#Time nerds

[catwouthats]

Lokius this

Sylki that

Look at the way these two look at each other.

They are all that matters.

[mimisempai]

The ship I didn’t know I needed in my life. 🥺 Look at these sweet nerds. The sunshine faces.

[the-bread-is-dead]

things i liked about ep 4

loki defending mobius (plus everyone else but mostly mobius)

casey repeating the ends of o.b’s sentences and vaguely gesturing as he helps explain everything.

the fact that victor timely was inspired by o.b and o.b was inspired by him.

ms minutes basically dieing (especially after that a.i x human romance thing last episode)

victor timely and the hot cocoa machine

that loki was the one who pruned himself back in ep 1

[evilphrog]

So, are we all shipping OB/Casey now, or what?

[fangirling-and-lovin-it]

As sad as I am about Loki and Mobius, I'm just disappointed we didn't get to see my boys Casey and OB smile at each other one more time

Like how could they deprive us of this

[sparrow-the-tired-lesbian]

No heteroromantic explanation for the way Casey looks at OB

[toastedwendigo]

Haven't done them in a while so...

TIME NERDS NATION RISE--

[ouroboros-or-ob]

Hey OB! How are you and Casey? I'm curious, I haven't heard from you two in a while.

We’re really good!!! He’s trying to get me to sleep and eat more, which I suppose is nice. He’s got a big heart.

[paintedcrows]

Did anyone tell Ford (bonus doodles: Family Movie Night, 70s Classics)

[stealingpotatoes]

well that odysseus guy never had to deal with a self checkout so if anything my grocery odyssey is actually worse than whatever he was doing

[marlynnofmany]

In the interest of not derailing this already-long-and-awesome thread, here are some more details! (Paging @sparrows-corner and any other interested parties.)

So in my first semester of college, I took an Intro to Psychology class. I didn't expect anything special; it was just one of those general education courses that everybody was supposed to take at some point. But it turned out amazing.

What the general public didn't know at that point was someone in the college administration had screwed up and forgotten to assign a teacher to this class. Until a week before class. When several students emailed to ask why that detail was missing in the online listing.

The administration panicked, scrambled for someone-anyone-omg-who-can-drop-everything-and-teach-this-class. They called recently-graduated owners of Masters Degrees in teaching.

They found Sandy.

She was qualified and available, and much older than the average recent grad, with the confidence to go with it. This was still a daunting task, though, and she agreed on one condition: that she team-teach the class with a friend of hers who was still working on finishing his degree.

Having no other choice and seeing no real problem with this, the administration agreed. And thus was born the most glorious educational comedy act in my entire academic career. The two of them were a delight. They knew all the stuff they needed to teach, and they knew a great deal more, and they delivered lectures in a way that had everyone paying eager attention. It was great.

This friend, by the way, was awesome in his own right. While Sandy was a curly-haired white lady around middle age, Wayne was a black guy who (1) dressed in impeccable suits and (2) had cerebral palsy.

I think a lot of 18-year-old minds were quietly enlightened about a few things just from watching these two banter back and forth, one with joints more wobbly than the other. Wayne told a memorable anecdote at one point about stopping by a grocery store in sweat pants instead of his usual classy wear. The cashier asked some gentle question about what he spent his time on, assuming that he had some sort of carer following him around. The expression on her face when he told her that he taught college was one I'll never forget, and I didn't even see it.

Anyways, at the end of this semester, the two teachers asked a few of us smart kids if we wanted to be TAs (teaching assistants) for the next semester. Since most of us had already become friends during the make-a-group-and-discuss-things portions of the class, this sounded like a party that would look good on our records later. And it really was.

I TA'd for that class a few times in a row, with my buddies and the two very cool teachers. We met up outside of class for holiday parties and everything.

And, since this was during the time the Lord of the Rings trilogy was first coming out in theaters, we all dressed up in costume and went to an early screening together.

Wayne drove. His handicap placard meant we got to park at the front, which was pretty awesome.

