#we talk about how the working world has become too efficient and that’s in some ways true

[fishing-lesbian-catgirl]

It’s funny that a bunch of my coworkers older than me don’t know how to do basic stuff on computers and I also know my future coworkers younger than me (hell, even half my classmates in college) who were raised on phone apps won’t know how to do basic stuff on computers. So somehow me having the understanding of file trees, where our cloud saves are located, basic functions of Microsoft office programs, how to change settings, basic troubleshooting, and the ability to look things up if I don’t know how to do them apparently puts me above most people in my workplace when it comes to technology. And by “funny” I meant very frustrating

[stu-dyingstudent]

Sakura Haruno fic recs: ANBU

AHHHH!!!! I love ANBU fics, especially when they involve Sakura. It was such a cool concept, which was unfortunately never fully expanded upon. However, our lack of knowledge regarding the shadow corps allows for some really cool fic ideas since authors can take creative liberty on the structure and workings of the division.

In my opinion, Sakura had the most potential out of team 7 to join ANBU (at least more than Naruto). It's all about being discreet and efficient and although she wasn't strong during og, she possessed abilities that would be valuable for this. Her clever mind, chakra control, and genjutsu potential would've made her a good fit. Naruto was too flamboyant and Sasuke was too reckless and cocky, but this is just my take. However, with her new skill set from her training with Tsunade, I don't think she would be able to go down that path anymore.

Started: 2024.08.06

Last Updated: 2024.08.29

note: feel free to check out my master list which has a bunch of Sakura Haruno fic recs (all organized)!

----

Masks by mads999 || ao3 || kakasaku || E || canon divergent || complete

1. Sakura's Inner is far more diabolical than anyone ever expected 2. Crows prove to be cruel mentors 3. Sakura comes to learn exactly how much she hates Kakashi (as well as how alike they are, in the most terrible of ways)

Kakashi is a hateful turd and Sakura is spiteful! I hate this ship and I'm not a big fan of Kakashi here, but boy is this fic good. One of the best character developments I've read for Sakura and she certainly becomes of force to be reconned with. The ANBU lore in Masks is absolutely phenomenal and I love the whole system that is put into place as it adds for some drama (lol). Also, can we talk about how awesome crow summons are????

.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead - Evil Is A Relative Term || ffn || M || canon divergence || complete

After the Forest of Death, Sakura comes to realize that being weak is no longer an option. However, she finds that change is sometimes painful and that truth doesn't always come easy. Luckily, she'll have some help along the way.

It's been a while since I've read Five Kingdoms for the Dead, but I just remember it being absolutely great! I'll be honest, I found a lot of the mind stuff pretty confusing at times, but it was still enjoyable. Also, some great characters are utilized in this fic such as Neji, Sai, and Itachi. Makes me really wish that we saw more of Sakura and Neji working together in Naruto since I think they compliment each other quite well.

.

Trials of Change - Espoiretreves || ao3 || gen || time travel AU || complete

Haruno Sakura made a promise. Looking in the eyes of her Shisou and the reanimated Hokage, she took on the most important mission of her life. Go back in time and try to prevent the 4th Shinobi War. Now, Sakura is back to her 5-year-old body, with all the knowledge and haunting memories of the future. She vows to keep her precious people safe and stop certain events from happening, without altering the timeline too much. The trials her emotions and logic put her through have her questioning her very existence, but for the sake of peace, she has to push forward. No matter what.

Trials of Change is actually apart of a time travel series and I have to say that it is probably one of the best of the genre! Now, Sakura is not in ANBU here, but she works very closely with team Ro (Kakashi's ANBU team) and it's a huge part of the story, so I'm choosing to count it anyway. I really adore all of the worldbuilding and backstories going on here in addition to the fact that there are breaks. Yes, the story keeps moving, but there are other things going on, like playdates, and not just Sakura trying to save the world. Also, if you love Shisui then definitely check this out since he has a huge role and his and Sakura's friendship is just so precious.

.

bite me and see, said the fly to the spider - MirrorImage003 || ao3 || itasaku || T || non-massacre AU || ongoing

In which Sakura is not initially a part of Team 7. In which she wears her failures like armor and brandishes her fears like her most trusted weapons. In which I do what hundreds of other authors have done before me, and rewrite Sakura's story. Non-massacre AU. Canon Divergent. Slow-burn.

After Sakura's first team, consisting of the graduating class's "expendables," dies, she joins team 7 and faces backlash along her shinobi journey. Sakura doesn't join ANBU until the later chapters so fair warning that there isn't too much content in that regards (unless it updates). Nonetheless, Sakura views ANBU as vital to her career as it offers her the highest clearance she can get. Gaining her opportunities for information her civilian-born status didn't allow her privy to.

.

The Sixth Shadow - thinknicht || ao3 || kakasaku || M || canon divergent - eventual time travel AU || ongoing

No one seemed to find it odd when little Haruno Sakura threw herself smack dab in front of a Chidori and Rasengan. Not even Kakashi stopped to wonder.(He really should have.)

The story of how Sakura came to be the sixth hogake despite all of the challenges thrown her way. I especially love Sakura's drive in addition to the political aspects. However, be warned that Kakashi is an absolute HATER (in the beginning), but he gets better! The Sixth Shadow is extremely long and I only just recently got to Sakura's introduction to ANBU, so I can't say too much in that regard.

.

Daughter of Fire - justjstuff || ao3 || kakasaku || E || canon divergence || incomplete (maybe ongoing)

Sakura got up and didn’t bother brushing the dirt from her dress. She had a feeling she was about to get even dirtier.She looked at the memorial stone one last time, memorizing the characters without even realizing she was doing it. It would serve from that moment on as a reminder of her determination. She wouldn’t let Naruto and Sasuke join the names carved on that stone.That was her nindo.

Sakura's growth throughout Daughter of Fire is great and realistic all while pointing out aspects from the original series which were flawed and dare I say misogynistic. I struggled a bit in the beginning to justify her abilities, but overall the story is really well done and the ANBU aspects are quite intriguing.

.

cut the head off the snake - itsthechocopuff || ao3 || T || time travel AU || complete

when eighteen-year-old, post-war Sakura is thrown back into her tiny, pre-Academy body, she makes a decision. she'd had a childhood once already, and this time, she's more interested in Not Dying when the inevitable shit hits the proverbial fan. so she will work harder, care less, kill more, and smile when she's done.and hey, if she ends up reviving an extinct nature transformation to attract the most corrupt, power-hungry man from her timeline, all the better for her, right?

Such a unique take on a time travel AU and Cut the Head Off the Snake executes it perfectly. Sakura decides that her first order of business is to infiltrate ROOT and that's exactly what she does. Sai, Shin, and Shisui are all great characters and team Ro is present as well. Very good!

.

Flowers - Idunmy || ao3 || E || kakasaku || canon divergence || ongoing

Flowers only bloom just before they wilt When Sakura loses her fight against Ino in her Chuunin exams, she questions her ability to ever become a kunoichi, too weak to protect herself, let alone her village One wrongful promotion later and Sakura gets a second chance in the shape of a mysterious new teacher who against all odds is willing to put her faith in a young girl with potential and a willingness to fight. Or- a fix-it inspired fic where Sakura grows to be the powerhouse she was destined to become.

Flowers is a newer series (which has recent updates) and I love it! Critiques are made towards the medical ninja training, which I believe needed to be discussed and it's refreshing to see. In most ANBU fics I've read, Sakura is immediately put onto the strongest team, but here it's a bit different. She begins on a demolition squad, which not only suits her skill set quite well, but is a realistic approach to how she would be introduced to the corps. Anyway, it's one of my favorite reads at the moment and I really like where the story is going.

.

names. - waterpllar || ao3 || T || gen || canon divergence || complete

There are no names or faces in ANBU. Everything is designed to be strictly formal, efficient and professional. A recently orphaned Sakura, however, learns that some regulations aren't meant to be followed, and finds a place in Team Ro after being shunned from her former teammates. (fic prompt from anon on tumblr: orphaned sakura in anbu with yamato, genma, and team ro.)

AHHHH poor Sakura. After her parents' death Sakura seeks Tsunade's help out of desperation to become useful. Under recommendation, Sakura's new goal is to make it into ANBU.

.

Equinox - FM_White || ao3 || itasaku || M || anbu AU || complete

ItaSaku (Post Uchiha Massacre) AU: Climbing through the ranks of Konoha, Sakura finds herself with the invitation to join ANBU and a chance to learn from one of the most renowned and legendary ninja in the world. Despite her efforts to grow stronger however, she finds the world isn't as black and white as it looks and that some truths are easier to hide than others.

I don't remember Equinox very well, but I love most works by this author sooo. Anyway, Itachi stays in Konoha and instead it's Sasuke that goes rougue. Sakura, Naruto, and Shikamaru are newly joined ANBU members and all placed on a team with Itachi and things go from there.

.

stars in our eyes as we dream of the heavens (the gods walk among us, sweet child, do not forget) - snickiebear || ao3 || kakasaku || T || age-swap AU || oneshot complete

“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto whispered, staring at his teacher, horror plain on his face. “You’re married?” Lazily, Kakashi looked down at his gloveless hand where his ring rested, “It would appear so.”

Sakura is born in the same generation as Kakashi and turns out as a badass ANBU married to him. This is super wholesome as it's a lot of the two of them bonding with Kakashi's genin team (Sai makes three) in an effort to help them out. It's a series so you can read more of the events taking place prior to the fic.

.

Anachronistic Drift  - Elesrea  || ffn || gen || T || time travel AU || incomplete

Her plan was flawless. Save Shisui. Save the world. Time-travel, Sakura-centric AU

Sakura spends years training to be sent back in time and save the world from Sasuke. She isn't in ANBU, but rather poses as one in order to keep an anonymous status on her doings both in and out of the village.

.

Sakura - lilac haze || ffn/ao3 || M || minasaku || time travel AU || complete

AU. Non-Canon. Time Travel. Please see inside for full warnings. Cross posted on Ao3. On his deathbed he was granted eternal peace and place to rest for all of time. Of course that was not appealing to him. Ever unpredictable to the end he had a counter offer. One that the Sage had to consider. In which Sakura's going to have a rough time. A really rough time.

Sakura is probably one of my all time favorite fics because the emotions are just spectacular. The story is pretty heavy on ANBU and ROOT aspects, which I always enjoy, but I wouldn't say it's a major focus. However, there is an emphasis on the unfair treatment towards kunoichi. Anyway, the characterizations and storytelling are beautifully done. Please share this author some love.

Check TWs before hand!!

----

Hope y'all enjoy these recs, and please feel free to send me some if you have any!!!! I really appreciate when you do :)

[m-feline]

No way out but his arms- Part 2

Emperor Thrawn x Freader

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (TBA)

Tags: suggestion of divorce, treason, bath, deals, mention of children, suggestion of smut, suggestion of breeding.

(I asked @vibratingskull to write the spicy part of this story. The link will be added when it is done. The picture is from @netmors .)

You were not in the best of moods. This evening had been horrible. And at the end of the night, Thrawn still expected you to join him in his chambers. You needed everything possible to calm you down and to make you forget what happened at the banquet.

–

The banquet has been a success so far. The guests, food, and topics of discussion went smoothly without any issues. You didn't even think about spending a night with Emperor Thrawn until someone had to say something stupid.

“Your majesty, Good evening to you.”

Grand Moff Kothos was one of those disgusting people you had to endure on the political side of the government. He was one of the few remnants of the government from the time of the previous Emperor. But he was also one who indulged in the rumors that Thrawn had warned you about.

“Moff Kothos,” You greeted the man stiffly. The evening was almost over except for a small get-together with a glass of something bubbly. One more hour and you had to go and ask Thrawn to take you away. But then again if you do it in front of this man, you kill the rumors right there.

“I understand, there will be a new meeting next week,” Kothos said. Kicking the bush as always, he wanted something and you knew it. What you wanted was to remove this man from his position and give it to someone more deserving. You could do it, but without a reasonable excuse, you would be no better than other Moffs, Senators, or even the previous Emperor, in abusing your power. You didn't want to become that. If you had to be the Empress you would be someone who follows the laws and improves all lives of the Empire's people. Which was easier said than done.

“Yes, the meeting will be held without any changes,” You said with a neutral tone.

“I was wondering what topics would be discussed during that meeting,” Kothos said. You didn't miss the glint in his eyes. He was clearly wanting something.

“Then I wish to add another topic,” Kothos said. “There has been some talk about the union of someone important, and that their union is not working.” He thought he was subtle but he wasn't. He used to be good with words but now it seems the age reached him sooner than expected.

“Both are important figures, but me and a couple other Moff's have come to the conclusion that we can discard one if necessary,” Kothos said, and you felt how your stomach went hard. “As much as both of them have improved the current government, we believe a separation is recommended and maybe even welcomed.”

“A divorce, you say,” You say a bit coldly. If it were that easy you would have done it already. At the latest after your brother died.

“In time for that too,” Kothos said. “But we can't have the innocent party suffer and be left all alone. So maybe it would be best to introduce a new partner to the said party.”

That thought never occurred to you, if Thrawn has a lover, he could leave you be. If you play your cards right he will divorce you and you and your family can be free. But it wasn't that easy. He never made an appearance in the political field, even less appeared with another potential Empress. He was always on a campaign to protect the galaxy from enemies which were discovered not too soon after your wedding. And he has efficiently ended all rebel activities with minimal casualties. Now his main focus was on the outside threat coming from the Unknown Regions and possible alliances from other species from that same space. The Chiss Ascendancy to be precise, his home world. There were talks about a possible pact but nothing sure. But that was one of the reasons Thrawn needed you to handle the political power of the Empire. He would not let you go that easily.

As you didn't agree or disagree with any of his words, Kothos continued.

“Of course, but not just anyone will do. Naturally someone who already has made something for the Empire,” Kothos said. You mentally roll your eyes, of course he already has someone in mind. Someone he has connections with. You begin to wonder who he plans to introduce to Thrawn.

“Tell me, your highness. What do you think of my son?” Kothos asked. You looked at him with wide eyes full of confusion. Why would he ask that? Why would you ever care for his obnoxious son? Kothos had to be either stupid or didn’t care about your opinion as he continued. “My son is well known in the social circles, and he has some merits from the navy, but above all else he is way better partner than a non-human.”

As you realize his intentions, you become angry every minute. How dare he? Your family’s life is on the line. And even if it wasn’t, you would never choose a pompous son of an old Moff. And above all else, even if you were at odds with Thrawn, you would never cheat on him.

“Sure, he only got a rank of a Captain before he ended his service, but I assure you he will be very useful,”Kothos continued. “I will help you get divorced, and transfer the power from the Emperor to you. And when you marry my son I will gladly help you with whatever…”

“You filthy pig!” You shout and slap the man as hard as you could. Kothos had managed to keep the conversation in low tone and no one had paid attention to it. But when you had shouted and slapped the man, everyone turned to look and stopped their conversations. For a long moment everything was silent as people tried to figure what was going on, and Kothos was trying to get over the shock over the rejection and the pain on his cheek. The silence was broken quickly by the sound of steps that made way through the crowd to the scene.

