#Mentos Experiment

[creepyscritches]

Since I stopped regularly posting my art online it's nuts the psyche reset my art brain went through. Ego death of whatever deviantart mentality. I'm back to drawing w markers bc it's fun, baby. Making my weird little things and breaking crafts bc it's not always an unusable result lol. Waiting to get back to my 12yr old mary sue generator brain, it's the next step to making more things I enjoy making

[bretongirlwrites]

‘The supposition is perfectly reasonable,’ said I: ‘there is no reason it should not work; save that, –’

‘Save that the Nirnroot,’ said Tara, ‘has evaded knowledge for a thousand years. That it glows whilst alive, means nothing, –’

‘That is the sort of attitude,’ said I, – quite undeterred, put the leaf in my mortar, – ‘that has ignored things for a thousand years.’ 

I detached the roots from it; shook it a bit; crushed it a bit; and wondered at last if there was anything which might be done to stop the damnable ringing, which Sinderion after all had warned me about. – ‘I shan’t be deterred by that,’ I had told him. – ‘Could you speak up?’ he had replied: ‘I cannot hear you over the tinnitus.’ – Leastways it would not stop: and to my left, a poor scholar gave up on his own work, and departed. I mashed the thing a little more; and invited Tara to prepare the milk-thistle.

‘There are much easier ways,’ said Tara, whose skirt-hems were still damp with lake-water, ‘to make a potion of light.’

‘Oh!’ said I: ‘I do not believe the Arcane University has ever done something easily, which might be done more interestingly.’ 

‘No,’ said Tara, – mashed the thistle with good-humoured resignation: ‘no, we haven’t.’

The materials prepared, I got a flask of water on the boil; set up our calcinator; and began to hum, a vain reattempt to drown out the ringing. – Absently nibbled a bit of milk thistle: was most startled when the whole room lit up. – All was in place: we had only to boil the thing, and then test it.

‘Anyway,’ said Tara at length: ‘if you and Sinderion keep pulling up nirnroots, we shall have none left by the end of the era.’

‘That is a long way off,’ said I, ‘we are hardly four hundred years into it. Oh! there’ll be droves of them somewhere we can’t get to them. – Is that nirnroot charred enough yet? It is still ringing.’

‘Only very faintly,’ said she: ‘it must be your ears;’ but she passed it over regardless; along with the thistle-pulp. I became most delighted by it even before we had finished: for the ingredients were perfectly prepared; and Sinderion and I being pioneers in nirnroot experimentation, we must take the utmost care over it. 

‘Well!’ said I: ‘you do the honour of the thistle; and then I shall, –’

The milk-thistle is so-named, because its pulp is white: and when put into a potion, it so resembles milk, that one is fooled until one tastes it, and gets all the sentiment of having consumed a liquified hedgerow. The water became cloudy, but had no bits in it: we had done well so far. 

‘The honour of the nirnroot,’ said Tara, ‘is all yours:’ and quite to my consternation, she took two steps back. 

‘You will want to watch this,’ said I: ‘whatever happens, it will be novel.’

‘That is one way,’ said Tara, ‘of describing all of your experiments.’

I dismissed the barb; drew myself up; and already imagining the quill in my hand, to write up my tribulations and victories, I collected up the nirnroot from the calcinator, and poured it into our funnel. At once the water became not dirtied, but a wonderful glowing sort of dark green, – began to fizz, – I took out the funnel, and waited in triumphant anticipation.

The mixture settled for a moment; but quite as if to spite me, when I had just leaned over, redoubled its fizzing, and without warning shot up from the flask, and in a bright pillar almost to the ceiling. Tara, who would later suggest the addition of buckets to the Lustratorium, rushed forwards by instinct, and caught enough of it on her robes, that she could see them a little in the dark for ever afterwards. There had not been very much water in the flask; yet infinities of it poured out, and faintly ringing all the while; and when it had done, I was left to look in dismay over a table quite drenched, and an afternoon of ingredients spent in disaster.

‘If you say: I told you so, –’ said I at last, – 

‘Well,’ said Tara, ‘I did say that I did not believe it would work. If you had meant to create a potion of levitation, perhaps, – but light, –’

‘Did you see that!’ I cried: ‘we illuminated the whole room!’

‘And so might we have done,’ said Tara wringing out her robes, ‘with a potted nirnroot on the corner of the desk.’

I opened my mouth to disagree; but could say only something about utilitarianism and novelty; and becoming glad that if there was one thing that might be done easily and without exciting novelty, it was cleaning, – went laughing for the towels.

------

thanks to @druidx for the prompt ‘a magical experiment gone awry’ for julianne!

