#why did i decide to go into a science oriented field

[kazanskys-mitchell]

i want to be writing but instead i’m doing my biology assignments like a good college student 😔

[cryingwclves]

⟨ bill hader. demi-man. he/they. forty-five. ⟩  We just saw finley ‘finn’ blythe entering the broadcasting house. I heard through the grapevine that they are radio show host. Although they are [ with the media ], they can sometimes be hostile,stubborn, or even aloof but I’ve also heard some people say that they were curious, firm in their beliefs and quite perceptive.

full name:  finley blyth enickname(s):  finn, finny ( thanks to his brother ), blythe name meaning:  finley: fair-haired hero, courageous one. blythe: cheerful age:  fourty-five date of birth:  september 9th star sign:  virgo place of birth: doolin, ireland current location: london gender:  demi-man pronouns:  he/they sexual orientation:  homosexual religion:  agnostic occupation: radio show host, conspiracist, writer family:  riordan blythe ( father ), talulla cagney-blythe ( mother ), devlin blythe ( brother ), maeve blythe ( daughter ) education level: you would not believe this, but he does have a journalism degree, english literature degree living arrangements:  small flat with his daughter financial status:  could be better spoken languages:  english, some irish ( re: his mother )

talulla kept the family together when her husband was away at his cabin, being ‘away’ meant he was on the line for writing the next great novel. he was famous amongst fellow conspiracist about aliens, the government, and every odditie in between. his words were spoken with passion and wit and it was hard to be close to him if you didn’t understand. on the outside it shouldn’t have worked, talulla and riordan, but they loved each other deeply even if one parent had their head in the clouds and the other had both feet planted on the ground. 

they used to say that finley was the cost of having a second child, devlin was the older brother and was the golden boy, or so they used to say. he did everything right and was going to be a doctor someday. he wanted to go into the medical field like his mother who was a nurse, he believed in science and factual proof. sometimes that would lead to the kind of arguments with his father where no one spoke to each other for a couple of days. 

but where they grew up everyone knew everyone – people loved tallula but could never quite stomach riordan who was english, riordan who corrupted tallula, riordan who often embarrassed his entire family with his questions, his theories. 

by the time that finn could speak he was already a little pariah. someone had to stick up for those that weren’t brave enough to. finn used to be loud enough to get in trouble, but at least he stood up for something. often times, it was because he was defending his father. he wondered why that was so hard for devlin to do. 

being gay was a fucking walk in the park in comparison to who his dad was and the kind of books he wrote about. he wouldn’t begin to understand his father’s loneliness until much later. 

he’s in his second year of university when his father dies. ,

after his dad dies, he sits in the shadows and eventually gets his degrees, he writes for the media but it’s all bullshit. but things change after his mother decides to finally move house into something smaller, his dad used to keep clips of things he was passionate about, it’s then that fin hears about the secret underbelly of london. and then, he finally has a purpose again. 

he knows that his father wasn’t the crazy old man that people called him, in the same way that they say that finley is crazy. they know that they’re not – if only people would listen. 

when he’s thirty-five him and his best friend hook up, on a whim, finley thought that he was past his identity crisis but that night solidifies what he already knew. the kicker with consequences is that it eventually bites them in the ass, and he ends up having a daughter with his best friend. it worked out for them, both gay, but wanting children. he swore when she was born that she would be raised differently than how he grew up. bullies will always be bullies but finley would always protect his child in the way that his parents didn’t. 

bonus stuff: 

his brother did end up becoming a doctor, even becoming maeve’s doctor. they’re very cordial with each other and maeve is very protective of her dad so there’s always a going to be a bit of a riff between the family. they keep it together for their mother’s sake. 

finley has a ‘small’ radio show that people can tune into about what he thinks is going on with their government etc etc etc, he does have a loyal following, but it also gets brought up a lot when it’s turn to get ridiculed again asodkfjaos hes simply tired !!! 

believes in aliens but hopes that the aliens believe in themselves <3 ( maeve cosigns this message as well ) 

been writing a book for a while now, it’s his second baby, but whomst knows if it will ever see the light of day 

he’s always fair game but if you talk about his kid… well i pity the person !!

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[apexlegendsimagines]

Could you possibly write me some Darksparks but with a College AU type of thing?? Like their major, people they would hang around- stuff like that.

Wraith

-Wraith decided to go back to school after working menial jobs her entire life. It was lacking and she knew she was meant for more.

-She would have to start at a community college but she doesn’t have a problem with that. She does have to work to help support herself, but she has wonderful friends who are willing to help her out. 

-Mirage, who went to school and even double majored in Business and Holo-Tech, had to pay his way through school from the pocket. He understands how difficult it can be. Even if Wraith does get scholarships for going back to school. 

-For now, she majors in health sciences and goes for an Associate of science. 

-She knows she is by all means, not creative, so she wants to go into a field of science. Perhaps something in the health field. She’s always wondered why her brain is built differently.

-After attending full-time for four semesters, she graduated top 10% of her class and with honors. 

-She’s serious about starting a new life. 

 Wattson

-Wattson was offered a full ride to a Four-year university of her choice. She would choose a school with an excellent electrical engineering program. 

-Why did she get her scholarship? Because she had written thesis and theories on modified containment rings, something that could change sports of all types and numerous other things. Of course, she created prototypes and they all turned out to have some sort of success. 

-She starts off at this university and joins all of the clubs and even runs for a freshman representative. She doesn’t get the position but does get the spot of treasurer since no one really applied for it. 

-She does become friends with this cute and dorky guy who just wants to be friends with everyone and she quickly learns he is going into social services

-Four semesters in and she is a representative of the university and is even a tour guide for freshmen/transfer orientation

The day they meet

-It is a new semester, both of their Jr. years of higher education, the leaves fall from the trees and crowd the ground as Wraith is alone trying to find where the orientation is supposed to be. 

-As she passes a few people, she thinks about asking them. But she can already feel their judgmental eyes.

-But a hand on her shoulder and a friendly, “Bonjour!” startles her from those thoughts. 

-“Oh! My apologies, but you look a bit lost? Are you looking for orientation?” 

-Wraith is silent as she stares at this blue-eyed woman. No judgment. She nods once she realizes she’s been staring for a second too long. 

-“Great! I can help you there. Hi, I am Natalie.” She holds out a hand to shake as she turns her body to begin walking in the correct direction. 

-” Renee.” A smile is on her lips as she feels truly comfortable in the presence of Natalie. 

Graduation

-Four more semesters and Natalie has introduced Renee to so many lifelong friends. A young doctor in training, A’jay. Her childhood friend who isn’t enrolled but still sits in on classes, Octavio. Marvin clings to Renee's side once he finds out she’s going into generally the same field as he is. A professor who Renee isn’t too fond of but he believes has good intentions, Dr. Nox. 

-Renee even lets Nat meet some of her friends. Elliot, a business owner who is an entrepreneur for the bar and Holo-tech he builds. And a very edgy man who doesn’t say more than two words when the groups meet up. 

-The day of graduation, Renee is getting ready and when she’s holding her cap with hesitation, a hand comes to rest on hers as the cap is taken from her grasp. 

-She doesn’t have to look up to know it's Nat, and even bows her head as Nat begins to pin the cap to Renee's head. 

-The silence is common between them, but once the cap is securely on, she hears Nat giggle. 

-“You look wonderful! I am so proud of you. I just wish we didn’t have to separate so soon.” 

-“We don’t have to separate. We can stay together for as long as you’d like.” Renee stopped realizing what she just said. Her face is red as she looks away, embarrassed. 

-But the same hand grabs her chin and turns Renee’s head back to Nat. 

-“Oh Renee, there’s nothing I’d love more. You’re my best friend. And I’d love for us to always be together.” Nat leans forward and places a small kiss on Renees lips. 

-She simply pulls away and grabs Renee’s hand. “Now come on! we will be late for the procession.’ 

[sweetdejun]

medical!au x dream, sungchan and shotaro

I wrote a medical!au x nct 127 and I was like,,, it only makes sense if I do the rest of the members, too! mark and haechan are going to be in the nct 127 version here. medical!au x wayv’s coming soon!

I feel like renjun is the type to consider something a little more artistic in the medical field, which is why I feel like he’d be an orthotist. he’d design prosthetic limbs in the labs for children, veterans, or adults, and whenever he’d get an order, he’d spend days on it. his friends went out those weekends, but renjun stayed in, his espresso steaming on his work desk and his glasses perched on his nose as he scrolled and edited his prosthetic design. he never made the same one twice. of course, if someone damaged their old one, renjun repaired it instead of creating a whole new one, but these prosthetics were designed for permanent-use. he’d finish off with his signature emblem before giving it one last check then giving it to the hospital.he’d insist the doctors to invite him when they wore it for the first time, just to see the look on their faces and the absolute joy they’d receive from being able to use it for the first time. it’s not a steady job, sure, but it sure as hell is fulfilling and that’s all renjun would ask for.

so I kinda just imagine jeno being a psychiatrist… I imagine him taking notes as he carefully listens to his patients. jeno’s very attentive to detail, and just shortly after his undergrad, he interned with a psychiatrist who helped him learn more about what goes on behind the scenes, and he really impressed the interviewers at his medical school with all that he learned. soon after earning his degree, he went to work for the same psychiatrist that he’d interned with and his patients loved him. the one moment that jeno will never forget is when he had a patient who was battling severe depression. it wasn’t until jeno arrived on their case that they began to show improvement. they smiled for the first time in months, and within a year the patient was miraculously much better. before they left, they thanked and hugged everyone, but jeno received the biggest thanks and the tightest hug. 

okay, the reason I think jaemin would be interested in becoming an orthopedic surgeon ever since he had back problems in high school. he was fascinated by all the cool diagrams of skeletons, and his doctors had explained his injury so well to him, that it inspired him to strive for orthopedics as a specialization. he did really well on his entrance exams, and he managed to come full circle, and become a resident at the hospital he was treated in. as an orthopedic surgeon, jaemin makes sure to inform his patients as much as he can. sometimes, he’ll even call them at odd times to let them know if there are any changes he’s decided to make regarding the surgery, or aftercare, whatever. jaemin’s a trustworthy doctor, and his patients never seem to forget him, even if it’s a while after he’s healed them.

chenle as a medical technologist is a little unexpected. when he hangs around his friends during his free time, and you can hear his laughter down the hallways, you wouldn’t think he’s the guy who is counting blood cells under a microscope. but he’s very detail-oriented, and always impresses his supervisor. it’s also not a job that is as demanding in the knowledge of science, since he really needs to be able to distinguish what is normal over what is not, which he loves. in his free time- which there’s not too much of, but in the rare occurrences he does- he likes to either visit his friends, resident!jisung or physicaltherapist!mark who’s in the next building. another admirable thing he’ll do, though, is he’ll stop at the pediatrics floor and play with the kids that come in for blood transfusions or testing, since he’ll have their blood supply to give to the doctors, or he’s there to collect the samples. and sometimes, a parent will thank him for all his help and he can’t help but blush because, well, it makes him happy to help others.

jisung is totally a resident. no questions, it just makes sense. the fact that he knows people at the hospital was one of the reasons he applied for residency there, because he went to medical school with some of the (now) workers. when he finds out he’s accepted, he’s over the moon. generally hangs around by chenle’s department, where the front office of the hospital is. takes care of checking in patients and directing people to different areas of the hospital, while doing checkups on patients and the other thousand things his seniors assign him. although he enjoys the work he does, he doesn’t know if he wants to specialize or stay as a general physician, which his friends also help him decide down the line. he knows that no matter what, he wants to end up back in this hospital because it's like a second home to him. 

sungchan works as a physician’s assistant. initially also wanted to pursue medicine as a whole but he had this… feeling? that medicine was going to wear him out faster than he wanted to, and he felt that he was the type to burn out easily. not to mention, he also wanted to have free time on the side; conveniently, this job provided him with just what he wanted. the hospital was right outside a neighborhood park that also needed volunteers for coaching little kids. turns out, the way his schedule is at the hospital, he takes the morning shift at the hospital, gets out at 2:30, then stops at his apartment nearby to nap and freshen up before coming to the park and coaching soccer in the evenings. it’s the perfect life for him and hasn’t been happier. 

finally, seeing shotaro as a veterinarian is ideal for him. I mean, have you seen the guy? he’s so gentle and soft, it’s no wonder he’s amazing with animals. he grew up near an animal shelter in japan, where he visited the animals as often as he could. the vet that would visit the shelter often saw him, amused by the way he handled the animals with care. naturally, the vet talked to shotaro about considering veterinary school as a potential career choice, and at first, he didn’t really pay too much attention to the vet’s words. but one day, when one of his favorite pups wasn’t as energetic as she usually was, shotaro took her to the vet’s office, and he learned that the puppy had hyperglycemia. since then, he knew that he never wanted to feel that way again, and persevered to become a vet. now, he lives in korea and runs a clinic there, and that puppy from the clinic? he ended up adopting her and bringing her to korea with him and it’s just the cutest thing.

[schism-au-blog]

Chapter 15: Quenching the Blade

Gold and Peridot finally stopped inspecting the breaking point. “Well, the tech is rudimentary at best, but it’s definitely workable,” Peridot concluded. “The concept is a stroke of genius, though. And you did this all by yourself, now that you have Gold and myself, this should be a breeze!”

“I would be glad to contribute, as well,” said Silver. “I may not know much about science., but I am happy to contribute to the cause.”

“First, now that we have the rest of the planning team back,” said Snowflake. “We were talking about whether we should keep Bismuth a secret for now and have Silver be a spy or if we should be proud and have Bismuth and Silver be fully operational.”

“What do all of you think?” said Peridot. “You seem like you must have been talking for a while.”

“Not really,” said Silver.

“We were analyzing the Breaking Point for a bit,” said Gold.

“But Silver had to tell us the full story of how she got Bismuth from the Crystal Gems.” said Snowflake. “That took a while.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” Gold said. “Still, what were your opinions on the matter?”

“The three of us unanimously decided that having Bismuth be our leader publicly as well as privately would be the best options,” said Snowflake. “But since it was an important discussion we thought we should include you.”

“Hmm I must admit that I think opposite you,” said Peridot. “However, it’s only a slight feeling. I think that Silver and Bismuth’s opinions alone outweigh mine. They are the ones who’d be forced to conceal themselves. I’m just concerned about our lack of information on the Crystal Gems’ activity.”

Silver nodded. “I wish I could ease your concern. However, I must instead worsen it. I do not think I could help much. I know very little about the Crystal Gems’ plans as of now, and it wouldn’t change upon my going back.”

Gold nodded. “I have similar opinions to Peridot. I think that we could gain valuable information from having someone on the inside. But I also think that sacrificing Bismuth as a leader isn’t worth it. We can recruit someone else for that purpose.”

Bismuth smiled. “In all this time, you’ve never asked me if I want to lead.”

“Oh!” said Snowflake, “do you? If not, I can always continue to-”

Bismuth laughed, cutting her off. “Don’t worry, I will. It was just funny. I can see the dedication everyone’s put in, and I’m about ready to show Rose that she’s not the only one who can lead a rebellion. She needs to learn a thing or two about what it takes to win herself a war.”

“How do you feel about her?” Silver asked. “After everything, I mean. Your confrontation sounded intense.”

“It was,” said Bismuth. “I might’ve been a little too intense at the time, but still. She wasn’t listening. Attacking Homeworld head on is the only way to win the war. We can’t continue like this. Homeworld will keep pumping out more and more quartzes, and unless we get rid of ‘em, they’re just going to shatter everyone we care about! If going against Rose is the only way to stand against Homeworld, then that’s what we need to do.”

“Homeworld doesn’t tend to view us as important enough to go on the offence, but I bet the crystal gems will,” said Silver. “It’s counter-intuitive, but I think it may be best to try to go after the Crystal Gems first, unifying us once again, then hitting Homeworld with our new numbers.”

