#but I was walking around an interactive science museum

[tj-crochets]

Hey all my fellow POTS people and dysautonomia denizens, I have some questions for you! - Do you ever have narrow pulse pressure? (when the top number minus the bottom number of your blood pressure is less than 1/4th of the top number) - If yes, does it usually happen when you are standing or when you are sitting? - If you have any advice on how to feel better when you have narrow pulse pressure I am absolutely looking for advice. Like. Hydrate and salt and sit down, but any more specific advice? - Follow up: if you have a day with very narrow pulse pressure, do you ever feel headachey and bad afterward even when your blood pressure evens out?

[cthonic-bunny]

Hey babe can you do a composite / synastry observation on Pisces mars in the 5 h composite and 1st h Lilith synastry if you are familiar, I appreciate your posts .

Pisces Mars in 5th House of the Composite Chart and Synastry of Lilith in Partner’s First House

Do not interact if you are a minor. (18+)

Oooo I like this combo 👀 I’ve never experienced either, but I would like to!

For Pisces Mars in a composite chart, I feel like this is a placement where you two don’t have to talk too much to understand the other. Perhaps you’re not a very confrontational couple, and prefer to ignore the severity of certain issues to maintain the dreaminess of your relationship. In the 5th house, I’d say maybe you guys are always doing something fulfilling that you can submerse yourselves in. You probably both love to stay to yourselves and have more fun together than with others, so you two can become very introverted together. I imagine you guys come off as the “quiet” couple, but they just might not get the butterflies that can be felt with just so little words. I feel like this is also a couple that loves to watch movies together, probably likes to smoke or do drugs together, get involved in spirituality together and maybe do rituals almost as a date, and loves to transcend to music together. I think going out to art and science museums might be a great date together. Even if the sex is casual I feel like it can still feel very spiritual and you can just go straight into doing whatever else you need to do even though you just spiritually transcended LOL. I think you guys can try out a lot of things with little to no judgement with one another, because whatever flows just flows. Painting on the beach would be a nice date for you guys. I feel like you guys can also encourage mutable styles with one another, and can be known as a more alternative couple in some way. I feel like there’s a lot of sweetness and acceptance here.

For Lilith in 1st house synastry, i think one of you might have a personal style that is different than others, and this could’ve pulled the other one in like a magnet (I feel like Lilith is the one who loves how the house person expresses themselves). I feel like Lilith instantly found the house to be their ideal “bad girl/bad guy” match, or that they look like they could be even if they are sweet. I think Lilith would encourage the house person to express themselves in a way they never have before without caring about what other people think. The house person may not have understood the sexual appeal they naturally ooze, or the extent of it, until Lilith pointed it out. For some reason I feel like Lilith might encourage the house person to get more piercings and tattoos. I feel like Lilith would love to show off how they pulled the house person, and loves to present them to whoever. They might love how scandalous you guys might appear together, especially because of your appearances. I feel like this is a couple people can look at instantly just tell they get down like that. I would love to see the outfits you guys pull out when you guys are going out together. This is the couple that is NOTICED when you go out together and can look like you guys get into trouble together even if you don’t. I feel like Lilith likes the world to know the house person is THEIRS and theirs only. The house problem probably finds the stimulation from the Lilith person to be extremely motivating and liberating. I feel like the house person can undergo a lot of changes in this interaction and grow in ways they didn’t expect to, because with newfound freedom in expressions comes a lot of self discovery that they can keep with them even after the relationship. Lilith might teach the house person how to, subconsciously or not, to be more assertive and not come off as someone to be messed around with or walked all over. With a poorly aspected Lilith, i think maybe lilith can be perceived as the house person’s “downfall,” or someone who led them down a worse path than what was originally expected of the house person. The attraction to one another here sounds so enticing.

All in all, I feel like you two can find a lot of freedom in your self expressions together, and there is no judgment in exploring and changing how you express yourself on a day to day basis in whatever respect it may be. This sounds fun.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Awh! Baby Yuebei loving dinos is everything to me!

Now I wanna see her family take her the dinosaur exhibit at a museum or science center or something. The science center near me has a whole exhibit for all things dinosaur related including fun interactive learning activities for little ones like fossil ecivission in rubber sand and life-size dinosaur animatronics in fake habitats we can walk through. I can't remember the rest rn, my favorite exhibit is the astronomy room! It's so dark in there, whole different vibe from all the others. But the whole building is like a science playground, the cubs(stoplight trio included, tho Redson is probably too much of a know-it-all to let himself enjoy it) would get a kick out of it. I can already imagine which exhibits some of them would enjoy.

-💜

yes! since Yuebei Xing as a character is tied to skulls and bones, I figured it would be cute that she'd have an interest in beings mostly know through their bones.

I know some larger museums have big sand pits to emulate excavations, like the one in New York. The zoo-aquarium in my granddads town has one of those walkable habitats too! The water/fake swamp was actually an aquarium for brackish water fish!

Now I'm loving the idea of Wukong letting the cubs go on a Museum Day to Megapolis, and ofc little kids love Natural History cus thats where the dinosaurs are! Tang pouts and wants to come along too - until Pigsy points out that he's a grown man that can pay his own ticket.

Wukong gets MK and Mei (and Redson since he's been pretty much adopted into the squad) to help bring the kids around to all the exhibits. When Wukong gets too tired to run around (especially cus of his condition), the Stoplight trio take over cub-wrangling duty while Wukong chills at the museum's cafe. Mei and MK treat it like a super-dangerous mission and try their best to engage in what's caught the cubs attentions. MK noticeably blanks in fear when he sees a model of Carboniferous bugs. Redson is a bit of smarty pants, but he's interested in the provided literature/the more obscure creatures on display. Tang is barely any help with babysitting since he gets as easily distracted as the cubs! XD

Yuebei is having the time of her life. Can't keep still for a moment - there's so many things to see and touch! And if there's an excavation pit - she's jumping straight in like a fox. No regards for her nice clothes, she's covered in sand and clay within seconds. Just absolutely feral over these bones.

Mei, pointing to a model: "Do you know what that is Yuebei?" Yuebei, holding a plush dino: "Ty-ranno-saur-us rex!" Mei: "Omg you're so good at this! What about that one?" Yuebei: "Pterro-dact-ill!" Mei: "Yup! Pterodactyl! It's a pretty cool dinosaur huh?" Yuebei, suddenly very serious: "Not dinosaur." Mei: "Huh?" Yuebei: "Not dinosaur." Red Son, reading a museum pamphlet: "She's correct. Pterosaurs are a different branch of archosaur separate from Dinosauria. It's like comparing snakes to lizards." Mei: "Omg! You're so smart, baby girl!" Yuebei: "Thank." (*smug "I know" face*)

If Macaque is around post S3, he helps out with wrangling the kids, but he'd quickly get over-stimulated by all the sights and sounds - so MK would take over for him so dear bama/baba can sit down with Wukong and de-stress. Wukong and Macaque might just wander off into the quiet art gallery if it's nearby (usually is in my experience) and poke fun at the historic art.

The Eclipse twins I feel are more into the astronomy side of the museum (hard not to since Space) and demand that they stay for a lecture on objects in the solar system. And if there's a planetarium - oh boy you know the cubs (and the grown-ups too) are gonna be entranced by the projections of all the stars and planets.

Wukong, pointing to a star: "Hey I know that guy! We fought one time!" Tang: "...what?" Wukong: (*pointing to Zeta Piscium*) "Wood Wolf of Legs; Revati." Tang, gasping: "The Yellow Robed Demon." Wukong: "Yeah!" Luzhen, in baby babble: "He's very far away." (*tries grabbing for the projection of the star*)

The gift shop is decimated. XD

[forthegothicheroine]

Congratulations on your turn as Iris! I'm so happy to hear you're treading the boards again!

I might get the chance to visit San Francisco early in next year, and I was wondering if you might have any suggestions of fun things to do, off the beaten path a bit, in the colder months in that fair city?

I greatly apologize for taking so long to answer this! While many of my favorite things are gone (I still weep for steampunk stores and revival movie houses,) there are still cool, unique things to do on a trip. Here are some of them which were open as of a year ago.

