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vide0-nasties · 10 months

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Going to be rambling insanely about Ghost and probably what his feelings on the monarchy would be, coming from one deeply damaged povo to another.

Anyway, specifically around the time the parasite in chief in her idiot hat (thanks Eccleston lub u) died and passed said idiot hat on, I was seeing a lot of (fun and gentle-ribbing, mind you!) posts about Ghost getting razzed about the queen croaking and maybe him being sad about it or something - I don’t really remember bc I have shit for brains and I just latch onto what bits my adhd will allow.

SO. I really don’t think Bruv Innit gave two shits about Liz buying the farm, bc he grew up working class in a working class town to a drug addicted, drug peddling dad, and a fairly nondescript mom who likely didn’t have a way to get her and her kids out of that shit situation (per ‘09 MW lore and some presumption). I imagine dude was dragged around a shitload of council estates and his dad’s friends’ shitty crash pads, no stability whatsoever, where food insecurity was a big ass forever-looming deal, mom had no idea if her 20 year old vauxhall was going to make it another trip to her minimum wage part time job, and school was forever on the back burner bc when it came to school supplies/trips vs eating and keeping the lights on. You can guess which one won.

If we’re also going with him being about 35-40ish, he would’ve been 10-12ish or so around Diana’s divorce and then her death. So, here’s this starving, horrendously abused kid, with his starving, horrendously abused mother and little brother, drowning in a system that is pretty much just letting them sink to the bottom, nothing is being done about the evil sperm donor that ruins everything for them, and he’s obliterated constantly by TV coverage and tabloids and radio DJs talking about this goddamned family’s stupid fucking drama. Charles cheated, Diana left, her poor boys in their fancy private schools with their endless wealth and glowing skin and brand new clothes that don’t stink of consignment shops are sad.

Sorrows - sorrows, prayers. 🫶

It’s a story he’s seen countless times, the only difference is money and coverage. And, realistically, the women in the stories he knows aren’t killed in car wrecks, they’re killed by their infuriated husbands who think they’re owed something catching up. Maybe that’s why his mom doesn’t leave the cocksucker that trapped her, she could’ve ended up another council house Diana that no one gave a shit about.

He grows up, becomes a butcher’s apprentice, joins the army. Straightens his brother out, makes sure his mom is set up nice, finally beats the shit out of his dad. And all the while, there looms the most fucking pointless, parasitic family in England: living off taxes taken from the public, god knows how much land and how many castles, even owning all the fucking swans on the island.

Relics, vampires, leeches.

But, you know, twenty years down the road, he’s pushing 40, his services to the country are done in the dark, the family he tried so badly to save were brutally cut down anyway, and when he goes to Tesco, the price of a fifth of piss Smirnoff is insane, and he’s still got Soap swimming in his head mid-rant bc his mam’s fucking knee replacement appeal has been denied for the third time and she can’t even walk anymore, Gaz is moving for the second time in a year bc he just can’t afford to live close to his parents even on his salary, meanwhile there was a stretch where it looked like Philip was surviving solely by being pumped full of virgin blood and straight stem cells.

So, yeah, if anything he probably said cheers when the news broke and cracked a couple extra jokes that day.

“What d’you call one dead Windsor? A good start.”

Edit: This is picking up some traction. @50cal-fullauto-astarion is my CoD blog if you like my Call of Bullshit stuff, this is my main and I don’t really go into CoD here

#simon ghost riley #modern warfare ii #ghost cod #call of duty #mw2 #ghost #I’m mentally ill and I love that he is also mentally ill and probably looks at the monarchy with disgust #if he can vote depending on whether he’s legally dead or not he voted no on brexit #some rando at base is like ‘how can you make a joke like that think about the children they lost their nan’#and he just goes ‘I’ll hunt those little shits for sport’

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ms-scarletwings · 9 months

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The Speculative Analysis About Irkens No One Asked For: Part II

Hiya! Back at it again with not shutting up about the lil green dudes. In case you found this first, here’s the Part One of this spiel, touching on some of the environmental theories about Irk and its cyberpunk-leaning cultural direction. While this post is dedicated to a more biological look of what’s going on with the Irkens, there was some leading context and other tidbits back in that one you may also enjoy, too.

So, carrying through what we previously set up, I want to… admit off the bat that, I found it a little difficult at first, you know?-To pick an angle I wanted to sink my teeth into. With how old the show’s become and how creative & enthusiastic a fanbase it attracted, it’s getting hard to really note (or theorize) something about Irken anatomy that hasn’t been said before somewhere. And don’t get me wrong, that’s awesome and I love almost every word of it I’ve read. A lot of it from various sources is almost certainly going to bleed together into the first half of this. So, keep it in mind, yet I will try to chew a little deeper into the questions we can’t actually answer with just a rewatch of the show, all good? Because there’s a few more base things we know from the canon I’m going to include to start listing: - Irkens lack any visible form of nose or ears, but are equipped with a pair of sensory antennae. Presumably, these organs fulfill the same roles, as they do in real-world insects. - Irken organs are obviously very alien, not well explained, artificially enhanced, and hard to compare to that of a human’s- outside of their general body shape, the presence of a primary brain separate from the PAK, and the fact that they do possess something of an internal skeleton. - A petite race on average (relative to humans), Irkens universally follow an unquestioned social hierarchy based on individual height. - Irkens are endowed with a remarkable ability to regenerate and heal superficial injuries, even up to repairing the damage of being nearly skinned alive (chest-down) or severely burning their corneas within a matter of hours. - Their preferred diet is one that is rich in (if not primarily made of) refined carbohydrates, and while they seem to tolerate fatty sources, such as processed dairy, their anatomy is poorly suited for dealing with high-protein foods like beans and meat. - In fact, all forms of contact with exposed animal meat itself will cause it to dissolve and meld into their own flesh, via an incredibly painful process. - On contact with water from Earth, their skin will receive harsh chemical burns (This has been explained by Vasquez to be a consequence of impurities and man-made pollutants, which Irkens seem sensitive to). - While I’m already on a roll about their skin, it also contains/produces a substance capable of killing lice.

Now, I think we’ve all heard a lot about sqeedily spooches, but does anyone else want to keep marinating a second longer on the topic of s k i n ? Because I have some damn thoughts to release about Zim’s outer casing.

Let’s Get Chemical

First hot take, and the hill I am willing to be slain on: That ain’t actually skin! At least, it is nothing chemically alike to Earth-native vertebrate skin. I’ve given all of the above and the general running theme about Irkens resembling arthropods a lot of thought, and I’ve come to about the only conclusion I could that makes their dermis equivalent… make sense.

See, one of the biggest traits that sets apart invertebrates from other animals in real life is the “innie or outie” skeleton question, but you gotta understand that the “skeletons” that bugs and crabs have would still be considered something completely different from our endoskeletons even if they were on the inside. The hard tissues that make up OUR skeletal systems are mostly made up of a *collagen (remember that word!) frame that is reinforced by calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals. The hard parts of an ant’s skeleton, on the other foot, are mainly composited of chitin.

Chitin, now, is a very neat substance. It’s a polysaccharide, meaning that it’s made up of a bunch of sugar molecules chained together. This makes it distinct from proteins, which are made of amino acid chains instead of carbs. Chitin is also one of the single most important structural polymers in the universe to a ton of existing life. It makes up the literal backbone of arthropods and the cell walls of all fungi. We’ve even found it in fish scales and some amphibians. So, must also be important to humans, right? NAH. Not a chance. Higher animals actually long ditched the ability to synthesize the stuff, and are not any the worse for it, since there’s more than one way to stick a bunch of creature pieces together. For two examples, keratin and *collagen are proteins we naturally synthesize that functionally do the same thing. Keratin is the hard substance that makes up hair & fingernails, and collagen is practically the wonderglue of flesh: It’s a fundamental binder that holds together your bones, your skin, your precious muscle meats, the ligaments, the tendies, the nerves…

pretty much the whole person blueprint if you get the picture.

And thus concludes your (VERY overly simplified) highshcool bio class recap, but what the hell did that have to do with the cartoon spacemen again? I’m gonna round back to them through a funny secret about exoskeletons, actually: They have a softer part, too! Chitin’s hella diverse in its forms and utility. What’s in an exoskeleton is actually a version of it modified with other materials (like what’s done to collagen in bone) to make it so rigid and shell-like. A purer chitin, on the other hand, is more leathery and flexible, less like the shell of a beetle and more like the squishy wall around a caterpillar or maggot. Even the hard bodied insects still have an endocuticle layer like this hiding just under the “shell”, still considered part of the whole exoskeleton, but suddenly looking and acting more like we’d call a skin.

