#I got a C in biochem

[thelastspeecher]

so the biggest thing in this whole fructose malabsorption thing I've been diagnosed with and trying to figure out is the fructose to glucose ratio in foods. apparently, when glucose is consumed at the same time as fructose, it increases fructose absorption. so total fructose content, while important, isn't as important as making sure more glucose is consumed than fructose.

which means.

that fucking BRUSSELS sprouts, the vegetable notorious for being bitter and gross, are on the list of things I have to be careful with, bc while they have negligible sugar, that sugar very slightly is more fructose than glucose.

[thatbitchery]

& remember the first sign of a loser loser loser loser is hating school. Yall should've unfollowed me 2023 this year I'm laying it on you as is.

If you're not in some sort of murder level clas enroll right now. & it has to be so hard it feels like a death sentence

Ladies any form of "escape the matrix" and "you don't need school" & whatever school hating content out there is level down programming meant to keep you stuck and weak. School is the closest imitation to real life you get so dropping a class because it's too hard is your sign to tie yourself to your moms basement and never leave because you sure as heaven not making it in corporate, business, friendships, relationships, and, God Forbid, parenting. You Manifest a future as a stone because that's the most you can do with that mentality. Dropping out because you have anxiety is another great sign to move to the Amazon and cosplay a sloth because if you think there are human interactions in the adult world that won't make you feel anxious ahhh baby my baby. You got it so wrong, baby. If you can't focus in a 30 minute lesson just take your dream board & burn it up burn it upp and try your hand at being a house fly you'll have better luck. If you drop a class because you don't like the teacher stay as far away from romantic relationships and friendships and , especially, corporate & entrepreneurship because girly don't we have news for ya. Can't manage your time? And you want to be a CEO? Are you kidding?

School is the closest imitation to real life you get & the better you are at it the better you are at life, the harder your school life is the better your real life will be. & I mean take biochem engineering & aeronautical engineering first year college, get your ass run over by it BUT learn to sit still, to power through, teamwork, study techniques, etc so no one cares about your A [fun fact most A students don't make it] but did you power through it? K then junior year do the thing you actually like.

Not liking school for whatever reason is loser mentality if you couldn't make it past test drive what makes you think you'll make it on the highway. Back in high-school when I told my grandma I'm giving up on my scholarship because I'm getting bullied and tortured and ostracized her response wasn't a hug it was a slipper grandma of color style because do you think that won't happen in your adulthood? You think you run from a problem and it goes away? Go back in and make it tf. Notice how I'm not focused on what grade you get? My friend works at firm (one of the top of the country) that don't employ people with a history of As , it's not about academic excellence, can you get to cheer practise at 6 am and be in class by 7? What makes you think you can be a mom then? "Independent" can you schedule yourself? Manage classes, sports, hobbies, a part-time job, home chores , friendships, and free time? WHAT DO YOU THINK ADULTHOOD IS ABOUT? what makes you think running from that in school (where you have guidance & forced community) will keep you safe? Out here you're all alone sis. And now the government protects you like a treasure that ID days 18 and its up to you to protect yourself. If you can not sit still in a 30 minutes class you don't like what makes you think you're cut out for corporate? Yall ain't never left your moms house and it shows, no one that has been in the real world has that level of delulu.

Pick the damn calculus class & power from an E to a C- so when you're running your business & you meet hard things you dislike you have muscle memory to power through it & bc your business is something you like it's easier. Go to school with the girls that dislike you & find a way out of that so when your mom in law or officemates are being flaky you know what to do, you don't run. Sit through that class with that one homphobic sexist bigoted teacher so when you land a job at your dream firm you don't resign in six days and sabotage shit because you're delulu enough to think your little tantrum matters.

School , especially boarding school, is the closest imitation to real life you get. Power through it, take advantage of the resources & always chase the hardships now that you have people charged with guiding you so you're not 25 unmotivated with no accomplishment despite your A's , barely functional adult feeling like a loser because you let tiktok & escape the matrix bojo creators lie to you. Do you want to be one of those 35 year olds heavy on magical thinking because you didn't learn what your parents literally paid for you to learn under the guise of 'self care'. Don't be dumb dumb.

Success spills over

[vktrsnclr]

TEACHER'S PET (R18+)

MINORS GTFO

pairing: miguel o'hara x f reader

summary: you're a college freshman in biochemistry and miguel is your professor in biochemical engineering, a major subject that you're about to fail.

warning: I'm a feminist and I'm concerned.

word count: 1.9k+

contents: humiliation, degradation, age gap, height difference, fingering, oral sex, p in v, hair pulling, public groping.

MASTERLIST

It's your first year in college studying biochemistry, the exam results for the first semester's finals are supposed to be distributed today.

Your professor in biochemical engineering, Mr. O'hara discusses the grading system for the second semester but you're losing out of focus. You're staring at his thick voluptuous thighs, thick veiny hands and imagined how he would choke you with it.

You took a gulp at the thought of it. He then started the distribution of the report cards. Your stare followed him as he sat on the table, individually calling out your names and distributing the cards.

"Parker, good job. Reyes, do better next time. Stacy, impressive. Stark..... dios mio." His voice was hoarse. The way he says your last name followed by a spanish term you don't understand sounded like a moan but truly, a term of disappointment.

"Ms. Stark... Are you seriously daydreaming right now?" He asks with a stern voice.

"Oh um, no sir. W-What is it?" Your classmates tried to hold their laugh, you can hear them giggling.

"Get your ass over here." He orders. You stood and walked up to him, hands behind your back, signing 'fuck you' to all of your classmates.

"What are we gonna do with this?" He points at your grade in bio-engineering which is his subject and a major too. You looked at it by bending your torso down, slightly bowing cause you have an eyesight of a dying man. Your cleavage flashes in front of him unintentionally. He tries to look away and focus your report card.

"2.0 (C/73-76%). This is bad." Everyone in your school knows that you're a daughter of a billionaire genius and this is what you got.

Deep inside, you know that the reason you failed is because you've been partying too hard. Just like your father, you're a party animal.

"What can I do?" You asked worriedly.

"Meet me at my office at 6. Class dismissed." He stood up, towering over you at 6'9 ft. He walked out of the room with your classmates.

Your friend, Gwen Stacy clinged on your arm on the way to the cafeteria. You sat with her and his boyfriend, Peter Parker. You can't really understand what they're saying cause your mind is split between your daddy getting disappointed and your disappointed professor being such a daddy.