Now, I'd met people before who knew more LotR lore than I did, but they all paled in comparison to Sandy. As I said in the notes on that other post, she shared some stories of her youth with us. When she was fourteen, she ran away to join a hippie commune. She already knew fluent elvish, and she used that to help the commune's drug-runners stay out of the clutches of the cops, by translating their drug notes into a language the cops couldn't read. With a start like that, it was unsurprising that she still knew elvish now, along with all sorts of fascinating deep lore.

She had a limited edition book that looked shockingly expensive. She made beeswax candles for all the TAs as holiday gifts, with our names written on them in elvish. I still have mine somewhere.

I haven't heard from any of these lovely people in a long time, since college moves on and so does life, but I will treasure those memories forever. I hope Sandy and Wayne and the others are doing well. They deserve the best.

[catwouthats]

Bad news: I didn’t get an ounce of sleep

Good news: I have provided

[mimisempai]

Stepping into the unknown

Summary

O.B. doesn't understand.

Since the events with the Loom and Loki, while the new TVA is slowly being built, Casey comes to visit him every day. 

He doesn't understand why. 

Even more, he doesn't understand why he looks forward to these visits now.

Notes

They'll get there...at their own pace.

On Ao3

Rating G - 1872 words

"Hello O.B.!"

Although his back was to the person who had just entered, O.B. couldn't help but smile when he heard the voice with its now familiar inflections.

He turned and replied, also smiling, "Hi, Casey."

The analyst was holding a cup of coffee, which he placed on the counter in front of O.B..

He asked, "So? Any progress?"

 O.B. shook his head and replied, "No, I'm just gathering data, and since we don't have Victor anymore, it's going to take a little longer. I'd like to go faster for Loki, but..."

Casey interrupted and pushed the mug towards him, "There's no point in rushing yourself, unlike before, we're not under time pressure anymore."

OB nodded and replied, "You're right," then took a sip of coffee, humming with contentment.

Casey gave a slight self-deprecating laugh before saying, "I may not be a scientist, but sometimes I'm capable of saying smart things."

OB was about to retort, but Casey had continued, "If you need any further information, let me know, I'd be happy to help. Anyway, I'm gonna get back to work before B15 comes looking for me. See ya!"

Just like that, he left without O.B. having a chance to say anything. The scientist had a little trouble understanding the analyst's reasons for coming here so often. 

He'd bring him coffee or a sandwich or something, and sometimes he'd even manage to get him to share a meal in the TVA cafeteria.  

O.B., who rarely received visits before Loki's arrival at the TVA, received them every day now and wasn't sure what to make of it.

What's more, O.B. had come to expect this impromptu visit almost every day.

Casey really was an entertaining person, with a cheerful, enthusiastic disposition, and O.B. was always pleasantly surprised by the way the other man was so enthusiastic when they discussed science and the like. When Casey had told him that he was a bank robber who had ended up on Alcatraz in his timeline, O.B. had thought he was joking, because it really wasn't the past he had imagined after getting to know Casey. 

But it was the truth. However, O.B. couldn't care less of his past, because the Casey that mattered was the one he was today. 

The one O.B. knew.

What O.B. didn't understand was why Casey came to see him. 

Most of the time, O.B. was busy researching and fixing thing for the TVA.  He was far from an entertaining guest, but the analyst kept coming back. 

Always thoughtful and kind.

Always the same smile.

Casey could see whoever he wanted up there, all kinds of people who were probably more fun than O.B. was. Especially since fraternization was no longer forbidden.

So why?

Why seek O.B.'s companionship?

A capsule containing a device to be repaired arrived through the communication tube and prevented him from thinking about it any further.

And if his eyes wandered to the door several times in the afternoon whenever he heard footsteps, he preferred to ignore the reason and immerse himself in his work instead.

In the end, he was so focused that he was taken aback a few hours later when Casey walked into the shop and asked, "Would you like to get something to eat in the cafeteria?"

