#early math and brain development

[genuflectx]

Maaan I love the optimistic advice "keep practicing and you'll get better at art" as much as the next artist, but it always rubs me the wrong way when that evolves into "just keep practicing and you WILL 100% succeed and CAN get into the industry."

It changes from good general advice to implying you're just doing something wrong if still haven't "made it" yet. Not in the industry? Well, you just haven't worked hard enough, obviously, as if there aren't plenty of other factors that play into "succeeding” in a highly competitive industry like art.

Don’t let advice that’s supposed to be encouraging turn into something discouraging 😭

[astronomalyy]

Thinking about the lifespans of Dungeon Meshi elves... The fact that they're completely unnatural alters my brain chemistry, because you can tell just how haphazardly the demon implemented their wish. They live five times the length of tall-men, so they age at a fifth of their rate. It's simple maths and the implications are terrifying. No wonder their birth rate and population are declining - their early development is so slow that at the age of two, they're still unable to stand.

They don't reach adulthood until their eighties. What does the infant mortality look like? How many elves succumb to illness or injury before they're fully mature? It only takes one accident to lose the child you've been raising for decades - and could you bring yourself to care for another? Add to that the implication elf culture has no idea how to process grief... just look at the way the Canaries treat Rin after the death of her parents. They're callous and insensitive and detached - part of that's racism, but there's also an element of pure cold ignorance. They don't even recognise the emotion on her face.

And that's just scratching the surface... does elven memory accommodate their extended lifespan? Once you reach two hundred or so, do the years start blurring together? Kabru mentions that their temporal awareness is remarkably poor.

Two years feel like a few months. Their lives are longer but not fuller. They're older but not wiser than the short-lived races, and most refuse to understand this. Those that do grasp it are interesting - namely Otta, who's ostracised for pursuing half-foot women.

A 30-year old elf is a young child; a 30-year old half-foot has entered middle age. Otta is in the equivalent of her late twenties. She knows that her elven lifespan makes her no more mature than a half-foot - but she also acknowledges that it creates a rift between herself and her partners, and not just in the eyes of society. 'She dumps them as soon as they pass 30', but probably not for the reasons Lycion assumes. For this to be a pattern, decades must have passed - it's possible Otta doesn't want to watch them die as she herself barely ages. No doubt some of her previous lovers have already passed away. In the end, all living 400 years accomplishes is leaving them out of sync with the rest of humanity.

Marcille's perhaps the best example. As a half-elf, she's got 95% of her life ahead and the thought terrifies her. She's going to lose everyone she loves, over and over and over again, and this cycle has barely even started. She runs at a different pace. This context adds so much to her dynamic with Falin in earlier chapters.

Marcille loves her! She's scared for her! Maybe even of her! She's grown attached to a short-lived girl who she met as a kid when Marcille was a teaching assistant! Biologically and developmentally, they're the same age, but chronologically she's twice as old as Falin! Considering what happened to her mother, is history repeating itself? Her feelings towards Falin are tangled and messy and fascinating. They're also more than a little homoerotic, which makes Marcille's infantilization of her friend all the more interesting. It feels like her way of resolving their power imbalance, of remaining a responsible (former!) authority figure... but it's also a coping mechanism. She's frightened by the ways Falin is maturing and changing - aging - and keeping her mental image of her friend as young as possible is her way of denying the march of time that's destined to sever their bond.

Marcille's dream of lifespan extension would remove the need for this obfuscation, render them equal... only, they already are! This desire is imposed onto Falin, but it's primarily for Marcille's benefit. Watching her fight for a world nobody wants, for reasons both selfish and altruistic... it's as tragic as it is understandable. I love this manga.

[little2nerdy]

saw this post by @moonsnqil and had to write something, disclaimer:  i wrote this while sitting through a sexology lecture so take the quality with a grain of salt.

----

Neil was exhausted. 

He had been tired before. On the run with his mother, during his 16-hour days at Evermore, when he was recovering from his stint in Baltimore, after a game, during finals season. Being tired wasn’t new. But this was different.

The exhaustion. The heaviness in his limbs and the fog in his brain. For someone who had the requirement of constant awareness beat into him, he had been increasingly unable to keep himself tuned into what was going on, and the motivation to care about his surroundings was lacking. 

After months of throwing himself into practices, developing new drills with Kevin at night practices, co-captain responsibilities, runs every morning, and socializing with the upperclassmen, he was becoming keenly aware of how tired even the little things were making him. He was slowing down.

His usually easy homework took days instead of hours, he was bumping into people in hallways, leaving movie nights with the team to go to bed early, the walks from the math building to Fox Tower took ten minutes longer than they ever had.

At first he thought he was getting sick. He’d gone to Abby and told her she'd listened to him list his symptoms, her lips turning down in the corners, as she looked at him with not unfamiliar concern for his well-being. But she’d taken his temperature and asked him the standard questions and sent him to the student health center for a round of uncomfortable swabs to test for common campus plagues. But he was fine, medically, so he kept going. For a while, at least.

Except those little things turned into bigger things. He was missing drills and tripping over his own feet at practice, he was sleeping through his alarms, nodding off in crowded classrooms, not having the energy for runs in the morning, wishing they didn't have a game on a Friday night. Which turned into skipping his morning class. Skipping lift. Then skipping his afternoon classes. Skipping practice. And night practice.

The fatigue was consuming, eating him from the inside out, scooping out everything he’d ever known and filling it with concrete, weighing down his limbs, locking words and actions out of his reach. And for the first time in his life, he didn’t know how to get through to tomorrow. There was nothing to run from or run to, there was only him right now and cavernous freedom that he stood at the edge of, and fleetingly he thought that was the most frightening thing he had ever faced. 

----

Andrew had seen it coming. He saw the shift in Neil after the deal with the Moriayama’s had been made. Neil had been on the run his entire life. He’d been expecting to die. To have the possibility of a long, relatively safe, life laid out in front of him was something he’d never even contemplated. He had watched as Neil threw himself into anything and everything after the season ended.

He noticed the multiple runs a day, the calls with Dan about how they wanted to do things in the fall, the increase in obnoxious drill development talks between him and Kevin. He saw the effort he put in with the new recruits and the too much thought he put into his schedule. But he also saw the bags under Neil’s blue eyes, the napping without meaning to, the lack of quick reactions and spatial awareness on the court. 

“It's not uncommon,” Bee had said after he’d inadvertently spent the first fifteen minutes of his session giving her the lowdown on Neil’s declining state and his…concern… that a crash was imminent when she’d asked how the week had been. “Neil has been in a constant state of stress his entire life. But he was permitted to make a life for himself here among your team and as Neil Josten the person, not just a throwaway identity. His body can sense that shift. It’s trying to play catch up for years of trauma that he’s never had the time or space to deal with. Both mentally and physically.”