“Wouldn’t attacking the Crystal Gems only divide us even further?” asked Gold.

“We’ve already committed to dividing the rebellion,” said Peridot. “I agree with Silver. Let’s get the competition out of the way.”

“We’re both working for the same goal-” Gold tried.

“No we’re not,” interrupted Bismuth. “They want Homeworld to just give up and leave us be, we want the freedom of all gems. And we’re willing to do whatever it takes to win. They’ll stop halfway.”

“I suppose,” said Gold. “But still, what will attacking them accomplish?”

“I suspect many Crystal Gems who agree with us are staying back out of blind support of Rose,” said Silver, “She’s very charismatic. If we can show them she’s not infallible-”

“-Having Bismuth on our side and free will help immensely. No offence, Snowflake, but you're not exactly the symbol of freedom Rose is.”

“None taken,” said Snowflake. “I’m more than happy to have a replacement.. I may not even have a spot at these meetings once Bis gets herself properly oriented.”

“You’re the best strategist we have!” said Peridot.

“That says more about the quality of our current army than it does me,” said Snowflake. “Besides, Silver here seems to have quite a head on those shoulders.”

“I think we need to try to convince Rose again. I need to. I just- I want to talk to her again,” said Bismuth. “Make sure our damages really are irreparable. If we can patch things up and be a part of the Crystal Gems while still taking a real stand against the elites, that’s the best option. But she won’t let that happen if our last interaction is anything to go by.”

“Yeah, this battle will be hard,” said Snowflake. “These are gems we’ve fought alongside for years. But we have to show them what it means to stand up for what we believe in.”

“I’ll be here, figuring this out,” Peridot said, gesturing to the breaking point. “I don’t think I’ll be much of an asset in battle. We’re not going to be shattering crystal gems, right?”

Bismuth nodded. “Of course. They’re not a part of the system anymore. Besides being our friends, there’s simply no good reason to shatter them, strategically.” 

“If Peridot’s staying here, so should Ashalmalmite and Tiger’s Eye as guards,” said Silver. “It hurts to leave so many of our capable gems behind for our first big battle, but it’s not a good habit to leave our base unattended.”

“And what’s the worst they’ll do, shatter us?” Snowflake joked.

 Gold chuckled. “So the plan is, try to reason with Rose, if she doesn’t listen, fight, and try to lower her legitimacy?”

Bismuth nodded. “That’s the plan so far.”

“How are we going to get Rose to come out for us?” asked Gold.

“Rose is at the front lines at every battle. If we cause enough of a ruckus, she’ll come running.”  Bismuth said. “From there I just need to talk to her.”

“Are eight gems really enough to cause that much of a ruckus?” asked Silver. “Unless they’ve exponentially increased security at the Reef, I think we could get quite a few of our sisters out of there.”

“The problem is getting them ready to fight,” said Gold. “We certainly weren’t when Rainbow carried us out.”

“Right, so recruit, train, fight, talk, fight,?” Snowflake asked.

Peridot nodded. “I suppose so. How long have we been in here now? “

“I don’t know,” Gold admitted. “We spent a while analyzing that weapon, then even longer talking-”

Bismuth opened the door to the forge. “Looks like it’s sunrise already. We can plan our first recruitment mission later. For now, let’s just take a break.”

Snowflake, Silver, Gold, and Peridot all nodded. As they wearily trudged out of the forge, Apatite, Ruby, Emerald, Tiger’s Eye, and a plethora of familiar gems, greeted them. Apatite grinned. “You were taking too long, so we got bored, so we invited some old friends to join the fun.”

“Turns out a good leader makes all the difference,” said Tiger.

“Hey!” Snowflake exclaimed jokingly.

“Are you- all Metallic Gems?” Bismuth asked.

Crazy Lace nodded. “While it was just Snowflake leading in your memory, I wasn’t sure. But now? Hell yeah, I’m a Metallic Gem to my core.”

Bismuth grinned and ran towards her. The familiar gems crowded together for a hug with their long-missed friend, while the new ones stood back, unsure of what to make of the situation.

“By the way, Silver, Rose figured out what you did somehow and apparently you’re on as bad of a side as she’s got; I guess someone can tell gems apart further than just the type? Anyway- if having you spy on them and keeping Bismuth under the table was an option at some point, it isn’t now,” said Emerald. “Anyway, that’s how we managed to convince everyone to come with. They figure if you were able to pull that off, we actually stand a chance."

Silver stuck her hand out to introduce herself to one of the newly-formed quartzes. It was anyone’s guess why the kindergarten was so under-guarded. She hoped the Crystal Gems were distracting them with a battle, and not that it was some trap. She supposed it was too late to worry about that now. “Hello, I’m Silver.”

“Citrine,” she said. “I’m very glad to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well,” said Silver.

“Who thinks they can go into battle?” asked Bismuth. “Uh, stand over to the left. Those of you who aren’t ready yet, go to my right.”

Gold started to go over to the right, but Silver pulled her to the left. “Come on, I know you can fight,” said Silver. “I trained with you like, two months ago. I’m not giving up the opportunity to see how you’ve improved.”

“I’m just- I’m not sure if I’m ready,” Gold protested. “I mean, I wasn’t made for fighting, like them.”

“That’s why it’s so exciting!” said Silver. “Getting to do something beyond intent! Showing the world we can be more!”

Gold couldn’t help but smile at Silver’s sudden burst of enthusiasm. “Okay, but if I get shattered, it’s your fault.”

Silver laughed. “Alright. We’re going to show the world what a pair of Pearls can do!”

Bismuth looked over her field of soldiers, almost all of whom were on the left. “Well, it looks like we have a battle to fight!” she exclaimed. “Listen- we’re not going to be shattering anyone today. The goal of today is to start knocking Rose off that pedestal of hers. We’re going to show the world that we are here, we can survive, and we’re ready to fight for what should be ours. Now, for every quartz, pearl, ruby, every working gem, any gem who’s been made to feel wrong for existing, let us show them that if you want something right, you have to be willing to go all the way!”

“‘Oh I can’t promise inspiring speeches,’” Snowflake mocked. “I may be biased, but that sounds better than anything Rose could give.” A cheer erupted from the crowd. “Which base are we heading for?”

“Silver, do you think you could get us to the base they were keeping me?” Bismuth asked.

“Of course,” said Silver. “It’s not very strategically relevant, but that’s not a big deal if our main goal is to cause a stir.”

Bismuth grinned. “I think we can make that happen.”

Silver, Bismuth, and the entire army warped to the new desert base. Normally, they might try something more discreet, but if they were going for a battle, the Crystal Gems would have to have enough time to get Rose. At last, everyone was gathered at the other end of the warp. “Remember everyone, We stand together, and nobody fights until Rose and I talk, or someone attacks you. We already come off aggressive enough. We don’t need to add to that.” She took a breath. “Ready everyone?” She nodded her head and walked straight forward into the blistering desert. Her army followed. They were sure the Crystal Gems would be ready for them. They were counting on it.

The Crystal Gems had, of course, seen the warp repeatedly going off, and readyed their troops. They were standing in formation, with Rose at the front, Pearl to her right, Garnet to her left. The waiting was unbearable, but not nearly as bad as the upcoming battle.

taglist: @chillchildvibes

[shih-coulda-had-it]

Angst pretty please sorahiko needs a hug

He gets one (1) hug, but more angst. Ft. Recovery Girl’s POV, Gran Torino, a hallucinatory Quirk, and zero closure. But also a hug! He does get hugged.

WC: 1,223

//

Long hours are part of a pro-hero’s job. For Recovery Girl, doubly so. Shuuzenji Chiyo splits her time between U.A., the clinics scattered around Tokyo, and the immediate aftermath of disasters and fights. Point being, she is busy. Her number one priority at the hours reserved for red-eye patrols is to sleep and recharge.

Chiyo does not need to sit in U.A.’s nurse’s office, tensely waiting for Gran Torino to check in.

He doesn’t even work at U.A. anymore! He quit after one year! If only it were those two grievances, then Chiyo could go home and let Torino nurse his wounds at an emergency clinic. But even though he’s no longer a co-worker, Chiyo owes it to Nana to make sure he doesn’t carelessly die in his grief.

He’s stumbled in once or twice, bruised and bloodied. That never used to really happen before. Gran Torino makes it a point to enter and leave fights unscathed; he’s too quick to land a hit on, as most of his students had learned.

Most of the time, though, he’s okay. Bone-tired and thoroughly ungrateful to report to Chiyo as though she’s his handler (bleh), but also��� hollow. Torino won’t talk about what he’s doing on a patrol that’s supposed to be uneventful, and he won’t talk through his emotions either.

Chiyo wishes she could pack him off to a therapist or a counselor. Hell, she might need one herself after this year is done.

She’s sitting at her desk, staring listlessly at a stack of forms needing her signature. They’re permission slips to go back into the field; Chiyo bounces the end of her pen on her fingers, wondering when pro-heroes will learn to take their medical leaves seriously. 

Thud. Her head snaps up, and for a second, Chiyo doesn’t register who’s at the door. She fumbles for her syringe and curses her lack of situational awareness, shit, shouldn’t U.A.’s famed security prevent—

“Shuuzenji,” Torino wheezes.

Oh. Chiyo abruptly stands and crosses the distance, diagnosing as she goes. Torino’s leaning heavily against the doorframe, but he’s not visibly injured. That doesn’t discount internal injuries, but Chiyo knows how ridiculously resilient Gran Torino can be. He’s clutching the side of his head though, fingers digging past hair to the scalp, and it casts his face in shadow.

She freezes in place when there’s a ragged breath, stuttery, like he’s trying to hold back a sob.

“Torino?” she asks, cautious. “Where are you hurt? Can I help you get to a cot?”

He laughs, and it’s terrible. It raises the hairs on the back of Chiyo’s neck; she stops herself from flinching away from the wrecked, scratchy cackle. Torino cuts off mid-laugh. “Sorry,” he says, “sorry, sorry, it’s this stupid, goddamned—no—”

Torino yanks at his handful of hair.

“Okay,” Chiyo says, slow, and telegraphs her move to touch Torino. He lets her take a bit of his weight, and together, they stagger over to the first cot. She sits beside him and ignores how she’s throwing away all pretense of professionalism, gently prodding at his clenched fist until it eases off his hair. “What’s happening?”

“Empathy Quirk,” he answers. “Paired with, with something hallucinatory. Periodic. Breaks with pain.”

“Chemically-induced?” 

“No, it’s one of the bullshit Quirks that defy science. Knock me out.” His fists tremble minutely at his knees, and he won’t look at her. She needs to check for concussion, though, so Chiyo says as much. Torino does not move to take off his domino mask. His frame shudders; his breathing is too regulated, too deliberate.

“Don’t break my wrists,” she warns him, and delicately peels off the silk-composite to reveal—oh. Eyes rimmed red, fixated at the floor. Chiyo sets the mask aside.

“Shuuzenji. Knock me out.”

“Tell me the situation first.”

Torino exhales, sharp, and launches into it. “Villains. They were digging through her apartment. They’re trying to find links to Toshinori.”

Obviously, he’s talking about—

“They took her shape,” Torino snarls, and his hackles rise. “They took Shimura’s shape, and my memories, and they tried to trick me into thinking she needed medical help, and I had to—I can’t break their goddamn illusion, Shuuzenji, I have to leave her behind again—”

His voice breaks. Chiyo tries to formulate a response in those precious few seconds, but she’s so wrong-footed on this subject. She had given up trying to console Sorahiko weeks ago, since he refused to sit still long enough to talk.

“Why isn’t it stopping?” he asks. He sounds so lost. “I hit them hard enough that it should stop.”

“It’s not Nana,” Chiyo says. “You’re not abandoning her.”

“I did!”

The outburst stuns her; both Torino and Yagi had been tight-lipped over the circumstances of Nana’s death. Classified information, even to her doctor. Chiyo struggles to maintain a poker face and in the end, decides to use a tried-and-tested Shimura Nana strategy: she hugs the prickly bastard.

Torino’s inhale stutters; he reflexively loops his arm around her back to stabilize the sudden movement. Hesitantly, his other arm goes up to, until he’s returning the hug.

“I’m not used to it yet. Her being gone. I’m still—I’m still seeing her in my peripherals, when I’m in the air.”

“Then take a break.”

“I can’t.” His breathing is picking up pace again. “I’ve got to protect the kid, make sure he can come back to Japan without getting sniped in the air. He’s got loyalists everywhere, Shuuzenji, the least I can do is make sure they don’t preemptively end the kid’s career. Now please, please, knock me out.”

Chiyo frantically considers her options. The Quirk effect is psychological, not physiological, according to Torino’s observations. The hallucination cuts out with pain. If she puts Torino down with a sedative, he might get locked in a spiraling nightmare, which Chiyo loathes any possibility of. Painkillers are a toss-up.

“What happens at the end of a vision?”

“What? I don’t—I don’t let them play out. I can’t.”

“What happens during,” she presses.

“Shuuzenji, I see Nana, bleeding, reaching out for me, and I know she’s dead and that I’m hallucinating, so I break the vision.” He’s beginning to panic; Chiyo can feel his pulse picking up the pace. “What—what the fuck am I here for if you’re not going to fix me, Recovery Girl?”

“Don’t get snippy with me,” Chiyo snaps. “I’m trying to figure out the best course of action. Do you want to get trapped in the illusion?”

Torino is silent. She’ll take that as an agreement. She takes a deep breath and tightens her grip, trapping him in place.

“I need you to try, at least once, to see it through.”

“No,” he says.

“Gran Torino.”

They struggle silently, locked in a war of willpower that can only be communicated between how tense their frames are. He’ll give in, Chiyo thinks. He’s the combat-oriented pro-hero. If he wanted to get away, he could’ve, which means he (however reluctantly) trusts her solution.

Then Torino stills. He breathes quick, quicker, and butts his forehead against the crook of her neck and shoulder. He curls his fingers into fists. He’s crying. The tears seep into her coat’s collar, a patch of wet heat that blooms bigger and bigger.

“Nana,” he whimpers.

Chiyo closes her eyes, and holds Torino close.

[l0chn3ss]

l0chn3ss update

I feel like the last time I ever really active on tumblr was in the year 2016, so i want to address my absence between 2017-2020. Part of it is because I feel like I owe it to my friends and mutuals who I just basically left on read and another part is because I’ve always treated this blog as a personal blog that documents my life and my growth. I put off writing this for a long time but now that I have a huge paper due, now is definitely the time.

You are welcome to skip but I will address a few hard hitting questions I feel should be answered, especially since I feel like I departed like an anti-hero of a bad tv show.

Where I am currently: I am in grad school to obtain a master’s in library and information science. I have a full time job at different middle school libraries, though I work from home now. I also tutor kids on the side to pay for my tuition because I basically make minimum wage. Quarantine messed with my head at first, but now I’m feeling much better and I’m trying to reconnect with friends and close a lot of loose ends.

TLDR: I took an extended break because tumblr mobile sucks and my laptop needed serious repairs. I made a huge migration away from social media in 2018. I prioritized my education and in-person connections, which fell to shit because of my fandom involvement in the past. I did not like the direction of the main fandom I participated in and knew that many of the people I once respected did not respect me in return/ Us versus them mentality. I recognized that I treated my life on tumblr too seriously and took petty drama personally. I am sporadically on tumblr now because I genuinely enjoy the social connection and because I still like running fandom events.

Yes, you can reblog this. I’d love for this narrative to be heard.

Long version: To preface this, this post is being written to give myself closure and because I really am procrastinating on my final big paper of this semester. I’ll be tackling on the points in the tldr in a longer narrative that will appear to be in an expository fashion, which I recognize will be a source of contention, but my intentions are to throw it onto the table so that I can be freed. I can let it go and move on. I’m no longer a 20 years old who cared too much of what other people think and will think; I think differing perspectives are important and I want to give myself a chance to say my piece. That and I recognize that I lost the audience that I once had, so I doubt this will be an issue at all. It’s been 4 or what ever years, let’s just not.