Japantown Mall: The best place to be, hands down. The mall itself has amazing authentic Japanese food, a giant half-Japanese and half-English bookstore with a whole level devoted to manga and light novels, and lots of small stalls of crepes and boba tea. Across the street you'll find the Crown and Crumpet, a cute tea room with an upper floor that sells EGL brands. Even if you don't buy anything, just walking around is a great day!

Golden Gate Park: Take a walk and see the beauty of nature! Have a snack at the Japanese Tea Garden while admiring the koi pond! If the tickets aren't too expensive, go to the Academy of Sciences aquarium and say hi to the albino alligator for me! Admire the Shakespeare garden if it's in season! Another fun place to be for a whole afternoon.

Lupa Trattoria: The best Italian food I've ever had in the United States.

Haight-Ashbury: While not the goth and hippie paradise it used to be, this is still a cool couple streets. There's a science fiction bookstore called Borderlands, another cool indie bookstore called Booksmith, a huge vintage clothing store called Relic Vintage, and some pretty good thrift stores as well.

City Lights: Not done book shopping? Go to the place that published beat generation writings back in the day, which now sells an eclectic collection of intellectual, classic and offbeat titles. When I would get a book and go read it at the nearbye Cafe Zoetrope, I felt like the coolest person in the world.

Pier 39 Sea Lions: Sea lions!!! An earthquake sent them here, and they've stayed here ever since. They sit on a bunch of large rafts wrestling, showing off, or sleeping in the sun. They always cheered me up.

Exploratorium: A totally unique science museum that encourages you to touch and interact with the exhibits. They have special presentations as well, so check the website to see what's going on

Musée Mécanique: Do you want to take a headlong plunge into the uncanny valley? Of course you do! This free mini-museum has animations and carnival games from yesteryear, and the huge and terrifying Laughing Sally. It's in walking distance of Pier 39, too.

Lovejoy's Tea Room: They catered my wedding!!! Great tea and pastries, and a super cozy atmosphere, plus you sometimes get to see egl friends have meetups in gorgeous attire.

The Castro: As gentrified as it's gotten, there's still something wonderful about a neighborhood with rainbow crosswalks and pride flags waving everywhere. Sob outside of the late lamented Castro Theater (now a concert venue,) go to a souvenir store, walk down to Bi-Rite Creamery for ice cream if the line isn't too long.

Bourbon and Branch, Smuggler's Cove: If you like vintage cocktails, have a night out at Bourbon and Branch, a retro speakeasy, or Smuggler's Cove, an amazing tiki bar. Call ahead for B&B, since you need reservations and the password.

Folsom Street Fair: If you ever go again in summer and are not squicked by kink, check out this fetish festival! (And no, scaremongers, children can not actually get in and be traumatized by this, as they check your ID.) Buy a corset, have experts tie you up, get sex ed from guys who've been teaching it for fifty years, see everybody in their awesome outfits. (It is somehow always on the hottest day of the year, though, so stay hydrated, especially if you're in head to toe leather.)

The Alamo Drafthouse: While not unique to San Francisco, I'm always happy to be in a city that has one of these. This movie theater shows new films, classics and cult favorites, and you can order food while you watch (try the milkshakes!) One of my best moviegoing experiences was when they showed The Lost Boys, and all the goths in the lobby looked at each other and nodded, like yeah, we all know why we're here.

[the-phantom-author]

Ludwig Ahgren | Dad headcanons

Dedicated to that one anon who brought it up and @starsyoubreaklikesugardust. Request are open! Reblogs always welcomed!

When you tell him he is very *Star trek shock meme*He wouldn’t know how to respond, like you are able to see him buffer in real time. Probably wouldn’t process it for a few days, when he does it’s not something he’d tell you but you will see the immediate change in behavior.

A little less annoying, he wouldn’t be yanking at your hair as much, he’d tone down on poking at you. He’d also start silently keeping track of when you last ate or had something to drink, and if he thinks it’s been too long then he’ll bring you something to snack on or some water.

He would absolutely have a stream where chat gets to pick out things for the nursery. Like obviously you are there, and get unlimited chances to say no to things. But like It would end up filled with the most ridiculous large sized stuffed animals, random fandom decor, the most obscure baby books, Mounted stuffed animal heads, it’s very chaotic.

Would mention it to people, but not in a “I will always talk about this” way, more of a “I can’t think of anything else to say” way. However if you’re out with him and someone else brings it up he’ll just mention that they're getting comfortable, or he’ll try to start something by saying that you're not pregnant. He likes to cause small bouts of drama.

Likes to pretend that he is not over invested in the pregnancy. Like he’s at all the appointments and he’s consistently keeping an eye on you, but he’ll be on stream or at the appointment and be like “Yeah, she pregnant but it’s not like a huge deal” that said, he is constantly telling you little facts about the things he’s learned while doing his own research.

He likes to nap with you, and like on one hand, cute who doesn’t want to nap with their baby daddy, but on the other hand he’s a warm person and i can imagine that it gets to warm really quickly.

Boy dad extraordinaire. That being said he has no clue on how to handle a baby. Would not baby his boy, only ever talks to him in the same tone as he uses to address chat in the beginning of his videos.

I also feel as if he’d like carrying the kid around a lot. He'd baby wear all the time, but even when the kid grows out of baby wraps Lud will just carry him around on his side. He just likes doing things with his boy. Like any time he goes out to the store he’s taking the baby with him, or when he’s cooking, that baby is on his chest. He’ll stand there with the child on him as he narrates what he’s doing.

Would take baby boy on stream but never introduces him, never tells his name. They would both just sit there at the start of the stream, the baby just staring not paying attention until “Boys!”, and he gets startled. Obviously Ludwig gets into comfort mode, takes the kid off screen, and all chat hears Lud quietly saying “Come on little guy, don’t be like that.” Until they both come back as if nothing has happened. They just move on until someone in chat asks about him and Ludwig just goes “Oh him? I don’t know man, I was just given him and told to watch him.” and move on.

Also would have one of these.

As the kid gets older and starts to walk and talk he turns into a little Ludwig. He would follow Ludwig everywhere, he’s mimicking everything that he can see Ludwig doing, just a miniature version of his father. You can’t tell him this though, he’ll always deny it “What do you mean he acts like me? He can’t even hold a controller.”

I feel like Ludwig would be very fond of going to interactive museums and like science shows. He likes being able to learn with his son, even if it’s just like seeing pepper get spread to the side of a container of water when you put dish soap in it. He just thinks it’s neat and he loves seeing his son's face when he learns new things.

[xtruss]

Meet a New Generation of Black American ‘Cowboys’

With these images, photographer Kennedi Carter smashes an age-old stereotype: Cowboys aren’t all white men on horses, battling Indigenous people.

— Story and Photographs By Kennedi Carter | July 18, 2023

Doniyel Hooker bought her horse, Chance, in 2018. Whenever possible, Hooker, a math and science teacher, brings Chance to her elementary school to provide new experiences for her students. She’s ridden Chance on trails and even through the French Quarter of New Orleans.

The first time I saw a Black horseman, I was maybe six years old. I’m 24 now, grew up in the suburbs of Durham, North Carolina, but my mother’s family is from Dallas, and we’d drive back to visit. I remember this as one of those things where you’re chilling in the back seat, you see something crazy, your head does a complete 180. Cowboys! The white-man-on-a-horse archetype; battles with Indigenous people: That’s what I was most familiar with, from going to the movies with my grandfathers. So about five years ago, as I began to photograph on film, I thought it would be very interesting to turn that cowboy narrative inside out a bit. It’s always important to expand the narrow confines of what we perceive to be American culture, and how we as Black people sit inside it.

I’ve had a whirlpool of feelings, being a witness to these people. There’s a rich history of Black American cowboys, but for my work I’ve used the word “equestrian”—more inclusive now, I think. For a long time I observed from the ground, asking equestrians whether I could photograph them; I’d never ridden a horse myself until I climbed onto one while visiting trainer Silas Plummer outside New Orleans. Did I feel fully comfortable or at home? No. I thought a lot about not falling off. But in the Louisiana town where my grandfather was born, his sharecropper family didn’t have cars, so one assumes they were using horses or mules to get around. That was beautiful to circle back to, very ancestral.

And my biggest takeaway, working with all the equestrians, is just how alive they feel when they’re on a horse. There’s a freedom that comes from interacting with animals, with nature, with the land. This is what one form of that freedom looks like.