So when Neil didn’t move from bed Monday morning when his alarm went off, Andrew knew it was all coming to a head. He watched from his spot in the window as Neil lay in his bunk, unmoving, quiet except for hitching breaths that interrupted the shallow expansion of his lungs every few minutes. He watched as an hour passed. And then two. He stood to pull a hoodie and Neil’s favorite annoyingly orange sweats from their dresser, stacking them on the counter in the bathroom before he made his way to stand at the edge of Neil’s bed. 

“Neil.” He got no response except for a slight stilling of the sheets as Neil’s breath settled. “Get up. Go to the bathroom.” He watched as Neil very slowly rolled over, eyes squinted against the brightness of the window but made no further move to get up. Blue eyes tracked Andrew as he squatted so they were eye level. He reached a hand out and hovered it over Neil’s unruly curls. A scared hand appeared from under the blanket and brought Andrew’s fingers to his hair.

A few minutes of just breathing passed between them, Andrew’s fingers slowly untangling the rat’s nest that had formed on Neil’s head. “Neil.” He tugged at the strands in his fingers. Neil took a deep breath and pushed himself to sitting. Andrew held out both his hands and Neil took them so he could be pulled up. They stood mirroring each other, Neil leaning against the frame of the bunks, fatigue blanketing his frame.

“Go to the bathroom. Take a shower.” Neil nodded, moving towards the bathroom. As soon as the door closed and the shower turned on, Andrew stripped the bed and remade it. He went to the kitchen, he grabbed one of the stupid protein bars that Kevin had gotten Neil hooked on and filled Neil’s water bottle. He sat at the edge of the bed, waiting.

When Neil reappeared he somehow looked even more exhausted than he had before. Eyes empty of their usual spark, wet curls dampening the hood he’d pulled up like a protective barrier. Andrew pushed the opened bar into his hands and watched as Neil mechanically chewed his way through it, reaching for his water bottle when he was done.

Satisfied with the modicum of care he’d been allowed to push on Neil, he let him curl up under the sheets once more. Neil grabbed Andrew’s sleeve as he went to move away and tugged lightly. His eyes, on the verge of closing, flicked to the end of the bed.

Andrew nodded and Neil released his sleeve, letting Andrew slide onto the foot of the bed after grabbing his book, settling a hand on Neil’s ankle through the plush blanket Matt had gifted him. He watched as Neil’s breathing settled once more and he fell back into a stillness that Andrew had never seen from him, even in sleep. 

Hours later, when Kevin returned to the dorm, he stood in the doorway, staring for a few seconds before he opened his mouth to speak. 

“No.” Andrew’s voice was quiet but sharp. He stood from his spot at the end of the bed slowly, he knew the sleep that Neil was currently getting was the kind that shouldn’t be disturbed. He forced Kevin out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, pulling the door shut behind him. 

“He needs to come to practice. The season is starting to pick up and he can’t afford to sit out. He’s co-captain for Christ’s sake.”

“He needs this. Talk to Wymack and Winfield. They will agree with me.” Kevin glared at him before pulling out his phone and walking away. A few minutes later he came back, scowl firmly in place. 

“So?” The glare Kevin sent him was pathetic. 

“Abby says he should sit out for as long as he needs.” Andrew nodded, turning back to the bedroom, leaving a grumbling Kevin in his wake.

----

The dorm felt like a crypt, dark and eerily silent. Coaxing Neil out of bed for anything was a process, getting him to eat was harder. Neil hadn’t spoken a word, sleeping almost constantly, or just curled up staring unseeing at the wall. Despite the upperclassmen still being wary of Andrew, they all came to him to ask how they could help.

As much as Andrew was loath to admit, they all cared for Neil and he knew that he couldn’t deal with this completely alone. Abby and Wymack dealt with Neil's professors, Bee offered Andrew an outlet for his concerns and offered to speak with Neil when he finally made it through this stage, though that seemed unlikely to occur.

The upperclassmen, along with Andrew's group, worked out their schedules and took on Neil in shifts, appearing at the door when Andrew had class or an appointment with Bee or just needed a break. Neil was never alone. It settled something in Andrew that he didn't realize had been restless since Neil fell into this state of limbo. 

They all just sat sentinel keeping watch when he was asleep but when he was awake they all filled the heavy silence in their own unique ways. Allison came with stacks of fashion magazines from her merchandising class, circling things she would want to see Neil in and looking up tips for how to fix dye damage and take care of curls, a mission that she and Dan had been co-conspirators in since Neil let Allison cut his hair at the end of the season.

Matt came and sat silently with Neil, and besides Andrew was the most successful at getting him to take care of himself. Dan kept him updated on the team despite Neil's lack of response or input, and Kevin was a verbal flood of anything exy whenever he appeared in the dorms.

Renee kept the fridge stocked with fresh fruit and other foods she knew Neil liked. Even Aaron brought Neil’s notes from their shared science class. Nicky fell quickly into his parent mode that he'd been in when he'd first taken in Aaron and Andrew. Doing laundry and cleaning, but also making sure that even if Neil wouldn't respond, the silence was filled at least for a little bit. 

A week of rotating shifts passed as Neil's body tried to catch up on almost twenty years of missed sleep and repair his relationship with the concept of living past the age of 19. Thankfully, they were on a bye this week, no game, no travel. On Saturday evening, Andrew sat with his back against the wall working through another shitty mystery novel when Neil spoke for the first time.

He had been curled up around Andrew, hands grasping the hem of his pullover. Neil’s voice was rough from disuse and the tears that everyone had seen Neil shedding periodically but never addressed. It was so quiet that if Andrew hadn’t been painfully aware of Neil’s every move this week he would’ve missed it. 

“Thank you.”

[cripplecharacters]

This might be kind of a weird question, but would someone who has had nystagmus since birth be able to have schizoaffective disorder, and if so, would they experience visual hallucinations?

Don't worry about questions being weird!

This answer is gonna be long, I apologize in advance!

Small disclaimer that we don't currently have blind mods, but this answer is based on research.

So, a 2011 research study seems to suggest that being born congenitally blind or going blind very early in life 'protects' against developing schizophrenia later in life. I know you mentioned schizoaffective disorder, but it is closely related to schizophrenia that it is relevant to this discussion; the treatment for both is very similar, as well. If you've ever seen the claim "No blind person has ever been diagnosed with schizophrenia," this is probably where it comes from.

The study itself has a 2012 commentary (which is what I linked above) that mentions that it might not be definitive, and that what might be happening is that both conditions are uncommon enough that a joint occurrence is therefore much rarer; especially because it specifically refers to congenital or early blindness, as opposed to blindness that can happen later in life. It also refers specifically to blindness as opposed to low vision/visual impairment, which may or may not be what your character has.

From it, I quote:

"[I]t is remarkable that in over 60 years, and with several investigations [including several before DSM-III (1980) when criteria for schizophrenia were broader than at present], not a single case of a C/E blind schizophrenia patient has been reported."