Eh, see where I’m going with this? My conviction is this- Irkens may have used to be even more arthropodal in an earlier stage of their evolution, including BOTH an internal skeleton, and some form of protective exoskeleton in their body plan. And hey, maybe the two were extensions of the same system once, too. You recognize something like that in modern tortoises when you remember that their “shells” are actually just the bone structure of their own ribcage. Then, let’s say that Irkens later saw the loss of their heavier exocuticle, leaving behind the endoskeleton and the flexible inner (now just an outer) cuticle of what used to be an entire body shell. This could have been a gradual change, via natural selection, or it could have been another artificial mutation brought on by technology- wherein the elder brains decided the feature was less efficient and simply phased it out of the cloning process- the same as the loss of their species’ sexual organs.

But, you’re thinking, why on Irk would the loss of an entire badass armor layer be beneficial to their fitness? Few reasons- For one, they are cumbersome and limiting. The downgrade on freedom of movement and flexibility they would be for a bipedal humanoid is self-explanatory enough. When it came to structural integrity, the inner skeleton would have already done a well job with little modification. For all the protection they provide, they don’t leave much room for expansion, and need to be shed in order for the animal to grow any further or to recover from certain injuries. The process of molting itself would be an excruciating process for any intelligent species to have to endure; one that also temporarily leaves the critter in a very vulnerable and stressed state for every molt. To advance from more primitive origins into a dominant race, manual dexterity and mobility would have to take a front seat over a small amount of modest defenses, and mind you, Irk long ago woulda managed to compensate for that loss in the form of advanced weaponry (obviously).

I’m also of the mind that the shift away from an exoskeleton could have even been the key to allowing the Irkens to even grow to the size they are now. Recall back to Part One for a second, where I shared the likely case for Irk having a massive bulk behind its gravity field. Gravity is a hard thing on any skeletal structure, representing a constant strain to be fought against when moving, growing, and bearing weight .There’s a lot of factors behind why we don’t have horse sized spiders or elephant sized lobsters IRL, and weight is actually one of them. Notice how terrestrial isopods only get about to the size of a bean, but the aquatic ones can top out at over a foot long? And that’s only having Earth’s level of gravity to struggle against, let alone however harsh the conditions would be on a larger planet. So, there’s my framework for explaining what I think the aliens’ cuticle is not; however, what does that mean for what it is, besides “feels and looks like a grub’s”?

Well, look again at some of the extraordinary things it can do.

Cooties Immunity

“Germs” was a memorable episode that posed a very legitimate question to the viewer. Why IS IT that foreign pathogens aren’t a bigger concern for the invaders? They’re literally sent off to other worlds to blend in: Socializing with the native inhabitants, eating their foods, and living in an alien habitat. In the case of an undiscovered rock like Earth, our infectious diseases would have no reference available to the Armada whatsoever. Sure, species incompatibility would provide some protection, but the risk of something carrying over and adapting is always still there. Zoonoptic jumps happen all the time with bacteria and viruses, and Zim’s body temperature IS in the normal human range. And what about fungal pathogens, or parasites-

Oh, wait, the lice episode gave it away right there.

I love this sequence so much, because it’s coincidentally like, an exact “art imitates life” parallel to something a real species of primate does. Black lemurs live in the same area of Madagascar as these vibrant, red millipedes.

The millipedes are special because when threatened, they secrete a poisonous substance from their skin. The lemurs are special because they like to grab the bugs and nibble them for no other reason than to make them release those toxins. Those chemicals are then rubbed into their fur, because somehow the lemurs figured out it makes a really handy mosquito repellant. The lemurs also like to get completely zonked out on the chemicals too but eyy- Point was it stands to reason that Irkens may also secrete small amounts of their own potent toxin from the cuticle, perhaps for more hygienic than defensive purposes. This secretion would be responsible for protecting them from parasites and topical infections. Could it also make people blazed out of their minds? …Maybe? I think I’d like to promote the “Just Say No” policy on the matter of licking aliens, though. Ffs at least ask them out to dinner first.

When it comes to other kinds of sick, looks like it might be the trusty old PAK to the rescue here again. I imagine that, being an intergalactic, partially mechanical civilization, the Irken race has come down this road enough to put in a workaround. A standard PAK contains the entirety of the population’s collective knowledge/history- which would include a catalog of all known infectious agents they have encountered across the universe. Some kind of nanobot-bolstered immune system that could detect and respond appropriately to new threats isn’t out of the question, nor should a feature that can automatically administer the appropriate medicine directly into the wearer’s bloodstream. For all this awesomeness, nonetheless, there remains a downside or two that they haven’t quite conquered..

The Meaty, Sweety, Mending of DOOM

Anyone ever actually think about how as far as resilience is concerned, Zim is practically an X-man compared to any Earthling? He has regenerative capabilities that surpass anything else on earth, save idk, bamboo shoots, if even. Injuries that would leave a human permanently disabled only seem to incapacitate an Irken for a few hours to a day at most. They’re all the more tough to put out of commission when considering that a PAK doubles as a form of backup life support, ready to “soft reboot” the host with a quick jolt if it detects a sudden drop in vital signs. It is tempting to credit the same device as the source of this healing boost as well, teasing the nanobot suggestion again; however, I see a chance instead to bring this back a step.

Although not as quick-acting as Zim, or Skoodge’s healing, there are some remarkable examples of regeneration in real arthropods, from repairing tissues/organs to replacing entire lost limbs. What the aliens are packing doesn’t seem all that different, only refined (through years of bioengineering) to work at a truly frightening efficiency. It shows through in their diet as well. Almost always, if we see a member of this species eating on screen, and believe me there was no shortage of examples, what are we watching them shovel their face with?

Space doughnuts, space popcorn, space Fun-Dip, sodas, and curly fries. Sure, there’s plenty of calories here, no doubt with the amount of carbs and grease that could even turn the stomach of a college freshman, but is this… nutrition?

Yes. Just not for us.

Like their civilization, we have also turned the mass production of sweet-packed, fat loaded foods into one of our favored art forms, and there are scattered pockets of our planet that can enjoy these items in cheap abundance. The catch 22? Obesity and heart disease. Meanwhile, Irkens are so metabolically blessed that they can follow the same lifestyle and actually be thriving by it. We know that the majority of human food is utterly toxic to Zim, but then there were waffles, a literal stack of dessert and butter that pretends to be a breakfast…. Our guy was experiencing the “finally some good fucking food” meme from the first bite off that plate, but this can’t seriously be healthy,or if it is, then how?

Well, if I did sell you on the idea that much of their tissues and skeleton swaps out a chitin base where we would be using protein, there you go. Sugars for the building blocks to synthesize the connective/structural tissues for maintaining the body, and the bulk of the energy required to keep it running. And I won’t make the leap and suggest that’s all they have.

After all, the Irken equivalent of sandwiches do actually seem to contain “lettuce” and something that people will say looks like meat slices while not convincing me. I can get behind the thought of the natural or maybe original Irken diet to be a mix of plant matter and supplemental fungi, but everything I’ve put together implies that they are completely unfit for processing the goodies in animal flesh.

Overwhelmingly, I believe that the only time they possibly even seek out more sources of amino acids is going to be when they are smeets. That’s how it works in many wasp species. I.e. The growing larvae are the only ones that actually get to reap from the hard work of a colony hunting down enough protein to feed them with, yet the adults live out the rest of their lives more than content to gorge themselves on nectars and fruits exclusively!

And you even could put that aside, but you’ll have to grapple with the ungodly thing that happens every single time you see Zim touching a piece of meat. Would be awfully convenient to blame it on his personal brand of weirdness, or earth contaminants, but we remember this was a weakness that Tak approached fully aware of and expecting.

We know that polluted water can burn them. We know that beans and other foods can give them grotesque allergic reactions. Well what in the horrifying name of Resident Evil is this, though? Buddy pals, I think we got some unintended consequences of that bio-hacking on hand. Collagen and chitin aren’t just functionally similar to each other, they are practically analogous building blocks.

For a WILD science fact, consider that there’s a ton of ongoing research into the application of chitin and chitin-derivatives into having a role in tissue engineering, as a hypothetical scaffold in lab cultured meat, and as an effective wound dressing ingredient.

What we’re seeing with incidents like Dib throwing that Bologna at Zim could be an extreme form of the vise versa, because I know a certain protein that processed meat happens to be pretty high in :)))

Imagine the coupling of this with the bioengineered genome of Zim’s kind being so… reactive to a foreign intrusion, yet also flexible to modification. Maybe it is the acids, or some contaminant/seasoning on the meat that first damages the cuticle. That healing ability kicks in, but doesn’t stop where chitin does, readily binding to and with the collagens in these strange tissues that are sorta like an Irken’s but also just enough not like an Irken’s that it also kicks the immune system into overdrive. Think of all the pain and inflammation of a poison ivy rash but if the damn plant itself could also fuse itself with whatever you brushed against it. I think Zim actually had an understandable reason to be homicidally pissed off for that Bologna assault. Also how the Bologna virus was accelerated in Zim’s body. Once it had incorporated itself into his own DNA, it was game set and match with the speed and help those cells had to replicate themselves.