Horse trainer Silas Plummer holds Kash outside Child’s Arena stables in Bridge City, Louisiana. From wranglers to rodeo riders to jockeys, Black men and women have made their mark in many areas of horsemanship. In the United States, for example, an estimated one in four cowboys in the late 19th century was Black.

MaLana Lewis first rode a horse at age five during a camping trip. Her family later got her into barrel racing classes, and she has collected 24 first-place ribbons with her horse, Star. This photograph was taken in 2020, when Lewis was nine.

Left: Born to formerly enslaved parents in Texas, Bill Pickett became the best known Black rodeo star at the turn of the 20th century. He created the sport of bulldogging, or steer wrestling. Pickett performed around the world and was the first Black man inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame. Courtesy North Fort Worth Historical Society

Right: After barrel racing as a teen, Esperanza Tervalon now trains with JaxieBaby in Bend, Oregon, to “go low and slow” in western pleasure riding competitions. The political consultant turns to horses to bring peace to her life. “I get centered. I always leave the barn feeling better than when I walked in.” Photograph By Kennedi Carter

In the early 1900s, Black communities held festivals and rodeos in cattle country across various southern states. Here a group of cowhands show off their steeds at the Negro State Fair on the Fannin County Fairgrounds north of Bonham, Texas, in 1911. The annual event involved four days of parades, music, and rodeos. Racers also competed for prizes of $2 to $50. Courtesy of Erwin E. Smith Collection of The Library of Congress On Deposit at Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas

Trigger was Vinsha Torain’s first horse, and the two have ridden together since the college student was 13. Torain helps run the family ranch, started by her grandfather, in Siler City, North Carolina, and also heads Torain Ranch’s riding club, composed mainly of Black women.

Left: Nat Love, also known as Deadwood Dick, was born into slavery on a Tennessee plantation in 1854. After the Civil War he moved west and spent 20 years driving cattle. He got his nickname in Deadwood, South Dakota, after beating out every other competitor in roping and shooting contests.

Right: Isom Dart, born into slavery as Ned Huddleston in 1849 in Arkansas, was killed in 1900 in Colorado by a bounty hunter. A jack of many trades, including cook, miner, stunt rider, and horse and cattle thief, he was, ironically, shot for suspected cattle rustling once he’d gone straight. Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection

Jamel Robinson puts a client’s horse through exercises on a trail in Siler City. He started riding when he was four and training horses when he was 17. Robinson plans to stay in the business, which he learned from his father. “Horses keep me in a good mind space,” he says.

[jacob-in-taiwan]

August 2 - National Science and Technology Museum, Din Tai Fung, and Hakka Village 

Today was another day on the grind of exploring Taiwan. The first stop was the National Science and Technology National Science and Technology Museum. We’ve spent a lot of time exploring various history-based museums and just recently spent a whole day at art museums, so I was really excited to switch things up a bit and check out some science. Additionally, this museum was geared a bit more towards children, which is fine by me because it just meant the exhibits were more interactive. Within the museum there were a bunch of different exhibits on various topics. From space exploration, to the history of food, to Typhoon Morakot, this museum had it all covered. My personal favorite was probably the space exploration section, just because space and astrophysics are topics that I think are fascinating. Overall though this museum was interesting and a fun way to spend a morning. I even won a little stuffed capybara from one of the coin machines in the gift shop.

Something interesting that happened today was that we had an unplanned lunch. Apparently some complaints about our hotel in Taitung reached some people in the travel agency that booked them. They felt bad about our experience, and offered to make it up in some way, and Peter being the amazing tour guide that he is, got us a free lunch at din tai fung out of it. This was my third time there on this trip, and it was just as good as the first time. It was arguably the best, since nothing beats free.

After a great lunch we walked around the mall for a bit until we had to get back on the bus to visit the Hakka village. After about an hour's drive we were there and were met with a beautiful looking building. We walked down the path and went inside one of the stores where they had all sorts of things to check out. They had toys and little instruments, but the main item there was the traditional style umbrellas. We didn’t stay there too long however, because we had to get to a museum before it got too late. The museum was naturally all about the Hakka people and their culture. It was really interesting to learn about one of the smaller communities on the island. We had learned about the smaller indigenous cultures on the island previously, but since the Hakka aren’t indigenous they weren’t covered.

One of the most interesting things I saw today was in the National Science and Technology Museum. In the exhibit all about food history, they had a section dedicated to what typical meals around the world looked like. The display would have the typical food and drinks, table style, utensils, and so on. For example the American section had chicken wings, pizza, and cheeseburgers. The reason I find this so interesting is because this reveals how the Taiwanese people view other cultures. As an American, of course I admit that those foods are pretty “American” to eat, but I would hardly say it’s the typical American dinner. In my opinion some kind of grilled or baked meat with vegetables is a much more common meal than that. That being said, it still made me laugh a bit that this is how Americans are viewed. I also really appreciated the section on Taiwanese food for the same reason. It helps me better understand what the average Taiwanese person thinks the typical foods for them would be. My personal favorite part was that they put scallion pancakes and Taiwan beer in there.

[firstelevens]

#9 from the SECOND Taylor Swift prompt list for Sam/Bucky?? ⚡️⚡️⚡️

I threatened to write a Sambucky Formula One AU and then I did. Part of one, anyway. That's progress, I think.

9. a rollercoaster kind of rush

Sam holds his phone up, moving it around slowly so Sarah and the kids can get a good look at the skyline of Birnin Zana. He’s gotten used to nice hotel suites over the years, but the Wakandan ones always seem a cut above the others.

“Can we come with you next time, Uncle Sam?” asks AJ, his eyes wide as he looks out at the buildings.

Sarah shushes him. “I know you’re not asking that like Uncle Sam didn’t just take you on a very nice trip this summer.”

AJ looks like he’s about to protest, but falls silent at a nudge from Cass.

“We’ll see about next summer, okay, AJ? Take you off your mom’s hands for a bit. We can visit Warrior Falls, maybe go see the mountains up in Jabari Land. We’ll be able to do more if I don’t have a race.”

“But then Mr. Bucky won’t be–”

Cutting his little brother off, Cass leans in so his face takes up most of Sam’s screen. “I can come, too, right?”

Sam sighs. “I don’t know if you’ll like it very much, Cass…they just have that big science museum, and the botanic garden with all those rare flowers, and that one interactive geology exhibition–”

“I’m coming too!” exclaims Cass, earning a laugh from Sam and an unamused look from his mother.

Eventually, Sarah shoos the boys away to finish cleaning up their rooms, and Sam flips the camera back around. “How are you still walking around in a t-shirt?” asks Sarah, furrowing her eyebrows at him. “Don’t you have some big royal gala to attend?”

Her phone must be propped up against something now; he can see her chopping an onion as she speaks.

“I still have time,” says Sam. “Thought I’d talk to my loving family first.”

Sarah hums in acknowledgment, putting a carrot on the board and setting to slicing it before she speaks again. “How were the interviews today?”

“Not bad, actually,” he says after a moment’s thought. “I guess the team’s strategy is paying off; they actually asked me about my approach to the race today instead of whatever made up behind the scenes drama they’re usually talking about.”

He wants to warn her not to read anything on the internet, just in case, but he bites back the impulse. She knows enough by now to avoid all of that.

“I saw,” says Sarah. “The team must have been happy with that.”

“Thrilled. We were all tired of having to talk about Steve’s injury and driver chemistry, whatever that’s supposed to be. It’s a nice change.”

“And what about your cute new teammate, hm? He’s thrilled, too?”

Sam frowns, though he worries it’ll only encourage her. “Don’t call my teammate cute, Sarah.”

Sarah snorts. “I said it once, Sam. You’ve said it a hundred times.”

He scoffs. “No, I have not.”

“Oh, really?”

Sam should back down at this point, he knows, but he can’t let this go without a fight. Not this. “Yeah, really.”

“Sarah, Steve’s prettyboy teammate took the last water bottle at the press conference. Sarah, he’s lucky he’s cute ‘cause he can’t handle turns for shit,” she says, in what Sam supposes is her impression of him. “Oh, Sarah, he did an obnoxious billboard for Calvin Klein; I bet he felt like not enough people were seeing his pretty face under the helmet, but you know no one’s looking at his face in those.”

“I did not say that about his Calvin Klein billboard,” says Sam, belatedly realizing that he’s just admitted to saying the rest.