“What is the matter?” Thrawn asked with a cool and calm tone. You turned at him but you were too upset to speak right away. Thrawn came to stand next to you and took your hand, that you used to slap Kothos, and inspected it. “What happened?”

“I…”

“She slapped me,” Kothos said, pointing at you. “I was having a civil conversation and…”

“He wanted me to divorce you for his son,” You said with the conviction you had mastered in the senate.

“No, I…”

“He said that if I marry his son, he’ll help with dethroning you,” you kept talking.

“No, I didn’t …”

“You claim that the Empress lies?” Thrawn asked coldly. The other guests began to murmur as they heard and realized what was going on. Kothos was indeed an old Moff from the regime of the previous Emperor, but for him to dare suggest his son for the Empress to marry, or to claim she lied in front of the current Emperor without proof, was a very poor decision.

“Your highness,” Kothos tried to sound diplomatic. “I believe the Empress misunderstood what I was saying.”

“Then what were you trying to say?” Thrawn asked,

“He spoke how he and other Moffs believe we should divorce, how it would be unfair for the innocent party to lead alone, and then he asked what do I think of his son,” You said.

“That does sound very upsetting,” Thrawn said. “I can’t help but feel offended.”

“Your highness that was not what..,” Kothos tried.

“Whether you didn’t mean to upset the Empress,what you said did indeed cause offense and so the Empress can’t be blamed for striking you,” Thrawn said.

“But, sir…”

“Just because you have served the Empire from the days of the first Emperor, doesn’t mean you can disrespect the Empress,” Thrawn said. The murmuring got more intense as people kept whispering about Kothos.

“Since I have served so long I do have some rights,” Kothos tried to save his face.

“You were offering a plan of conspiracy to me, Moff Kothos,” You said out loud coldly. “What you were doing was speak of treason right before my husband, the Emperor.”

That did the trick to make Kothos go pale. And soon people murmured that his position was now everything else except secure. With a small gesture of hand, Thrawn called the guard and gave the order to arrest Kothos. Kothos tried to say something to save himself but no one listened to him anymore. The whole ordeal had soured your mood, but as the scene was cleared you recalled that you still had to spend a night with Thrawn, as he circled his hand to your shoulder. Even now you had to ask him in front all the guests to end the evening sooner, and make it sound as if you wanted to spend the night with him. As if the previous scene wasn’t enough to end the rumors. but right now you didn’t feel like pretending to be a couple in love. But you wished to leave early that was for sure. So you looked at Thrawn at your side.

“I want to go to my chambers,” You said to him.

“You mean our chambers,” Thrawn said.

“You are jesting,” You said sourly.

“I do not jest,” Thrawn said. “But considering what just happened I let you go early to freshen up before I arrive. No need to beg me to come with you.” You were partly relieved you no longer had to beg for him. But you still needed to spend the night with Thrawn, and you knew how it would be spent.

“Fine,” You said and tried not to grumble.

“I will see you soon then,” Thrawn said.

–

So here you were, soaking in a big tub in the huge bathroom of the Emperor’s suite. You needed it after the fiasco that happened moments ago. Every time you would sleep with Thrawn you would try to mentally prepare yourself. It was for your family. You would slip your thoughts to the past when you first met Thrawn. Back then you had no qualms with the Empire, but you didn't support it either. You didn't know your parents were secretly aiding the Rebel Alliance. So, when you met Thrawn you didn't see him as such a bad person. In fact, you were a bit intrigued by him. He was mysterious yet very polite. Though he didn't understand politics very well, he knew art and culture. Then he began to spend time with you. Your parents were wary of him but they didn't forbid you to see him. When he disappeared you were sad for not seeing him. But when he came back your entire family was surprised and worried. When he came for you they were terrified. But from then on Thrawn did his best to be a decent husband to you and a dignified Emperor. Of course, he couldn't spend time with you all the time due to his duties. But when you were in private and you weren't acting up, he would become the sweetest of lovers you ever knew. That is if he was in a good mood and you had behaved like a good wife. As you sat in the water you prayed he would be like that now as well. Sometimes, you wished he would be a selfish bastard who would take you roughly every night, then you would kill every bit of admiration or fondness toward him, and you could demand a separation legally by claiming to feel unsafe. But no, the only time he has ever forced you was when you acted all bratty at him and threatened to run away. But whenever he suggested you spend a night in his chambers, he would make love to you nice, slow, and possibly all night long. In those times you can't help but fill the room with moans and cries of ecstasy as he brings you to your high.

You sighed as you dip yourself more to the warm waters till only your nose was above the water. You weren't in the mood but you knew that with Thrawn's skills he gets you to that mood. And you hated yourself for that. But he did let you off the hook with the begging. But now surely he expected a docile wife waiting for him to bed.

While you were worrying about your morals and the night's finale, you missed how the door to the bathroom opened and closed as someone came in and walked to the big bathtub.

“Everything alright?” Thrawn asked and made you almost jump out of the tub. You were angry for him scaring you like that but you were also anxious that he wanted to start something right here and now.

“W-why are you here? Can’t you see I'm not ready,” You asked, trying to get some authority to your voice.

“I wished to get a few things done before our night together,” Thrawn said, coming closer. You had hopes that he would keep his distance since he still wore his full attire. “How do you wish to deal with Kothos?”

“What I wish for and what I should do are two separate things,” You sighed. “If I could I would remove him from his post, take away his title, and appoint a new governor for his sector.”

“And why not do it then?” Thrawn asked.

“Because I don't want to abuse my power,” You said a bit louder.

“You are the Empress, if you want something done just order it,” Thrawn said.

“I'm not a tyrant. If something is done it will be done by the law with the council,” You protested.

“I'm sure the council will agree,” Thrawn said, and pulled his hand back to pull out a datacard. “Especially once they see this.”

“What is that?” You asked with suspicion.

“All the evidence of corruption of Kothos and a couple of more Moffs. How you wish to use it will be up to you,” Thrawn said, keeping the datacard between the two of you. When you tried to reach it, he pulled his hand back. You turned and tried again but this time not only did Thrawn pull the card away but he also grabbed your hand with his free hand. You were suddenly out of water and you couldn't decide whether to use your free hand to push him away or to cover yourself the little you could with one hand. “It won't be for free.”

“What do you want?” You knew the answer but dared to ask. He already got you to come this far by threatening your sister, what more could he want?

“I have a proposition for you,” Thrawn said and brought the datacard before your eyes. “You get this, if you listen to it, without interrupting me or acting up.”

“Does it have to do with us sharing the bed?” You asked.

“Very much,” Thrawn said. “And more.”

You felt the chill in your spine. Then again you were standing naked and wet from the warm bath you had a moment ago. But just thinking what he might be about to offer made you worried.

“Y-you just want me to listen?” You asked, confirming his words.

“Yes, only listen, whether you accept my proposition or not will be entirely up to you,” Thrawn said and let go of your hand. “I will leave now and wait for you to finish here. I'll keep the datacard so it won't get damaged from the humidity.”

Once he was gone you sunk to the warmth of the waters again. You had a bad feeling of this. But so far he only asked to listen in exchange for the datacard that could make your work easy. Well, easy for your mind. As he suggested, as the Empress you could simply order to replace Kothos and take all his possessions. But you didn't want to become that. It was one thing for your family to know you married the Emperor, but to hear you take down governors by your whim, you were raised better than that. You could never face yourself. Your morals wouldn't allow it.

You soaked for a moment more in the water before you got out and dried yourself with the soft towels. For one part you were grateful to Thrawn that he rarely allowed servants to his chambers or to his bathroom if it wasn't for cleaning. He preferred to do things himself as much as possible. But for certain occasions he allowed servants to come to aid with clothing like earlier. You were not in the mood to hear any words from the servants, whether they tried to cheer you up or simply make you feel better. You had no nightclothes to put on and since you knew what was before you, you didn't need it. You took a light long satin robe that could be tied from the front. Once you got your hair dried you came out of the bathroom to the master bedroom.

Thrawn had already discarded his attire and waited for you wearing his own robe, while sitting on a lounge chair drinking some wine from a chalice. When you came out he drinked the sight of you with his eyes as he set down the chalice.

“You look beautiful,” He said when you finally got close enough.

“What is it that you wish to speak about?” You asked. Thrawn didn't say anything but moved his finger as a sign to call you to come closer. Knowing him, he surely wanted you to sit on his lap. But you were already bracing yourself and you were mentally prepared to only hear his offer, so instead of his lap you sat next to him on the lounge chair. Thrawn didn’t show any disappointment instead he turned to face you fully before he talked.

“I am tired of using your family as a leverage to get you to behave as my wife, and I'm sure you would be less stressed every time I mention your family,” Thrawn began. You went tense when you heard his words. Was he seriously going to let your family go? It was too good to be true. What was the catch? Thrawn could see your inner turmoil as you were going through possible conspiracy theories inside your head. He smiled as he waited for you to say something. But he had said that if you listen without interrupting you would get the datacard. And you needed that datacard to finally remove the corrupted old Moffs who abused their power. So no, as much as you wanted to ask and know what Thrawn was going to suggest how to keep your family from being hostages against you.

“So, I came up with another option. A life for a life,” Thrawn said. You frowned as you didn't understand what he meant, and Thrawn saw it in your face. “I want you to bear my children.”

“What?”

“You heard me, and you interrupted me,” Thrawn said.

“But…”

“We had an agreement,” Thrawn said. You opened your mouth but didn't say anything as you kept repeating a mantra inside your head. Just listen, just listen, just listen. No need to agree, you don't need to accept it.

“I want you to bear my children. Little heirs of the Empire. We have been married for some time and our union isn't bad, but isn't good either. If we have children I'm sure even you will behave for their sake,” Thrawn explained. You lifted your hand like a child in a school, and you didn't miss the smirk Thrawn had on his face when he gave permission to speak.

“You mean ‘a child’, not children,” You say.

“No, I meant children. Plural,” Thrawn said. “You give me a child and I let go, and never touch again, one of your family members. And last time I checked, you have more than one family member, minus one.” You finally get what he meant. He won't chain you by your family but by your children. He wants you to get pregnant and have his children. The night just got worse.

“Have I made my offer clear?” Thrawn asked.

“You did,” You growled. “If you want heirs can't you just get a concubine like other rules do?”

“No,” Thrawn said, his voice growling and his red eyes blazing. “I want you. Only you. And I want you to bear my children.”

“And if I say no?” You asked angrily.

“Then your family may have to suffer another loss in the future,” Thrawn said, his voice cold. You bit your cheek inside your mouth as you went through his words and what he wanted.

For one part he was going to let your family go. But he was going to chain you with your children. Will you agree to that? Will you be able to love them if they resemble Thrawn? Oh Stars, you hated yourself for even thinking that. How could you abandon your child to him? Wait, how many children did he say again? Can you even have too many?

“How many did you say…?” You asked disheartedly.

“One for each of your family members,” Thrawn said, the coldness was gone from his voice as he knew now that you would soon give in. “And I give you my word, I won't touch or hurt the member you choose. Even if they try to defy me, I would simply lock them up for good. But I won't hurt them.”

You let out a sigh when you heard that. This was a new chain you would accept in order to protect your family. Your first chain was the crown of the Empress, now it would be your children. But you would do your best to look after people living in the galaxy. You just had to come to terms that you were bound to Thrawn. As much as you disliked it. But better him than some power hungry Moff trying to push his son at you. Maybe one day. One day long, long time from now, you might get used to Thrawn, and perhaps let him into your life. But you didn't feel like it today.

“Will you let go of my family when I give birth or when I'm expecting?” You asked, staring at your hands on your lap.

“I let one of them go when you're expecting our first child. For the others, after the delivery,” Thrawn said as he got up from the chair and walked to the huge window of the room.

“Can we skip this night then? It is not my day yet?” You asked, hoping you could get a breather tonight.

“Your auspicious day is tomorrow,” Thrawn said without looking at you. “I checked with the droids for your monthly cycles to be sure. And no, that does not mean we will skip tonight.”

“Why?” You asked dreadfully as you got up from the chair.

“Because my dear, I need to prepare you to take me fully,” Thrawn said as he turned to face you. “We will be occupied for the next five days to successfully get you with a child. And I'm making sure you will be thoroughly satisfied.” You got scared of what he just said and tried to get to the door and get away. But the panel didn't let you get out. Did he lock you inside his room?

“I have instructed the servants to only contact us through datapads if necessary. And most of our schedules are completely liberated to focus on our endeavor to get you pregnant,” Thrawn said, walking away from the window towards you. “Don't worry your assistants know that you will be unable to attend a few meetings and they will make sure that everything will be taken care of.”

“I'm not going to remain locked in the same room with you for five days,” You growled as you still tried to open the door.

“You have no choice, my dear. You are here and you are free to leave after I'm truly finished with you,” Thrawn said, coming right behind you to slip his hands around you. “Now, allow me to make love to you, slowly and tenderly, before I start to breed you in earnest.”

“No,.. why… why?” You asked while you gave up on trying to get the door open, yet you still tried to get out of his grasp.

“Why what, love? Ask properly,” Thrawn said and kissed your neck.

“Why… Why me? Why now?” You cried as you also realized that you couldn't escape him.

“Because I want you. I wanted you from the beginning when we met. I didn't push the issue of children on the wedding night so you could get accustomed to your new life. But now,...” Thrawn said and chuckled. “Well, I'll tell you more tomorrow, now I want to taste you.”

Thrawn untied your robe and left it open from the front while his hands found your chest and began to fondle you. You tried to keep yourself from letting any noise but once one of his hands reached for your sex, it was game over for you.

“I know you enjoy what I give to you,” Thrawn said right next to your ear. “The way you make noises when I use my fingers, my mouth, my cock. Stars, you feel so wet already.”

“It… I… it was…’cause the b-bath,” You tried to keep yourself moaning. But Thrawn knew how to make you scream once he set his mind to it.

“Is that so?” Thrawn asked, and you felt how he was smirking behind you as he brought his fingers to his mouth to have the first taste of your wetness. “And here I thought it arouses you to know that the most powerful man in the galaxy can get to his knees for you.”

He stopped touching you and took a step back. You tried to keep yourself up by leaning against the wall. But soon he made you spin to face him, he lifted you over his shoulder and carried you to bed. After setting you softly to the bed, he removed his robe while looking you up and down.

“Relax and get comfortable on this bed, we'll be spending a lot of time here for a while.”

[ryeun]

Rereading is wonderful because why did I forget about this little detail. Apparently they have chewing gum in the TEK world! A quick google search tells me the first chewing gum was patented in the late 1860s, which is interesting. Since TEK takes place in a fictional world and not on Earth, it’s hard to compare technological advances and eras.

On the same note, the reason why I went back to the earlier chapters in the first place was because I remembered that Nagyunn bought a magazine of Najin:

Which is interesting because having Najin’s picture on the cover and such (as magazines are) implies the existence of technology able to capture a person’s likeness and print it out. Either that or it is hand drawn and then printed, which is viable (unlike the possibility of every copy being hand drawn, because that is simply not plausible and entirely impractical/not cost efficient).

The extent to which the technology in TEK has advanced is unclear; there are magical scrolls distributed among the knights that are used for communication, and they seem to work like a messaging app or social platform on a phone (not sure if they have other applications or uses because we’ve only seen knights scrolling through chat logs or receiving an announcement/message).