And uh, yeah, I think this post has gotten about as long as it reasonably should be here. I did have a couple more points I really wanted to get out of my brain about the Almighty Tallest, and I think that would be a good launching point actually for a possible (and hopefully final jfc) part three to this. Till then I got some off-topic scoliids to taxidermy 👀

#invader zim #iz fandom #irkens #xenobiology #iz #scarlet talks about things #long post #we hyperfixating #absolute ramblings i mean holy crap #cool bug facts #sci fi

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raging-violets · 6 months

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Fifteen years // Suite Life Series

Summary - November 16 2023. Cody waited fifteen years for this day.

“And we still can’t eat at one of the 8000 Italian restaurants we’ve passed because?” Zack droned, strolling at a leisurely pace compared to Cody’s practical sprint across the cobblestone lined streets of Rome.

For a 31-year-old man who still didn’t work out much more than his yoga stretching allowed, Cody was making ground. What was even more miraculous was that Cody was able to convince Zack to go to Italy with him simply to eat in the restaurant.

Then again, it didn’t take much for Zack to be convinced to do anything Cody asked him to do when money was involved. With Cody moving forward in his career in politics science and Zack enjoying his own lot in life running and owning his own construction company, Cody did sometimes still feel a need to protect Zack from the world. And when Cody said he had the two-person reservation to take Zack on—which surprised Zack as it seemed like something his brother would want to turn into a romantic dinner sort of thing—and would also pay for his tickets because “you owe me” from the last time they were there.

Zack had simply laughed and agreed to the deal before reminding Cody that he could afford everything himself, but it was, “Too late to take it back. And, by the way, I want a first class ticket. My damaged body needs to stretch out.”

“You’re brain damaged, but okay,” Cody replied begrudgingly.

And it wasn’t like things had been bad between them, sure, they got on each other’s nerves since they were born. But having gone into separate careers there weren’t many times Zack and Cody were able to spend a lot of time together so they opted to make it a brother trip, culminating the end of the week in Rome at the restaurant.

And while it had been a good trip, it was clear Cody’s eyes were on the prize.

He pumped his arms in a steady fashion, eyes planted firmly on the line that stretched in front of him. The line he couldn’t wait to stand in. To move forward in. To get inside the best restaurant he’d ever stepped foot in fifteen years before.

But this time, oh this time…

This time he was going to taste it.

He was going to taste the food he’d only dreamed about for as long as he could remember. Where he would finally understand what everyone meant when they said the food was worth it. Not like I don’t already know, Cody’s smile waned slightly as he eyed his brother, who moved to stand in line behind him. I had to watch and listen to Zack talk about this food so long and now it’s my turn.

Cody’s grin was infectious.

Enough so that Zack side-eyed him, leaning away. “Dude, I think you’re taking this a little too seriously. I mean, it’s just foo-“

“—Don’t you finish that sentence!” Cody snapped. He moved along with the line as it went forward. It was moving pretty quickly. A good sign the restaurant was still in good standing, able to get people in and out in an orderly manner. “I’m getting that Manicotti whether you want it or not.”

Zack held up his hands. “I’m just saying…give me a choice between manicotti and cowboy-ghetti and I’m picking the cowboys.”

Cody turned to Zack, holding up his hands as if to strangle his brother, gritting his teeth. But stopped when the line moved forward enough so that they were right up at the front. There was a young man standing behind the host podium holding onto a tablet. He briefly glanced up at Zack and Cody when they arrived before posing his finger over the screen.

“Order number?” He asked.

“Oh…” Cody waved a hand, his lips curling into an almost smug smile. “I have a reservation. Right here!” He pulled out his phone and illuminated the screen. He pointed to the date and time on screen. “See, November 16, 2023. 7:30pm!” He slapped it onto the table in front of him. “So…show us our table my good man.” He patted the man on the shoulder.

The man continued to stare at him. “You don’t have a reservation.” He finally said after a moment, as if silently questioning if Cody were serious.

“I assure you, I do.”

The man took in a breath through his nose. The breath that anyone who worked in customer service would recognize. The breath of ‘This isn’t going to end well’ before he said gently yet firmly, “I assure you, you don’t.”

“Bummer.” Zack arched his back, stretching. “I could really go for a pizza cone…” He trailed off, eyeing his brother when Cody turned a fierce glare his way.

“I’ve been waiting to eat this food for fifteen years, and I’m not going to miss it!” Cody growled through gritted teeth.

Zack waved his hand in front of his face. “Okay, but you clearly missed brushing your teeth this morning.”

“What is going on here?”

Cody’s eyes lit up the moment he spotted Chef Gigi. She had grown older in the last fifteen years, streaks of silver at the temples of her hair, pulled back into a bun. Nevertheless, it was still her. She had the same no-nonsense expression he remembered from his youth. “Chef Gigi! You remember me?”

“Yes, I remember all of the ones that are desperate to get into my restaurant,” she replied. She turned up her nose, looking down at them. “And destroyed my star and my sauce with your…antics!” Her gaze shifted over them. “Why are you causing a line?”

“I-I-I-I’m here for my reservation,” Cody stuttered. He grasped the letter and thrust it towards Gigi. Zack continued to watch with only mild interest. “See? You gave it to me fifteen years ago.”

Gigi looked over the reservation, nodding to herself. “You’re right, I did give you that reservation fifteen years ago.” The smile on Cody’s face was bright enough to illuminate even the darkest cave. But it was then snuffed out when she continued with, “But with the COVID pandemic we were forced to shut down for a while. And despite the loss of our revenue, we found our customers were still coming back and we were making more money from our delivery options and had switched to that. Now you have to place your orders in advance or else you won’t even come close to tasting my food.”

Cody’s jaw dropped. He looked to Zack who scratched the back of his head, not looking too worse for the wear. Completely unbothered, actually. Completely unbothered that Cody’s heart had just been ripped out and stepped on. “B-b-b-but, okay…” He took a deep, calming breath. Yoga was really proving to be helpful in times like this. “We can place an order.”

“That’d be nice.” Gigi nodded.

“Can we place it now?”

“We’re booked up until 2038.” Gigi gestured towards the increasingly disgruntled people behind them. “See the line?” With that, she waved them off and disappeared back into the restaurant.

Cody’s jaw dropped. Eyes widened. Breath hitched. He’d cry if he was able to even muster up the tears. His entire body was frozen, stuck. Memories of that exact same conversation from fifteen years before swirling through his head. The excitement of getting that reminder email of the reservation he’d placed years before. The anticipation on tasting that tangy tomato sauce, the radiant ricotta, the creamy cheese of the--

“Mmm.” Zack’s humming broke Cody’s depression. He slid his hands into the pockets, barely glancing at the stunned expression on his twin’s face. “How do you feel about Mexican?” Cody slowly turned his incredulous glare to his brother. Zack shrugged. “I’m not really feeling Italian.”

THE END

#the suite life on deck #november 16 #november 16 2023 #cody martin #zack martin #suite life of zack and cody #by: riley #you had to have known i was going to do something for this #it was also a good exercise to get back into their heads #i giggled while writing this #suite life

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ss-shitstorm · 7 months

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Hey I know you’ve probably already been asked this but what type of chemistry do you use for breaking bread like biochem and where did you learn this or have any book recommendations to pick it up? Also ty in advance I love your writing!!💕💕

oh my fucking god. oh my god. buddy. buddy you have made my fucking LIFE ASKING THIS OH GOD

So like, most of the chemistry I've used so far has just been Genchem and O Chem(with a wee few modifications to make it believable as a Cybertronian discipline, like Transformium being able to hold 4 bonds like Carbon but preferentially forming bonds w metals and needing an EMP pulse to interact w more electronegative atoms) I may wind up needing to get into a bit of Inorganic chemistry, but that's probably fewer and further in between. If you want a better handle on the stuff I'm writing or if you just want to learn more in general, then I'd recommend giving yourself a lil crash course in Genchem and then delving into O chem a bit more extensively (protip : you need WAY less Genchem then you'd think to fully understand O chem. God I wish someone had told me this 5 years ago. If you search "Genchem for non majors", you'll probably learn enough that way.)

THAT SAID : here's a chaotic, not really in any order list of the books/youtube channels/etc that I've directly used/am using for this fic.

Books :

Caveman Chemistry, Kevin R Dunn - Alot of hands-on old timey historical chemistry lessons w detailed instructions on how to complete them.(YOU GET TO MAKE YOUR OWN ASPIRIN AND DRAIN CLEANER!) Delivered with a delightfully occult bend.

Back To basics,(Reader's Digest) - Survivalist homesteading bible. Not strictly chemistry but has alot of earthy hippy ways of generating energy( biofuels my beloved)

An Introduction to Fire Dynamics, Dougal Drysdale - Honestly this, and any other firefighting manuals are worth their weight in gold for figuring out how to not set yourself and your neighborhood on fire while playing with, well, fire. Trying to look this info up online is like playing russian roulette with intentional misinformation and your fbi guy.