“I was paraphrasing,” Sarah says blithely. “I’m just saying, rookie Sam thought Steve’s annoying teammate was cute.”

“Well, he’s not.”

“Mmm, more of a ruggedly handsome type now, huh?”

Which is true, but Sam’s brain suddenly jumps to Bucky, bleary-eyed and messy-haired as he boards an early flight, or Bucky the way he was yesterday, when they visited a school after qualifiers and he’d sat down on the ground and rolled up his sleeve so that the kids could all get a good look at his prosthetic arm. Maybe cute is still the word for him.

Sam shakes himself before he can go too far down that road. “Sure,” he replies, as evenly as he can. “Whatever you say, Sarah.”

She looks at him like she knows what he’s not saying, but lets it slide. “I’ll let you get ready for your big party,” she says. “Have fun, Sam. And congratulations. I’m so proud of you.”

He smiles and thanks her. “Love you, Sarah.”

“Love you. Steal me something monogrammed from this fancy hotel,” she says, laughing as she hangs up.

Sam shakes his head, clicking off the screen, and makes a note to buy one of the hotel’s plush spa robes for Sarah before he leaves.

He leaves his tablet where it is and goes into the bedroom to get his outfit for the evening, turning on the TV as he goes. He may have gotten used to fancy hotel rooms a while ago, but he’ll never quite get used to the quiet of them, not after half a lifetime spent in a bustling, noisy house.

For a while, it doesn’t matter either way. The TV is drowned out by the noise of the shower and muffled by the door, but when Sam steps back into the room, the coverage has switched over to today’s race.

It’s a policy of his not to watch this stuff, but he’s busy buttoning up his shirt and trying to work in his cufflinks. The channel remains unchanged, and Sam only half-listens as they discuss track conditions and the engine issues that had taken two cars out of the race early. 

It’s only when a familiar voice sounds through the speakers that he startles and looks up.

Onscreen is Bucky, his hair still matted from being under a helmet, but curling a bit at the edges as it dries. He has his eyebrows furrowed, listening intently to the question that the reporter is posing.

“Obviously, you spent much of the race neck and neck with your teammate, Sam Wilson, battling it out for fourth place after his second pit stop put him right behind you. Was it frustrating to be told to ease off and allow him to have third?”

Immediately, Sam starts looking around for the remote. He doesn’t need to hear this. Whatever it is that Bucky’s going to say, he’s heard a thousand versions of it from their rookie days. They don’t need a rehash.

He can’t find the damn thing, naturally. Sam’s on the point of trying to crouch in these very nice, extremely tailored suit pants, all just to check under the bed, but he happens to glance back at the screen for a moment and sees the look on Bucky’s face: not the cool disdain of their rookie years, or even a few months ago. He just looks mildly confused.

“Frustrating?” repeats Bucky-on-TV. “Not at all. There’s a reason they made that call. Either one of us could have made it into third from fourth, but advancing two places? That overtake on the forty-fifth lap? That’s Las Vegas in 2016, that’s Abu Dhabi in 2019, it’s Singapore last year. No one handles a street circuit like Sam does. He was the only one who could’ve made it to second.”

The interviewer goes on to ask Bucky another question, but Sam doesn’t hear it. He feels a little bit like the bottom has dropped out from under him, his jaw hanging slightly open as he stares at Bucky Barnes’ face on his TV. 

It’s not like it’s out of the realm of possibility to study your competitors as a strategy. Sam’s done it, too. But Bucky had brought up races from seasons when he was still in recovery; they hadn’t even been competitors at that point. Granted, Steve had been racing against Sam in 2019, and last year, Bucky would’ve been paying attention to Singapore because he was already set to be their reserve for the next season, but it’s still a surprise somehow.

Sam doesn’t get much more time to mull it over: a knock sounds and he startles, his eyes going to Bucky-on-the-screen as he remembers who’s just outside the door. The remote is still missing, so he smacks the power button on the side of the TV as he hurries out to the front room.

He opens the door of the suite to find Peter, holding a tablet and tapping away at something onscreen. Behind him is Bucky, in shirtsleeves, his jacket probably in the suit bag that Peter has over one shoulder.

Sam is about to ask about Bucky’s state of not-quite-readiness when Peter steps out of the way to reveal Alpine curled in the crook of Bucky’s left arm, undoubtedly leaving white hairs all over his black shirt and answering Sam’s question in one fell swoop. He waves them both in, standing aside so they can enter.

It’s stupid, but as they walk into the suite, Sam tries to study Bucky’s face, like he might have missed something the last thousand times he’d looked at him.

It’s not exactly subtle. Bucky turns to look back at him, then glances down at the kitten in the crook of his arm.

“I know,” he says, apologetic. “I didn’t want her getting hair all over your stuff, but she wouldn’t let me leave.”

“Oh, I wasn’t–” Sam starts to say, then thinks about how exactly he might explain what he was doing. He shakes his head. “It’s fine; Miss Alpine is always welcome here.”

He reaches to pet her and she immediately butts her head against his hand before elegantly hopping out of Bucky’s arms. They both watch as she weaves her way around their feet before heading off and making herself comfortable on the hoodie that Sam left on the couch.

“Alpine,” Bucky says, a touch despairingly, as he huries after her. “Baby, no. Leave Sam’s stuff alone.”

“She’s fine, Bucky,” Sam says. “That hoodie’s the rattiest thing I own; honestly, I expected her to have finer taste.”

“She probably likes it ‘cause it’s soft,” says Bucky. His face does something strange for a second, and then he turns to Peter. “Alright, Parker, we’re all here. Now what?”

Peter finally looks up from his tablet, like he’s only just realized where he is. “Oh! Right! Okay, so the team wants a little more content for the Instagram page? So we’ll have the professional pictures at the gala, but they were hoping for something a little looser to tease what’s coming, so I’m just going to take some candids while you finish getting ready and you can just pretend I’m not here at all?”

It takes Sam a moment to process his words, rushed as they always are, but he nods once he gets the gist of it. “Do what you need to do, kid. Car still coming in half an hour?”

Peter nods. “We’ll be done with all this before then,” he says, already lining up a shot of Alpine making biscuits on Sam’s hoodie. 

Sam looks over at Bucky, who’s already helped himself to a bottle of sparkling water and has magicked up a novel from somewhere, one of those shitty old sci-fi paperbacks. There’s a blue face on the cover, glaring red-eyed into the distance, and it looks like Bucky is already halfway through.

He turns and heads into the bedroom to finish putting in his cufflinks—Peter follows him and takes pictures—and then turns his attention to his bowtie. He gets it around his neck, then stares blankly at his own reflection. He’d been planning to break out a YouTube video so he could remember how to do this, but that feels significantly more embarrassing with Peter there waiting to capture the whole thing on camera.

He stalls for a bit by putting on his jacket and fussing with the buttons, pretending to be assessing the line of the suit. (He doesn’t need to: it’s perfectly cut and tailored, cobalt brocade with solid black lapels, and the fabric is so butter soft that Sam kind of wants to live in it forever.)  After a mostly useless five minutes of stalling, he decides to head back into the sitting room, hoping that they’ll find Alpine doing something cute to distract Peter for long enough that Sam can remember how the hell you tie a bowtie.

“Better light,” he says as he heads back out, and Peter seems to accept the explanation.

Thankfully, Alpine comes through for Sam: she’s perched on Bucky’s shoulder as he reads, tucked into the crook of his neck and looking very comfortable. That has to be worth at least three or four Instagram posts, he decides, and leaves Peter to excitedly take his pictures.

Sam takes the opportunity to face himself in the mirror by the desk, determined to get this done before Peter remembers that the actual racers on the team are Sam and Bucky, and not a tiny cat with expensive taste.

He’s debating which side goes over first when he hears Bucky ask, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” says Sam, too quickly to be believable. “It’s just my bowtie, don’t worry about it.”

But Bucky is already striding over—a glance at Alpine reveals that she’s back on Sam’s hoodie—and steering Sam around to face him. “You won’t have a bowtie left if you keep pulling at it like that,” he says, but instead of cutting, it’s just kind of amused. “Here, let me.”

He waits for Sam to nod before he reaches for the bowtie, smoothing the ends out between his fingers before starting to tie it.