Back in 2015-2016 there was a huge back and forth between three groups of people in the SE fandom. The reason why I’m not listing out the name is because I don’t want this to show up in the tags. I’d say that the three groups could be seen as quite literally the soma shippers (mostly white, demi sexual girls), lgbt centric bloggers (very kid or star oriented, very fed up with soma), and the people who were deemed as alright to soma shippers (c r ona, ste inm arie, jac k im centric people). There was a constant (and understandable) tension between the first two groups while the third was like the weird cousin that everyone in the social circles liked because they sprinkled in soma for the masses. Don’t argue with me on this-- this was literally how the fandom was in 2015 and you know it.

The main issue was that one group felt that they were being inclusive towards identities and sexualities while the other felt that they were not. I remember that one of the arguments was that soma WAS an LGBT ship because people headcanonned the members to be demisexual. However, the other side of the argument was that it wasn’t good representation of a gay pairing. Now that we can look back at this 5 years later, I have two things to say: 1, I now very much understand why the argument broke out because of how heated the topic is, and I do believe that I lean more towards the “other side” now that I’m not wearing rose tinted glasses, but 2, I need to make it clear that demi people are lgbt, but a headcanon is not fact and ship diversity was the main question at hand, not the ship itself. This argument lasted for weeks, destroyed my friendships, and no matter what I felt I did in the moment (which was to mend the fandom), it was taken as an insult.

(Side note: Somethings that I remember was being in someone’s DM’s to encourage them to participate in the large fandom events more, but once they twisted my intentions and rallied their friends, I became their enemy. I also became the mods’ enemy but then again, when was I not? I was made fun of for saying “queergender,” a term that is now currently being widely used, quite openly by someone I wanted desperately to be friends with. I was outwardly mocked by popular users who only apologized behind closed doors but didn’t bother to clear things up with their followers. Adults who were in their 30s quite literally attacked a 19 year old. It was in that moment that I realized I would never become friends with either side, and not because I didn’t want to.)

I bring this up because as I begun to stop writing soma fics, I also begun to see and understand why people moved away from it. It wasn’t the ship itself, it was the culture surrounding it. However, on tumblr we have the ability to connect intensely with the content we produce. Therefore, the ship itself began to be connected with the shippers and their attitudes towards outside pairings-- that attitude being tied into elitism.

I say this with every ounce of love I can because I once had the exact same mannerism. When you become so tied into one pairing to the point where other ships appear to threaten the existence of it and you react negatively towards it, you become rancid. The popular tag “everything is soma” takes a very dark turn. Even if readers consume another pairing’s work, they will be obliged to say “I ship soma more BUT that was cute.” They will read an entirely different topic and wonder why soma wasn’t inserted into it in the background. They will reject pairings that separate the two as if breaking them up is sin and an insult.

The only reason why I stopped writing my soma fics in 2016 was because I saw a real need to fill in the gaps of other pairings. I took what people were saying to heart and I wanted to change my ways and my perceptions. I saw the animosity of the ship culture and rejected it. I wanted to use what little influence I had to make the fandom just a bit more accepting. In 2016, I don’t think the fandom was ready for it. In 2017, they still weren’t ready for it. In 2020, I see hope, but I wonder sometimes if it’s masqueraded pity because of previous treatment.

In the middle of it all, I went from being the soma angst master to becoming the weird person everyone once knew. I was the friend that people excluded from group chats and I just “wasn’t the same.” Cliques grew extremely large in power in 2017 and exclusion hurt like a bitch.

The straw that broke the camel’s back and completely shut me down was in 2017 when I was graduating as a bachelor. There was a fandom event that I decided to go all in to. For context, there used to be a huge debate on how many times a person should enter in an event, but in my mind, the more exposure the better. My graduation and the event took place at the exact same time, which was cool, but what hurt me was what happened after.

I was lucky enough to be accepted into field school (when you travel to do outdoor excavating) for my major. I’m an anthropologist-- it was an honor. I didn’t plan in advance for it, and if anything, I thought that I would be committed completely to the events and my 5 or what ever entries at the time. I’ve always prided myself in communicating with others, so I made sure to let my partners in the event know what was going on. I was so excited to be going on my first ever excavation and no one at the time said anything otherwise, in fact, they all seemed incredibly supportive. 

What I didn’t know was that I would be called out by name in the event feedback response by one person who felt that I didn’t take the event seriously enough and that I should’ve prioritized my time accordingly. Two of the mods let me know because it referred to me directly, though the name of the submitter was not included. It was not only a slap in the face, but a dumbfound moment that reminded me that wow, fandom content really is someone’s life out there. My enforced silence because of lack of internet in the woods actually upset someone and made them believe that I wronged them, because I put my real life ambitions first before a fandom event.

It was then when I woke up and I remember very clearly thinking to myself: I don’t want to be like them. I don’t want to treat my fandom life seriously. I want to participate in fandom for fun, not out of duty. I don’t want to prioritize this life because in the end, if I am hated for putting my work and education first, then I don’t want it.

(For context, I suspect that it was the same person who made a 200 note call out on me during the fandom tension. I respected this person immensely, but I also treated them like the flawed person I believe everyone is. I’m sure because of this, I’m pretty much trash in their eyes, which is totally fine. They have really cute cats so they can’t be all too bad. Don’t look into it too deeply.)

Once my month long field school was up, I was already used to not being on the internet or any of my social media accounts. I didn’t play my mobile games for a month. I didn’t read the news for a month. It was like going cold turkey on the internet, which reshaped my habits entirely. The only time that I had online within that time span was during the weekend, but I spent my time working on my projects and catching up with friends instead of being on apps.

I was also completely fed up with tumblr’s mobile app at the time, so one by one, I deleted my apps. Good bye to tumblr, snapchat, what little I used of instagram, twitter, everything. The only thing I kept was facebook, which was because it is the main platform that I use to message my boyfriend. That meant that any friends I retained from the fandom (who I still contact now) were also friends who had the chance to add me on facebook.

This was the cause of my 2 or 3 year hiatus on tumblr, and therefore the fandom. I occasionally checked back every 6 months to do a few fandom events, but I have several unopened messages and notifications that I haven’t been able to get to. I open my instagram for a few days once a year, and I only go onto twitter if my friends tell me (through facebook) that they dm’d me a post there.

When I left my online persona behind, I quickly strengthened my in person connections. New drama that erupted every other day became replaced with starbucks and boba runs. Reality TV shows replaced fanfiction. Text messages replaced the tumblr activity feed (which still doesn’t work on mobile BTW). I study at cafes unironically with friends instead of typing alone in my room. Overall, it opened my world considerably.

I still like making fun of myself and I try not to take myself seriously. I still make self depreciative memes to send to friends but then double up with kermit heart pics. I’m still a plot bunny, I still write my fics, I still watch my anime, I still play video games, I still sleep at 4am, I still take my depression medication, I still love potatoes, I still use my voice for people who can’t find theirs yet. But I think I’m in a much healthier mindset now, even if I still make stupid shifty posts calling out bad behavior.

Nowadays, I’m working on my Master’s degree in secret. My parents don’t know about it because my mom doesn’t like that I want to go out and do unladylike things like getting an education. I tutor kiddos and I’m really good with younger children, but I’m not going to do anything with kids because I just don’t want to. Instead, I want to work at an archive or a museum to bring my library interests and my anthropology background together. If I had my dream job, I would be a marine archaeologist; however I love my boyfriend of 8 years whom you probably all remember and I really came to terms with my grandeur dreams. I’m extremely happy with living in a small town with loved ones now, and I don’t need to move somewhere far away from my parents to be content. It’s a huge realization.

From 2018 to 2020 I got into actual drama in person while I was job hunting. Adult people suck and honestly it’s kind of embarrassing how ill equipped some people are. Even so, I currently work in middle schools as a media assistant. One of those realms is the library, and honestly it’s like fulfilling a prophecy. As much as I love the social aspect, public schools are an absolute train wreck.

I’m going to wrap this up now. This post is meant to help me close the past and move forward because the fandom culture feels different now. Things from several years ago don’t need to resurface. I want to enjoy my life fully, and fandom life is one of those aspects that I truly did enjoy. I’m going to keep using my voice and act like a fool, but I’m also not going to be losing sleep because of this. People are going to talk about you no matter what, whether positively or negatively, and it’s important to not take it personally.

Idk, go enjoy yourselves. Do things for yourself. It’s more fun that way.

[gumnut-logic]

We’ll be Home For Christmas 4.4

Title: We’ll be home for Christmas

Day Four – Five Billionaires and No Wives – Part 4 Prologue | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4

Author: Gumnut

23 - 29 Apr 2020

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: The boys can’t fly home for Christmas, so they have to find another way.

Word count: 2999

Spoilers & warnings: language and so, so much fluff. Science!Gordon. Artist!Virgil, Minor various ships, mostly background.

Timeline: Christmas Season 3, I have also kinda ignored the main storyline of Season 3. The boys needed a break, so I gave them one. Post season 3B, before Season 3C cos we haven’t seen it yet.

Author’s note: For @scattergraph​​. This is my 2019 TAG Secret Santa fic :D

I’m nervous about this one. I’m chewing nails. Also it is very late and I haven’t reread it as much as I probably should. Aaaargh! I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Many thanks to @scribbles97​​ and @onereyofstarlight​​ for reading through, fielding my many wibblies with this bit, and for all their wonderful support.

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

The world tipped up and Gordon found himself airborne. It was only lifelong training that saw him in diving form by the time he hit the water.

The various squawks and splashes of tumbled brothers told him that he needed to run more water drills.

Fully dressed, Gordon slid through the water as easily as ever, shedding his momentum and twisting towards the surface. A gasp of air, an image of their upturned boat and a disappearing humpback fluke. He immediately made to locate four brothers.

John appeared first, elegant as ever, but with floppy red hair in his eyes. Scott followed, his expression a mix of worry and anger. A moment later Alan popped up spitting salt water. Of all the brothers, the youngest was the least fish.

There was no sign of Virgil.

Shit.

John was deploying his tablet in seconds. Gordon swam towards the upturned boat, worried that his brother might be trapped under it. “Virgil?”

A deep vibration in the water. Song thrumming from far below.

“She’s surfacing again!” It was Scott, hastily backing away from a shadow rearing up from the depths. Gordon’s eyes widened. Too close. Too close!

But there was no sudden eruption and breach.

The massive whale slowed her approach allowing her head to gently break the surface in an arc.

Virgil lay limp on his belly draped over her rostrum.

Oh, shit.

-o-o-o-

Virgil Tracy was not a fish. He much preferred his feet on dry land. That said, he could swim well. Swimming was great training and an all-over fitness tool. Not to mention that he had to be qualified for underwater rescue as much as his brothers, even if not perhaps as much as Gordon. His brother had taken him down into the depths of the Tracy Island caldera and amongst the amazing wildlife there. He had painted scenes of the coral and the sharks and the fish. He really enjoyed it.

But he was not a natural.

If Gordon had seen how he hit the water with a god-awful slap, he would be training his ass in that caldera for all time to come. The seawater that ended up in his throat and mouth wasn’t much fun either. his orientation was blown for a few crucial moments until he began to sink.

It was then he discovered that his post-operative body did not appreciate the movements required to push himself towards the light now far above. His lungs hated him, desperate to expel the water contaminated air irritating them.

If that wasn’t enough to contend with, the water around him suddenly vibrated with query, with rhythm, with song.

It swamped his senses. The light above dazzled with it. Every muscle in his shoulders and arms desperately tried to climb the water column, but the possibility that this time the strength he so often relied on might not be enough crept into his mind and somewhere deep in his gut true fear began to brew.

Not enough.

A nudge from below, a spike in that intense query and the huge humpback whale came up underneath him. He found himself clinging to her head, soft skin, barnacles and all.

He closed his eyes as her song enveloped him.

-o-o-o-

“Virgil!”

The body under him flinched and he was shaken gently.

It forced his eyes open and sunlight hit his retinas. His lungs noted that he was no longer surrounded by water and promptly puked up what they had been trying to get rid of and Virgil found himself wracked by coughing spasms.

His abdomen decided this wasn’t appreciated in the slightest and yelled at him appropriately.

“Virgil.” Gordon’s voice was much quieter and between coughs he caught a glimpse of his little brother cautiously approaching. A struggle to calm his diaphragm and he caught sight of three more brothers, all with worried eyes.

The mother humpback hummed into his chest and lowered Virgil just a little as if to offer him to Gordon.

The aquanaut slipped alongside and laid a gentle hand on her head, muttering soft words.

She answered with a rumble and a purr.

Virgil found himself smiling with no idea why.

“Virg, you okay?” Gordon reached out and touched his arm.

He grunted. “My appendix hates me.” He let his head drop gently down onto wet and cool skin.

“You don’t have an appendix.”

“That’s probably why it hates me.” His eyes closed. Her voice was so lulling, he could just lose himself in the sound.

“No sleeping on the whale, Virgil. You gonna come down from there?”

He didn’t answer immediately. To be honest he was quite happy exactly where he was. It was odd. It was weird. But he felt perfectly safe lying there, her voice lulling him.

“Virgil, I said no sleeping.” The hand on his arm squeezed.

“Not sleeping.” He wasn’t, really. “Listening.” Feeling. Absorbing. Trying to understand. He hummed deep in his throat, interweaving a harmony with her voice. It was surprisingly comforting.

A click and a groan, the mother tossed her head just slightly, her voice sparking in query again.

Gordon backed off a little. “Virgil, I’d be much more comfortable if you came down from there.”

Virgil let out a breath and his fingers slid over the soft skin cushioning his head. He stroked gently and she rumbled at him.

He hummed in reply.

Her voice wove around his. He half felt, half heard her, rhythm dancing about his body and mind. Rising in crescendo and dipping into depths that spoke of oceans vast and deeper.

It was such a high, such an intricate duet of incomprehensible melody. He sung without thought, giving what little his voice could provide and she compensated, vibrating through him with such an upwelling of astonishment and amazement.

He let go.

-o-o-o-

Scott stared as Virgil lay prone on a whale’s head and crooned some strange song that obviously meant something to him, but nothing to Scott. Every muscle in his body was strung for action, to swim over there and grab Virgil and pull him to safety.

The only thing holding him back was a pair of turquoise eyes.

John had swum over to Scott as Gordon made his way over to Virgil and placed himself in a position to stop Scott from doing exactly what they both knew Scott wanted to do.

“Gordon’s got this.” The words were quiet, barely heard above the lap of water against his collar bone, but they might as well have been a slap in the face.

This was Gordon’s realm, not his. Gordon knew these creatures, he knew the ocean. Gordon would protect Virgil.

Virgil was singing to a whale.

It was ridiculous. It was dangerous. The humpback was many times the size of both his brothers combined and could hurt or injure them at will.

Turquoise continued to stare at him.

Scott let out a non-committal grunt that if examined closer could easily be interpreted as one of distress.

Gordon was talking quietly to the whale, to Virgil, but the engineer was ignoring him as if he was caught in some kind of thrall.

God, he hated this.

Alan swam in closer and Scott was instinctively grateful.

“What’s going on?” His voice was as worried as Scott felt.

Exhaled over the dip and swell of the ocean. “Hell, if I know.”

-o-o-o-

Gordon stared at Virgil as he sang. Deep, ever so deep at the edge of his range, only to spike to a higher register. He lay, eyes closed, on the mother whale’s rostrum, body lax, but diaphragm working hard.

Concerned for his brother’s medical condition, Gordon opened his mouth to interrupt.

A nudge and a cool, wet body came up under his right arm.

He startled and spun. Several gasps from his brothers and Gordon came face to face with the young calf they had saved the day before.

He could feel the vibrations in the water and the echo of Virgil’s odd singing, but amongst it, he also heard the mutter of the little one as she nudged his hand again.