(there's another book I have that's even more detailed but I can't find it right now or remember the name. I'll update this list when I can!)

Organic Chemistry, John Mcmurray 8th edition : generic but good college O chem textbook. You can search around and find free versions to download relatively easily.

The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual, James W Zubrick - Also a very good way to learn how to not set yourself and your neighborhood on fire when playing with glassware/gases. Very in-depth instructions on setting up and using lab equipment without breaking anything or your brain. Has a fuckton of pictures. Author has a massive sense of humor and makes this heavy subject easy to read. Again, easy to download/find in archives

Unfortunately I do not have any recommendations for Genchem books. I mostly used free online courses like Khan Academy to learn what I did.(I would def. recommend them though)

Youtube Channels :

The Organic Chemistry Tutor : Dude puts everything from reaction mechanisms to retrosynth problems down in the simplest possible terms. Does not beat around the bush with euphemisms or stories, gets right to business. If you have trouble paying attention, or lose your mind when a professor goes off on a tangent, this man is your savior. I have crippling unmedicated ADHD and no STEM background whatesoever and this man still managed to teach me 2 separate ways to execute a Gabriel Synthesis

Nile Red : World's most inefficient and most powerful wizard. I am not entirely convinced he's human. Does shit like turning plastic gloves into drinkable grape soda or making sweeteners out of his own piss and somehow makes it explainable to trash goblins like me who only need the science for warlord pussy.

again, anon, holy shit thank you so much. Like you wouldn't believe the amount of damage you've just undone. i have been beating myself into a pulp and spiraling into anxiety about this fic an trying to do everything right and you've given me enough moxie to fuel me for at least the next 10 chapters. If you have any more questions or more specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask! I can't guarantee I can answer them, but damnit I'll try. Take care and happy learning you funky lil moonbean.

#Breaking Bread #megatron #megatron/reader #I know I don't need those tags but lord I'm relishing the thought of ppl stumbling upon this w 0 context #u know what I'ma go ahead and pin this thing.#Took me YEARS just to find out exactly WHAT I needed to learn and WHERE to learn it #if I can save someone from wasting all that time then that'll be nice

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meanbossart · 3 months

Text

Another ask compilation!

There already is some! If you search up "orin the red" in my blog there's some art to be found of them together (after you scroll by all the essay length replies to asks I've gotten about her 🤦) and I definitely want to draw more of it in the future.

(This ask is referring to mine and @barbatusart comics, not my silly BG3 stuff, just in case anyone gets confused) ALAS, Sad Sack and Sortie seem to be what me and Nick have taken to calling part of the Unpublishable Triad: It's Gay, It's Violent, and it's too long. The point is that publishers don't want anything to do with it. We've actually gotten really close once, signed a contract and everything, but then the place gained some traction and decided they didn't want us in their repertoire anymore.

We've considered self-publishing again and again, but unfortunately we don't really have the financial means for something like that. We hope as we expand and entertain slightly less erm outrageous stories that we will come across some new opportunities.

(more asks below the cut)

AGREED, I don't think there's much of a way for me to both keep him in character AND keep her alive (since she has such a problem with Shadowheart) but if Shadowheart hadn't been mega racist I bet Lae'zel and DU drow would have had a lot of funny conflict (he would have relentlessly looked down on her blind faith) broken up with their mutual love for senseless violence. Probably at least 1 rage fuck in there before Astarion came peacocking in.

Thank you!

Not really, I don't really like dividing my attention with other things when I draw, not to mention that I do a lot of picking things up and putting them down again which doesn't seem very apt for art-streaming.

THANK YOU SO MUCH DUDE! I Nick is the sole writer behind the original series and of 95% of Sortie (I butt in there here and there because I'm also a huge Sal fan lol) so all the dope semiotics and symbolism are thanks to him and his big, beautiful brain. I'm beyond lucky to have found someone so talented to work with.

Thank you so much again for your patronage and support, I'm glad you have been enjoying the rest of our work!!!

THANK YOU!!! I draw a lot of inspiration from western comics, and I'm a big fan of the art of Sean Murphy and Jason Shawn Alexander. I was also reading JtHM and Hellsing in middle school which I'm sure caused some kind of irreversible damage to my psyche.

LOL, IT'S AN HONOR TO BE THE FREAK OF THE FANDOM, and it's a joy to hear that I've given you and your friends some good laughs. Thank you!

---

I have a ton of other sweet messages that I can't reply to individually without risking turning this into a LOOK-AT-ME fest, but as always thank you so much to everyone who decides to drop by with a nice word of encouragement, support, or just to let me know that they enjoy my characterizations, I very much appreciate it!

#ask #ask compilation

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ilovewriting06 · 23 days

Text

Mischief and Angel- Part 6

A/N- I hope you remember Mrs. Mitchel (she's the one that spreads the rumors, Beacon Hills' very own Karen) because she's making a comeback in this part, and I have never hated writing a character so much in my life. I hope you like it!

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I narrow my eyes at the woman standing in front of me in the local Target, "Hello, Mrs. Mitchel."

She raises an eyebrow before smiling like she didn't accuse me of keeping Stiles from his child and that I was a prostitute that had an Only Fans.

"Hello, Y/n"

I scowl before humming, "I've been meaning to talk to you."

She nods and goes to speak but I cut her off, "What the hell made you think it was okay to make up lies about Stiles and I? I'll have you know that I'm not pregnant and I also don't have an Only Fans. Stiles and I have been together since we were 14 and got engaged because we love each other, not because I blackmailed him. Your gossiping has to stop! Ms. Richards still gets asked if she's still married to some random dude in Bora Bora. She literally went there for a week for vacation, with her best friend and now she can't escape the rumors."

I take a second to catch my breath before I'm going off again, "You're a lonely old woman that takes pleasure in making up lies about others and it's appalling. I have enough going on and I don't need your lies making it any worse. I'm planning a wedding, I'm looking at houses, I'm trying to finish high school with good grades, not to mention all the other stuff going on in my life that you don't even know about. I'm just warning you that if you make another story up about my life, or Stiles' life, or anyone's life for that matter, you're going to end up with no one. You screw people over one too many times and before you know it you won't have anyone, and there will be no one to blame except you."

Mrs. Mitchel stares at me with wide eyes as a small group of people that had gathered during my rant nod in agreement with what I said. She clears her throat, "Well then, no need to be rude. It's very unbecoming for a young lady. How you're engaged I'll never know. He must have brain damage."

My jaw drops as I watch her with wide eyes, "He has brain-what?! I'll have you know that he maintains a 4.0 GPA, currently stands as the valedictorian, and I'm damn proud of him too. I get that you're lonely and miserable and have no friends but that doesn't give you a right to be so rude to others. Maybe if you stopped being a bitch you'd be able to make some friends!"

Mrs. Mitchel's face turns red as the group of people grows and they all murmur agreements at what I said. I go to say something else when Stiles appears around the corner holding up a fluffy blanket, "I know you said we didn't need anymore blankets but this thing feels like a cloud. Can we plea-..." He stops mid sentence when he looks up to see the group of people and an angry Mrs. Mitchel. He looks at me before sighing, "Lord, what did you do?"

I scoff, "Me?! I didn't do anything she's the one that started all those stupid rumors! I was just telling her how it was."

Stiles lets out a deep breath before throwing the blanket in the cart, "Well, carry on, just don't touch her. She'd try and charge you with assault."

Mrs. Mitchel takes that as her queue to start talking, and dear God does she use her words to hurt, "You are the nastiest, rudest, most crass young lady I have ever met. I hope your marriage fails and he runs off with someone who is far better than you. It shouldn't be hard he can probably go to the nearest pet store and pick up a rat."

I go to take a step towards her but an arm grabs me by the waist and pulls me back so I can't touch her, but it doesn't stop me from trying, "That's it! Stiles, let me go!"

Stiles shakes his head and I know he won't let me go so I turn my deadly glare up to 1000 and aim it at Mrs. Mitchel, "You say I'm crass and rude but you are the literal definition of both of those words!"

She scoffs and her hand tightens on the handle of her cart, "You're very overdramatic and you have no care or sympathy for others."

My mouth drops as my eyes widen but I don't get a chance to speak because she cuts in again with the sharpest, most painful words she could possibly say, "God, I hope you never have any kids, you'd probably manage to kill them within a month because of your lack of care!"

At those words it feels like a knife just stabbed into my heart and was then twisted. I deflate in Stiles' hold remembering how I lost our baby at approximately one month. I fight back tears and the look of triumph on Mrs. Mitchel's face makes me feel like I'm going to be sick.

I swallow around the lump in my throat as Stiles spins me around and pulls me into his chest trying to cradle me from the harsh words and wishes of an angry and cruel woman. Stiles holds me tight as he looks at Mrs. Mitchel, "You are one evil woman. You have no idea how personal that was you angry old witch! Why can't you just let people be happy? You know I could have you arrested for a public disturbance."