But the question is… how long have they been around? They clearly don’t have actual scientifically made cell phones, as is common in fantasy worlds with the existence of magic, but Wild Dog Fidorance seems inept at communicating through the scrolls (I don’t have the screenshot sorry) as if they’re something new. Of course, it might just be because they don’t seem to be in the use of the common people, which would mean that those who become knights would not be accustomed to them growing up, but… I don’t know. Sure, Qilin and other knights, as well as Nagyunn, get the hang of it quickly, but that doesn’t mean it’s been around for a long time. In Nagyunn’s case, he didn’t even know they existed until he met the magician.

So, we know there must be a device used for printing copies of something, there is a magical device that is used by knights to communicate, and that somehow magazines with pictures are printed in color. Is there some device, likely magical, used to take pictures? Is someone meeting with people like Najin and having them pose for hours to capture their likeness? Who knows.

If you were looking for a crazy theory with an answer, I sincerely apologize… but I only bring questions, not answers!! Maybe you can think about it and come up with something, with these details presented to you. (And if you do, please share!! I’d love to talk about the TEK world more! I’m slowly in the process of rereading TEK and taking note of details whenever I have time, which is not too often. Originally I started rereading from chapter 20 and onward—the latest chapter I was working on was 66—but I came back to the first chapters to refresher my knowledge.)

[kanekoii]

We have yandere krisis and yandere xsoleil but what about them with a yandere reader too? (Yandere x yandere basically) 🫨🐩🏄‍♂️🗜️🪬

lyra’s notes -> oughh you a genius anon (written backstage lmao cuz it’s showtime now DA DA DUBIDUBI DU-)

pairings -> yandere! krisis, xsoliel x yandere! gn! reader

genre -> scenario, a little angst

song -> stalk me - 6arelyhuman, bayymack & pixel hood

warnings -> yandere obv, some parts are pretty violent, strong language, if you’re sensitive to violence or blood mentions just don’t read this

YU Q WILSON ->

you share the same interests, so it almost becomes a bonding activity. he’ll be more than happy to dispose of the people in either of your lives together once he finds out you’re just like him. any method possible is perfect. it’s a date with him to go threaten and frame anyone who got too close to either of you. the prettiest of flowers bloom in the bloodiest of soil, i suppose. he’ll send you love letters masterfully penned with what you could only assume was blood flowing out of a fountain pen. to anyone else, it would be horrifying and disgusting. though, to you, it was romantic and beautiful. the kind of thing that might make another person vomit made you swoon.

VANTACROW BRINGER ->

he’s a superhero, so you can bet this gives you quite a few targets. none of his obsessive admirers are safe, fuck he’ll even kill them himself. he’s just helping make your work a little more efficient, that’s all. soon, everyone will know about the hero whose admirers keep disappearing and how nobody knows who’s behind their mangled bodies appearing in the streets. no one would ever suspect that him and his own darling would be behind it, so it’s such a rush of adrenaline every time. blades with your initials and a heart carved into them were used to mangle your shared victims as an act of intimacy.

VEZALIUS BANDAGE ->

oughh. i been waiting for this one. he’ll teach you all about anatomy and how to efficiently dispose of someone as soon as he finds out your mutual hobby. he finds it so romantic that you’d do the same for the people around him as he would to you, leaving what seemed like the both of you as the only people in the world. it’s ever so romantic to him that you would do the same that he would for you in that you would quite literally kill for him willingly.

HEX HAYWIRE ->

i’ve changed my mind and decided he’s more psychological than physical with how he makes you his. he’ll gladly keep you on his lap while he sends messages to people on his devices, encouraging them to cut you off entirely and stop talking to you and you’ll do the same for him. he, like the others, sees it as a bonding activity and an excuse to show how much he loves you. if the both of you will encourage each other’s loved ones to ignore you, then he’ll be the only person in the world who mattered to you and vice versa. he stalks as a form of love and affection, keeping tabs on all your socials. if a guy or girl or anything in between compliments one of your pictures, he’ll see to it personally that they’re blocked and their accounts are terminated.

MELOCO KYORAN ->

when you kiss the smears of blood on her face and hands, she is in heaven. kiss and lick the blood off and she’ll do the same for you. if anyone had ever even dared to try fighting back, their blood would be used in a love letter written by her. meloco would gladly take a hot bath with you to wash off the blood on both of your bodies. her umbrella has a blade hidden in it just in case she needs to use it to ward away the people around you. sometimes she wears it openly on her person just to threaten. it’s a sign of pride to the girl, being able to show her weapon of choice openly shown just to send the message that she won’t hesitate to slice anyone who dares talk to you for too long.

VER VERMILLION ->

sweet boy. he finds your obsession attractive when it comes to romance. you’re absolutely obsessed with each other to the point where he’d kill anyone for you. kill his emotions and his own personality, a sense of his own “self” if you didn’t like his personality anymore. he’d remain ver vermillion, just with a vastly different personality and outlook on life. as long as you were happy, he could learn to be happy too. happy as his friends disappear and he’s left with only you, the thing he had learned to live for in the first place.

DOPPIO DROPSCYTHE ->

you and him would become known as the couple who would quite literally kill for each other. you’d be on the run together like the modern fucking bonnie and clyde, anyone who gets in your way won’t see the light again and the last thing they’ll see are the faces of the two lovers. maybe it’s a problem that doppio finds you extremely attractive when your cute face and body are splattered with an innocent’s blood, but he doesn’t care one bit as he licks the blood off your cheek (sorry this one got real weird just know i’m writing this super late at night so i’m a little unhinged)

KOTOKA TORAHIME ->

she’s a little too oblivious to realize you’re just like her unless you tell her outright. as soon as you tell her though, the girl’s love for you will increase tenfold. she didn’t even know it was possible to love you even more than she already did, but knowing you’re just as dedicated to her as she is to you makes her heart flutter. the knowledge that her friends and family are both literally and figuratively being cut from her by you will never fail to make her swoon and her heart flutter.

[dingodad]

the ext. zodiac is DEFINITELY bullshit (they literally try to relate trolls signs to sburb aspects which is so stupid its funny) but i think that it makes more sense to just go off-zodiac entirely since, in-comic kanaya equates trollsigns to names / signatures. and i dont really think it makes sense at all for an entire interplanetary empire to have only 144 available names

i think highbloods just place a LOT of value in genetic lines, and since signs are like lastnames to them they get really fascist about people who might be related to them

basically; ext zodiac is horseshit but thats why i think going off of it is fun

i don't really know what you're referring to other than the part where kanaya seems to assume rose's signature is her sign but the idea that trolls sign their names using their signs is not really a deal breaker to me.

i mean literally look at 'RL' as an example. there are only 325 possible combinations of 2 letters, which is not nearly enough combinations to possibly make 'RL' a useful signifier of one specific individual. because a signature is only one in a list of ways to authenticate a document. even in the real world putting your signature on a document is only really meaningful if someone else witnessed the signing of the document, because there are only so many ways to sign your name, and it's ultimately just a little drawing that anyone else on earth could easily copy if they really wanted to. or like, picture an aristocrat's signet ring, which could be even closer to what we are talking about here. it puts a picture on the document that is supposed to represent the authenticity of the aristocrat's contribution. but if you really wanted, you could copy the picture. and maybe once upon a time - working with a certain level of primitive technology - it would even have worked, but even there you're still ultimately going to have to fall back on the word of certain reliable witnesses, because the signet itself is just representative of something that is inherently more complex.

this is basically how the whole concept of a last name works too. if you want to be especially crafty, instead of just signing with your two initials you could sign with your whole last name, and on the town or city level that might work to distinguish you from all the other Johns or all the other Smiths. but as soon as you scale up to the level of an entire country, let alone an entire planet, it becomes totally useless, and you're always going to have to supplement your first+lastname with some additional information about yourself, like your date of birth. let's think to the most populous countries on earth, where surnames are more monocultural than we're likely to be familiar with in the world's english-speaking countries (and therefore are probably a closer analogue to uniquely-alternian cultural signifiers): something like 8% of people in China have the surname Yang! that's damn close to one in every 10 people you know having the same last name. the name Khan enjoys a similar level of popularity in Pakistan. to say nothing of all the Nguyens in Vietnam: it could be argued that in some respects a system whereby all members of the same caste have an equal 1 in 24 chance to have the same sign - and almost no chance at all to have the same first and last names! - is a hell of a lot more efficient than a lot of the family name systems we've got here on earth!

is 144 a bit on the small side when scaled up to an empire whose indeterminately large population spans almost to the edges of a galaxy? i'm willing to say yes. but even if you make it 244, or 544, or 1044 unique signs, there's going to be double ups, because it's never going to be enough for every living troll to get a sign all to themself. and hiveswap doesn't have to account for an entire galactic empire's worth of trolls, it only has to account for a couple hundred at a stretch! so it should use an alphabet of signs that suits a cast of a couple hundred. obviously for design purposes it makes complete sense that main or named characters all get their own unique signs - but if the rules dictate that sometimes trolls will share a sign, then the background trolls should reflect that reality! or else you're just breaking the rules of your own setting for the sake of upholding what is, in-universe, arbitrary fascist mythology, exactly like i said.

you also have to remember that, as i've already emphasised, the VASTTTT MAJORITYYYY of trolls in this galaxy-spanning empire are gonna be lowbloods, who don't buy into this mythology! so there isn't even a solid lore reason why lowbloods should have more signs to avoid double ups. and i think the comic already gives us a pretty clear image of the way lowbloods are cast aside by the grandiose conventions of alternian identity, in the fact that highbloods are remembered by such distinguished titles as "Spinneret Mindfang" and "Dualscar" and "Darkleer", and yet even the most significant scumbloods in alternian history are just "The Summoner" or "The Handmaid" or "The Sufferer". these names have significance to us, the readers, but in the context of thousands of years and thousands of lightyears of history there's no damn way there was only ever one "The Disciple" or one "The Signless". and while I do understand quite clearly that the concerns of the reader should always outweigh in-universe concerns when it comes to matters of design or writing, in this case i think it would actually be MORE effective storytelling to treat signs the same way. while it would seem significant to US if another troll, unrelated to tavros or rufioh, appeared wearing a Taurus, it would also serve to communicate that all of the sign shit the readers have been buying into this whole time was nonsense, and i think in this case that's the more important message

[team7-headquarter]

Medical nin Sasuke is a top tier AU for sure

Anon, I hope you don't mind me adding some of my headcanons / thoughts because YES IT IS:

I'm begging to watch Sasuke reanimating someone with a controlled electric pulse.

We all know about the sharingan abilities to easily memorize and catch even the littlest of details, right? It'd be perfect for a medic nin who has to identify all types of wounds in the middle of chaotic battlefields. The efficiency would be around 90%.

Sasuke has amazing chakra control too and it deserves to be talked about more.

It is perfectly plausible that in some other universe where Sasuke wasn't as heavily manipulated as the canon verse, he'd seek to reform the system from within by pushing forward the medical agenda in a world full of mindless violence. I bet he wouldn't feel half as powerless if he could save lives with his medical ninjutsu.

Sasuke can become a medic nin out to rebel against the people trying to control him. He could go "I wish I was powerful enough to stop Itachi before he went too far AND knew how to heal my parents before they died".

He could have become interested in medical ninjutsu during his fight with Haku. Faking death? Going for the vital points with brutal efficiency? All awesome stuff.

Sasuke is so similar to Tsunade. Both left the village because they were disappointed and hurting. They lost their brothers, saw the people most important to them get killed, felt betrayed by someone they trusted— and how interesting I'd be to parallel Orochimaru and Itachi search for power, when both of them later help Konoha survive.

He's fight with Itachi would have gone a lot differently. Itachi is sick and wants to die and is manipulating Sasuke further, but what if Sasuke refused to allow it to happen and managed to save him? I love the trope where characters live to pay for their own mistakes instead of "dying to redeem themselves". The character development is worth it all!

He's very observant, more than Naruto or Sakura. He thinks critically, works under pressure, is not afraid of blood or doing what must be done...

He's a field medic through and through. If he wanted to bring back the honor of the Uchiha clan, becoming a medic sounds like a good idea. Do I need to remind everyone that one of the worst nightmares of Naruto was the asshole of Kabuto? And how he was such a pain in the neck because he was a medic nin?

KABUTO AS SASUKE'S MEDIC NIN SENSEI.

Way to turn around and spit into the Uchiha curse of hatred too. The Sharingan is a gift of love— of love and grief. It's a tool to be used so you won't lose anyone like that again, so you can protect your loved ones. It'd shut up Black Zetsu and his Uchiha manipulation.

POISON EXPERT SASUKE? I NEED IT.

Honestly I think it would have been great to create a plotline where Kakashi is too busy seeing himself in Sasuke, it hits him like a truck the moment he becomes aware that he is more than Rin in so many ways.

Sasuke turning to be more like Mikoto than like Itachi or Fugaku!!!!!!

I have so many ideas for this au. Giving Sasuke the power to heal doesn't change who he is at his core, but it influences who he becomes. I'm not saying he won't be bitter or angry— Tsunade and Chiyo were two of the best medic nins around and they were drowning in vices.

It depends on who his mentor could be and he won't be a worse fighter, but!!! Idk, there is a different type of strength in healing...

[dedkake]

birthday bash 2023 works | the ao3 collection

we had a blast this year. see all the works below the cut <3

fic

Accepting a Complement by WonkyElk | 1k, g, mcshep He wasn’t sure exactly when he and Sheppard had become ‘those two’ or ‘you two’ or ‘that pair’ to so many people. But, now that the phrase had jumped up and bit him, so to speak, he was very aware that he had heard it too many times to count. exposed by dedkake | 1k, m, mcshep Two moments in time: then and now Or, No matter the fact that his subconscious has been keeping the score for him, it’s clear as day what it all adds up to. Missing by Goddess47 | <1k, t, mcshep "Stupid gate!" Rodney whined. "Come on! You should work!" He banged a fist on the inside of the DHD. Transporters: or It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Sets Your DNA to “Shuffle’ by WonkyElk | 2k, t, mcshep Elizabeth had been a little dazzled by the transporter technology at the start - it was difficult not to be - but there was so much to do, and to think about, that they had quickly been downgraded in her consciousness to little more than remarkably efficient elevators. Constantly tripping over her own child-like wonder would hardly have been conducive to a strong and effective leadership. Nowadays, the only time that they really registered as anything out of the ordinary was when they went wrong. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by portlandwithyou | <1k, g, mcshep Sheppard and McKay are stranded on a distant beach. Exploring by Goddess47 | <1k, t, mcshep Pegasus was more black and white than gray, John quickly learned. You’ve been the North Star (where the light’s from) by puddlejumperpilot | 2k, t, rodney / john /radek Rodney never thought he'd be dating two people at the same time. aka Rodney muses over his partners and how exactly they ended up there. Further Adventures in Maple Syrup by WonkyElk | 2k, t, mcshep John woke to a high bright sun battering its rays insistently through the window, the ungentle pouncing of cats, and the clatter of a frantic vampire. Of snakes and safe harbours by Mas_Pebbles_Sharp | <1k, m, multi Elizabeth scratches a couple of itches. short notice by dedkake | <1k, t, ronon / teyla / rodney / john Two week suspension from active duty. Mandatory leave for mental health; off base. Follow-up required. or, instead of splitting up during Brain Storm, the team take a trip to the mainland together. a two nap kind of day by dedkake | <1k, g, mcshep The blankets shift violently, parting to reveal John’s impressive bedhead, rumpled uniform, and colossal scowl. “I’m tired.” or, John's found a new place to hide out. Helping Hands by halestrom | 2k, g, gen Post-Trio, Rodney needs some help even if asking for help is the last thing he wants to do. Thankfully, he doesn't need to ask at all. Two Truths and One Lie by melagan | 2k, g, mcshep During an off-world ceremony, AR-1 is asked to reveal one lie each. Backup Plans by LogicGunn | 4k, g, gen For TwoTales, who had thoughts about a Laura Cadman and Rodney McKay High School Tap Dancing Competition AU.