Jaw dropping, Gordon reached out and lay his hand on her rostrum.

She bounced her head lightly, nudging him further and he made his way down her side until he reached her eye. She rumbled at him.

“Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling?” He reached out and gently touched her eye ridge just as he had the day before.

She clicked at him, deepening his touch by leaning into his hand.

A purr vibrated between his fingers.

The purr was echoed by the mother whale and she moved slightly taking Virgil with her.

Hurriedly, Gordon reached over and re-connected with Mamma whale. He ended up with one hand on the calf and one on her mother. “Hey, guys, you’ve got my brother. No running off with him, okay? We kinda need him.”

The calf snorted.

Virgil burst out laughing.

Startled, Gordon looked back at his brother and found him grinning, eyes still closed as if reacting to an unheard joke.

“What are you guys doing to Virgil?” He muttered it, aware of the audience to this little concert. Scott, no doubt was going into meltdown. While Sam was probably foaming at the bit, desperate to jump in the water and join in.

But no one was moving, thank god.

Gordon ran scenarios through his head, listing off everything he knew about these beautiful creatures and attempting to work out what exactly they wanted with his brother. Ultimately trying to work out whether he should intervene or not.

But then the decision was taken from him.

The music stopped. Its absence was abrupt and disturbing. Water and wind dominated the soundscape by themselves for several moments.

Virgil still had his eyes closed, a slight frown on his face.

“Virgil, you with me bro?”

It took a moment and Virgil’s brow crumpled just a touch more. “I’m good.” Barely heard above the water and the calf who started a repetitive click now that Mamma had fallen silent.

Mamma whale clicked back and suddenly turned in the water, her huge body creating a wake of bubbles around Gordon and sweeping him up.

Virgil yelped and fell off her rostrum with an awkward splash.

That was all it took for everything to start moving again. Gordon dove to where his brother had fallen and, with a grab, caught Virgil’s shirt and dragged him back to the surface.

“Virgil? You okay?”

A splutter and a mumbled something followed by yet more coughing was answer enough for Gordon. “Okay, this little sea venture is over, bro. Back onto a boat for you.” He shifted his heavy brother into a rescue hold and began swimming him back to Sam and Mel’s boat.

There was a protest from Virgil, but it was small. It was obvious a lot had been taken out of the man and for once in his life, he relaxed and let Gordon take control.

That was even more disconcerting.

Of course, ‘relaxed’ was the direct opposite of what Scott was feeling at that very moment and he narrowed in on both brothers almost immediately.

“Virgil?”

“Scott, can I get him aboard the boat before you rip his head off?”

That earned Gordon a blue-eyed glare for the record books.

“Hey, he’s half drowned. Give the guy a break. Hell, give me a break, he’s heavy.”

That, of course, prompted Virgil to protest that he could swim himself.

“You, shut up. You want to sing with whales, you’re on my turf, bro. You do what I say.” A snort. “My ocean, my rules.”

Virgil groaned, but he grudgingly relaxed back into Gordon’s hold again.

With another glare at Scott, Gordon resumed swimming towards Sam and Mel.

He wasn’t surprised in the slightest when his brothers followed.

Both Mel and Sam were ready to help him when he made it to the boat. Virgil muttered something about being sick of having to be manhandled in and out of boats, but Gordon ignored him.

He didn’t ignore the groan from his brother as he was dragged into the boat or the fact he curled into a ball the moment he was gently lowered to lie down. Gordon resisted the urge to jump up into the boat with him. Of course, Scott threw himself out of the water and as soon as he possibly could, clambering aboard and kneeling beside Virgil.

Gordon turned back to their upturned boat. Mamma whale and calf were still hovering not far away and he wondered what their intentions were.

Maybe Virgil knew.

The thought was just out there.

Both whales exhaled in a fountain of wet spray.

Gordon blinked saltwater from his eyes. “John, you wanna give me a hand?”

The astronaut was giving Alan a leg up into the boat, but turned and nodded.

A sigh. Turn over the boat, find what luggage they could, get Virgil aboard A Little Lightning…

And go home.

Mamma whale slapped her fluke and a spray of water was carried across them all.

-o-o-o-

Virgil was exhausted and he had no idea why.

Sure, his abdomen hurt, but he was held down by a whole-body lethargy, as if contact with the whales had drained all the energy from his limbs.

“Virgil? You with me?”

The plastic beneath his cheek was cold, wet and smelled of the sea. Scott was a vibrating presence beside him and Virgil knew he had screwed up again. “I’m sorry.” He tried to wrap himself tighter, his arms pulling on each other as if he was cold, even though he wasn’t.

“Are you okay?”

A cough burnt the back of his throat and his voice was hoarse as a result. “’M fine.”

“Bullshit.”

A survival blanket appeared out of nowhere and Scott draped it around Virgil, tucking it into corners. Something soft was placed under his head.

“I’m fine.”

Exasperation. “Okay. Whatever. I’m not, so just lie there for me, please.”

Virgil grunted, but forced his eyes to focus on his brother. Scott’s hair was plastered to his scalp making him look young and vulnerable. His eyebrows were a worried line that crumpled in the centre. His usual blue shirt was plastered to his chest.

Virgil’s eyes closed without permission.

She whispered to him through the bottom of the boat. A soft hum barely felt and he found himself smiling again. His brothers’ voices were a pleasant background concert to her voice and that of her daughter.

He became vaguely aware that Gordon had righted the other boat and was now working out how to retrieve their luggage.

The world faded a moment there.

“Back away, John!” Gordon’s voice was sharp with command and it carried firmly across the water. “She’s moving! Sam, move the boat!”

An outboard engine started up and it jarred him, roaring out the gentle song. He pushed himself up, the survival blanket falling to his waist. “No! No, engine!”

Sam wasn’t Gordon and didn’t automatically obey a Virgil order. The inflatable headed away from Gordon and the other boat.

“Turn off the engine, Sam!” He yelled and his throat complained, but Mel took the cue, her eyes darting between Virgil and Scott.

“Sam, do as he says.”

The man frowned, but the engine died.

The sudden silence was profound.

John climbed out of the water and into the other boat beside Gordon, now several dozen metres in the distance.

Virgil could feel the thrum of the mother whale in the pads of his fingers and the palm of his hand splayed across the plastic bottom of the boat.

But he couldn’t see them anywhere.

He sat up taller. Where were they?

John yelled something and Virgil could see him reach for his comms…

Mother whale broke the surface of the water between the two boats.

At speed.

A good two thirds of her body shot vertically into the air. Virgil’s eyes widened as her size became immediately apparent as the swath of white and grey skin passed above him. For a handful of moments, she loomed over them, her body arching into a graceful arc.

Time hung.

Virgil’s heart missed a beat.

With a sonic yell, she flung herself onto her back, sending half the ocean into the air in her place.

Virgil blinked as water hit his face, the boat was tossed and his brothers were yelling. He blinked again, holding on tight to the seat beside him.

It was a simple goodbye.

He let out a breath as water ran down his face. The ocean calmed; the boat lulled back to the gentle sway of the swell.

The song was fading. They were leaving.

“Virgil?”

Another blink and he attempted to focus on his brother.

A sigh at the concern in those blue eyes. “Please don’t ask me if I’m okay.”

Scott folded down beside him in the cramped space between the seats. His hair was still in his eyes and he looked as bedraggled as Virgil felt. “What do you want me to say?”

“Nothing.” But he let his head drop to Scott’s shoulder. “They’re leaving.”

“How do you know?”

“I don’t know, I just do.” The song had already faded to almost nothing. God, he was tired.

An arm snaked around his back and pulled the blanket up around him again before wrapping around his shoulder as Scott drew him in. “You know what?”

“What?” His eyes were drifting closed again.

“You’re hard work.”

Virgil snorted, the echo of the accusation he had lobbed at his brother only a few days earlier thrown back him.

“Yeah, well, I learnt from the best.”

Scott sighed. “I guess I’ll have to kick your ass later.”

“I’m sure you will.” But his brother only pulled him closer, there may have even been a kiss in his hair.

The lap of water, his brothers’ voices, the rhythm of Scott’s breathing and heartbeat.

Warmth, song and memory.

Virgil drifted off to sleep.

-o-o-o-

End Day Four, Part Four

[saintfms]

            hello  everyone  !  i  originally  wasn’t  going  to  make  the  gif  i  used  for  this  intro  because  it’s  already  midnight  thirty  ,  but  i  went  through  with  it  anyways  .  i’m  bay  ,  and  this  is  my  disaster  of  a  disaster  ,  saint  !  he’s  a  fairly  new  muse  and  i’m  sure  there’s  going  to  be  a  lot  about  him  that  i’ll  develop  as  the  rp  goes  on  ,  but  i  think  i’ll  touch  on  a  good  chunk  of  information  as  well  .  i’m  also  trying  out  a  new  intro  style  compared  to  what  i  used  to  do  ,  so  ....  either  i’m  gonna  come  out  on  top  or  i’m  gonna  be  wearing  a  clown  mask  KNFDHSF  .  if  you’d  like  ,  my  di.scord  is  𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲.#4090  ,  and  enough  of  my  rambling  omg  .  

❛ ✶ ( HWANG HYUNJIN , CIS MALE , HE/HIM ) . who the hell is blasting NO RESCUE NEEDED by DPR LIVE at one in the morning ? nevermind , that’s just SANG-JUN ‘SAINT’ KIM from APARTMENT 1106 . apparently , they are a TWENTY TWO year old YOUTUBER & FASHION STUDENT AT PRATT from ATLANTA, GA , and they’ve been living at the complex for ELEVEN MONTHS . i heard they can be a bit - HEDONISTIC , but they make up for it by being so + VIVACIOUS — which makes sense , considering that they are a ARIES ! when i think of them , i imagine HAPHAZARD STACKS OF TEXTBOOKS ATOP HIS DESK, A PERFECTLY SITUATED RING LIGHT IN THE CORNER OF HIS ROOM, AND PILES OF CLOTHES DESPITE HAVING ‘NOTHING’ TO WEAR . and of course , don’t forget to follow them at ( @SNTKM ) !

NAME  :  kim  sang - jun  .  NICKNAME(S)  :  saint  (  preferred  name  )  .  AGE  :  twenty - two  .  DATE  OF  BIRTH  :  april  10th  ,  1998  .  ASTROLOGICAL  SIGN  :  aries  .  MORAL  ALIGNMENT  :  chaotic  neutral  .  GENDER  +  PRONOUNS  :  cis  male  +  he / him / his  .  PLACE  OF  BIRTH  :  atlanta  ,  georgia  .  CURRENT  LOCATION  :  astoria  ,  queens  ,  new  york  .  SEXUAL  ORIENTATION  :  bisexual  .  ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION  :  biromantic  .  OCCUPATION  :  youtuber  +  fashion  student  at  pratt  institute  .  NATIONALITY  :  korean - american  .  ETHNICITY  :  korean  .  

            you  were  born  into  the  kim  family  as  the  happiest  baby  there  could  be  .  your  mother  had  diamond  tears  staining  her  cheeks  as  she  hugged  you  close  --  it  had  been  her  first  time  having  a  cesarean  ,  but  you  were  healthy  .  your  father  could  tell  that  you  were  when  he  spoke  with  a  slight  shake  to  his  voice  :  ‘  he’s  got  a  pair  of  lungs  on  him  .  ’  and  it  was  true  .  you  screamed  your  little  head  off  ,  but  it  simply  was  because  you  wanted  milk  .  the  family  you  were  born  into  was  one  of  wealth  .  it  was  no  house  full  of  diamonds  and  designer  duds  ,  but  the  home  was  comfortable  .  your  other  brother  ,  jong - hyeon  ,  was  five  at  the  time  and  he  sat  at  the  end  of  the  hospital  bed  propped  up  on  his  knees  and  wondering  when  he  could  hold  ‘  his  baby  ’  .

          life  for  you  is  everything  that  a  child  would  want  :  your  parents  smother  you  with  love  every  single  day  ,  your  brother  plays  with  you  despite  being  older  ,  and  you’ve  got  a  smile  that  brightens  your  eyes  .  your  childhood  comes  stocked  full  of  everything  you  could  ever  want  and  more  ,  but  entering  your  teen  years  comes  with  a  hefty  bump  in  the  road  .  your  interests  are  elsewhere  ,  loving  the  pretty  pieces  that  your  mom  owns  and  wears  whenever  there’s a  dinner  or  gala  to  be  attended  .  you’re  smart  and  creative  ,  but  your  father  is  against  the  idea  .

            your  father  wears  light  blue  scrubs  and a  crisp  white  jacket  with  his  name  embroidered  on  it  everyday  .  his  office  is  hidden  amongst  the  winding  hallways  of  northside  hospital’s  maternity  ward  ,  highly  respected  by  his  peers  and  loved  by  his  patients  .  your  father  has  a  passion  for  what  he  does  ,  and  he  forces  it  upon  you  and  jong - hyeon  with  an  iron  fist  .  he  wants  his  sons  to  follow  his  lead  into  medicine  ,  already  bragging  to  his  colleagues  about  how  his  sons  will  someday  take  over  the  medical  profession  just  like  him  .

            you  had  no  interest  in  medicine    though  .  your  grades  could  speak  for  themselves  ,  but  you  had  a  low  interest  in  the  sciences  despite  your  high  marks  .  you  hated  being  asked  by  the  stuffy  doctors  who  would  come  to  your  house  what  field  you  wanted  to  specialize  in  ,  and  despite  the  laughter  that  erupted  from  them  when  you  said  ‘  none  ’  ,  but  your  father  wasn’t  entertained  .  you  would  sit  on  the  steps  as  your  mother  would  try  to  calm  him  down  ,  and  you’d  hear  that  your  father  would  refer  to  you  as  worthless  ,  dumb  ,  and  an  embarrassment  .  for  years  ,  tears  would  well  up  in  your  eyes  and  you’d  sulk  to  your  bedroom  with  your  head  hung  low  .  the  last  thing  that  you  wanted  was  for  your  father  to  berate  you  for  crying  .  the  pictures  of  your  brother  seem  to  mock  you  as  you  pass  ,  jong - hyeon  forever  immortalized  as  the  son  your  father  always  wanted  .

              you  hope  that  your  mother  would  be  there  for  you  when  your  father  berates  you  ,  but  she  keeps  her  head  down  to  avoid  his  wrath  .  it’s  at  the  tender  age  of  fourteen  that  you  realize  you  have  no  one  on  your  side  .  your  brother  is  gone  ,  fulfilling  your  father’s  wishes  and  adding  his  two  cents  when  your  father  decides  to  be  snarky  at  the  dinner  table  .  you  keep  quiet  at  the  dinner  table  ,  only  answering  when  spoken  to  and  avoiding  the  disappointed  gaze  of  your  father  .  no  matter  how  much  you  seemed  to  disappoint  your  father  ,  you  also  began  to  stop  caring  .  it  was  evident  that  your  parents  didn’t  support  you  the  way  that  they  did  when  you  were  a  child  ,  so  you  decided  to  go  as  far  away  as  you  could  when  applying  for  college  .

            you  were  over  the  moon  when  the  heavy  acceptance  package  from  pratt  institute  showed  up  in  your  mailbox  once  day  after  school  ,  clutching  it  close  to  your  chest  as  you  went  bumbling  into  your  house  .  most  children  aren’t  excited  to  leave  home  ,  but  you’re  in  desperate  need  of  an  escape  .  your  senior  year  of  high  school  can’t  end  fast  enough  ,  and  although  you  can’t  rid  your  father’s  face  of  the  scowl  he  wears  before  it’s  time  to  board  your  plane  ,  you  want  to  believe  that  he’s  proud  of  you  .  you  want  nothing  more  than  for  him  to  love  you  ,  to  be  proud  of  you  ,  but  he  send  you  sends  you  off  with  the  cut  of  the  eye  and  a  suck  of  the  teeth  .