"Don't worry Stiles, that's exactly what's going to happen."

I glance over to see the crowd of people parting like the red sea before Parrish appears. He glares at Mrs. Mitchel before walking forward and slapping on the cuffs, "Gladys Mitchel, you are under arrest for disturbing the peace in a public setting. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

As Mrs. Mitchel pales Parrish shakes his head, "For a sixty year old woman you sure are a jerk."

After Parrish and Mrs. Mitchel leave, the group scatters for the most part except a couple stragglers who send us looks of sympathy. One little old woman, no younger than 70 steps forward with a small frown, "Don't listen to old Gladys, she's wrong. You will make a fantastic mother."

She pats my back before hobbling away with her cane and I can't help but smile a little bit.

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I curl up around Stiles in our bed as he turns on a random movie before pulling me even closer, "I am so sorry, Angel. I know how much that hurt but Angel, it wasn't your fault."

I know he's telling me the miscarriage wasn't my fault and it causes me to melt into him because I know he's right. I did everything right when I found out I was pregnant but it doesn't stop the pain and what ifs.

Stiles must know what I'm thinking because he rubs my back and whispers, "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anybody's fault."

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The next day at school the pack surrounds us like it's their duty to protect us and the other students keep praising us like we stopped a demon from hell from burning the town down. True story, it was just last week that, that had happened.

At first it was comforting to have at least one member of the pack around me but now it's starting to get claustrophobic. I sigh as Scott slides in the chair beside me and officially squishes me between him and Isaac. I groan and glare down at my notebook before wiggling, "Okay, that's it."

Both boys look at me and I frown, "Look, I love you guys and I love that you're trying to make me feel better but I'm okay now. Yeah I know what she said was harsh but I'm over it. Does it still hurt? Yes, but I also know that she's wrong and was just saying something in the heat of the moment. I love you guys but I need some breathing room."

Isaac nods and scooches over slightly so he's not pressed right against me but Scott cocks his head to the side like the puppy he is and says, "But you're still sad. I can smell it."

I snort, "I miss Stiles, I haven't seen him in like two hours and Lily is pacing right now and acting like a mopey puppy."

His eyebrows furrow, "Lily?"

I muffle a laugh at the look on his face before answering him, "That's what Stiles and I decided to name the wolf. You guys say that I smell like lilies so we started calling her Lily."

Scott nods and finally moves so he isn't touching me, "Well, you only have like one more period before school is over and you can go find Stiles."

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I dart down the hall to Stiles' locker to see him putting his books away. I smile as Lily's tail starts wagging and she rolls over as the smell of our mate fills our senses. I blink back into the moment and the next thing I know I'm wrapped around Stiles.

"Woah! Someone's feeling cuddly."

I whine into his neck, "Missed you."

He presses a kiss to my temple and rubs my back, "I missed you too, Angel."

I nuzzle his neck before pulling back and pulling him into a kiss. He groans into the kiss and pulls me closer by the hips which causes me to wrap my arms around his neck. We get lost in the kiss before pulling apart as someone groans, "Really?! You couldn't wait until you got home?"

I turn to see a grumpy Scott who's holding Kira's hand. Kira elbows him with a soft smile, "Be nice, they haven't seen each other in a couple hours and we already know how hard that is for both of them."

I smile at Kira as Stiles turns back to his locker and Scott huffs, "Yeah, fine."

Kira shakes her head slightly before she looks at me, "Hey! How are you doing now?"

I shrug, "Meh, it doesn't really bother me anymore I've just been planning a wedding in my head, looking up houses for sale in the area, and figuring out where the hell Amelia and her pack are going to be staying, so I'm full of excited nervousness."

Kira doesn't get a chance to answer because Lydia, Allison, and Erica join our little group and Lydia raises an eyebrow, "Have you decided what you want for your bachelorette party yet? As maid of honor I need to know these things. Plus we need to decide when to get a dress fitting and what styles you want. Not to mention we need to find a venue and color scheme."

Stiles slams his locker shut before spinning around with a raised eyebrow, "Y/n/n, already decided on a few of those things."

I nod and shrug, "Yeah, Stiles and I found a venue we like and I decided on the colors a few weeks ago too."

Lydia smiles and loops her arm with mine, "Great! We need to hang out and plan the rest of the wedding."

I open my mouth before closing it again and looking at Stiles. He smiles and shakes his head, "Already told you Angel, you can do whatever you want. You don't need to have me there and I personally don't feel like sitting there and listen to you guys talk about dress styles and fabric choices."

I frown as Lydia nods with a bright smile, "Good, fantastic, what do you say we get together tonight and work on it."

I whine slightly at that which causes Lydia to look at me in concern, "What's wrong?"

I look at Stiles with sad eyes and Lydia hums, "Okay, got it. You need some Stiles time."

I nod and Lydia shrugs, "What about this weekend? We can do a sleepover on Friday and plan on Saturday, maybe a little on Friday night too."

Stiles is surprisingly the one to answer, "I think it's a good idea. We need to get used to being apart for long periods of time and the boys and I can have a boys night or something."

I sigh knowing he's right before nodding, "Yeah, he's right but no promises I won't be a buzzkill for a little while."

Lydia scoffs, "Please, Erica will be there and from what I hear she has some updates about her and Boyd. You'll be too occupied to be a buzzkill."

My eyes widen and I look up to see a blushing Erica who refuses to make eye contact. I look at Stiles and see that he's thinking the same thing as me, about fucking time.

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A/N- If everything goes to plan there is two (possibly three) parts before things get angsty and sad. I'll give a warning at the beginning of the sad one!

Tag List: @ah-blossom

#stiles stilinski #teen wolf #dylan o’brien #scott mccall #stiles stilinksi x reader #dylan o’brien x reader #stiles x reader #allison argent #lydia martin #erica reyes #isaac lahey #vernon boyd #kira yukimura #mischief and angel

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jonathan-samuel-smith · 7 months

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Do you plan to continue the dragon Jon and Bard Dami?

Why did something happen in Damian past to him only wants peace now ? I assume this because his family is knights and everyone is just allowing him to be a bard I can stop thinking that this boy has already seen too much on both sides

Did the girls tell the king about the bloodthirsty dragon?

Or will Damian's family find out?

I honestly really want to but I don't want to commit to it so I tried to leave it off at a good stopping place! I think the au is really fun and I'm thinking I might write more standalone stories in this continuity. I wanna recover from covid before starting or working on any long fics, just in case I get worse and die and leave everybody in suspense lol. I don't expect that to happen I just have anxiety disorder.

Those are very good questions! I think definitely something has to be done to free these dragons. And I want to catch up with Lois and Clark, are they human and dragon or both dragons? I haven't figured that out yet.

I want to give Damian a happier story where he actually gets to choose peace instead of participating in his father's intense war on crime. And in dragon age, bards are sort of assassins in addition to merrymakers, so I think he might be more classically trained than you'd expect. I don't think it's quite so bad as what he went through in canon, though.

I did have a thought, batman would think every character in dragon age is a bad person for killing lol. You can't just give people brain damage to get them out of the way, Bruce, that's still unethical. Not talking about Gotham wars but that also applies.

I think it would be really fun to go backwards in the timeline and show how Jon and Damian met and became friends and why Damian trusts him. I can do that as a one shot.

I want more Kathy and Maya, I want them to have their main character moment. So I want most of the actual plot of changing the world to be up to them. But Damian and Jon could still introduce them to helpful allies and provide support!

Oh imagine one day Kon just kidnaps Tim to add him to his horde and Damian's worried about his missing brother and Jon just mentions offhandedly that his brother just found his human who acts just like Damian's brother. And Damian goes "HE DID WHAT?" Jon does not see the problem, Damian is crying like "he's so stupid why do I have to keep explaining that kidnapping is bad". And Kon is like, a disaster himbo with an empty horde cause he was born yesterday and he brings Tim along to collect stuff and Tim's like "hold on a second. This is just a dumb ass mf guy. Regular dude. What??" And he reasons with him and gets to go home. But Kon tries to come with him like "sweet cave. Nice horde. I'm glad I picked you to be my human, this is sweet." Tim is like "??? Get out??? They'll kill you???" Kon is like "nah it's fine you can hide me I'll be quiet. Got any grub?"

