dragging on long enough that her pulse had slowed and stomach started grumbling before the Alliance showed up to carry off the remains and move wreckage. She couldn’t remember exactly when they’d arrived, or what she’d first thought or felt when she heard them. It would have made sense to panic at the sounds of more unfamiliar ships, but Alexandra didn’t know if she had. She only remembered the slow, frozen horror of lying among the dead for so long, and then mutters from human soldiers as they talked about how difficult it would be to identify everyone. Did you see the spaceport? God, it’s a bloodbath. Nearly threw up my entire lunch. Did you find any of our men? Not yet. There weren’t many posted here, and so far it looks like the colonists were the only targets. Poor bastards never had a chance.

Light danced over Alexandra’s lids as they worked, as the weight of something—someone—lying against her arm got carried off with some of the rocks and chunks of wood. She wasn’t sure how long playing dead would work, or where she’d go even if they just left.

One of the soldiers exclaimed something she didn’t catch. Maybe in an unfamiliar language, before he switched to her own.

“Wait, wait—sir, I’m picking something up. Somebody here is alive! They didn’t get them all!”

He sounded thrilled, far more than Alexandra was. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, peering through the rocks, though she dreaded what she might see. Some grass, but none of the scattered buildings she’d grown used to. The grass was still bent down, and smeared with enough that she knew it had to be where people had fallen to the batarians’ guns, the bodies moved later. A man was crouched not far away, his face drawn as he studied something. Maybe her.

Other people in familiar Alliance uniforms strode all around the shattered remains of Mindoir, shouting out to each other, bringing out equipment she didn’t know the names or purposes of. She wasn’t frightened of them, exactly, but she stayed immobile, nevertheless. The daylight was so bright it illuminated everything, more than she would ever want to see, and she’d kept her eyes shut for so long that the sun dazzled her eyes.

“Hey, there,” the crouching man said softly. “You don’t need to be afraid. I’m Major Rai of the Systems Alliance. We came as soon as we heard. Would you like help sitting up?”

She thought about doing nothing at all. But these people obviously knew she was there, and they were human. Alliance soldiers, not murderers. Slowly, she pushed the rubble off herself, and multiple sets of footsteps rushed over to help, hurrying to free her.

As she sat up, more and more soldiers turned her way, though they kept their distance when Major Rai held up his hand. She could still hear them whispering shit, she’s just a kid and how long do you think she—? and we’ve got to make these fuckers pay. Alexandra wrapped her arms about her waist, shivering. She could hardly feel her own skin, but at the same time, she was cold. She couldn’t imagine being warm again.

“Thanks,” she mumbled. “What are you going to do to me?”

Major Rai’s lips pressed together.

“We’re not going to do anything to you,” he said. “Now, what we’re going to do with you ... well, that depends on who you are. If you’ve got family—”

“I don’t,” she said, her eyes darting around the pathways that led up the nearest hill to the grain silo she’d briefly thought to hide inside. It was the only building still standing, if scorched, but she’d never reached it. “My family was all here. My parents, and my grandfather, and all the rest of us. But the raiders—they shot something at Paul. My brother. He’s younger than me, he just—screamed and—and melted, I—I—”

She could hardly breathe, and was only vaguely aware of a younger soldier, a woman, who cautiously approached her with a blanket, then wrapped it around Alexandra’s shoulders. Major Rai nodded at the woman.

“You don’t need to think about that just now,” he said. “But could you tell us your name?”

Alexandra peered up at the woman with the blanket, and then at Major Rai, still crouched on his bent knees, yards away from her. He’d never moved nearer, just looked right at her, his dark eyes mild. Kind, maybe. If you could tell that from someone’s eyes.

“Alexandra,” she whispered. “I’m Alexandra Shepard.”

[ask-postcrash-curly]

i was thinking about you recovering and decided to look up more into it

there's prosthetics, but also limb transplants

arm transplants are very viable, but leg ones not so much (at least here where most of us voices are). there is also the risk of rejection, and transplant patients must take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives to fight that. those same drugs damage the liver and kidneys down the line too

there's been development in some kind of gel that administers the same drugs but locally, reducing the toxic effects. that one would only need to be administered twice a year, and is three times as effective, allegedly

there's osseo-integrated prosthetics for lower limbs though! they are way better than regular prosthetics, the latter which can cause pain in the long run badum tss

then there’s the skin grafts

you’re missing basically all your skin, which would suggest third degree burns, but if that were the case there would be no pain as the nerves get damaged to that depth, and you have stated to feel a lot of pain, then making it second degree burns. but second degree burns can heal by their own within 2-3 weeks or a little longer. that is not the case either, so really we have no clue what fuck is going on with you

either way, just for the sake of discussion we’re gonna go with third degree in this argument

