#he's used to being low tech its natural for him

[wraithsoutlaws]

been thinking about the neglected section of dagger's lore after he leaves the bakkers as a teen and winds up in a smuggler outfit and aaaa for so long i couldn't grasp details of it all but now its flooding in and its coming together :ratscream:

[the-s1lly-corner]

What do you think, what traits or something else are tadc cast looking for in a partner?

TADC cast and what they want in a partner!

Obviously, since this is likely taking place in the digital world, i probably wont do much in terms of physical real world looks!

I'll probably do a small segment for them, before they got stuck in the real world but thats a maybe :0 I write these little notes before I write the request! So!! Wild card!!!

CAINE:

Ooo okay so caine is interesting because like. He has never had feelings before, so he doesn't exactly know what he wants!

He wants a confident and bold partner! Wait no... but shy and sweet ones are nice... oh ho ho he wants a partner who's tall, to hold him!.. but.. short partners are nice for cuddling... he wants a partner who takes the lead, sometimes its nice to let someone take charge! But... caine is programmed to be in charge...

Hmm...

I think it's safe to say that Caine may not have a specific type, the fact that his S/O was able to win him over is enough and hes going to love em til the day his code breaks down

..does code break down? Admittedly the admin is DUMB when it comes to tech stuff....

POMNI:

Okok it's no secret that pomni is hard for me to write... and this request is no exception

With that being said, I think pomni would be interested in our favorite

The goth gf/j

Well I say that jokingly, but I think pomni would be into tall strong alt people who just radiate cool energy

I can also see her being into dorks too, oddly enough.. maybe it's because I don't see pomni as being especially.. "out there", even before the circus.. could be attraction via being able to relate

RAGATHA:

Hands down ragatha wants a soft and sweet partner who can take care of her. Ragatha spends so much of her time trying to keep everyone optimistic and hopeful, that sometimes she needs someone to do the same for her, you know? That doesnt mean she isnt going to return the favor.. no no it's in her nature to be optimistic, but it would be nice to be taken care of once in a while..!

JAX:

Jax wants someone who can shrug off jokes.... now is this mostly because hes an asshole who is going to not spare you from his pranks? Maybe! Even better if you also like doing some practical joking here and there

However, as I write more and more jax stuff... I can't help but form what his type may be, or finding a personality that compliments his well. Dont get me wrong I love the idea of jax having a trickster partner; however I also love the idea of jax with a partner who doesnt take no bullshit! Love that, so much. Jax with a partner who can turn his prank back on him and keep him in line

KINGER:

His wife/j

No but kinger gravitates towards people who are very compassionate and patient... but also a little fierce! Naturally, since kinger is so... you know, I think he needs someone who can tell him what to do, and can be able to reel him back down when he gets too stuck in his head.. or too out of his head, even

ZOOBLE:

Zooble wants someone who's not too high energy... which makes sense, since zooble themselves is very over it and low energy. Perhaps they also would want someone who isnt too pushy, or "in your face".. its easier for zooble to list what they dont want rather than what they do want..

Perhaps they could do well with a tall goth gf/j.....

..../hj

I think before they entered the digital circus, they liked taller people. Cant tell you why, I just think they like taller people!

GANGLE:

Said this several times but gangle used to play monster dating sims or something before they got stuck in the circus. So her taste in people is a little... all over the place....

Dating sims aside, I think gangle wants someone who can step up and protect her. Physically and emotionally. Its no secret that gangle is sensitive...

Also I think she likes strong people

Quick someone draw this as gangle and reader

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1125 - Initial Thoughts

A week break gone and now we're back again

It always takes so long but we return to One Piece. Elbaf is on the horizon, and while questions float over Vegapunk there may still yet be a little more before we reach the land of giants.

Let's see what we have

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release too!

Yamato's latest pit stop is the still-rebuilding Oden castle

Minatomo the carpenter has gone missing, so I guess that's the next step - probably missing his student who happens to actually be very skilled at carpentry

The WG continue to wrap things up on Egghead, ready to load the Seraphim and leave, we don't know what they intended for the Mark IIIs and the Weaponized Sea Beasts though

Lucci and Kaku board with angered faces, claiming Stussy was KIA

Unusual for Lucci to lie about that though isn't it?

Saturn though wraps up the benefits of the operation, citing that getting York and the Mother Flame is a win, but there was one critical hiccup

The Vice Admirals are in audience with him, and apologize for failing to capture Bonney and the Straw Hats even with a Grand Buster Call

They ask to make chase to Elbaf, but are turned down

The true hiccup was Vegapunk's message getting out

He also mentions that the awakening of Emeth was ironic

We get a flashback 200 years ago, turns out Emeth being studied on was by Saturn's permission! He wanted the tech for military might

Man literally left a 200 year chekhov's gun on the table

As Saturn mulls about Emeth, Vice Admiral Doberman makes a foolish mistake, and asks if that means Vegapunk's message was true

And thus he gets eyeshotted, though he seems to just be KO'd, since they call a medic

Something's happening in the Labophase though

York sees a ton of clouds in the lab, and realises that a plan has been undertaken

Edison's not dead! But York is trying to rectify that

But it's a feint, and as York fires to the side the top half of the egg floats away

Punk Records has been swiped from the clutches of the WG

Back at Marejois and naturally, the Celestial Dragons are not taking the low food supplies well

Sadly that means lots of killing and blaming

Akainu catching a stray for not capturing Kuma, but it seems that most of the Dragons were unaware of Vegapunk's reveal

Figarland Garling approaches the remaining Gorosei in their usual place

He has new orders: York is under his command now, because he's the new Minister of War

Saturn fucked up and now he just got demoted! That really ruins the planet motif

Oh but what of Saturn? He screams in agony on his ship

Looks like Imu has no use for him, and the black haze that seemed to restore them from damage now suffocates him

The Vice Admirals just look in horror, unknown to what's causing this

The seemingly impervious Saturn retches and grows thinner, almost hollowed out

Imu tells him their motives; Joy Boy was allowed to escape, so they are responsible

Black smoke and flames erupt from the ship, and what remains of Jaygarcia Saturn is just bones

Back at the now floating Punk Records, it seems the satellites are all alive, chatting among each other

Shaka notes they intended to get the whole Fabriostratum, but they're glad to get Punk Records out of York's hands

Pythagoras notes that she can still link up with Punk Records, but it'll only to be to fulfill its original intention

Shaka predicts it'll still take 500 years to achieve its true objective

But everyone thinks they're dead so there's limited pursuit, but that also means no funds

Edison has a new body, a frankenbody of spare parts

His own head, Atlas and Pythagoras' arm, and Shaka's torso and legs

Shaka also jabs at Edison for always admiring his height

Atlas however wants York's spare parts thrown out, which the rest of the group agree on

It is very fortunate Sanji never found this room of spare body parts

Edison also has another connection up his sleeve, and calls Weatheria!

Over to the Revolutionary Army and they are gathering the intel from Vegapunk's message

They also conclude that whoever gets the One Piece gets access to the power to destroy the world too

Belo Betty seems like she is ready to oppose the pirates, and in turn Luffy and Robin

Sabo doesn't comment, only noting that it explains why the first Celestrial Dragons took up home on the Red Line

Oh! Tequila Wolf wasn't the only one...Vodka Wolf, Rum Wolf and Bourbon Wolf

We know there's a Vodka kingdom since that's where Kaido came from, wonder if that's a connection

Dragon mulls on the coast, noting how many will take Vegapunk's message to scramble for higher land

Looks like Dragon's got a boot up the ass, to speed up his plan

Well this is interesting

The power structure has changed, Figarland Garling is our new Gorosei, Saturn is no more. A brutal death to a seemingly unkillable being at the hands of Imu, but the interesting part is what it tells and what it implies. Saturn was a person, and it seems that Imu was able to keep him alive for so long, at least 200 years. Does that mean there were other Gorosei back in the day? And does the Gyuki transformation transfer over to Garling? Will he be empowered with a new shape? The World Government may still have York and the Mother Flame, but the loss of Punk Records is huge! I guess that's what Lilith meant by them not being dead, I guess they all still can connect to one satellite and share the body. The frankenbody is unusual, though I wonder if they'll come back in a different shape next time, following refinement for convenience given how weird their proportions are right now. Interesting not to hear the Stella talk either, I guess he could still be the brain jar but maybe he is the sole casualty?

The Celestial Dragons starving may've killed a Gorosei but it will lead to more violence and blaming, not gonna be good for the current climate, which is probably why Imu anticipates war. Imu is definitely paying attention to Luffy now, calling them Joy Boy, but Saturn did in a way cause all his own undoing, from Emeth, Kuma and Vegapunk himself, he underestimated everyone because they were insects to him and they all outwitted him, an ant bite can still kill a man.

The Revolutionary Army look to gear up for something big. They have been making smaller strides in general but maybe now Oda's gonna put them to work. I do kinda hope though that they don't directly oppose Luffy like Koby intends to, Sabo that is your brother and all the RA have friendly ties to Robin. Everyone is like 'this power is dangerous and can destroy the world' but nobody's reminding themselves that Luffy ain't about destroying the world. Like, maybe just help pave the way? The Grand Fleet need to be kicked into gear to help with that too.

All in all a lot to consume and chew on with this chapter, especially compared to the linear brevity of the last. I doubt we'll go to Elbaf next chapter though, we have the dangling thread of Kuma and Bonney still to deal with, and of course whatever game-changing thing is about to happen on the other sides of the world.

Oda and his round numbers man, he loves them round numbers.