#timkon #kontim #damijon #jondami #ask answered #anon ask #damian wayne #jonathan samuel kent #damian al ghul wayne #jon kent #super sons #supersons

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todayisyourturntolose · 5 months

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You're right... I do want to. I will take any thoughts you have on P4 or Brain Damaged Dude

YEEEEEESSSSS

ok so i have a good chunk of hcs for p4 but only abt a few for bd so you'll get just ☝🏽 one brain damaged dude hc

bd dude

-i like to think that even after the events of brain damaged, other dude is still sorta there. like, he's not as prevalent as a voice than, say, p3 in paradise lost, but he still pops up every now and then. he's moreso there just to tick bd off than actually convincing him to do something violent.

i've been thinking abt one lil scenario in particular, where bd loses something under like, and couch or something, so he has to bend down to get it. while doing this, he sorts subconsciously arches his back. other dude being the prick he is, is quick to make a dumb joke about it

"you've got a perfect arch goin' on here. you did it so effortlessly, too...almost like you've..done this before."

bd has to stop himself from just smacking himself in the back of the head

these two are essentially like that one vine that's like "the souls of the innocent!" "a bagel."

p4 dude

-pulls out one of those comically long scrolls. boy oh boy do i have a lot to say abt this old man

-despite his age, i like to think that he's still rlly agile. he still definitely has his "my back!" moments, but compared to other ppl his age, he's in fairly good shape

-this is gonna sound dumb, but i think he's besties with duke nukem. duke has probably retired from kicking alien ass by now, so he and dude just hang out regularly. they go on walks, they hang out at the park, hell, they'd probably crash some random party, if they felt like it

-they also probably kiss on the regular, but, y'know, that's neither here nor there

-he'd definitely be one of those dudes that only ever posts photos of their dogs. if he had an instagram acc, he'd post so many photos of champ

-this hc is in direct contrast to one of my hcs abt p1. while p1 has absolutely horrible food aversions, p4 will practically eat anything. you wouldn't have to pay him to do it, he'd eat something weird "just because he felt like it"

-he has a stereotypical "loud dad snore", which makes him a pain to sleep next to/in the same room as

-the pansexual ever. he could care less what you identify as, as long as he thinks you're cool, he's getting with you

-has a vast vinyl collection. he probably has one of those older vinyl players from when they were more mainstream

-has a habit of focusing too hard on things. he'll pick out something to do, and he'll stick to it. he could do an entire 500 piece puzzle in one sitting

-in contrast, he's also very hyperactive, and can rarely get himself to stay still. he's always doing something, no matter what time of the day it is

-has a very keen eye. he notices changes in the smallest things and will always point them out

-definitely gets hit on by the old women in the nearby retirement home. they see him walking by and start whistling and shi (he loves it)

-has a switchcomb on him at all times. he loves whipping it out and slicking his hair back, á la 50s greaser

-as much as i love describing him as a stinky old man, i think he actually smells pretty good :)

i do have more, but ive alr been typing this for like 30 mins, so that's all i'll put rn :D ty for asking!

#postal #postal dude #postal 4 #postal brain damaged

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bellybiologist · 6 months

Text

Don't Mind me. Reminiscing~

Really fucking enjoying the Super Mario RPG remake, and it's really making me think about to how influential it truly was.

I lived in Maryland and was 6 years old when I first played Super Mario RPG for the SNES. My parents rented it for me from fucking Blockbuster.

See, I didn't know how to read at the time, and my parents picked it up because they were like "hey, this is a Mario Game," recognizing it because both have played and are familiar with arcade stuff. My late mother LOVED tetris, atari games, galaga, etc and i remembered fondly when I was age ~3-4 where I played co-op Ms. Pacman with her on our Sega Genesis. And I spent those ages playing Sonic the Hedgehog games and the Gameboy Donkey Kong on this:

However, JRPGs werent really a thing anyone except my uncle played at the time. But yes, my unable-to-read ass played this game and didnt know what the fuck was going on. The game had an approx. 75% complete file on it already (People didnt always erase their files on rented games), and i just fucked around on that. Didnt know what i was doing, BUT Super Mario Rpg was a very easy game and baby trans-girl verzi was 10000% enamored with ANY game that allowed The Princess to be a playable, and BOWSER too???? holy shit!! UNprecedented. WHY WAS HE A GOOD GUY??? IDK who the fluffy guy is, but I fell in love with the Cool Blue Dude Too. He had lasers and made Cool Rainbow Beams Smash down from the sky.

But alas, we only kept it for a couple days, and my dad returned it. I had him re-rent it later, but!! it was a different copy!!! It had NO save files, so I was forced to do a new one.

Needless to say, I had a rough time. I had to guess which decisions were the right ones cuz Couldn't Read, so i got stuck in Toad's explanation loop for a while. and my inability to reliably get the action commands meant I kept getting killed by THIS fucker.

Alas, I never got past the first area, and baby verzi was MAD cuz i wanted to use the PRINCESS and throw BOMBS at people with her. So!!! Baby Verzi used this drive to learn how to fucking READ. She asked her parents to buy this game (and they did) and she learned her reading, finally learning how to PLAY THIS GAME. With newfound Literacy, I was able to figure who Mallow was, and learned that Geno was a Cool Star Dude possessing a Doll which was incredibly rad to me at the time. His intro scene is burned in my brain, and seeing it in 3d today was incredible. I've beaten this game so many times that I know exactly what's happening when and where.

It really set the bar for me when it came to JRPGs, since it was legit my first one. My 2nd ever JRPG, Breath of Fire also for the SNES, had me baffled cuz why COULDNT I do more damage if I timed my attacks??? wtf. (Love that series too. BoF4 was also another Formative Verzi Game).

This game meant/means a lot to me and I'm a sucker for any media that referenced it, or built off of the groundwork it set (like the paper mario and Mario&Luigi games, and hell, Sea of Stars!!! It has!!! SO MANY MARIO RPG REFERENCES). So I just wanted to ramble a bit as I dug up memories, as we old folks are won't to do.~

#verzi rambles

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idyat · 2 years

Text

AAHW Agent x AAHW Scientist Reader, Lucky

Summary: While working on a new project, a certain agent catches your attention.

Warnings: Human experimentation, the agent is described as short (doesn't mean you're tall if you were wondering)

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Last week, your boss had pitched an idea to you about enhancing the agents. It was kind of like the ATP units, except you just had to make some already strong dudes half insane so they could go feral on Hank Motherfucker Wimbleton while still knowing how to stay still.

Basically, steroids but permanent and less brain damaging.

So, you went to work. Unfortunately, your supply of test subjects was low, as most the agency's few cloning machines had short-circuited. Therefore you could only rely on either pure theory, or any agent that would be willing to be experimented on, which is not many.

"So how's Bulldog going?" You jumped and turned around at the Auditor's echo-y voice. He was very invested in your project, Bulldog being its title, for some reason.

"It's doing fine. Despite the shortage, we've made progress."

"That's good to hear. Make sure not to kill yourself on this. You're one of our only scientists."

And with that, he was gone as soon as it had appeared. You didn't know whether they meant that last sentence in an affectionate or annoyed way, but being enigmatic was common for your employer, so you could only go back to focusing on your work-

"Excuse me?"

You turned again to see this time an agent looking at you.

"Is this the place for the project Bulldog thing?"

"Yes, what do you need?"

"Well, I heard you needed volunteers for the experiments, so I thought, maybe I could...do that?"

They rubbed their neck as they said that. Jebus, finally someone actually signed up! But there was a problem.

You looked up and down at the agent. The thing was, the agents looking to get enhanced had to be relatively big. But this one...this one was definetly smaller than average. And that body wouldn't survive the process, especially at such a primal stage.

"Um...well...it's really kind of you to participate..." Dammit! Of course the only polite and cute person to actually want to be tested on had to be a twink! "But...the experiment is mostly done on...different types of shapes, you see?"

They sighed after that "Just say I'm short and weak. I already know it."

"No no no! I'm sure you're plenty strong!" Damn. Poor guy. Knowing some of the employees here aren't more mature than middle schoolers, they probably got picked on for their status. "Just...it's probably gonna be complicated if you're not stronger..."

Another dissapointed sigh "I'll just seek myself out then...Thank you Doctor..." They said as they turned around to leave.

"Wait! Wait." You couldn't just let them off like that. "You can still help if you want to. Are you good at math?"

They immediately turned back at that, eyes sparkling behind the sunglasses.

"Yes! Tell me what you need me to do!"

You smiled at the agents enthusiasm. "Follow me, I'll bring you to the computers. What's your agent number?"

"#777."

"Hm. The lucky number."

"Yep. Some coworkers call me Jackpot because of it! (At least the ones who actually respect me...)"

"I'll just call you Jackpot then. W-Well, if that's ok with you at least."

"Oh don't worry, I like it!"

And so, Jackpot and you started advancing on project Bulldog together, while also advancing on your friendship. Conversations that were originally just you explaining to your new assistant what they had to do soon became more and more casual. Over the weeks, both dropped the professionalism and just started talking about eachothers interest, whatever weather was left, and other topics that would be unimportant to anyone else.

Especially to the Auditor. He didn't mind more staff working on the experiments, but if said staff brought more chit-chat than actual results, she would get mad. And she did. But so far you weren't too worried about it. Because compared to execution on the spot or horrid torture, unpaid additional hours working in storage and garbage disposal was preschool work.