there’s split thickness and full thickness grafts, and just by the name you can assume their differences. you’re gonna need full thickness in this hypothetical case of course. besides the thickness, there are plenty more types of grafts to pick from, and also if they can be permanent or not, so let’s go over them:

autografts are of the permanent type, and are collected from the same patient, take for example, a burn from your arm can get covered by a graft taken from your inner thigh. obviously this is a no go for you

isografts are also permanent, and are collected from a genetically identical donor, like a twin. you don’t have twins, i think… so it’s a no again

allografts are collected from cadavers, but living donors are possible too. these are supposedly temporary but i’ll come back to this one later

xenografts are temporary and come from another species. i’ve heard of tilapia fish skin being used for this before, but those are only split thickness. another no

temporary grafts are mostly used as a placeholder until medical staff can get the permanent grafts, from what i understand

lastly, there’s synthetic skin substitutes, manufactured skin if you will. they can be both temporary or permanent. the permanent version is the cultured epidermal autograft, those are grown from a patient's own skin cells. they take a lot of time to grow though, and they’re mostly done only as split thickness. so i think this one is a no as well

now, the basis of getting a successful graft, transplant rejection

skin compatibility is based on three genes that encode proteins and are a part of the human system that identifies foreign bodies

there’s been studies done about this in order to favor the use of xenografts through the use of modified donor animals, like pigs for example. it consists of changing the genes in the pig that are responsible for the rejection, but finding these genes and removing them is a big challenge with a big price, and it has to be done differently for each individual person

so, what about allografts¿

they’re supposedly temporary, but i’ve seen plenty of cases in which they’ve been used permanently by other people, like for example, there have been entire extremities transplanted between individuals as i mentioned in the beginning. there’s been complete face transplants too

i don’t know much about this subject, i’m not a medical expert, just a very curious person that likes to read

…it’s just so mentally taxing thinking about all these options alone, literally wearing someone else’s skin, their hands, maybe even their face

the idea of one’s human body becoming a personal ship of theseus is terrifying to me

i really wish there was more that could be done for you

Limb transplants? Urgh... I don't know how I feel about having someone else's hands and feet. Ah, well, if legs aren't viable, then someone's hands. Do those drugs come in non-pill forms...? Otherwise I don't think it'll work for me...

Gel? Well, all right, I can work with that.

I don't know what osseo-integrated would mean, but I really don't care if the prosthetics cause me pain. Can't be much worse than this shit. My pain tolerance is going to be through the bloody roof if I get better.

Ah. Yeah. Skin.

Oh joy of joys. I'm a medical marvel. Maybe I'm the first person to get fourth-degree burns. Something like that. I don't fucking know. It hurts and it won't heal because the universe bloody hates me. Sorry, sorry. I'm fine.

...Right, yeah. Don't think my good skin to burns ratio is anywhere near enough to cover me.

Nope. No twins. Unless Mum and Dad are better liars than I realized.

Temporary? Damn... too bad.

Temporary and split thickness. That's the one that's not enough? Shit.

Okay, okay. Could hold onto those for a while then at least. Could stop the pain for a bit, yeah?

Mhm. Probably you're right that it wouldn't be enough, then.

Wait, that was the last one. You're— you're telling— you're telling me none of these can fucking work for me? Nope, nope, staying calm, it's fine, there's surely another option that's not in whichever books and websites you were looking at. Surely. There— there has to be something. (And even then it can reject. Fuck.)

Complete face transplants...? How would that—

...

Fuck's sake, I don't care if it's not really me anymore! I just don't want it to hurt anymore, please, please...

I do too.

Song's nice. Thank you, Fern.

[erraticprocrastinator]

A Guide to AO3, Part 1: Relationships

In tandem with sharing my usual random writing tips, I thought it might be nice to finally put my five years of experience on AO3 to good use. I'm compiling a list of things that I commonly see misunderstood by people who are new to the site, or fandom culture in general, and will do my best make a post explaining each, so that others might have an easier time getting to know the lay of the land than I did.

What better place to start than the Relationships section?

Warning: This post contains brief discussions of non-consent and underage relationships in fanworks (in relation to the use of Archive Warnings).

On AO3, it's a common (and expected) practice for authors to provide basic information about the relationships within a work. This is done through four main means, all of which I will touch on here:

Archive Warnings

Relationship Categories

Relationship Tags (Otherwise known as "Ships")

Additional Tags

Archive Warnings

Whilst archive warnings are required for all works uploaded to AO3, there are two in particular that are explicitly relevant to the relationships within a story; "Rape/Non-Con", and "Underage".

Unless selecting "Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings", any story containing non-consensual or underage sexual behaviour should be equipped with the respective Archive Warnings. I am aware that there are many discussions around this topic, particularly in relation to dub-con and other subtypes of non-consent, and differing definitions of "underage" in certain fandoms, but I encourage that this be used as a general rule. If you are unsure of whether these warnings are relevant to your story, I recommend seeking the opinion of other AO3 users (my preferred platform for this is r/AO3 on Reddit), and, if a clear consensus can't be reached, using "Choose Not To Warn" to be on the safe side.

