#certainly not 3 geniuses

[marvel-lous-guy]

*Peter, Tony and Harley stood in the lab covered in slime and ash*

Pepper: You should all be ashamed of yourselves!

Harley: I'm not ashamed of who I am!

Tony: actually, that's our parents job

Peter: But I don't have any parents

Tony: So no one should be ashamed of you because you're perfect

Harley: my dad disappeared, does that mean I'm half perfect?

Tony: No. It means your a bigger disappointment and your mom is twice as ashamed of you

Harley: ...

Pepper: too harsh, Tony

Harley: nah, it's cool. I've said and heard much worse

Tony: who have you said worse to?

Harley: Peter

Peter: It's not that bad. I've also said and heard worse

Tony: ...said worse to who?

Peter: Harley

Pepper: ...you two have a strange bond

[fatuismooches]

Hello~ And UGH I am absolutely obsessed with the concept of Dottore caring for fragile reader. I love him so much though I wanna give him all the hugs and kisses if I could!

I couldn’t help but imagine fragile reader wanting to care for Dottore as well, and especially give his segments the same treatment. Dottore goes on long trips so I could only imagine by the time he comes back, he’s a little tired and dirty from the long trips. So much so, fragile reader manages to convince him to take a bath with them and allow them to brush his hair and wipe his face.

Of course when the other clones see the treatment he gets simply for being a little dirty, they take the extra step as well in hopes to get the same treatment.

Webttore (beta I think-) would come back from one of his trips and purposely dirty his mask and face before entering the lab. He would get angry glares from the other segments but fragile reader would walk by and look at him worriedly, thinking he face planted into the ground or something. Of course this would lead to fragile reader wiping his face and eyes with a damp cloth while he secretly gives the most cockiest “I win” smiles with those sharp teeth of his.

(Needless to say I just wanna love them and care for them all🥺)

It's only natural that when you are treated kindly, you want to return the same energy to that person(s). And that's no different with you toward Dottore and the segments, though you may not be able to do anything too grand for them due to your illness, you're still going to try! They always do so much for you, even with your current state, you're still going to make their lives a bit more comfortable, if you can.

Not just the trips, but Dottore tends to coop up in his lab, doing a wide variety of experiments that certainly can get a bit messy at times... it's up to you to hug him from behind and attempt to pull him away. It's... honestly not very successful, I mean, do you think you can drag away the man with the strength of Gods that easily? He stays rooted in his place as he tries to dismiss you, claiming how busy he is (even though it's very obvious he's tired) but with enough persuading, to pestering, to threatening, to pleading, to begging, you can get him in a warm comforting bath. And when you finally get Dottore to sink into the water, it's kind of funny how much he just lets go, he will suddenly lay all of his body weight on you and look at you expectantly like 'what are you waiting for, get to work.' Needless to say, you always put your all into bathing and cleaning your beloved.

Also, needless to say, the segments are always jealous of the unfiltered attention their creator gets. They long for your eyes to be on them instead, to be bathed in your affection too! So, therefore, they get to work. Is it laughable for geniuses like them to be using their intelligence for such a reason? 100%, but it's worth it.

Ah Webttore... bro would bloody himself to make you extra worried... because the segments never come back hurt, so seeing him "injured" would definitely make you freak out (it's not his blood, but you don't know that <3). You'd gasp and then drag him to your room so you can help bathe him, demanding that it's more important than reporting to Prime first, all while he knows he's going to hog the hell out of your attention. (You're not leaving there for a while).

[starcurtain]

Haikaveh Fanfics I Want to Read (Part 2)

<- Part 1.

Part 3. ->

1. The Palace of Alcarzarzaray might be called Kaveh’s magnum opus, but actually, it was more like a kick-start for his career. Kaveh hasn’t known a moment of peace since, with constant commissioners begging for him to choose their projects. The longer his waiting list gets, the more his fame grows and grows... So when a pair of people come out of the woodwork insisting they’re Kaveh’s long-lost parents, Alhaitham thinks it’s only right to be skeptical.

Kaveh agrees (for once), but... they’re so nice to him, and apparently he’s got siblings, and they haven't asked him for anything; they say they never meant to leave him, and they love him, and--and--how could he just turn them away? What if it’s true?

What if he has a real family?

Of course, when these so-called parents start encouraging Kaveh to move back home with them, Alhaitham becomes determined to unravel the lie and show them for the imposters they (almost) certainly are.

It’s only because it irks him to see people twist the truth and get away with it. It’s only because the logical step is to point out obvious manipulations when you spot them.

It’s got nothing at all to do with how empty the house will feel if Kaveh isn’t in it.

Nothing at all.

  Rest under the read more:

2. Okay, listen. The fact that Kaveh and Alhaitham are both 12s out of 10 does not change the fact that they’re also MASSIVE NERDS. The fic is just silly snippets of them being the graduate school gremlins they most definitely are:

Is it even fighting if all you are doing is reciting academic citations at each other?  

Saturday night, we are both at home doing nothing but debating over the rules to an ancient word game that we’ve mostly pieced together from the barest disconnected snippets of apocrypha and one oblique reference in a single receipt of sale from 1600 years ago, because we are Normal™. The most normal people in Sumeru, even.  

How Althaitham flirts: Practicing his newest language acquisition by translating nothing but obscure ancient love letters (“Well, they could have had romantic intention but we shouldn’t allow modern interpretations to color our perceptions without thorough analysis of their semantic contexts and candid awareness of the moral obligation of the translator to avoid speculation on connotations which might privilege biased readings--”). Then he heaps his transcriptions all over the top of Kaveh’s desk and chair and bed and...  

How Kaveh flirts: “I built you a bookshelf.”   “I take back every uncharitable thing I’ve said about architecture this week.”   “It is both climate-controlled and self-dusting. Also, it will catalog which books are missing after they’re removed from the shelf and remind you when it’s time to put them back in place so that you’re not tempted to leave your moldy tomes all over my--”   “Wait, who is this bookshelf actually for?”  

“See, I’m allowed to criticize his work, but you, peon, are absolutely not. Here is my 50-page rebuttal of your recent article critiquing the architect Kaveh’s research, in which I will outline exactly why you are an incomparable idiot who should be disbarred from publication ever again. Very uncordially, Alhaitham”  

The only time Alhaitham and Kaveh are unequivocally, indisputably, and inseparably a T E A M: Tavern Trivia Night. (The schedule for tavern trivia night is shortly thereafter altered to: “Any time in which Kaveh and Alhaitham are not on the premises. The management apologizes in advance for last minute trivia night cancellations, but asks patrons to please respect the rule that not even a single trivia question be spoken in the presence of the Light of Kshahrewar or the Akademiya’s scribe.”)

In other words, two geniuses live their very best lives together.

  3. When Prince Alhaitham's viziers started nagging about his lack of spouse to ensure an heir, he dismissed them out of hand. But the truth is, he can't inherit the full privileges of his family's throne (including unfettered access to the kingdom's collection of forbidden records) unless he upholds an ancient peace treaty between his country and their most useful trading neighbor: to become king of Haravatat, he has to marry a citizen of Kshahrewar. Alhaitham isn't the type to bow to social or legal pressure, but if it means he might finally be able to further his research, well, he's willing to swear even a marriage oath to get the knowledge he desires.

But he's not willing to marry anyone unworthy. He's not willing to marry anyone boring, or rote, or feeble-minded, or ill-tempered, or shrill, or under-educated, or ambivalent, or weak, or too polite, or--

If Kshahrewar is going to insist on a political marriage, then Alhaitham will insist on accepting only the best.

But now things are starting to look grim. Prince Alhaitham has interviewed and dismissed (in no polite terms), every eligible Kshahrewar maiden and and no small number of their eligible men besides. For Alhaitham, this is but a formality on his way to further reading, but for the Kingdom of Kshahrewar, real fears are stirring--if they can't find an acceptable candidate soon, the peace treaty that has ensured their alliance with Haravatat’s military-might could dissolve, and already the neighboring powers of Vahumana and Spantamad have been testing the boundaries of their borders...

Entirely out of options, the nervous kingdom gives in and sends the last person they'd want to lose: the Light of Kshahrewar, their beloved architect and most renowned scholar.

But it's all right, because Kaveh has a Plan®.

All right, admittedly, the plan was a lot closer to "Be way too beautiful to reject" than "Argue all night and wake up just to argue again," but hey, whatever works?