So, there you were. With Jackpot throwing away useless metal tinker for recycling (it was more so not to waste any precious ressources rather than protecting the planet; it's already dead anyway).

As your were carrying a box of tinier parts to the place they would be eventually melted in to create new parts, you heard your friend swear under their breath. You turned around to see them hunched over their own box, seemingly struggling with something.

"Are you alright Jackpot?" They jumped at your voice before turning their head around.

"Y-Yeah! Everything's fine! Just...fuckin'!"

They seemed a bit embarrassed to continue explaining, so you just walked up to them and realised they were struggling with their tie, which probably got messed up during your free labor.

"Oh, is that it?" Silence. "Here, let me help you."

They watched as you did so. Whether you actually succeeded or not, the attention was enough to make Jackpots face heat up considerably. You were probably blushing too.

"Uh...Th-Thank you Doctor..."

"You can call me by my name, you know?"

"Oh! R-Right! Sorry force of habit!"

"No need to apologize, it just means you're polite. And there! All done!" You backed away from the now fixed tie with a large grin on your face.

"Aw, thank you agai- Huh?" When Jackpot looked down to admire your work, they noticed something...new...and shiny...

A small, green clover shaped pin was attached to their outfit, contrasting with the oh so ordinary black and red of their uniform.

"I found it in the smaller junk. Thought it'd suit you, with the whole luck thing.

Because I sure as fuck was lucky to meet you..."

"Aww! Thank you so much! And green is my favorite colour too- wuh-wait what did you just say?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

You and Jackpot just smiled at eachother for a few seconds before returning to your work.

Yep, you were truly lucky to be "friends" with this ray of sunshine.

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Did I accidentally just make an oc? Yes. Yes I did. This fandom makes me love the AAHW way too much.

#madness combat x reader #madcom x reader #AAHW #aahw agent #AAHW x reader #AAHW agent x reader #Agency Against Hank Wimbleton

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moregraceful · 11 months

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1, 3, 5, 6?

I was like this will be easy if we narrow it by team but very difficult if we do it broadly...fuck around and find out 😩

Anyway for hockey:

which character do you relate to the most from your fandom?

GOD. I almost said Connor McDavid bc I too suffer the agonies but I am like, not nearly good enough at any one single thing to claim I'm like the next next one. YOU KNOW WHAT. maybe Cole Caufield, bc a) we're both short kings, b) I also get ripped up when my goals and life plans fall apart but I am Learning To Love The Journey, c) we love the homies and the homies love us, d) good size for huggin, e) my social circle is wide and affectionate enough that people get a bit 🧐 about interactions with my friends too, and f) the whole thing at the NTDP where him and Jack Hughes were BEST FRIENDS!! WHO SHARED EACH OTHER'S SUCCESSES!! LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE PRE-DRAFT PROFILE ON THEM MENTIONED THE OTHER!! AND THEN GETTING DRAFTED AND THE RELIEF ON COLE'S FACE WHEN MTL FINALLY PICKED HIM AND HOW EXCITED JACK WAS FOR HIM!! and now they're like the most underrated ship of the 2019 ntdp draft class and no one in fandom or the media ever thinks of them as a pair (except me, bc I have brain damage) but the love is still clearly there. anyway that whole situation of: childhood best friends who successes made each other what they are but the relevancy of that has faded overtime as they've grown up but there's still clearly a lot of love and affection...to drive this ask straight into a bridge, I recently found out one of my best friends in middle school died and I was thinking a lot abt how I hadn't spoken to him in over a decade (just due to like drifting apart, not a falling out or anything) but the fondness I feel for him is still so visceral....it's abt what we take with us as we grow. The love is still there, even as we fade out of each other's lives.

mainly we're both so fucking short. no way that dude is 5'7. no way

3. what is your favorite ship?

this is so hard bc as people get traded and the narrative evolves, my tastes change and I drop ships...anyway generally any Cale Makar ship makes me insane due to aforementioned brain damage (except natecale sorry to natecale nation but that's my one single notp) but rn I am sitting here so impatiently waiting for people to GET ON BOARD with Devon Toews/Cale Makar. Devon Toews is HANDSOME. AND CONFIDENT. AND HE WEARS PINK SUITS. you think he isn't blowing Cale Makar: most boring man on the planet's mind on the reg? You know how Cale never smiles anymore but sometimes he smiles around Devon??? my god. The photo of them at the Nuggies game looking like boyfriends?? kill me??? like I know the story of my fandom engagement is just me noodling from Cale Makar rarepair to Cale Makar rarepair but I stg Avs fans we GOTTA open our hearts to Devon Toews. GOTTA.

5. who is your favorite character (and maybe why?)

I love Cale Makar and Cale Makar hates me, because I keep writing weird rarepairs about him. My Avs fandom has kind of faded with time but every once in a while I see Cale Makar photo or gif or quote about how boring he is and there's a little kaiju in my head that rips a building off its foundations.

Also every Asian guy who has ever played the game and wasn't a douche bc they are my people and I must stan my people. Robo I love you. Kailer I love you. Nick Suzuki I love you, you monotone doofus. Matt Dumba? Make him commissioner. Paul Kariya I wish you ran DoPS and I also wish your husband would get off Twitter.

6. when you first think of the fandom, what image comes to mind?

This is SUCH an interesting question. like there's definitely vibes and memories and stories that come to mind immediately, but an IMAGE...maybe the fake worlds kiss photo from the inimitable @msmargaretmurry's fic The Next Next One which haunts me in my sleep. I have like real visceral memories of sitting in the Denver airport choking back tears when I got the final installment of that fic in my inbox, that is also an image. also this photo is the first photo I ever reblogged of hockey (I was a hater for SO long, sorry about the tags) and it still hits 8 years later. the joy on everyone's faces!! it's cute!!

Thank you for the ask my friend!!

#also the other 2 images for maddy and becs if you see this is: the soulmark behind connor's ear in the soulmate fic; gutterslut dylan #like...all things in my hockey fandom just come back to maddy and becs in the end honestly. formative influences on my psyche #i am sorry i have strayed so far from your light 😞#also sorry to everyone reading this for the absolute turn my answer took in that first answer. this post is mostly jokes but cw for death #me: haha cole caulfield because we are both short. also it's abt LOVE and GROWTH and LOSS #everyone reading this: [quietly unfollows]#cage replies #laughingthelaughiest #fresno oilers.txt #thank you ko...you always keep me on my toes....

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jones-friend · 9 months

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Gencon Thots

Now that I’ve mostly recovered from the Backstreet Boys Reunion Tour I wanted to post some thots I had regarding games I discovered at gencon!

So I used to collect pokemon cards. Im a longtime mtg player. When I heard Disney was asking Ravensburger to make a tcg I was curious. To do the equivalent of sticking my head around the corner I entered a Lorcana learn to play.

Good god was this game popping off at gencon. Every game was full and every morning the booth sold out. There’s a ton of speculative hype surrounding the game right now.

In Lorcana we are illumineers painting Characters with Ink who will generate Lore. The first player to generate 20 Lore wins. Characters have a power, health, and amount of lore they generate as stats with an Ink cost, whether or not the card can be played as Ink, and any abilities the card may have.

On your turn you may reveal a card with that gold swirl around the cost and play face down as Ink (lands). There is no colors, Ink is Ink, and a deck can contain no more than 2 colors of Ink at a time.

Characters cannot Exert (tap) the turn you play them, “the paint has to dry”. Once the paint dries you can Exert your Character. They can Exert to generate Lore equal to the pen pips on the right of the text box (Tinkerbell here makes 1 lore). You can also Exert a Character to Challenge an Exerted Character (you cannot Challenge an unExerted Character). Challenge is fighting, each Character deals damage equal to their power. Damage does not wear off, meaning you can’t unendingly use one beater to stomp thru your opponent’s deck.

There are also Songs. Songs are special Actions that can be played using our already played Characters. So timing my plays right I could play a Character with a cost of 5. On my next turn I could Exert them to play Let it Go for free, play an Ink, and play a 6 cost Character playing 11 Ink worth of stuff for 6. Its a really neat idea.

I feel Lorcana has a lot of good ideas and takes away a lot of what feels bad about mtg. In doing so I think it also takes away some of what people like.

The ink system is great. Manascrew isnt really a thing in this game. That your cards (and not all of them) can be played as Ink or for its cost is fascinating. I bounced my opponent’s smaller Character and he played it as Ink to play his larger cost Character. You end up making more decisions about who to use as Ink and who to play, and it opens up deckbuilding to more fun options.

Not being able to touch your opponent’s stuff (for the most part) is also a polarizing thing. I like that I know I can use my dudes before they get picked. Some people might hate that they have to wait.

I like that its a race to generate Lore rather than having another slugfest. It makes the game feel unique and Lore generation as a stat adds more dimension to what cards can do.