[vodika-vibes]

😌 idk if my first request for a fox x reader went through but i’ve been reading a lot (ofc whats new) and uh uh I found I really love fics with CX-2 (Clone Assassin) aND SO, to my favorite SW writer I ask;

How bout a soulmate au with CX-2 (?) Could be a bit of angst with a happy ending, and everyone is just wondering how reader could be with him after all the things he’s done (uh im getting sunshine!reader x grumpy character vibes)

dont have to write this! i just would love to see some more cx-2 fics after reading one just now lol also im down the rabbit hole again that its cx-2!tech whose been reconditioned, do what you feel is best but i just love that theory bc I’m a firm believer too that tech never died 😌

Protective

Summary: For a long time, your parents feared that you didn’t have a soulmate. Until, one morning, you woke up and found a wild dog curled up next to you on your bed. You named him Noir, and the people around you quickly learned that he was fiercely protective of you. However, after Noir kills an Imperial Officer after he threatens, you have no choice but to go on the run.

Pairing: CX-2 x F!Reader, background Tech x Phee

Word Count: 2799

Warnings: None

Prompt: Soulmate AU - soulmates have spirit animals representing each other.

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So I wasn't able to get the angst to work, largely because I wasn't in an angsty mood. Also, as much as I love the CX-2 being Tech idea, I had a different idea for this fic, so I hope you like it!

“What d’ya have there, Noir?” You ask as you return to the small hut that has been your home for the last three months and crouch in front of your oldest companion.

Noir’s tail wags rapidly as he nudges something in your direction.

You gently rub his head, then carefully pick up his offering, “Oh, it’s a fish. Did you find dinner for us, pal?”

Noir releases a happy yip, and you laugh softly, “Good job, Noir.” You stand and carry the fish over to the rough kitchen to divvy up the portions. Most of the fish will go to Noir, while you’ll prepare your portion with some seasoning that the Wookies traded with you.

Three months ago, Noir slaughtered an Imperial Officer who threatened your life. You’ve always known that he is fiercely protective of you, and you knew that there was a chance that he would kill again if you were threatened.

The first time it happened you had still been a child. Your uncle tried to kidnap you, and Noir reacted violently. 

That time, the authorities just nodded and said it made sense, that your uncle had bad intentions. Neither you, nor Noir, were punished for the death of your uncle.

The Empire is much less understanding.

You had no choice but to take Noir and flee from Coruscant.

The pair of you bounced from planet to planet for several months and then were offered a safe house on Kashyyyk, in the Shadowlands far below the treetop homes of the Wookie people.

It’s not easy.

You are, at your heart, a city girl. Hunting and survival skills do not come naturally to you. Luckily, you have Noir. He really is the greatest equalizer.

If not for him, you’d have died several times since you moved into the small hut.

The biggest downside to this whole situation is the knowledge that you’re not likely to ever meet your soul mate.

Well, unless your soulmate is a Wookie, you suppose.

Carefully, you fillet the fish on your cutting board and toss the large majority into Noir’s bowl, the rest is set in a bowl of marinade and shoved into the fridge. 

At least you have electricity. 

Sure, you don’t have a holo, but you do have a radio that allows you to keep up to date on the current events, and, much more importantly, listen to books while you fight to keep the Shadowlands from reclaiming the hut.

You’re about to flip the radio on, when Noir releases a low growl.

A growl low enough that your hair stands on end.

You turn your gaze to Noir and see that his ears are flat against his head and his teeth are bared. Spooked, you reach for your belt and grab your blaster, and then you nudge the door open.

Noir slinks out of the hut and, cautiously, you follow him.

The forest is silent. Eerily silent. 

You scan the forest around you, not that you expect to be able to see or hear anything. It’s enough that Noir is still growling as though he’s on the verge of attacking.

There’s a rustle in a bush, and you lift your blaster, only to lower it as a small, curious-looking creature ambles out. It’s red, black, and white, and you’d almost think it was a raccoon if not for the colors.

Noir is still growling like there’s a threat, but he’s ignoring the small creature, which is still ambling towards you. It stops at your feet and raises on its hind legs, and you crouch to get a better look at it.

When Noir first appeared in your bedroom all those years ago, no one was sure what kind of animal he was. Not even the zoologists at the local university were able to determine a species.

So you spent a lot of time as a child flipping through various animal encyclopedias. And, while you’d never claim that you had a perfect memory, this little creature does look familiar.

“You’re a Red Panda, aren’t you?” You murmur as you lightly stroke the soft fur on top of her head, “Your kind isn’t native to Kashyyyk, how did you get here?” What’s more is that she’s soft, as though someone’s been taking care of her, though based on the scarring around her ankles, she’s been chained up a lot. “Are you someone’s pet?”

The red panda climbs into your arms and promptly falls asleep, nuzzling her face into your neck. “Well, you’ve clearly been socialized. Maybe I can do something about the scarring.”

Your head snaps up as there’s more rustling and Noir’s growl lowers.

Five Stormtroopers stumble into the clearing, “There it is!” One of them says as he points at the Red Panda in your arms, “Get it!”

You stumble backward as they lift their blasters and Noir launches himself at the Stormtroopers. 

You’ve always known that Noir was quick. Quick and with a strong bite, but the last time you’ve seen him move this quickly was when you were a child. He manages to kill three of the Stormtroopers before they recognize that he’s a threat.

The fourth and fifth, however, turn their blasters on him.

And, for a moment, you think that you’re going to watch Noir die. 

You only think that for a moment, as another man emerges from the forest. He’s clad in black armor, much unlike the stark white armor of the Stormtroopers. And you watch as he uses a blade to kill one of the Stormtroopers from behind. 

You watch as he and Noir work in concert to kill the last of the Stormtroopers.

And then you watch as Noir jumps up on the man, his tail wagging faster than you’ve ever seen before. The armored man seems surprised at how friendly Noir is, and, to be honest, you are too.

He’s so friendly with the armored man, in fact, that you can’t help but think that Noir is the representation of said armored man.

“Noir,” You say, drawing the attention of both the wild dog and the armored man, “His name is Noir.”

It’s kind of hard to read him, seeing as he’s wearing a helmet, but you’re pretty sure that he’s staring at you. “Ka’ra.” He gestures to the red panda in your arms, “She’s been a prisoner her whole life.”

“That explains the scarring,” You walk over to him and pass him his spirit animal, a small smile crossing your face as Noir drops to his paws and bounces around you. “I have some medical stuff, to wrap her scars if you want.”

He’s quiet for a long time, and then nods once, “I’d appreciate that.”

You lead him into the hut, and motion for him to take a seat anywhere while you dig around for the first aid kit.

Once you find it, you set it on the table and open it to dig through what you have left. “You know, you don’t have to leave your helmet on.” You note lightly, “This is a pretty safe place.”

The man hesitates for a moment, then he nods once and reaches up to pull off his helmet. 

You’re genuinely surprised to see that he’s a clone. He looks like every other clone you’ve ever seen, dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin…though he does have some nasty scarring along the side of his face.

He’s handsome, you decide as you focus back on your medkit. He kind of looks like Noir, if you squint.

Though, now you have to wonder if you look like his Ka’ra.

“Ah, here we go!” You pull several rolls of bandages from the bottom of the kit and some scar powder. “If I remember correctly, this needs to be added to water, and then the bandages need to soak in it for a bit before we apply them—” You mumble under your breath as you flip the bottle and squint at the instructions.

“What’s your name?” The man asks.

You glance at him and introduce yourself absently, before you squint at the directions again, “What’s yours?”

“...CX-2.”

You pause, “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve never actually met another person with a soul animal before.”

“It’s rare, then?”

“One of the rarest soul bonds.” You agree, “The only one that’s more rare is the teleportation one.” You stand to grab a clean bowl and fill it with water before placing it on the table.

“I have a brother with the teleportation soul bond. He vanished one day, never saw him again.” CX replies as he watches you.

“Well, there are a lot of you.” You reply as you add some of the powder to the water and stir it in.

He doesn’t answer for a moment, “What is a human doing on Kashyyyk?”

“Ah…well.” You pause, “Noir killed an Imperial Officer who threatened me.”

CX stares at you for a long time, and then his lips curl up into an amused smile, “Good.”

You shoot him a puzzled look.

“He’s as protective of you as I would be.”

“Yeah, well…he is representative of you, right?” You reply with a small shrug.

“I didn’t expect you to be so calm about it,” CX notes, “You do realize that I’m an assassin, right?”

You start unrolling a roll of bandages, “When I was about eleven years old,” You say quietly, “My uncle tried to kidnap me from my bedroom. Noir,” You nod at the wild dog who is gnawing on a bone, “ripped his throat out before he got me out of the living room.” You look at him, “Why should I be afraid of you?”

CX looks startled for a moment, and then a quiet laugh falls from his lips, “I suppose you have good reason to not be afraid.”

You shrug, “I would prefer it if you didn’t assassinate people anymore, but I’d also prefer to not live in a hut on Kashyyyk, so—” You shrug again, and finally drop the bandages into the water.

“What would you have me do instead?”

“Mm, you can join the Rebellion?”

“Ick.”

A laugh falls from you, “I mean when the Republic was still standing, I never had to worry about Republic Officers threatening me. Within a month of the Republic turning into an Empire, I was threatened by an Imperial Officer.”

“...I suppose that it fair.”

“I’m not going to make you do anything,” You say lightly, “We can stay here if you prefer.”

“We?”

“Well, I assume that you want to stay with me?”

CX gazes at you silently, “I want you safe. So staying does make the most sense.”

You meet his gaze evenly, “I’ll definitely be safer with you, compared to away from you.” You agree.

CX is silent for a long moment, “Mandalore.”

“Beg pardon?”