(Also known as: The Thousand and One Nights AU where Alhaitham's not quite crazy enough to kill the people he rejects but will crush their self-confidence; Kaveh's not great at telling stories but is great at debate; and the ultimate outcome is still the same very cliffhangery happy ever after.)

  4. If you asked Kaveh Kshahrewar, on-call urban planner for the city of Sumeru, he would expound at length and with several melodramatic sighs upon the fact that his life is fraught with a great many challenges and his fortunes are fraught with a great many (obvious in retrospect) mistakes.

To put it simply, Kaveh will tell you he just has rotten luck.

If you were to ask the High Council of Principalities of the Fifth Ring of the Host of Heaven, they would tell you that Kaveh’s luck is actually quite good... for a person in the targets of the dark legions of Hell itself.

There are some exceptional humans upon whom the wheels of fate are hung, whose very existence is destined to bring beautiful things to the world, to tip the balance in the eternal fight between good and evil firmly toward good. Kaveh is one such person, and therefore all his life he’s been a target of unseen forces that would rather see his light snuffed out.

But that last near-death experience was too close. If Kaveh is left to his own devices much longer, he very likely will perish, long before he’s able to achieve his fated great works for the world. Heaven has to do something.

Alhaitham is a very, very efficient Principality. Maybe the most efficient Principality the Host of Heaven has. But he’s never--not once since the beginning of creation--been called on to actually guard a human. Yes, yes, of course he’s read the manual cover to closing, but...

But no one thought to warn him that they were so very emotional.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my house?!”

“I’m your guardian angel. I live here now.”

“911, I need to report a home invasion in progress! Please send help, there is a lunatic eating raw butter out of my fridge!”

(Or: The guardian angel AU where Kaveh is disaster prone because he is Very Cursed, and Alhaitham is even weirder than normal because his frame of reference for humans is still “wears fig leaves.” It’s a tragicomedy in six acts: Kaveh’s going to change the world for the better. His future is already written in stone. And nowhere in that record is there anything about falling in love with an angel, so Alhaitham knows he’s not supposed to be anything more than a bit part in this grand story.

Too bad Kaveh’s always sympathized with the side characters most.)

  5. During an exploratory trip to the desert ruins looking for remnants of the Deshret Script, lone researcher Alhaitham discovers a strange--and, in fact, magical--teapot, containing none other than a beautiful (but rather noisy) djinn.

“My name is Kaveh.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“I’m a djinn.”

“I can tell.”

“I’ll grant you three wishes, if and only if--”

“Five wishes.”

“What?”

“You should grant me five wishes.”

“Why?”

“Because I asked politely.”

“You absolutely did not! Ugh, fine, I’ll grant you five wishes. But only--and I mean only!--if you’ll agree to set me free at the end.”

“All right, I swear.”

But where are they now?! Kaveh is getting desperate. It’s been six months, and Alhaitham hasn’t made a single wish! At this rate, Kaveh will never get free! He’ll be stuck bunking in a house full of tacky furniture, being tricked into doing the laundry and sweeping forever! This is so unfair; how is it even allowed?! Alhaitham is human; he has to have some kind of wish in that stone-thick head of his!

(The truth is, Alhaitham does have a wish. It just can’t be granted.

He swore an oath to set Kaveh free, after all.)

[fortheloveofwonderland]

Hit the link limit on my original series masterlist so this is part 2.

*includes smut

Spencer x Reader Series Masterlist 1

Spencer x Reader Blurbs

Spencer x Reader Oneshots

You Know My Heart (two parter) - you’ve been in love with your playboy best friend Spencer Reid for ten long years. But when you get engaged and finally start to get over him, Spencer suddenly realises he can’t live without you and he has to stop the wedding at any cost. (Fem! Reader)

Part One

Part Two

Somewhere to Belong (Mini Series) - You and Spencer have only been dating a few months when he drops the bombshell that he wants to start a family and it throws you into turmoil. And that’s only made worse he meets five year old orphan Wren Briar and is determined to do whatever it takes to adopt her. Even if that means destroying your relationship. (Fem! Reader)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

No Distance Left to Run (Mini Series) - Truth or Dare? A harmless teenage game gone wrong when spoken by the man holding you hostage. And when you’re feeling for your best friend come to light after fifteen years, how will you and Spencer cope in the aftermath? (Fem! Reader)

Part One - Truth or Dare?

Part Two - Never Have I Ever

Part Three - Hide and Seek

Part Four - Dominoes

Part Five - Red Light, Green Light

Me & You & Everyone We Know - Spencer Reid thought he had the perfect life. He has his two beautiful daughters, large house in the suburbs and a steady, albeit slightly unconventional marriage.

But even geniuses reserve the right to be wrong every once in while.

Now he’s struggling to adjust to life as a single divorced dad of two whilst working full time and navigating the unsteady waters of the dating world.

But his divorce left him more damaged than he’d ever admit. And you have to decide if you’re strong enough to deal with falling in love with a man who’s heart doesn’t fully belong to him. (Fem! Reader) NSFW 18+ COMPLETE

Chapter 1 - Out on the Weekend

Chapter 2 - Today My Life Begins

Chapter 3 - Brand New

Chapter 4 - Bonfire Heart*

Chapter 5 - Nobody’s Supposed to be Here*

Chapter 6 - Lonely Together

Chapter 7 - All at Once

Chapter 8 - Half of My Heart

Chapter 9 - As it Seems*

Chapter 10 - She Had the World*

Chapter 11 - No Tomorrow*

Chapter 12 - Let it Hurt

Chapter 13 - Life Ain’t Always Beautiful

Chapter 14 - Forever Winter

Chapter 15 - Happier

Chapter 16 - My Little Girl

Chapter 17 - Someone You Loved

Chapter 18 - Sandcastles*

Chapter 19 - We’re Good

Chapter 20 - First Day of My Life

Darkness Declares Glory - after his release from prison, Spencer Reid’s life spiralled into darkness with no sign of a light at the end of the tunnel. When he wakes up in a psychiatric facility with no memory of how he ended up there, you’re the only person he wants to see. But in order to do that, Spencer’s going to need to piece back together his fractured mind and face some cold hard truths. (Fem! Reader) NSFW 18+ Very Dark Themes COMPLETE

Chapter 1 - The Downward Spiral

Chapter 2 - I See a Darkness

Chapter 3 - Another Man’s Grave

Chapter 4 - How to Disappear Completely*

Chapter 5 - Checkmate

Chapter 6 - If You Could See Me Now

Chapter 7 - Diary of a Madman

Chapter 8 - Dear Agony

Chapter 9 - Don’t You Dare Forget the Sun

Chapter 10 - Welcome Oblivion

Chapter 11 - Modern Loneliness*

Chapter 12 - Entropy*

Chapter 13 - You Want a Battle? (Here’s a War)

Chapter 14 - Sympathy for the Devil

Chapter 15 - How to Save a Life

Chapter 16 - The Needle and the Damage Done

Chapter 17 - Thnks Fr Th Mmrs

Chapter 18 - Fell on Black Days

Chapter 19 - Away From the Sun

Chapter 20 - Begin Again

Chapter 21 - Leave it All Behind

Chapter 22 - Come Out Fighting

Chapter 23 - Long Promised Road

What Lies in Our Anatomy - Mini Series - when you have a one night stand with a stranger you met in a bar, you never expected to see him again. You certainly didn’t anticipate the stranger to be your new boss at the BAU.

But for you and Spencer, keeping your relationship secret from the rest of the team soon becomes the least of your worries when a face from Spencer’s past threatens to tear apart everything you’ve built together.

The truth always comes out in the end, and you have to decide how you’re going to cope in the wake of his lies. (Fem! Reader) NSFW 18+ COMPLETE

Part One - Fear (Of the Unknown)

Part Two - Losing My Religion

Part Three - As We Know It

Midnight - When Spencer Reid left the BAU after his stint in prison to pursue a more unsavoury career path, the last thing he expected was to have company on his journey. But after finding yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, you become entangled in Spencer’s murderous web and the inadvertent Bonnie to his Clyde. Now the cops are closing in on the two of you and if you don’t act fast your torrid love story could meet its tragic demise. (Fem! Reader) NSFW 18+

Chapter 1 - Killer in the Mirror

Chapter 2 - Hourglass

Chapter 3 - Nightmare

Chapter 4 - Duality

Chapter 5 - Never Know

Chapter 6 - Raise No Fool

Chapter 7 - Go to Bed Angry

Chapter 8 - Dancing With the Devil

Chapter 9 - Who’s in Control?