            living  in  new  york  for  two  years  helps  you  to  come  out  from  under  your  father’s  thumb  .  you’re  happy  ,  you  grow  your  hair  out  and  dye  it  blonde  ,  even  starting  a  youtube  channel  that  has  a  slow  start  ,  but  802  thousand  people  want  to  know  what  you  do  in  your  daily  life  .  sadly  ,  you  spend  your  last  summer  at  home  in  the  thick  of  a  heavy  disagreement  with  your  father  and  brother  .  you’re  mocked  for  your  hair  ,  teased  for  the  way  that  you  carry  yourself  ,  your  brother  even  wonders  why  you  even  returned  home  .  every  night  was  filled  with  you  slamming  your  bedroom  door  ,  speaking  to  your  father  in  a  tone  you  swore  you’d  never  use  ,  and  dealing  with  a  heartbreak  you  never  thought  you’d  experience  .

            your  mother  doesn’t  come  to  your  rescue  when  you  need  her  the  most  ,  but  you  can’t  bring  yourself  to  care  .  no  matter  what  happens  ,  you  swear  to  yourself  that  you’ll  never  return  home  .  you  leave  ,  and  thanks  to  the  money  you’ve  been  saving  ,  you  move  into  the  tower  28  apartments  .  you  need  a  roommate  ,  but  you  don’t  really  care  .  somehow  ,  your  mother  convinces  your  father  to  continue  to  pay  for  your  schooling  ,  but  all  you  do  is  send  him  pictures  of  the  cleared  balances  as  a  thank  you  .  

in  terms  of  saint’s  personality  ,  he’s  a  chaotic  boy  with  a  heart  of  gold  .  he  has  mastered  the  art  of  being  fake  --  he  knows  how  to  put  on  a  brave  face  in  public  ,  but  he’s  struggling  when  he’s  alone  .  saint  covers  up  his  insecurities  with  his  youtube  channel  ,  where  he  comes  across  as  your  typical  college  student  living  in  new  york  ,  but  he’s  the  furthest  from  it  .  he  doesn’t  handle  confrontation  well  and  he  hates  the  sound  of  yelling  ,  and  not  the  fun  kind  that  you  might  hear  at  a  party  .  he  has  a  tendency  of  apologizing  sometimes  even  when  something  isn’t  his  fault  by  a  long  shot  ,  but  he’s  also  a  chaotic  mess  at  times  !  he  flirts  like  there’s  nothing  to  it  with  anyone  who  has  a  pair  of  legs  ,  and  he  quite  honestly  might  call  someone  d*ddy  just  because  he  can  ORUEFSDS  .  

i’m  going  to  create  a  tag  of  wanted  connections  that  i’d  love  to  have  for  saint  ,  but  i’m  gonna  do  that  tomorrow  since  i’m  finishing  this  intro  at  nearly  3am  .  outright  though  ,  i  would  love  to  have  :

an  angsty  ex  boyfriend  👀  like  yes  PLEASE  hand  it  over  i  promise  i’ll  make  you  cry  :D

a  best  friend  !  probably  one  of  the  only  people  who  can  see  right  through  his  ‘  i’m  okay  ’  bullshit  

someone  that  tries  to  make  him  workout  but  in  reality  he’s  sitting  and  eating  a  bagel  on  the  weight  bench 

something  soft ?  something  really  sweet  and  enough  to  make  my  freaking  teeth  rot ?  could  either  be  a  boyfriend  or  girlfriend  thing  or  i  don’t  know  something  literally  anything  just  give  me  the  softness  that  i’ve  been  craving  for  my  boy  .

give  me  a  plot  where  they  full  on  hate  each  other  .  no  lingering  feelings  ,  no  soft  moments  –  give  me  a  full  bred  spicy  hate  ship  that  literally  gets  your  blood  pumping  .  it’s  all  i  want  in  life  ,  thank  u  .

SKINNY  LOVE  DO  NOT  PLAY  WITH  ME

i’m  really  feeling  a  one  night  stand  with  some  substance  ? like  yeah  ,  they  have  their  fun  together  but  they  don’t  pretend  to  not  know  each  other  in  public  (  unless  they  have  like  a  fierce  rivalry  going  on  or  something  )  so  they  probs  tend  to  be  a  little  like  confidants  at  times  but  it’s  still  them  having  fun !

[weilongfu]

Wei watches 2gether The Series Ep 1

The episode starts with one of the mains talking about how things come in pairs, like lovers, and his attempts to find a lover have never really worked out, along side a glimpse of all the girls he’s tried to date and it hasn’t worked out. However, he also says he didn’t expect that his next person he dates would be so different from the others. 

It turns out the one talking about not having met the right person yet is Tine. He passed the cheerleader audition. In this scene which is apparently 2 weeks ago in the timeline, Tine is getting fitted for his uniform. Tine gets asked by P’Fang why he wants to be a cheerleader and Tine says it’s because he wants new experiences and to make friends. However, he leers at the female cheerleaders for a bit before answering. He also already has a letter from someone and he hasn’t even performed yet. Okay hot stuff, chill.

Fang leaves after telling him they’ll go eat lunch another day with the other people that share student codes (Fang and Tine share student codes). Tine loudly announces he’ll open the letter. The letter reads that the admirer has been watching Tine since the Freshman Orientation and they have something to tell him. They want to meet at the football field. 

Tine goes and sees a girl on a phone there, but it isn’t her that wrote the letter. She calls him a pervert and leaves. It turns out a boy named Green wrote it. Green is from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. He offers Tine a box of chocolates and Tine takes it. Green then confesses and Tine is shocked. (Tine is in the Faculty of Law.)

Later, one of Tine’s friends, Fong, teases Tine and says he’s finally found the right one. Tine asks Fong if he wants to die. Another friend, Ohm, asks if Tine has anything against gays (he uses the word tootsies) and Tine says of course he doesn’t. He had lots of tootsie and gay friends back in high school. However, Tine says that just because he was friends with them, doesn’t mean he wants to date them. Ohm tells Tine to tell Green that and Tine says he already did. But Green is determined to change Tine’s mind. All of Tine’s friends decide to support Green’s attempts to date Tine. #TeamGreen

Tine calls his friend Phuak an asshole and says that he’s worried. Phuak is played by the same actor that played Rain in DBK (yes I’m late to the party, I know). In the end, Fong tells Tine to relax and just not pay attention to Green because he’ll back off eventually. Also why does Ohm’s actor remind me of the guy who played Non in DBK? OKAY I LOOKED IT UP AND APPARENTLY THEY’RE TWINS? Wow, I knew my eyes weren’t seeing things.

The next morning, Green comes to pick up Tine on his scooter from his dorm. Tine fakes Green out and runs away though. He runs to his friends and Phuak guesses that Tine saw Green that morning. Tine fills in the rest of the story but then wonders how Phuak knows. Phuak says it’s because he sees a guy coming towards him right now and it turns out to be Green with a drink, Blue Hawaii which is Tine’s favorite. 

In the bathroom, the bidet hose isn’t working and a hand comes from under the stall to give him some toilet paper. Tine opens it and sees it says, “Love Tine.” Green then speaks out and asks if Tine needs anything else and offers his heart. (Wow, Green is really determined to give it the old college try as they say in the US.) Tine cringes.

At last, Tine explodes around his friends saying that he can’t take it anymore. Fong reminds Tine that he said Green was no joke and Tine asks his friends to help get rid of Green. Ohm and Phuak suggest playing hardball which dissolves into silliness. 

Later, Tine has apparently asked Green to walk with him and Green is pleased, but wonders why in a hallway. Tine gives an excuse about how beautiful it is but Green claims to not see it. The rest of the gang show up and pretend to be gangsters who threaten them because they’re in “love.” Tine says they should do it and get away. Instead, Green offers to deal with the guys and beats them all up and chases them off. Tine asks if he’s Green or John Wick. Green says says he’s taken a few boxing classes and Tine says it’s definitely not a few. Green fusses over Tine for the rest of the time and drives him back to his dorm. 

Green asks if Tine wants him to stay with him tonight and Tine adamantly refuses, but Green offers his help and to be available no matter what for the rest of the night. He goes so far as to promise to stay at a nearby hotel just in case. After Green drives away, Tine’s friends come out of the dorm and ask how he’s doing and Tine says he’s not fine because he was left alone with Green. Phuak asks how they could have stayed given Green’s fighting back. Phuak says they need help and Tine asks if they need a bigger bunch of guys but Ohm says they need someone to date Tine. Tine complains that there are no hot girls in their faculty (so I guess they’re all Law students). Phuak suggests the girl in the dorm that asked for Tine’s LINE ID. Tine complains that she’s not hot and that he has to maintain his chic guy image. 

Fong complains that Tine is being too picky. He just needs to find a hot girl willing to help him. Tine says he knows a pretty girl that might be single but Tine had already dumped her. Tine tries to get her to agree and she asks what she will get. Tine jokes and say she wants “anything” (she was the girl in the first few minutes that said she would eat “anything” and then refused a litany of dishes). Instead she lists off several expensive brands and wants a bag from one of them. Tine ends up agreeing to buy her one and asks her to meet him at the Freshie Night party.

That night, Tine waits and Green comes up to him, asking if he’s been waiting long and if he felt lonely. Tine says he wasn’t lonely because he wasn’t alone. Green asks what he means and the girl Tine asked for help comes up to be with him, Noonmin. Tine then introduces her as a girlfriend and tells Green to stop pursuing him. Green says okay and walks away. Noonmin asks if that was too harsh. Tine feels bad and finds Green crying and apologizes and explains himself. But it turns out Green already knew that Noonmin is dating his friend. Green was also crying just because Tine tried to lie to get him to go away. However, his coming to comfort Green was also taken by Green as making it a test and Green decides to like Tine even more. 

Apparently, Tine had asked what will happen if the fake date doesn’t work. His friends have a plan B which is to... drug Green so he falls asleep and Tine can run away. Okay, that’s way too mean and dubious. I don’t support this plan. His friends promise to take care of the rest and Tine asks if they’re serious. 

Back in the present, Tine decides to use the drug and asks if Green is thirsty and offers to get Green a drink. Green is confused, but continues playing the game to knock down cans. Tine looks at all the drinks offered and reads their names. He decides on Elephant Power Black Tea and gets two glasses drugs one. He tries to remember which one he drugged as Green comes up to ask what’s taking so long. Tine says he just got Green a drink and tells him which one he picked. Green is pleased about it. However, Tine seems to have forgotten which one is drugged. Green takes the one that isn’t drugged and ends up telling Tine that they should go see the band. As they wait, Green yawns and Tine feels successful, but then Green explains that he had stayed up late watching dramas. Tine double checks that this is the case and then looks at his drink and laughs before becoming drowsy. Green catches him in time as the band comes on stage. 

The band is called Sssss and even though he’s drowsy, Tine realizes they’re playing his favorite song called “Together.” At some point, Green lets go of Tine and Tine falls asleep on the floor. 

The next morning his friends are around him in his dorm, having managed to rescue him. They say he’s lucky that Green was distracted. Tine says the fake date didn’t work and Ohm says he should find a fake boyfriend. Ohm suggests the guitarist for Ssss, who was only a substitution last night. However, he’s getting lots of messages and many people are interested in him. Tine asks how they can ask for his help. Ohm says he’s the god of social media and will find it, but the problem is will Tine do it. 

Later, they find out that he has no social media. Tine says the Cute Boy page also hasn’t yielded anything. Ohm tells them that the Cute Boy page won’t help. They need to look at the Delicious Boy page. Ohm points out they’ve already found something. The guitarist’s name is Sarawat and he’s from the Faculty of Political Science and an IR major. Phuk says it’s a weird name and Fong tells Tine he can’t just rush in because he doesn’t know what kind of guy he is.

Ohm says he found a video someone got of Sarawat. In it, someone offers him snacks and Sarawat says he doesn’t like snacks. They ask what does he like and Sarawat says he doesn’t. They ask to clarify if he doesn’t like anything and Sarawat says he doesn’t like it when people buy him snacks. His friends then take the snacks (played by Mike who was Bone in ToL and Gunsmile who was Prem in SOTUS). Tine asks how hot Sarawat thinks he is to act that way and his friends tease him for thinking he’s just as hot.

Ohm finds another video of people asking for a photo. His friend tells him to do it and instead of taking a picture WITH the girls, Sarawat takes a picture OF the girls. Tine says that Sarawat is not only antisocial but a jerk. 

Ohm then finds Sarawat’s schedule and the guys realize he’s about to get out of class. They go to see Sarawat and find a line of girls waiting. Ohm then loudly says that he finds out the schedule is fake and that Sarawat is at the main building. All the girls hear Tine along with the girls run to find Sarawat. Which leads to the opening scene of everyone running.

Tine manages to catch up with Sarawat and wants to talk to him, but Sarawat turns away. Tine calls him an asshole which gets his attention and Tine is told to hurry up because he’s in a rush. He struggles for words, and Sarawat tells him that if he keeps looking at him like that, he will “kiss him until he drops.” He then says Tine is annoying and walks away. Sarawat’s friends follow shortly. All the girls are also confused. 

Later, Tine is pissed off about the way Sarawat talked to him. Fong tells Tine to stop being pissed and just find someone else. Tine refuses, saying that the harder it is, the more he wants it. He asks if there’s any other info, but Phuk says Sarawat is too private. And not even the Cute Boy page is helping. Ohm reveals that Sarawat’s fans created a secret group chat just to share stories and news about Sarawat called Team Sarawat’s Wives. They also just found his email. Tine complains about that, but Fong tells him he can either wait for Sarawat at his faculty or email him, but it won’t be easy to find him. Tine decides to email him. 

Tine’s email introduces himself and reminds Sarawat of what he said when he introduced himself. He then asks to meet with Sarawat before sending the email and dozing off. There’s a sudden knock at his door and Tine opens it to see Sarawat. Tine asks why he’s there and Sarawat says Tine emailed him and asked to meet anywhere. (Okay, but how did he know that was Tine’s dorm?)

Sarawat then pushes Tine back onto a table. And Tine asks what he’s doing. Sarawat says he’s helping and asks if he wants it now or later. Tine covers Sarawat’s mouth before it gets any closer and says he didn’t mean that kind of help. He starts to clarify and then Sarawat pushes forward anyway. But suddenly, Sarawat is replaced by Green and Tine is almost kissed by Green before he jumps awake. Tine breathes heavily as he recovers from his dream

A moment later, Sarawat emails Tine back saying that he can’t believe someone just emailed him asking for sex. He then curses Tine off. Tine is also pissed off and decides to say that they should let the games begin. 

Later, Tine asks Ohm to help him find Sarawat’s car, but finds out the car he spotted is a professor’s car. He then sees Sarawat driving away and follows him on a bike. He begins shouting at Sarawat through the open window in the car. He continues to ask to talk and Sarawat says he doesn’t talk to strangers. Tine says they aren’t strangers and reminds Sarawat that he said he’d kiss Tine until he dropped. Tine then asks to talk for just a few minutes. Sarawat refuses to talk for any amount of time except for 10 seconds, but Tine fails to make his plea. 

Tine thinks about how he’s had to follow Sarawat to talk to him and been unsuccessful as he attempts to stop his bike. Tine apparently passed out and Green has found him and revived him. Green says that if it wasn’t for him, Tine would be dead. As Green turns to put his stuff away, Tine runs away. He manages to run into Fang who says she’s going to the same-coded dinner. Tine decides to go to get away Green. 

At the dinner, the freshman are asked to cutely introduce themselves I guess, based on what the girl that goes first does. However, Tine then sees Sarawat and his friends walking in, but gets stopped by Fang to introduce himself like the previous girl did. Tine is stuck and decides to try, but he gets heckled for not being very energetic by Sarawat’s friends. Tine then introduces himself with more energy, but some of the things he says are... interesting. “My name is Tine. I’m a cute freshman. My friends call me Mr. Chic. I can be top but bottom is also fine. I like to strike hard. Ooh! Ahh! Ooh! Ahh!” Everyone cheers him after that but he seems to blush after. More interestingly, Sarawat seems to have laughed.