Opposite to Blue by WonkyElk | 1k, g, mcshep The first time that John had met Rodney McKay he had been brightly, regrettably, orange. Searching for Sleep by Tazmy | <1k, g, gen Rodney’s on day 14 of little sleep. Ronon has a plan. Can be read as either Rodney & Ronon or as Rodney/Ronon. Your choice. 200 words for the SGA server birthday bash You’re the reason I don’t want the world to end by puddlejumperpilot | 7k, t, mcshep Two missing scenes from the second episode of each season. aka McShep over the years. Stop Talking! by Tazmy | 26k, t, multi Rodney knew better than to mess with the Ancient counseling device, but talking to a hologram version of Heightmeyer helped him feel better. Now, drugged by the device, Rodney is compelled to share his innermost secrets to those nearby, and his thoughts are much darker than anyone expected. Response to birthday bash prompt. There are two ways this can go: (1) Rodney must both share his feelings for John and admit the truth about his darkest thoughts or (2) The device will destroy him. Operation Retrieve John’s Heart by Tazmy | <1k, g, mcshep John's always been lonely. Two chapter story, each chapter a double drabble for the SGA fanart server birthday bash! Keeping Secrets by Goddess47 | <1k, t, mcshep It wasn't the sort of talent that one showed off, Chuck had learned as a small child. It was something personal, secret. Doctor’s Orders by Goddess47 | <1k, t, mcshep "You needed to abstain from coffee!" Carson said firmly. "Dinna you understand?" There was Only One… Wait— Two Beds? by pinkoptics | 2k, g, mcshep A bit of silly fun at this trope’s expense. Dear prompter, I hope you like it! The one where Rodney freaks out that there are two beds instead of one.

The Second Name by scifi_dancer | <1k, g, mcshep How the hell had Rodney gotten the printout? Chuck’s Intergalactic Delivery Service and Confessional, A 5+1 Fic by MalihiniMoon and Tazmy | 4k, t, mcshep A 5+1 fic. When the intergalactic bridge connected, allowing quick travel through the Stargate, it only made sense they’d use it to order pizza. It all snowballed from there. You Kissed Me by mific | <1k, g, mcshep Like Phantoms, but with kissing. light switch by dedkake | <1k, g, gen "Shoot me."

other media

Cover Art for “Ink and Wings” [Podfic and Fic] by cassiope25 | mcshep Cover Art for Itstartedwithalex's podfic and an illustration for "Ink and Wings" by spurious. Author's summary: It’s simply not possible. This is what Rodney tells himself for two and a half days after he sees what he thinks is a butterfly tattoo on Major John Sheppard’s thigh. [Podfic] Disposable by Itstartedwithalex | mcshep "Never thought I'd see any of you again." Podfic of "Disposable" by spurious Cover Art for “Disposable” [Podfic and Fic] by cassiope25 | mcshep Cover art for Itstartedwithalex's podfic and an illustration for "Disposable" by spurious. Author's summary: "Never thought I'd see any of you again." Spaghetti for Two by scifi_dancer | fanart, mcshep Spaghetti for two (mcshep) [Podfic] it could’ve started like this, season 2 by Itstartedwithalex | mcshep A McShep get-together per episode. Each fic is written as a missing scene and completely independent of the others. Podfic of season 2 of dedkake's "it could've started like this" Cover Art for “it could have started like this, season 2” [Podfic and Fic] by cassiope25 | mcshep Cover Art for Itstartedwithalex's podfic series and an illustration for the fic "it could have started like this, season 2" by dedkake Author's summary: A McShep get-together per episode. Each fic is written as a missing scene and completely independent of the others. Season 2 [Podfic] Divorce and Soggy Pizza by Itstartedwithalex | mcshep There was something very vulnerable about John standing barefoot in his kitchen with his hair more ruffled than usual, and his thin pyjamas hanging loosely off him. Rondey found that he wanted to push back at the image. Press John back into his role as the unassailable lieutenant colonel and all around ‘cool guy’. “Any other words of wisdom from my heartbreak guru?” he asked John, letting a little of the sneer through in his voice. OR: In the wake of his divorce, Rodney seeks out Sheppard. Podfic of "Divorce and Soggy Pizza" by missmariie Cover Art for “Divorce and Soggy Pizza” [Podfic and Fic] by cassiope25 | mcshep Cover Art for Itstartedwithalex's podfic and an illustration for the fic "Divorce and Soggy Pizza" by missmariie. Author's summary: There was something very vulnerable about John standing barefoot in his kitchen with his hair more ruffled than usual, and his thin pyjamas hanging loosely off him. Rondey found that he wanted to push back at the image. Press John back into his role as the unassailable lieutenant colonel and all around ‘cool guy’. “Any other words of wisdom from my heartbreak guru?” he asked John, letting a little of the sneer through in his voice. OR: In the wake of his divorce, Rodney seeks out Sheppard. [podfic] Operation Retrieve John’s Heart by Tazmy | mcshep This is a podfic and cover art of my story Operation Retrieve John's Heart. John's always been lonely. A story told in two chapters, each chapter a double drabble for the SGA birthday bash Let me go by mific | gen, fanart “Rodney,” Sheppard said quietly. “Let me go.” “Shut the fuck up.” “Rodney, we’re both going to fall,” Sheppard said urgently. “If you keep wriggling like a stupid fish on a line, we will.” “Rodney, let me go.” He craned his head and smiled. “It’s okay.” Two Podfics: Do Not Open and Empty Stars by Tazmy | mcshep Two podfics of two episode tags, each focusing on John's darker side. Do Not Open - Tag for Miller's Crossing. John reflects on his feelings for Rodney and why he could not let Rodney sacrifice himself. Answers such questions as why did McKay need to use someone else's key card. Empty Stars - Tag for The Eye. John reflects on his past actions while seeing how torture affects McKay. Cover Art for Two Podfics: “Do Not Open” and “Empty Stars” [Podfics and Fics] by cassiope25 | mcshep Cover Art for two of Tazmy's podfics and an illustration for her stories "Do Not Open" and "Empty Stars". Author's summary Two podfics of two episode tags, each focusing on John's darker side.

[soracities]

Hey! I hope you are doing great! I remember a while ago you talked about going into journalism without a degree and would love to hear more about that. About not following society rules in general, I don’t have any social media and it feels really scary, like how am I supposed to become an artist and all of that. Since your blog has become a safe place for many, I hope others can share their experiences too, if that’s okay with you :)

I meant to respond to this a long time ago, so I'm sorry it's only coming now.

But no, I actually didn’t go into journalism without a degree so I think there may be a misunderstanding here—what I was told, years ago when I was younger and interested in journalism, was that if this was the career path I wanted then I’d be better off not doing a journalism degree and studying literally anything else at university instead. If you’re going into journalism you have to have something to talk about, and if you’re taking the academic route then a degree in journalism really doesn’t leave you with anything to talk about if that makes sense—if instead, though, you go into statistics, linguistics, law, computer science, social science, biotechnology, economics, philosophy, mathematics—literally whatever, then you will have something to talk about because you have spent the past 3 or 4 (or however many) years becoming familiar with a subject that gives you a different way of looking at the world and understanding or examining the things that happen in it (you will also probably have wider contacts as a result). What I was told essentially boiled down to: there’s nothing in a journalism degree that you can’t learn on the job. Like, if you are passionate about writing, you will be writing, if you are passionate about research, you will be researching—a journalism degree isn’t a requirement for that. In the end I didn't go to university, but still that advice has stuck with me.

Granted, this was a good few years ago and social media was not as pervasive as it is now, but I think the same would apply for art as it would if you were a freelance writer in that, then as now, connections are really, really important—or at the very least the ability to reach out and make those connections. I don't know how expected a degree in art / multimedia / graphic design etc is from people when approaching artists today so I can't comment on that but I think if art is what you want to focus on then you may need to consider setting up some kind of social media profile simply because, for better or worse, it is the most efficient means of reaching out, either to clients or other artists, and building community. You don't necessarily need to have personal socials if that is something that really goes against what you want, but it really may be worth considering establishing an online presence & portfolio professionally in some way; in spite of everything we live in a society where, for freelancers / writers especially, it is an extension of your career and its very difficult to navigate that job while cut off from it.

I don't know what kind of art it is that you want to do, but if you're worried about what to do / how you're going to do it, I always think a good place to start is to reach out to any professional working artists that you know or who work in the field you want to join and ask them about the things that worry you most. At the very least it might alleviate some of the anxiety you feel because hypothetical what-ifs will suddenly have somewhat more concrete approaches attached to them and give you some kind of insight into what options may be available to you.

[xalygatorx]

Worthy (2015) | Chapter 15, "Close Your Eyes"

Disappearing sporadically in public spaces quickly becomes Cora Dempsey's least concerning problem when suddenly she captures the attention of the forming Avengers Initiative, the World Security Council, and Asgard's fallen prince all in one week. And the universe is only just getting started with her.

Worthy is a slow-burn SFW Marvelverse (films) romance between Loki and a female OC. For additional details on what canon is used, see the Prologue post.

Summary: Cora finds the source of her inner power under Frigga's guidance, and some answers about her ancestry. The princes return to Asgard.

Pairing: Loki x Fem!OC

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 3.3k

Cora's noontime magic-test with Frigga turned into an all-out training session that left her wiped out, but exhilarated, and glad that her wounds were healing efficiently. Sif had accompanied her after they'd hit it off so nicely, which had honestly surprised them both. Sif wasn't generally one to make fast friends because of her low tolerance for the majority of folk she met and the fact that she was intimidating as hell. Cora was undaunted though and the more the two talked, the more they realized how alike they actually were.

"So, are all Asgardians also gods?" Cora had asked on their way to meet Frigga, the both of them gaining curious looks from passing servants and guards.

"Yes and no," Sif answered, eyes ahead with a relaxed posture. "Every Asgardian has their gift. Some of those gifts also bear titles."

"What's yours?" she asked, her inquisitiveness getting the better of her, and not for the first time since her arrival.

Sif smiled and glanced at her as she said, "Battle. I am the Goddess of War."

Cora nodded slowly, a smile of her own gradually curving her lips. "That's pretty badass."

Sif grinned as they entered the courtyard, where commenced multiple attempts by Frigga and Sif, both, at getting Cora's ability to manifest. Cora was prepared to give up when Frigga unexpectedly told her, "Come here."

Cora hesitated, but walked over, letting Frigga guide her to turn around, the queen's hands resting upon her shoulders. "Close your eyes."

"What are we—"

"Shhh, dear one, just let your thoughts go," she murmured behind her.

"I have no idea how to do that," Cora admitted, her lips pursing into a small frown.

"Just one at a time. Let them cease to matter so much as finding your true gifts," Frigga coaxed.

Cora closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, her brow creased as she tried to no avail to empty her mind of all the questions, all the background noise, anything hindering her from doing as Frigga requested of her. It wasn't working too well, but she heard Frigga speak again before she could express how much difficulty she was having. The queen took Cora's hands and brought them up toward her chest, Frigga's arms a circle around her. "You are in a hallway."

Cora opened one eye and glanced at Sif, who tried not to laugh at her expression and gave an encouraging nod for her to play along. Cora closed her eyes completely again, imagining a hallway. It was a hallway in her childhood home. Frigga next murmured, "Walk down it until you reach a room."

"What am I trying to find?" Cora asked quietly.

"Your source," Frigga said softly. "You told me your powers rise out of fear. The trick is not to strike fear within you to evoke your power; then it is only a reflexive reaction. You must find where it stems from."

Cora pursed her lips and walked down her mental hallway, coming to two rooms at the end of the hallway, hers and her parents'. "I see two rooms."

"Then you have a choice to make."

After a moment of deliberation, which frustrated her because she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be looking for, she stepped into her old bedroom. It looked just as it had while she was growing up: the periwinkle walls, the bookshelf her dad had made and her mom had painted which held a multitude of books she'd accumulated throughout her young years, the twin-size bed nestled against the far wall, and the colony of stuffed animals lined up on it, side-by-side. It felt like she'd never left.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, slowly easing herself down; her feet hung over the end of the bed frame and she sighed, realizing for likely the millionth time how much had changed. She closed her eyes and rested, even the familiar sounds of a passing train dancing through her memory.

"Cora, come back to us," she heard Frigga say and her voice almost sounded like it was coming from the other end of the hall. Cora hesitated, but got up and walked out of the room, back down the hallway, soon to open her eyes again.

She first saw Sif, who had taken a seat on a nearby rock, and then she turned her head to look back at Frigga. "So, now what do I do?"

"You already did it," Frigga smiled, Cora blinking at her bemusedly. "Go down the hall to the room you found again, but keep your eyes open this time." Frigga adjusted their hands so they were in Cora's line of sight. Cora wasn't sure what she was talking about, but she dropped her gaze to their hands and once again put herself in that hallway, going into the room and, this time, picking up one of her old books, a novel she'd obsessed over in middle school, to leaf through the pages.

Though she was half-consciously in this little world built by her memories, she was also very aware of reality and the more she indulged in what nostalgia had to offer, the faster she faded out of sight in the real world. Cora felt the current of energy pulsing through her and she held onto that as she left the room and went back down the hallway in her mind, amazed to find that she was still invisible by the time she'd let go of the dreamworld. "How am I…"

"You went to where you grew up, did you not?"

Cora frowned and murmured, "Well, yes…"

"Everything is symbolic. Connected. Meanings cross and tangle up in each other. That you went to your first home also meant tapping into your origins, into your bloodline. You drew comfort from it, which translated to what you needed to bring your magic forth."

"Will I always have to go there to access my power?" she asked as she let the magic fall from her form, reappearing.

Frigga let go of Cora's hands as she shook her head. "No, that will simply serve as an access point until it becomes instinct to reach for them. Until you're comfortable with those abilities, you could always carry a weapon if you're concerned."

Cora laughed as she shook her head. "I've never handled a weapon in my life."

Frigga's brows rose in surprise before her gaze slid past Cora to Sif, who wore a similarly startled expression, but was already getting up from her perch. "Well, it is about time then that you begin," Sif said with an excited smile as she walked over. Frigga sent one of the lingering servants to fetch some of the training implements so Cora wouldn't have to start off on a real sword.