Chapter 10 - Why Worry?

Chapter 11 - I’d Rather Drown

Chapter 12 - Better Than This

Chapter 13 - Different Songs

Chapter 14 - Bad Guy

Chapter 15 - The Haunting

Chapter 16 - Dangerous

Chapter 17 - Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Chapter 18 - Uncontainable

Chapter 19 - Stitch Me Up

Chapter 20 - Unopened Windows

Chapter 21 - Miss Mysterious

Chapter 22 - Skeleton

Chapter 23 - Catch Me if You Can

Chapter 24 - Partners in Crime

Rusty - After suffering unimaginable horrors in his three months spent in prison, Spencer Reid struggles to bounce back to his former glory. And when he almost dies at the hands of Benjamin Merva, it’s one trauma too many to bear. So Spencer ups sticks and relocates to a ranch in the middle of nowhere, leaving behind his job, his friends and his relationship.

And then he meets you, a mysterious stranger, who helps him out of a tight spot. You’re looking for a place to lay low and he’s in need of assistance. It’s a match made in heaven. Isn’t it?

You both have pasts you’d rather remained buried. But when those pasts both collide in your present, it can either tear you apart or force you close together.

You’re both just a little rusty, but practice makes perfect. (Fem! Reader) NSFW 18+

More chapters coming soon

Chapter 1 - Wanted Dead or Alive

Chapter 2 - Take Me Home, Country Roads

Chapter 3 - I Walk the Line

Chapter 4 - The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy

Chapter 5 - Gunpowder and Led

Chapter 6 - Tumbling Tumbleweeds

Chapter 7 - Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)

Chapter 8 - A Horse With No Name

Chapter 9 - A Cowboys Cowgirl

Chapter 10 - Back in the Saddle Again

Chapter 11 - All My Ex’s Live in Texas

Chapter 12 - Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

Chapter 13 - Friends in Low Places

Chapter 14 - Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Chapter 15 - Heavens Just a Sin Away

Chapter 16 - Take Your Memory With You

Chapter 17 - Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Chapter 18 - So Little I Wanted - two part chapter

Chapter 19 - So Little I Got - two part chapter

Chapter 20 - Fires Don’t Start Themselves

Chapter 21 - Night Riders Lament

Chapter 22 - If Tomorrow Never Comes

Chapter 23 - Only the Lonely

Chapter 24 - Bless the Broken Road

[zodiactalks]

Zodiac Signs Ranked from Most to Least NARCISSISTIC

Let's be honest: Everyone is always looking out for themselves.

This, of course, doesn't mean that we don't care about other people, but it does mean that we all have some degree of selfishness in our hearts.

Of course, some people are way more selfish than others, which is why today we're ranking Zodiac signs from most to least narcissistic.

#1. Taurus

Though they prefer to keep it under wraps, Taurus is one of the most narcissistic signs in the Zodiac, as they genuinely believe they're the best at...well, everything they do.

Taureans operate under the assumption that they are in the right and their actions are always the most logical, which means they often see others as being in the wrong and making illogical choices.

The worst thing about all this? Bulls don't even realize they do this.

#2. Scorpio

Scorpio's darker aspects are well known, though most people don't realize that on top of those, Scorpios are also very narcissistic.

This is, in no small part, because Scorpio's innate narcissism tends to come out only under very specific circumstances:

Scorpio's narcissism comes alive when someone wrongs them. They genuinely don't understand how someone had the audacity of challenging them or betraying them, and because of that, whoever did it deserves to be punished.

#3. Leo

No one is surprised to find Leo so high on this list, as Leo's defining trait is their pride and narcissism.

They enjoy being under the spotlight and aren't afraid of doing what it takes to achieve their dreams, even if that means burning a lot of bridges in the process.

The reason Leo's aren't at the top of this list is simply that many Leo's are fully aware that they're not the best at everything, but that only means they're willing to work as hard as it takes to take over the limelight.

#4. Aquarius

Aquarius's independence and narcissism go hand in hand. They don't think they're better or more important than others, but they're certainly unafraid of putting their desires and wants before other people's.

They're the kind of people who will accept help to get where they want to be, then pretend they achieved everything on their own even when they know they're lying.

#5. Virgo

Virgo believes they have all the answers and that they're unrecognized geniuses who could improve the world if people just stopped to listen to them.

They also make this known repeatedly and without remorse, shoving their preferences and opinions down people's throats and getting upset if they don't like it.

#6. Aries

Though Aries has a reputation for being Narcissistic, that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Aries knows damn well the world doesn't revolve around them, knows they can make mistakes, knows others are better than them at plenty of things and know they're just as human and fallible as everyone else.

The catch? They couldn't care less about it. They'll do what they want to do, and to hell with everyone else.

#7. Sagittarius

Sagittarians are very similar to Aries in the sense that they're more self-absorbed than narcissistic.

Sagittarians prefer to look inwards and often forget about the world outside them, which means they often say things or make choices that hurt others without meaning to.

Of course, the sympathy goes out of the window when you realize that, if Sagittarius got the results they wanted, they don't care about who they hurt in the process.

#8. Cancer

Cancers are entirely too empathetic to be narcissistic, but that doesn't mean they can't be clingy and overbearing.

While they wouldn't take advantage or exploit those who they love, they're still perfectly willing to try to control them, to be overdependent, and to generally put their emotional needs ahead of other's desire for space and independence.

It's not narcissism, but it sure can feel like it.

#9. Gemini

Geminis are too scatterbrained and indecisive to truly be narcissistic.

After all, how are you supposed to put your needs and wants above everyone else's when you don't even know what you need and want?

Of course, this indecisiveness does betray a rather selfish quality of them, which is expecting everyone to stop what they're doing so that Gemini can take the time to choose what they want to do.

#10. Libra

Libras take a balanced approach to narcissism.

They adore being the center of attention and will talk your ear off about themselves, but will take the time to consider other people's needs.

They'll make an effort to include you even when they only do things they want to do, and they'll consider your feelings before forcing you to compromise so that they can be at peace.

It's a strange combination, that's what we're saying.

#11. Capricorns

Capricorns are narcissistic in some aspects of their lives and completely altruistic in others.

Usually, their narcissism shines through when it comes to their career and their hobbies, where they'll stop at nothing to achieve what they want to achieve, and will react aggressively if someone challenges them or stands in their way.

In just about every other aspect of their life, though, they're surprisingly easy-going and considered.

#12. Pisces

As they're one of the most empathetic signs in the Zodiac, Pisces don't tend towards narcissism.

However, they can get so wrapped in their emotions that they don't consider how they're affecting others until after the fact.

They'll apologize after, but that doesn't change the fact that, when they're feeling too strongly, the world might as well disappear for Pisces.

[felizusnavidad]

> "most people who used to love lin in the past are his biggest haters now"

> "maybe pjo fandom is not as terrible as i thought"

two things! one: i actually did used to hate lin, but that was a short phase, and i realized i actually was upset at my younger self, and was just taking it out on people and things i associated with who i was at that time

two: that really made me think, so i have some comments actually! they’re not super insightful or conclusive, but: (if you don’t mind)

i think lin and rick riordan (the author of the pjo books) are actually pretty similar? they’re both goofy older dudes with usually much younger audiences (or at least that was true when i was a big-time hamilton fan, things might have changed), and they’re guys who have certainly made mistakes, but overall are good people (and incredible creative geniuses, but that’s a little more lin than rick tbh)

i definitely can be seriously critical of lin, i definitely think he’s corny as hell, and i definitely lightly make fun of him, but only to a point. if it starts looking a little too hostile, i remind everyone (and it’s almost always universally true) that all of us do actually love his work, and if any of us saw him in public we’d all want to ask for a photo and tell him how brilliant hamilton is, or how beautiful in the heights is, or several other wonderful things he’s done. we’re all very eager to see any creative work he’s involved in because we know it’s going to be awesome, so we really can’t complain about him that much

i am much more seriously critical of rick and things he has previously said than i am of lim (also, a lot of pjo fans call riordan "uncle rick", which is, let’s be honest, INCREDIBLY CORNY! like i do it sometimes but it’s GOOFY as HELL!)

i jokingly bully rick as well — i have sent messages about him that are like "dear lord i one day i am going to kick that old man’s ass", or more often just "RICHARD. COME ON." — but it also doesn’t get too mean. when i see comments that stray from genuine criticisms that also acknowledge he’s grown as a person or like a little friendly teasing of a guy we all admire and towards shitty comments about a stranger, i am always the first in line to defend that old man!