“There’s a group of former Commandos who have a compound on Mandalore. They’re housing clones and their families.” He explains, “We’ll be safe there.”

“How do you know that?”

“All of the Clones know it.” He says, “Well, save for Alpha Prime, I suppose.”

“How are we supposed to get there?” You ask with a tilt of your head.

“I have a ship.”

You grin at him, and then pull the bandages out of the water, “I think it’s a great idea.”

It takes three weeks for you and CX to get to Mandalore, and it takes even longer for CX to prove that he’s not an active threat to his brothers. You’re not able to help with that, but watching him interact with you does a lot to earn him some goodwill.

You like your new home, it’s not Coruscant, but there is plenty of room for Noir to run around and get spoiled, and he does get spoiled. Not quite as much as CX’s Ka’ra, but pretty close. 

Surprisingly, CX is somewhat clingy. When he’s in the same area as you, his arms are around you, or his hand is in yours. You kind of have the feeling that he’s a little touch starved, so you don’t mind it.

On this particular day, you’re lounging in the sun, watching Noir and Ka’ra play together, while CX is sparring with Ordo (only the Nulls aren’t hesitant about sparring with CX, which is sad, but understandable).

You enjoy watching him spar largely because he tends to spar shirtless.

You’re allowed to be a simple woman when it comes to your soulmate, right?

“Watching them again?” A familiar voice pulls you out of your musing, and you tilt your head back to look up at the familiar man approaching you. “You could join them.”

“Hardly, if Ordo so much as scratched me, both Noir and CX would rip him to shreds.” You pat the ground next to you, “Have a seat, Tech. No need to hover.”

“He still wishes to be called CX?” Tech asks as he sinks to the ground next to you.

“It’s his choice.” You reply easily, “How was your physical therapy?”

“Painful,” Tech replies, matter-of-factly, “However, my healer believes that I am getting to the point where I will no longer need to see them.”

“That’s something. Are you thinking of reaching out to your brothers? Or your soulmate?”

“I am…unsure.”

“Oh?”

“I died.” He says bluntly, wincing as CX manages to flip Ordo onto his back, “I died, and my soul bond is weaker than it was before.”

“I assume your doctor has an opinion on that.”

“Of course. He says that I just need to reach out to Phee.”

“Why haven’t you?”

Tech anxiously adjusts his glasses, “What if she has found someone else?”

“Do you really think that she would?”

“...she is a beautiful and clever woman. Any man would be lucky to have her—” Tech starts.

“You’re borrowing trouble, Tech. You need to call her.”

Tech opens his mouth to reply but stops as CX jogs over.

You smile up at him adoringly, and offer him his water bottle, “Having fun, love?”

He smirks, “Ordo is bitching because I managed to flip him. So we’re having a round two.”

“Of course you are.”

He flashes a tiny grin at you and crouches so he’s able to kiss you quickly before he jogs back over to the sparring ring. His training was so different from his brothers, you can tell based on the scars covering his body, and based on the fact that he’s not quite as solid as Ordo and the other Nulls.

Not that any of that matters to you.

You love him as he is.

“It does not make sense to me how someone as kind as you ended up with someone like him,” Tech admits, “He intimidates everyone, and lashes out when pushed.”

“I’ve never been afraid of him.” You reply with a small grin, “Even when he killed someone in front of me, even when he loses his temper.”

Tech shakes his head, “I believe I understand.”

You tilt your head curiously.

“You are just as insane as he is.”

You aren’t able to help that laughter that bursts from your lips, “I suppose,” You say through your giggles, “that’s one way to view it.”

Tech flashes a crooked smile at you, and then gets back to his feet, “I am going to go send Phee a message, and hope that she forgives me. Enjoy your ogling.”

You fling a handful of grass at him but don’t deny his accusations. 

The spar ends an hour later after it gets too hot for them to continue, and CX makes his way to your side, dropping onto the ground next to you. Immediately his arms slide around your waist and he presses his face against your neck.

“Did you have fun?” You ask as you card your fingers through his curls. 

He hums in response, his arms tightening around you, “I’m glad that you don’t mind coming to these.”

“I enjoy watching you spar.”

He pulls his face away from your neck, “You enjoy watching me do anything.” 

“You are ridiculously handsome.” You shift in his grip slightly so you’re able to press your hands against his cheeks, “I’m a lucky lady.”

“Mm, is that right?” CX asks as he leans in and presses his forehead against yours.

“You’re all sweaty,” You whisper to him. 

“So maybe we should go home,” He offers with an arched brow, “You can wash my hair for me.”

A giggle falls from your lips, “Deal.”

CX grins at you, and crashes his lips against yours, knocking you back onto the grass.

Everything isn’t perfect, CX still needs gene therapy to remove the enhanced aging, not to mention regular therapy to help deal with all of his issues. But so long as you’re together, everything will be fine.

You won’t allow for anything else.

[manorpunk]

2️⃣

‘Comprador’ refers to an agent of a large multinational corporation whose typical job responsibility is taking a small underdeveloped nation and turning it into a vending machine for a natural resource - oil, coffee, coal, minerals - then getting that nation so dependent on selling those raw materials to that company that they effectively control it.

Unrelatedly, the Global Logistics Network was the single largest anything of 2069.

They weren’t a monopoly, no, no, no. They were… you see, the crowded and fragile system of intercontinental shipping was simply too important to be left in the hands of any single nation. You all saw what happened when the Brits monopolized it, and when the US monopolized it after them. You’ve seen how nations owning major canals turns them into a hive of corruption. Shipping belongs to the world, which means it belongs to the GLN.

They were headquartered in Qingdao, a major city in the Shandong province of China. Don’t be fooled, China fumbled the past few decades as much as everyone else, but every institution needs a head, and every head needs a headquarters, and the headquarters of the Global Logistics Network were located in Qingdao. The complex of skyscrapers that comprised GLNHQ was large and populous enough to form its own city-state, a closed loop of offices, gyms, fabricators, dormitories, labs, shops, copackers, cafeterias, and warehouses. You could spend your whole life there without ever setting foot on the earth itself. Many did.

Such was the Global Logistics Network. Like capitalism rising centuries ago from the sclerotic and shambling remnants of feudalism, the GLN rose from the old ways of hyper-financialized over-leveraged capitalism to create something new, something so new it didn’t even have a name yet. Much like the transition from feudalism to capitalism, things were better overall, but good lord, what a low bar to clear.

Towering above it all at the top floor of the central skyscraper sat Meng “Harold” Jianli, sole co-founder of the GLN. One might wonder how someone could be a ‘sole co-founder,’ and the answer was that the GLN was so powerful and omnipresent that its leader could have called himself a living god for all the power that sat upon his person. He certainly had more power than those who had historically claimed the title of living god.

But Meng “Harold” Jianli was no god, living or otherwise. Despite the vast power seated upon his person, or perhaps because of it,he looked rather disheveled, with a jowly face like splotchy old parchment, a sagging belly, and a crudely functional flat-top of black hair. His suit was slack and rumpled - his weight had a tendency to fluctuate wildly thanks to the stress.

It was stressful, being in charge. Past a certain point, you don’t really get more powerful, you just have more people to babysit and more fires to put out. He had to keep an eye on Novo Karo Bioresearch, or they’d be so excited to show off their new research that they’d start doing eugenics. He had to keep an eye on Vae Victis Engineering, or they’d get so excited testing out their new tech that they’d start a world war. And now, with his hands steepled and his brow furrowed, he had to keep an eye on the vtuber that the American League had elected president.

 He stared at Sunny Roosevelt. Sunny smiled back and gave him a little wave.

“I am willing to work with you, miss Roosevelt. The GLN is willing to work with just about anyone, it’s one of our biggest strengths.” He shifted effortlessly between ‘I’ and ‘we,’ treating the two as synonyms. “The issue is, we are still trying to figure out what your administration actually intends to do.” 

“Hmm.” Sunny put a finger to her chin, pursed her lips, and looked upward. An ellipsis appeared over her head.  “You got a copy of my campaign objectives, right?”

“Are you referring to this?” He held up a single sheet of paper, on which was written ‘make anime real’ in 48-point font and nothing else.

“Yep!”

“And you think this qualifies as a roadmap for your presidency.”

“Personally, I think it’s quite ambitious.”

Harold puttered his lips. “Miss Roosevelt-”

“Please, call me ‘mommy.’”

“Miss Roosevelt, I understand that you are standing on rather shaky ground. The National Board of Directors is being dragged away from the provisional US government days,” he said, which neglected to mention how half of the National Board of Directors were former GLN big names, “and the new state congress acts more like a rehab clinic for celebrity podcasters than a governing body,” he said, which stood just fine without caveats.

“I understand,” Sunny said, nodding and still smiling, “I’m a bimbo who’s in way over her head, so you’re going to unveil the GLN’s big five year plan and tell me to follow it like a good little girl.”

Harold was already in the process of lifting a hefty unlabeled binder, intending to thump it dramatically atop his desk, but the accuracy of Sunny’s comment left him slightly deflated. “I prefer to think of it as an advisory-”

“And then I’ll kiss up to you during our conversations,” Sunny continued, “but stall and drag my feet when it comes to actually implementing anything, and you’ll say,” she loosened her face and dropped her voice, “dammit Sunny, are you trying to play me for a fool?”

“I don’t sound like that. I don’t sound like Richard Nixon,” Harold protested, sounding kind of like Richard Nixon.

“And then I’ll say, it’s not me, it’s the state governors, they just refuse to cooperate. The new congress is one big old boy’s club. Even the Board of Directors is demanding overly-detailed descriptions of everything before they’ll sign off on it, it’s malicious compliance!” Sunny hung her head and threw her hands, wailing, “you set me up to fail, Harold. You set me up to fail, you rat bastard!”