Four hours later, it's time to go home but you still have to go to Mr. O'Hara regarding your first semester results. You walked into an empty faculty, the other teachers already went home. You walked by Miguel's office window and saw him looking at his watch with what seems to be an irritated brow. You proceeded to walk inside his office, it's smells good and is neatly organized.

"Good evening Mr. Ohara."

"Miss Stark. You're 10 minutes late. Seems like you're not being very committed to your studies." He clenched his jaw and his pair of brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry I was j-"

"Was just expecting 'daddy' to fix it with his money?" He stood up and mocks, pertaining to your father offering a grant to your school.

"No... sir, I just ran into my friends." You opposed, looking down at the floor.

"Are they gone?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Sit down." He sighs.

In a heartbeat, you sat down in a reclining chair right next to the table. He walks up to you, taking his crotch inches away from your face.

"Good girl." He takes your chin to look up at him. The view made your heart race and your cunt twitch.

"You think I'm not aware of your lustful eyes, hermosa?" He looks directly into your eyes with his hands still on your chin. Your eyes gawks and your face slowly turns red, not knowing what to say.

"Mr- Sir, I uh, I'm here for extra credits." You stuttered.

"Uh huh, what else?" He leans down, not breaking an eye contact.

"Uhhh... um m-my dad can pay you!" You blurted out of nowhere. You didn't know what to say since your mind is occupated by dirty thoughts but now you just seemed like a brat.

"Daddy's money hmm?"

"I'm your daddy here." He whispered roughly onto your ear, his hands shifted from your chin into your neck, gently gripping under your jaws.

"Daddy?" You spoke weakly.

"That's right, bitch." He replied with smirk.

You kind of expected this as a cliché porn category but you had no idea that you're gonna experience this in real life.

"You want credits? You little slut?" He cups the side of your cheeks and leans back to watch your face near his pants again.

"Yes! Yes, I want it." You nodded in agreement.

"Then earn it." He grabs a fistful of your hair and rubs it softly in his black pants with a huge bulge on it. You can smell his essence leaking from the fabric. This is all you ever dreamed of since the first day of school, you didn't think it would happen but it DID. All of your fantasies, clothed in black, sliding across your face.

You unbuttoned his pants in a hurry, dropping his undergarments down then finally busting his dick in front of you.

"Good girl." He slapped your face and you loved it. You proceeded to wet your lips to seduce him. He gripped on your hair tighter as you lick the tip of his 8-inch fat cock.

"Fuck." He groans, his voice deep and hoarse. You licked his length, wetting it together with his pre-cum leaking from the tip then swirled your tongue in its head while jerking him off.

"Holy shit you're good." The corner of his lip curling upwards.

He started throat fucking you, his head thrown back, moaning in pleasure. His cock reached your throat but you continued to take it until your eyes water. Miguel likes the way you look, internally choked by his massive cock.

He drags you up and makes you open your mouth as you spread your tongue that still has his pre-cum.

"Swallow." He ordered and you followed. You showed him an empty tongue to prove it.

"I'm gonna fucking destroy you." He places his hand on your chin to squeeze your face and starts kissing you roughly, like you've taken something from him. This is exactly how you want it. It's wet, sloppy and aggressive.

His kisses trailed down on your neck, you let him take off your clothes, even tear it up. He threw your designer clothes in the air like it was nothing. You would let this man do anything to you.

He began to roam his hands all over your body, from pumping your breasts down to your vagina, already dripping. He circles his middle finger on your clit sensually.

"You want this?" Miguel asks between the kisses.

"Uh huh." Your mouth can't form a proper word but a moan. He slaps you again, wanting you to say it clearly.

"You want this, you whore?!" He dips his hand on your hole, teasing you.

"Yes daddy, do it!" A high pitch pornographic whine came out of your mouth.

He then crooks his head onto your neck, leaving marks as he rams his finger up in your hole, sounds of wet squelching, moans and ass slaps filled the corners of his office. He reaches for the back of your clit inside your tight cunt and it drove you crazy. Your eyes roll at the back of your head. Unlike your other sexual partners, Miguel knows all about human anatomy.

"I'm gonna fuck the shit out of you." He takes your hands from his cock to your back, pulls his belt out of his pants and then ties your wrists.

"Yes please, I've been dreaming of this." You replied while he bends you over on the desk.

"Oh I bet you do you fucking slut." Miguel teases the tip of his cock on your clit, both wet from foreplay.

"Please fuck... fuck me."

Without any reply, Miguel rams his long and fat dick inside you, filling your walls with euphoria.

You groaned in pain after he put his full length in.

"Daddy it hurts."

"Nah, you can take it cariño." He reassures then pins your head on the desk while thrusting deep on your leaking hole.

"You... You've been spending a lot of time with that Parker boy huh? You like him?" He asks curiously, grabbing your hair.

"No, please he's with Gwen." You explained.

"You guys fuckin? Huh?" He ignores your answer while pounding at your pussy, making you scream in pain and pleasure.

"No daddy, Pleaaase.... I only want you. I want youuu." He grabs your tits from the back, holding it for support as his pace goes slower, making it comfortable for you.

"That's my girl. Now I'm gonna make you mine." His last words before sucking the skin off of your neck, leaving love marks that is visible to everyone.

"Ironman's daughter, pumping on my dick with her drenched punani. What's he gonna do? Save you?" He laughs devilishly. At this point you didn't care about your reputation. Your body wants him, even your cunt pulses everytime you peak behind your back to see him using you.

"You're my daddy, please fuckin destroy me." You surrendered. Miguel removes his belt on your wrists and puts it back as he pins it over your head in missionary position. Now, he can see your face while he fucks you, your lips smeared in red lipstick, smiling psychotically. Becoming undone by the stroke of his dick, his hands playing with your nipples and the other holding your wrists.

Your smile made him excited. His thrusts go faster and faster as you scream his name. "Mr. O'hara I'm cumming." You whined. It made him chuckle, you using honorifics despite your pussy currently being destroyed. He bit his lips, carried you by the hips, using you as his fucktoy. He pumps his dick in your tight little hole in a doggy position. Your feet doesn't even touch the floor because of your height difference. You simply just hang in the air with your pussy continously getting pounded.

"Shit shit shit I'm cumming." He whimpers.

"Cum inside daddy." It's the first time you had sex without protection and now you want him to cum inside you.