a while ago my older sister asked me why "gen z hates lin manuel miranda", and i explained that 1. he did some stuff that isn’t great but also really seems to have grown from that point (and also probably the smallest problem people have with him), 2. a lot of gen z went through hardcore hamilton phases and now resent their past selves (this is a major factor), and 3. being earnest is the internet’s biggest sin (the most likely culprit and also the saddest answer)

making fun of rick is very common in the pjo fandom, and at least some pjo fans bullying lin are doing it in the same way, so it’s supposed to be more "teenage cousins are gently ribbing that one goofy uncle" than actual hate? i know that there are a lot of people that are just genuinely being mean, but i hope you can find some solace that it isn’t quite as much as it looks like

okay this has been weird and maybe a little scattered, i’m blaming it on my adhd medication being way too low of a dosage lmao

but i’m sorry you & other lmm fans haters, (and i’m extra sorry because there’s a decent chance one of them was 15 year old me)

ok, wow. i don't even know how to answer that (anon, this is super long, WHY)...

so first of all, i am not a part of pjo fandom, this is important - i've said this before, i'm gonna say it again: i've never read the books, i started watching the show only because of lin, i know nothing about rick & all those inside jokes you guys have, but if making fun of him is normal in this fandom, that's totally fine. silly jokes & actual hate are not the same thing for me.

"they’re both goofy older dudes with usually much younger audiences" - that is not entirely true & it comes from someone in their late 20s (& i know a lot of people from this fandom who are waaaaay over 20). being goofy & corny, those are not real reasons to hate on somebody like that... actually, everything you said here, i already knew. people are ashamed of their hamilton phase - oh, we should definitely blame lin for that, he's literally the worst because he wrote a musical once & we were super cringe about it... did he make mistakes in the past? yes, we all do, nobody's perfect. i've heard about much more problematic celebrities & people don't even talk about them but for some reason they have to shit on lin all the fucking time. he's done more good than bad (i could write a super long essay for you but it's late & i don't even know why i'm writing all of this), that is the truth & this is where i stand.

now, we are not talking about "making fun of him", we are talking about actual hate, examples:

"lin-manuel miranda should die/we should kill him"

"i would also turn evil if lin was my father/i would kill myself if he was my father"

those are real comments i've seen about him & it all comes from pjo fandom. this is the reason why i said this fandom is terrible. like, are you guys aware that he actually has kids? go outside, touch some grass & leave him alone (i'm not talking about you anon, you're ok, i'm talking about real haters).

[alltimefail-sims]

Wren Opara For @mangosimoothie's The Familiar

The Basics: -> Human; They/Them (Nonbinary) -> Traits: Perfectionist, Peaceful, Snob, Neat, Party Animal -> Blood Type: B Negative -> Gay AF -> Young Adult (irl probably like 23 y.o.)

Many details below the cut! ↓

Wren grew up in a painfully high profile family. Their mother is a beloved career politician in San Myshuno who dethroned her conservative competitor at the height of his career. She's been fighting for whatever it is Democrats want people to think they care about while shaking hands with elitist bureaucrats and not getting their own child's pronouns right for years now. Wren's father, on the other hand, is a retired engineer and respectable investor currently focused on funneling money into "forward thinking, clean energy advancements." He's an effortless public speaker who is known for wiring up crowds of eager college graduates, TED talk truthers, and other alpha male types all while speaking a maximum 10 words at home on a weekly basis - but it's fine, really!

Even if Wren's parents have never so much as held hands in their presence, they do seem to agree on a couple things like: (1) Wren could be doing more with their life, (2) Wren is "hellbent on hurting the family image," and (3) Wren should try to be more like their older brother and sister who are, in Wren's opinion, not-so-secretly competing to see who can be more fucking insufferable. So yeah, everything has always been fine. Wren is the black sheep, the youngest child with a fucking communications degree (the horror!), the queer child who is constantly held to a higher standard of what their relationships need to look like, who has a penchant for lavish, expensive parties and enough fair weather friends to fill a fucking yacht. They're fine, it's all very fine...

Except when it's not. Which is often, actually, now that they're really thinking about it. Ever heard of those child geniuses who get burnout before they're 40? Wren is going through their third (maybe fourth) midlife crisis before 25, so although that's not ideal, at least people can't call Wren an underachiever. After years of doing all the right things, keeping their head down, shaking all the right hands, and being under the heavy scrutiny of the public at large and still not being good enough, they've pretty much just hit a wall. Like, what's the point? So yeah, they party and they've been in a bit of a funk. The parties are fun, and Wren loves a good time (and a good distraction), but it's all so fucking fake and lonely. Wren's exhausted.

So here they are, trying something truly wild because why the fuck not. Anything is better than living in proximity to people who view you solely as a burden or a benefit, depending on the context. Does Wren live to serve and perform well under immense pressure? Wren would argue that everyone's ass has to spend their whole life serving someone or something anyway, so you might as well try and make it worthwhile. Wren is neat, organized, has refined tastes, an eye for luxury, and they are certainly not squeamish. They wouldn't describe themselves as responsible by any means, but they do get shit done when they set their mind to it, and they're loyal.

They've worked plenty of shitty jobs in the past. They've been a Starbucks barista in a fucking yuppie ass Target on Black Friday; they cleaned bathrooms and slung drinks while working at the sluttiest, dirtiest, raunchiest club in SanMy; they've worked on their own mother's godforsaken campaign with the most miserable Midwesterners known to man; they're pretty sure they can handle just about anything. After all, Wren knows enough about Atticus and Ryan to feel, with absolute certainty, that working for them would likely be worlds better than being a second class citizen in their own life. Some risks are just worth taking, and some lives are worth leaving behind.

Wren's read that one book - Twilight or some shit? It wasn't for them. They're doubtful it was like, super accurate anyway. So they might, admittedly, have a limited knowledge on what actual vampires are like, but they're extremely open minded after doing a quick web search: "What is a vampire familiar?" and reading some guy named Vlad's wiki page. Maybe the fire under their ass comes from a renewed sense of intrigue, maybe it's sparked by the potential to change their life into something truly and uniquely their own, maybe it's just their competitive nature, but Wren is eager to prove that they're a perfect fit even for the most picky, high-profile vampires.

Some fun facts: ❤ Wren's birthday is October 28th: they don't believe in astrology, but loves to jokingly call themselves a Scorpi-ho. ❤ Has 1.7 million followers on Social Bunny. ❤ Says they are 5'10 - is actually 5'8. Will look you in the eyes and deny this with their whole chest. All their shoes give a little lift for this reason lol. ❤ Not a crier or a super "expressive"/"vulnerable" person, but deals with emotional people really well and actually finds them refreshing. ❤ People have always underestimated Wren's intelligence, but they're dangerous as fuck to have in your corner. They will tank your public image or build it back up with the skill of someone twice their age. They are a numbers whiz and a spreadsheet master in disguise. They are booked and unbothered with quiet efficiency. They work in silence and make major moves in the shadows (unlike the rest of their family but I digress). ❤ Will literally vomit if anything "Pumpkin Spice" is brought within an inch of their mouth. Deadass. ❤ Changes their hair color on such a regular basis that it has become a trending topic on multiple occasions. Loves to play around with fashion in general. ❤ Their typical "type" would be someone big, beefy, and hairy. Thems the rules and Wren is not budging. (I'm not sure if Wren is applying for this position with romance on their mind, you can do with that what you will 👀) ❤ Loves the company of artist types and musicians the most, even though Wren wouldn't consider themselves to be the conventional "creative type." ❤ Will do the worst rendition of WAP you've ever heard at karaoke after a few rounds of shots. Also loves waxing poetic at art museums and pining for beautiful men from afar. ❤ All of their tattoos and piercings were impulse decisions. ❤ Lowkey a philanthropist?! Does not make a big deal about it, but gives copious amounts of their money to charity regularly and actually volunteers often. ❤ Denies watching trash reality tv but definitely does. Has two separate Spotify accounts - one for leisure and the other perfectly and meticulously curated to share when "Spotify Wrapped" season comes along. ❤ Once royally pissed off a certain celeb's stans by (jokingly) stating on a livestream that they've "Got as many clothes in their closet as [redacted] has exes." People demanded "Accountability." They posted a link to a SimsTube video response with the title "Let's Talk (Apology)." It was not an apology, but rather a clip of them going "Wooooow, you bitches really thought. Anyway, steam Traumazine."