“Are you done?”

Sunny straightened back up. There was that smile again. “Yep. That was fun.”

“In any case, while I understand you are currently something of a figurehead, even figureheads cannot afford to do nothing. Not when a third of the country is still lacking even the barest measures of centralized government.”

“What, you mean the Midwest Autonomous Zone?” A little question mark appeared over Sunny's head. “I mean, yeah, but it’s not like that started with the fall of the old US. Missouri was a dump long before the thirties.”

“Be that as it may-”

“That’s the 2030s, because we’re in the future.”

“Miss Roosevelt.”

“Please, call m-”

“No. Miss Roosevelt, why did you become president if you are so averse to actually presiding?”

Sunny shrugged and let out a huffy little sigh. “Look, most people weren’t exactly begging to have America back. Not even Americans. They don’t want someone with a bold, inspirational vision. Bold, inspirational visions are what start world wars, for George’s sake. I, for one, believe that bench-warming is not just a good idea but a moral imperative.”

“George’s sake?” Harold repeated.

“Saint George Washington. Oh, right, America’s got a brand new religion now, it’s called Founderism. We took the whole Founding Father worship thing and made it an official heresy. Also, Jesus was a small business owner.”

Harold grimaced and considered leaving the former USA to the wolves for a few more decades.

[blueikeproductions]

So I’ve been thinking of the EarthSpark children’s books again.

Besides the Guidebook, these two seem to be the only ones out atm that are original stories and not recaps/adaptions of episodes of the cartoon. I personally prefer original stories set roughly during the cartoon’s universe, and to no one’s surprise I’m naturally a big fan of the RiD15 books being all original stories.

However, my nitpick with the EarthSpark books is they’re too short and … safe. There’s no real conflict or if there is one, like Racetrack Recon, it’s resolved instantly…

Now kids books or not, I think most of us want some kind villain for the Autobots to fight, which the RiD books excelled in. My favorites being Scuzzard from above, Liege Maximo starting trouble because he was bored and needed a cheap thrill, and Drift meeting up with his old Decepticon crew. So what can the EarthSpark books do?

Well for starters:

Use Swindle. He’s perfect for low scale conflict, and you can get a lot of mileage out of him starting trouble with a guest star that the Terrans have to stop. Obviously you could experiment with other villains besides him, but still.

Book idea 1: Items have been going missing from Witwicky. The culprits are Swindle and Chop Shop.

Besides trying to make a quick buck, they also seek to steal important GHOST tech to benefit the Decepticons still roaming the Earth. Dot and Optimus have to keep Croft and Schloder distracted so the Terrans can put a stop to Chop Shop’s kleptomania.

Book Idea 2: The Decepticons need energy if they plan to still take over Earth and stick it to Megatron and GHOST. Swindle, seeing an opportunity to make some moolah, gets Octane and RatBat to join him on a fuel syphoning scheme.

I feel like it’d be a Jawbreaker and Grimlock story as a gag on fossil fuel.

Book Idea 3: Revision of Recon where Swindle fixes the race using the RiD15 originated Stunticons. I already talked about this one.

Book Idea 4: Tarantulas runs afoul of an old lab partner, the insane Autobot scientist Flame.

(For a potential toy, I feel Flame would be a hybrid design of these two, taking more from the one on the right for ease of toy design.) Flame, fed up with the humans treatment of Transformers, decides to release a Cyber-Virus bio weapon Tarantulas developed during the Great War, and use it to Cyber Form Earth into something more palatable. Tarantulas needs Nightshade, Wheeljack and Hashtag’s help in a race against the clock to defeat Flame’s mad ambitions. Akin to RiD15 Grimlock with Simacore, Nightshade gets their first arch rival in Flame.

Book Idea 5: Nightshade and Sam team up to take down crime in Philadelphia, playing up a bit of the superhero side to the owl. Playful parody of 60’s Batman, using Animated supervillains like Angry Archer and Nanosec.

The supervillains are part of a larger scheme by the Decepticon Malignus.

Of which Nightshade and Sam need to call in the rest of the “Teen Terrans” and Bumblebee to help deal with.

Book Idea 6: Optimus Prime’s trailer/Combat Deck starts malfunctioning and causing a rampage around town, causing a headache for GHOST and the Autobots.

It’s discovered the jailhouse Decepticons implanted a computer virus into the trailer via Bombshell’s Cerebro Shells to spite the Autobots. Twitch, Robbie and Hashtag have to jack in and defeat the computer virus within, Kremzeek, in a video game showdown while Jawbreaker, Mo, Thrash, Nightshade and Megatron try to contain the Combat Deck on the outside. There’s a fun visual of Roller effortlessly pulling the trailer around town in its rampage.

Book Idea 7: GHOST develop their own Navi program in TORQ III from studying Cybertronian technology and Teletraan 1.

A hybrid of the G1 episode, Marvel UK’s Raiders of the Last Ark, and TFP’s Flying Mind, TORQ finds GHOST inefficient and seeks to apprehend every remaining Decepticon on the planet with his own methods, regardless of the consequences to the Autobots, and humans like the Maltos. Optimus, Elita and Megatron have to stop TORQ and his mind controlled Decepticons from starting a new Machine War.

Book Idea 8: The elusive Mirage, based on the RotB version with his body being closer to RiD01 Mirage, returns and pays a visit to the Malto household to see what all the hubbub is.

Mirage, Robbie and Thrash become fast friends, and team up to put a stop to the latest scheme of Swindle’s. Battletrap, Transit and Scorponok are present as part of further RotB synergy.

[queenoffishingandcookies]

Currently thinking of AU’s where Prompto is a Prince of Niflheim. And technically of Lucis. But doesn’t know.

Iedolas’ wife died after giving birth to her son. He never remarried (and arguably, it’s at this most vulnerable point in his life that everything regarding Niflheim takes a downward spiral).

So, obviously there’s going to be sole concern over what would happen if the Only Heir to the throne tragically died or never got married, or had children of his own, etc etc.

(In Dawn of the Future, he had Solara - but I’m pretty sure the Prince was never mentioned in-game?)

And then there’s Besithia. With his cloning tech and research over transporting his consciousness into machinery all Otto Apocalypse style.

Honestly my two thoughts are of Prompto being a clone of Niflheim’s unnamed prince, or literally being said prince’s twin or something being put in a stasis tube [in case of emergencies].

Naturally, this gets spliced with additional DNA of a certain ‘man of no consequence’ in a bid to create a ‘perfect’ heir - one that could even bring Lucis to heel.

Fight fire with fire and all that.

All similarities to Besithia end up because Besithia is somewhat related (close or distantly, who knows) to Iedolas’ late wife. Part of the reason he has Imperial Favor in all his unethical shady experiments.

I have so many plot bunnies about this au.

Maybe the late Empress was related to the Fleuret’s somewhat distantly and this is part of the reason they had a somewhat low level of autonomy (up until the burning’s), so technically he gets Fleuret powers too - and, in a really really really far out and distant way, Prompto is technically the son of Aera and Ardyn.

Or, on the other hand, No Prophecy AU where someone sees Prompto with Noctis on some of the few pieces of news that leave Insomnia - or maybe a spy, who knows? And this makes its way to Niflheim because, hey - we could use this kid against Lucis, he’s a friend to the Prince

And it’s just. Iedolas’ son. Or Ardyn’s, depending on the route you want to take.

There was also the thought of Prompto resembling the late Empress while the imperial suite is there in talks of peace and the emperor sees him, like he looks quite similar to - wait, wait a moment.

I HAVE BRAINROT I CANT PUT INTO WORDS.

This would, of course, make the kidnapping of Baby Prompto from Niflheim a far bigger deal (in very secret, confidential circles) than it seemed to be in canon.

And deal with a fleshing out of Iedolas’ character that we never really got canon-wise, because…by the time of canon, he’s gone nuts. Under the sway of Ardyn and the scourge - because we see just how badly Ardyn can fuck with people’s heads - Etc.

Plus, Ardyn’s character because - how does he see Prompto, provided he did give his DNA to be used (or if, you know, Besithia just took it) in cases of Prompto being a clone using a myriad of dna samples?

Then there’s Regis. The Father.

Prompto is Noctis’ best friend, his brother (or boyfriend, because they do make a very cute couple, I will Fight for that). Who spends a lot of time around Noctis.

This boy is pretty much Regis’ second son already, whether he’s dating Noctis or not, in my head. There’s also Cor, who baby-snatched him.

Imagine the ensuing custody battles.

[absolutely-normal-about-x]

Can you tell me about this fabled Zelda/Megaman crossover? I am very curious because there's not a lot out there

Ah hahahah that Au, funny enough I was working on that a while back never really showed it to anyone cause of idk. But I maybe I can dump a bit about it haha. :)

So it obviously set BOTW universe cause it’s basically where I have the most freedom/flexibility with it *Looks at the Shekath tech and the Zonai*

It’s meant to be a loose adaptation of the story of BOTW but with X characters living in that world and what their Races would be so *Whips out le list*

An important note I tried to keep their origins from their main canon close but with my own personal flare into it (you can piece things together lmao)

X- “Hylian” (Cause he ain’t really a Hylian lmao) has a unique connection to the Zonai. Was found by Cain, an archaeologist that studies ancient Sheikah tech and the history of Hyrule. While he was researching the lost ruins. But discovers a shrine (Basically proto Shrine of resurrection). Accidentally awakens him from his unknown slumber with no memories of his past, but only a letter of his old name. Is taken in as his adopted grandson, both of them live in Hateno Village.