"That's right, princesa."

He continued plunging his sword into your uterus ramming even harder, seconds later, he busts his load. Your pussy's leaking with his thick cum all the way to your thighs. He lets go of your hips and places you on the table, back arched, pussy flowing.

He puts your panties back without cleaning your pussy, only the sides and the extra cum dripped on your legs and thighs.

"You did great, mija" He kisses your forehead.

"I did?"

"Yes you did." He smiles softly, saying it like he's a proud mentor.

After that encounter, he kept you as his pet, your friends noticed the hickeys on your neck every now and then and your alibi is always getting burnt by the hair curler. Flash Thompson even joked that the hair curler you're talking about is Mr. O'Hara.

Even if you denied it and threatened him with a lawsuit, It's obvious. Your lustful stares in the classroom, the special treatment you get in class above all the other students.

At times when the corridor is empty, he would grope your ass, spank it and squeeze it until you reach the classroom, walking in together at the same time. Your friends would always ignore the same smell coming out of you and Mr. O'hara. Fucking in every empty room, any chance that you get. You've certainly become the teacher's pet.

[kyber-crystal]

Hi! May I request a sequel to "my little love" for how jake responds to max calling him dad/daddy for the first time? or jake being cute with max and your shared kids (bc i KNOW y'all don't stop after the first one lol)

i'm sorry it took me so long to respond to this but HELL YEAH and i'm extra sorry i didn't post this for a while b/c i wasn't sure about how it turned out in general...anyways, i hope you enjoy : ')

my future || jake "hangman" seresin

summary: as written above! this is a sequel to the headcanon my little love, which i LOVED writing w my whole heart.

settling into married life was surprisingly not difficult. you'd already spent so much time around hangman that forever felt so comfortable

now everyone is so happy and in high spirits. but max is significantly happier than them all and it's so wholesome to see

rooster, or "fairy godmother" (max likes to call him the latter....yes...godmother, not godfather. you don't know why but it's so funny, especially when you watch rooster react to this), is always there to take care of your kiddo when you're busy

he let him sit in his F-14 and take a picture with him :)

and you're paranoid and worrying the whole time but rooster's like "relax, i got him" and he's super chill about it

"he's gonna be a pilot. better than you, even," you leaned over and gave your husband a look

"i think so!"

the kid lives and breathes top gun. and now that you've moved in with hangman, you're only a few minutes' walk from base, making it easy to go back and forth.

when you're working at the hard deck, penny sits him by the nearest booth with a milkshake and some old books and toys

if one of the uncles or phoenix wasn't busy, they'd come over to keep him entertained

and you know when hangman's done for the day when you see max break into his signature grin. you've noticed that you only really see it around him

so you're celebrating his fourth birthday today. it's insane, because he already speaks like a six year old (hangman says it's because you're also smart af. but, being the cocky lil shit he is, fanboy likes to take the credit for it. i mean, the guy majored in biochem, so he knows his stuff)

it's an off day for everyone, so they're able to come help decorate the place. you had the idea to surprise your son, so while everyone was getting ready, fanboy was with max by the beach, playing soccer. they'd come back in an hour and boom!

by the end of things, the hard deck doesn't look like the hard deck anymore. it looks like max's paradise—a kiddie version of top gun, you realize. your heart melts because 🥺🥺🥺

everyone hides when they hear fanboy and max coming in

and then you all jump up from your hiding spots and yell "SURPRISE" and he starts grinning again

and then the kid runs straight towards hangman, giggling in pure delight

"daddy!" he yells

you're all like wait wtf

did he just

say

oh

hangman has to stop for a moment before picking him up. you can see him tearing up bc this is the first time max has ever said this

it's definitely really fulfilling to watch. when he was a baby and screamed and cried for hours at a time out of nowhere, you knew it wasn't always just from tiredness. or being hungry. or whatnot

the rest of the night you're all emotional af and max notices

"daddy why are you crying?"

there go the waterworks...more tears slip down jake's face 🥺😭

"because i'm happy!"

"people cry when they are sad! like when uncle fanboy loses to uncle payback!"

"HEY! kid, i thought you were on my side"

"so, i'm your dad now, huh?"

"forever and ever and ever and ever!"

how could you have gotten so lucky...

you're sitting here in the middle of the hard deck with your family. a family when realization hits. you had a loving husband, and a father, and a child that brightened up your world, and you couldn't have asked for anything more. you finally found someone that wanted forever and wasn't one to back away

now for some more cute moments post-birthday celebration

you take max to base every day right

and hangman will carry him on his shoulders all the time

if he's not done with his flight or workout or whatever, maverick takes his place

or his fairy godmother :)

as soon as he lands, max takes off at the speed of light and goes barreling towards him (how tf is the kid so FAST)

as hangman picks him up he looks at you and says "can we please have another kid. please"

"i want a sister! tell her, daddy!"

"see, the little man agrees"

sorry this ending was so awful i genuinely apologize...

tags, including people who may be interested: @totomoshi​ @sarcastic-sourwolf​ @sebastianstangirl01​ @altheadarling​ @ellabellabus07​ @hay-9105​ @purelyfiction​ @93joons​ @criminalyetminimal​ @yeehawnana​ @lunamoonbby​ @hazelgirl355​ @multifandom-fangirl4​ @paintballkid711​ @lyn-lc​ @whatlovegattado​ @azari-anna​ @thelifeofthelifeofme​ @lets-be-gay-for-the-angel​ @quivvyintheclouds @phoenixhalliwell @winteryoungie @mychoso @lt-b-rooster-bradshaw​ @jenny-riversmith​ @krisitzeneva​ @daethsticks​ @sithwidow​ @rosie-posie1313​ @sadpetalsstuff​ @glossydi0r​ @i-simp-much​ @hay-9105​ @meeeeees-stuff​ @sweetdayme4427​ @unicornlover92​ @intrxde​ @rhiannon-russo​ @dolce-clout​ @theghost1345​ @baby-girl-e​ @greatbigshiningstar​ @joyfulbookreviewmarvelspy @julia-marshal @anya7802 @bittergomez @and-claudia @newlibrary @cosm1cfae

sorry if this doesn't seem updated! some tags include ppl who were tagged in part 1 of this blurb mini-series. if you'd like to be added to the taglist, comment or add yourself to the tgm taglist here!

[gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan]

The Starring Astartes of Poor Unfortunate Soul AU

Author's note: So, this is based on the wonderful, wicked Idea that @barn-anon, @bleedingichorhearts, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @kit-williams were talking about how Biochemical Rejuvenation treatments are used by certain ranks of the Imperium.

Tagged: @whorety-k :) I had to have some sweetness for Smyith before his life goes... to Nurgle.

Part One

Warning: Illness, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, late-stage breast cancer, early-stage dementia, Comatose, car accident, PCOS, parkinson's disease, please let me know if there is more, I need to tag and add to the warnings! Keep yourself safe.

It's not been unlocked by Ancient Terra and how the Loyalists and Chaos Marines usually aren't trying to give too much technology and medical knowledge that isn't already made/discovered by the ancient humans upon Holy Terra. But... sometimes, the bonds between Astartes and Human pull the Astartes to doing things that are... ill-advised.

Tagged: @barn-anon, @bleedingichorhearts, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @kit-williams, @sleepyfan-blog, @whorety-k

Tagged: @whorety-k

This post isn't really going to be story, but it will help me, and anyone who reads understand who's-who, of the Main Character Astartes who read this AU. This is more of a "set up" not-chapter.

Seven is the favored number of Nurgle, and very important in Nurgilite Cultist stuff. So, Seven Astartes with humans suffering that will be going to a Death Guard for help. To keep their human safer, happier, 'healthier', and with them.

Loyalist Space Marines:

Su'cona he is a Salamander from post-heresy, after the second death of his Lord Father, Primarch Vulkan. His human has Chronic pain.

Zadakael is a Blood Angel who fought in the same battle that slew his Primarch Sanguinius and is one of the first to have fallen to the Black Rage and survived, somehow, and landed on Ancient Terra. His bonded has Parkinson's disease.

Symith is a Space Wolf who is from after the Heresy and during the time when his Primarch Leman Russ just got lost in the Warp, and they realized that he isn't returning. His Bonded was in a bad car accident and is now in a coma.

Renegade Space Marines:

Karlsor is a Night Lord from after the Heresy, and after the death of his Primarch, and the scattering of the Night Lords. His human has PCOS.

Alpharius nicknamed Chief by his human, true name Zariel, his bonded human has late-stage breast cancer.

Chaos Space Marines:

Zaarius is an Emperor's child from after the Heresy and is a Slaneshi space marine. His human has chronic fatigue.

Zeth is a Black Legionnaire from after the Heresy. His human has early stage dementia.

Hura is a Death Guard Chaos Marine and is the one that is providing the cures for what ails their humans. For a Price, of course.

[redbleedingrose]

I’M LATE BUT HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY💜💜

Bio chem has been kicking my ass all day and I finally got a breather 😭

My Valentine’s Day gift to you

I can’t remember if I’ve sent this to you already but it’s okay because it’s ✨Rhys✨

Those thighs 🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️

HIIIIIII!!!

Happy Valentines! OMGGG WHAT A HOTTIE!!!!

I'm sorry biochem is kicking ur booty! It is all about the pathways if I am being honest! Def make diagrams of the metabolic pathways and include the enzymes (and if they drive the reaction forward or backward or both) and you should be solid!

For some reason, we were also always tested on Vitamins and their deficiencies!

Vitamin C def = Scurvy = bleeding gums

Vitamin A def = night vision changes

Vitamin D def = rickets in kids; osteomalacia in adults

Vitamin B6 and B12 def = marcocytic anemia; methylmalonic acid increased in vitamin B12 def

Fat soluble vitamins = A, D, E, K = occurs with pancreatic insufficiency causing steatorrhea!

Vitamin K def = clotting disorder -> liver cant produce clotting factors: II, XII, IX, X - I remember as 1972 (10 - 9 - 7 - 2) AND protein C and S

Iron deficiency = microcytic hypochromic anemia + restless leg syndrome

Some med school factoids for you <3

Rhys would be very impressed with you for trying!!!

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Burning Flame - Johnny Storm X GN Reader

Title: Burning Flame

Johnny Storm X GN Reader

Additional Characters: Susan Storm, Reed Richards, and Ben Grimm

Read Part 1 if you haven't yet → Just A Kiss

WC: 1,557

Warnings: Anxiety, nervousness, misunderstandings?, cursing, scientific words, slight angst, and fluff

You couldn't stop thinking about the kisses you shared with your best friend, Johnny. And it was driving you crazy. You hadn’t been able to stop thinking about those damn lips all morning at college. They had lingered on yours like it was the last time they would touch your lips in a very long time, and even after they left your mouth, you still felt them. Like when the sun hits you just right and the light falls exactly on just the right part of your face, it makes you feel warm, happy, and satisfied... And you felt those emotions... When Johnny kissed you goodnight. You groan loudly as you throw yourself back onto your bed. Your phone vibrates in your hand, you'd have to get ready and leave for the lab soon. Bringing your phone up, you stared up at the text notification. 

Johnny had texted you.

Sighing, you unlocked your phone, trying to ignore the screen saver of you and Johnny before you opened his text.

'Hey, you still coming in?'

'Yeah'

'Cool, see ya then.'