O.B., a little annoyed at having been startled, couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth, "Why are you here?"

Casey looked at him in confusion and replied, still smiling, "I just told you, to have dinner in the cafeteria."

The scientist shook his head and replied, "No, I mean why do you come here every day to visit me?"

For the first time, O.B. saw Casey lose his smile as he replied, "You're the one who suggested I come here to talk about what I learned in your guidebook, and even though it's a new one now, I thought I might as well."

Oh, right, it was just from a scientific point of view.

O.B. ignored the disappointment at the idea that Casey wasn't coming for him, just for "science as Casey continued, "And also because I like you. Very much."

"What?"

Casey repeated, "I like you."

"Oh..."

That was all O.B. could think to say, so unprepared was he for this genuine response. He couldn't ignore the warmth that washed over him in reaction.

And this, this was completely uncharted territory for O.B.

He liked Casey a lot. 

Even more, if he was honest with himself. 

He was the first person to visit him without expecting anything in return. 

For centuries, O.B. hadn't really bonded with others. Or rather, he'd gotten used to people coming in sporadically, always asking him for something or giving him something to fix, and usually forgetting him when they came back years later.

So the new opportunity to create a lasting bond was something unfathomable. 

But he also couldn't ignore the fact that it was something he longed for.

So what was he waiting for?

Casey's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"I understand..."

The analyst had lost his smile now and O.B. had no time to react as Casey continued, "I'm far from having your or Victor's intelligence, I'm just a clerk, an office worker who happened to be in the right place at the right time. And I guess it's not very reassuring to know that you know someone who was a bank robber in another life. Sorry, O.B., I won't bother you again."

O.B. didn't even have time to say a word before Casey had turned his back on him and was striding out of his workshop, bumping into Hunter B-15 who had just arrived.

She turned to look at Casey who continued to walk away, then at O.B., raising an eyebrow, "What's wrong with him? I've never seen him look like that before."

O.B. sighed and replied, "I'm afraid it's my fault.

B15 looked surprised and asked, "You? But you're one of the nicest people I know, and Casey's one of the most patient, how is that possible?"

O.B. sheepishly replied, "I think he took my silence for a refusal."

Hunter B15's look went from surprised to confused as she replied, "I don't understand, O.B."

O.B. more or less told her what had led to this situation, and Hunter B15 found it hard to hold back a small smile. Between Mobius and Loki, and now O.B. and Casey... well, at least for these two the happy ending would come sooner than for Loki and Mobius.

She couldn't stop her heart from clenching at the thought of her two absent friends, then she pulled herself together and replied softly to O.B., "The thing that works best is honesty. Go and talk to him. I'm sure your misunderstanding will clear up quickly."

"Oh...okay, if you say so... I... I'll go right now."

O.B. untied his apron, brushed some invisible dust from his clothes, and set off at a hurried pace under B15's amused gaze.

O.B. realized that he had left his workshop without a clue as to where Casey might be.

"Would you like to get something to eat in the cafeteria?"

He felt it in his bones; he was sure he'd find him there.

When he walked through the cafeteria door, he saw him alone at a table, always the same table by the bay window.

For the first time, he wondered if Casey was as alone as he was. Then he called himself an idiot.

"I like you. A lot."

They were all the same here.

All finding their footing in this new TVA.

All redefining themselves.

All learning to bond.

What was true for O.B. was also true for Casey.

Casey looked out the window and hadn't seen him. 

O.B. approached slowly in the almost deserted cafeteria at this hour, then pulled the chair in front of the other man and said quietly, "You didn't even give me time to give you my answer."

Casey turned his head sharply in surprise, then replied flatly, "I didn't have to. I told you I understood."

O.B. shook his head gently and replied, "How could you possibly understand something I just realized?"

Casey looked at him in confusion, his hand nervously tapping on the table next to his plate. O.B. gently placed his hand on it to calm him and, looking him in the eye, said gently, "To answer your question, yes, I'll have dinner with you here."