Hes still a pacifistic sweetheart, that has a great passion for science and history (Becoming Purah’s apprentice), but also an impressive mechanic as he was able to reverse engineer sheikah technology (and by extension eventually Zonai) to create his gadgets, he wanted to protect innocent people from threats okay-. The buster was very much in its prototype phase (that becomes completed into the Zonai Buster in TOTK) as he works on it throughout his journey across hyrule.

He’s also shown to be somewhat abnormal for a Hylian, despite his smaller chubby size he is shown to be and have strange dark blue-ish spots around skin, and horns slightly protruding out from his head and a strange symbol on his forehead

Zero: A half Gerudo, half Dweller (Basically a chimera created by a Wily) a powerful swords man. That roams the gerudo dessert after being discovered/Awakened by the Yiga Clan (and if you know how Zero first acted in prior joining the hunters you know you know). Roamed the Gerudo dessert for god knows long and being pacified/watched over by the Gerudo tribe. Who’s trying to find someone important to him from the vivid memories that he holds on.

“Something completely unnatural and yet…natural the embodiment of destruction that choose to be a hero”

Are you may know X and Zero were the proto Zelda and Link from 10,000 years ago (After the sealing way their backstories are be eh entwined ur honor) so the basic g

Axl: Korok (LET ME COOK LET ME COOK OKAY?!) we know that Korok’s used to be low key shapeshifters and such. He rediscovers that lost ability so he can interact with Hylians and leave Deku Forest to learn more of the world. So I want o lean into that as a bonus he tries to recover the masks (ya know the ones Majoras Mask :3). It’s also like funnier to see a smoll Korok being capable of kicking butt and still being a deadly sharpshooter.

Marty- Zora (she’s from a different Zora’s Domain like Yoma, she’s a shark Zora) coming from a far off Sea, she ended up on Hyrule during her travels accidentally gets tangled up in the mess but goes along with it for the thrills. But also to help out the people the hyrule (she’s the first companion that X gains)

Marino- Sheikah, left her village to pursue as a thief, def has beef with the Yiga. Basically stealing what the they stole from her people. Low key

Massimo- Goron, THE BIGGEST SOFTIE, but also the soft spoken and timid (Yunboo’s big brother maybe??)

Cinnamon- Rito a Dove cause she has that vibe yo- but still she’ll be the cutest Dove man. Also probably the first Rito to gain healing magic called Gentle Winds.

So basically the plot

“X and his grandfather were living peacefully in their village of Hateno, working in his grandfather’s workshop and small library. But not all things are well as X is haunted by nightmares of a forgotten past and calls for help from an unknown girl calling out to someone to defeat “The calamity” (Hi Zelda). The increase onslaught of monsters were starting to be a concern him as he goes off to a journey, along the way he meets friends and goes alike and soon discovers buried secrets that lay deep in the Ruins of Hyrule”

Link’s there too since the story takes place roughly around the first BOTW. But Events are separate from one another since Zonai stuff and the Depths is sorta of a bigger focus!

That’s what I can say for now it’s kinda some brain storming stuff but it’s fun ya know-

[aurosoulart]

I don't know anything about Beam Saber but please infodump about your dolphin

FINALLY ANSWERING THIS BECAUSE I HAVE THE ENERGY LETS GOOOOO. I uh.... am Really Into this character rn and actually properly infodumped here so it's under a readmore 🐬🐬🐬

ok so Sunlith is a second-generation uplifted bottlenose dolphin. that means that his parents were born in Ocean (the cetacean name for Earth), but they pursued the Uplift process, which changes parts of cetacean biology to make them more suited to life on land/in space/with humans/etc. (I can go into detail about what actually happens during Uplift but that would be its own post. 👀)

anyways! his parents went to space and Sunlith was born among a nomad fleet of stardrifters (another dolphin word for spaceship) in the outer solar system.

uplifted dolphins make up less than 1% of the Sol Union (the name for all space-faring beings from the Sol system), but they still have all the same rights and freedoms as humans... and particularly ambitious dolphins can make a killing as mineral extractors in the asteroid belt due to their exceptional piloting abilities. (cetaceans are naturals at maneuvering in low/no gravity 360 dregree space)

this was the profession of Sunlith's birth pod, meaning he grew up with the finest education available. this education allowed him to get into the Europan piloting division, which is especially sought after by cetaceans due to the fact that the best anti-grav exopods (mobility devices worn by cetaceans) come from Europan technology.

Sunlith wanted to go to Europa for a couple reasons: as a second-gen uplift, he's behind his peers in terms of fitting in with humans and other more culturally-adapted cetaceans. he uses traditional cetacean terms like 'maker' for humans and 'many-arms' for cephalopods (his favorite area of study.) basically, he's socially awkward and just wants to study tentacled creatures all day.

Europa is the only other planet in the solar system with native life forms - and they're possibly intelligent! they're called Nautilids and are convergently evolved with Ocean nautilus. by getting accepted as a frame pilot on Europa, Sunlith could both study his favorite organisms AND gain cultural prestige.

there was only one catch - the work on Europa is (you guessed it) mineral extraction! all Europan tech utilizes Europite, a rare metal only occurring on its namesake, for its coveted anti-gravity properties. the Nautilids on Europa are protected, but these protections are only enforced under a trade agreement with a hyper-advanced alien species called the Ouro. these aliens provide funding and equipment for non-invasive mining techniques in return for a cut of the Europite.

this finally brings us to the reason this is a Beam Saber campaign in a war setting: the Ouro are threatening embargo with the Sol Union because they want access to the human-inhabited extra-solar planet of Terra Brea, and these humans refuse to relocate. embargo would not only see Nautilid protections stripped away, but also a massive reversal of technological progress across the entire solar system.

and this is why Sunlith Joins The Peacekeepers (AKA the war. there is not much peace happening)... or, it's one of the reasons anyways. the population of Terra Brea is a religious sect called the Clusterists, a xenophobic group who don't take too kindly to dolphins. so that's also part of it. the Clusterists have their own stuff going on, the war is extremely unpopular, and it's messy and complicated!

I've REALLY been enjoying developing not only all the space-faring cetacean worldbuilding aspects of this universe, but also the whole fallout of an idealistic dolphin trying to fight for a cause he believes in only to discover that War Is Hell. he's VERY useful as a soldier because dolphins have higher psychic ability than humans, and he's used as a lie detector. his frame (mech) is also huge and has advanced shielding, since it was originally used for mining, moving ice sheets, and protecting Nautilids from harm.

to wrap up: Sunlith is very good at what's being asked of him. his call sign is 'Loyal' because of how his teammates view him as an order-following machine, but as he learns about human culture he's starting to hate his life more and more... but he still just wants to protect his little* squid friends and is experiencing extreme moral crisis.

will he succeed in any of his goals?! who knows!! but I'm excited to find out.

*they are not little at all actually. their shells are the size of ferris wheels and their tentacles extend like 100ft

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

leave a trail of burnt things in my wake (every single place I go)

For @bloodgulchblog - this work is also on ao3

Smell can trigger memories and tap into long buried emotions. John is an expert at burying emotions, but he hit his limits months ago. An introspective piece inspired by discussion of the smell of cigar smoke and old friends long gone.

It's late when John heads back to Blue Team's quarters. Briefings, reports, responsibilities; all the things Team Leader is used to shouldering seem to weigh a little heavier these days. Bad news pours in from all sides and allies seem fewer and far between these days. There are new lines on everyone’s faces. Tightness in the way they move, smiles that don’t reach the eyes. It feels like the whole ship is holding its breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for things to get worse, the next tragedy in the domino line of tragedies that humanity has been fighting for three decades.

Moving helps, he knows hypervigilance will be a drain in the long term, but thinking long term is new. It’s strange for aches to fade, scars to heal, joints to be sore and not in ignored agony. Living is a new kind of pain John is fighting to tolerate. It’s not something he’s sure he’ll get used to.

Restlessness is not a luxury he can usually afford, but aboard the Infinity is the closest he's felt to safe in a long time. The strange feeling coming from being surrounded by Spartans again. It still means he'll patrol if possible. It might garner him some extra looks from his team or even the captain when the man is able to corner him while they’re all aboard. The back to back missions dwindled only because John was overruled. He’s being watched - he knows it - spooks, Spartans, the brass, and anyone and everyone who recognizes the armor. His existence is an example, a beacon, and a warning.  

Yet they don’t stop his nighttime haunts. An olive branch perhaps, or maybe letting him have space - letting him walk through the nights with his ghosts. Even among his team, John doesn't want to spend any extra time in small rooms, and there's always work to be done.

He's not alone as he travels silently down gunmetal gray halls, but by this time most of the crew is changing shifts or used to Spartans moving. John's aware of how they look at him; the IIs move differently than the IVs but to the techs on their way to the hangars he's just another 7ft tall, 350 lbs of muscle to stay out of the way of.

Funny how being out of the armor helps him stay invisible.

There's movement down an auxiliary hallway that catches his eye, but he dismisses it when he sees troopers huddled together. It’s a familiar scene, one he’s witnessed time and again over his career in troop bays and shadowy corners, the handing off of contraband and the like. John pauses and notes the cameras, the vents, and the blindspots. Not amateurs then, though it's hard to tell these days. 

They all look so young.

John stills in the shadows and watches. There’s talking in low voices with some sporadic good natured bickering that gets shushed quickly. One of them shoves another off-balance; arms pinwheeling before they push back with a grin. His eyes catch flashes of packaging before it's shoved into pockets or down shirts and the group disperses. Tobacco gum, self-lighting cigarettes, and other nicotine sources disappear along with nondescript datachips and small flasks. They don't notice him - he would have lost his touch if they had - and the group splits off, nonchalance a little too forced. 