[rahleeyah]

I had hummus and pita - actual real warm soft fresh baked pita not pita chips - and a dr pepper for lunch and my belly feels like when you drop a mentos in a diet coke

[hiwasseeriver]

that poll is so weird to me i thought eighth was everyone’s worst……..

[eggpog]

also also just thinking about it but I'm so happy I'm stable and not like, manic; every time I start feeling stable I self sabatoge because I think I'm manic but this time I let it happen... I think I was hypomanic for a few days when I got out of my Special Vacation but after that it's been smooth sailing. Once an unexpected event happened. It snapped me out of depression

[doublesidedgemini]

being in and out of therapy since I was 16 (11 years lmfao) and being painfully aware of all the different ways to analyze my thoughts and behaviors has me living my life like an experiment where I am both the subject and the observer

Got me making bad decisions, knowing I’m making a bad decision, sitting back and watching it happen and then asking myself, “why did I behave this way? what was the root cause of this behavior, or what was I trying to accomplish or fulfill?”

which is great if you don’t want to pay for therapy but not so great if you were hoping to be any sort of active participant in your own life

[ohsc]

Maybe something with the reader being shaken-up about a case?

hi lovely! tysm for the ask <3 | sam winchester x fem!reader, 1.2k, hurt/comfort, implied trauma, brief implied gore, brief mentions of death, brief mentions of vomit, sam being so soft and gentle, mostly comfort

She didn’t realise that she was crying until she couldn’t see.

It was like she was looking through an obscure glass window. The bunker’s kitchen blurred out of view, lost behind the film of tears that was quickly leaking.

It was almost funny. She was only eating a sandwich, nothing more. Nothing had been said, nothing had happened. She wasn’t even thinking, not really. Her thoughts had sounded fuzzy and distorted since the case they’d worked two days ago.

She blinked, the film of tears broke and dripped down her cheeks, and the bite of sandwich in her mouth suddenly felt like chewing cotton, like it wouldn’t melt down. She had to swallow it in two lumps, by which point she couldn’t see again, the tears were building too rapidly.

With her impaired vision, the only reason she was able to tell that Sam had also realised she was crying, was when she felt his warm palm against her face.

“Hey,” his voice was so soft it made her chest hurt. “Hey, baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She blinked rapidly to repair her vision, eyelashes tickled with the tears that dropped from them, and when she looked up at him all she could do was nod. She was scared of the sound that'd come out of her if she tried to talk. The pressure in her chest was building like a mentos and coke experiment. If she opened the lid, she’d burst.

Sam thumbed her tears away, delicate as always, and crouched in front of her. He looked so worried. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t his sadness.

“Easy, sweetheart,” he squeezed her knee, and rubbed at her thigh with his free hand. “Do you want some water?”

He didn’t wait for her nod to get up and retrieve it. The glass was cold when it was pushed into her hands, and it took four sips before it felt like the lump in her throat had dissolved only slightly. But it was helping.

Sam didn’t push her to talk. He sat beside her on the bench of the table and rubbed his palm along her spine as she sipped from the cool relief. He was so nice it made her want to cry more. How could someone be so loving? How did he fit all of the gentleness inside of him? His ribs must’ve been straining with the pressure.

“Sorry,” her voice felt too small, too weak. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

Sam rubbed the heel of his palm between her shoulder blades. “Don’t be sorry,” he murmured in that gentle tone of his. “Do you think it could be… I mean, is it the case? Is that what’s bothering you?”

“I’m…” her breath wavered on her inhale. “I don’t-”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Sam took one of her hands with his free one, laced their fingers until all of their knuckles were kissing. “It’s alright, sweetheart. You’re safe.”

The lump in her throat bobbed, and she had to sip the water again.

The case they’d worked that past Wednesday was the first case that had made her physically throw up. The grass has been damp beneath her knees, dew from the green soaked into the denim of her jeans as she hunched over and emptied her stomach, the side panel of the Impala cold beneath her palm where she steadied herself. Sam’s hand had been warm against the back of her neck. Dean’s jacket had been a little heavy over her shoulders. The scene that played in her mind of what they had seen inside that house like a broken film reel had been disgusting. It had been downright evil.

It was the first case that she’d had to step back from and let the boys do their job. The first case she’d sat in the backseat of the Impala for whilst the boys buried what was left of the body.

It was the first case that had numbed her mind a little on the drive back home.

And it was the first case she’d cried about two days after.

The obscure glass was back in the role of contact lenses. Her hand squeezed Sam’s until hers shook, but he didn’t mind. He leaned over her until she was tucked against his side completely, like he’d held her on the drive home from the case.