It’s quiet, Bucky focused on Sam’s tie and Sam left to look at the sweep of his eyelashes, the way his hair’s been slicked back, the way his shoulder and sleeve are covered in Alpine’s hair because he couldn’t bear to move her when she was comfortable. Bucky’s brow knits together in concentration and Sam feels a swoop in his stomach, a rush of- of something pounding through his veins all of a sudden.

“I’ve never once seen you in a bowtie,” says Sam, because maybe talking will help him feel steady on his feet again. “Why do you know how to do this?”

“My sister,” says Bucky. “Becca wore a tux to prom as an act of rebellion, but she said that just because she wasn’t wearing a dress, didn’t mean she would be half-assing it. Made me learn how to tie her bowtie because she couldn’t get it right when she was doing it on her own.”

The explanation does nothing to stop the swooping feeling at all. “And you still remember after all these years?”

Bucky shrugs, adjusting the ends of the tie so they sit right. “It was important to her,” he says. “And, uh, it was good practice, you know? After the arm.”

Sam doesn’t have anything to say to that, so he just nods a little and claps Bucky gently on the left arm.

He accepts that with a nod, adjusting Sam’s bowtie one last time before smoothing down his lapels. Then he takes a step back, surveying his handiwork. “Looks good,” Bucky says. “Maybe next time, I’ll ask if I can wear the blue brocade, stick you with the all-black-except-for-one-pop-of-color outfit instead.”

“You know I’d make it look good,” says Sam, grinning. 

“That’s pretty confident, for a man who can’t tie a bowtie,” Bucky replies.

But Sam just waves a hand. “I have people for that.”

Bucky snorts, shaking his head. “If I’m tying your bowties on a regular basis, what exactly are you bringing to this partnership?”

“My sparkling personality,” says Sam, before reaching over to his garment bag and pulling something out. “And also, an endless supply of emergency lint rollers.”

He tosses it at Bucky, who easily catches it one handed. “Deal,” he says, already rolling it down his sleeve. “You’ve got yourself a bowtie specialist on retainer.”

“Shit, if I’d known that all it took for you to cooperate was a lint roller, I’d have given you one fifteen years ago.”

“To be fair, I don’t think me from 2009 would have had much use for a lint roller,” says Bucky.

“Oh, no, how could I forget? Walking Ed Hardy ad James Buchanan Barnes.”

“It was 2009, Sam.”

“That is not an excuse, Buck.”

“Oh, and you were so much better, with all your devastating v-necks?”

“Hey, those are a classic staple of–”

They’re still bickering when Peter tells them that the cars have arrived, but the silence when they take the elevator down is warmer, somehow. When the doors slide open, Bucky holds them for Sam, waving him forward with a small smile. “Shall we?”

At least this time, Sam’s prepared for the swoop.

[hecckyeah]

I'm visiting Minnesota for the first time outside of the airport this year and I recall you posting a bit about that state. Any recs of cool things to do/ good places to eat in the Twin Cities?

OMG yess exciting!! I grew up right in that area :))

I'll add what I can think of off the top of my head, but maybe some of my other MN moots can chime in? @3friesshortofahappymeal

I'll start with the big ones, then scale it down a bit :)

The Mall of America, for sure. I know it's a typical tourist attraction but it really is quite spectacular and worth a short trip. Sometimes there are cool concerts and events going on in the Rotunda (they have a list here), and if you've ever been shopping and thought, hmm I could go for a rollercoaster right about now, then the MoA's got you covered :) Also, I haven't been but my brother says the Fly Over America exhibit is AMAZING

Minnesota Zoo!! I haven't been there since my childhood, but they used to have this treetop rail which I think they replaced with a walkway. Either way, it's fantastic, very informative, super adorable!

The Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul!! Seriously one of my FAVORITE places ever. There's an omni-theater, which is worth the trip in itself. The exhibits are top tier, tons of interactive stuff for adults, and it takes FOREVER to get through it, so you know it's worth the admission price :)

Stillwater is about a 30 minute drive from the Cities, but it's incredible if you want to do some light hiking and visit some cute shops!

I've never actually been to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, but it's a top destination if you have the time/interest for it!

Depends on what time of year you're visiting, but you have your pick of lakes to swim in (or paddleboard, rent a boat, lay on the sand and get burned by the sun, etc) Some favorites are Long Lake, Wayzata Beach, Silver Lake, and White Bear Lake Park!

There are some super nice walking paths around the Stone Arch Bridge

The Mill City Museum is worth a visit if you're a huge nerd like me :) It's a great little peek into Minnesota history and culture!

The Guthrie Theater for SURE, especially the yellow tinted room a couple floors up. Iconic MN spot!

Asia Mall in Eden Prairie! You can get some top tier boba there

If you have time to drive a little further north, I personally love the Albertville outdoor shopping mall. They're all outlet stores, and it's enormous and a really nice area.

Again, I've never been but The Armory always has some kind of events/small scale concerts going on. I think my brother saw The Band CAMINO there a couple years ago :)

Sadly I'm way less educated on restaurants in the area :( I know the Maple Grove area has tons of elite spots, and you really can't go wrong around the downtown area around the US Bank Stadium.

That said, just a couple places I do know of--

Fogo de Chao in Minneapolis

Henhouse Eatery in Minneapolis

Teppanyaki Grill in Fridley

Hoagie's Family Restaurant in Hopkins

Also, just a side note, if you have a day or two to spare, I'd HIGHLY recommend a trip up toward Duluth and the North Shore. In my opinion that's the most gorgeous place in all of MN.

Again, MN moots feel free to chime in!! I haven't lived in the Twin Cities area the last couple years and now I'm moving back soon, so I'm a little out of touch hahaha, especially after covid :)

I hope this helps!! Have an AWESOME time, and definitely let me know how the trip goes!!! <3 I love MN, it has so much to offer <33

[parallelunivrses]

okay a bit of a story-time/rant here but i've spent the last few weeks prepping some raised garden beds for summer gardening. yard work is messy, so i normally wear one of the million free shirts that i got from my college and department in undergrad. i graduated with an aerospace engineering degree, so these shirts all say something along the lines of '"[university name] college of engineering" or "[university name] department of aerospace engineering and mechanics." and i was adding soil to my raised beds today when a neighbor walking with his wife walked by and stopped to ask what i was doing, what i am planning to plant, etc. etc. my garden beds are in the front yard so this has happened a lot. but then he asked me, "so are you actually an engineer or are you just wearing the shirt?"

and i just. what???? the only reason i can think that someone would ask that is because they don't think women and female-presenting folks can be engineers. i explained that i graduated a few years ago (my shirt literally said "class of 20XX") with an aerospace degree. and he was just like, "oh okay. i am a biomedical engineer." and then they walked off.

and i'm just. so tired of sexism in engineering!! this is part of the reason that i struggled in grad school (my program was less than 5% women. in several of my classes there were more people named "josh" than there were women) and it's a big reason why i don't like engineering workplaces. i WANT to stick around in this space and try to make it better for future generations of engineers, but it feels like i am constantly having to justify my space in engineering. i'm currently working in education, and i never feel like i have to justify my space there. when i worked at a science museum i never felt like i needed to justify my worth. interactions like this are a part of why i am having a career change.

in a lot of ways, it doesn't feel like things have changed in the thirty years from when my mom got her electrical engineering degree and now. people may not be outright telling me that i can't do engineering in the way they told my mom, but if your first instinct when you see a female-presenting person wearing a college of engineering shirt is "hm i don't think that person actually was an engineering student," it reinforces the idea that woman cannot go into engineering.

[lykaios2]

Like Father Like Daughter: Part 2

here is the second part of @httpjiikook's request! Part 1 can be found here

also obligatory author's note: this was definitely interesting to write, I've never written anything much other than x readers, so this was a nice change of pace! I hope you enjoy the second part ❤️

And before she could even have a second thought, they had locked eyes. Unbeknownst to Lily, the turtles had been looking for the people who had nearly become victims to the Foot Clan. She almost immediately recognized them.

"Casey! Wait!"

Casey turned to see the situation he had dreaded most. He winced, then took a deep breath and followed Lily back.

The turtles had already started walking over to where they were. As they grew closer, they slowed down out of caution, making sure no more trouble was coming to them. They politely asked if Lily and Casey were okay, to which they said that they were.

"You guys should be careful. This is a dangerous part of town."

