diff --git a/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomPicker.vue b/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomPicker.vue
index e9ed4a8..d412b6c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomPicker.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomPicker.vue
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ const store = useTagStore()
 const selectedId = ref(null)
 const newName = ref('')
 
-onMounted(() => { if (store.fandomCache.length === 0) store.loadFandoms() })
+// Always refresh on open so the list reflects fandoms created elsewhere (#712).
+onMounted(() => store.loadFandoms())
 
 async function onCreate() {
   const f = await store.createFandom(newName.value.trim())
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomSetDialog.vue b/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomSetDialog.vue
index 4706d59..07f38da 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomSetDialog.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomSetDialog.vue
@@ -84,7 +84,8 @@ const busy = ref(false)
 const error = ref(null)
 const collision = ref(null)
 
-onMounted(() => { if (store.fandomCache.length === 0) store.loadFandoms() })
+// Always refresh on open so the list reflects fandoms created elsewhere (#712).
+onMounted(() => store.loadFandoms())
 
 async function onCreate() {
   const name = newName.value.trim()
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/modal/ImageViewer.vue b/frontend/src/components/modal/ImageViewer.vue
index 5bf9c79..53e17be 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/modal/ImageViewer.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/modal/ImageViewer.vue
@@ -106,7 +106,11 @@ function onKeyDown(ev) {
     // overlay's own Esc handling fire instead of closing the whole
     // modal mid-interaction. Vuetify marks open overlays with
     // `.v-overlay--active`.
-    if (document.querySelector('.v-overlay--active')) return
+    // EXCLUDE tooltips (`.v-tooltip`): they're also `.v-overlay--active` while
+    // shown, so one lingering after a hover/click (e.g. just after accepting a
+    // suggested tag) wrongly suppressed the close (#700). Only real interactive
+    // overlays (menus/dialogs) should keep ESC from closing the modal.
+    if (document.querySelector('.v-overlay--active:not(.v-tooltip)')) return
     ev.preventDefault()
     emit('close')
   } else if (ev.key === 'ArrowLeft') {
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/modal/TagPanel.vue b/frontend/src/components/modal/TagPanel.vue
index 319b0b9..4123c18 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/modal/TagPanel.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/modal/TagPanel.vue
@@ -2,45 +2,43 @@
   <aside class="fc-tag-panel" aria-label="Tags for this image">
     <h3 class="fc-tag-panel__title">Tags</h3>
     <div class="fc-tag-panel__chips">
-      <v-chip
+      <!-- #711: the kebab + its menu used to be NESTED inside the v-chip, which
+           swallowed/mis-routed the click and mis-anchored the (teleported) menu
+           so it never opened. Render the kebab as a SIBLING of the chip and use
+           the standard v-menu activator slot — Vuetify wires the click and
+           stacks the overlay above the modal natively. -->
+      <span
         v-for="tag in modal.current?.tags || []"
-        :key="tag.id" size="small" closable
-        :color="store.colorFor(tag.kind)" variant="tonal"
-        @click:close="onRemove(tag.id)"
+        :key="tag.id" class="fc-tag-panel__chip"
       >
-        <v-icon start size="x-small">{{ iconFor(tag.kind) }}</v-icon>
-        {{ tag.name }}<span v-if="tag.fandom_id">→</span>
-        <!-- Operator-flagged 2026-06-04: the `#activator` + `v-bind` menu
-             never opened inside this teleported modal. Drive it explicitly
-             instead (same mechanism as the dialogs below, which work): the
-             icon toggles `openTagId` with @click.stop (shielding the chip's
-             close button), and `activator="parent"` + `:open-on-click=false`
-             anchors the menu for positioning only. One tag's menu open at a
-             time, so a single id is enough. -->
-        <span class="kebab-wrap">
-          <v-icon
-            size="x-small" class="ml-1 kebab-icon"
-            icon="mdi-dots-vertical"
-            @click.stop="openTagId = openTagId === tag.id ? null : tag.id"
-          />
-          <v-menu
-            :model-value="openTagId === tag.id"
-            activator="parent" :open-on-click="false"
-            @update:model-value="v => { if (!v) openTagId = null }"
-          >
-            <v-list density="compact">
-              <v-list-item @click="openRename(tag)">
-                <v-list-item-title>Rename…</v-list-item-title>
-              </v-list-item>
-              <v-list-item
-                v-if="tag.kind === 'character'" @click="openSetFandom(tag)"
-              >
-                <v-list-item-title>Set fandom…</v-list-item-title>
-              </v-list-item>
-            </v-list>
-          </v-menu>
-        </span>
-      </v-chip>
+        <v-chip
+          size="small" closable
+          :color="store.colorFor(tag.kind)" variant="tonal"
+          @click:close="onRemove(tag.id)"
+        >
+          <v-icon start size="x-small">{{ iconFor(tag.kind) }}</v-icon>
+          {{ tag.name }}<span v-if="tag.fandom_id">→</span>
+        </v-chip>
+        <v-menu location="bottom end">
+          <template #activator="{ props }">
+            <v-btn
+              v-bind="props" icon="mdi-dots-vertical" size="x-small"
+              variant="text" density="comfortable"
+              class="fc-tag-panel__kebab" @click.stop
+            />
+          </template>
+          <v-list density="compact">
+            <v-list-item @click="openRename(tag)">
+              <v-list-item-title>Rename…</v-list-item-title>
+            </v-list-item>
+            <v-list-item
+              v-if="tag.kind === 'character'" @click="openSetFandom(tag)"
+            >
+              <v-list-item-title>Set fandom…</v-list-item-title>
+            </v-list-item>
+          </v-list>
+        </v-menu>
+      </span>
       <span v-if="!modal.current?.tags?.length" class="text-caption">No tags yet.</span>
     </div>
 