That was where the little meeting had turned into what Cora had a feeling boot camp might feel like. That is, if the one training you was also a friend. Cora didn't argue that she couldn't foresee herself needing to know how to handle a sword because, for one thing, she thought swordsmanship might be a cool skill to have and, for another, when would she ever get the chance to learn combat technique from a war goddess again? The entire situation was surreal, but part of her was geeking out in a big way.

Hours later, Cora was a bit roughed up and more than a little worn out. She was a natural, according to Frigga and Sif; she personally didn't feel like she'd made much progress, but she figured she'd take their word for it. Hopefully she'd graduate from the wooden training sword in due time.

They went inside to eat and Cora's stomach grumbled as hearty portions of roasted meat, bread baked with a perfectly golden crust, seasoned and seared vegetables, and a decanter of wine were placed upon the table. A servant filled their goblets halfway with wine, looking a little startled when Cora thanked him outright, which made her realize once again just how this world was proving to be so different from hers.

Cora sipped from her water glass and glanced up as she heard the doors open. She saw an old man walking into the dining hall, a large spear-like scepter in his hand and a metal patch over his right eye. When Frigga and Sif rose from their seats, Cora followed suit, only able to assume from his regal manner and their treatment that he was the king she'd heard so much about, even before coming to Asgard.

"My queen," he greeted Frigga fondly, though wearily, as he kissed her cheek. "I—" He paused when his gaze found Cora. "And who is this?" He had deduced quickly enough that she was someone of importance, at least to his wife; servants and palace residents did not dine together.

"Cora, my lord," Frigga said with a small smile. "She is a new friend. She hails from Midgard, but she is of Asgardian heritage far back in her ancestry."

"How did you come to be here, then?" he asked Cora directly, surprised at the information his wife gave him.

"Heimdall rescued me from Jotunheim," Cora said, trying not to feel intimidated by the king. He carried an air of power about him and she got the feeling that he was merciless as well, save maybe for his wife and oldest son. Loki had given her the impression that he'd fallen far out of favor with this man and there would be no going back. She'd have to tiptoe around this one. "I don't know how I ended up there though. Last I remember, I was on Earth."

"Quite the unpleasant awakening, I expect," he said, something in the undertones of his voice that may have indicated personal experience with the ugliness Jotunheim could offer.

"I was fine until the Frost Beast happened," she remarked and it brought a chuckle out of the elderly king.

"Ah, awful things," he reminisced with a tired smile. "I am Odin, King of Asgard. I hope you will enjoy yourself here."

"Thank you very much."

"Frigga," he said, his attention back to his wife. "I would speak with you privately a few moments."

Frigga nodded and left with Odin, the two linking arms as they walked from the dining hall. When Cora's gaze turned to Sif, she saw a mixture of surprise and apprehension on the warrior's face. "What?"

"Oh, it is nothing. The king just does not usually take to people."

"So quickly, you mean?"

"In general," Sif admitted hushedly, which caused both to laugh in muted tones.

"Everyone seems so nervous tonight," Cora noted, thinking of Odin's expression when he'd walked in, how Frigga had been at times throughout the day, the look of anxiety Sif had been wearing just moments ago as she watched the royal pair leave the hall.

"There have been developments with the pri—," but she stopped herself, glancing at Cora and seeming startled at her own words. Cora was getting ready to ask what was wrong when Sif excused herself from a half-empty plate and said she would see Cora later and, if not later, "on the morrow."

Cora nodded, bewildered, and finished her dinner, not finding anything out even after Frigga returned because she did not have the heart to bother the queen about whatever it was that was etching such sad worry lines into her face.

A few days passed and everyone in the palace seemed to get antsier and antsier with each rise and set of the moons. Cora hadn't gotten a single answer from anyone because the only one she felt comfortable asking was Sif and the lady goddess didn't seem keen at all on divulging any information at the time.

Since no one was talking to her—at least about one of the things she was intent upon discovering—and she had massive amounts of free time, Cora ventured up to the tower library Frigga had told her about, wanting to actively get at least one mystery off the proverbial table. She held up the hem of her steely grey gown as she hurried up the spiral staircase and, the moment she thought she might never reach the top, she saw an ornate door with golden hinges and veins of gold riddling the wood.

Cora turned the handle and it made a grand click as she pushed it forward, thinking that if unlocking a secret had a sound, it would sound just like that. It was a wonderful sound, indeed.

She walked inside and closed the door behind her, awed at the interior of the library and the sheer vastness of it. It smelled like dust and old pages and even some fresh ink somewhere; it was heavenly. Books of all colors, sizes, and girths were ordered carefully along the shelves and piled upon desks, but the most glorious of them that she could see sat upon a podium toward the window opposite of where she stood.

The volume was glowing. Not from the light of day outside, nor from any of the torches lit within the room, but it was literally glowing with magic between the pages. Cora approached it having a very sure feeling this was exactly the book she was looking for. It was about a mile thick with gold-leafed pages in a binding the color of mahogany, every inch of it in perfect condition though it had to have been centuries upon centuries old. Likely even millennia. That fact made it intimidating when she decided that in order to read it, she had to open it.

Cora's hand shook as she reached for the cover and gingerly eased it open, carefully turning the pages in sections to get to where she needed to be, considering the organization was by date of birth. It would be a while until she got to hers, judging by the years marked down by symbols that looked positively ancient, even by Earth's archaeological standards.

She was starting to give up by the time she was two thirds of the way through the book. Because Asgard had been recording its history so much longer than Earth, the timeline was entirely different and any hope she had of correlation was botched, though she was learning some numeric runes along the way.

Cora sighed and shook her head murmuring, "How hard is it to find 1987…"

She'd barely murmured the final digit when the pages all but slapped her hand away and began turning of their own accord. Cora stepped back with wide eyes, watching the pages fly past until they abruptly ceased, the book having nearly reached its end with twelve pages to spare. Her brow furrowed faintly as she stepped forward, glancing over the runes on the page until she saw a sequence she recognized; the same sequence in black ink upon her wrist. She looked briefly over the runes above it before suggesting faintly, "And… Maybe in English?"

Before her very eyes, the runes on the shimmering pages rearranged themselves into stocky, but legible, capital English letters.

Enthusiasm returned and Cora rested her hands against the edges of the podium as she grinned and exclaimed, "My god, you're amazing!" and found her name again, now spelled out completely. Her eyes followed the connecting line to read who was on the same panel, which she took to indicate a bloodline. She skimmed the list until she found names she didn't recognize; apparently the Asgardian heritage had been in her family for generations. She'd just been the only one—that she knew of—to glean something from it. It was around the time of her great-great-great-great grandmother that she came across names that were undeniably Asgardian.

"Sindri and Brokkr," she read aloud, her brow furrowing. Sindri was linked to the line as her great-great-great-great grandfather and Brokkr seemed to be his brother. She repeated the names a few times to commit them to memory before she smiled and shut the book with a whispered, "Thank you!" and then turned to head out in hopes of finding who and where these men were. She was definitely interested in meeting them.

Hurrying from the tower, Cora was prepared to find Frigga if she wasn't busy, but that wish was put temporarily on hold, as there seemed to be some sort of commotion in the hall.

Glancing around, she caught recognized Sif by her raven-black hair ahead, talking to a burly man with a rather impressive red beard. Cora wove between a few guards to get to them. "Sif!" she called when the woman started to get lost in the crowd again. Sif turned and stepped against the wall to wait for Cora, who made it there a few seconds later. "What's going on? Did something happen?"

She hesitated before sighing and explaining, "The princes have returned."

Cora waited for the rest, but she did not elaborate. "Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Sif smiled bitterly and there was an undertone of anger present when she spoke next. "Maybe once. No longer."

Cora scrambled a little before she asked, "Where is Frigga, is she okay?"

Sif frowned softly and shook her head. "I don't know, but I can't imagine she is. She is likely near the throne room by now."

Cora nodded quickly and thanked her before hurrying down the hall, seeing Frigga pacing outside the tall entrance to what she assumed would be the throne room. "Frigga, are you all right?" she called as she slowed her pace, the Queen glancing up at the sound of her name.

"Ah, Cora, I… I am not sure, honestly," she said with a faint smile that looked weakened by uncertainty and nerves.

"I don't understand what's going on," Cora told her, hoping for some kind of explanation. She knew she was missing something big, but no one would tell her what it was.

Frigga searched her eyes, her sadness almost becoming sympathy as she looked down at the Midgardian girl, which confused Cora more than anything. "You were frozen for months, were you not? And when you woke you were not in your own realm?"

Cora's brow furrowed. "Yes, exactly. Why, what's happened?"

She sighed. "I am sorry, but I could not give you the full story if I tried. Thor may be able to give you an ample explanation, but…" Frigga shook her head and looked Cora in the eyes. "My son has done something unspeakable to your home and upon his behalf, I apologize to you."

Cora frowned. "I don't understand. What could he have—"

Frigga glanced toward the doors before Cora could finish, hearing Odin order "the prisoner" in. She looked back to Cora. "I must go and see what I may do to help him," she seemed to fret to herself. "You may listen, but be hidden, for your own safety. And know…" Frigga seemed on the verge of tears until she swallowed her sorrow and regained her queenly composure. "And know this is not reflective of Asgard… Nor is it reflective of Loki, himself." Her smile was genuine, but it was sad. "I simply refuse to believe it."

Cora nodded dazedly, wondering what could have possibly happened back home that would strike such sadness into the Asgardian queen's heart. And, there it was, confirmation that Loki had made some kind of move, had followed through with a plan of his. But why Earth? His target when she'd last spoken to him had been Asgard, what interest could he possibly have in a world he looked down upon? None of it made sense. Especially considering she just couldn't convince herself that the troubled man she'd met would do something so terrible that everyone in his own realm would be shaken by it.

She watched Frigga slip through the door, purposely leaving it ajar for her. Cora hesitated and then moved toward the gap, looking into the throne room as the rattle of chains slowly seeped into the hall.

Next chapter: Chapter 16, "A Universe Away"

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1198: (No) Trust in the Agency (Super Smash Bros Ultimate X Sonic)

12:50 a.m. G.U.N. Fortress Agency: Commander's Office.......

Mechanical Voice: A vistor has reached the facility and is now awaiting the entrance outside of the office.

Commander: (Looks Over at One of the Cameras Recordings to See a Familiar Face Waiting in Front of his Office) Hm. Here already? (Pressed a Button In Front of Him Before Giving the Voice the Command) Let her in.

Mechanical Voice: Entrance access granted.

'Door Automatically Opens'

Peach: (Walks into the Room, Happily Greeting the Commander in Question) Hello!~

Commander: (Gives Peach a Single Nod) Your highness. It's good to see you once again. I wasn't expecting you to come here this earlier than usual this time around.

Peach: (Giggles a Bit) Oho, you know me~ Can't stand the thought of me ever being late for the life me.

Commander: (Chuckles a Bit) Yes, you and me both. I much refer arriving somewhere in more earlier time than a slightly late one to say the least.

Peach: (Happily Nodded) Mmhmm. So how's everyone been doing here as of late?

Commander: Pretty good for the most part. (Shows Peach Recording Monitors of Everyone in Team Dark Participating Various Obstacles in the Training Room) In fact, the training and the missions they've reciprocal thus far has been helping them improve quite a lot, Shadow especially. His strategic prowess has been on point and his combat skills are better than ever. Well done teaching him how to fight with a frying pan by the way.

Peach: (Smiles Brightly) Why, thank you!~ I did my very best to make sure my baby become just as efficient with it in use as I am.

Commander: And you succeed with flying colors. (Turns Back to the Princess) We appericate all of the support you continue to bring to him and his team as of late, despite any negative feelings you have towards us personally.

Peach: (Starts Twiddling her Fingers While "Innocently" Looking Away) Negative feelings? Whatever do you mean, commander?~

Commander: ('Sigh') No need to try and deny it. I could already tell by the look in your eyes and movements that you're not too fond of my presences alone.

Peach: Oh my.....(Slowly Turns Her Head Back to the Commander) Was it really that obvious?

Commander: To me it was. I'm not too sure about everyone else here however.

Peach: I see. (Sighs in Defeat While Shrugging) But since you've figured me out, I might as well come clean and say it. (Forms a Glare Towards the Commander) I don't trust you and GUN around my son. Not after everything you've put him through after all those years ago in that Ark.

Commander: (Taken a Bit Aback by the Princess Has Just Told Him) A. I...take it Shadow has already informed you about that incident at some point?

Peach: (Simply Nodded) Yes, two to three years ago to be exact. (Wipes a Few Tears Away From Her Eyes) It broke my heart immensely to find out all the pain, tragedies and the heartache he had to endure on that awful day......('Sniff') And all those years later.....(Takes a Deep Breath) But above all else.......(Hardens her Glare at the Man Standing Right In Front of Her) It infuriates me to the core to also find out that the people who caused all of this to begin with, were a part of the very same organization he's working for!

The GUN Commander remains silent as he let's the princess continue on with her rant.

Peach: They took Maria, that poor, innocent little girl's life away in cold blood, executed her own grandfather on the spot afterwards, and made Shadow distraught to the point him going on a bitter revenge spree until the day he decided sacrifice his own life to helping Sonic save your world from destruction! And don't think for second, I didn't notice a few of your other agents talking about him behind his back.

Peach looks down at the harden floor, shaking with pure anger.

Peach: Calling him a monster......a freak.....alien scum......After everything he's been through, after all the hard work he've done here, THIS is the thanks he gets!?

Commander: I understand how you feel completely, your highness. But we can't change what others view him, even if they are his allies.

Peach: ('Sighs in Defeat') I know, it just.....This is all so....frustrating!!.....He doesn't deserve any of this.....

Commander: Some may say otherwise, but I for one ageee with you. He doesn't deserve all the anger and resentment he receives. Especially not from me of all people.

Peach: (Looks Up Back at The Commander) You....hated him too?

Commander: Used to, back in the distant past. ('Sighs Heavily') To the point where I tried to assassinate him once.

Peach: (Angrily Stomps her Foot Onto the Ground) YOU WHAT!? (Quickly Tries to Calm Herself Down While Taking a Few Deep Breaths) Sorry!.....I'm sorry. That was uncalled for.

Commander: (Shakes his Head) No, it's fine. Your anger on the matter is justified. I see no problem letting it all out in here.

Peach: (Takes a Deep Breath One More Time Before Speaking in a More Calm Manner) Thank you. But I think it's best we talk it out calmy instead. So please, explain yourself.....before I lose it and bash your skull open.

Commander: (Grimaces at the Thought of Peach's Threat Before Clearing his Throat) R-Right. Well, back when I was a child and long before i became the commander of this organization before you, I was too raised in the Space Ark Colony alongside Maria.

Peach: (Gasps a Bit and Eyes Widened Up in Genuine Surprise) You were?

Commander: (Simply Nodded) It's the truth. She was a older than I was. She was like the older sister I never had- (Chuckles Lightly at the Fond Memories) So it was only natural that I constantly annoyed and teased every chance I get. It wasn't long, however, before we found out that Professor Gerald among the scientists on board were involved into creating one of the Ultimate Lifeforms, Shadow, in a tube of sorts. I was wary of his presence at first glance, but I think I remembered getting along with him decent enough. (Starts Frowning at the Next Part of the Memory) It all changed one night when I suddenly woke up in a private confessional room located in the federal department. Two men in suits started asking me various questions I have little to no knowledge of answering until they told me Maria and Gerald were both found dead on board the Ark.....and that Shadow was the one who killed them.