“I don’t like our job sometimes.” Her voice broke, muffled by his collar. She inhaled deeply, tried to ground herself with his scent.

“I know.”

“I wish we’d never gone there.”

“I know, sweetheart.”

“She was already dead-” the words came out warped around a hiccup and she put her glass down to hug him instead, arms wrapped around his waist like she couldn’t bare to be any further from him.

Sam’s hand came up and stroked through her hair, something that he knew soothed her. Deft fingers pushed through the strands of her hair, nails scratched at her scalp so so lightly, until some of the tension had left her body, left her drained against him.

Her chest still ached.

“You know what I think about, after cases that we don’t win? Cases like that?” Sam’s voice was soft, she heard it through his chest, a deep rumble that had as much of an affect on her as a cat purring in her lap.

“Hm?”

“It’s cheesy, I know, but I think about all the people we’ve saved,” his fingers continued their ministrations as her tears soaked into his shirt. “And we’ve saved so many — you’ve saved so many.”

“But not her.” Her voice broke.

Sam took a breath. “No, not her,” he murmured. “Nobody said this life was easy. But if we wanted the easy life, think about how many people wouldn’t be here because we hadn’t saved them.”

It was a nice thought. That there were people around, living and loving and breathing because of them. But that girl…

“It’ll hurt for a while,” Sam murmured. “It’ll hurt for longer than a while. I can't say anything that’ll ease it. I wish I could, sweetheart,” he kissed her temple. “But… we do a lot of good, you know. You do.”

She nodded, but didn’t respond. She breathed through the rest of her tears in Sam’s arms, and only when the ache in her ribs had lessened did she lean back and looked up at him.

He smiled so softly that made her wonder how he was so perfect for her. It made her wonder how many lives they’d lived together before this one.

“What do you need, sweetheart?” Sam murmured as he lifted a hand and delicately wiped at her eyes, before he just held her jaw like he was holding light. “A bath? A nap? D’you wanna go for a drive?”

Her head rested in his palm like it was crafted for that purpose alone. “A nap sounds nice.”

“Yeah?” Sam smiled a little more, and leaned in to kiss her forehead. She wanted to cry again. “Then we’ll nap.”

Her eyes watered again when she murmured, “Thanks, Sammy.”

“Hey, ‘course,” Sam wiped at her tears once more, like he was trying to brush water from the pages of a book. Delicate, not wanting to ruin what was underneath. “I love you, okay?” He kissed her forehead once more. “We’ll get through this.”

We’ll. Maybe they would, if she had him.

[sneap-sneap]

ok trying baking soda and apple cider vinegar bloat holy shit

first off baking soda-mixed it with water, drank it with a straw cause that shit nasty and it can bypass your tongue easier. Just a tiny bit, not even a quarter teaspoon. Drinking it I started feeling bloated, but I wasn’t sure if that was just from drinking a lot of liquid yknow? Or from the acid already in my stomach? But then then apple cider vinegar, just a little, also mixed with water. The effect was literally instant. It was like a stretching sensation, like when you puff your belly out to make it larger, but it’s not you doing something, it’s something doing it to you. It felt really good tbh 👉👈 like I can’t puff out my belly any more 😳 rubbing it feels incredible too 😖 all gurgly and gassy >.<

And I was like “is this healthy and ok” and the answer’s yeah cause baking soda is basically what’s in Tums, and people drink apple cider vinegar just for funsies, and they’re neutralizing each other anyways. OBVIOUSLY don’t do it every day, cause too much baking soda can be bad for you and cause your stomach to over-produce acid but again, ur putting more acid in legit right after ur putting in the base so ur making up for it. Idk which would be better to consume first, maybe ACV first so the reaction is more dramatic and all at once?? Ugh organic chemistry coming in clutch fr 😎😎😎 but it’s better for you and more ..scientifically accurate (?) than like coke and mentos, or banana and sprite, although arguably a briefer experience. idk tbh I haven’t tried the others 🤔🤔🤔🤔 anyways that’s my review 9/10 stars, losing one only bc it was so short (might also be a benefit tho in certain circumstances) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[princessleechan]

“Choi Seungcheol must die” Chapter 13 + [BONUS WRITTEN SCENE]