[brw]

I've read avengers inc. #5 so I can be an informed hater and while the issue was Bad (why did all of that happen in janet's book with her narrating the moment hank met nadia? why did he already know of her? the whole thing was underwhelming), I can see ewing writing a good hank with a little more research. The comment about hank and nadia being geniuses who are driven to the point of destruction annoyed me because I can see what's being said but what did nadia even do that warranted that? have a manic episode? but since it's janet saying it, I'm not too upset. I know jerwhit wrote her as mental health ally #1 but she was consistently not great about her husband's mental illnesses & there's no point in getting rid of that part of her character, I think, without actually addressing it. Other than that comment, though, hank wasn't the worst-written character in that book and I reluctantly found myself a little interested in what ewing's take on him would be if he were to write him again. What do you think?

He wrote a good Hank in his Ant-Man series (imo), so the strange characterisation of Hank was just odd. Like, yes we're having a different time tonally than 60s Ant-Man–but he is ultimately the same person at the end of the day, and the characterisation mixed with the art did feel very MCU-lite. I do agree that I think he could do better by Hank, he just needs to. leave Janet alone because holy hell he cannot write that woman. He has done better by Hank. I just generally think that this series was not his best work at all, like even his Vision, who's writing I loved in Ultron Forever, did not feel right and felt disjointed and out of character.

And yeah Nadia has never really been "driven to destruction" in the same way that's at all comparable, and certainly not in the same way that affected Janet specifically, so it's a bit weird of a line, but as you say, Janet has historically not been great around mentally ill people, not just with Hank but with Wanda Maximoff too, which I think is a more interesting personality trait than "patient to a fault Step-mother for Nadia" but writers are allergic to Janet being flawed in an interesting and realistic way so I guess we're stuck like this.

Anyway. I do think there's hope for a good Hank under Ewing, he just–needs to not include Janet until he can understand her core personality traits, that she's 1) someone who is determined to enjoy life and to enjoy herself, 2) that she's passionate specifically about being an Avenger, that she loves being on that team, working with other people, having that group dynamic and is not terribly interested in working solo, 3) is not good with feelings. She often says the wrong thing or can come off as incredibly dismissive. She tries her best, and does employ a more gentle persona around the people she loves, but she does not think before she speaks largely and can upset people often. 4) Is a massive control freak. She does not trust enough people other than herself to do certain jobs right and prefers to do them herself, even if her help might not be needed or appreciated. She doesn't stop to ask for another opinion, she's confident in her own ability to go ahead and do it, even when it comes to incredibly important decisions in other people's lives. She's an incredibly nuanced, complex character, who's as much a flighty fashion designer as she is someone who needs some amount of control in every facet of her life as an adult. Ewing's Janet just has been extremely frustrating to read and I'm annoyed his lack of understanding for her dragged down Nadia and Hank's first interaction and made everything feel odd.

[furiarossa]

About personal space and Gargoyles

1. Xanatos wants so bad to hold Goliath hand! But Goliath doesn't want someone unknown to invade his personal space like that. Look at the posture. The way his arm goes back. He's trying not to get his hand grabbed. And then that facial expression, of pure disapproval. But Xanatos is eyeing a sternly frowning 300kg monster and has decided he's going to take his hand.

2.Xanatos took that hand. He seems quite happy to be able to squeeze the fingers of a monster brought back to life from the Middle Ages, and certainly that's something we can share. But he's continuing to ignore Goliath's blatant frown, and that's not a good thing, it's not good communication.

3. Goliath is not aggressive, it could be much scarier than that, but it is easily freed from the human's grip, it is enough for him to open his fingers. As he frees himself, he clearly speaks of what he feels (and in a few moments he too will tell him that he is grateful to Xanatos, but that for what happened to his clan he will no longer trust humans).

Xanatos looks surprised.

4. Now Xanatos is the frowning one. On his face: bewilderment. Indignation. He's about to cry.

He really wanted to hold that hand. But he wasn’t able to read Goliath’s face... or maybe he doesn’t know where to stop, he just wants to look super-friendly. This is not manipulation, he didn’t get the expected outcome, he wasn’t able to understand that his touch was unwanted, otherwise he would have stopped: if you want your Gargoyles to be  friends, faithful guardians, you do not try to upset them.

5. “I can tell this relationship is something we all have to work at” (-Xanatos)

This man has no friends. He has not been able to befriend any humans around him for years (he’s 40 or almost 40 here). There are a million reasons why this could happen, but since it's something I identify with so much, I tend to think it's due to very poor socialization in the formative years. And, in his case, probably also of other events that, perhaps, we will discover in the future. Besides, geniuses are always lonelier than other people, right? Especially amoral ones. No, ok, moral ones too.

This man has no friends, so he decided to summon mythological creatures from the past, but he didn't expect that it would take psychological work to make friends even with them who are not human. He expected it to be easier.  He expected that it was enough for him to try to get friendship like you do with animals, perhaps with dogs: using physical language, a happy and relaxed voice, offering food, shelter and cuddles.

6. Even surrounded by gargoyles, Xanatos seems completely alone. And helpless. Not scared, he's never afraid of them, but alone. None of the Gargoyles seem to want to give him space or confidence. The only one who might get his attention, the only one who is really dog-like (Bronx) is screened and protected by Lexington.

But Goliath was an excellent communicator. Here he looks at him as a father scolding his son, his physical language is rigid, his fists are clenched, his wings do not rest like a cloak on his shoulders. He is clearly telling him "you can't have intimacy without others giving it to you".

An entire animated series will follow about how Goliath teaches a man to respect the personal spaces of others.

Even if Xanatos doesn't make it easy for him and, thinking a genuine relationship impossible, he tends to use them as pawns, as objects, and does a lot of things that aren't really good friend’s things (but, yeah, continuing to respect Goliath as a person, admiring his strength, his courage, his brain and possibly his beauty).

Well done Goliath. You taught him something beautiful and useful and now for sure, given the fruits he's reaping (a tower full of Gargoyles, potentially good allies), he's thanking you 😌 Well, maybe one day he’ll have human friends, who knows! (Think of it, right now he has exactly 0 humans friendly towards him).

The animation of Gargoyles is something I like to look at in detail and it tells a lot about the characters, so excuse me, I had to over-analyze it. And maybe I will do it again with other scenes.

[onceuponalegendbg-rwby]

Reaction to RWBY Crew Commentary V9

Alright, as is tradition at this point, got my copy of the Blu Ray so let's get started.

Okay, first of all, before I even hop into the commentary, I love that the title screen for the menu is Ruby falling through that mural in the OP. That is... That is so cool man! Whoever thought of that... I love you. You're a genius.

So we start off with Kerry, Eddy, Laurie (hope I spelled that right). And addressing how they had to work mostly from home on this volume and the challenges that caused.

Yeah, quick reunion was the right call. I mean, we did the Team RWBY split for two volumes (4 and 5) and then again in V8. Don't keep the girls apart again.

Little origins! Give me! Someone that starts how Ruby started...

I mean... yeah, I assumed Ruby knew about Penny from Weiss. Like... duh.

Same peeps for episode 2 but also with Paula? Again, I hope I heard that right.

Return of Blake the Book Nerd.

Yang and Blake kind of dig the Ever After, Weiss hates it, and Ruby is lost in her thoughts.

Luci improvised Little's little song.

Oh, Yang might still think this is a dream so nothing here matters... That's an idea. Everyone grieves differently...

Man I love Weiss in this episode.

"We can't have her be the butt of every joke." .... I want to see what they cut.

Episode 3! We've picked up Conner, Dustin, and Kiersi! Lost Laura and Paula.

The animation is so good man.

Putting away depression to help her friends.

Prince Trauma(TM)

Neo Scary.

Episode 4. Kerry, Eddy, Miles and Dustin.

Curious talk.

Self critic!

"She learned her lesson in the end, right?" "Oh, I'd certainly say so."

"If there's something Ruby can blame herself for, do it!"

"Cat wanted to scope out which one of the girls was weakest."

Shout out to the VAs!!

Chapter 5: Kerry, Eddy, Paula, Kiersi!

Cat is dismissive of WBY. Focuses only on Ruby.

The Blacksmith: The Ever After itself is now reaching out to Ruby.

Walking the line between the audience knowing that Ruby needs help and WBY not quite understanding how bad it is.

Making sure the emblem wasn't on Ruby's model after was a pain.

"Oh no, he's hot."

Episode 6: Kerry, Eddy, Yssa, Laura.