You sighed dramatically, why was Johnny acting so casual? You and he had just kissed last night. You felt your bones chill at the thought that maybe this was a one-time thing. Maybe, because Johnny is Johnny... Maybe, because he wasn’t into you... You shook your head, clearing those thoughts from your mind. No matter what, he wasn't interested in you. He probably just only wanted to help you, and he had no underlying feelings hidden under those kisses. Nothing more than friendship... You looked back at your screen, Johnny’s last text staring back at you. 'See ya then.' Frowning softly, you typed out your response. 'See ya.'

~~~

You tapped your foot anxiously in the elevator of The Baxter Building. You fidgeted with your lab coat, one that Johnny had personally got you when you joined the lab; it even had your name embroidered on it. The lab coat wasn't even white, it was Y/F/C, so you stuck out like a sore thumb in the lab. You guessed it was a simple sweet gesture from your best friend, but Ben had said that Johnny just wanted to keep an eye on you. It was easier to spot you in a small crowd of white lab coats. 

As the elevator doors opened, you stepped out, immediately looking around for Johnny, but not spotting him. 

"Hey, Y/N," Reed gained your attention, walking over to you, "Could you start the preparation for the next phase in the biochemical synthesis process?"

"Of course," You nodded, "Are we starting on the test subjects today?"

"No," He sighed, "There isn't enough evidence to prove any of these people have superpowers. We're going to be starting a trial of the synthetic formulae. Hopefully, we'll find something useful."

You nodded, before heading to your desk in the far corner and grabbing your clipboard, notes, and pen. After getting situated, you began working. This time, it was a slow process. You were still working on synthesizing the modified formulae. It took a while longer than usual, but you didn't complain. There was nothing you could do about it.

"Hey, Y/N/N..."

You quickly looked up, eyes widening slightly at the sight of Johnny standing before you.

"Oh, hi, Johnny." You felt your cheeks flush, "I was meaning to ask you something-"

"Y/N, hon? Do you have those samples I asked for?" Susan interrupted your train of thought. 

You glanced at Johnny before quickly standing from your chair, speed-walking over to Susan, "Yeah, here you go." You handed her the files that contained the test samples.

She smiled, taking the folders from you, "Thanks, Y/N. You're a doll." Susan gave you a gentle pat on the shoulder before leaving. 

He frowned, "What did you want to ask me?-"

"Y/N, could you do a second reading on this file? I would do it, but Susie needs help." Ben asked in his deep voice, walking over and offering you a yellow file.

"Oh, yes, of course." You agreed, before turning to Johnny. "I, uh, I have to do this... I, uh..."

"No, no, I get it... I actually have work to do too." Johnny spoke, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “You know… Or Sue will kill me.”

You nodded slowly, "Yeah..." You muttered quietly.

"Um, well... I guess I'll see you later then." He smiles slightly before walking away. 

You sighed, sitting back down at your desk, and opening the file to read it over.

~~~

For the rest of the day, you had tried to talk to Johnny, only to get caught up in work. Finally, when you were finished for the day, you decided to finally confront him. But as you wandered around the large lab, you couldn't find him. Checking everywhere else Johnny would hang out in the building, the weight room, the break room, and even the pool room, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. You felt defeated, maybe he left the building altogether. As the sun began to set, you climbed up to the roof of the building, hearing the roaring streets of people and cars below. Looking over at the observatory, you decided to go inside to leave the cold. The observatory was one of your favorite places to go to when you could, it was nice to be able to look at the stars and planets. 

Entering the observatory, you were surprised to find Johnny laying back in one of the chairs. He turned to look at you when you walked in, "Knew you'd come here sooner or later." He spoke up, standing up from the chair.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." You mumbled, stuffing your hands in the pockets of your lab coat.

Johnny grinned awkwardly, shaking his head slightly, "Missed me that much?" He chuckled lightly.

You flushed softly, feeling your heart beat faster as you avoided his gaze. "Well," You started, "I've been wanting to ask you something all day."

"All day?" Johnny questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"And after you left last night." You admitted, looking down at your feet.

Johnny looked down at the ground, sheepishly. "What did you want to ask me?" He then asked, looking up at you.

"Was any of it real, Johnny." You blurted out, feeling your eyes well up with tears, "Did you kiss me because you wanted to help me, or because you wanted to kiss me? Cause, if you did, don't you think you should tell me now instead of leaving me wondering, and honestly freaking out?" A few silent moments passed, neither of you saying anything.

"Y/N, I'm sorry... I really am." Johnny apologized, and you felt your heart drop, "I didn't think kissing you would cause so much... Uh, pain..."

"So... What are you saying?" You asked softly, heartbroken.

"I... I can't do this anymore," Johnny confessed, his words causing you to blink.

"Can't do what?" You questioned confusedly.

"I... I love you, Y/N. I love you so much. I always have, ever since we were kids. And I'm sorry. I couldn't risk losing you. So, please..." Your bottom lip quivered as you held his gaze, begging you to believe him, "Please forgive me."

"You... You love me? Like, romantically?" You questioned nervously.

"Yes." Johnny nodded.

"Why did you never tell me? I- I've been in love with you since you proposed to me in third grade." You confessed.

He let out a shaky breath, "Because... Because I knew that you would never feel the same way about me."

Your eyebrows furrowed, "Why would you think that?"

He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding your gaze, "I don't know."

"What do we do now?" You asked, wiping the tears from your cheeks and eyes.

"Whatever you want to do, I suppose. If you want to just stay friends, I'll understand... And if you want to be more... I'm also so down for that." Johnny responded, a genuine smile growing on his face.

"I wanna try being more." You stated, a hopeful smile crossing your features.

"Okay." He nodded, "I... Can I ask you one question though?"

"Ask away." You replied, your lips curling upwards.

"Do you... Want to go on a date with me?"

A wide grin spread across your face, "Hell yeah."

Johnny laughed lightly, running his fingers through his hair, "Great, uh, I'll pick you up tomorrow at six o'clock sharp?"

"Sounds great." You grinned.

"Then it's a deal." He chuckled, as the both of you just stared at each other for a long moment.

Without even a second thought, you and Johnny rushed up to each other, capturing your lips together in a passionate kiss. Neither of you pulled away until you heard someone clearing their throat loudly.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?" Ben raised an eyebrow at the two of you, holding a large cup of coffee.

"We were just talking." You smiled shyly.

Ben chuckled, "About?"

"Just... Stuff." You stuttered, and you cleared your throat.

"Yeah," Johnny said, "Stuff."

Ben rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh, "Well, we're closing up the building. Leave now, or be trapped until morning."

"Well, I can fly," Johnny spoke up as Ben left the observatory.

"I can't." You pouted.

Johnny slowly blinked, "Oh yeah."

___________________________________

@emimaki @royalsweetteaa @alldaysdreamers

[trashsketch]

thanks for tagging me @sunlightslastglimmer for my top ten books list!!! it's taken me two months sorry HAHA cause I didn't read as much as I would've liked until my vacation started, but I have recommendations and i love introducing them and will never shut up about the things i love :>

The Nameless City trilogy by Faith Erin Hicks (rereading it recently with the other two volumes I snagged at TCAF was amazing!)