He'd make a comment, spook em a bit while he's this nameless Spartan who caught them. Pale as a ghost, mangled worse than some corpses. The old model, patched up over and over again. Some old, ugly sonuvabitch with weird eyes, too many scars popping out of the shadows wasn't a fun encounter, or so he'd been told.

At least he would have, if he didn't freeze in place as someone lit up and the too familiar smell of a Sweet William cigar hit his nose for the first time in over five years. 

The pungent odor - old boot-sock smoked over a dung-fire - hit him full force even if the marine smoking it was down the hall. The odor sat in his sinuses, and the scar on his chest hurt as he jerked away. It never felt like the skin grew back right, but then again it had never gotten the chance to fully heal; the Ark, the Dawn, and then everything after. 

It was like no time had passed. 

The squeak of the light cover flipping back, their thumb on the wheel. The ancient knowledge passed down to him that matches preserved the flavor more, but were hard to find and keep. Lighters were common - ceremonial - passed between brothers in arms or from father to son. John could still see Johnson’s engraved lighter in his mind’s eye.

He had known several people to have smoked those cigars - most of them were dead now. And with his luck, he was there when it happened.

There were a lot of memories tied up with that scent. Johnson, of course. He had always seemed to have them on him, always smoking so much John often considered commenting about him giving away their position with the stink of tobacco. He would have liked that; Johnson always liked when John pushed back. He’d smile around the cigar and raise his eyebrows, hum his approval, then return fire with a comment of his own. 

It was a scent that was tied to the man's presence, be it in a dropship, on the ground, or stopping by to drop off a tank. The first time John himself had tried one of the cigars, he had been 15 years old and ended up coughing so hard from the first draw that he reopened his neck wound. Butterfly bandages breaking under the strain as John wheezed and Avery laughed and took the cigar back, holding it away from his own oxygen cannula.

Johnson had shown him how to be a leader then - had backed him up and nodded when he got it right. John had carried those lessons with him for the rest of his life.

The smell of tobacco and dried flower was burned into his memory. Sweet William cigars had popped up throughout John’s service. Mendez had smoked them too, and Captain Keyes. 

Mendez had them in his desk drawer in his office on Reach. Halsey hadn't liked them, and like with most things, she would make her opinions clear. But that had been a lifetime ago. John didn't like to dwell on how he became what he was today. It was necessary, but the reminders of the human elements, the smoke drawing up old memories, made him uncomfortable.

He'd lived his whole life around foul-mouthed, paranoid, contraband-using marines and ODSTs. He had been honored to serve with those men and women. Tobacco was passed around as often as MREs no matter the campaign. It was familiar even after all this time.

Even Captain Keyes had his pipe, the lingering scent of tobacco on the bridge of the Autumn. Cigars weren't his main staple, but John had come to associate him among the men who smoked them.

It had been forever and only a few short months since he had been in the presence of a lit Sweet William.

His chest burns, something more than regrown skin over the burn scar. He leaves - as silently as he arrived.

The crewman continues to enjoy his contraband, smoke rising into the vent above, going to be scrubbed and recycled back.

[just-here-with-my-thoughts]

It’s so hard to pick from your WIP list!!! Can I hear more about nightmares, diamonds, and bdhb-fairground date? (And bdhb-smut if you wanna 😂)

It seems greedy to ask about FOUR options for the WIP game (that is more than a third of the options on offer!) but seeing as @probadbatch also asked about the Beach Days and Hair Braiding series, I shall indulge you :P

Nightmares is your own request anyway, so you know the premise! It's based off a throwaway line in "Forget I asked", and will eventually result in Hunter being there when Crosshair wakes from his nightmares, even if their own relationship is still rocky at the time. But you can't have Crosshair being comforted by Hunter without contrasting it with the time he has spent alone...

Crosshair woke with a flinch, arms instinctively coming up to shield his head. Protect his eyes. His enhancement made him useful, an asset. It was the only thing keeping him from decommissioning. No. Wait. This wasn't Kamino. Panting to full wakefulness as tremors of adrenaline shot through his limbs, Crosshair peeled himself up from the hard cot and steadied himself with a palm on the wall. The sleek rasp of durasteel scraped under his clawed fingers. Breathing through his mouth, he tasted the chemical tang of disinfectant in the recycled air. If he listened, he could hear the erratic night-cycle breathing of other prisoners in cells out of view of his own. Blinking away the last vestiges of the nightmare, his vision cleared enough to focus on the barred gate that sealed him in. He let his gaze track over the scuffs and pits he knew by heart, those small details intimately familiar to him. He’d had nothing to do all this time except stare at the wall, trying to stay sane even as despair eroded his will to do so.

TechPhee Diamonds is inspired by a conversation/challenge to find a way to feature my own Specialist Subject in a fanfic somehow! So what better way than to have Tech and Phee debating the merits of natural vs synthetic diamonds?

Of course Tech is arguing that chemically, physically, optically, a synthetic diamond is identical to its naturally occurring counterpart. Phee just doesn't see the romance in it - not compared to a natural treasure of the earth, grown millions of years ago under the ground, then brought to the surface in a volcanic eruption and weathered from it's host rock for some lucky person to find.

In the end, she promises that if he gets her a big enough diamond, she won't even ask where it came from :P

Beach Days series below the cut! (Cloneshipping here, don't like? Don't click!)

I mean firstly credit also goes to my co-creator @ninjadeathblade because you wouldn't have had this series at all without them!

I was asked about the BDHB series last time this game went round so you can find a bit more info Here :)

As for my current WIPs? We're half way through Fairground Date; the rest of the planned chapters are 5: Drop Tower, 6: Splashdown/Sideshow Games, 7: Tunnel of Love and 8: Fireworks. Sneak peek for upcoming chapter 'Drop Tower' below :P

“Remind you of waiting to drop into a combat zone?” the other clone asked, his voice a low rumble, Hunter could only pick his words out thanks to his enhanced senses – this was clearly a comment Crosshair was making for his ears alone, not as general conversation. He shivered as Cross’ long fingers skimmed across the skin of his palm, sensitive despite years of callouses. Despite how small the point of contact was, it set up a delicious feeling throughout his entire body. “That’s how I felt… waiting to come and see you today,” the sniper continued, lips barely moving. He was facing straight ahead, but the gentle action of his hand tracing Hunter’s told him he had his full attention. “How I’ve felt every time I thought about you since… that night.”

Interlude (505) and Laundry Day are officially in development as the next 2 stories after Fairground Date. It's probably going to be a while before any of the disparate snippets in the WIP doc currently titled 'BDHB smut' reach the story but I certainly don't plan for it to stay as cute hand-holding forever...

"Fuck." Hunter bit out the oath, tears welling and beading on his lashes as he scrunched his eyes closed. "Cross, it's too intense..." Crosshair stilled their bodies, waiting for a moment as Hunter gasped. "Do you want to stop?" "No," he whispered brokenly, pressing his forehead to Crosshair's. Fighting the urge to move, Crosshair stayed where he was, long fingers pressing divots into Hunter's hips but waiting for the signal to continue. After a moment Hunter hiccoughed something that sounded on the edge of a sob, and Crosshair drew his head back in soft horror. "You're crying," he rasped, voice curling with guilt. "Hunter, we don't have to do this-" "I want to." Hunter cut him off, a laugh shuddering through him as he lifted his arm from Cross' shoulder, swiping his forearm across his face to dry his tears. "I want you." There was a note of self-frustration as he shook his head. "It's just..." He trailed off, lifting his face to fix Crosshair with a gaze that glowed with devotion. "It's you. It's really you." After a moment Crosshair moved his hands on Hunter's sides, a soothing stroke. "You're okay. I've got you."

Listen smut is just a vehicle for two characters to have a really strong connection to each other, by the time they reach this point the boys have been through a lot together to get this far. I have been staring at this for far too long agonising over what to share from this wip; there's definitely *sexier* stuff than this but their eventual, emotional, long-awaited first-time seemed like the best option :)

[rubra-wav]

YOU HAVE AN OC?? 😱😱 so yk..sharing is caring 😋.... lemme see..ykyk..

I LOVE YOU ANON OMFG <3

(I believe you've repeatedly asked stuff and I'd absolutely love it if you signed off with a name or an emoji kr sumn so ik its you for sure 🙏)

So, he's the persona/OC for this blog's aesthetic, header and alias; Atlas.

This is the current most up to date art I have of him that's not low effort like the response I had earlier today to that other thing i think you may have also sent?

He's what I've classed as a 'tech demon' (which is how I categorise Vox as well). Tech demons as i define them are sinners which are either robotic or AI in physical nature, and they usually have a particular affinity to do with technology, machinery, electricity, metals, etc. His main ability is Ferrokinesis (metal manipulation), however he does also have a particular affinity with technology as well.

As the art says, he's known as The Dealbreaking Demon/The Dealbreaker. This is because he essentially contacts seemingly random people out of the blue - some of them being fairly famous people - and then works with them to break their soul contracts.

Dealbreakers aren't unheard of in hell, but their reputations are always bad as they are usually trying to exploit their clients in some way or the other, and the ones with good intentions who actually deliver get taken out. This doesn't happen with Atlas however, as he doesn't physically go see his clients and is relatively anonymous.

He gets exposed however as he begins to take on the clients of current overlords, and they obviously begin investigating closer then others.

Due to this, his way of contacting people (online through targeted popups) is discovered even with all his efforts to hide the evidence, and he quickly becomes notable and seen as a fairly big threat to the control of many overlords as he's suddenly showing up and is very skilfully breaking contracts of souls they have owned for centuries in a few weeks or even as little as a few hours.