As well as:

"These data suggest a unique relationship between C/E blindness and schizophrenia. However, we acknowledge that the absence of evidence (of people with both conditions) is not evidence of absence."

Now, from what I know of nystagmus, it often causes visual impairment/low vision as opposed to exclusively blindness, which is a significantly lower visual acuity. The study speaks specifically of congenital blindness, which is often the lowest visual acuity or maybe just light perception or similar.

Doing elaborate research study math, if your character is visually impaired rather than legally or totally blind, this means your character is more likely to be able to develop schizoaffective disorder than a character who is legally or totally blind. The chances might still be low, but I feel it's an existing possibility, taking into account the information I have about all of these.

Additionally, whether they're able to experience visual hallucination will likely depends on whether they've ever experienced visual information. Someone who never has experienced visual information due to being born totally blind will not experience visual hallucinations, because that part of their brain isn't "turned on," so to speak, and wouldn't have anything to go off of. But they could experience auditory hallucinations, or tactile ones.

Anyway, I know this doesn't give you a definitive answer because I could not find one, but I hope this helps!

– mod sparrow

[the-archxr]

Dear readers,

Holy shit it’s been a long time—three years, I think, or something like that. I don’t know, I could be wrong; I was never good at math (the curse of having ADHD and Dyscalculia is a great one).

Anyways, how have you guys been? Taking care of yourselves, I hope!

I wanted to take the time and space here to give all of you an update:

I’m coming back. Well, sort of.

This year, on top of school and general life shit, I’ve started a personal project. It’s reignited my love of writing, and while I am very excited to share it with everyone, it’s still in the very early stages, so, as of right now, I won’t divulge too much.

But I will say, this project has sort of given new life to my once-inanimate pen. As I continue to move forward with this and further develop my skills, methods and practices as a writer, I will be returning to this blog. Sort of like an interim palate cleanser to keep me writing and motivated and not falling down the ADHD paralysis slump (more than I already do, at least).

While I will be writing here once again, please understand that it will certainly not be as much as I’ve done in the past. Though, I’lll still try to maintain a rather consistent(-ish) schedule, considering that’s kind of the whole point.

To get back into the swing of things, I will be accepting requests for imagines/drabbles, headcanons, and the like. However, I won’t be accepting requests for full-length fics.

Before I continue rambling, I do have a quick disclaimer:

When I first left, I wasn’t too sure if and when I’d be coming back, so I ended up deleting all the remaining asks in my inbox. I apologize to everyone who sent something in—they were all wonderful, and I deeply appreciate/ed the engagement. I was just becoming incredibly burnt out and couldn’t keep up with all of them. So again, thank you, and I’m really sorry that I didn’t respond.

Likewise, I’d like to mention that while my current masterlists won’t be going anywhere, I am not updating the Moonknight one. Meaning, I will no longer be writing for or accepting requests regarding him. But, I am still accepting asks for Steve Harrington (if you’ve been here for a while, you already know what’s up) and Din Djarin. I’m also into writing for a certain mcu, metal-armed super soldier, if that’s something you guys would be into…

(Oh my god, I’m so sorry for the massive fucking info-dump. My brain kept adding things to mention mid-ramble, so if this post is all over the place, please pretend that it isn’t, for my sake.)

And finally, all of this to say: I’ve missed our little community so very, very much, and I’m so very, very excited to be back.

Stay tuned.

Faith 🏹

[fernsplaysthings]

Prev. reblog about Chatgpt got me thinking about psych stuff.

Decade old degree showing back up for a ramble.

I'm not a professional psychologist, just an enthusiast who gets really into it's conversations about psych stuff.

Brains are facinating. Thought and behaiour patterns are facinating.

Anyway.

I'm not gunna be citing stuff here so get ready for me to be wrong but, whatever.

I was thinking about how the brain is very much a 'use it or lose it' organ. Bioplasticity and all that. Which lead to how certain people who use their brains in a specific way tend to have a lower risk of dementia in later life.

There are other factors, but that's one.

A study was done on London cab drivers. They go through years of studying routes and landmarks through London called 'The Knowledge'. It's intense.

I had firsthand experience of watching my Dad do it over a decade ago. It was stacks and stacks of papers in folders, each A4 sheet had a list ranging from like, four lines, to two pages top to bottom of:

L by [Insert road name] Bear R [Insert road name] F [Insert road name] R [Insert road name]

And so on.

The overarching goal was to be able to traverse the entire city, no GPS, using the most efficient routes, from the customer's location to their end point and to be able to adapt if needed. All backroads. All suburbs. The short term goal was to be able to memorise what was given and turn up to a spoken exam on the regular.

The reason why The Knowledge is a great example of this type of brain useage is because it isn't just memory. It's a lot of memory, but not soley. It begins like it, point to point memorised out of a book. But then the cabbie would have to drive them, perhaps take in some landmarks to tell the examiner about. As the skill develops it's no longer about memorising paperwork alone but making connections with seen and lived experiences, and using rational thinking using the skills developed. Linking different parts of the brain.

By the time you're working someone should be able to mention a place to go to from anywhere in or closely around London and you can do it without wasting their money.

The study found that London cab drivers had a lower risk of dementia in advanced age. And a bigger hippocampus; the learning and memory bit.

I figure professional puzzlers and quizzers are also probably in a similar position.

So if these kinds of people have some of the lowest risk of dementia in later life, what would happen to someone who no longer needs to remember as much, nor understand and reshuffle it to portray their understanding?

If a kid has grown up with school, high school, university using gen ai, or of their own accord, or both, and instead of flexing their brain muscles to show their understanding of a memorised topic they ask it to write their essay for them to be slightly adjusted and sent off...does that increase the risk (on top of other factors)?

A brain isn't the way it is right out of the box. It's an organ that has to develop. And a bunch of it's development is due to what we do with it. There are definitely people who've won the genetic lottery and don't need to do as much. There's definitely some people who are predisposed to just...not care.

But I also don't think anyone has to settle for that.

Back to my Dad. He's not academic. I mean this with the greatest affection too. He doesn't do words so well. Before his cab stuff I don't think he'd ever put his mind actively to something academic. Like, including normal schooling. I couldn't see him doing well in a standardised test.

His quick maths is real good though, to give him credit.

And he, as far as I can see with family still present, did not win the genetic lottery. Or upbringing lottery. His just-turned-80 year old Mum has severe dementia and wasn't winning any mother of the year awards. I never knew his Dad, he passed away in my Dad's early teens. Pretty impactful. The man his Mum had his youngest brother with was the scummiest, vilest, dirtbag to them.

And yet...predisposed or no, he's an excellent cabbie and did his exams in four years (major motorcycle accident included).