Tine finds Sarawat in the bathroom and asks why he laughed and if he has a problem with the way he introduced himself. Sarawat just shrugs and says it’s cute before wiping his hand on Tine’s head. Tine snatches Sarawat’s phone to try and get his number. Sarawat tries to get it back, but the phone is knocked out of Tine’s hand and broken. Tine even accidentally steps on part of it, but he promises to get it repaired. Sarawat snatches Tine’s phone and says that once his gets repaired, Tine can have his back. Tine asks why can’t Sarawat trust him, but Sarawat just curses, scoffs, and then leaves. Tine is left wondering how much the repair will cost him.

Later, Tine’s friends say that he finally got Sarawat’s number and Tine tells them the situation, asking if it’s worth it. His friends offer some advice and Tine realizes he can look through Sarawat’s phone for blackmail material. Ohm asks if Tine is worried that Sarawat can get into his phone, and Tine says he’s sure Sarawat will never be able to unlock it. But at that moment, he notices there’s a problem on his Facebook with lots of notifications happening. Turns out Sarawat got into his Facebook and made posts. 

This first episode has left me feeling a bit... lukewarm? There’s nothing that immediately grabs me and makes me feel invested, but that could also just be post UWMA fatigue. IDK. I’ll see how I feel after the second episode.

[afraschatz]

Leverage - The Gone Fishin’ Job

The Gone Fishin’ Job aka Hardison and Eliot go on a date. So, here are a couple of things I love about this episode. I love...

 ... Eliot, angry right off the bat. Ah, I love you, man.

... Eliot and his close relationship to the ice pack - and the fact that, once again, we have this little “there are jobs in between the eps that we don’t get to see” notion here

...Parker’s outfit and her obsession with pinatas. WHAT HAPPENED IN JUAREZ??? I need to know! Did Eliot get into a fight with drug dealers smuggling their shit in pinatas? Did he get beaten up by a bunch of kids at a birthday bash with pinata that got out of hand??

... Hardison’s brief, Eliot instantly connecting all the dots, Parker busy eviscerating her latest victim <3

.. everyone’s fond amusement with Parker

... ‘That’s - me and Hardison, we got the bank!’ ‘We’re doing what now?’ - A DATE, HARDISON, IT’S A DATE!

... Beth being not entirely capable of holding in her amusement at Eliot’s resolution to the pinata story :D, Nate is slightly bemused, and Sophie? Shrugs it off. Cold, Sophie, cold.

... cut to the next scene that starts with... Eliot being angry. No, wait, that is glee. So hard to tell them apart sometimes

... grumpy!Hardison with his awesome fancy crowshirt

... ‘That thing had a beak, man!’

... ‘What’s that smell?’ - ‘It’s fresh air.’ - ‘I don’t like it.’

... Eliot getting in character in the five feet it takes him from the door to asking his question

... Eliot and Hardison profile shot. So pretty.

... Sophie’s accent of the week

...the solution for the supposed IRS audit being... killing the two IRS agents. Wow.

... Sophie helping herself to a drink

... ‘How did you know that? Do you know when I’m gonna die?’ - And Parker’s SMILE

... Hardison not being down with the prospect of a bait shop date, but DEFINITELY not down with random!thug INTERRUPTING his bait shop date. The nerve!

... the fact that we don’t even see the little red dots being pointed at Eliot (because we all know that guns can’t stop Eliot), in fact they don’t even register with ELIOT. Just the two right over Hardison’s heart.

... Hardison being low-key scared in the van. Even though Eliot is there. I so love that about him, that yes, of course he has all the trust in the world in Eliot, but he is also right in the middle of being kidnapped by crazies with guns. Of course he is scared.

...how BROWN the entire episode is, ha. I mean out in the woods, in constant rain, sure, but oh God, that fitness studio is so hideous.

... trainer!Parker

... Nate’s obnoxious accent

... Nate’s HUGE slurpie

... Nate’s flat cap. Wear that more often, Nate

... the money laundering con. I mean, I AM kind of sad that we didn’t get the whole fitness studio lark as the A-story in a separate episode because that would have been SO AWESOME (basically, I just want to see the entire team in leg warmers). But the con itself is so simple, so sleek, and just the perfect backdrop for the woodland date

... Eliot’s lowkey boredom in his “Your enemy?” response to the mini evil speech of evil

... the dynamic between Eliot and Hardison in that scene is SO interesting. Obviously, while the main militia guy Chester is talking, Eliot takes in everything going on around them, and obviously, he didn’t react to Hardison getting punched because there’d have been no point to it at that time. And obviously, he won’t let the henchman bring him to his knees because he can’t fight as well when kneeling down. But up until that point, he hasn’t done anything. What’s the plan here? And the plan, on the fly, comes from Hardison. And Eliot? Trusts him to know what he’s doing and plays along.

... “Menthol lights?” (cocky!Hardison is not only hilarious and hot both, but also the perfect distraction)

... why exactly were they standing ready with two bloodhounds? That militia has its priorities straight...

... Parker deleting all the outstanding debts. Thank you, Parker.

... that 360 shot of Hardison and Eliot in the woods? Such a thing of beauty.

... rock, paper, scissors in a perilous situation.

... secret room behind a bookshelf. Seriously, those militia dudes.

... Parker pretty much solving the case all on her own while everyone else is fooling around.

...I am not sure what turns me on more, Nate’s Latin skills or Nate’s random vexillology prowess

... how absolutely disgusted Nate and Sophie are by the evil speech of evil whilst having to agree with Whitman

... Nate asking Parker whether she heard anything from the boys. Cause that’s who I’d ask

... Eliot rubbing Hardison with leaves like he was some piece of juicy meat

.. GANGRENE, MAN, GANGRENE

...Hardison totally knowing what Eliot would like at Mama Creole’s Fish Shack. And being an incredibly cheap date. 5.99. Seriously.

... Eliot having a LOT of patience with Hardison’s griping. Possibly because it’s entertaining. Possibly because it’s hot. Possibly because that’s how he deals with his fear. Possibly because Eliot has a lot of patience with whatever Hardison decides to do.

...Hardison and the white guilt. Eliot and his eyerolling.

... Damnit, Hardison! Damnit, Eliot!

... a bit more Eliot history. Why did you log a dead body cuffed to you around, Eliot, huh?

... “Outta my way you old bat!” WTF what kind of desktop IS that?!

... Parker’s FACE

... how exactly DID they get up that tree...

... Nate and Sophie and Parker stealing a train. - Yet another episode I want by the way. Sort of Murder on the Orient Express like. The good version with Albert Finney.

... Parker being so computer savvy

... ‘on my celly’ hahaha Nate

... Nate’s and Sophie’s elaborate lies in contrast to Parker’s gruff ‘Rocks, yeah, big rocks!’

... that wide shot next to the railroad track. SO PRETTY

... ‘Go down.’ ‘I’m not saying it like that, man.’ (We all know he constantly is.)

... how dare you interrupt our fake relationship handcuff fight, random militia dude!

... Hardison just letting his wrist/arm go limp so Eliot can punch the guy. SO IN SYNC

... smugness that’s being answered with... two boots in the face.

... the conversation as the train passes. Hardison has caught on to the bomb making (not his usual field of expertise) and alerting Eliot. Eliot pretending he doesn’t understand. Because his first priority is to get Hardison to safety. Hardison insisting. Eliot giving in and explaining. Hardison AND Eliot making that decision. - That scene is SO great because there is so much going on there. We get a lot of exposition on the bomb. We get a train in the background, reminding us visually how close they are to safety. We get Hardison’s nobleness and Eliot’s priorities. We get how they communicate and understand each other. Aaaah, I love it so much.

... Parker and Nate being overheard. Now, you could call that a bit of lazy storytelling, but I don’t mind it here. They are worried about the boys, that excuses it. And Sophie, as always, realizes straight away the change in Whitman and makes an escape.

...I mean, I do love your MacGyver approach in the woods, guys, and a bit of woodworking is good for the soul and Eliot doesn’t like guns, but... you maybe could’ve taken the semi-automatic from the smug dude?

... Parker’s elevator skills

... Nate’s firealarm solution. So simple.

... ‘Oh, I have fear, and doubts, and very serious regrets. I should be fine.’

... Eliot randomly hanging from a tree

... ‘Science. It works.’

... seriously, it’s bugging me every time I watch this episode - that bank looks SO similar to the one they have been taken hostage in before...

... Nate’s gravelly five star general voice over the radio

... Parker’s crazy driving

... a conveniently identical briefcase in the boot :)

... ‘Eliot, I stole you a train. Have a little faith.’ (I love it when Nate is that kind of off-handedly arrogant. Seems very natural for him.)

...Sophie’s accent and the chewing gum

... Parker copying Sophie

... Parker nudging Sophie’s shoulder (just like Nate did with Eliot and Eliot with Hardison a minute earlier - and of course Sophie is the one to get a bruise)

... two sided-gloat

... Parker’s hat

... Hardison having gone to town on his fishing shopping spree. There are two seats, an umbrella, a cooler, a whole crate full of tack, two fizzy drinks for him and beer for Eliot, a thermos bottle, and, of course, Hardison’s Wellies that have never (nor will ever) see any mud

.. Eliot’s dejected ‘It’s not the same’ and Kane’s almost-breaking-into-a-grin. I feel you, man.

 Oh, I love this show.

[northernstories]

Meet Heather Isaacson, a education specialist graduate student and speech, language, hearing sciences professor from Marquette, Michigan. Heather is the outstanding graduating graduate student in the School of Education, Leadership and Public Service. We asked Heather a few questions about her NMU experience: 

Why did you decide to come to NMU?  

Heather: Ultimately, my choice was due to the fact that I wanted to be a part of the Education Specialist program. Enrollment in the program would allow me to meet my aspirations of enhancing my values as an educator and allow me to become a leader in education. Obtaining the Northern Michigan University Education Specialist degree is also the stepping-stone, which allowed me to become part of the Western Michigan University – Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D. program.

Most importantly, I believe I can always make improvements in myself. By engaging in the NMU Educational Specialist program, I set a goal and attained the ultimate outcome. This program has provided me with an opportunity to improve my educational tactics and content. Like students at all levels of education, my goal is and will continue to be to improve while having a positive impact on others.

What's an example of a cool, interesting or helpful thing that you have done as a part of your major?

Heather: As part of my leadership development, I was the lead Speech-Language Pathology Supervisor for a two-week program based in the Central American country of Belize. The make-up of my team was another certified Speech-Language Pathologist and undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in speech-language pathology (speech therapy), audiology or a related field. This is an ideal program for students who are interested in taking advantage of learning from professional American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) accredited speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and Therapy Abroad staff in order to learn more about this remarkable field of study. Students gained hands-on experience rarely found in the classroom, professional observation hours, one-on-one time with SLPs and other professionals, intercultural exchange, a better understanding of global issues, and a chance to help children with special needs and their families.

Belize is well known for its beaches, eco-lodges, and jungles rich with Mayan ruins. Belize is also the only Central American country with English as its official language, which made it the perfect place to dive into an overseas learning adventure in communication disorders. Students on this program had the opportunity to snorkel turquoise waters, go cave tubing & zip lining through tropical forest, explore coastal villages, and Mayan ruins, and indulge in mouth-watering local cuisine. Belize is a tropical paradise steeped in history, mythology and beauty. Students on this program had the opportunity to experience a little of everything that Belize has to offer. In addition, students worked with schools and other community partners to help Belize meet a huge demand for speech and language services.

My team worked with government organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private clinics and charitable organizations to bring services to children throughout the country. Focusing on grassroots community based outreach, students worked directly with ASHA licensed SLPs and other professionals including physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs), social workers (SWs) and medical doctors (MDs) in small groups, and learned about speech & language disorders, feeding, swallowing disorders, behavior modification, disabilities, and special needs in multicultural environments with speakers of English as a second language. Working directly with school aged children, students gained invaluable hands-on experience through fun play based activities. Students also observed evaluations, conducted field based speech & language screens, developed and implemented intervention plans and learned through planned discussions.

The goals and priorities of this program were determined by working directly with the government, local communities, schools, NGOs, charities, and hospitals. Therapy Abroad students and staff provided essential services such as speech & language screenings, evaluations, and intervention. Students and staff will also take part in a communications learning camp for children with special needs designed around skill-based stations (learning centers)-speaking/listening/learning/ sensory/fine & gross motor skills. Each day students had group discussion as well as one on one time with SLPs and other professionals. As part of the collaboration with local organizations, students also took part in home-based field visits. This was an incredibly unique, culturally rich and important part of the learning experience for all of the students. I visited children and adults with special needs in their own homes, as part of a small interdisciplinary team consisting of SLPs, social workers and medical doctors. My team  worked with children and parents focusing on speech & language, swallowing disorders and special education. My team learned, observed, and shared ideas and worked on developing critical observation skills in a home environment. Time was also set aside to learn new concepts, practice skills and learn about Belizean culture and history. In addition, my team gained hands-on and observational experience while working in a variety of settings, leadership experience as well as insight and discussion on applying to graduate schools and career opportunities as an SLP. Many aspects of the program were inherently spontaneous and based on the individual skills, background and interest of the students, creating what is believed to be the best type of deep learning experience.

What are you involved with on campus?

Heather: I hold a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Speech-Language Pathology degree and the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association. I have experienced a variety of clinical settings as a speech-language pathologist, which include the hospital, rehabilitation center, school, and long-term care settings from 2005 to 2012. Since 2012, I have taught full-time at NMU. I am entering my 8th year teaching at Northern. My clinical work has focused on a wide range of speech, language and swallowing disorders with special interests in the areas of traumatic brain injury and dysphagia. As a professor and supervisor in the NMU Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences program, I adopt different roles as needed – teacher, consultant, counselor, evaluator.

Outside of school, what do you enjoy?  

Heather: First, I am a mother of three wonderful children – this is not a hobby but takes up a majority of my time when I am not at work. However, I am incredible juggler ☺ meaning that I can juggle every aspect of my life from being a mother, a teacher, a CEO of my home and family to every other thing in between. On a serious note, I love fitness and leading a healthy life style. I also love to read when I have the opportunity – some of my most recent books that I have read include, Love Anthony, Inside O’Brien’s, The Great Alone, and Magic Hour. I also love traveling.

Outside of the classroom, I enjoy spending time with my husband, Tom and three children, Lyla (10), Elyise (8), and Oscar (5). Their big personalities are so fun and different; it has been an adventure to watch them grow. My biggest desire is to help foster their own interests. They are interested in travelling so they have been on a few excursions. This summer we traveled to Italy and each one of us loved the experience and will be returning very soon! I also traveled to Belize as part of a program called Therapy Abroad during which I supervised undergraduate students. Students gained hands-on experience rarely found in the classroom, professional observation hours, one-on-one time with SLPs and other professionals, intercultural exchange, a better understanding of global issues, and a chance to help children with special needs and their families.

What does “be Northern” mean to you?

Heather: “be Northern” means to exhibit stoic determination:

Courage – to manage fear of failure

Conscientiousness – focus on being achievement-oriented

Endurance – to follow through on long-term goals

Resilience – to maintain optimism, confidence, and creativity

Excellence – focus to seek excellence not perfection

What are your hopes or plans after graduation?

Heather: After graduation, I will be pursuing my PhD through Western Michigan University’s Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Program. Through this program I will be furthering my career as a researcher, higher education faculty, and become a leader of interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving. This program focuses on improving health and human services in all areas of society.