Atlas also doesn't use his powers for bad, per se, however he does use them to be a menace and is essentially a giant troll to people who he believes deserves it.

He's very vexing to many overlords as his intentions are so unclear, it's greatly troubling for several as it doesn't really seem that he's trying to gain power and rather wants to genuinely help people which is foreign.

He especially gains the attention of Vox as he's of course the one most effected by online trolling from another demon who can connect in with technology, and Atlas very quickly falls in love with making Vox's day worse and just being an asshole to him because his reactions are always so funny and over the top. (I am totally not enemies to lovers trash about them at all down the line no not at all 🙏)

When I properly make the OC reference sheets for him I'll set out a more solid thingy of him but yeah, thanks so much for letting me lore dump a bit on him omg <3

[onehunnit]

Cinema Studies Minor Gets Super Into Analyzing K-Pop Videos 2.2

Disclaimer: I'm still a student, no where near an expert, I will be wrong in some technical aspects. Also my interpretations are my opinion which means you may disagree and that's okay. Awesome even! Just be normal about it fr. This is also very out of order bc that's how my brain works. Also I am but a baby loretiny, which means my interpretations are shaky at best compared to what's been established. But the lore is confusing anyway so....

The World EP.FIN: Trailer Analysis pt 2: Sections

THIS WAS WRITTEN NOVEMBER 11TH 2023

Structure, Lines, & Perspective

Yo, Get This Camera Out Of My Face

Who Put Stanley Kubrick In My Album Trailer?  

The Entire Set Crew Needs To Be Sucked Silly (Again)

Black and White In The Lore

Structure, Lines, & Perspective:

There are so many fucking lines. There are SO. MANY. LINES just look at the trailer again for me okay? Try and find a curve in the set. There are so few, it's astonishing. 

Now for a place called Strictland, you may expect to see strictness. Well, you'd be right! 

To touch back on German Expressionism, lines are used to imply rigidity and structure. Strictland is strict, and thus characterized by straight lines and sharp, clear angles. There is little softness, it's all hard [insert other adjectives here]. 

The lines in general lead our eyes to the action and provide awesome contrast with our characters. I would insert screenshots however. I will not

Yo, Get This Camera Out Of My Face (why he smiling like that?) 

Close-ups and lighting are on the mind due to watching The Passion of Joan of Arc and talking about low-key lighting with my film professor for an hour. Low-key lighting is very even, and in this case I think it's used for cosmetic reasons. Listen, flawless skin is not just skincare and make-up, lighting is huge in it too! 

But it gives off the effect of being youthful, which helps since the youth are the new generation and Loreteez are ushering in a revolution and change comes with that.

Who Put Stanley Kubrick In My Album Trailer? 

Yeah so Hongjoong is doing the Kubrick stare. The subject tilts their head down while looking directly into the camera. This naturally casts shadow and is unsettling as it breaks the fourth wall. Originally used to depict characters who just tipped over into madness/insanity and its rly creepy, which brings into question Hongjoong's intentions. Is he happy that the girl rejected him? Is he planning something more sinister?

The Entire Set Crew Needs To Be Sucked Silly (Again)

Note: Loreteez is used interchangeably to mean the members in the lore as a whole and as the “A” Universe members. Halateez is used to describe the “Z” Universe members. 

I just want to talk about a few shots in particular that made me go crazy insane when I saw them. This is where the interpretations start going by the way.

This one is soooo perfect to me. You don’t understand. So let’s get into it. 

Mise-en-scene (MES) is a term that boils down to everything you see on screen: set, props, costumes, actors, blocking, lighting, anything! 

It’s separated clearly into foreground (desk and Wooyoung) and background (Yunho and the machines), though for our purposes we’re going to call Yunho’s field of depth the mid-ground and the curtains the background. 

In all fields the technology is old and anchored, contrast that with the futuristic holograms in this shot: 

Which emphasizes the binary between old and new. This is also the first time (if i recall correctly) Loreteez is using this technology, which indicates growth in their cause over all. 

Back to the first shot. While the foreground has all this older technology, it still fits in with Strictland as, from what we have seen, don’t have modern/future tech at their disposal. And why would they have it readily available if their whole deal is suppressing human emotion (“The disease is human emotion” - The Awakening of Summer (Rhythm Ta) Kingdom Stage) and expression. You don’t have a need to develop better technology. 

The mid-ground is much of the same; straight lines running straight across. Everything is old etc. But there are some round lights that break it up. Roundness? Out of the ordinary, right?

The background is more interesting though, because you finally get some curvature in this. The curtains are loose fabric and they drape which adds a different texture and shows that it’s not constrained to fall a certain way.

Pictured: Notes written on the screen.: Structure in machines, straight lines ins background / Fabric = loose, curves, along w/ circle and roundness

In all, the progression of structure to flowiness presents how Loreteez is, looming over the background, and a change from the rigidity of Strictland.

The second shot comes later, with Hongjoong stopping in front of the Academy student. She is standing in a cubby created by the walls angling upward, dividing the scene. Obviously too, Hongjoong is in all black while she is in white

Black and White in The Lore

As a quick aside: Black and White in the Ateez universe is so curious to me. Black in our society is understood as “bad” and white “good” and Ateez uses that binary to create shades of grey (which we WILL be discussing more thank you very much!) and nuances to the social issues being presented and critiqued. Strictland is white, and in that society, it is the “good”; saving its citizens from a disease. Loreteez are “bad” because they are rising against the norms and trying to change them, threatening the institutions Strictland has put into place. 

While initially we saw Halateez as “evil” due to their masked appearances and black garb when they first appeared, it became clear in Answer that they are not the antagonists, rather on the same side as our protagonists, Loreteez. 

But beyond that lineation: In this particular shot, the lines of the wall and the people walking past make an invisible line for Hongjoong and the girl to cross to be pulled to either side, good or bad.  The invisible line being made of people in movement and the inanimate wall is not lost to me either; showing how barriers are not just physical but can be social/psychological

But beyond that lineation: In this particular shot, the lines of the wall and the people walking past make an invisible line for Hongjoong and the girl to cross to be pulled to either side, good or bad.  The invisible line being made of people in movement and the inanimate wall is not lost to me either; showing how barriers are not just physical but can be social/psychological

14 comes up here, that is a # to look out for. Maybe the number of songs? JK LMAO that'll never happen 😭 <- I wrote this before the trackless came out okie?

Despite all my black and white talk, the curious thing about the color grading is that there is no true white in the costumes, it is all grey. There is a mix, we have moved on from the clarity and have moved into the murky soup. The grey and nuance are exacerbated in the next shot.

In this, the only thing I can think of is the idea of yin and yang, that at the heart of good and evil there is the other. Again, there is an invisible line separating the girl and Hongjoong. On the girl's side are her white shoes and the darkness behind her. On Hongjoong's side is the black of his attire and the highlights in front of him. But it is not white, rather it is grey, which is a transitional color.

But at the end, the girl does not take his outstretched hand, she walks on, he smiles (quite evilly tbh, go back to the Kubrick stare section). Out of what? Pride maybe? Everything is going to plan? He's certainly not unhappy so…

But that concludes part 2! I might do more, but who knows?

[kkglinka]

Ok, so I've been backreading Warrior Nun fandom meta, and random assortment of fics, and I definitely have some contrary opinions. Typical me. :)

The halo is advanced medical technology that doesn't belong on the mortal realm because it channels and is powered by faith energy. (it needn't be religious faith, as the show repeatedly emphasizes, Jillian, Mary and then Ava all demonstrating other forms). It is medical tech that is inappropriately being used in a combat capacity. Much like using a cardiac crash kit as a taser — you can, but that's not what it's for.

We know that the halo will reject individuals, likely based on their mental profiles, and how focused they are on life and living. Someone in despair, too ambitious, too willing to martyr themselves, who otherwise loses faith in living becomes incompatible The biggest clue is how Adriel first chooses as the meatbag locker for the halo, upon its initial theft. He lands in the middle of a battle and looks around for the most mortally wounded by still living person who seems important, and stuffs it in her. He knew the halo would accept an injured host who had reason to live, and counted on her grateful loyalty.

What's interesting is that the halo and crown's color coding indicate that they do not come from Reya's realm, which is color coded blue. The tarasks have divinium bones and kill wraiths, so they aren't demons unless Reya's realm is 'hell'. Then there's Lilith, also color-coded orange, whom Adriel makes no attempt to strike down, but immediately attempts to seduce and placate. Because she is a threat to him. (I suspect Adriel was supposed to retrieve the halo for Reya, but made a bid to keep that power for himself, then unseat her, hence the need for the arc). The warrior nun essentially carries non-combat tech from both realms, re-purposed into weapons, symbolizing how humans have choice, etc.

Second, I don't think Ava's ever died. It's definitely framed that way, and I totally get the romantic, symbolic appeal of that, but I never even considered it while viewing.

We are given explicit info about the orphanage such as the care facilities being very low tech. No heart monitor, eeg, ekg, seemingly not even a basic pulsometer like when you get checked in at a doctor's office. We also see that Ava was unfazed by the nun administering an injection, suggesting this was at least a bit normal. {Whoops, forgot Ava explicitly states no need for pain meds). So I'm guessing she's among small percentage of individuals who have a natural resistance to opiods. She was still in a conscious, hallucinogenic state when the nun was declaring her dead.

Severe overdose symptoms include cold, clammy blue skin, significant respiratory depression, extremely weak pulse and coma. The pulse may be undetectable to physical touch, and all metabolic action is depressed. It's a bit like severe hypothermia, and death in opiod resistant individuals is gradual, if left untreated. In short, the person looks and feels dead. Ava further displays the lingering symptoms of overdose through the first couple of episodes, such as disorganized thinking, emotional instability, lack of coordination, reduced inhibition and, yes, vomiting. That nun had 'mercy' killed so many other kids that she got complacent.