They're obviously not the average person, they're a demonstration of what changes when put to use. Obviously not using something doesn't always mean the total opposite, in that people's memories deteriorate, but...in 20-50 years it'd be interesting to see.

[thenightling]

What's going on in regard to Neil Gaiman. What we know thus far? Early this morning several online news sources posted stories that Neil Gaiman had been accused of "sexual assault." I put that in quotations because roughly one year ago I saw similar headlines in regard to Danny Elfman, which, when you actually read the articles he was mostly being accused of being creepy and perhaps some sexual harassment, i.e. walking around naked in front two accusers, and telling at least one of them that he liked to watch them sleep. The headlines in regard to Danny Elfman were so distorted that the Internet seemed convinced he had r8ped someone and was even arrested. (He was never arrested). Danny Elfman denied the accusations and things quieted down. Now back to Neil Gaiman. The articles seemed dubious at best. I'm NOT doubting any potential victim. I am doubting the writers of the articles. I noticed very careful wording so that the articles could infer and suggest that Neil Gaiman may have assaulted the women but the only thing actually confirmed in the article was that these two women (in their twenties) had been in a consensual relationship with Neil Gaiman. The intimacy, apparently, was "rough." and "painful." Supposedly Neil even told one of them "You need to be punished." and he used his belt on her. This sounds like badly handled BDSM. Even the cartoon Family Guy will tell you that you need a proper "safe word." Anyway, if you read the articles carefully, at no point do they say the women said the encounter was non-consensual. Just that it hurt. And it was unpleasant. They even go out of their way to say that it was consensual but that part seems buried under the sensationalism and flashy headlines. I understand that the human brain is still developing until age twenty-five. And that makes any relationship with someone under the age of twenty-five (even if legal) questionable and uncomfortable. But based on my math it seems the youngest of the women was twenty-six and she, herself, has said the relationship was consensual.

No, it is NOT a good idea to get sexually involved with your child's nanny (as one of them was). No, it is not a good idea to get involved with anyone under the age of twenty-five if you are older. However, I will NOT condemn anyone over the age of twenty-five in a consenting relationship, no matter the age gap. That is agism. And I will not diminish a woman's agency and infantilize her because "Eww, old men are icky!" Cher is a happy relationship with a man forty-years her Jr. And Michael Sheen's wife is younger than him but she does not feel "groomed" because of the age gap.

Yes, there's an uneven power dynamic but as uncomfortable as that might be, it is also not illegal. And it's kind of unfair. Neil Gaiman is pretty much a rock star among authors right now. Eight TV shows based on his characters in less than ten years is rare for a writer. Who could possibly have an even power dynamic with him? Stephen King? Sorry, he's married. Now we come to later in the day. The Internet has heavily condemned Neil Gaiman as a creep, a groomer, a perv, etc... One of Neil Gaiman's "Victims" attempts to clear the air over on X (formerly Twitter) by stating that her words were taken out of context by a conservative podcast. Conservatives have had it in for Neil Gaiman for his very liberal and vocal political views, including being pro-trans rights. But this wasn't good enough.

“It's Easier to Fool People Than It Is to Convince Them That They Have Been Fooled.” – Mark Twain.

The woman, who is one of the two supposed-accusers, is insisting that her words are being taken out of context, that her relationship with Neil Gaiman was consensual. And she is sorry all of this is happening. Those who wanted to believe Neil Gaiman to be a villain in this story couldn't accept her statements and started to over-analyze her wording, calling out things like the wording "It became consensual" which, I admit, is a very weird choice of words, but I think it was in regard to so many people telling her that at her age (Mid-twenties) she didn't really have agency, and he took advantage of her idolizing him. I think she was trying to tiptoe around those who would go "Oh, honey, it was an uneven power dynamic and your brain wasn't fully developed even if you were legally an adult." But alas it didn't work. So it shifted from "Believe all women" to "Believe all women except if they recant or say their words were twisted out of context." I, myself, was scolded for not "Listening to the victim" so I had to point out to the person that at no point did any of the articles actually quote the supposed victims in regard to what Neil Gaiman supposedly did to them. There are no direct quotes. Things are just implied. So one "victim" is recanting. And I can't tell you how accurate it is but apparently one of the two (possibly the one recanting) is prone to "false memories" because of a psychological condition. Too many people are poopooing this but I have actually known someone formerly very close to me who was the victim of her own false memories. It was because of a personality disorder. Disorders like bipolar disorder, histrionic personality disorder, Dissociation, certain forms of maladaptive day dreaming, and even taking the wrong or mis-prescribed medications (anti-psychotics in someone who doesn't need them can cause an adverse reaction). This is ALL that we know so far. "You wouldn't defend him if he wasn't your favorite author." Actually, he's not. I went through a several year Sandman obsession but I'm also obsessed with Dracula, Faust, Frankenstein's monster (literary version), and most Gothic literature. It cycles. It's hard for me to have a favorite author. It varies based on my mood. Right now it might be the late Ray Bradbury. I defended David Bowie when the Internet condemned him as a ped0phile, even though the supposed victim even tried to tell everyone that they got the story all wrong. It's true she was an underage groupie but she had a list of rockstars she wanted to sleep with and she bragged (and still brags) about tricking Bowie by waiting until he was high and convincing him that she was an adult.

I defended Danny Elfman when headlines spread online that said things like "Second victim of sexual assault accuses Danny Elfman" but when you click the article it was actually sexual harrassement and Danny Elfman, of course, denied it happened. And those accusations quietly died down and were very obviously exaggerated by certain dubious "news" sources. Some people were so quick to want to condemn him that they used his song "Little girls" as proof that Danny Elfman was a pervert even though that song, ironically, was meant to call out and shame sexual abuse in Hollywood. The character who narrates the song is caught in the end. And in the case of Neil Gaiman I will wait and see because right now it looks like the accusations and articles are actually contradicting the own supposed accusers. I don't like this "believe all women except if they say that they're being misquoted" nonsense.

[mentalknot]

What do you mean by “I could see the graph?”

I mean the above statement quite literally, and strongly believe it’s a quirk many neurodivergent individuals share.

The phenomenon is best described using an analogy to the social “intuition” neurotypical people feel when meeting someone, that 6th-sense that says “this person is good/bad/going through something.” It’s a type of intuition I will never understand, yet I find the idea of it beautiful.

My original model for the graph was built around motivation to model “language,” specifically any phrases (in the highest level of abstraction, genuinely anything you want a “phrase” to be) organized on the relation of “meaning.” Specifically, we say a phrase has “meaning” if we can describe that phrase in terms of another distinct phrase. Otherwise, we say the phrase is “meaningless,” which is somewhat of a phrase itself…

Now, it’s probably quite obvious why I keep this initial motivation hushed; I sound crazy, especially given the deviation from many syntactic models of language used for years. I have no intention to continue with that motivation. However, the abstraction I’d developed made sense to me, and eventually I realized that the best way to model such a relationship was with a rooted graph.