The difference between Jaune having already lived for many years with this guilt in the Ever After and RWBY who are still fresh.

How protective Kerry is of the Bee scene is amazing.

There was an idea that the vision Alyx saw was that she saw that someone in her party was going to keep her from returning home, and it ultimately is herself before the Cat kills her.

Ya'll have already seen other posts about Kerry and crew's thoughts on the Bee scene and what it means for the Yang and Blake so I won't go into all that because, yeah, can't say it better.

"They were actually in front of each other the whole time." Excuse me!

"Now she has to step up again." ....Ow.

Episode 7: Kerry, Eddy, Miles, Dustin? I think that's what I heard.

How the meeting went: "Well he can't have been doing nothing, that would be really disappointing." *Beat of silence* "Oh, that would be really disappointing." Evil geniuses.

Stuck in the pattern of trying to be the hero. Both incredibly busy and doing nothing.

"He's more lost than ever."

Fighting on a hill. I'd never considered the complications of that either.

Miles and Lindsey kill this scene man. It's so good.

Episode 8 (oh boy): Kerry, Eddy, Miles, Paula, Kiersi.

Had to cut an episode due to scheduling and budget. Scary to have to rework that.

Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

The flowers on the Tea Cups are Forget-Me-Nots.

Imposter Syndrome.

Neo landed on the Brother's Acre.

"Neither one of them won that fight." Neo and Ruby.

Episode 9: Kerry, Eddy, Yssa, Dustin, Kiersi.

Blacksmith is a therapist.

Weiss is the best, true.

What do the characters want?

Episode 10: Kerry, Eddy, Yssa, Kiersi, Dustin.

Aw, their kids contributed some of the background drawings for Yang and Ruby's room.

Furious Cat.

"She's the self that chose herself." "She emerges herself but different."

"I'm so happy." I love how much they love this show.

"How do we not redeem her but give her this sort of neutral path?"

Oh man, I'm tearing up before Somewhat even shows up.

Somewhat is no longer defined by having one purpose.

Dude, they keep talking about not wanting this to be filler so they had the backstory of the Brothers but I will always stand by that if the characters learn and grow as people then it will never be filler. So from the beginning this was never going to be filler.

"One small kindness, in one small moment, led to such a marvelous transformation." That line always destroys me.

Whelp, that's a wrap on the commentary for V9. Now... we wait.

[team7-headquarter]

Fights / training spars that would never happen but that I'd love to see because omg imagine:

All Strength Rock Lee vs Sasuke Uchiha: the Chunnin Exams left me wanting a rematch between those two. Imagine adult post-war Lee and Sasuke giving their all on a fight. It'll surely remind me of Madara vs Guy sensei.

One-on-one Tsunade Senju vs Konan: two of the strongest female characters in Naruto, with amazing backstories and development. They fight would be so fun to watch. These two certainly have the personalities and skills to make it worth the thought.

Adults Neji Hyuuga vs Shikamaru Nara: two geniuses of their generation, with contrary skill sets and the mind for strategic decisions. I feel this would be more about creativity and cleverness, more than simply charging in like other characters use to do. Amazing as it is.

All vs All adults kunoichis of the Konoha 11: this spar would make Konoha stop to admire it. Would they form teams or alliances? Would they go 3 against 1? Not matter the results, you're watching specialists on their areas completely trashing thw training ground. And if it turns into a full strength fight, well... It's a good thing there are 3 medic nins there.

3-on-3 capture the flag Hokages training: the possible team combinations, oh Sage... The only person to stay aside is Tsunade, 'cause someone has to play the referee and run the betting poll. I don't know where a game of this level could take place (ignoring the how), but it should be televise. Konoha deserves to see their heroes having fun together.

[the-hilda-librarians-wife]

For every action, a reaction - Chapter 1 - Inertia

Pairing: Raven Scientist (Victoria Van Gale/The Raven Leader)

Summary: Taking a step back from our poetry nerds, this instalment focuses on academic research projects, less than legal shenanigans, and most importantly, two coworkers who are smart enough to be geniuses in their respective areas but apparently not enough to confess.

Over the span of two decades.

Seriously.

Somebody has to do something. Before all their students lose their minds.

Updates weekly.

Notes: Hey, you guys! Welcome to another part in the Carpe Diem series. This one diverges a bit from the previous content (as you may have guessed from the lack of latin motto title), but it was still planned alongside the other fics in the verse and was intended to be part of the story all along. I'd strongly reccomend reading the previous instalments in the verse before getting to this, however, in case sketchbook is not your jam, I guess I should just say that this is an University AU and release you into the wild. Hope you have fun, because I sure had a blast writing it!

You hear those cries for help? Yeah, I currently have @waddles-ex-machina locked in my basement. Only gonna let her out if I hear you all guys saying 'thank you, waddles'. Takes a real trooper to proof read this thing, let me tell you. Brb gotta go check if she's doing well inside the lil cage (which is to say, once more, thank you so much, waddles. you're a true angel <3)

Read it on ao3: (Carpe Diem verse) (This chapter)

When Victoria first came to the University of Trolberg, she was full of energy and eager to prove herself. The university had accepted her for their doctorate program, during which she’d also be an assistant professor to the Weather Sciences undergrads, and she couldn’t wait to spread the knowledge she’d acquired (and to get even more in the process).

The project she was working on wasn't exactly revolutionary; she’d get there, eventually, there was still time. But it was something that made her heart beat faster, so she was sure she’d end up doing a better job than all those stuffy professors who walked around like the world had done them a disservice by existing. Victoria was excited by the knowledge and the possibilities, and she was sure that that was the right path.

Before the school year even began, she found herself treading through the campus grounds, holding in her hands a device she’d helped build. Her current research was on the effect aerosols had on the weather, so she’d decided that measuring the concentrations of those particles in the area she’d be studying for the next couple of years would be helpful.

One thing she hadn’t taken into consideration, however, was the fact that for her being focused meant losing any notion of time. And space. And reality. And, well, anything that would be useful to her in an unfamiliar, open field. But that was just life, wasn’t it?

She’d been in the middle of gently hitting her device, since its panel had started showing readings that were most certainly not true, when an all too familiar rumble filled the air. Victoria should have realised this was coming, it was her job, goddamnit, but she’d been too immersed in walking around with her measuring machine and writing its readings down to notice the things that really mattered: the static in the atmosphere, the humidity, the clouds closing in and blocking the sunlight.

The price for her misstep came in the form of heavy drops of cold water. Knowing that rain was only the first step, and that soon lightning would likely follow, Victoria began running away as fast as she could. At some point during her walking, she’d entered a forest that she assumed was where the Biology people did their field work, and among the trees she had remained. If she wanted to survive much longer, though, she would have to change that immediately.

Victoria barely felt the weight of her backpack as she jumped over fallen tree branches and dodged puddles of mud. What was truly bothering her were her clothes; the feeling of wet clothes sticking to her skin drove her insane, making her wonder how wise it was to stop running and take them all off. In the end she decided that risking death by lightning or by pneumonia wasn’t worth it, but spent her entire marathon cursing the water that dripped from her clothes and down her legs, soaking her socks inside her galoches. As soon as she was safe, she promised herself she’d fling them far, far away.

Strands of black hair stuck to her forehead, but she didn’t have the time to stop and tie them back, even if they drove her as insane as her clothes. She needed to get out of there, if lightning began and hit one of the trees near her, she was a dead woman.

Or at least a really angry and hurt one.

When finally the limit of the forest came into sight, Victoria almost laughed in victory; she only didn’t do so because she realised that what came next was an open field, and if any rays decided to fall in the general vicinity, she’d certainly be taken for target. There really was no way to win.

Breathing heavily, she stopped running when she reached the border of the forest. Water and wind clouded her vision and made her eyes sting, and with the part of her brain that hadn’t been overcome by adrenaline and sent into survival mode she thought that it would have been much smarter of her to have turned back the way she came when the rain started, instead of running further into the unknown. But there was no turning back now.

There was a scream in the distance.

With the gale ricocheting all around her, it was a wonder she even heard it, and a miracle she didn’t assume that it was coming from inside her own mind. But another second of attention made her recognize the scream for what it was.

An offer of help.

“Over here!” The voice shouted. “A few more metres! There’s shelter!”

Fuck it. Victoria thought. I’m gonna die anyway, it might as well be in the hands of a stranger in the woods. I hope they make a true crime podcast about me.