Masterlist

📌chapter tags: SMAU, inspired by “John tucker must die”, John tucker!seungcheol, college au, revenge fic, jicheolsoo bonding, bonfire dates, kissing lessons, French kissing, an adult man hiding in the back of someone’s jeep, WRITTEN PART UNDERNEATH SCREENSHOTS AND CUTOFF (1.1k wc)

taglist: @silvsie @christinewithluv @stayinhellevator @aiforyuu @2youngsworld @justcruisingalonguntilbamkpop @asyre @simpxxstan @anzellll @hipsdofangirl @plskillme22 @lirtha97 @lixiel0ver @notevenheretbh1 @leah-rose03 @woozarts @expensive-idiot @doveblackboat @the-boy-meets-evil @tamakis-bbyy @freshdetectivenight @mrsdacherry @smilechannie @alltheshineofthestars-blog @ocyeanicc @horanghaezone @wonuqrtz @leewonkyeom @horangboosadan @kkooongie @myghobi @wonunuwoo @hyuk4ngel @wonwootakemyheart @shuasunshine @dinonuguaegi @ckline35 @miriamxsworld @itsokaytobedumb00 @seokgyuu @nishloves @bmkgemz @conwunder @kawaiimusiccollection @humankimbap @90s-belladonna @mxnhoeuwu

kissing scene undercut

You can’t help your shaking legs, trembling at the thought of your first kiss in—well, ever—literally seconds before it happens. Were you really gonna do it here? In Seungcheol’s Jeep while you wait for him to grab you can only assume a condom from a friend because what else’s could it be. And Mingyu, whose last name you don't even know.

On the bright side, it wouldn’t be wasted with the sleazy fuckboy Seungcheol. On the other hand, what did you know about Mingyu besides his taste for revenge?

The only conversations you ever had with him was regarding the ‘Choi Seungcheol must die’ schtick, but besides that fact that he’s petty, you don’t know much about him. And now he’s on his way to give you kissing lessons because you decided it was smart to join a scheme like this with no first hand experience.

Who knew the back of your knees could sweat like this?

You spot his dark waves pop from the driver seat window and he waves. Unlocking the doors, you allow him to hop right in the driver seat, making himself at him. He runs his hand through his messy hair and admittedly you stare back stunned. You’ve glimpsed at him the few in person meetings you’ve had—most of information residing group chats to avoid suspicion—but was he always that insanely good looking?

His hands meet in a clap, adjusting to the bizarre situation. “Okay. How much do you know?”

You blank. “Uhhh, movies.”

If you were both in a cartoon, there would be a question mark right above his head.

“Okay, so none.”

“Not everyone kisses and has sex in high school ok. Some of us clearly weren’t part of that crowd,” you stammer defensively.

The photogenic man rolls his eyes. “Okay. Fine, whatever. Just follow my lead, before he comes back.”

His hand comes against your cheek, his palm cool against your flustered skin. You eyes wide as saucers, his gaze meets yours, pericing with unwavering determination. “Look at him interested, but not too interested. Keeping him kind of guessing.

His chest draws nearer, inching closer, almost close enough to evoke the scent of that orange soda he partook from the cooler box by the bonfire and the musky cologne the compliments his natural scent.

“Your breath smells good,” he compliments casually, softly smiling. “That’s a great start.”

“I found some mentos in my purse,” you ramble nervously.

“Good habit. And relax, will you? it’s just a kiss.”

You scoff, visibly offended he’d have to say that.“I know. Shut up.”

Mingyu softly chuckles. “Okay. Come closer.”

You comply, swallowing a lump in your throat. Expertly, Mingyu pulls foward and his nose gently nuzzles against yours, your skin kissing before your lips do. “He’ll like it when you lightly touch him like this. Letting him know you’re expecting it.”

You clear your throat, emptying your mind, and try to ease the tension between your clamped thighs. “Right.”

He soothes you warm cheek with his thumb, barely touching the corner of your mouth. “Maybe softly caress his face, like that. Looking at him of course.”

“I-I’m looking.”

He laughs again. That laugh that’s so light and soft. “Sure. And then…”

His lips meet yours for the first time in a soft and gentle union, molding the part of his lips to the shape of yours. Learning to breathe through your nose, you chase after lips with a ginger cadence. Attempting to replicate his unhurried strides even as your heartbeat quickens, caught in the ebb and flow of your conflicting tempos. Then all you feel is heat. How it festers all over your body. How dulls your surroundings. How it resides in every breath you inhale.

His hand adjust your face higher to meet his, deepening the pressure—longing stinging the surface of your lips—before releasing, pleasantly taken aback by your clumsy, yet fruitful, efforts. “That was good…now you know what comes next. Right…?”

“I-I think so?”

Mingyu’s face lights up with an unmistakable sense of pride, before reuniting your lips, brushing against your bottom lip with his tongue and prodding apart. Peering through a partially open gaze, Mingyu observes your response satisfied as you seamlessly melt into his touch. He immerses himself in the glow of this triumph until your hand lands against his chest, grabbing the fabric of his shirt on a kiss drunken whim. He’s unable to suppress the moans that escape him while he feels you work your jaw eagerly to match his pace, quickly surpassing the basics and evolves into a realm beyond mere educational purposes.