This is where the “intuition” part comes in, like an animation in my mind, I could build the thing up, remove edges, alter the recursive step, anything; it was my personal playground of abstraction.

I worked for weeks to truly understand and describe the structure I’d thought up. I ran to friends and advisors attempting to draw it and saying

“please tell me if I’m crazy so I can direct attention to my work.”

However, even with how admittedly scattered my initial explanation was at first, they didn’t discourage me; it was terrifying. I refused to believe that I’d truly thought of a novel graph purely in my head. But I fell in my core that this could be constructed.

And then, I wrote an algorithm in my Python, which I’ve now brought into more formal mathematical language, and it looked exactly how I’d imagined.

I have a million different questions about the basic graph theoretic properties of this object, captivated by the structure alone, although finding a “use” for this graph could be nice as well I suppose…

In summary, I did “see” the graph, my brain tends towards mathematical patterns way many tend toward social intuition. I find extreme abstraction quite comforting, and truly believe I’m not unique in this way.

I love math because it finally gives me language to explain my mind, but I was also lucky to have the right mentors. Many neurodivergent people believe they’ll fail at math because they are introduced to the field through pure computation, which feels unnatural to us.

I dream of a world where someone can develop an early course in mathematics for neurodivergent teens, so we can grow up loving the unique nature of our brains instead of constantly questioning our sanity.

Thank you for reading this long brain-dump, and enjoy a few variations of the graph :)

[zolakin]

15000 mega bundle of educational resources

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[fountainpenguin]

🌆 Heroes' Journey 🌆

WordGirl

Pulling back the curtain on a world where mere mortals possess wild superpowers, with a focus on WordGirl and Kid Math's mentor-apprentice-equals relationship. Heavy consideration on how superpowers affect society, with emphasis on found families, secrets, and the mortifying ordeal of being known.

#ridwork guides

What Is This AU?

A slice-of-life WordGirl period piece that expands on the worldbuilding and character relationships seen in the show. Worldbuilding is thoughtful, lightly angsty, but mostly lighthearted with a goal to avoid infodumping and serious angst.

Give it up for Rex trying to hide his powers while more and more people grow convinced he's only hiding them due to abusive upbringing. Shout-out to Becky juggling his superhero training with her fractured social life.

AO3 Series - Heroes' Journey

WG Character Study Series - 28 Million Degrees

All WordGirl 'fics - Any series

WordGirl blog tag - #Satirical vocab alien child show

Posts about Rex and Becky as a comedic duo - #LexiHexa duo

Tone

Serious, but sprinkled with fluff and general tomfoolery. Cute and goofy moments interspersed with light relationship drama. Blends cartoony vibes and a thoughtful take on the worldbuilding.

Ex: Chuck has a broken foot that takes him out of the villain game while he recovers. Becky has to do homework. Yet we still have the Narrator and featured words :)

Characters

Heroes' Journey is a relationship study focusing mostly on Becky, Rex, and Huggy. Parents, friend groups, and neighbors play supporting roles.

Factor It In spotlights Rose Franklin, Victor Best, Eileen, and Granny May, as I figured they could use some extra love. Most villains show up at some point in the Heroes' Journey timeline.

Ships

Canon-compliant within the show's timeline. For me, this means Tobey has a crush on WordGirl, who doesn't reciprocate. Becky has a crush on Scoops, and Scoops/Violet is mutual. Also, Brent/Miss Question, who I definitely don't call [‽] in my head.

Romantic ships are not a big focus in the series as I prefer emphasis on friendships and rivalries, but you'll see romance in the background. Exposition Guy/Exposition Guy's Wife OTP SWEEP! ... Tim and Sally are there too, I guess.

- I write Becky as asexual with no interest in sex, pregnancy, or kids. She loves romance books and would like a fairytale romance, but... her true love is unlearning guilt, taking breaks, and finding peace with herself, I think :)

- Rex sort of has a crush on her, by which I mean he's convinced it's "obvious" the two alien superheroes will end up together. I see them growing up to have a pretty queerplatonic relationship. As he grows, he also develops a crush on Violet (She's kind to him) and Tobey (He uses calculations to build robots; idk what you expected).

- It's important to me that you know Rex is bisexual and when he's an adult, he will tell you this and giggle because "bisect" is a math term and he thinks it's funny every time he says it.

Setting

Fair City, which I've set in the state of Washington (Spotted owls and sasquatches represent!)

"AlgoRhythm" takes place December 1997 and the main 'fic - Factor It In - opens January 1998. This series may range from as early as Huggy's pilot years and Becky's infancy to as late as their adulthood.

Is It For Me?

If you like Becky, Huggy, Rex, the Narrator, thoughtful character relationships, and deeper worldbuilding about life in a world of superpowers, this series may be up your alley! I strive for canon-compliancy for pieces set during show canon.

I try to spotlight less popular characters in the show. Popular villains like Dr. Two-Brains are definitely there, but I try to give folks like Hal Hardbargain, Timmy Timbo, and the Coach their chance to shine as well (both as villains and civilians).

I have no "Becky's family finds out she's WordGirl reveal planned for this story," at least not in Becky's youth.

Major Themes

Expectations, pressure, stability, control, culture, conforming vs. self-expression, envy, trust, pride, guilt, secret-keeping, growth, self-reflection, moving on, and found family

Plot Highlights

- "AlgoRhythm" follows Kid Math as WordGirl introduces him to the Evil Villains Association at an overstimulating party.

- Factor It In bridges the gap between Rex's arrival in "Kid Math" and his cameos in both his Rex and Kid Math clothes in later episodes.

Other works in this series further develop the relationship between straightforward Rex and wishy-washy Becky, with plots ranging from teaching Rex about life on Earth to teaching Becky about the culture of Lexicon and Hexagon.

- Generally, the vibe is that Kid Math is inexperienced and therefore falls for tricks that don't feel WordGirl, so people try to take advantage of him. He gets frustrated when he doesn't understand why he has to follow certain rules and she gets frustrated by his stubborn pride. Shenanigans occur and require problem solving.

- "Flypaper" depicts The Gang in their late teens and young adulthood. Becky is now in college and left Huggy with Rex, who's Fair City's main hero until she returns. She feels detached and uncertain about where she is in life. Also, WordGirl and Super Why speak on a panel together and I badly need you to know.

Ongoing?

I wrote a one-shot in 2018. In 2023, I posted more content. This series is ongoing with infrequent updates at the time of posting.

- On hiatus & in need of buffer building. Intent to finish.

Warnings, notes, and explanations below so readers can learn more about this AU.