So she ran. And when she was close enough that the curtain of falling water didn’t stop her from seeing it, a small cottage showed itself to her with all the grandiosity of an oasis in the desert.

Almost as soon as she was on the porch, a towel was put over her shoulders. She was told to take off her boots and go inside the house, where the person who had shouted after her, a woman with a kind smile and short brown hair made her sit in front of the fire to warm herself. 

She was safe. That same woman would later on give her a warm change of clothes and a mug of tea, and tell her she’d only been able to see her because of the light coming from her device, which had not resisted the run through the open field. That would lead them to talk about Victoria’s project, which would in return spark a conversation about the woman’s job, and lead them to the realisation that they worked for the same university now, and would be kind of like coworkers once classes began.

And that was the first time Victoria met Birgitta Bloom.

………

The first time the Earth Sciences department organised a joint lecture and invited both of them to be in it, it had seemed like a happy coincidence. It had still been early on in the semester, but the head of the department had found it best to offer that presentation as soon as possible; conclusions about climate change became more worrying by the second, after all. At that point, they had already become friendly acquaintances, waving and smiling at each other whenever they crossed paths in a corridor and following each other on facebook, however little they both used it.

It was by doing so, in fact, that Victoria had found out that the cottage she’d met Birgitta in was her own, and part of the land she and a couple of other sponsors had bought in order to keep it for conservation. It was a budding project, but a noble one in Victoria’s opinion, and the only thing that surprised her about it was that apparently during her foray she’d left the campus’ grounds without even noticing. She only hoped there hadn’t been any fences she’d jumped over, because otherwise she’d really need to worry about her lack of attention to her surroundings.

Excited about having been invited to take part in something like that, Victoria had found Birgitta in her office and invited her over for coffee at her apartment, so that they could plan their lesson properly.

That was a normal thing that coworkers did on a strictly professional scope, right?

Not having had a car, or any loved ones living in Trolberg when she moved there for her doctorate, Victoria hadn’t seen the point in renting a place in town. Instead, she lived in an apartment complex that was just outside of campus, like most students who were there to continue their education after their masters degree.

They took the ten minute walk there together, shooting ideas for the lecture at each other. She kept worrying she’d run out of things to say, and then the silence between them would be awkward, but it hadn’t been the case. It seemed like the more they talked, the more they had to discuss with each other.

Her apartment wasn’t at all impressive, especially not now that she hadn’t even bothered to finish taking all of her possessions out of their cardboard boxes and into their new designated places. Victoria had figured she’d spend most of her time in the campus, so she had only rented a one bedroom with a living room and a small kitchen. Knowing her working habits, she might as well have rented a bedroom on its own, but Helper needed a bit more space to lounge around. 

In the end, it was him who first caught Birgitta’s attention when they arrived. They had been talking about how it would be good to open their lecture giving the audience an update on recent studies and findings and then move on to a discussion, when Victoria opened the front door and they were put face to face with a scruffy orange cat, licking its own side.

“Oh, how adorable!” Birgitta squealed at the first sight of it, making him startle and look up at her. “Is it yours?”

Victoria closed the door behind them and blinked as her coworker crouched down to let her cat sniff her hand. 

“Well, it is my house. Would be a little awkward if he wasn’t, really.”

“What’s his name?” The cat already was pressing his head against her hand, earning a gentle caress to his pale fur. Old age was beginning to come for the poor dear. 

“Helper.” She stood by her side in the middle of her living room, watching as her cat, who barely ever let anyone other than her come close, purred in delight with Birgitta’s attention.

“Oh, and does he help you with anything?”

“He knocks my stuff over, so there’s that.”

Birgitta’s chuckle was melodic and gentle, which was fortunate. If her laughter was the loud type that sounded like something breaking, Victoria would probably still try to get it out of her, but she wouldn’t enjoy her success as much.

This sound, however? She could hear that for the rest of her life with no complaints. And little did she know at that time, but that was precisely what she would have to do.

…......

Fifteen years later

“You’re distracted today, professor.” The girl said, sipping at her coffee while looking at her with curious eyes. “More than usual, at least. Did anything happen?”

With a weary sigh, Victoria let her spine slide down the back of the bench they were sitting at, making her posture look more like a shrimp’s than that person’s. It was a cold winter morning; Christmas break was only a couple of weeks away, and Victoria was eagerly looking forward to it. Not for Christmas in itself, but to get an escape from the nightmare circus that was her life in that University. She hugged her knee length white coat, which looked almost like a cold weather version of the lab coat she was always in, tighter around herself as if that could protect her from that student’s penetrating stare.

“Don’t worry about me, kid. I’m fine.”

The lift of her brows was enough to tell Victoria that she didn’t believe her for a moment.

“Listen, you don’t have to tell me.” She said, toying with a ring on her finger with one hand and holding her paper cup with the other, fingers stiff due to the cold. “But you’ve seen me vulnerable and you’ve helped. I just want you to know you can trust me to do the same.”

It was hard to not trust her, given all the maturity and strength she’d shown since they met, but surely there were boundaries that had to be respected in a relationship between professor and alumni. It had been a weird day, that. She’d been in the library, looking for a book one of her students had asked her about, and heard some sniffing from a nearby shelf. Somehow, she’d ended up at the cafeteria, trying her best to console someone who was barely more than a teenager, and definitely not Victoria’s problem.

And yet, here they were. They had each other’s phone numbers and now frequently met for coffee around campus. After all, what was Victoria losing with that? Even after all those years at the university, she hadn’t made any true friends, and that student seemed like the sort of person who also didn’t have the easiest of rides connecting to people. 

Especially not now that her reputation had been trashed, she supposed.

In the end, she decided that no matter how unprofessional it was, it would do no harm, so why keep avoiding it? She’d already found herself in a spot where she was in love with the same woman for over a decade and the only person she felt comfortable enough to open her heart to was a disgraced English and History student, so it wasn’t like things could possibly get worse at that point. Or at least, she preferred to believe they couldn’t.

“Ugh. You win.” She groaned, as if she hadn’t been dying to talk the subject over with someone. “The person I like is single again. She broke up with her boyfriend - they were only together for a couple of months, really - and before I came to meet you she found me and gave me the news. She was smiling. What the hell does it mean when someone tells you they’re single while smiling?”

Kaisa gave her a level look after checking that there was no coffee left in her cup. “Listen, I am far from being an expert. But my mother made me sit through enough romcoms that I think it’s safe to say she wants you to ask her out.”

“It’s not like that between us.” Victoria rolled her eyes. “It can’t be like that. We basically work together, imagine the mess if we got together and the even bigger mess if we fell apart!”

“Don’t you think that that’s a problem for… future Victoria?” Kaisa answered, hoping that it was the right thing to say. In all honesty, she could see the merit in that logic of Victoria’s. Not risking it was definitely safer, and you sure as hell wouldn’t catch her doing something silly like ‘confessing feelings’ anywhere in the near future. But the girl found that she was much better at helping people when she gave the advice she imagined Tildy would give, instead of her own.

“Well, yeah, but future Victoria would be pissed if I let her take the fall. Besides, I don’t even know if she likes women!”

“Show me a picture.”

Victoria blinked at her. “Pardon?”

“Yeah, show me a picture. I want to know what she looks like.”

Sure, why not, Victoria thought even as she picked up her cellphone in her pocket. It’s not like we’re both professors at the institution where she studies. How badly could this end?

After a brief moment of fumbling with her gloves before she managed to unlock her phone, she opened Birgitta's profile on Instagram, and handed it into Kaisa’s waiting hands.

“I hate this website.” Victoria grumbled, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “No idea how to use it.”

Without looking up, Kaisa answered. “And yet, you have an account.”

“Yes, well-” She failed to keep herself in check and began bouncing a leg. “It’s the one she’s the most active in currently.”

“Aw, that is cute.” Still scrolling through the profile, Kaisa had been too immersed in looking at the pictures to remember to put any intonation in her sentence, but Victoria appreciated the sentiment even if it was delivered in a monotone. “I’ll give it to you, I hate it as well. Can’t see the point in it.”

“Even for stalking crushes?” Victoria snorted.

“Oh, I don’t think I have to worry about there being any cottagecore lesbians in my future.”

“What the-” She stopped bouncing her leg as she turned to the girl, who was still scrolling. “What the fuck is a cottagecore?”

“It’s this.” Kaisa looked up and met her eyes for long enough to assure herself that the professor could see her pointing at the screen. “This is a cottagecore. She’s gay, by the way.”