Then he added, "I like you, too, Casey. Very much. I've come to appreciate the time we spend together. Your company is more than pleasant. But it wasn't until today that I realized how much I enjoyed and even looked forward to your daily visit. You must understand that it's absolutely new for me to form this kind of bond. I may have been married in my life before the TVA, but I don't remember it. All I know is my workshop. For centuries. So I have no idea how to do it."

Casey nodded slowly and replied, "Just like I only know this place and my desk."

O.B. continued, "I've never thought about whether you're smarter or less smart than me. As far as I'm concerned, you're smarter than most of the people who come to see me at the TVA, and most importantly, you're passionate about what I do, so that changes everything. And even if you were "just" an office worker, as you say, that doesn't matter to me, it's you as a person that I appreciate, not your job. Your cheerfulness, your enthusiasm, your kindness are just a few of the qualities I enjoy about you, Casey. And as for your past as a robber, that's what it is, your past, we all have one and now we have this life. It made us who we are today, didn't it?"

Casey nodded.

O.B. tightened his hand around Casey's and then added softly and firmly, "I really like you a lot, Casey."

Just then he saw it.

Finally back.

Casey's smile.

He added, smiling too, "I don't want to see you lose your smile because of me."

Casey replied quietly, "I haven't been around as long as you, or maybe my memory's been wiped, who knows. But I'm on the same page as you, you know. I have no idea how to do... this."

O.B. smiled and said a little shyly, "Then maybe we can learn together?"

Casey's smile widened, if that was possible, as he replied, "I'd like that."

He returned his hand under O.B.'s and their fingers intertwined as they continued to smile softly at each other.

Lost in each other's gaze, they didn't see another smile, that of Hunter B-15, who, after one last look at them, left the cafeteria unnoticed.

It was time, she thought, for happiness to settle within the walls of TVA, and if it started with O.B. and Casey, two of her friends, it was even better.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story 🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

[markscherz]

Meet the seven new frog species we just named after iconic Star Trek captains!

Artwork by A. Petzold, CC BY-ND 4.0

At the right time of year along rushing streams in the humid rainforests that stretch the length of Madagascar's eastern and northern mountain ridges, otherworldly trills of piercing whistles can be heard.

Are they birds? Insects? Communicator beeps? Tricorder noises?

No, they're little treefrogs!

Boophis janewayae. Photo by M. Vences, CC BY-SA 4.0

Until recently, we thought all of the populations of these little brown frogs across the island were one widespread species, Boophis marojezensis, described in 1994. But genetics in the early 2000s and 2010s showed that there were several species here, not just one.

Now my colleagues and I have shown that they are in fact eight separate species, each with unique calls!

These whistling sounds reminded us so much of Star Trek sound effects that we decided to name the seven new species after Star Trek captains: Boophis kirki, B. picardi, B. janewayae, B. siskoi, B. pikei, B. archeri, and B. burnhamae.

Photos of all new species described by Vences et al. 2024. CC BY-SA 4.0

I subtly and not-so-subtly built some Star Trek references into the paper, but probably the best one is this one:

'Finding these frogs sometimes requires considerable trekking; pursuing strange new calls, to seek out new frogs in new forests; boldly going where no herpetologist has gone before.'

— Vences et al. 2024

There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that there are at least two Trekkies amongst the authors (including yours truly). As fans of Star Trek, we are also just pleased to dedicate these new species to the characters who have inspired and entertained us over the decades.

On a personal note, this marks a milestone for me, as it means I have now described over 100 frog species! I am very pleased that the 100th is Captain Janeway's Bright-eyed Frog, Boophis janewayae (if you count them in order of appearance in the paper)—she is probably my favourite captain, and I really love Star Trek: Voyager.

You can read more about the discovery of these new species on my website! You can also read the Open Access paper published in Vertebrate Zoology here.

[gravitycoill]

lil comic i’ve had in my head for a bit

[fangirling-and-lovin-it]

I love them, my little Timey Wimey Dudes 🧡⏳⏲️