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (watching the movie first scared me cause I don't do well with horror, but the horror aspect of this is one that lingers and isn't just all jump scares. It's the existentialism of it all that captivates me much more, happy to say that the book gives more of that)

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (SO GOOD, I CANT RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH. Changed my life, made me cry, made me even more gay than before. i want to draw fanart SO BAD)

Stories of Your Life by Ted Chiang (it's a compilation of many short stories from Chiang in the early 2000s, and it's hard for me to name favourites cause they are all very strong and they all have wonderful ways of linking different sciences to philosophy concepts)

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (it took me many years to finally finish this book but it's a good journey, Doerr's writing is prose-like and I enjoy the melody of it)

the Captive Prince trilogy by C S Pacat (so gay. truly unparalleled problematic enemies to lovers. I would say to go into this with the mindset that you're going to be upset, but from what little I've seen of game of thrones this book series has content matter that's p much is about the same level of brutal-ness as GOT at times)

the Witch Hat Atelier series by Shirahama Kanome (Shirahama's art style is my ideal, and everything about this series captures the feelings of aspiring artists so well, and successfully weaves it all into a wonderful tale that is just as attention grabbing even on my second reread)

Queer Ducks by Elliot Scrafer (changed my life, made me gayer :) please read it for good gay science)

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (changed my life too, made me love triangle polycules forever. I love that Xiran wrote this book out of spite and wrote the best girl to support women's wrongs)

The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (the Flavia de Luce series has been a longtime favourite of mine, I should really keep up with the newer books that have been coming out, but here's my pitch: if you love young girl detectives who are stubborn as hell and live for danger, this is the book for you. The protag loves poisons and I love that she has an unhinged interest towards mortality and biochemical murder methods)

[unstablenoodle]

Ranking all the chemistry classes I took as a biochem student based on how much I liked them:

1. Organic chemistry I and II (😩🥵)

She’s too good for me, I don’t deserve her. She had everything: shapes, rote learning, a handful of relatively easy concepts that brought the whole thing together. Had a great study partner in this class too. Only time I’ve ever given a enough of a fuck to use Cornell Notes. The ship who passed me in the night.

2. Biochemistry

Could have passed orgo if the professor wasn’t ass. Love the aesthetic of the diagrams, concepts were easy to grasp. Like orgo, if you are a visual learner, this is for you. Great source of useless trivia as well. I miss you.

3. Biotechnology

Super chill professor. Covered the concepts behind different kinds of tech (PCR, Elisa, western blot, Illumina, etc.). Easy, interesting, fun. Loved this class so much.

4. Biochemistry lab class

Not many new concepts, but research-style application. Very useful/ practical.

5. Inorganic Chemistry II

Super fun professor, reasonable homework, very interesting material. Kind of burnt out by the time I got here but it was a fun class.

6. Analytical Chemistry

Not going to lie, my performance in this class was dogwater but I respect it for what it is. Heavy on excel, labs focus on precision and are graded on accuracy (reports up to 20 pages long). Very demanding. Had I been in a better place mentally, I would have enjoyed my time with her more.

7. Inorganic chemistry II

Could not understand the professor at all, often went on unrelated tangents. Material focused on molecular symmetry which, while interesting, was very difficult in practice. Annoying ass class tbh.

8. General Chemistry (🤮)

I don’t need to say anything about this one.

9. Physical Chemistry I

Extremely abstract, not for those who need visuals. Heavy on physics and calc II. Professor never covered the math and only discussed concepts. Curve was absolutely clutch. Good riddance.

10. Physical Chemistry II

Fuck all the way off. Literally get out of my face. Relied entirely on linear algebra which is not a required class for my major. They stopped handing back homework in February. They didn’t hand back the first exam until after the second exam. The TA’s did not understand the math required for our assignments. Graduate level quantum mechanics, nary a chemical in sight. Last semester of senior year. Passed with a C somehow (the curve was basically a circle).

[vet-student]

On the importance of trusting your intuition

I recently had a patient come in: a 5.5 yo intact female Bernese mountain dog. She came in because her owners noticed that she lost her appetite, and her stool was darker than usual. Heat was about 3 months earlier but owners didn't notice any vaginal discharge, no change in the amount of water she was drinking. She had a tick removed a couple of days prior to the visit and got a dewormer around the same time. Temp was 39.4 C, belly distended, but overall the dog was alert and responsive.

The first thing I did was an ultrasound expecting to find pyometra, but what I saw was a huge spleen and not much else. That was the first red flag that came up with this dog. I then took a blood sample, did biochem and CBC, but even if I always do an in-house blood smear I, for some reason, decided to not do it this time.

The results came in the next day and we're terrible. WBC, especially LYM, over 10 times the normal range, a percentage of abnormal cells, terrible anemia, elevated liver enzymes, low TP.

Even though I was then convinced that were dealing with some kind of blood cancer, I was advised by friends to do a test for tick-borne diseases, which came up positive for Anaplasma and +/- for Ehrlichia. This is when I regretted not doing the in-house smear the most. However, the clinical signs and blood work results fit this diagnosis as well, so we went ahead with an antibiotic.

I saw the dog after 1.5 weeks for a follow-up. The owners didn't notice almost any improvement, she was still inappetent, weak, panting, belly stil distended. Only the temp. dropped to the normal 38.5 C. I took another blood sample, only this time I didn't forget to do the smear.

The results came in even worse than earlier, with almost no difference in WBC count, anemia worsened significantly (HCT dropped by half and is now at 18%), the amount of atypical cells went up. I also asked the lab to write up a commentary for the results and, sadly, my first thought was confirmed - we're dealing with some form of blood cancer.

I know the owner won't decide to diagnose further due to the patient's age, poor prognosis either way, and the fact that no one in the area does IV chemo, so we're now working to keep the patient as comfortable as possible in the little time she has left.

[thelastspeecher]

I just think it's very rude of my body to need a dietary restriction that is somehow more difficult and complicated than my already existing gluten intolerance

[cammie-morgan-goode]

Where do you think Liz went to college and what course?

Let me talk about my girl Elizabeth Sutton! We love the Bookworm! (I don’t get enough asks about her)

As per usual, I looked up some college shtuff and did some research. We know that she ended up working at Gallagher and working with Dr. Fibs in the research department. With that being said, I really wanna say that she studied computer science and technology. Maybe even cyber forensics.