Intoxicated by the tension surged liplock, Mingyu leans over closer to your side of the car, craving closeness, and he gently draws you in by the waist. In the moment, he inhales the shampoo in your hair, the subtle hint of strawberry in your lip balm, and the soft whimpers uttered. It mesmerizingly—putting lightly—and his objective begins to fade in background, lost in the taste of your lips and he’s okay if he’s stuck lucid dreaming forever.

Then there was a tapping. Soon, he discerns it's your hand, subtly signaling him to withdraw. Reluctantly, he complies, visibly heated and puzzled by your sudden pause. "What's wrong?" he asks, confused.

Still dazed, you timidly point to to his pocket. “Your phone. It’s ringing.”

So that’s what this vibrating was.

He pulls it out, the trance fading as reality sets in, and irritation takes over as he deals with the unwelcome interruption. “What? What is it?”

“Dude! He’s literally a couple meters away. Get out!”

“Fuck!”

Mingyu hangs up immediately before turning to you with startled expression. “Seungcheol’s coming.”

Mirroring his expression, you shift your focus from the beach, confirming the claim as Seungcheol stands a considerable distance away. Swiftly redirecting your attention to Mingyu, you say to him pannicked, “What the fuck? Get out.”

“He’s literally right there! He’ll see his door open and me walk out!”

“Then hide! Back seat—Wait no! The trunk!”

“I’m 6’3, what makes you think I’ll fit in his truck?”

“TRY, MINGYU! Try, Okay?”

Skeptical, Mingyu with his long limbs endeavors to claim the backseat and reaches the trunk, impressed at the ample space barely accommodating his large frame. “Wow. Maybe I should get one of these.”

“Shush—Hey! You’re back.”

Mingyu freezes hearing the drivers door open and shut, nearly shitting his pants.

Seungcheol beams back at you, a deep dimple etched in his cheek, savoring your presence as if you were a well-earned prize. “Sorry for the wait. The guys kept insisting I stay longer.”

“All good,” you reassure. “Are you sure you’re okay with leaving early? I feel kind of bad now.”

Shaking his head gently, he takes your hand. "No, let's get you home. It wouldn't feel right to leave you to take an Uber. I want to make sure you're safe."

“Mmmh, okay.”

As the engine begins to rev, you steal a quick glance over the truck's view, a momentary concern flashing across your face before it transforms into a poised smile aimed at your date. "Let's go!"

[king--of--ducks]

*An angel that Lucifer had never met before lands outside the hotel, water floating around his head instead of hair, a silver halo and dove-like wings. They hesitate on the doorstep raising a fist to knock the door before sighing, letting her hand make contact, not honestly expecting an answer*

( @ask-the-archs , Noah)

Briefly featuring the same person from the, now deactivated, @blitz-horsie-enthusiast blog!

After a moment, the door starts to open, with the one who opened it yelling at someone behind them.

🍎FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING UNHOLY, BLITZØ, STOP PUTTING MENTOS IN YOUR COKE!🍎

No!

Lucifer sighed, mumbling something along the lines of “This fucking child”, before turning to whoever was at the door.

🍎Hello wayward sou—Oh what the fuck, you’re an angel.🍎

🍎I MEAN, Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel. Please tell me you’re not here to kill anyone, we have bad experience, so I have to make sure!🍎

[imagining-in-the-margins]

S.R. Blurb Masterlist

If you're looking for my S.R. SFW Masterlist, look here. If you’re looking for my S.R. NSFW Masterlist, look here. If you're looking for my CM PolyAm Masterlist, look here. If you're looking for my Other CM Characters, look here. If you’re looking for Other MGG Characters, look here. If you’re looking for my Works in Progress, look here.

Screen: Spencer wears his heart in many places.

Anticipation: Spencer gives Reader their first kiss.

Birthday Wish: Spencer is sad he can’t reach you on his birthday.

Strawberry Mentos: Spencer and Reader share sweets and something else.

At Ease: Spencer comes home to his partner and finds them still asleep.

The Only Exception: Reader is only just beginning to believe in love again.

Sweet Tooth: Spencer and Reader celebrate the anniversary of graduating their eating disorder recovery program.

Adagio: Post-Prison Spencer learns to take things slow.

Fast Car: Reader drives a sleepy Spencer home.

Multifaceted: Reader interrogates a witness. Spencer can’t believe what he sees.

Piece of Paper: Spencer and Reader discuss Autism evaluations.

Tipsy: Spencer can’t handle his liquor, or how much he loves Reader.