Peach: (Couldn't Believe What She's Hearing) Those soldiers.....They framed him?

Commander: In a sense, yes. But I didn't know that at the time. ('Sigh') In fact, for fourty plus years, I've ended believing he was responsible for what happened. (Looks Down at the G.U.N. Symbol Imprinted on a Manual Sitting on his Desk) The very reason I enrolled myself into this agency in the first place was to find more answers about the incident.....and planned upon my vengeance towards him with my men joining alongside, once I found out he was still alive all those years later. Nothing was going to hold us back any longer.

Peach slowly resumes back to shaking in pure anger before the Commander speaks up again.

Commander: That was......until we unexpectedly met each other again at one of Dr. Eggman's former bases in the past. I was held captive by that mad scientist for almost the entire day, hearing him ramble on about his plans on world domination....(Picks Up a Picture Frame of Him, Shadow. Maria, and Gerald Together, From his Desk) Even discovering the truth of what really happened on the Ark that day. Eventually, Shadow came in and broke me free from his grasps as we fought through every machine that stood in the way of our escape.

Flashback

Commander: (Starts Shooting Downs an Army of Robots Behind Him, using his Armed BazookaWhile Following Shadow) ('Sigh') Honestly, You do know I never needed your help to begin with, right? I could've gotten myself out of here just fine all on my own.

Shadow: (Rolls his Eyes a Bit) Right..... And I suppose you already known which directions to go for the exit?

Commander: ('Sighs in Annoyance') Don't start with me right now, Hedgehog. I am just as much of a capable fighter as you are!

Shadow: You're also a leader of government agency who is too important and valuable to lose right now.

Commander: Is that right? I never took you for the caring type.

Shadow: Don't read too deep into this. I'm only doing this for a friend. Over here!

Commander: That friend of yours is Rouge, I presume?

Shadow: Yeah. She can be a real pain at times, but I wouldn't be where I am right now if it weren't for her and Omega.

Commander: (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) Omega?

Shadow: (Turns to Commander) He's one of the E-Series robots Eggman made. He's been on out side for the longest now, so there's no need for you worry on that-

Commander: LOOK OUT! (Points His Weapon Up and Shoots Down the Giant Robot That Was Right in Front of Shadow)

Shadow: Hm? (Immediately Stops Skating as He Turns Back Around to See the Scraps of Metal Falling Down to the Ground Before Turning Back to the Commander) Did you.....helped me out just now?

Commander: (Rolls his Eyes) Surprising, I know. But you should try to pay more attention to where you're going next time. I'll be damned if I let you die and see Maria again this soon......

Shadow: ('Sigh') Right. Thank yo- Wait. How do know Maria?

Commander: I'll explain everything later. Right now, we need to leave out of here alive, am i clear?

Shadow: (Nodded to the Man's Command Before Resuming On) Crystal.

End of Flashback

Commander: Once we managed to retreat back to this office, I explained who I was and our past together at the Ark, as well as offered him a job at GUN along with the rest of his teammates. It took some time for us to trust each other completely, but even then, Shadow has long sinced proven himself to not only be a one of the most profound member of our squadron, but also a hero in his own right.

The Commander puts the picture frame back down on his desk before letting down a deep breath and turning back to Peach.

Commander: Like I said before, I can't change some of our soldiers' opinion on who or what Shadow is to them no matter how hard I try, but I will continue to do everything in my power to look after him, fight for, and protect him if necessary not just as his boss, but as an old friend. That's a promise I am willing to fulfill until my dying breathe emerges.

Peach: (Stares at GUN Commander For a Brief Second Before Taking a Deep Breath Herself) It going to take time for me to trust you and this organization completely, but if it's a promise you're truly willing to take, then I'm willing to take your word to great value at the very least.

Commander: Is that right?

Peach: (Simply Nodded) Mmhmm. (Puts on Piercing Glare Once More) But let be known: If I catch or hear you and anyone else in GUN try to harm Shadow and his friends in anyway, I will make every last one of you pay, one way or another. Do you understand me?

Commander: (Simply Nodded) Loud and clear. I thank you for this talk. (Smiles a Bit) Shadow is lucky to have someone like you as his mother.

Peach: (Smiles Back at the Commander) I may not know Maria personally, but I believe she would be very proud of how much you've accomplished so far.

Commander: ('Heh') Yeah, if she sees me now, I'll never hear the end of her crying. Not that I wouldn't stop her, mind you.

Peach let's out a small giggle until the sound of a mechanical voice speaks again.

Mechanical Voice: Four more vistors are waiting out of the office.

Peach: ('Gasps') Could it be?~

Commander: Let 'em in.

The office door automatically opens by itself, revealing Team Dark and Topaz standing outside of the room this entire time.

Shadow: We completed our training session for the day, si- (Turns to See a Very Familiar Face inside the Office) Mother?

Peach: Shadow, Hello!~ (Happily Picks Shadow Up Before Twirling Him Around For a Bit Before Hugging Him) How's my precious, baby boi and his wonderful friends doing on this fine, lovely day?~

Shadow: (Sighs While Blushing a Bit) It's been for the most part.

Rouge: (Smiles Brightly atbthe Princess Mom) We were just finishing off our training routine before we leave for lunch.

Omega: (Already Has a Deadpinned Look on his Face) And I was yet again restricted from presenting my fullest potential in action.

Topaz: ('Sigh') Omega, we've been over this. You're not allowed to use any of your fully enhanced weapons on training grounds. You could potentially destroy the entire base if you're not careful.

Rouge: (Turns to Omega) Listen to your Momma Topaz, Omega. She knows what she's talking about.

Topaz: Exactly- (Quickly Turns to Rouge Withba Glare) H-Hey! I told you to quit calling me that!

Rouge: (Turns to Topaz) True. But you were the one who agree to help look after him with me, remember?~

Topaz: I did! (Turns Away Withba Bit of a Pouty Look on her Face) I just....Don't see myself as an actual mom. Let alone a fun one like you......

Rouge: Not with that attitude!!

Commander: (Gives the Team a Solid Nod) Well done as always, Team Dark. What say you start taking it easy for the rest of day, yeah?

Shadow: (Raises an Eyebrow) Taking it easy?

Rouge: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock) As in a day off!?

Commander: Correct. Consider this a reward for all hard work you three have displayed as of late. You too, Topaz. You deserve a day off as well.

Topaz: (Eyes Widened in Genuine Surprise) Seriously!? B-But sir, I don't know what to-SAY!? (Suddebly Gets Carried in Rouge's Arms)

Rouge: (Smiles Brightly at her Boss) Thank you in advance, sir, BYEEEEEEEE!~ (Flies Off While Carrying Topaz)

Topaz: R-Rouge, H-Hey! Where are we even going!?

Rouge: Shopping, baby!~ Let's go, Omega!~

Omega: (Follows his Mother Figures Behind) Not the activity that came to mind, but it will do for now.

Shadow: I....guess that means we have the day to ourselves then?

Peach: (Shrugs) I don't mind. So long as I get to spend it with you of course~ (Gives Shadow a Big Kiss On the Cheek)

Shadow: ('Sighs in a Bit of Annoyance') Mother.....Not in front of the Commander......

Commander: There's no shame in receiving kisses from mother, soldier. A shame I didn't bring my phone with me. (Gives Shadow a Bit of a Teasing Smirk) I would've taken five to ten photos of this in seconds.

Shadow: (Glares at his Boss) Don't start with me today, sir. We're leaving.

Peach: (Waves Goodbye to the Commander While Walking Out of the Office Along With Sgadow) Have a good rest of the day, Commander!~

Commander: You as well, your highness. You as well.

Shadow: So....(Turns to His Mother While Walking With Her) What did you two talked about while we were training?

Peach: Ohh nothing too important. Just how you all were doing here and stuff. Why ask?

Shadow: Just wondering. I know how much you dislike G.U.N. as of late.

Peach: ('Sigh') No doubt about that. I'm just glad you're doing okay here. Or at least I hope you are.

Shadow: I am, don't worry. (Gives His Mother a Small Smile) I appericate your concern and support though.

Peach: (Smiles Brightly) You're always welcome, honey. (Happily Hugs her Son Again) What kind of mom would I be if I didn't look out for my sweet darlings?~

Shadow: The kind that doesn't hug me in public?

Peach: Oh relax. We're not out of the base yet. Just let me gave this a little longer, okay?

Shadow: ('Sighs in Defeat') Fine......Love you.

Peach: Love you too, sweetie~(Gives Shadow Another Kiss on the Cheek)

@albion-93

@decibelcoatl

@ma-lemons

@caleb13frede

@bestpony666

@bellanova137

[unofficial-sean]

Every time my dad visits, I struggle to understand him. I struggle to assess our common understandings. I struggle to interact with him in a meaningful way.

I used to be a car person. I used to dream up the cars I'd own and what mods I would have on them. I'd try them out in Forza, and this is what drove me to get my GED and become a mechanic. I was obsessed. This worked well with my dad because I'd reckon most white guys are car people, too, to some degree. I was enriched with tools for gifts and our time spent talking was almost always about cars and motorcycles.

But that was before. Now, I'm focused on a deeply personal mission to make my community's HVAC system as efficient as possible; arrived at by personally seeking knowledge over years and years, and also running breathlessly into the world of cars and being knocked on my ass by the intolerance of the people in that world.

I got swept up in the mystical world of radios, which paired well with my dad, as well, who got his technician license shortly after I did, because wireless communication appealed to his sense of independence.

Instead of running face-first into hyper-masculinity, I ran into a door too small to squeeze into. Being a radio technician was not to be.

So, I moved onto biology. Also something my dad is interested in. He likes trees and has plenty of urban wildlife stories. But he is over 50, and a few months ago, I taught him that trees actually consume oxygen at night as part of cellular respiration; it was news to him. Biology wasn't to be, either; I was overwhelmed by the workload placed on my by college and I burnt out.

So here I am, now. I've tried on many costumes. I've learned a little in a lot of places. I've sought out a role for myself to fill. I lost interest in cars and motorcycles. I'm always fascinated by life, but I can't focus on it anymore. Radios are always cool, but there's no one to talk to; or any reason to. I'm terrified of diving.

So I have HVAC, now. It's the current costume I'm wearing. I have a moral mission informed by my experiences roasting in the summer and by my ever-increasing knowledge of the climate crisis. It's all I can do. In my free time, I care for my frogs, I play single-player video games, I prepare for D&D with my club. I dream a lot, too. I don't have any partners, in part because I don't know where to meet my people, and in part because I've lost interest in others, but if I did. . . I just know my family would be weird about it at best.

I don't know how to fit either of my parents into my life, if I'm honest. There's no place for them. There's nothing they can do to enrich it. When I'm around them, I feel tense. I don't want to say the wrong thing. I don't want to hear how far apart we are.

My dad took my brother and I to a car museum. I loathe cars, now. I drive one, sure. But I don't care for them. I learned that there's a completely different way of living, and I desire it dearly; why would there be any ounce of love left for them? But I go anyways, because on some level, I have to. The museum stinks of oily rags. It is a familiar smell, but one that now gives me a headache. I do a circuit, then head outside to breathe in the somewhat-fresh air. I say somewhat because the museum is next to I-5, and the tire noise erases anything sweeter that may have once been in its place.

I walk around the side to look at the building's massive outdoor units; two big, 6-comrpessor, 460v AC + boiler units. I am amazed that the compressors have a locked-rotor amp rating of 125. Can you imagine? I spied a mini-split system, too. A Mitsubishi. It uses R-410A and has a base refrigerant weight of 6oz. For every additional 25 feet of line, though, you must add 0.6 oz of refrigerant to it. There is a spot on the label for the installer to record the total weight of refrigerant in the system after install. It is left blank. Poor practice. Anyone servicing it, now, must estimate it by measuring the lines, if they can access them.

I'm supposed to be spending time with my dad, but instead I'm outside, alone. I don't wanna look at old cars who spewed lead into the atmosphere and probably killed their drivers just as often as they killed bystanders. I don't want to see the machines that my world was built around.

The museum has a section on fossil fuels and climate change. I half-expected to see some denial or distortion of history. No doubt there was some, but it's the solution to these issues that annoyed me the most. In essence, the plaques and exhibits said "let's make use of biofuels, hybrids, and electric cars to minimize emissions; and lets use renewable energy sources to reduce the carbon footprint of automobile manufacturing." fucking what. You wanna keep making cars? Unbelievable.

There was not a single mention of reducing car-dependency or electrified rail. My headache got worse. What did I expect? Car people are going to find a way to keep cars in their place.

What does this have to do with my dad? In a way, he's a barometer for sentiments on certain things. He still thinks I'm interested in internal combustion engines. I hate them. I hate their noises and their fumes. I know precisely how they work, and I could fix a broken one, but I despise what they represent and I just wish they would go away. I wish they weren't the topic of conversation anymore.

I'm tired of grave stakes and the horrors of the world. I want to feel hope again. I want to meet people who share my goals. I want to talk about a thriving future. But fuck, it is hard to do in Tacoma. I want to put a heat hump in every home. I want my tools to be part of a tool-sharing program. I want enough resources to contribute to mutual aid. I want electrified public transit so I can get rid of my car. I want bike infrastructure so I can use the damn thing to get around. I want empty parking lots torn up and replaced with green spaces.

I want to be part of it all and I want to talk with the people who already are. And instead I have my family and everyone else in this city. I'm too afraid to speak, lest I risk showing that I don't know enough. Too afraid to tell my dad I'm not interested in these things anymore because then we will have NOTHING. That will be very sad.

I'm tired. I put together a playlist of things to give me hope because I am trudging through a depression, again. Putting them on in the background while I click through Baldur's Gate 3 again because I can't sleep, but I don't have the brain power to write out my next session or do something bold and creative. I'm soulsapped.

Tomorrow will be the last time my niece celebrates her birthday in this state. She, her brother, and my sister are all moving to Illinois. We'll be at our grandparent's place. It is being referred to as the "last time we'll all be together." Grandpa's health is failing. He's about to be in hospice, if he isn't already. On one hand, I should be there just for the sake of it. I know I'd want as many people around if i was dying. Grandpa's always been cooler than his wife. She's the true reason I don't want to go. I don't like being around her.

I don't like all the "God Bless America" shit in her home. What is there to be proud of? I'm getting off track.

There's no point in raising my voice. I must be a neutral vessel everywhere I go. This is the only place I can ever express myself. Outside, I weight my guilt against my desire to push them all away. It is those days where I am compelled to spend time with family where I feel the most trapped.

[technotalksnimien]

Tech Revolution: Reflection on the Pirates of the Silicon Valley

Hi, it’s me again. I decided to drop double or triple updates on my blog today. I just feel like it. I wrote this blog on a rainy evening. I hope you are all doing fine.

Just like the three Idiots, I was also wondering why this movie is called, “Pirates of the Silicon Valley”. Did you wonder too? Spoiler alert! Honestly, at first I thought this movie is like the famous Pirates of the Caribbean or typical Pirate story, hunting for treasures. It is actually way more than that. Waaaaaaay more. I wondered why this movie weren’t introduced to me back in my elementary or high school days. Man, this talks about how the world changed. So great, so worth it.