👀 Take a Peek

New here? You might like to start with these:

These character studies take place within this universe, though they're not listed as Heroes' Journey content since they focus on side characters:

- "Your family is doing okay" (G - 4400 words) - First meeting of Exposition Guy (Milo) and his to-be wife (Miah)

- "A penny for your thoughts (Oh no)" (G - 7000 words) - A zero-dialogue challenge with Captain Tangent

- "28 Cities" (G - 25k words) - A one-shot series focused on queerplatonic Rhyme and Reason. A taste of childhood with powers vs. without powers. Ongoing, but on hiatus.

Start Reading

Recommended ways to get into the full AU

"AlgoRhythm"

- Get started with a fluffy piece about Kid Math training under WordGirl, then attending a party so she can introduce him to different villains.

- Intro to basics like character dynamics, superpowers, and how Rex thinks

- Fluff, humor, & found family vibes

- Large cast of characters

🗺️ Worldbuilding

- It's rare to be born with powers, but not unheard of. The determining factor is genetics, as is the case with Kid Potato and the Butcher, or the Bests.

-> In-story, there's a character called the Nightmare King: father of Exposition Guy, the Narrator [and his twin], and Invisi-Bill. Their abilities range from semi-omniscience to invisibility, with the Narrator having both.

- Those who have powers are charmed. Doctor Two-Brains is not charmed as he relies on tech, and neither is Captain Tangent, who replies on a curse and his hook.

- Miss Question is not technically classified as charmed due to receiving her powers from lightning. However, she's found acceptance in the charmed community and she can use the label if she wants to. Chuck IS technically charmed, but doesn't identify with the label because he doesn't consider himself to have powers; it's just part of his family history.

-> Chuck would register as charmed on a blood test while Miss Question would not.

- It can take years for powers to show themselves. Most people show theirs as a toddler or during puberty. It's very rare for someone to spontaneously discover powers as an adult. There is seemingly no limit to the types of powers people can have. 1 power is the standard, but some people have as many as 3. It's very, very rare to have more than 3.

-> Rhyme has about 4 powers depending on how you classify things like super strength and durability alongside her super speed and freeze breath. Her dad has wind powers and her mom had water powers. Her family has a long history of charmed genes while Reason's has a long history of none.

- Charmed individuals may study in public school or in specialized charm schools that tailor teaching and accommodations to better suit them. Becky fears that if her parents learn about her flight and super strength, they'll send her to charm school (away from her friends).

-> Becky and Rex are not charmed because they're aliens; their powers follow special rules. However, Becky is "out" as a charmed individual who can speak with monkeys.

- All Lexiconians and Hexagonians have the potential for superhuman abilities. However, these abilities are nullified when they're on their planets, which contain trace amounts of Lexonite / Hexanite in the soil and ground them like average people.

-> Rex was raised with the intention of leaving Hexagon to pursue life as a hero somewhere else. He has the book knowledge for his powers, but no practical experience until coming to Earth.

- During Factor It In, Rex tries to conceal his powers while moving between foster homes, unaware that his caseworker found out about his quick healing and flight. Miah hints to him several times that she and Milo [Exposition Guy] are "a very charm-friendly household."

-> Flight is a rare ability. Miah suspects Rex may be lying low to avoid being traced by an abusive supervillain relative. Beyond that, she's surprised he would hide his powers, as it's not like they're unheard of in this world.

- There's a lot of depth to my takes on Lexiconian and Hexagonian culture, such as Lexicon being more into exploring nature and hunting or gathering food while Hexagon is more into mechanical things and agriculture. Rex is scared of storms because he grew up on a planet that had weather under control, and it's overstimulating for him.

- Both Rex and Becky have synesthesia. Rex can't read because "that's a Lexiconian's job." Also, Hexagon apparently had unicorns and Becky is jealous. My 'fics trickle details like this in over time.

- Last thing worth mentioning is that Huggy grew up with a lot of simians. Some he's on good terms with, others he has rocky history with, but it's generally accepted that Lexiconian monkeys are very intelligent and make great pilots.

- You can also send an Ask if you want to hear me talk about this world. I tag WordGirl content as #Satirical vocab alien child show

📋 Notes & Warnings

- Canon-typical violence (It's taken seriously and people do get injured, but the vibe is what you'd expect for goofy superhero content).

-> Cuts, scrapes, and wooziness are fair game, but no blood or gore. The most serious injury is probably Chuck's broken foot.

-> You should assume all robots are fair game to be destroyed.

-> No serious injuries or character death. Death mentions are backstory only

- Abuse mentions (Adults suspect Rex ran from an abusive home). However, no on-screen abuse besides the basics like family pressure from the Bests and Doctor Two-Brains having a rough go of it.

-> In "28 Cities," it's implied that Rhyme's dad pushed her superhero training pretty far and that she was emotionally and/or physically abused in the process. Reason only hears about this later.

- Rex has canon-typical morbid commentary (which is funny if you take it as "ha ha logic boy" but you could also read it as "Oh that's super dark Rex wtf?")

-> Ex: wanting to tear down the city

- Rare mentions of death (Ex: Rhyme's backstory ("28 Cities") where it's said her dad is a hero turned villain since his hero work didn't pay well enough to provide for Rhyme after his wife died.

More details about Rex's crush on Becky:

Rex sees himself as "Becky's obvious choice in partner someday" and is repeatedly flummoxed when she rejects his elaborate plans to court her 15 years from now.

Becky's asexual with no desire for pregnancy, but as they get older, people definitely try shipping her with Kid Math. She does go out with him in their teens/young adulthood in "A Little Ambiguity," which is a lovely date where no one has childhood baggage weighing them down.

As years pass, a young adult Becky starts seriously debating if she should "settle" with him because there are just so many parts of marrying Rex that are easier than trying to date other people, like the fact that he knows her superhero identity, doesn't think she's fragile, and he can take care of himself in the event that he's targeted.

-> It's the inherent angst of "I don't want kids anyway and I would really like a companion and he knows me so well, but WOW is he going to be so smug about it and I hate that."

It's this weird QPR where Becky's not sure if she feels "love" in the ways it's commonly defined and she's upset and burned out and lonely. Meanwhile Rex has gone on lots of dates, but always felt like she was the clearly logical option. Ah yes, Lexiconian definition crisis meets Hexagonian practicality.

-> I can't even say that I ship them because I Don't Romantically, but I need to study her chronic wishy-washiness & his refusal to look beyond surface-level understanding of things. Do u see my vision?

- All my WordGirl 'fics

- Want more info? Send an Ask!

You can create works based on this AU. Please cite me and/or the AU as appropriate (i.e. for things very specific to this AU). You are free to expand on ideas you've thought of thanks to my AU as a jumping off point. I'd love to reblog or link things to my AO3 works if I see them!

I write content with morally gray characters. Please don't portray my story events or worldbuilding out of context with intentional malice. As in, I request you do not post things created for the specific intention of bashing me or the AU

[carionto]

I just wanna know if it'll work!

The Monolith!