The top colleges I think she at least got inquiries about for Computer Science:

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Stanford in California

Tsingua University in China

CalTech (California Institute of Technology)

Now for Courses:

-Computational Science and Systems Biology at MIT

-Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT

-Computer Science and Security at Stanford

-Data Science at Stanford

-Advanced Biochemical Engineering at Stanford

-Electronic Information Science and Technology at Tsinghua

-Software Engineering at Tsinghua

-Chemical Engineering and Industrial Biological Engineering at Tsinghua

-Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at CalTech

-Computation and Neural Systems at CalTech

-Control and Dynamical Systems at CalTech

——-

The top colleges I think she at least got inquiries about for Cyber Forensics:

Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania

Champlain in Vermont

University of Cambridge in Europe

Now for Courses:

-C++ Programming for Engineers at CMU

-Introduction to Scientific Computing at CMU

-Computational Analysis of Transport Phenomena at CMU

-Engineering Computation at CMU

-Global IT & Ethics at Champlain in VT

-Advanced Programming at Champlain in VT

-Networking & Security at Champlain in VT

-Ethical Hacking at Champlain in VT

-Blockchain & Cybersecurity at Champlain in VT

-Cybersecurity at Cambridge

I really think that Liz is just so crazy smart that she took on several course loads for multiple colleges!

[inkofamethyst]

February 17, 2023

I think... I think when you’re not used to being pursued, it can feel a little scary.  And I personally have recognized a pattern in myself where I freak out a little in cases like that and I think it probably traces back somehow to my self-esteem issues (just like everything else).  When biochem guy told me he liked me and I had a mild anxiety attack, the whole time I was dating saxophone guy, and now that I’m being pursued by quite a few schools (and because grad admissions has a smaller pool than undergrad you can really get to know the people behind the curtain making the decisions, almost every email I get is targeted, not some marketing email with a “dear applicant” opener, and it feels very much like a pursuit), it makes me feel boxed in for some reason, and I can’t figure out why.  I should be happy, so why do I feel like I’m seconds away from tears all the time.

Yeah, I should probably start up therapy again.  Because this ain’t it.

Yesterday I cried twice because I felt so overwhelmed.  My Choice E potential advisor sent me an email saying how excited he was after our conversation, and he sent me a little (a lot) reading for when I had the time (at this point, I may never get to my Star Trek novel :/).  I got an email from my museum-mentor-dude and a text from my museum-mentor-lady (they wrote my recs and are involved in admissions decisions for my Choices B and C), both of whom congratulated me on the Choice E acceptance.  Now, I hadn’t told them because I’d been told to keep it on the down low until I got the official offer, but apparently my Choice E potential advisor (who knows those two people well) was so excited after our meeting that he shared the news with them (totally stealing my thunder (I’m not actually upset because !!!!! but I kinda wish I had been the one to tell them, you know?)).  So they offered their congrats and one asked if I wanted to chat about it (I didn’t because a) I didn’t have an official offer in hand, so I wasn’t really thinking about it and b) that was obviously a lie and I had actually been thinking about it a lot for a day straight and I still wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to do and c) one of them was still involved in the decision-making process for my last school and I’m too close to seven-for-seven to mess that up).  At the same time, I got an email from my Choice F potential advisor asking me if I was comfortable sharing what other schools I’d applied to to help them develop better recruitment packages, and that just felt eerily too coincidental of an email.  Then I got an email from my Choice A potential advisor asking if I wanted to talk to him or other grad students about his school, and I knew I had been planning to reject their offer this week, but that email made it a little too real and was also eerily coincidental.  Then I got an email from my Choice B asking for me to schedule a congratulatory/Q+A call, again, the timing was sus.

And I felt like the walls were closing in.

I responded to the text briefly but I couldn’t bear to answer even one of those emails.  I just felt so overwhelmed with people wanting things from me.  Me, in particular.  It’s not the same as having five assignments due in a night because I in those cases I don’t have every teacher individually looking me in the eye and expecting something from me.  It was different still from singing a solo on stage with a few hundred eyes in the audience because then I can put on a character and it feels like the focus isn’t on me but on a character.  But in this process there is no stage, no character, just me.  I felt overexposed.  I felt like a deer caught in front of five pairs of headlights.  I hadn’t had much for breakfast that morning, but all feeling in my stomach had abandoned me.  I procrastinated by doing some unpacking for my TA gig, and some of the other TAs were having a meeting with the prof in the room.  They asked me about my admissions season, and that was the first time in a long time that I’d had trouble fully explaining why I felt so anxious.  “Oh, woe is me, I have too many options, boo hoo.”  I get it, I hear it too.  I’m not ungrateful by any means.  I just feel.. paralyzed.  That good old paralysis, back at it again.

I called my dad and talked through (quite expressively) why I felt so awful and we came up with a game plan for who I would respond to and what I would say to them.  And that helped.  Didn’t bring back my appetite though.  Took the bus home, played with the puppy, ate, calmed down a little, got lectured at by my parents (it was a good lecture, I guess, them expressing how proud they were of how hard I’d worked, but it was still a lecture nonetheless), went to bed.

Woke up this morning feeling loads better.  Except my calves which were aching from all the releves during ballet the previous day.  But a good ache.  Took a nap today which was nice.

I’m so excited about my Choice E it almost hurts.  It’s almost too perfect.  But I will not make a final decision until after I visit, even if I’m leaning so hard toward them I’m practically falling.  One thing I can’t get over is how I am the culmination of everything my ancestors have worked toward.

Today I’m thankful that my inbox stayed relatively empty today.  And I’m thankful for options.  Even if I hadn’t prepared for so many.

[tenderlyrenjun]

It's been awhile..Honestly proud of myself for surviving the finals😭 I hope you did great too!!^^

congrats on surviving finals!! the hard part is done and you can relax now, which is cool cause holidays and everything.

I didn’t do so great, to be honest; I got a 0 on my final project because I submitted it late (literally 11 minutes late because my wifi was too slow to upload it and also, I uploaded my paper to the wrong spot, so yeah; got a 0), and then I barely passed the final exam ha …………. but I got 100% on my final presentation in another class and a 98% on the midterm (I missed one fucking question); and then my labs were fine; I spent two weeks on perfecting my specimens and I got all of the “pop quiz”-kind of things mostly correct, but my presentations were 10/10; I get stage fright but, like, in a “if I vomit beforehand, I’ll be fine” way, and then my math class was just a bunch of experimental calculus, which was easy, in my opinion; calculus really isn’t difficult like movies say it is; I used to be intimidated by it in high school/middle school, but once I actually got past trig, it was pretty easy and just a bunch of memorization, really. But yeah, I’m probably getting a C in biochem this term, which sucks so bad but at least I passed; and I’m probably getting a regular A in anat and phys and disease; and I’m probably going to get a high A in experimental calculus — manifesting a B in biochem though because the lab grade is merged with the lecture grade and I have an A in lab; although, lab is only 30% of the total grade, so, like, I could still have a B if my A before the final was low (like a 93 or something).

oh, update: I just checked my grades and it went down in anat and phys and disease because I forgot to do an assignment that wasn’t posted in the module but the coursework tab, so I’m getting an 89.88 this term 🫠🫠

[meteortrails]

YES I haven’t eaten an actual meal in 5 days YES I probably just got a C on my biochem exam after not attending any class YES I’m hiding in a forgotten corner of the bio building like a particularly large raccoon in a dumpster NO I have not slept. WHAT ABOUT IT.