Relationship Categories

In a nutshell, this section boils down to the presence (or absence) of sexual or romantic relationships in your story, and the type of relationships that these may be. I think that the attached guide available on AO3 itself explains it well, so I won't dwell on this for too long, but one thing (that I discuss more in the next section) that I think should be noted is that, in this context, "/" refers to the existence of a romantic or sexual relationship between the genders in question, and not a platonic bond. For example, if your story focuses on a purely friendly relationship between two women, you do not need to select "F/F", and should instead choose "Gen".

Relationship ("Ship") Tags

These are the tags used to identify the specific main relationships within your story, both sexual/romantic and platonic. They use the characters' names, with either "/" or "&" between them to identify the nature of the relationship.

Now, that note I wanted to expand on:

I've recently seen a lot of confusion surrounding the correct way to tag romantic and platonic relationships, including a few people commenting on mine and others' works thinking that misleading tags have been used, so I'd like to take this opportunity to set things straight.

"/" is the symbol that should be used when tagging a relationship that is romantic or sexual in nature (this is actually where the term "slash" in smut originated from!). "X" can also be used for this purpose in general fandom spaces, but isn't used on AO3.

"&", on the other hand, should only be used for non-sexual, non-romantic relationships within a story. If your story contains a major platonic relationship, this is the symbol to use.

Example: The tags below indicate two different types of relationship and are not interchangeable.

It's completely fine to use both of these if the romantic relationship in your story also has a heavy emphasis on friendship, or if you're following a friends-to-lovers arc, but "&' alone should not be used to indicate a romantic relationship, and "/" should not be used for one that is purely platonic. This is something that's good to keep in mind for both authors and readers!

Additional Tags

Additional Tags, as well as being the place to tag anything not encompassed in previous sections, is also a great place to tag any other information you think is relevant about the relationships in your story. This can include anything from the story arc that takes place ("enemies to lovers" etc) to the nature and specific dynamics involved. Many people who post explicit works use this section to tag the acts and positions performed, as well as other details such as kinks. You can use this section to explain as much about the relationships as you like. I plan on doing a more in-depth guide to tagging in general in the future, which will expand on this, as well as explain more general expectations and courtesies that new authors should be aware of.

[enkisstories]

After the failed recruitment attempt, Hux grabs a quick snack from a vendor. He must have lingered a little too long at the table wearing his Resistance uniform, because a First Order officer promptly approaches.

Turns out it is Lt. Dopheld Mitaka, an imperial scion a little younger than Hux. They know each other from their cadet days when they had used to be on first name terms until both of them graduated best of their respective years. But then Hux' involvement in high prestige projects like Starkiller that went along with accelerated promotions had created a power imbalance between the two, who otherwise might have become friends.

Competent, dedicated, reasonably ambitious and with the reputation of having survived at least one temper tantrum of Lord Ren's, Mitaka is one to look out for. Hux therefore has avoided the Lieutenant as best as he could ever since having come to Black Spire (and that includes some very tight spots).

Hux: "Fair warning, Dolph, you found me in an unfavorable mood. Citywide truce or not, I might go full-on rebel-scum on you if you so much as annoy me."

Mitaka: "Are Ensign Stynnix' mood swings contagious now?"

Hux: "You listened in on our conversation?!"

Mitaka: "No, scatterbrain! She reported the incident to me, of course. So now I know that the Resistance is recruiting and has at least one slot to fill. I volunteer."

Hux: "Remember what I told you about annoying me?"

Mitaka's words have sounded like mockery, but now he moves his fingers in the old-familiar way of the secret sign the deviant stormtrooper has taught Hux. In a pair of supple officers' gloves the pointing and flicking looks way more natural, what suggests that Mitaka hasn't learned the gesture, but is the original inventor.

Mitaka: "To clarify, I want to take your place. Act as the Resistance' inside contact in the First Order."

Hux: "To what end?"

Mitaka: "There are some of us who want to reform the First Order. For that we mustn't lose this war, because if we did, the Republic Remnant would just disband us, force their way of life on us and scrap our star destroyers as if they were mere battle ships and not our homes, mobile cities.

To put it in Stynnix' words: The Republic doesn't understand us. A military defeat would only breed resentment. The next generation would ignite the same old war again, that we're now fighting as a sort of a cultural heirloom. There mustn't be a winner, because that means there's also a loser. Only a mutually agreed upon peace treaty will bring lasting peace to the galaxy."

This is going to be interesting! Mitaka now has both the Resistance and the First Order identifier, so the game will use him in both roles.

This behavior is unique to Mitaka and Stynnix, probably because I downloaded them from the gallery. None of the regularly spawned First Order members even have the option to get talked into joining the Resistance.