Bruises: (16+) The team is concerned when Reader shows up with bruises on their neck.

A Curious Pair: (16+) Emily and JJ find a curious piece of clothing in the women’s locker room. Spencer thinks he might know who it belongs to.

Father Figure: Spencer discusses daddy issues. His boss, who is also his girlfriend’s father, has a question.

Viral Video: Someone recognizes Spencer and Reader from a viral video.

Lavender: Spencer is no stranger to headaches, and he tries to help however he can.

Stardust: Reader lost someone very important to them. Spencer helps them through a particularly dark moment of grief.

A Desert Bloom: Reader has never liked cacti. Spencer finally finds out why.

Pyrotechnics: Reader has a hard time on Fourth of July, and Spencer makes them fall in love with fireworks again.

Favorite Person: Reader just needs a little extra reassurance sometimes.

Storm: Reader has a panic attack.

Clean Shaven: Reader helps Spencer shave after prison.

Life’s Pleasures: Spencer struggles with some side effects of his medication after prison.

NSFW BELOW, MINORS DNI

Birthday in Bed: It’s Reader’s birthday, and Spencer is her present.

Post Coital Dysphoria: Spencer comforts Reader after sex.

Impatient: Spencer can’t wait until you get home.

Saint Valentine: Spencer spends Valentine’s Day with Reader.

Liqueur of You: Spencer goes down on Reader for the first time.

Speaking in Tongues: Spencer translates a movie for you. Things get a little tense.

Clean Lovin': Spencer and Reader have sex in the shower.  

Peaches & Cream: Spencer can’t get enough of you.

NSFW Alphabet: A character study on Spencer.

Handle With Care: Reader gets hurt during sex.

Morning Reverie: Spencer wakes Reader for a sleepy, early morning tryst.

Bibliophile: Spencer and Reader have sex in the library.

Oral Presentation: Spencer teaches Reader what to do when she’s on her knees.

Instinct: Spencer explains the biological phenomenons as he causes Reader to experience them.

Hard at Work: Spencer can’t seem to speak straight or sit still during a zoom meeting.

Handiwork: Spencer gets his first handjob.

Easy Access: Spencer is insecure about wearing shorts.

[captainsophiestark]

Mad Scientist

Kol Mikaelson x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Day 5 Prompt: "You're the smartest person I know."

Summary: Kol's dating a scientist who's buried in college-level work and more than ready for a ridiculous, fun version of science for a break.

Word Count: 1,685

Category: Fluff, Humor

Shoutout/Credit to The Scientific American for the info on how Mentos-Coke reactions work!

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Darling? What do you think would happen if I made pancakes with Mountain Dew instead of water?"

I paused, my pen hovering over the page in the middle of summarizing my findings for a lab I'd been working on at my university. I didn't turn around to face my boyfriend, Kol Mikaelson, who stood behind me in the kitchen, instead just staring off in thought for a moment.

"I don't know," I said, finally turning around to look at Kol. "As far as I'm aware, water's not one of the things like baking soda or eggs that's insanely important to the chemistry of baking. As long as you have the same amount of liquid, it should be fine. Maybe a little sweeter than normal, but basically still a pancake."

Kol grinned. "Excellent."

"What exactly brought this on?" I asked, standing from the kitchen table in the Mikaelson compound where I'd been working and wandering towards my boyfriend. "Just out of curiosity."

"Well you see," he said, holding his hands out in a grand presentation gesture and fixing me with a giant grin. "While I was getting the ingredients for making pancakes, I also found Mountain Dew. The rest is history."

"Interesting..."

I trailed off as I finally reached Kol, stopping so I could hold onto his arm and lean around him to look at the ingredients laid out on the counter, Mountain Dew included. My eyes wandered back to my books, still open and waiting for me on the table. I had no desire to go near them again right now, and this was the absolute perfect distraction. I looked back up at the grinning face of my boyfriend.

"Do you need any help?"

Within half an hour, Kol and I's initial experiment had expanded to encompass the entire kitchen and just about every ingredient we had in it. The Mountain Dew pancakes hadn't been much different than the regular pancakes, so we'd gotten progressively more creative in our ingredient substations, snacking on our successes as we went. My books lay long-forgotten on the table, Kol enabling my chaotic science tendencies in the best way possible.

"What if we put pop rocks in it?" asked Kol as he riffled through a drawer of sweet treats in one corner of the kitchen. I hummed to myself as I mixed our latest version, with orange juice instead of water.

"I don't know," I said. "I think we'll just get little pieces of candy in it without the pop, since the liquid in the batter would probably dissolve the candies enough to trigger the reaction before anything else. We won't know for sure unless we test it, though."