"Oh...we didn't know. We're not from here."

"And...you two aren't scared at all by our appearances?"

Casey tried to awkwardly explain that where they were from, people like the turtles weren't exactly abnormal.

"Anyhow, you guys said you're new to New York, right? Why don't we show them around?"

"Oh, we would love that!"

Casey reluctantly agreed, but pulled Lily aside before they left. He sternly reminded her that under no circumstances must they ever reveal their true identities, or where they had come from. Lily said she would, but in the back of her mind she had already considered telling them that she was, in fact, Donatello's daughter from the future.

After their discussion, the turtles started introducing themselves. She already had guessed who each of them was, but she let them proceed with their introductions. It was quite fascinating to her, seeing all of them so young. She had only known them as adults, and most of it was from stories she had been told.

"Vamanos, hermanos! There is much to see!"

Of course, living in New York their entire life, the turtles knew every secret that one could possibly think of. Lily was in awe by their incredible knowledge of the city, being amazed at every new place they visited. They each took turns showing off their favorite spot: Leonardo's was the skate park, Michelangelo's was his favorite restaurant, Raphael's was a smaller park on the edge of the city, and Donatello's was the science museum.

The whole time they were hanging out, Lily was completely immersed. The whole experience was unreal to her. She was having such an amazing time, learning about and interacting with the people she never got a chance to do so with. It almost made her forget about the apocalypse, and her old life.

Eventually, they ended up in the turtle's lair underground. At this point, even Casey had come to relax a bit, seeing how much Lily was enjoying herself. Casey watched from a distance as the 5 of them talked like old friends.

"So Lily, do you have any family?"

"Thankfully, yes. I've lost a lot of people close to me...so it's good to still have people."

"Oh...well, yes, that's good. Is it a sensitive topic for you?"

Lily hesitated before nodding. The turtles could tell that bringing up family had certainly stirred up some unpleasant memories for her, so they switched up their questions.

"You know, now that we're not out and about, the lighting here makes me realize your skin is looking a little...off. A bit green almost. Are you alright?"

"Oh, I see it now. And speaking of appearances, your eyes look very familiar...Donnie, look at me, will you? Lily, you too."

They both stared at him. Leonardo closely looked at both of them, his gaze quickly switching between the two. He pulled Raphael and Michelangelo over, and was whispering to them. The looks on the rest of their faces had both Donatello and Lily concerned. They exchanged worried glances waiting for the others to finish talking. Eventually, Raphael spoke up.

"You know...have you two realized how similar you look? Here, follow me."

They all followed Raph, including Casey, and piled into the bathroom. They all watched in anticipation as Donatello and Lily stared at one another, inspecting each other's features until they were satisfied.

"I will admit, we look strikingly similar. Quite the coincidence I must say."

"Yeah...what a coincidence."

They all returned to the main area, with Lily taking up the rear. She didn't want to show it, but an idea had been in the back of her mind the whole time she was here. She wanted so badly to reveal who she truly was. Whenever Donatello became the main point of conversation, she had to keep herself from blurting out that she was his daughter. She knew that not only would Casey be mad at her, but it would probably freak out the turtles as well. But the thought had become so strong, her will was close to breaking.

"Lily? You coming?"

She had not realized she had stopped walking, and only now remembered what was happening. She nodded and caught up with the rest of them.

For the rest of the night, she tried to keep the thought at the back of her mind. She tried to focus on spending time with her new friends, but the thought of revealing her identity kept coming back again and again.

The turtles, on the other hand, could tell something was off. She just seemed...not all there. Like her mind was somewhere else. They worried it was because they had done something wrong.

"Hey, Lily..."

"Hm? What's up?"

"Are you feeling okay? You seem like you've got something on your mind."

Lily winced. Had it been that obvious? She didn't know what to do, so she said she'd return in a second and left the room. She went over to where Casey was and sat down next to him.

"Casey, would it really be that big of a deal if...if I told them who I really was?"

Casey started to freak out. He started to reprimand her, reminding her about how keeping their identity secret was the one big rule he had set. Lily sat and listened to him again, all the while becoming more and more disappointed. However, while Casey was lecturing her, he stopped. He looked at the expression on her face. Lily looked at him as he was deep in thought.

"Lily...listen to me. I know I said not to ever reveal your identity under any circumstances...but I understand this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you. I think it would be...rude of me. To not let you do this. If you really want to...you can. And now that I think about it, Donatello would probably be pretty happen to learn that time travel is indeed possible."

Her face lit up. She started thanking him profusely, shaking his hand and giving him a hug. Casey just smiled. After thanking him one last time, Lily rushed back into the room where the turtles were and sat back down.

"Wow, that was fast. And whatever you did surely raised your spirits quite a bit."

"Yes, definitely. Although, can I tell you guys something? I've been hiding something from you all this time...and I think you should know."

The turtles looked a bit confused. They were all a bit upset that their new friend had been hiding things from them, but they were listening now.

"I don't even know if you guys will believe this...but I'm from the future."

Their jaws all dropped. Raphael and Leonardo were shocked, but Donatello and Michelangelo were excited.

"And...Donatello."

He leaned closer, listening even more intently.

"I'm your daughter."

That was the last straw. Immediately they were all over her with questions. How did she get here? What was the future like? Was Casey also from the future? Did they have any amazing stories or epic tales from their future selves? But most importantly, at least to Leo...

"How in the hell did Donnie pull a girl?!"

[lovebandit42069]

Did another ask meme, this time it was this one by PrismaticUniverses!

Same as previous ask memes, putting the responses under a cut to keep from destroying everyone's dashboards but if you read all of it I love you forever and ever okay

Ship featured is:

Crash's Toyhouse is here for anyone interested! I also have a little ship explanation page set up for everyone here!

Proship and Minors please do not interact

❤️ How did they meet? Was it love at first sight, immediate enemies, or something in between?

Crash meets all three during their time in high school!!

Crash was in the same grade/classes as Hizashi and Shouta (and Oboro) and meets Nemuri through them while hanging out on the rooftop

It was definitely love at first sight for everyone even if it took them awhile to actually address the feelings 🤭

================================================

🧡 How do they become friends? do they ask up front or is it a gradual realization?

Hizashi was hanging out with Oboro and Shouta out in front of UA before the first class of the day and noticed Crash nervously standing nearby trying to gather the courage to actually walk into the building on its first official day at UA and set his sights on befriending it. 

Crash was listening to some music to try and calm its nerves and Hizashi used that as a launching point asking what it was listening to and bonding with it over mutual taste in music. After a minute or two of discussion he asks Crash if it wants to meet his friends and the rest is history 😌

================================================

💛 What are their favorite activities to do together? or what do they usually do when they spend time together?

Shouta and Crash like to just kinda do quiet activities together/parallel play as they do their own separate things. They especially love to take naps together!

Hizashi and Crash like to listen to music, dance and just otherwise jam together. 

Nemuri and Crash enjoy doing anything that allows them to be close to each other physically (cuddling while watching movies for example)

But also since she’s the modern art history teacher for UA I like to think they go on art gallery/museum dates a lot too. Crash loves to listen to her go on about the art pieces and Nem likes listening to Crash infodump about things like science/quirk science and retrofuturism

================================================

💚 Do they both realize they have a crush early on, or does it take them forever to realize?

All four realize they have crushes on each other pretty quickly but Crash, Shouta and Hizashi are STAUNCHLY in denial about it at first like whatttt?? Me?? Crushing on my best friends???? Yeah right hahaha!!!! *nervous sweating*

================================================

🩵 Do they both act different once they realize they’re falling for the other? maybe stuttering or fidgeting or daydreaming more often?

Nemuri definitely gets a bit more flirty with Crash, Shouta and Hizashi specifically when she realizes for sure

Crash and Hizashi are a little more openly flustered around the others at times (Crash more than Hizashi, I feel like he’d be better at keeping his cool even if only marginally so heehee) but Shouta I doubt would really act any differently outwardly

They’re close friends with a lot of responsibilities though so it wouldn't be frequent enough to disrupt anyone’s lives, just sprinkled in here and there tastefully <3

================================================

💙 Do they pine and yearn for each other quietly, or can they not stop talking about the other to their friends/family?