One of the biggest, most polarizing points of the game for players will be that there are no Instants. There is no play-response system in this game. The only time you interact with your opponent’s turn is if they trigger your ability during their turn. Otherwise you do not interact with your opponent’s turn.

I did not enjoy the starter decks. I steamrolled my opponent every game. My buddy got steamrolled every game. Thats 4 decks with 4 games and 2 were clearly stronger than the other 2. I don’t feel the starter decks did a good job balancing the different colors and showcasing what they do. My opponent had gray and yellow, idk what they do bc I dunked on every dude he tossed out. Then what I played he couldn’t touch. It was a hot mess and I think they did a poor job constructing entry level lists meant to be played against each other in a paid event.

Otherwise I felt the game was fine enough. Unique enough not to just be a mtg clone, has some mechanics that make my brain go brrr, but I feel its a tcg with bumpers on it. Its very safe in the experience it delivers and bc of this you can often forecast the next 2-3 turns and you can tell you’ve lost and just have to wait for the loss to take place. Its not a game I’m interested in buying myself but if my bud wanted to go to an event or play with decks they made I’d def be down as a friend activity.

#Lorcana

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travelling-on-the-octopath · 2 years

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any headcanons / favorite things / silly ideas you have about dimivain? 👀👀 either romantic or platonic or everything in between, it's just always a delight to find a fellow connoisseur who loves these two trucks

[I'm gonna cite some cute little dialogues between them from Three Hopes, so tread gently if you're trying to go into the game absolutely blind.]

Okay these two make me deranged. Like as individuals they fucking rot my brain. Self-destruction in different genres; unwavering loyalty that's bone-deep; a view of themselves that's so damaged that there's no choice but to follow through on behaviours they think suit the worst they have to offer--and then they get SLAPPED TOGETHER and HOO BOY do they hurt!! Oh god the lads!! The dudes!! Agony!

I very much like to read romances that are devoted in nature. They're smitten, they're gone on each other, wrapped around each other like a braid of distinct colours; still their own entities, but woven together in a way that lets them both shine. These two? Oh boy. It's them. It's the dudes.

Because like. Hear me out here. Sylvain flat-out loves Dimitri. I take no criticism on this because there has always been evidence to that effect. And what's great about them is that it's just. Sort of always there? It's quiet but it's always there, showing in little ways the great way they care for each other. So allow me to compile a list of all my favourite dimivain moments.

Spoiler. It's all of them.

Dimitri before the Lions fuck off to tell Miklan to get good: "House Gautier is Sylvain's home. It would be nice of you to check on him as well."

Sylvain while everyone is trying to parse out Dimitri's breakdown: "I knew he'd been carrying the burden of that tragedy. I understand his thirst for revenge. His family and closest friends...all massacred right in front of him."

Dimitri feeling safe comfortable enough to say, "Will you never let that rest?! It was many years ago! Perhaps a good knock on the head will help you to finally forget about it..." and not have it be an outright threat/ruin the mood with Sylvain.

Sylvain being the one of Dimitri's only friends to use his name regularly (interchanged with "Your Highness")

And it's so goofy but like the fact that their dynamic shows in part in their support when Sylvain is all "Relax, Your Highness. Relax. I'll sort this whole thing out, real easy. [...] You just wait right there, and I'll fix everything."

and the VINDICATION i feel whenever I think about their Three Hopes interactions. Oh god. Spoilers are in tiny text

Sylvain, post-chores: "See, even I can be useful sometimes! I probably could've gotten away with doing less, actually ;)." Dimitri, post-chores: "I've never once doubted your utility, Sylvain :( Do not be so quick to belittle yourself."

Sylvain, in-battle: "That's our king! ;) Wherever you go, we'll be right there with you." (THIS ONE . . . HOO BOY IT FUCKED ME UP. I had to pause the battle and set down my damn controller.)

Also the sheer difference of Dimitri's Sylvain introductions between Hopes and Houses gljdflkgj like "He's a good person, even if he's a bit of a whore" and "he's a slut, and he's smarter than all of us combined. i would know" is just such a wild range for talking about someone for the first time that I'm forced to confront how well Dimitri really does know Sylvain.

Sylvain reminding Dimitri to stay calm when they march on Enbarr <//3

The AGONY of "Striking down the Empire is my offering to His Highness."

Everything about the Tailtean Plains to be honest. Like getting to Dimitri inherently means going through Sylvain first. Sylvain is a Gautier, at the end of the day, and he does it well; the crown doesn't walk into hell without a Gautier watching their back, picking off the threats that aren't close enough to be an immediate danger.

And, of course, my favourite: "I don't feel like I can just forget all the awful stuff he's done...But if His Highness is owning up to his past, and trying to move forward...I figure I can give him that chance. We've been friends since we were kids. I'm gonna be there for him all the way to the end." (i teared up reading through this on the datamine. they're fucking insane. i love them.)

I mentioned this in the tags of my recent post, but the dynamic between House Gautier and House Blaiddyd is an untapped gold mine, at LEAST as far back as Lambert (though that may be expanded upon with Three Hopes, if word on the street is to be believed). Gautier's responsibility is to protect and defend; Blaiddyd's duty is to bear a crown worth protecting. They're so tightly woven that it makes me dizzy. Sylvain, for all intents and purposes, is a defender. He's cited to have come in in clutch and saved his friends over and over again, and that combined with his complex relationship with his destiny as margrave/his destiny that's only as awful as he lets it be lends itself to a man that fights for one thing and one thing only: what he loves.

What's also wild is that like. Plonk them into any AU and it simply works. Tortured souls in the form of overly empathetic gentleman and self-deprecating clever manwhore is just so universal. Organized crime is a personal favourite of mine; I'm also partial to a sugar daddy AU. Absolute TRAVESTY that there seems to be only one fic per each of those AUs for these two. I will be rectifying this personally. Like they're so elegant in their own ways but they're so STUPID that I want to see them love the worst and best in each other.

These two have such intimate understandings of each other that jealousy is just. not a factor at all. Sylvain will make some dumb flirtatious comment and Dimitri will just wait patiently for a tender cheek kiss he knows is coming. An apology, an I love you, a thank you for not turning away at the hard-to-break habits. Sylvain reads books whenever Dimitri wakes them both with a particularly bad nightmare. Sometimes he'll read them aloud; others he'll be utterly silent so Dimitri can focus on things like their breathing and the wind.

It's less that they're little and big spoon and more . . . interwoven forks. There's never a night where they don't want to both hold and be held, so limbs are all over the place and faces are buried into whatever warmth they're closes to, but it's so good. It's so them.

Dimitri calls Sylvain beautiful--thanks him for trusting such careless hands with a heart so tender. Sings his praises and kisses him softly and fumbles the cheesy romantic stuff, but it's so much sweeter for it. Sylvain cries sometimes, but it's a good cry.

Sylvain does not leave Dimitri's side, even when his psychosis eats up the better part of his week, or the stress of trying to negotiate peace wears him down. Dimitri will try to bury himself into Sylvain's very soul, because that's always where he'll feel safest. Sometimes that manifests in sexual intimacy; sometimes it's just Dimitri pressing them together, head to toe. Their similar heights and builds are good for it.

Dimitri wears an eyepatch whose stitching is Gautier-teal. Sylvain accepts a gift from the blacksmiths specially employed by House Blaiddyd to craft weapons to withstand their strength; a promise that everything in Dimitri's power will be used to protect Sylvain as Sylvain's protected him. It's peacetime now, but a child of Faerghus knows a weapon better than most know the pen. It's a lovely gift regardless, and a little better than a dagger with the rising sun.

Byleth marries them, and the ceremony is limited to the Lions and whichever of the Academy's students/staff are free. Sylvain cracks jokes the whole way through, even when they both start crying, and Dimitri is so annoyed and so in love and when they tie together little ribbons of their regions' colours, cutting the newly woven rope in two to tie around their wrists, he whispers a quiet vow only for Sylvain's lips, his heart.

Once it becomes public knowledge that the Saviour King and his margrave are more than allies and friends, they decide to adopt a pair of siblings who were orphaned by the war. Neither really thinks themself incapable of being a good father, but they both have a fair deal of hangups over it. Sylvain knows he has to usher in peace, but teach their children when it's right to refuse to budge. Dimitri imparts to them the knowledge of both bodily and mental strength, all without forfeiting their heart.

Anyway. It's 4AM. I've been thinking about them for three hours. I'll probably wake up with more thoughts of them but this is all the dimivain word vomit I can manage in one go. Thank you so much for the ask though! I love thinking about them in any capacity.

#gangsters!dimivain . . . .#gangsters!LIONS actually . . .#Sylvain's so well-suited to it to #making any threats to the boss cower #mm yes delicious #fe #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem warriors: three hopes spoilers #fewth spoilers #dimivain #sylvain jose gautier #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #s responds #fe3h (the remix)#nugylienshyd

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