[starsailorstories]

⭐!

The two umbrali were holding hands still when the interstellar liner left the barge and they watched their starry home fade to white in Jenya sunshine. (By that time they were more than friends–to find a name for what they were, one had to turn to poetry.) They let go, of course, when the bell rang; the power couple they were sworn to were en route to their new proving ground in the Rings, where several noble ladies were considering investing with them.

“It’s cold, out here in space,” her soft clear voice would come up from the bunk beneath in the lower decks. “I’d forgotten how cold it was. Are you cold, senneta?”

And she’d say to her, “Come on up here already, don’t make a wretch of yourself.”

(The bunk gave space enough for them to lie shoulder to shoulder, but they would face each other anyway, veils rippling minutely in each other’s breath, fingers clasped over fingers between the warmth of their two bodies.)

“Back in programming,” the girl said to her on one of those too-brief nights, “I met a secondhand who’d worked with units from the invention lots.”

“No–you can’t have,” she gasped. “They’d be long gone by now.”

“She was old, and knew them when she was young. Do you know what they told her?”

These questions always made her want to squirm, but she held still. Held breath. (Held her hand.)

“The clone-makers didn’t make the first seed-cores. There were no lux yet for them to come from. They came from astraeas, proper ones I mean.”

“Now don’t go telling your awful tales!” She pushed her double’s shoulders slightly back across the sheet. One of them had to keep them true in the orbits, and that was her of course, the elder. (In the back of her mind, it made a lot of sense. You can’t make something out of nothing.)

“My awful tales are always true, senneta. You know how sorry I am that they are. You bear it to be part of something beautiful. But nothing’s beautiful enough to make it right. Lux are manufactured to suffer so everyone else can have it good.”

With all her strength, she turned over and away, so she wouldn’t have to look her in the absence of her face. “Our ladies suffer too, don’t they? They work hard. They stay awake all night–and–and worry so much about impressing all those people–”

“And if they fail, they’ll lose their ship and their money. But we’ll lose our honor and our homes, senneta. They have sisters to go back to. Shamed, but they can go back.”

“So can we.”

“Yeah, to the extraction queue. Nobody wants an ex-umbralis for a factory line. Face it, it’s this or nothing.”

(She wanted to say, so what are you going to do about it, tough tank? But to be honest she was scared of the answer.)

“What are you saying then, about the invention lots? That the clone-makers killed people?”

“Not with their own hands. There was a war, something about a shipyard. The old tribes on this planet betrayed the aula’s word. It was way off in the Soneto quad…” She paused. (She knew what she was waiting for, and turned back over to face her.) “Ashtiva,” she said, breathing out the name–the first time–that so lent itself to sighs. “That’s where we’re from.”

“I’m from Lapidary Street Biochem,” she couldn’t help but smirk, though her smirk was full of warmth.

“Originally though. The raw bit that got you started.”

“What’s it matter, what planet it came from? It’s just deuterium and carbon. Stuff the universe is made of. I was on spectrogram duty in the factory, you can’t dazzle me as easy as a clientela,” she teased desperately–trying to drag them off the precipice of knowledge, a place she already spent, she worried, too much time. Her lady had her arranging steel spans into ever-larger squares, testing which would conduct charges at the required strength. Sometimes, when the great minds of the new era had gone to bed refusing her assistance in frustration, she kept it up (unshaken by her flagging wakefulness, pushed ahead by something not unlike the static in the air between her hand and another hand just like it).

(Maybe it all came down in the end to forms of electricity.)

@onwardmotley Boy did I worry about this one. Even though I'd say the thing I'm interested in as a writer is the emotional/psychological component of political awakening, scenes where characters bluntly state the conditions they live in give me hives, because I don't want them to feel artless or preachy. On the other hand, bluntly stating the reality of their situation in an attempt to persuade someone they care about to follow them into action is something people do. So I don't think it's good to never do it.

There's a lot of lux-subculture stuff in here, illustrating the shared history between them. "The invention lots" is a euphemism for the first clones, developed directly from the core matter of dead and dying Ashtivans. "The clone-makers killed people?" strikes me as such a tragic question because of course they kill people every single day the factories operate--new clones couldn't be made without the quasi-voluntary deaths of clones who "failed" (the industry can do more with less now than it could at the beginning, such that each clone who dies in the proscribed way provides seed core-matter for dozens more, but it still is absolutely dependent on violence). Their lives are framed in a certain way to them and they see the value of those lives, even to themselves and one another, as conditional. The references to factory upbringing, considered a very taboo subject for discussion with "proper" astraeas, are another thing I really hope will illustrate their intimacy on a second read.

The "for that, you had to turn to poetry" is one of several winks to something I wanted to explore a LOT more in this but, alas, plot. (Worldbuilder's curse lol.) Rivet looks and feels very traditionally feminine to earthling eyes and her being an engineer seems like a non-traditional swerve, TO US. But in Basilean culture and folklore, planet-bound engineer and shipyard mechanic are classically feminine professions associated with a certain flavor of daintiness and formality. "Bold helmsmaiden/trusty little home-port engineer" is one of Thee classic romantic dynamics, and it's made reference to throughout the story. So yes, in some ways Rivet's kind of an in-universe tradfem, although I think it's clear in every scene she's in that she don't take nothing from nobody. I feel like I've talked about it before but similar to some of what I do with Shade I wanted to let her love of tradition, her love of being a continuation of something very old, just be what it was without defensiveness/acting like others were in the wrong for questioning the ideology behind it, but also show her navigating it and integrating it with a materialist and dialectical understanding of the world. A big theme in this story is Rivet claiming her erased Ashtivan heritage, which is of course a whole other world of traditions to explore as she questions the traditions of the colonizing cultures.