Shouta pines quietly for the most part but I think it’d be cute if he slipped up every now and then and accidentally said or did something that showed his pining 😌. Glancing at one of them a little too long, putting his hand on their shoulder/other forms of lingering touches, more subtle things like that

Hizashi would pine very loudly but wouldn’t realize just how obvious he was being about his crush unless someone said something about it. Just constant yapping about how great/cool/handsome/pretty/whatever he thinks the other three are that he thinks comes off as purely platonic but very much does not to anyone that’s actually paying attention lmao

Crash would be incredibly similar to Hizashi though it realizes a bit more quickly that its compliments are coming off as a bit more than just platonic and gets flustered/starts to deflect any way it can

Nemuri is definitely the most straightforward about her feelings for the other three, openly flirting with them (which they misinterpret as just something she does with everyone), talking dreamily about them to mutual friends/coworkers, etc

================================================

💜 How do they confess? Is it a grand gesture or in a more mundane moment?

I guess it’d be classified as being a more mundane moment?? Nemuri gathers everyone on what they assumed would just be a regular friend hangout and just drops the “We’re all crushing on each other, what are we going to do about it” bombshell onto the other three prompting a bit of fake confusion that melts into them being honest with each other about having developed feelings leading into them forming a polycule <3

[magicalgirllover7]

Siiiiiggh the brainrot is melting my mind so take this yapfic of my SC oc meeting the critters (PART 1)

(Ps, this is self indulgent so there’s not gonna be a lot of context LMFAO)

Also my oc doesn’t appear…. Yet.

It was a cold fall night, the critters had decided to go to a new science museum. There was a special exhibit called “The Lightbulb Land” that supposedly showed the “fun and exciting” properties of light.

“This is going to be great!” Bubba squealed, clutching his lightbulb pendant.

“A museum has you screaming like a girl… no way…” Kickin expressed his concern.

“Let him!” Bobby squeezed Kickin’s wing as a warning.

“Alright!” He quickly jerked back, then gently rubbed his wing.

“Um… are we done?” Dogday motioned to the two of them with a concerned look on his face. They nodded in a synchronized manner, prompting Dogday to go back to his relaxed, yet excited stature.

“Ok, now let me just…” Dogday began to do multiple consecutive headcount’s. His digital pad flew around quickly, before stopping.

“Phew… everyone’s here.” Dogday sighed, before motioning for everyone to follow him.

“We’re officially on the road…-path? Whatever!” Dogday announced.

The walk was actually quite nice. The critters finally got to go somewhere different, it was a welcome change. The gentle cool breeze that occasionally brushed on them, the earthy wet smell that came with the outdoors, and the quiet sounds of crickets were a new aesthetic to them.

Crafty had taken a sketchbook with her, and was quietly sketching out the scenery, right behind her, Hoppy and Picky were playing a game of “I Spy.”

“I spy with my little eye… something cyan!” Hoppy whispered.

“Crafty, obviously.” Picky replied.

“How’d you know?” Hoppy questioned.

Picky tilted her head, eyebrows raised. She got out a bag of pretzels and handed some to her.

“Let’s leave the intelligence thing to Bubba.”

“Buh-“ Hoppy crunched on the pretzels while speaking, Picky quickly closed her mouth for her.

“Don’t eat with your mouth open! It’s gross.”

Crafty, in front of them was quietly snickering, hearing their interactions. She drew a picture of what she imagined happening, an angry, pretzel-filled green rabbit, and a sarcastic pink pig arguing. She covered her mouth to stop her laughter from escaping and shook her head.

Dogday had a silent smile on his face. To see everyone bonding outside made his heart flutter, however a strange feeling of something being missing fell upon him.

“Your tails wagging, what has got you so happy?” Bubba asked in a inquisitive tone.

Dogday was caught off guard. “I’m just really happy about this new experience!”

Bubba gently blew his trunk as they continued walking.

After a while, they spotted bright lights illuminating a building. It was a wondrous sight for them.

“The museum!” Bubba shouted with glee.

Kickin looked at Hoppy with a mysterious grin. He lightly smacked the back of her head.

“You’re too slow!” He yelled as he began running towards the building.

“Get back here!” She screamed as she bolted towards the yellow chick.

The two were actually quite fast. The rest of the critter had to dodge the two.

“I- welp…” Dogday mumbled.

“We’re here!”

They marveled at the giant building, dwarfing them in size. The lights coming off were a beautiful sight. The carved brick walls look intricate, with many Roman-like designs. There was a flag on the top of the building, showing a lightbulb drawing.

“Ooooooooooh!” They all vocalized in unison. Their eyes lit up like stars. They entered through the large doors, and saw the lobby. There was a neon map, along with foldable paper versions that helped navigate the museum.

“So, let’s all stick togeth-“

“Race you!” Kickin interrupted Dogday as he, and Hoppy began running away.

“Slow down, you’re going to get yourselves hurt!” Bobby chased after them.

“Uh… well I’m going to the lightbulb exhibit.” Bubba announced.

“Oh, me too!” Crafty added.

“Well, since you guys are going, I’m coming as well!” Picky also added.

The group walked towards the exhibit, while talking to each other.

“Oh well…. That makes just me…” Dogday sulked. His plan wasn’t really going to fruition. He woefully got a paper map, and looked to see what he could do.

“Let’s see…. Lightbulbs… biology…. Sleep exhibit- sleep?” That word rung a bell in his head. He suddenly got a flashback to his headcount, as he remembered he counted eight heads, but he only heard seven voices. He recounted in his head.

“Where’s Catnap?”

[umichenginabroad]

Stockholm Week 2: Museum Museum Museum!

Välkommen, again, to my journey in Stockholm! 

I'll get started right away:

1/23 Tue: Visiting Host Family

A lot of snow melted (finally) this week, and it was my first full week of classes. I watched a comedy film I Love Lucy in Glued to the Screen class and talked about political ideas and issues in the Swedish Language and Culture course. I thought the U.S. education system had a lot of discussion built into the curriculum, but the Swedish Language and Culture course had even more discussion integrated into the class. We listened and gave opinions about concepts like nationalism in addition to typical vocabulary and grammar lessons. 

Last week, I was accepted into the Visiting Host Program through DIS and invited for dinner with another student! I had a few hours after class and you know I didn’t miss the opportunity to go shopping ;) I went into Zara instead and tried on a bunch of clothes. Compared to other countries, Zara in Europe has bigger sales and better quality clothes! 

I shopped around the rich stores (Moncler, Gucci, etc) but did not dare go in

On the way to my Visiting Host family, I met up with the other invited student (also from Minnesota! What a coincidence) in the subway station (where I got lost for a good 10 minutes). The hosts were SO NICE and the 5-year-old baby was SO CUTE.

She braided our hair and put a pin as a cherry on top  

They prepared authentic Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, and white wine. The dessert called princess cake was very pretty and sweet as its name <3

I usually don't like wine but this one was surprisingly good and I’m planning on asking the name of it! 

We had such a good time, and I am excited to see them again soon! 

1/24 Wed: Museum Field Study

Our film class, Glued to the Screen, met altogether at the Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology (Tekniska Museet) at 2 pm on Wednesday. 

This was nothing like I imagined. The museum had three floors and there were endless passages and stairs and rooms that we went through. It mainly covered the history of technology in Sweden and Europe.  

Although two hours of continuous walking was exhausting, we took hundreds of photos and were submerged in activities. In fact, two hours was not enough time to look around the huge museum packed with interactive activities like gaming, cycling, driving, etc.

Air balloon, AI, VR, Phone booths, and so much more

This particular room was full of mirrors!

After the independent tour around the museum, as with all field studies, we had a fika at the wooden cafe in the museum. 

If you are able to go, please order the strawberry smoothie there. It was DELICIOUS!

After the field trip, my friends and I spontaneously, again, headed for more shopping. I did a big Zara haul and so did my friends. 

I can’t stop buying clothes and it’s a problem. The discounts aren’t helping either :(

1/25 Thu: Sour Day

Because I had four hours in between classes on Thursday, I killed time in the library in the DIS building (was going to work on homework but inevitably fell asleep for a while). Then, with the goal of waking up, I headed to a bigger ICA supermarket. Aaaand as you could’ve imagined I couldn’t pass by the snacks corner without buying some. I got a wide range of chocolate and jellies.