I finished stirring, then wandered over to join Kol. He'd set the pop rocks on the table along with a few other types of candies, and now stood in the open door of the fridge. I rested my head on his arm and hummed thoughtfully, until my eyes landed on something else interesting in the fridge.

"Since you've been back in the modern world... has anyone introduced you to the marvel of Coke and Mentos?"

Kol turned to face me, eyebrows furrowed but a smile on his face.

"No love, I can't say they have."

I grinned. "Then I can't wait to be the one to show you."

I snatched the bottle of Coke out of the fridge, snagging the Mentos and a piece of paper with tape too before plopping them both down on the table where we'd been mixing our batter. Excitedly, Kol joined me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Okay, so first we need to make the tube to hold the Mentos,  to make sure they all drop in at the same time when we want them to," I explained while I worked. I rolled the paper into a tube, covering one end with my thumb and then holding it out for Kol. "Put seven Mentos in there, please."

He complied, sneaking one for himself and then passing one to me. I looked over my shoulder at him, smiling, and he leaned in to give me a soft kiss.

"What's next, darling?" he asked, his voice low. I leaned back into him a little more, but returned my attention to the Mentos.

"Now, it's time for the reaction. Unscrew the lid of the soda, please." Kol took care of it, shifting a little behind me in anticipation. "Good. Now, I'm gonna dump these in, and after I do we're gonna step all the way back, okay?"

"Okay. And what happens after that?"

I shot him a grin over my shoulder. "Science."

With that, I put the tube of Mentos to the neck of the bottle, then quickly moved my thumb and let them drop all at once into the soda.

Kol's grip tightened on my waist as he used his vampire speed to get me to the far edge of the kitchen, hopefully out of the splash zone. A moment later, the reaction started, and the soda quickly bubbled and fizzed until it became a geyser, exploding out of the bottle. Kol gasped from behind me as it hit the ceiling, and I smiled.

The reaction didn't last very long, but once it fizzled down, it took Kol a minute to let me go and move to meet my eyes. He had a ridiculous grin on his face that I quickly mirrored.

"That was amazing, darling," he said. I practically glowed at the compliment.

"Thanks! It's really cool how it all works, actually. See, carbonated beverages are full of dissolved carbon dioxide gas, which wants to form bubbles and escape the pressure of the liquid. But to do that, it has to break its bonds with the water and interact with itself. Because the Mentos candies are actually covered in a bunch of tiny grooves, it makes it easier for the bonds between the carbon dioxide and the water to break, making the reaction of bubbles escaping the soda happen at a much, much faster rate!"

I'd started pacing a little, gesturing with my hands as I explained, but froze when I realized I'd been rambling for more than a little. I turned back to Kol with a grimace.

"Sorry. I know you probably don't care about how it works-"

"What? No! That was excellent, the way you explained everything!" He grabbed my hands in his as he pointedly met my eyes. "Darling, you're the smartest person I know. And it's absolutely incredible. Please don't ever apologize for the way your eyes light up and your voice gets all excited when you talk about something you love. It's one of my favorite things in the world to see."

I started tearing up a little bit at Kol's words, and as soon as he finished speaking I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me, kissing him, hard. He smiled into the kiss and wasted no time wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me tighter to him. Finally, after a few long moments, I pulled gently away.

"As much fun as I'm having... I do need to finish the lab writeup for my actual science class."

Kol sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then fixed me with a devilish grin.

"Fine. As long as you promise to let me know anytime you have an experiment to do that I can sit in on."

I beamed back at him. "I promise."

Kol gave me a sweet smile, then leaned in and kissed me one last time. Despite the homework hovering in the other corner of the kitchen, I could feel Kol sucking me in and distracting me to the point that I didn't care about my work. I was just about to give in, too, when someone coughed loudly from behind us.

Kol and I turned around to find Elijah standing in the kitchen doorway, his eyes scanning the disaster zone the kitchen had turned into. Soda still dripped from the ceiling, and horrifying pancake mutations were spread on almost every surface.

Elijah sighed heavily, his exhausted stare turning back to me and Kol.

"I trust that this will all be cleaned up before the two of you run off to other activities? Preferably sooner than later?" he deadpanned. Kol scoffed, and I tried and failed to fight a guilty grin.

"Yes, Elijah. We'll take care of it," I said. He nodded once, pausing to stare at everything for an extra moment before shaking his head.

"Good."

With that, he turned and walked out of the kitchen. Even without vampire hearing, I heard his heavy, long-suffering sigh from the other room. I turned to Kol and giggled.

"Oops."

"He loves it," Kol said confidently, waving me off. "We keep his life interesting."