@@ -88,9 +86,6 @@ import FandomSetDialog from './FandomSetDialog.vue'
 const modal = useModalStore()
 const store = useTagStore()
 const errorMsg = ref(null)
-// Which tag chip's kebab menu is open (only one at a time). Drives each
-// chip menu's v-model so opening never depends on Vuetify's activator click.
-const openTagId = ref(null)
 
 const KIND_ICONS = {
   general: 'mdi-tag', character: 'mdi-account-circle',
@@ -153,6 +148,7 @@ async function onFandomUpdated() {
   margin-bottom: 12px;
 }
 .fc-tag-panel__chips { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 6px; }
-.kebab-wrap { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; }
-.kebab-icon { cursor: pointer; }
+.fc-tag-panel__chip { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 1px; }
+.fc-tag-panel__kebab { opacity: 0.7; }
+.fc-tag-panel__chip:hover .fc-tag-panel__kebab { opacity: 1; }
 </style>
diff --git a/frontend/src/stores/tags.js b/frontend/src/stores/tags.js
index 9365550..050a064 100644
--- a/frontend/src/stores/tags.js
+++ b/frontend/src/stores/tags.js
@@ -34,10 +34,20 @@ export const useTagStore = defineStore('tags', () => {
   }
 
   async function loadFandoms() {
-    fandomCache.value = await api.get('/api/tags/autocomplete', {
-      params: { q: ' ', kind: 'fandom', limit: 200 }
-    })
-    return fandomCache.value
+    // List ALL fandoms via the cursor-paged tag directory. (#712: the old impl
+    // abused /tags/autocomplete with q=' ', which the backend strips to empty
+    // and returns [] — so the picker showed no existing fandoms.)
+    const all = []
+    let cursor = null
+    do {
+      const params = { kind: 'fandom', limit: 200 }
+      if (cursor) params.cursor = cursor
+      const body = await api.get('/api/tags/directory', { params })
+      all.push(...(body.cards || []))
+      cursor = body.next_cursor
+    } while (cursor)
+    fandomCache.value = all
+    return all
   }
 
   async function createFandom(name) {