Afterward, I went back to DIS to actually do homework. I got bored after a few minutes; I took out the chocolate bag. The moment I took a bite of a round chocolate ball, I stopped biting. Not voluntarily, but forcefully. There was a very hard, blue ball inside the chocolate cover. With hesitation, I tried licking the exposed side and regretted my choice immediately. It was extremely salty AND sour. 

I learned the hard way that I should read the descriptions before putting all kinds of chocolate in the goodie bag.

1/26 Fri: Busy Busy Friday

Friday was another thrift day for me. DIS leads led us and showed us around the secondhand stores in Zinkensdamm. The high-end vintage store Beyond Retro sold clothes for 500 Krona (~$50) while the more common stores like Myrorna and Stockholm Stadsmission had things for 50 Kr (~$5). The latter ones were more of my style. 

For dinner, I finally had MAX. It is a Swedish burger chain that has tons of menus including Vegan and Vegetarian options. I tried the advertised burger meal with the sweet potato fries on the side. The burger was as good as I was told by the locals. I’m definitely going back to try other burgers and smoothies!

We faced an unexpected amount of snow on the way back home but it was so pretty that I forgave the weather. 

My hair was soaking wet

That same night, my friends living in a different student apartment came to Södermalm to try out the bars here. We sat down and talked and had a couple of drinks together to end the night <3 

1/27 Sat: More Museum Trips

We made it to the Banksy Museum just to find out that the tickets for that day and the next day were sold out already. To make sure this doesn’t happen again, we booked the tickets for next week on the spot. The Fotografiska museum, which was conveniently right next door, compelled us in. We got a student discount (199 Kr ~$19.90) and separately wandered around the museum to appreciate each artwork. My favorite ones were Rinko Kawauchi’s photo collection located on the top floor. 

The artwork reminded me of words like ethereal, surreal, serendipity

We couldn’t walk past the photo booth either! It was $6, which was not as expensive as the ones found in the subway ($9.99). 

The camera started shooting right after we paid, so you can see us caught off guard in the first frame. I got the black and white version and my friend took the colored one.

But aren’t we so cute <;3

Even the sky on the way back home was gorgeous.

1/28 Sun: Flea Market!

DIS notified students about the weekend flea market and I recruited people to go with me as soon as I saw the information. 

There were tens and hundreds of people selling and buying clothes and home goods for a good price!

I got a jacket, 5 gold rings, a sweater, shorts, and a mesh top for a total of 274 Kr, which is about 27 dollars. The flea market was a cheaper and higher quality version of a thrift store and I absolutely loved it. Do you see a trend here ;)

We were craving pastries later on so we stopped at Gamla Stan to grab some before going home.

Selfie!

As people with high standards, we inspected more than five cafes to find the perfect place that met our needs. A bakery called PANEM was our last stop, and the desserts there were phenomenal even at a reasonable price. 

I got a mango mousse cake and it was the best dessert I’ve had in Stockholm so far!!!

This concludes my second week in Stockholm. Stay tuned for more adventures from me!

Tack så mycket, 

Jiwoo Kim 

Chemical Engineering

DIS Study Abroad in Stockholm, Sweden

[aurosoulart]

can't remember when/what i followed you for but i've seen you a lot and i am so, so happy for your success.

thank you!!!! 😭❣❣❣

it's honestly surreal how fast all this happened. never in my life could I have dreamed that art would lead towards working with cutting-edge technology like this......... or that art & tech would become so seamlessly blended!!

like honestly? I'm just a big fish in a small pond right now regarding the accessibility of the tools I'm using. it fills me with so much inspiration and wonder imagining what other artists will create with spatial computing once this all becomes more affordable

I'm expecting an Art Nouveau level of culture shift around how we view and interact with art - AR paintings you can walk inside of (this is what I'm working on), animated holograms in museums, virtual objects you can TOUCH with haptic gloves...... ALL of this (and more!!) exists RIGHT NOW and is literally no longer in the realm of science fiction.

I know I keep rambling about this but... it's mind boggling!! I'm CREATING these things and I STILL can't believe they're real.

[pbandjesse]

I am super sore and very tired. Today was so long. But it was a really good day. I am very happy.

I slept okay last night. I woke up cold a few times. And James was still in bed which was a nice surprise. They usually already up and about. So a sleepy James was very cute.

I got dressed and felt very pretty today. And I had plenty of time so I thought I could stop even though I feel like I have bought way too much fast food and lost couple weeks.

And that absolutely bit me in the ass. Because even though I left at 7:40 I sat in the line for McDonald's for 15 minutes! So I still rolled up at camp exactly on time but very stressed out about it. And the sandwich made my stomach hurt! So I was a little annoyed.

But it was fine. Like is said I was on time and that's all that really mattered.

When I got there I went up to the arts building to get my sweatshirt, it was a lot colder then I expected, and then to the eyrie.

I saw someone walking around down there and called over and it was Morgan, the Towson student I was working with today. And I think she was a bit unsure of me at times but she was very sweet and did an excellent job.

Elizabeth was not there yet though so I did not have all the answers about the programs but I filled her in as much as I could.

Soon everyone was there though and Elizabeth declared that the supply boxes would be delivered by gator so I was very pleased about that. And me and Morgan went down to the stream station to get set up.

There was some confusion about the fact or fiction cards that was a little annoying but we figured it out and it was fine. And we made a plan about dividing and conquering the programs today. I was looking forward to it.

And it was great. We had excellent groups and mostly great chaperones.

We started on the field. I got to read for a little while we waited for the buses. And very soon the 6th graders were there!

We broke into groups. Alexi and Heather gave an intro. And then we took a bathroom break. Which took forever but me and Morgan split the group and I took some to the museum and it was all good.

But because that took so long we had to speed through the program a bit but that ended up being totally fine. And me and Morgan were a pretty great team. I would give an intro and introduce the project and then pass it to her for the science parts while I got each step ready and would help redirect and reiterate what she's teaching. It was her very very first time teaching and overall she did good. She could work on vamping and talking to fill time. I had to carry that a lot. So now my throat hurts but that's fine. I honestly had a great day.

I had a cute little interaction with a goth 11 year old. She was so cute. She complimented my eyeliner, I complimented hers. She was just like me when I was her age. I showed her my goth pictures and her friends were all like. You are looking at what you could look like in the future. It was super cute.

Lunch was good. I did a debrief with Morgan and the other Towson student, Tamia, came and we had fun sitting in the rocking chairs and chatting.

I got a sandwich from the catering the group brought in. And me and Elizabeth commiserated about a few chaperones who were super checked out. But whatever. We move forward.

I had two rounds of seed bomb making. And it was hard to time it to fill the hour but I think we did good. After they made the balls we would go to frog hollow and throw them and hopefully the bloom. And then I spend the last 20 minutes asking the investigating questions and giving my Native American program intro and that was fun! I really felt like they really responded to that. The chaperones too! Felt good.

The day was long but it was fun. I had some fun connections with some of the kids. Even some boys who you could tell were class clowns and just wanted attention. Getting them to feel like they are doing something naughty when it's really the right thing works a lot. So when Morgan was asking questions I snuck up and whispered the answer and was like. Tell her!! And he did and Morgan was not in on it and was like. Oh my God that's right how did you know that?? And it was so cute how bright his smile was.

At the end of my last program I told Morgan to lead them to the lodge for dinner while I went to the arts building to make sure everything was reset for tomorrow. And then a little walk to the office to drop off my walkie and chat with Heather about pros and cons of the day and the programs. Mainly because we cut some from the stream program so it was a bit of a struggle to fill the hour but we made it work.

I was happy to go home. There would be some traffic. But I would be home before 6.

I was happy to see James. They made us pizza for dinner. And I read my book for a little. But I could not do much else. My whole body aches so much.

I did have a package today though! My temu order. And everything was great! The quality was better then I expected. The water bottle doggy is a favorite but the toast lamp and hair clip I got are also just so good. I also got some earrings but those are a gift for Jess. I am very pleased and will for sure order from them again!!

I took a shower while the pizza dough was cooking. And that helped me feel better. I washed my hair and eventually dried it. I enjoyed our pizza dinner. And then I got in bed. James had their book club and painted their nails. I cuddled with sweetp and watched videos. And now I really want to sleep.

I hope tomorrow is fun too. I'm just at the art building all day. I hope it is great. I have to stay later to help with dinner but that's fine. Wish me luck. I hope you all sleep well. Goodnight everyone!!