A massive perpendicular structure - 1 meter deep, 4 meters wide, 9 meters tall - with a perfect 81 centimeter diameter circle cut, with its center 64 centimeters from the top.

Naomi Glasnikova was grinning like mad. She couldn't figure out where to put squares of 4, 5, 6, or 7 in the design without overcomplicating things, so decided to just forego them. It'll be fine, she's sure everything will work out just as planned.

What is the plan, her fellow scientists from the Coalition species ask? To see if placing ominous black metal alloy structures around a planet with primitive lifeforms will make their brains go "Oh, this is different, I should... *think* about it. Yes. Thinking is a thing I can do now. Thus, with the power of thoughts I can look at other things and go "Oh, what if I did this!" and make myself evolve into a civilization (once I figure out how to come up with prerequisite concepts)."

Is the inner dialogue Naomi was having. Her colleagues, both Human and Alien alike, had long abandoned the idea of trying to talk to her about her projects. She would just get into this deep staredown with you while simultaneously not paying any attention to your existence. Her mind begins to race with the possibilities, the what ifs, who dunnits, why nots, etc., and after a few minutes of complete stillness she would suddenly rush out, writing furiously on her digi-pad, often bumping into chairs, tables, walls, other people, one time she almost vented herself from the station. They put a micro-tag on her pad that would wirelessly turn off nearby lights at any intersections that didn't lead to her office. She subconsciously veers toward bright lights.

This latest monolith project came about after one of her equally eccentric interns (nobody knows where they come from, she just seems to naturally attract ones with similar brainwaves or something) showed her an ancient fictional documentary about possible technological developments in the early 21st century. The image of this simpler monolith instantly embedded itself into her mind.

WAIT! I've got it! Four groups of monoliths arranged in different patterns. The group of 16 will make a perfect square. 25 a star. 36 a hexagon, and 49 a... hmm heptagon would be too similar, and it doesn't look right no matter how you shape it.... hrrnnn No wait, a seven layer circle! One in the center, fourteen in the outermost and the rest... I'll do the math later. The areas will need to be perfectly cleared and flat too. Oh! Line patterns on the ground itself. Ones that show core scientific truths! One of the primitives will surely one day follow the lines and map them out either in its brain or on a simple data recording apparatus and see Science! They'll be so stunned! Gotta write that down, get one of the helpful people (her interns, whose names or faces she doesn't even know, yet they don't care either. Look, it's weird, but their kind of non-relationship works out somehow) to begin production. They will need to be made of non-corrosive alloys, of course. Each with a different core metal though. But then the color might change. No paint, that is an unnecessary element. Hmm... Evolution will take millennia, hopefully a few less with my help.

Last month her focus was on making a fully transparent species of frogs to see whether they would go extinct due to being unable to see their partners, or overrun the ecosystem. Nobody has seen the results of that yet.

We also don't know what she's actually a PhD of. Her diploma just says applied robotics, and it is a legit diploma from the Henderson University of Greater Estonia. But her published thesis is on viral infection vectors in sub-tropical moths. We thought she might be a fraud, but the science checks out in whatever she has put out so far. Whatever she is, she is allowed to do whatever she wants. Like most scientists out on these stations now that I think about it.

What are we even doing here, other than... Science?

Mmmm, fuck it, unlimited funding. Let's go!

[ratstuckinamarble]

Okay since mh is rotting my brain and Draculaura's early show development height (5'2") just did not sit right with me, I tried something, which left me with the conclusion that she's actually around 5'0".

I took this screenshot since they're both standing fairly straight (as if) and an equal distance away from the viewer.

Since it's Draculaura's height that seems off to me, I went with the assumption that Lagoona's is accurate, and held a ruler up to my screen and adjusted it until she was 8cm tall.

Now some math, ew. Lagoona is 5'5", so 167 cm.

167/8=20,875 ,so we're left with the scale 1 to 20,875

8*20,875=167cm=5'479" (for control)

With Lagoona being about 8cm on my screen, Draculaura is about 7,2cm, so:

7,2*20,875=150,3cm=4'93"

As you can see, we're NOT left with 5'2".

I was working with rough measurements, but even with some adjustments she should be around 5'0" or slightly below that.

Soo if I didn't mess up (I really hope I didn't), we all had good reason to think her being 5'2" seemed off. The hight difference is too small, either she's shorter or Lagoona is taller.

[wordgirlexploration]

Now that we have two new ref line ups, allow me to share with y'all some headcanons for some of them!

Rex/Kid Math

Most of our Kid Math takes are based off of FountainPenguin's two Kid Math fics: Factor It In and AlgoRythym. We just love those fics <3

Last name is Pemdas.

Non-binary. Really I just imagine most of the aliens in the show are some flavor of non-binary and Kid Math is no exception.

Autistic and has synesthesia. Same as Becky :) Comes with the territory of being from a subject obsessed planet and gaining superpowers on another world that overstimulates the senses.

His birthday (equivalent on Earth) is Pi day

He is so, so small. 3'7" (or exactly 110 centimeters!) tall. He looks more like he should be in Kindergarten/1st grade than 3rd grade.

More of a Hexagon headcanon than a Kid Math specific one: Hexagon is a very logical planet and as a result, when they do superhero work it's always 1) track down villain 2) get rid of villain 3) day is saved! Wordgirl's way of being a superhero would baffle ANYONE from Hexagon. Kid Math is just a product of his environment.

Mr Big + Leslie

Mr Big is trans.

His orientation is queer because we can't quite pin down what it is but he's definitely not straight.

Stands at 6'5". He's not called "Mr Big " for nothing!

Sees Dr Two-Brains on the weekends ever since their team up in Invasion of the Bunny Lovers. >:3

Leslie is a lesbian. We think she and the Mayor's assistant should kiss but not sure if it's canon to Exploration.

She's only 5'5" but wears 2 inch heels so you can't immediately tell.

Leslie's last name is Little. She's Leslie Little.

Both are in their early/mid 30's. Mr Big is only a couple years older than Leslie.

Granny May

She's been a villain the longest. Being a petty pickpocket since her late teens. Her "career" as a supervillian really took off though when she met her future husband.

Her husband was a man named Walter, who she met after charming her way into some fancy event. She stole his heart and his wallet that night <3

Walter made most of her gadgets that she uses today. Her suit of armor was his wedding present to her.

They got married later than most people from their time. Granny May was very hesitant about marriage at first. Worried it would affect her crime career since she relied mostly on her charm, which works better on suckers men when they think you're single.

Note: I really could go on and on about Granny's past but I'll leave off here because we have a whole episode planned for exploring her past ;)

Granny May has always been very small. In her prime she only stood at 5'1". In her old age she's now only 4'11".

Victoria Best

Dyes her hair. She's a natural brunette but since the rest of her family is blonde it's for the best (heh) that she match her family.

Her eyes are naturally blue but have an unusual red tint to the pupils and iris.