The film is titled as it is because it is about fraud and piracy in computer technology. In which the term Silicon Valley is actually a region in the state of California that is known for its prominence in the computer industry. The term pirate is actually the typical word we can associate it with, piracy.

So, what did I learn? I don’t know where to start because I honestly learned so much from this. The film is actually about the men behind the birth of two famous technology company we have today, Apple and Microsoft. You see, I’m using Microsoft right now, I also use it in doing my paper works, and everything. And I’m looking forward to have an Apple someday. XD

1. “Good artists copy; great artists steal” – Steve Jobs

This line means so much. I suddenly remembered, my techno professor told us something like, even if you’re not the first one to create or invent it, only the first one to implement it matters. Like people won’t even care if it’s not your idea, they care about who made it happen for real, not the one who only imagined it to be. Put yourself in a situation wherein you stole something, could be an idea or whatsoever. But then you did something to improve that idea and made it even better. When you become great for something that is not originally from you, you will be seen as great and people will assume that it’s from you.

What does this tells us? As a future IT professional, we are already taught about the ten commandments of computer ethics. Though shall not appropriate other people’s intellectual output, though shall not use a computer to steal. Yes, I know how much glory we can gain by merely copying the works of other people. But what about the conscience? What about the things that we learned in our school? What about morality? Is fame and glory more worth it than your morality as a person? If you are reading this, I want you to think thoroughly about the decisions you make in your life. As future IT professional, let us be the beacon of integrity and principles. Being evil is easy, but choosing to do the right thing requires courage. I’m not saying that do not do what Steve Jobs or Bill Gates did. I’m saying that do the thing you think is right, do the thing that you think the world needs.

2. Information is power

This is one of the lines in the movie that really caught my attention. Information is power, as long as you can transform it into action. Just like what Steve and Bill did, they used their expertise well which eventually led them to success. Knowledge is very powerful. It has the ability to change and conquer the world. However, knowledge itself can’t bring you to success, you have to make an action, use it efficiently to help the society. Knowledge also have the ability to influence and empower people.

3. “When I was still in Berkeley, I kept making some weird electronic gadgets that were basically just jokes, but hey, you know jokes are important” - Woz

I think Woz was the one who said this in the movie, it showed an old man trying to fix his television because Woz at the back is trying to interrupt the signal. Hence, the line is so true. We may think sometimes that an idea is too absurd or ridiculous to be even given a thought. But great things come off from silly ideas. Don’t worry if it doesn’t sound as good as others, think of what could be the impact of this tiny idea to the world.

4. Sometimes, not knowing how crazy something is, is a good thing

I think we can all relate. Because based on my experience, the more I worry about something, the more situation gets worse. Like I realized that I’m worrying too much over a thing that doesn’t need my worry. Sometimes, we just have to put the trust in the things that we do, and surely, something good will follow. Thinking of something that is like, “Can I really do this?” soon enough, it’ll be “I’m so glad I did it, it turned out pretty cool”. In the movie, we can recall that during the computer faire, Woz asked Steve if people will show up. I feel like he has doubts if people will come to their booth. Then Steve replied like “How would I know?” or something like that and he added, “Of course, they’re going to show up” which pretty much sounded like a joke but with confidence. Then it just happened, they didn’t know. Hoardes of people running towards their booth just to see the amazing little machine with 63 chips that makes all these colors. And then boom.

5. Good things won’t chase you, it needs to be chased

Knowing how Steve Jobs and his friends started, in his parent’s garage. And Bill too. They kept on looking for possible investors or persons who can provide them the fund that they need in order to turn their ideas into reality. The movie showed that Steve tried to get a loan from the bank, bringing with him is invention. Unfortunately, the bank according to Steve, “doesn’t like beards”. The bank declined his loan request, just because he has beard, or he didn’t wear business attire or maybe because the bank don’t trust his idea enough. But did Steve stop? No. And now we have Apple. What brought Steve and his team success is their perseverance, intelligence. And Bill Gates? One of the richest man in the world. Remember, life doesn’t stop when one opportunity closes.

6. Respect your coworkers, your employees, respect everyone.

 A culture of respect in the workplace encourages innovation and idea sharing, as well as staff wellbeing, satisfaction, performance, and productivity. When employees know they are valued by their managers and team members, they are less stressed and more committed to their work. In the movie, we can see how Steve disrespected some of his employees at work, shouting and insulting them and even putting his feet on the table. Even we become the boss, we must not forget where we came from and always be humble.

I think that is all guys, that you so much. Next update will be very soon

[neoatlantiscodex]

Neo-Atlantis Codex: Part III: Grid Storage

So, you want to use some unstable form of power. Wind and Solar are the biggest ones, but we could also add tidal and microhydro to the list.

Currently, 95% of grid power storage, world wide, is pumped hydro. This is in theorygood, as it does work. The problem is that regions that can use pumped hydro will typically have geography to use regular hydro, which is very, very, very efficient. But you can add pumped hydro to an existing system.

For home power storage, we use chemical cells. Typically Lithium. By current estimates, we do not have enough lithium and cobalt in the world to replace our cars, nevermind the entire grid. A lot of the mining is also done by child slaves in Africa. They also use water leeching, which works. but also uses a LOT of fresh water. It's often done in deserts, in which fresh water is the most precious thing you can have.

Lithium is also EXTREMELY flammable.

What about other chemicals? Well, we can make chemical cells out of salt water and iron. This used to require a pump, and which made it hard to miniaturize. Anything mechanical is also prone to mechanical breakdown. They have recently developed technology to elimitate the use of pumps. It's still not good for grid storage, but would be good for home power storage. It might make sense to move to a paradigm that the state provides power when it can, and homes had to store their own power. This would work, although it would require a complete change of our paradigm, and would be expensive for the poor. Which is the problem for anything to do with power, as any increase in energy cost punishes the poor, and will drop people into poverty. It will also kill off the vulnerable.

Earth Batteries. You take something with a high durability and heat capacity, like earth, stone, brick, etc. You put it inside an insulated shell. You have a heater inside. Power added from the outside becomes heat inside. The heat can be kept for a week without too much loss. You can either use this directly for heat, or use it to heat water into steam. Doing so would allow it to produce electricity. This is suitable for neighbourhoods or industrial applications. The problem with a steam engine is that you would likely need a steam engineer, which are expensive. It would also require individual neighbourhoods to be self-governing villages/shires, which would help with so many other problems. We'll talk about this later in Neo-Atlantis government/electoral system. This would reduce the work required from other parts of the power system, and in theory, in some areas, these neighbourhoods/villages/shires/wards could be entirely self-generating. If California could shed it's horrifying Fascist control, it has more than enough sunlight that individual neighbourhoods could be self-generating if it could store the power. This would also prevent blackouts. Everytime I look back, it gets further way, but in 2003, the entire Eastern side of Canada, and the New England had a power outage. Because of how connected the grids are. Independent neighbourhood production would completely eliminated this. If you had a tree down over the power lines, it would hurt at most, one neighbourhood.

Compressed air storage. The best usage of this is, funny enough, CO2. You have a giant balloon, kind of an expanding membrane. You hook it up to a pump and a turbine and heat exchanger. Power causes the pump to pump the CO2 from the balloon into the tank. You release CO2 from the tank through the turbine, and it produces power. The big drawback for this is that it requires a lot of space. Which makes it perfect for isolated solar / wind power plants. This also requires nothing in the way of novel technology, and is perfect for large grid storage.

Hydrogen. Contrary to expectations, hydrogen fuel cells never went away. Both Toyota and Hyundai have production Hydrogen fuel cell cars. Hydrogen combustion cars are also perfectly viable, if not currently commencial. Hydrogen can be produced from water through electrolysis, though not efficiently so. It can be produced mechanically from natural gas / methane; the mechanical converters use a portion of the power they produce to power themselves. Before the government were... what?.. afraid the fuel cells might actualy work? I'm old enough to remember the promise of a Hydrogen Highway from California to British Columbia to allow you to drive hydrogen fuel cell cars up and down the coast. Well, they forgot about that. Before this happened, there was a research group that made it with algae in glass tubes. All you needed to do was pump water through them. People in California could probably add it to a closed system in their car.

Synthetic Fuel. Synthetic fuel has been used, in a small scale, in racing for years. Formula 1 is also planning to replace it's entire usage with synthetic fuel in the future, apparently from atmospheric carbon dioxide and wind power. This would have the advantage of requiring no time or money to implement. It would use our existing fuel infrastructure, while also allowing the small producers to be created everywhere.

[generalluxun]

This is an interesting read. My gut reaction was 'First Time meme here'. 🤣 (but I didn't stop with gut reaction or I wouldn't post!)

It's probably a mix of Age+interests but I've seen this sort of wave happen several times. Take videogames. No, I don't mean the recent expansion and gamergate drama. No, I'm talking way back when consoles 'happened'. (Xbox Era, I know they existed before PCs but the death of Atari killed them off for a while) suddenly dudebros were everywhere, CoD and Madden and all sorts of people who had *beat up the people who played videogames* sprawling all over our corner of the world. These guys had never sent an entire computer lab of C64's into If-then loops when a teacher walked out! They were just using our beloved section of the world to facilitate their own mainstream 'masculine' fantasies in new ways. They ate up budgets that could have gone to other games! There was no internet-fandom like there is now then, but they ate up print-media space. They demanded the platform cater to their needs.

Just one example of many. RPGs, Anime, scads of niche hobbies pried open so that the 'normies' can lay all over it and tell us how it should be changed to better suit them. This isn't a rant against these things, it's just an observation that it's not very new, even when not looking at the equality struggle elements.

So what's my point? Well first let me say what's it's not. This isn't a wagging finger and admonition about how you should or should not feel shamed or utilize your own content. It's more a 'food for thought' I'm not drawing a line here, I'm just trying to add more ideas in for people to utilize when drawing their own lines.

-And aha I have come up with a coherent conclusion, so this won't JUST be a ramble by the end.

Bad actors are always a thing. If someone wants to steal content, making an account is no barrier. Weaseling in to find 'good' content to steal is probably even more efficient in the long run. If someone wants to be awful they will too. As someone who at one point years ago had someone using multiple accounts to accuse me of things I not only didn't do, but was physically incapable of doing... trust me. 😅 The idea is advanced that Lurkers are a good thing, and I would go one step further to say they are essential. Stagnation is the bane of all creative spaces. Closed ecosystems stagnate. Lurkers who decide to step in are your fresh infusions over time. How many will turn away if they must pass muster before they can even digest the content? I'll even go one step further. Tourists are essential now too. Why? Because as has been stated, everyone is online. Tourists are everywhere. Lurker is no longer the first step. A tourist who hangs about ends up being a lurker. That lurker over time might become a creator. They might not. Heck, lots won't. And yes some are going to be very 'Touristy' this is our new pipeline though.

If we start closing gates and locking doors as a fandom, we stymie that flow and the fandom will suffer in the long run.

So I think there's a better question than 'Should we as a fandom, gatekeep?' I think the answer to that is just 'no.' It's not healthy in the long run. That's setting aside the concept of slippery slopes, fracturing, etc. etc.

Now what *IS* an extremely important and valid question is 'Should I, personally, gatekeep for my mental well being?' THAT is something only you can answer, and the answer to which may even change and change back over time. No one should fault you for it. At the end of the day it's your stuff and your heart/head. I've got comment moderation on for my fics because I've had people post some things I felt were completely unnecessary, beyond the one-time personal attacks. (Character spite, etc) Anyone can look, and anyone can write something I see, but the *fandom* space I will try to keep clean. That's my personal 'line'. It's no more or less valid than anyone else's personal line for their work.

There's a tendency to universalize our experiences. It's perfectly normal. No one wants to be the 'odd one out' no one wants to be the person locking their gate when others leave them wide. I think though this is a case where we need to recognize what is healthy for the individual and what is healthy for the collective can diverge. They can diverge but they can also coexist.

Fandom can do a little gatekeeping. As a treat.

So I finally decided to archive-lock my fics on AO3 last night. I’ve been considering it since the AI scrape last year, but the tipping point was this whole lore.fm debacle, coupled with some thoughts I’ve been thinking regarding Fandom These Days in general and Fandom As A Community in particular. So I wanna explain why I waited so long, why I locked my stuff up now, and why I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a-okay with making it harder for people to see my stories.

Lurkers really are great, tho

I’m a chronic lurker, and have been since I started hanging out on the internet as a teen in the 00s. These days it’s just cuz I don’t feel a need to socialize very often, but back then it was because I was shy and knew I was socially awkward. Even if I made an account, I’d spend months lurking on message boards or forums or Livejournals, watching other people interact and getting a feel for that particular community’s culture and etiquette before I finally started interacting myself. And y’know, that approach saved me a lot of embarrassment. Over the course of my lurking on any site, there was always some other person who’d clearly joined up five minutes after learning the place existed, barged in without a care for their behavior, and committed so many social faux pas that all the other users were immediately annoyed with them at best. I learned a lot observing those incidents. Lurk More is Rule 33 of the internet for very good reason.

Lurking isn’t bad or weird or creepy. It’s perfectly normal. I love lurking. It’s hard for me to not lurk - socializing takes a lot of energy out of me, even via text. (Heck it took 12 hours for me to write this post, I wish I was kidding--) Occasionally I’ll manage longer bouts of interaction - a few weeks posting here, almost a year chatting in a discord there - but I’m always gonna end up going radio silent for months at some point. I used to feel bad about it, but I’ve long since made peace with the fact that it’s just the way my brain works. I’m a chronic lurker, and in the long term nothing is going to change that.

The thing with being a chronic lurker is that you have to accept that you are not actually seen as part of the community you are lurking in. That’s not to say that lurkers are unimportant - lurkers actually are important, and they make up a large proportion of any online community - but it’s simple cause and effect. You may think of it as “your community”, but if you’ve never said a word, how is the community supposed to know you exist? If I lurked on someone’s LJ, and then that person suddenly friendslocked their blog, I knew that I had two choices: Either accept that I would never be able to read their posts again, or reach out to them and ask if I could be added to their friends list with the full understanding that I was a rando they might not decide to trust. I usually went with the first option, because my invisibility as a lurker was more important to me than talking to strangers on the internet.

Lurking is like sitting on a park bench, quietly people-watching and eavesdropping on the conversations other people are having around you. You’re in the park, but you’re not actively participating in anything happening there. You can see and hear things that you become very interested in! But if you don’t introduce yourself and become part of the conversation, you won’t be able to keep listening to it when those people walk away. When fandom migrated away from Livejournal, people moved to new platforms alongside their friends, but lurkers were often left behind. No one knew they existed, so they weren’t told where everyone else was going. To be seen as part of a fandom community, you need to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known, etc. etc.

There’s nothing wrong with lurking. There can actually be benefits to lurking, both for the lurkers and the communities they lurk in. It’s just another way to be in a fandom. But if that is how you exist in fandom--and remember, I say this as someone who often does exist that way in fandom--you need to remember that you’re on the outside looking in, and the curtains can always close.