[for-all-mankind]

Japanese Billionaire purchases SpaceX colonial ship for circumlunar art project. (September 16, 2018)

Two years after the company announced that a private individual bought a Crew Dragon flight to the moon, SpaceX founder and chief designer Elon Musk revealed their identity Monday night, September 16. In a press conference held at the company’s Hawthorne, California headquarters, surrounded by newly-constructed Falcon 9 rockets, Musk announced that 42-year old Japanese Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa bought an entire BFR spaceship for a circumlunar mission slated to launch no earlier than 2023.

Maezawa - a 42-year old art collector and founder of Japan’s largest online fashion retail site - booked the flight as part of his #dearMoon project, which was also revealed at Monday night’s conference. “Ever since I was a kid, I have loved the moon. Just staring at the moon filled my imagination. It's always there and has continued to inspire humanity. That is why I could not pass up this opportunity to see the moon up-close.”

#dearMoon

However, Maezawa does not plan on travelling to cislunar space alone - he intends on taking up to eight artists on a trip that aims to “inspire the dreamers in all of us.”

“What if Picasso had gone to the moon, or Andy Warhol, or Michael Jackson, or John Lennon, or Coco Chanel. There are so many artists with us today that I wish would create amazing works of art for humankind, for children of the next generation. And I wish very much that such artists could go to space, and see the moon up close and the Earth in full view and create works that reflect their experience.

#dearMoon aims to send up to eight artists as Maezawa’s guests on a six-day voyage around the moon. “These artists will be asked to create something after their return to Earth and these masterpieces will inspire the dreamer within all of us” Maezawa stated.

The billionaire entrepreneur had not decided on the specific amount of artists or the fields they will represent, but an accompanying promotional video for the project stated that they will “represent Earth” from various fields. These could include “painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, film directors, fashion designers, architects, etc.”

Maezawa’s inspiration for the project stemmed from imagining his favourite painter - Jean-Michel Basquait, and the works he could have created had he seen the Moon up close. Referencing pop culture and music references ranging from Beethoven to Van Gogh and the Beetles, Maezawa stated that the moon has inspired countless works throughout the ages. “And with utmost love and respect for the moon, our planet's constant partner, I named this project #dearMoon.” This will not be the first time that prominent Earth artists have come together to create lunar-inspired artwork. Although the artists themselves never left the planet, miniature facsimile copies of works created by Andy Warhol, Forrest Myers, Robert Rauschenberg and others were secretly installed by a Grumman employee on the Apollo 12 lunar module in 1969. The ‘Moon Museum’ - a ceramic wafter less than an inch in size hidden under the gold foil of the Lunar Module’s descent stage - was not disclosed publicly until the mission was already returning to the Earth following their lunar landing.

From the Earth to the Moon.

According to graphics presented at the press conference, Maezawa’s flight would last just under six days from launch to landing. The Big Falcon Spaceship would fly on a “free-return” trajectory around the moon, a flight profile which craft loop around the moon without entering orbit and return to Earth. Lunar gravity would maneuver the spacecraft in such a way that additional course corrections would not be necessary, providing the safest flight profile for a flyby. Apollo 13 flew a modified free-return trajectory following the explosion of an oxygen tank aboard the spacecraft in April, 1970. According to a SpaceX tweet late Monday evening, the company is expecting the BFS to fly as close as 125 miles to the Lunar surface.

During a question and answer session immediately following the announcement, Elon Musk stated that the projected 2023 launch date is not set in stone. “This is a ridiculously big rocket. It's got so much advanced technology. It's not 100% certain that we succeed in getting this to flight.” By comparison, the inaugural flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket was slated for late mid-2014 before slipping to the right nearly four years to February 2018.

Monday’s announcement also confirmed that Maezawa initially intended to perform the mission on the company’s Crew Dragon vehicle atop a Falcon Heavy rocket. SpaceX announced in February, 2017 that an unnamed individual paid a deposit for the flight, which was initially scheduled to launch in late 2018.

Immediately following Falcon Heavy’s test flight in February, 2018, SpaceX stated that the rocket was no longer being human-rated, putting the future of the mission in doubt until last week. Musk stated Monday that after modifying the capsule for deep space flight and circumlunar operations, there would only have been enough room for Maezawa and one additional person, not enough to fulfill the host’s desire for a variety of artists.

“If in doubt, go with Tintin.”

Monday’s announcement also presented the third variation of Musk’s Big Falcon Rocket since it was announced at the 2016 IAC in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The recent modifications reflect additional design work by the SpaceX teams to make the spaceship more aerodynamically stable during atmospheric landings and surface operations.

Whereas the previous versions of the Big Falcon Spaceship resembled a cylinder with two small delta wings, the new design features three equally-sized wings equidistant around the vehicles aft section. Two of the wings would be actuated control surfaces that would change orientation during various parts of planetary atmospheric entry. The third, according to Musk “is just a leg...it doesn’t serve any aerodynamic purpose.”

Two smaller fins near the nose of the ship actuate in tandem with the larger fins for further stability.

The design resembles the interplanetary ships of mid 20th-century science fiction, including the rocket from Belgian cartoonist Herge’s famous Tintin series. Musk even stated during the conference that he wanted to bias the BFR design towards the famous cartoon ship: “I love the Tintin rocket design. If in doubt, go with Tintin.”

Although Musk declined to comment on the amount of Maezawa’s deposit for the BFR circumlunar flight, he did state that “it will have a material effect on paying for the development” of the BFR system. Currently, only around 5% of SpaceX resources are spent on BFR, though Musk expects that to “change quite significantly in the years to come.”

He reiterated that the company’s top priorities are still NASA missions to the space station and commercial launches using the smaller Falcon 9 vehicle. The final major version of that rocket, the Block 5, made its first flight earlier in 2018. Once Crew Dragon flights begin on a regular basis - Musk did not state a specific time but likely to be in early 2019 - the company will shift their engineering talent more fully towards BFR. Musk also showed images of the BFR test article, including a cylindrical segment constructed at the company’s recently-purchased facility at the Port of Los Angeles. Watch the introductory video for #dearMoon below. Click here for a replay of SpaceX’s press conference introducing Maezawa and #dearMoon

P/c: SpaceX/#dearMoon

[douxreviews]

Cloak & Dagger - ‘Shadow Selves’ Review

"What if I just want to hurt people?"

Well, this one certain gives us a few things to unpack.

Cloak and Dagger catches up with some supporting characters, while bringing us up to speed on what Mayhem has been up to since last season's finale. Oh, and gives us a mediation on the essential nature of self, as you do.

The 'shadow self,' according to Jungian philosophy, are those parts of one's personality that you reject or choose to not know about. That's a horrific oversimplification, and I apologize to any psychology students who might be reading this. It's not really my field. I had to google just to confirm that much.

Most obviously this is a reference to Brigid and Mayhem, implying that Mayhem is that shadow self that Brigid has always had inside of her, neatly separated off into its own body. I believe there was a Star Trek episode where something similar happened to Kirk, but it was a little less... let's be polite and say 'nuanced,' than what we get here.

Actually, the Star Trek comparison is useful here, particularly when compared to the explanation that Mina gives us in this episode. Since I'm going to actually talk about it, I've felt obligated to look up what it was called, and it's 'The Enemy Within,' for anyone wondering who didn't already know. Additional apologies to Star Trek fans for the oversimplification I'm about to launch into. Fans of both Jung and original series Trek, please contact me directly and I'll send you an apology fruit basket or something.

In 'Enemy Within,' Kirk is split into 'good Kirk' and 'evil Kirk,' and the point is very much that even good people have bad stuff in them and it's a character study of who Kirk is as a complete character. That being the purpose of the experiment, one Kirk is very definitely 'good,' and the other definitely 'evil.' In 'Shadow Selves,' Mina describes the process that's been splitting her test mice into two, and therefore by proxy what's happened to Brigid, as resulting in one version of the self with no activity in the brain's rage center, and the other version having activity only in the rage center. Your basic Hulk scenario.

But neither of those descriptions fit what we actually see of Mayhem's character this week.

Mayhem isn't full of rage, particularly. She's task-oriented and happy to kill people she views as 'bad,' but that's not at all the same thing. If anything, Mayhem is a much better cop than Brigid. Sure, her first instinct is to track down and kill her other half, but she gets distracted almost immediately by wanting revenge on the guy she was already looking to get revenge on before the personality split, and then never shows an inclination to kill Brigid again, despite the half a dozen times this episode alone in which she could have done so.

Great job to the showrunners for the Mayhem backstory we get tonight, and the way it pulls a lot of the pieces of this season's plot together. Mayhem starts with wanting revenge on Connors, isn't able to find him, and then decides that since she wants to kill people anyway she should focus on finding bad people to kill, becoming Dexter with Day-glo fingernail polish. Plus, she's clearly capable of being thoughtful and kind, as shown in her comment about Ty being her friend. It was nice that Delgado gives her the advice that pushes her in the direction of punishing the guilty, by the way. Put a pin in Delgado, we'll circle back to him in a minute, but there's one last point about Mayhem that I want to touch on before we move on.

This show is one of the rare examples in which every single change they've made to the source material has made the show stronger. The exception, as I've said before, being not having Ty stutter, but that's more of a practical consideration, so we'll let that slide. In the comics, Mayhem is essentially what you'd get if Toxic Avenger and the Punisher made a beautiful love child, but having Mayhem and Brigid be two separate beings who share Brigid's memories and thought processes was a brilliant move and is really paying off for them. The way that Mayhem clearly wants Tandy to side with her and be her partner on the investigation is just one aspect of the overall impression that what Mayhem really wants is to prove that she's better than Brigid, and that's fascinating. I can't wait to see where this is going.

But Brigid isn't the only one whose darker side has come to the fore here, and now we get back to Formerly-Father Delgado. Wow, was I not prepared for how dark they went with Delgado. I questioned last season why they threw in such a randomly dark note as the reveal that Delgado had killed a kid while driving drunk, but now I think they were just preparing us for this next stage in his character development. I don't have a ton to say about drunk street preaching nihilist Delgado except that I'm impressed that they went there, and it was nicely handled how he factored into Mayhem's evolution from seeking vengeance to becoming an actually effective rescuer of human trafficking victims. That was not where I saw any of that going.

And last but not least, Ty and Tandy continue their promised power-up. Tandy's ball of light which lit up the whole warehouse was cool looking, but my inner fangirl nearly passed out with joy when Ty finally unveiled his full body of darkness effect and then we got to witness firsthand someone inside the dark realm of his cloak being tormented by visions. Now all I need to die happy is for Tandy to ride 'inside' him to crime scenes and leap out throwing light knives.

Bits and Pieces:

-- The debate between Ty and Tandy as to whether they should just step back and let Mayhem kill the human traffickers had valid points all around. Generally speaking, I'd put myself on team 'yes, please murder the human traffickers' but Ty's concerns about the victims being collateral damage was fair. That said, I did not feel bad when Mayhem ran that one over with a truck.

-- Mayhem climbed out of the lake 242 days earlier, so Evita's statement last week that it had been eight months was more or less on the nose.

-- The extremely mini story-arc of Dale, the skeezy desk clerk at the transient hotel, was a thing of beauty. From creeping on Mayhem, to backing away, to the obedient puddle he'd become by the time Brigid came to find the hotel was just perfection. This show really does understated very well.

-- Haven't we all wanted to beat up a refrigerator?

-- Oh Mina Hess, I'm so glad that you're OK. Mina has apparently now added microbiolical bio-chemistry and behavioral research fellow to her already impressive track list of Structural Engineer, Thermodynamics expert, plumber, renewable energy expert, and about twelve other unrelated specialties. At this point I think it's best to view Mina like Reed Richards, i.e. all purpose science-y person who knows all the science-y stuff when it's needed. Plus just maybe she'll encourage a few more girls to pursue STEM careers, and that's a good enough goal in its own right.

-- Today I learned that SRO stands for 'single room occupancy,' a type of hotel that in a less dignified age I would have referred to as a flophouse.

-- Tandy mentions in passing that she and Mina have kept in touch. I feel like we were cheated out of a few highly entertaining explanation scenes.

-- Special shout out to Emma Lahana for the physical work she's doing to differentiate Brigid and Mayhem. Mayhem moves in a very distinctive shoulder forward way, which is very different from how Brigid walks. It's a nice, subtle detail, and should be praised.

-- Apparently I was overcomplicating the kidnapped girl plot last week. They seem to just be human traffickers who panicked and let Mikayla go because Ty had suddenly appeared in their ambulance so they had to cover their tracks. I kind of appreciate the show letting me work that out for myself.

-- 'The Glitter Gutter' is a great name for a strip club.

Quotes:

Mina: "Don’t worry, these cosmetics were tested on humans."

Brigid: "She’s not me." Tandy: "She’s got your face and she’s got your badge."

Dale: "No one went in your room. I didn’t mean to make eye contact, I’m sorry."

Tandy: "What is this?" Brigid: "This is Mayhem."

Mayhem: "And in another lifetime, Ty was a friend. At least he was to me, I don’t know if he’d say the same."

Tandy: "Hey Ty, look. Ya got a deranged map twin."

Mayhem: "You don’t get to play the victim. (Slashes his throat) Well, now I suppose you can."

Fuchs: "Who’s up for Awkward reunion pancakes?"

Lots of good stuff here, with only a couple of awkward plot contrivances to really criticize. For example, it's a little hard to swallow that Brigid being pulled from the lake would make breaking citywide news under those circumstances. Still, if that's the show's biggest sin, my shadow self is happy.

Three and a half out of four shadow dimensions.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Grace Williams was 9 when her dad learned he had Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists don’t yet know what causes this incurable brain condition, which makes people more confused and forgetful. By age 12, Williams had become her father’s main caregiver. She spent hours in hospitals with him and saw how he struggled to get good care and information about his disease.

Grace Williams has worked with the Alzheimer’s Association as an advocate for people with the disease. She has helped to change laws in Louisiana to better protect these patients and their families. CREDIT: Courtesy of G. Williams

“I was in a part of Louisiana that didn’t have the best healthcare system,” she says. His sickness “devastated” the family. While dealing with her father’s disease, Williams found her future. She says the experience “sparked my interest to find out more about how the brain works, how the body works.” She became determined to help others so they wouldn’t have to go through the same ordeal.

Williams, though, had to overcome many hurdles before she could achieve her dream of being a biomedical engineer. Her career in STEM — which stands for science, technology, engineering and math — involves designing medical devices, tests and tools for patients.

Her family was poor and Williams had to stay in Louisiana to help take care of her dad. She was the only student of color in her honors program in high school, and one of only three women in her honors engineering program in college. She heard comments that questioned whether she, as a black woman, should even be in the program.

Then in graduate school, she came across a new type of discrimination. An older student told her that LGBTQ+ students shouldn’t be trained in the same place as other students. (LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. The “+” sign refers to people with sexual or gender identities who don’t fit in the other categories.) That older student said he would refuse to train or work with LGBTQ+ students if he found out about them.

Williams is bisexual and was only out to her friends at the time. (“Out” means being open and honest about your sexual orientation, or who you’re attracted to.) That older student’s comments left her hurt and discouraged.

Unfortunately, Williams’ experience is not uncommon. LGBTQ+ individuals experience discrimination in many areas of life. And that includes in STEM.

Bryce Hughes is an assistant professor of education at Montana State University in Bozeman. He is studying why some LGBTQ+ students decide to quit their STEM careers. Students can get discouraged if other people exclude them or question why they’re in STEM, he’s found. “It’s usually a factor that we don’t think about with majority students — this idea of, ‘Do I belong?’”

In a 2018 study in Science Advances, Hughes found that students who identify as sexual minorities (LGBQ) were less likely than straight students to make it to the fourth year of a STEM program. For every 100 straight college students who made it, in fact, only 90 LGBQ students did.

Why? Feeling alone, unwelcome or unsupported may be one reason. Another, he says, may be due to gender stereotypes. These are beliefs about how men and women should dress or act. Many people view gay and bisexual men as more feminine than straight men. Because of that, some people may discourage them from working in fields seen as more masculine, such as engineering.