"Well, that second part is definitely true. Come on, let's clean up at least a little bit of the mess. We need to do it at some point anyway, and I really do need to go back to my homework."

Kol booed and rolled his eyes, but moved to start helping me deal with the mess anyway. He picked up the now mostly-empty bottle of soda and held it thoughtfully, then turned to me with a glimmer in his eye that I loved.

"You know darling, if we pointed these in a specific direction for the reaction... we could probably shoot the soda at Elijah and the rest of my siblings."

I grinned. "We absolutely could do that."

We stared at each other for a few beats, nodding slowly, communicating without words.

"I'll superspeed cleanup," Kol finally said. I nodded.

"I'll finish my lab writeup as fast as possible."

"And I'll go get more soda and Mentos while you do."

I high-fived Kol as I crossed the room to retake my seat at the kitchen table and he turned into a vampire-tornado of cleaning. We had evil masterplans to enact, after all, and with the two of us working like a well-oiled machine, the rest of Kol's family and anyone else in this house didn't stand a chance.

****************

TVD/TO Taglist: @elenavampire21

[nikoniclove]

Hi! So i was re-reading first date and i was wondering if you could maybe write that ace, reid magic for magic where it all blows up in her face?? i would love to see how that came to be and what happened between both “magicians” and how jj and emily reacted to seeing that?

Here you go! It’s just a short blurb, so I’ll add it here.

Retaliation

You bond over battling robots first and foremost when one of the first cases you work on takes you to Vegas. You overhear Reid excitedly telling JJ about the Battle Bots, feats of science and engineering in the form of 250 lb robots duking it out in a secure arena. You join in on the conversation, sharing your thoughts on the different types of weapons the bots deploy. JJ chuckles, shaking her head at the shared enthusiasm.

Then it's magic tricks, and while Reid is obviously more adept at sleight of hand, you can hold your own with a deck of cards. Things start to get out of hand when you both foray into one-upping each other with exploding science tricks. It starts because he hits you in the forehead with his film canister trick. It continues because you retaliate by super gluing a Mentos to a piece of dental floss and sticking it in the lid of his Coke bottle. When he opens it, the Mentos falls into the carbonated soda and explodes all over his desk. Emily flat-out laughs with her glee while JJ tries to be stern, insisting that you and Reid are acting like children. "He started it," you retort.

"Maybe so, don't make me finish it," JJ threatens, hiding a smirk.

Reid isn't one to be outdone when it comes to science experiments, so he swaps your lunch for an ivory bar of soap in the bullpen microwave, which explodes into a flakey mess. You grumble the entire time you're cleaning out the piece of equipment.

One evening, Rossi demands attendance for dinner - pasta, wine, cigars, the usual. By this point, you've done the team nights more than a few times. You're more well-integrated into the team than you thought you'd be. To be fair, you're sleeping with two members of said team, so well-integrated is a particularly amusing phrase in that regard. In any sense, a dinner at Rossi's is the perfect time to get Reid back. Emily watches you carefully prepare a small tissue with some baking soda inside of it, folded into a perfect little envelope. "Don't let Jen see you doing that. She'll put you in timeout," Emily teases.

You shrug. "Reid has a lesson to learn."

"I don't doubt that," she laughs. "Try not to blow up Rossi's wine or cigar collection when you strike."

You bide your time and wait until Reid is outside, mostly to heed Emily's warning of not having the bag explode on something Rossi might not appreciate. When it's time, you take your gallon-sized bag with the appropriate ratio of water and vinegar. You drop the tissue of folded baking soda into the baggy, sealing it quickly and giving it a little shake. You drop it just behind Reid and shift to the other side of the patio under the guise of refilling your wine glass. And you wait.

When the bag explodes with a loud pop, Reid shrieks in a high-pitched startled tone. JJ flinches. Morgan and Emily are doubled over laughing. You are very, very pleased with yourself. At least until you see that JJ sloshed red wine all over herself. "Ace," she growls.

"Sorry," you grimace. "I'll go get you a fresh shirt."

"Nope," JJ insists. "You," she points. "And you," she points to Reid. "This is over. It's two for two, and I'm calling it. You hear me? Done. Finito. No more exploding retaliation." When you and Reid look properly scolded, JJ hands you her glass. "I'm going to go change. When I come back, there better be a fresh glass of wine and some tiramisu I know Rossi has somewhere."

Emily squeezes your shoulder, happy tears in her eyes, while Morgan taunts Reid for his dramatic reaction. "I probably should have included a note about JJ and pranks in my earlier warning." Then she whispers in your ear. "The key to getting back on her good side is that thing you do with your tongue."