While Ava's midair fall likely caused multiple fractures and internal bleeding, along with loss of consciousness, it wasn't instant death. There was no rapid blood loss which would have caused heart failure, and aside from a portion of separated cranium, her head was intact. It takes several minutes of oxygen starvation for the body to begin dying, and neural function to cease.

Real life medical response would have been to drain fluid buildup while restarting and stabilizing the heart, if necessary, and sealing off the brain from infection, then monitoring for brain trauma from the deceleration squish. It was a scary fall, and Beatrice flipped out, but Mary kicked Ava off a cliff in season one, down onto an uneven rocky surface. What struck me is that Beatrice might have helped power the halo.

(As an aside, if the halo is powered by faith energy, then the decimation of the O.C.S. and their belief in the warrior nun, would have been a huge energy loss for the halo. The only rapid solution would be for Ava to go public).

Anyway, on occasions when the halo temporary runs dry, Ava does not die. Instead, she reverts to a quadriplegic state, indicating that the halo was unable to repair an existing healed injury. So it is acting in a continual state, but as a disability aid, rather than keeping her alive. For her, the halo provides a neural bypass system... which we also saw in the wheelchairs ArcTech developed. Competing disability representation needs and all, but I appreciate that Ava was not miraculously healed.

In short, Ava wouldn't die if it was removed, but her intense desire to live, disability, high altruism and lack of violent/martyr conditioning, made her the ideal candidate. For a device that's not from Reya's realm.

[albertonykus]

Doraemon Movie Review: Nobita and the Galaxy Super-express (1996)

What is Doraemon? The title character of the Doraemon manga and anime is a blue robotic cat from the 22nd Century who keeps an array of high-tech gadgets in a portable pocket dimension on his belly, and has traveled from the future to improve the fortunes of a hapless schoolboy named Nobita. Although relatively obscure in the English-speaking world, Doraemon is a Mickey-Mouse-level cultural icon in East Asia (and some other regions, too). The Doraemon franchise was a big part of my childhood, and there are still elements of it that I enjoy now.

Doraemon has released theatrical films almost annually since 1980, most of which involve Nobita and his friends (kind Shizuka, brash Gian, and crafty Suneo) getting swept into adventures thanks to Doraemon's gadgets. Despite being of potentially broad appeal to fans of science fiction and animated films, there are very few English reviews of the Doraemon movies, so I'm embarking on a project to write about all the films that have come out so far. Good luck to me…

Movie premise: Nobita and his friends take a trip on a train that traverses the Milky Way.

My spoiler-free take: An entertaining romp that culminates in a high-stakes encounter, though I find the conflict itself to be less interesting than the journey to get there.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT

Review: This is a fun one, especially once it’s revealed that the final stop of the Galaxy Super-express is an amusement park built on a cluster of planets, with each planet having its own theme. Watching the main characters go from planet to planet trying out the different facilities is quite entertaining. There’s even one planet full of (robotic) dinosaurs, which features in a segment containing numerous homages to Jurassic Park.

Just about everyone gets a moment to shine in this story... except maybe poor Suneo, whose main role is getting body-snatched by an alien parasite. Additionally, Shizuka’s primary contribution (discovering that the parasites are weak to soap solution) mostly seems like an excuse to give her recurring bathing gag some plot relevance, which doesn’t exactly make it any better. I suppose though that it does technically qualify as an example of Shizuka doing something critical to saving the day.

Shizuka-saves-the-day count (cumulative): 6

Gian’s moment is actually very cool, however, and Nobita is the one who gets to finish off the main villain. It’s a consistent trend in the Doraemon films that Nobita often comes across as more heroic than he usually does in the main series, but this may be the movie that shows off his precision shooting skills (one of the few things he excels at) the most.

That being said, I found the main conflict in this movie to be somewhat less engaging than the more lighthearted parts. For such a high-stakes narrative (including the first and probably only example in the Doraemon movies of a villainous party that wants to take over the entire galaxy), the way the plot unfolds feels surprisingly low-key. That is especially true considering the unusual nature of the villains here, being parasites that can take control of their hosts, which could have been used to build a suspenseful atmosphere in which both the protagonists and the audience were kept in the dark about who’d been possessed and who hadn’t. Yet even though the parasite that takes over Suneo’s body does trick the main characters by masquerading as him, that concept is otherwise not explored much, with the climax ultimately consisting of a fairly straightforward pursuit and a mostly one-sided battle sequence. Despite my minor gripes, however, this is certainly a distinctive Doraemon movie with its own unique charm.

Star rating: ★★★☆☆

[nicklloydnow]

“And yet, for all the technological advancement, one battlefield tool remains as important here as it was on the Western Front during World War I.

'Your best friend is a shovel,' our soldier friend declares. 'A shovel and your desire, your energy and ability to dig.'

But why does the lopata — as the spade or shovel is called in both Russian and Ukrainian — continue to play such an important role in this 21st-century conflict?

The principle of trench warfare is fairly simple. A soldier naturally wishes to put as much missile-proof material between himself and the enemy, while still being able to participate in battle.

The quickest, cheapest way to do this is for him to dig a suitably deep hole in the ground and position himself inside.

If you adapt that approach to the needs of a platoon or company, who need to stay in close contact with each other, you require something larger than a hole: a trench. A battalion or a division of soldiers require a network of trenches.

(…)

Trench warfare has been going on here, in Donbas, since 2014, when Russian-backed separatists declared their own breakaway republics. Now the front line in Ukraine extends farther than it did on the Western Front.

(…)

We are told the Ukrainians have received intelligence of an impending Russian ground assault in this sector. That is why this rudimentary second line of trenches — little more than deep ditches — has been dug into the sandy soil.

The Ukrainians have raised units dedicated to creating such defences — a digger is called a kopach — usually manned by conscripts rather than volunteers, or by men less suited to frontline combat. But at times like this, when the threat is immediate, every man chips in with his shovel.

(…)

'Yes, we face high-tech weapons, but it doesn't matter whether it's a hypersonic missile or a 155mm shell,' he says. 'They all explode in the ground and as long as you are (dug in) low enough, so that the shrapnel flies over your head, you are safe. That is why we still dig trenches.'

When the ground is too hard to start digging, explosives are used first, to soften it. Machinery is also employed if possible. But the job is always finished with spades.

'It's hard work,' Maxym admits. 'Sometimes we have to dig in very hot sun like this, other times in the cold, wind or rain (when) all your clothes and shoes are wet. And after that you must sleep (soaked) and it's not nice. But worst of all is when you are right in the front line under direct fire and you have to dig lying down while watching for an enemy attack.'

Once the trench is dug and the soldier is in a fixed position known to the enemy, life is hard in a different way, he says. 'You go to sleep and don't know whether, when you wake up, your friends will still be alive. Or if you will ever wake up again.

'My unit's trench was once hit by 18 shells in an hour. Such a life is psychologically very difficult and not everyone can bear it.'

Last year, his unit spent three months in the same trench-line without a break, suffering 'heavy casualties . . . but we cannot afford to rotate out of the line like the Russians. This is our country. In our trench we fight and die. We can't retreat'.

(…)

'When Russians start to shell you, basically the shovel will save you,' says Ivan. 'The deeper you go into the ground, the more chances you have to survive.'

(…)

'The battle in the trench is very tough,' he says. 'In a trench, the one with more grenades usually wins. But a properly constructed trench (in a zigzag pattern) reduces the explosive effect of a grenade.

'Movement along the trench is often complicated by its small width — fighters often get in each other's way. Care should always be taken to avoid friendly fire. There is no panic in such cases, but the adrenaline can sometimes lead to mistakes.'

He says the two sides have displayed different tactics in attacking the other's trenches.

'The trench assault is, I think, the most difficult task in this war,' Oleh continues. 'The positive result of the assault depends, in my opinion, on two points.

'The first is preparation for an assault. Before entering a trench, we use a lot of artillery, mortars, and in some cases aviation. The more you iron the opponent into the trench, the more you demotivate him. I have had cases when artillery shelling lasted 40, 50 minutes, an hour, and you simply cannot raise your head. Many people are shell-shocked.

'The planning of enemy trenches is studied: where exactly the dugout is, possible escape routes, etc. A lot also depends on how the artillery works on the enemy's logistical routes, to prevent them from bringing the ammunition. Sabotage groups work at command and observation points to cut off communication between enemy units. This is a real science. Each assault operation is very carefully elaborated.'

He says the Russians he has defended his trenches against use another approach.

'In Bakhmut, we often crossed paths with Wagner. Their tactics are completely different from ours . . . the Russians sent in their infantry first, like a wave of meat. They had weapons from the 1950s, covered with rust.

'It was very strange to watch half-shell-shocked people who came towards us and shot at us without hiding. It was disturbing to watch: there should be some instincts, some thoughts about one's own safety, but there were none.

'They were like zombies and we killed them all, 100 per cent. After that, the second group followed, the third group, the fourth group. Only after we had destroyed these waves did they use artillery on us.'

As a result, he too values his precious shovel. 'Before, I could not imagine that I would love this thing so much!'

In the autumn of 1918, the Allies broke through the Hindenburg Line at the Second Battle of Cambrai and the war was over within weeks. Now the Ukrainians are probing the Russian lines for a decisive breakthrough. They are finding that it is easier to defend a trench-line than to attack it.

Which is why the hymn to the spade continues to be sung by the ordinary soldier in Ukraine.”