As of Exploration, she's currently taller than Becky at 4'9".

On the aroace spectrum but hasn't figured it out yet. She's the best at ignoring her feelings <3

We have big plans for her :)

Beatrice Bixby/Lady Redundant Woman

In her mid 30's.

Beatrice herself is aroace. Her clones are not. It drives her insane when one of them develops a crush because she doesn't get it.

Her clones are not perfect copies of her. She's had to recall one or two because they refuse to help in her crime sprees.

All her clones are effectively vegetarian because they can only consume ink. Ever since she became Lady Redundant Woman, Beatrice has had to supplement her own diet with ink every now and then. She can just change out her ink cartridge, but it's surprisingly cheaper to just eat ink. Also less of a hassle.

Lady Redundant Woman herself might also just be vegetarian. We haven't figured that out yet.

Tall woman. She stands at 6'1" plus her boots make her appear a couple inches taller. She looks shorter as Beatrice because of her Customer Service Slouch(TM).

She's ambidextrous.

Todd "Scoops" Ming

Hitting him with the trans beam. Came about because of that one episode where, aside from Bob, he was the only boy in the scouts group. We think he joined before he transitioned, and then when he did come out as trans the group wanted him to stay <3 Now he's one of the exceptions because it'd be rude to kick him and also all the other scouts will defend his place with their dying breaths.

Aside from Eugene May (because no one is gonna catch up with him), he's the tallest kid in 7th grade right now at 4'11".

While currently dating Violet, Scoops is bi and has had a couple crushes before Violet. His type seems to be blondes with weird eyes...

ale: we gave him ugly shoes because his top half is the only thing that needs to look presentable.

we obviously also fixed his skintone and haircut. we love you wordgirl, you did this kid so incredibly dirty.

we made his shirt blue because he's a little older now and Raven thought he deserved to have a different shirt.

Violet Heaslip

Her eyes are an unusual pinkish-purple color. Becky and Scoops think it's really cool.

She's currently the same height as Victoria.

Back in 4th grade/beginning of 5th grade she had a crush on Becky. She outgrew it halfway through the school year.

ale: we really just gave her an all-new detailed outfit because, as we realized after we finished her, her outfit is so.... plain for an art kid!

her pockets full of flowers are inspired by a piece of fanart showing the worg kids as elementary schoolers. the doodles on her skirt are inspired by a Dear Evan Hansen lyric.

gets a beret because she's an artist <3

i gave her warmly rainbow socks because i thought they'd look like something i'd see in a Justice as a kid.

TJ Botsford

"TJ" is short for Tim Jr.

His birthday is May 4th.

He's gay but hasn't figured it out yet. Got more important things to worry about such as how to grow the WordGirl Fan Club.

ale: made his skin darker to match with his parents, and his hair darker to match with his skin. and gave him a fade because, like. look at him. he would.

Tim and Sally Botsford (Do not separate <3)

Both are in their late 30's but Sally is older by a couple years.

Tim is just a little taller than average at 5'10", while Sally is close to average height at 5'4", but wears 3 inch heels to give herself that extra height. Makes her a little more intimidating at her job.

They met in college at the ice cream parlor from Whammer Anniversary <3 it was for some get together/study group and the two just clicked.

Their wedding anniversary is October 13th.

Tim is pan.

Tim's family specifically is of Ethiopian descent. It's why his spicier meals pack such a punch.

We mostly just like Sally the way she is <3

As we've mentioned before, Sally is Afro-Latina.

Shown in the episode That's Entertainment, Sally's hair actually becomes poofy and curly when not "blow-dried." Her hair is still like this (it's what inspired us to make her Afro-Latina), but we've decided that her hair becomes straightened through normal straightening means.

ale: made Tim's hair more afro-textured for obvious reasons. also it's canon that it used to look like that. also, he's graying more.

made Tim more brown because we couldn't live with keeping him orange.

i INSISTED that he keep his horrible outfit. everyone watching me draw him hated it, however, he is my "horrible fashion sense" king.

we mostly kept Sally the same, just made her skin more skin-tone like. also, we turned that weird line in her hair into a gray streak, because she's a little older now, and we couldn't figure out why it was there.

[emeraldlupin]

Minato CAN'T be Tsunade's Kid

This is a fan theory I've seen thrown around, even by famed YouTuber NCHammer23. NCHammer is very good at his job, but this theory? It's bad.

The theory is that Tsunade is Minato Namikaze's mother. Why? Because they're both blonde? That's rather shallow. Because the ages line up (even if it results in a teen pregnancy)?

Yeah...uh...about that...

Those of you that have seen my Naruto essays know that I took the timeline created by Seelentau and modified it, both with my own fan ideas and things that I felt were weird narratively (even if the math was accurate). Generally, I do not mess with established birth years. The few times I have, it was to iron out inconsistent data...and one slight arbitrary shift with Shisui.

I have not, however, ever touched Minato and Tsunade's birth data. Minato was born on January 25 about 24 years before Naruto was born. Tsunade, who was 51 in Part 1 (Naruto's 13th year of life), was born on August 2, 38 years before Naruto was born.

Of course, those numbers are negative, and positive numbers are better. On my timeline, I shifted the marker from Naruto's birth to the foundation of Konoha. As a consequence, all those negative numbers had fifty added to them.

-24 + 50 = 26.

-38 + 50 = 12.

This means the new birthdates are:

Tsunade: 08/02/12 Minato: 01/25/26

Right off the bat, you will notice that Minato was born in Tsunade's 14th year of life, which is...very uncomfortable. But it's worse. Count the months. If Tsunade had a baby in January of 26, then she would have been 13, the very edge of a teenager. And it gets worse still...

Let's presume a nine month pregnancy. If so, then Tsunade would have had to have gotten pregnant...at twelve. We wouldn't be looking at teen pregnancy, we'd be looking at pre-teen pregnancy. And don't think you can go for premature birth, either.

In order to avoid the extra-grossness of a pre-teen pregnancy, Minato would have to have been born in less than six months. I am not a medical professional, so I can't say exactly how dangerous that is, but I can say with certainty that it is dangerous.

The earlier a kid is born, the more danger there is, and being born very premature comes with developmental issues and potentially lasting health issues.

A number of preemies (that's what nurses call premature children) end up with some degree of cerebral palsy, a disorder where damage to the brain causes neurological and muscular problems, learning disabilities, growth and development issues, and so on. And that's only one result of premature birth. There are other things that can go wrong. Some children just die.

Minato, as far as we can see, doesn't seem to have any medical issues, and believe me, if he was born extremely early (less than six months), he would have something. Such things would have impacted his ability to be a ninja anyway. Therefore, it seems very unlikely he was a very early preemie.

This theory doesn't work. The math doesn't work. It adds up to something really dark and severely messed up that no one in their right mind would use for fiction.