But to help solve some of our biggest problems, the world needs the best and brightest people — regardless of their gender identities or presentation, he and other experts say. If some of these people quit because they feel excluded or are told they don’t belong, science and engineering will never benefit from their talents.

“For LGBTQ kids who want to pursue these paths, I think it’s important for them to realize that we’re trying to make it better,” Hughes says. “Shouldn’t everybody be able to do science if that’s something they’re good at and it’s something they want to do?”

[thearrangment-phff]

LXXI.

March 2019

“I know you don’t want to do this but Olympia and Gaelle resigned their position and Charlotte passed away... it’s time you find replacements for them,” spoke Christine.

“It’s too soon.”

“Belle I am the only one left. You need to replace at least Olympia and Gaelle and we can wait to find a replacement for Charlotte.”

Isabella hesitated, “Countess Antonia Holstein til Ledreborg and Princess Sophie of Hohenberg.”

“I will contact them as soon as possible but do you have backups in case they reject the position,” said Christine.

“No backups. It’s them or no one.”

“I’ll go call them up.”

Harry watched as Isabella attempted to play with her sons but the young woman had barely enough energy to get herself out of bed. Isabella had forsaken many engagements and even missed the 50th anniversary of the Prince of Wales investiture. Though she had a legitimate excuse, the Grand ducal family gathered in St. Michael church in Luxembourg City for a mass on the death of Alix, Princess of Ligne. Princess Alix had been her great-aunt and the Prince of Wales and the Queen understood Isabella had to process with death in February.

By the time the Commonwealth service came around Isabella had mustered enough energy to make it through the service then the other engagements that followed.

“I am very proud of you today,” said Harry.

“Why is that?” asked Isabella.

“Because you were able to get through this whole day and not go back to your room. It was a big accomplishment.”

“I guess.”

“I arranged for us to go to Austria to visit the jeweler and then to go to Switzerland to see Charlotte’s jewelry,” explained Harry.

“Thank you for making the arrangements.”

“It was more Christine’s doing since she spoke German. My French is not as strong as I think it is.”

Isabella asked him about his day in French. Harry answered in simple sentences so Isabella decided to make things more complicated for him. The conversation got longer and complex and Harry struggled to keep up. He forgot certain words and his articulation got bad at his sentences continued on.

“You have gotten better but you still sound too English,” said Isabella.

“Your accent seems to only have gotten thicker the longer I’ve known you,” fought back Harry.

“Something has to remind the people that I am a foreigner in this country.”

“Is that the image your team has been going for? The foreign Duchess of Sussex?” asked Harry.

“Being an immigrant is nothing to be ashamed of, whether it be voluntary or involuntary migration everyone has a right to be who they are and live where they want or need to. Although I have an advantage more than others because I am a white woman and was a Catholic for a time.”

“Sometimes the things that come out of your mouth cease to... I don’t even know what to say. I mean it, I forget who you are before this arrangement and I shouldn’t. You are an amazing woman, and everyone else should recognize that more. Including me,” added Harry.

“Thank you but I’m not that amazing. There are actually amazing people who have come as far as I did and have had much larger and longer obstacles in life. They are the real amazing people.”

“Even humble.”

“Not humble, just aware of my privilege in life and what I can do to even the playing field for the descendants of the people my family murdered and displaced,” replied Isabella.

-----

On March 15, 2019, two white supremacists murdered dozens of Muslims in New Zealand in a coordinated terrorist attack. When Isabella heard of these massacres, she thought she needed to do more than release a statement. Very few times had royals gone to places like that, and paid their respects. Isabella immediately flew to New Zealand wearing a hijab to stand in solidarity with the Muslim population of New Zealand and of the Commonwealth.

While her act of solidarity was met with some praise, there was intense backlash saying Isabella was accepting of terrorism and the Muslim Brotherhood. She ignored the articles and the ugly slurs being yelled at her during her stay in New Zealand and when she went back to London after the bombing. She cared for the murdered people, the ones in the past, present, and the future who would fall victim to Islamophobia across the world.

Isabella even talked to people in private in Arabic which of course surprised a lot of people. She had been taking lessons every once in a while, and while her Arabic wasn’t always the right dialect and she mispronounced some things, the gesture was what made people care. Isabella cared for a majority of people no matter their religion, skin color, or sexual orientation. She had learned that history repeats itself, and she was going to make sure the atrocities her family committed over the centuries would not happen again.

She hugged and talked with family members of the victim alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. When Mangu-Kaha –Black Power- performed a Haka to honor those who had fallen, Isabella was moved to tears. Then school children performed an improvised Haka, Isabella watched in tears students mourning in the most beautiful way. In a moment of caring for nothing else more than the people in front of her and she had consoled a weeping woman.

“You were very brave to come at a time like this,” complimented the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

“Not brave, not at all. They are the ones who are brave,” replied Isabella.

“Most royals just write a paragraph on how sorry they are and yet you flew on a plane halfway across the world. Why?”

“When I was younger, I finally understood what my name meant. I was named after my ancestor Queen Isabel of Castile but more importantly, I was a Habsburg. There was pride, but shame quickly followed. My family murdered and displaced hundreds of millions of people since the beginning of time. I thought that I should help people listen to the voices of those who were silenced by my family,” explained Isabella.

“So guilt is what drives you?”

“Justice. I use my privilege to uplift others. It is the least I could do especially when I benefit from the system that is designed to keep others down.”

“You speak like a politician,” smiled the Prime Minister.

“I have a bachelor’s degree in political science with a master’s in global affairs from Yale University. I worked for the United Nations before my marriage. I am much more than a Duke’s wife.”

“I am no longer accepting the thing I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept,” quoted the Prime Minister.

“I wrote one of my papers for grad school on her book Women, Culture & Politics. My professor wasn’t too pleased with my political views. Or the simple fact that I acknowledged oppression.”

“I would have never guessed you are into reading Davis.”

“You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it unless you see yourself as belonging to it and responsible for changing it,” quoted Isabella.

“I’ll be honest with you; I don’t know who that is from.”

“Raya Dunayevskaya, a former secretary of Trotsky and Marxist feminist. I did my thesis on the correlation of American women with a lot of help from her book Rosa Luxemburg, Women's Liberation, and Marx's Philosophy of Revolution.”

“I would love to read it someday. It’s quite fascinating that... well, you seem to be a socialist.”

“I married into the British Royal Family, politically I am nothing. I am a tool to be used and push aside when need be,” smiled Isabella.

“You really are a politician at heart.”

“I am simply a product of my heart’s desire.”

“I will be going to the homes of the families who lost someone. I would like you to join me. I will also be going to pray with them and I think they would appreciate knowing you are there and you care.”

“I would never reject such an offer,” replied Isabella.

“I know that I have called for New Zealand independence in the past and while I still believe in what I said, but if there were more people like you then perhaps the world wouldn’t be the way it is.”

“Thank you but you and I both know that I am a hypocrite in that area. I don’t practice what I preach or else I would have simply lived as Isabella von Habsburg until the day I died not married into the British monarchy.”

-----

A couple of days after the New Zealand terrorist attack, Isabella traveled in Madrid, Spain for the opening of the 28th Harvard World Model United Nations. She smiled for the cameras and talked in Spanish for a majority of her time in Spain earning respect from a great number of people. She even joked around with some of the participating schools when she went around asking them questions.

Meanwhile, William had gone to New Zealand to pay his respects but the situation wasn’t the same. He wasn’t met with the same respect that Isabella had received. When the members of the United Nations applauded Isabella’s grief and need to help but Williams’s visit was intentionally left out of their comments. Isabella’s had slowly been taking over international engagements that were usurping William’s will to show he would be a good future king.

But there was also a sense of betrayal. Isabella’s former ladies-in-waiting Countess Olympia was engaged to Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoleon. While Isabella was well aware of their long relationship, the simple fact that Olympia refused to tell her was a devastating blow to Isabella. She had assumed their friendship had made them closer but it didn’t. She smiled for the cameras in Spain even as she felt deceived. 

“Your Royal Highness, where did you go to college?”

“Yale University,” answered Isabella, earning some unique responses.

“Did you apply to Harvard?” asked another student.

“No I did not. Yale and Georgetown University were the only American universities that I applied to.”

“What did you major in?”

“Political Science with a concentration in history for my Bachelor’s degree then Global Affairs for my masters,” answered Isabella.

“Do you ever want to get your doctorates?”

“Not at the moment and in all honesty, I never really thought about getting my doctorates, getting my masters was more of a whim than anything else, but I do not regret it.”

-----

“You have a plane to catch for the Special Olympics. Tessy and Paul Louis are also attending,” spoke Christine.

“Paul Louis? Why on earth is he going?”

“On behalf of the Luxembourg family. He is going to be taking over some foreign engagements that no one else can make it to,” answered Christine.

“Does this mean he will be taking on more engagements in Luxembourg too?”

“Well with Guillaume, Stephanie, Alexandra, Louis, Felix, and Claire living abroad. It was said that Paul Louis, Leopold, and Charlotte will be taking over some things for them.”

“You don’t think that they are preparing them for something bigger, right?” asked Isabella.

“I don’t know where you are getting at.”

“I... never mind. It doesn’t make sense,” Ignored Isabella.

“How would you like for us to go about these next couple of days considering the closing ceremony is soon?” asked Christine.

“Tell Emily that I want to be with my cousin as much as possible and never to put me with Tessy. I don’t have the energy to be nice to her right now.”

“You still haven’t forgiven her have you?”

“No! Nor will I ever! Louis can act all nice but I can’t. It was one thing to tell Louis to stop doing what he loves, then she convinces him to move to London which he hates, and then she asks for money in the divorce knowing full well the people of Luxembourg are the ones who will be forced to pay for her income. If she cared for Luxembourg or her sons then she would give Louis custody and let them live in Luxembourg!” ranted Isabella.

“I’ll be sure to relay the message to Emily.”

Isabella had to fly to the United Arab Emirates and when she got off the plain she was met with dozens of photographers and her younger cousin, Prince Paul Louis of Nassau.

“I’ve missed you!” smiled Isabella.

“I can barely hug you Belle,” laughed Paul Louis.

“Well I am 7 months pregnant.”

“Come on, we have so much to talk about. We’re meeting with the Luxembourgish and Belgian teams later. I wanted to have time with you first.”

Isabella hugged her cousin again before walking to a car close by. Paul Louis opened the car door for her and Isabella heard the screams of the photographers around her. The two enjoyed a quiet lunch before heading to continue working.

“How is everything been going? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” started Isabella.

“Fine. Uni is going great and when I have time, uncle Henri asked me to things like this. I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to come here,” answered Paul Louis.

“I was with Elisabeth a couple months ago in Wales she told me something interesting things.”

“I was hoping you weren’t going to bring that up,” laughed Paul Louis.

“Well I am. Explain.”

“I am... sort of dating Zita. Nothing too serious and your... Charlotte of Murat she told me that is was better if I break up with Zita and ask Elisabeth on a date.”

“Did she tell you why?” asked Isabella.

“Not really, she told me that you were in London, Guillaume and Felix had Luxembourg, and we should follow in your footsteps. It was all very weird and she didn’t seem to be making sense half the time.”

“Marriage,” whispered Isabella.

“Marriage? I am barely 20, I’m not going to get married.”

Isabella was worried Paul Louis would talk about her arrangement to others, “No, no, I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about my marriage.”

“Charlotte still wasn’t making any sense.”

“I think what Charlotte was saying... marry someone who isn’t like you. Marry someone for love who brings you out your comfort zone and brings you happiness,” added Isabella.

“That doesn’t sound like Charlotte, but I guess.”

“What about uni? How is that going?” asked Isabella, trying to change the subject.

“I was thinking about going to the states in the fall just to try it out. Alexandre, you remember him, he goes to USC and he’ll help me get settled over there,” explained Paul Louis.

“California? Why not Georgetown or Yale?” asked Isabella.

“I don’t think I could get into either of those,” laughed Paul Louis.

“I didn’t either and I did.”

“Yes but you are you. I remember how you were trying to get those perfect grades and I’m okay with what I’m doing right now,” fought Paul Louis.

“Okay. If you ever need help, I hope you know you can call me up. I still have some friends in the states that will be more than happy to help you too.”

-----

One of the larger events of the month was Rise Stand Speak Up. Isabella’s aun, Maria Teresa, The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, had helped create the international conference committed to ending sexual violence in fragile environments was initiated by the Grand Duchess together with the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation and We are NOT Weapons of War (WWoW), supported by the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society and the Luxembourg Government.

The whole of the Luxembourg Grand Ducal Family attended the conference and attended forums on behalf of the Grand Ducal Family. Isabella and her cousins supported their aunt and the women who were apart of the panel. The stories from people all over the world had brought Isabella to tears, but also reminded her why she wanted to help people in the first place.

Isabella talked with her aunt about how she started the panel and conference. She spoke with her cousins and decided they should work together on a project. Isabella had ideas but her pregnancy would cause some delay in anything she wanted to do.

------

April 2019

“No one really warned me about pushing a child out of my sensitive bits,” argued Luisa Maria.

“Trust me, I understand more than anyone,” laughed Isabella.

“And the blood! There’s so much blood! Why is there so much blood?!” yelled Luisa in disbelief.

“I think they don’t tell you about all the weird things about being pregnant so you can have more children.”

“And the stitching! So many stitches I rather risk my organs falling out of my body,” yelled Luisa.

“Careful. Get too angry you might pee yourself a little bit,” warned Isabella.

“We passed that a long time ago. Also, everyone jokes about peeing themselves a little bit, but no one ever tells you it is more than just a little bit.”

“We can talk about this forever Luisa. You haven’t even told us the name of the baby!”

“This beautiful, most amazing baby in the world-” started Alexander, Isabella’s brother.

“Is Baudouin Carl Henri Philippe Jean Christoph of Austria,” finished Maria Luisa.

“Also 11th in line to the Belgian throne,” added Yolande, Isabella and Alexander’s grandmother who had been staying away from Luisa in fear of overcrowding the new mother.

“Yes he is in the line of succession but Baudouin is too far done anyways.”

“Does it ever come up that half of everyone in line to the Belgian throne is a Habsburg? It has to bother someone, right?” asked Isabella.

“If it does then no one can say anything now. I was born a Habsburg, I married and Habsburg and my children will be Habsburgs... oh god, that sort of sounds disgusting, doesn’t it?” asked Luisa at the end.

“Normal for us, but probably incestuous for others,” replied Isabella.

Luisa had laughed a bit, “Do you think uncle Baudouin would happy that I named my first born after him?” asked Luisa.

“Of course he would. He loved you all very much and would be honored,” scolded Yolande from the corner of the room.

Hours passed and one by one everyone left the room. Marie Astrid had pulled aside Isabella and Harry with just a touch on their shoulders.

“Mama, what’s wrong?”

“It’s your grandfather. He’s been sick the past couple of days. Your uncle Henri has some doctors at Berg saying it’s a minor cold and it will pass but at his age, I am worried Belle!” explained Marie Astrid.

“Is there something I can do?”

“I’ll be going to Luxembourg after Luisa is okay. I need you to be on call Belle.”

“Mama I give birth next month!” argued Isabella.

“That’s still enough time between now and then!”

“Are you hiding something? You wouldn't worry me like this is if was not serious,” wondered Isabella.

“You are the only grandchild far away. I want to you to be with your grandfather god forbid if he passes soon.”

“Louis is London with me and Alexandra is in Edinburgh... they’re in Luxembourg aren’t they?”

“For some engagements, that’s all,” answered Marie Astrid.

“Please give me a number of 1 being not serious to 10 which is basically dying,” begged Isabella.

“I couldn’t give you a number even if I wanted too. Your uncles gave me vague details with clean instructions to be in Luxembourg after the birth of Alexander and Luisa’s child.”

“Please keep me updated because I don't know if I can go to Luxembourg at all until after the birth of this little one.”

“Of course Belle,” smiled Marie Astrid.