I’ve always been super sympathetic to lurkers, because I am one. I know there’s a lot of people like me who just don’t socialize often. I know there’s plenty of reasons why someone might not make an account on the internet - maybe they’re nervous, maybe they’re young and their parents don’t allow them to, maybe they’re in a bad situation where someone is monitoring their activity, maybe they can only access the internet from public computer terminals. Heck, I’ve never even logged into AO3 on my phone--if I’m away from my computer I just read what’s publicly available. 

I know I have people lurking on my fics. I know my fics probably mean a lot to someone I don’t even know exists. I know this because there are plenty of fics I love whose writers don’t know I exist.

I love my commenters personally; I love my lurkers as an abstract concept. I know they’re there and I wish them well, and if they ever de-lurk I love them all the more.

So up until last year I never considered archive-locking my fic, because I get it. The AI scraping was upsetting, but I still hesitated because I was thinking of lurkers and guests and remembering what it felt like to be 15 and wondering if it’d be worth letting a stranger on the internet know I existed and asking to be added to their friends list just so I could reread a funny post they made once.

But the internet has changed a lot since the 00s, and fandom has changed with it. I’ve read some things and been doing some thinking about fandom-as-community over the last few years, and reading through the lore.fm drama made me decide that it’s time for me to set some boundaries.

I still love my lurkers, and I feel bad about leaving any guest commenters behind, especially if they’re in a situation where they can’t make an account for some reason. But from here on out, even my lurkers are going to have to do the bare minimum to read my fics--make an AO3 account.

Should we gatekeep fandom?

I’ve seen a few people ask this question, usually rhetorically, sometimes as a joke, always with a bit of seriousness. And I think…yeah, maybe we should. Except wait, no, not like that--

A decade ago, when people talked about fandom gatekeeping and why it was bad to do, it intersected with a lot of other things, mainly feminism and classism. The prevalent image of fandom gatekeeping was, like, a man learning that a woman likes Star Wars and haughtily demanding, “Oh, yeah? Well if you’re REALLY a fan, name ten EU novels” to belittle and dismiss her, expecting that a “real fan” would have the money and time to be familiar with the EU, and ignoring the fact that male movie-only fans were still considered fans. The thing being gatekept was the very definition of “being a fan” and people’s right to describe themselves as one.

That’s not what I mean when I say maybe fandom should gatekeep more. Anyone can call themselves a fan if they like something, that’s fine. But when it comes to the ability to enjoy the fanworks produced by the fandom community…that might be something worth gatekeeping.

See, back in the 00s, it was perfectly common for people to just…not go on the internet. Surfing the web was a thing, but it was just, like, a fun pastime. Not everyone did it. It wasn’t until the rise of social media that going online became a thing everyone and their grandmother did every day. Back then, going on the internet was just…a hobby.

So one of the first gates online fandom ever had was the simple fact that the entire world wasn’t here yet.

The entire world is here now. That gate has been demolished.

And it’s a lot easier to find us now. Even scattered across platforms, fandom is so centralized these days. It isn’t a network of dedicated webshrines and forums that you can only find via webrings anymore, it’s right there on all the big social media sites. AO3 didn’t set out to be the main fanfic website, but that’s definitely what it’s become. It’s easy for people to find us--and that includes people who don’t care about the community, and just want “content.”

Transformative fandom doesn’t like it when people see our fanworks as “content”. “Content” is a pretty broad term, but when fandom uses it we’re usually referring to creative works that are churned out by content creators to be consumed by an audience as quickly as possible as often as possible so that the content creator can generate revenue. This not-so-new normal has caused a massive shift in how people who are new to fandom view fanworks--instead of seeing fic or art as something a fellow fan made and shared with you, they see fanworks as products to be consumed.

Transformative fandom has, in general, always been a gift economy. We put time and effort into creating fanworks that we share with our fellow fans for free. We do this so we don’t get sued, but fandom as a whole actually gets a lot out of the gift economy. Offer your community a story, and in return you can get comments, build friendships, or inspire other people to write things that you might want to read. Readers are given the gift of free stories to read and enjoy, and while lurking is fine, they have the choice to engage with the writer and other readers by leaving comments or making reclists to help build the community.

And look, don’t get me wrong. People have never engaged with fanfic as much as fan writers wish they would. There has always been “no one comments anymore” wank. There have always been people who only comment to say “MORE!” or otherwise demand or guilt trip writers into posting the next chapter. But fandom has always agreed that those commenters are rude and annoying, and as those commenters navigate fandom they have the chance to learn proper community etiquette.

However, now it seems that a lot of the people who are consuming fanworks aren’t actually in the community. 

I won’t say “they aren’t real fans” because that’s silly; there’s lots of ways to be a fan. But there seem to be a lot of fans now who have no interest in fandom as a community, or in adhering to community etiquette, or in respecting the gift economy. They consume our fics, but they don’t appreciate fan labor. They want our “content”, but they don’t respect our control over our creations.

And even worse--they see us as a resource. We share our work for free, as a gift, but all they see is an open-source content farm waiting to be tapped into. We shared it for free, so clearly they can do whatever they want with it. Why should we care if they feed our work into AI training datasets, or copy/paste our unfinished stories into ChatGPT to get an ending, or charge people for an unnecessary third-party AO3 app, or sell fanbindings on etsy for a profit without the author’s permission, or turn our stories into poor imitations of podfics to be posted on other platforms without giving us credit or asking our consent, while also using it to lure in people they can datascrape for their Forbes 30 Under 30 company? 

And sure, people have been doing shady things with other people’s fanworks since forever. Art theft and reposting has always been a big problem. Fanfic is harder to flat-out repost, but I’ve heard of unauthorized fic translations getting posted without crediting the original author. Once in…I think the 2010s? I read a post by a woman who had gone to some sort of local bookselling event, only to find that the man selling “his” novel had actually self-published her fanfic. (Wish I could find that one again, I don’t even remember where I read it.)

But aside from that third example, the thing is…as awful as fanart/writing theft is, back in the day, the main thing a thief would gain from it was clout. Clout that should rightfully go to the creators who gifted their work in the first place, yeah, but still. Just clout. People will do a lot of hurtful things for clout, but fandom clout means nothing outside of fandom. Fandom clout is not enough to incentivize the sort of wide-scale pillaging we’re seeing from community outsiders today.

Money, on the other hand… Well, fandom’s just a giant, untapped content farm, isn’t it? Think of how much revenue all that content could generate.

Lurkers are a normal and even beneficial part of any online community. Maybe one day they’ll de-lurk and easily slide into place beside their fellow fans because they already know the etiquette. Maybe they’re active in another community, and they can spread information from the community they lurk in to the community they’re active in. At the very least, they silently observe, and even if they’re not active community members, they understand the community.

Fans who see fanworks as “content” don’t belong in the same category as lurkers. They’re tourists. 

While reading through the initial Reddit thread on the lore.fm situation, I found this comment:

[ID: Reddit User Cabbitowo says: ... So in anime fandoms we have a word called tourist and essentially it means a fan of a few anime and doesn't care about anime tropes and actively criticizes them. This is kind of how fandoms on tiktok feel. They're touring fanfics and fanart and actively criticizes tropes that have been in the fandom since the 60s. They want to be in a fandom but they don't want to engage in fandom 

OP totallymandy responds: Just entered back into Reddit after a long day to see this most recent reply. And as a fellow anime fan this making me laugh so much since it’s true! But it sorta hurts too when the reality sets in. Modern fandom is so entitled and bratty and you’d think it’s the minors only but that’s not even true, my age-mates and older seem to be like that. They want to eat their cake and complain all whilst bringing nothing to the potluck… :/ END ID]

-

“Tourist” is an apt name for this sort of fan. They don’t want to be part of our community, and they don’t have to be in order to come into our spaces and consume our work. Even if they don’t steal our work themselves, they feel so entitled to it that they’re fine with ignoring our wishes and letting other people take it to make AI “podfics” for them to listen to (there are a lot of comments on lore.fm’s shutdown announcement video from people telling them to just ignore the writers and do it anyway). They’ll use AI to generate an ending to an unfinished fic because they don’t care about seeing “the ending this writer would have given to the story they were telling”, they just want “an ending”. For these tourist fans, the ends justify the means, and their end goal is content for them to consume, with no care for the community that created it for them in the first place.

I don’t think this is confined to a specific age group. This isn’t “13-year-olds on Wattpad” or “Zoomers on TikTok” or whatever pointless generation war we’re in now. This is coming from people who are new to fandom, whose main experience with creative works on the internet is this new content culture and who don’t understand fandom as a community. That description can be true of someone from any age group.

It’s so easy to find fandom these days. It is, in fact, too easy. Newcomers face no hurdles or challenges that would encourage them to lurk and observe a bit before engaging, and it’s easy for people who would otherwise move on and leave us alone to start making trouble. From tourist fans to content entrepreneurs to random people who just want to gawk, it’s so easy for people who don’t care about the fandom community to reap all of its fruits. 

So when I say maybe fandom should start gatekeeping a bit, I’m referring to the fact that we barely even have a gate anymore. Everyone is on the internet now; the entire world can find us, and they don’t need to bother learning community etiquette when they do. Before, we were protected by the fact that fandom was considered weird and most people didn’t look at it twice. Now, fandom is pretty mainstream. People who never would’ve bothered with it before are now comfortable strolling in like they own the place. They have no regard for the fandom community, they don’t understand it, and they don’t want to. They want to treat it just like the rest of the content they consume online.

And then they’re surprised when those of us who understand fandom culture get upset. Fanworks have existed far longer than the algorithmic internet’s content. Fanworks existed long before the internet. We’ve lived like this for ages and we like it.

So if someone can’t be bothered to respect fandom as a community, I don’t see why I should give them easy access to my fics.

Think of it like a garden gate

When I interact with commenters on my fic, I have this sense of hospitality.

The comment section is my front porch. The fic is my garden. I created my garden because I really wanted to, and I’m proud of it, and I’m happy to share it with other people. 

Lots of people enjoy looking at my garden. Many walk through without saying anything. Some stop to leave kudos. Some recommend my garden to their friends. And some people take the time to stop by my front porch and let me know what a beautiful garden it is and how much they’ve enjoyed it. 

Any fic writer can tell you that getting comments is an incredible feeling. I always try to answer all my comments. I don’t always manage it, but my fics’ comment sections are the one place that I manage to consistently socialize in fandom. When I respond to a comment, it feels like I’m pouring out a glass of lemonade to share with this lovely commenter on my front porch, a thank you for their thank you. We take a moment to admire my garden together, and then I see them out. The next time they drop by, I recognize them and am happy to pour another glass of lemonade.

My garden has always been open and easy to access. No fences, no walls. You just have to know where to find it. Fandom in general was once protected by its own obscurity, an out-of-the-way town that showed up on maps but was usually ignored.

But now there’s a highway that makes it easy to get to, and we have all these out-of-towner tourists coming in to gawk and steal our lawn ornaments and wonder if they can use the place to make themselves some money.

I don’t care to have those types trampling over my garden and eating all my vegetables and digging up my flowers to repot and sell, so I’ve put up a wall. It has a gate that visitors can get through if they just take the time to open it.

Admittedly, it’s a small obstacle. But when I share my fics, I share them as a gift with my fellow fans, the ones who understand that fandom is a community, even if they’re lurkers. As for tourist fans and entrepreneurs who see fic as content, who have no qualms ignoring the writer’s wishes, who refuse to respect or understand the fandom community…well, they’re not the people I mean to share my fic with, so I have no issues locking them out. If they want access to my stories, they’ll have to do the bare minimum to become a community member and join the AO3 invite queue.

And y’know, I’ve said a lot about fandom and community here, and I just want to say, I hope it’s not intimidating. When I was younger, talk about The Fandom Community made me feel insecure, and I didn’t think I’d ever manage to be active enough in fandom spaces to be counted as A Member Of The Community. But you don’t have to be a social butterfly to participate in fandom. I’ll always and forever be a chronic lurker, I reblog more than I post, I rarely manage to comment on fic, and I go radio silent for months at a time--but I write and post fanfiction. That’s my contribution.

Do you write, draw, vid, gif, or otherwise create? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you leave comments? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you curate reclists? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you maintain a fandom blog or fuckyeah blog? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you provide a space for other fans to convene in? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you regularly send asks (off anon so people know who you are)? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you have fandom friends who you interact with? Congrats, you're a community member.

There’s lots of ways to be a fan. Just make sure to respect and appreciate your fellow fans and the work they put in for you to enjoy and the gift economy fandom culture that keeps this community going.

[trapangeles]

Elon Musk Unveils Futuristic Tech at We Robot Event in Hollywood

Last night, Elon Musk shut down Hollywood with his highly anticipated We Robot event, where he previewed groundbreaking new technology that has the world buzzing. Held in the heart of L.A., this futuristic showcase unveiled the Optimus Robot, RoboVan, and RoboTaxi, pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible in tech.

The Optimus Robot – A New Era in Robotics

The Optimus Robot was one of the major highlights of the night. Standing tall as Musk’s latest innovation in humanoid robotics, Optimus is designed to help with manual labor and household tasks, representing the next evolution in AI-powered assistance. The robot is capable of walking, talking, and interacting with its environment, making it a game changer for industries and homes alike. This tech could shift how we think about work and automation.

The RoboVan – Redefining Transportation

Elon Musk also introduced the RoboVan, a futuristic, self-driving van that could change the way we think about urban transportation. The RoboVan is designed for efficiency, offering autonomous rides for groups and deliveries, with the potential to revolutionize logistics, ride-sharing, and daily commutes. The sleek design and cutting-edge AI systems make it one of the most advanced vehicles in development today.

The RoboTaxi – The Future of Ride-Sharing

Musk’s vision didn’t stop there. He also previewed the RoboTaxi, an autonomous taxi that will navigate city streets without the need for a human driver. Set to disrupt the ride-sharing industry, the RoboTaxi promises to reduce costs, improve safety, and offer an eco-friendly solution to urban transportation. Imagine calling a ride with no driver, just an AI system handling everything from navigation to traffic safety.

Tech Takeover or Sci-Fi Reality?

Elon Musk’s We Robot event has sparked plenty of conversation. Are we ready for a world run by robots, autonomous vehicles, and AI? While some are excited about the possibilities, others are cautious about what this means for the future of human jobs and privacy.

At trapLA, we’re keeping our eyes on this tech takeover. From the Optimus Robot to the RoboVan and RoboTaxi, Musk is proving that the future of AI technology is here, and it’s happening faster than we thought.

The Future of Hollywood and Tech

Musk’s decision to host the We Robot event in Hollywood is a sign that the tech and entertainment industries are becoming increasingly intertwined. As AI continues to advance, we may see a future where robots are not only in our homes and streets but on the big screen too.

What do you think about Elon Musk’s latest tech? Are you ready for robots in everyday life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and stay tuned to trapLA for more updates on the latest tech and culture news.

Have you been spending all your money and time on making music and shooting videos, but still not getting any exposure? Tired of just spinning your wheels? You know to get exposure you need to get featured on blogs, radio stations, playlist, and get your music e-mail blasted out to the masses. Need help getting all that done? Then check out the Package we’ve made available for you below!

Like & Listen To Our Spotify Playlist

trapLAXradio On The Air Now!

The Latest Music, Videos, News, Entertainment……