Victoria opened her mouth. No sound came out, but a puff of smoke came from it. From the moment she’d met Kaisa, the girl had acted a lot more insecure than what the professor would consider healthy. And yet, here she was, sounding like a judge issuing a verdict.

“But she had a boyfriend.”

“I’m using ‘gay’ as an umbrella term” Kaisa rolled her eyes, like she was the professor talking to an uneducated interlocutor. “And she has a pixie cut. There’s just no other explanation.”

With her elbows resting against her knees and rubbing her temples, the scientist sighed. “Listen, I know that this may be the case for your generation, and if it is, all the power to you guys, but there are some truly nasty people my age with pixie cuts, you know?”

“Well, yeah, but she leads a conservation land trust, so she’s clearly not a Karen. Gay is the only other option.”

Victoria opted against asking who Karen was and why she was bad, and turned to look at Kaisa again. The girl was looking at her with one corner of her mouth lifted up. Either it was an attempt at a compassionate smile, or the girl was restraining herself from laughing at her. Victoria decided that both were equally probable as she was handed her cell phone again.

“Don’t stress about it. I’m sure everything will work out in its due time.”

“You sound like one of those generic gift cards.”

“Isn’t that how comforting people works?”

It was, Victoria supposed. But next time she’d probably rather Kaisa be direct with her and just tell her what she was thinking. There were enough cheesy gift cards in the world, Kaisa didn’t need to pose as one of them. Something told Van Gale that the girl probably felt the same.

“Anyway. Thank you for listening, even if this was stupid. See, this is why I love your generation. I don’t even have to worry about you being a bigot before coming out.”

The look Kaisa gave her made her wonder if she had inadvertently committed a hate crime, or if she had been wrong and Kaisa had been just waiting for the conversation to end to commit a hate crime herself.

“Holy shit.” The student whispered, bringing her hands to her mouth as her eyebrows drew closer. “Van Gale, I know the first thing we need to fix in your life.”

“And that is…?”

“Your abysmal fucking gaydar.”

………

One year later

Edmund felt lost in his life. After having graduated in Biology, there seemed to be so many possible roads ahead of him that there might as well be none. Did he have the patience to go into teaching? The focus to go into research? The drive to go into field work? If anyone knew, it certainly wasn’t him. So he did what anyone whose only certainty was not wanting to move back in with their parents did.

He decided to get another level of education.

I’m his defence, it wasn’t just because he was unsure of what to do next. He had an actual passion for Conservation Ecology, and since one of his favourite professors had noticed it and offered to advise him for his thesis and somehow get him a scholarship if he did a Masters, he really didn’t see a reason not to.

Besides, someone needed to stay in the house to look after his little cousin.

Professor Bloom was, in his opinion, a genius. And a very productive one, at that. You could shoot her whatever question you wanted to about local wildlife and she’d answer without a second’s wait, on top of putting her money where her mouth was and guiding several projects, all of which Edmund had read all about while deciding if getting this degree was a good idea. 

His heart almost jumped to his throat when the door to her office opened and the woman herself found him standing in the corridor. He’d had contact with her while graduating, of course; if she hadn’t noticed his interest, he never would have bagged the offer she gave him. But it was one thing to be in projects she led in the university, and another entirely to have private tutorings on the subject she mastered.

He was coming to realise he was maybe a bit of a fanboy.

With a warm smile, professor Bloom opened the door wider and invited him in. There was a desk at the centre of the office, and behind it a glass window. By the desk, there were two chairs that had been angled somewhere between facing each other and facing the table. 

“I just want to make it crystal clear I won’t be putting any pressure on you.” The woman began as she took a seat in one of them, leaving him no choice but to do the same. She eyed him with kindness and curiosity, making him feel a little like he was one of the critters she studied. Considering she was one of the best in her field, that probably meant something good for him. “Now, I imagine you have already given some thought about what your thesis will be, or have some options to explore. May we discuss them?”

He had, thank God, been able to bring some material for discussion, and he said as much as he opened his backpack to grab his laptop. It had been hard to settle down on one topic to concentrate his studies on during his Masters, so he had found it best to bring all of his ideas to his first tutoring, so that professor Bloom could tell him which would be the most useful ones. And which ones the university would be able to provide for, as well.

Just as he was opening his word document, however, there was a knock on the door, and the person on the other side didn’t bother waiting for a ‘come in’ to show herself.

“Birgitta, I got it!” Exclaimed a tall, slim woman as she opened the door. Professor Bloom, who had been patiently waiting for Edmund to present her his ideas, immediately turned her attention to the newcomer. “The project got approved- oh, sorry, I didn’t realise this wasn’t a good time.”

He managed to not allow himself to feel guilty for being in a professor’s office for an appointment at the time of the day he had specifically been invited to be there, but it wasn’t by a lot. The woman looked so crestfallen to notice him there that Edmund felt like he had done something wrong.

“Oh, that is wonderful!” Professor Bloom got up and walked closer to the woman holding out both hands to gently hold her arms. “Don’t worry, that’s just one of my students. I’m going to help him right now but maybe later we can meet up. I’d love to hear more.”

“Oh, there’s nothing much to say, really.” There was now an embarrassed blush tinting her cheeks, and she lowered her gaze to the ground. “I just received the news that they want me to carry on with the research and wanted to share it with you. It’s no big deal.”

“It is a big deal. It’s amazing. But I won’t push you about it. Send me a text if you want to share something else, okay?”

“Okay.”

Both of them looked like they had deflated considerably as the door was closed and the professor returned to her former seat next to him. Had that been his presence’s fault? It had seemed like it but at the same time, Edmund was reasonably sure that they had managed to downscale their conversation themselves.

“Sorry, mr. Pearson.” Professor Bloom said, eyes still glued to the door. “That was professor Van Gale. I imagine you’ll have some contact with her now that you’re in Conservation. Where were we?”

Even as they went back to the matter at hand, there was still a wistful haze in Birgitta’s eyes, one that Edmund recognized for what it was.

Oh no.

It was going to be a long couple of years.

.........

Two years later

If a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless it is acted upon by a force. Edmund knew so, because his need for money to sustain himself in college had driven him to work in a professor’s project that involved a lot more physics than he would ever have liked to work with. Technically, he was working in the environmental and zoological parts of Ahlberg’s project, but the admission exam had required him to study some of the cornerstones for the engineering that was also involved in it.

The point was, he now had all those laws and formulas lodged in some corner of his mind, even if they barely had a chance to get out.

This was one of those chances.

It was a climate change panel, because of course it was. Every year they had at least one of those in the university, with attendance being mandatory for some courses and open to all. The annoying thing was - besides the nerve-wrecking statistics and new climate studies, that is - that every time, the same two professors were called. Sometimes there were other guests called to the round table to bring more sides to the discussion, but no matter what, professor Bloom and professor Van Gale were always there. And from older students, he had come to learn that it had been like this for as long as anyone could remember.

And they were always wrecks.

A big part of Edmund thought that the fact that they had sustained feelings for each other for so long was truly adorable. Anyone who had the slightest contact with either would be able to see how much they cared for each other. But there was a time and a place for longing glances and blushing when caught looking at your crush, and a lecture hall filled with university students, with a power point presentation on the climate crisis behind yourself was not it.

When the discussion ended and they were all free to go, Edmund tried to look around for Gerda, who he had come into the lecture with, only to find her staring fixedly at the professors. They were struggling to walk past the door frame, since they seemed to be stuck in an endless loop of ‘after you’. Not bearing to witness that for too long, they both gave each other a look that clearly asked ‘are you also seeing this shit?’, even though they both had lessons with professor Bloom and had, in fact, seen this sort of shit more times than they could count.

When they began their Masters, they used to keep the last page of their notebook to count how many times she’d bring up professor Van Gale, or how many times they’d behold any suspiciously yearning action from her. It used to be fun.

It wasn’t funny anymore.

With a sigh, Edmund put his backpack on his shoulders again, and made way for the exit with his friend in tow.

They would keep at that for eternity, if they were allowed to. Someone would have to be the external force.

[script-a-world]

Google Submitted: Follow Up - Math Genius

The previous ask in this thread can be found here.

Hey again. I had a question about a world of mathematical geniuses. I think you're correct on one thing - that I should be using the world 'genius'. You did say that maths aren't difficult - that is correct. But putting into practise - tell me, how many irl people can do all the mathematical computatation required in a plane's navigation without a computer. And very quickly, in their heads, without the need for a single scrap of paper. Can irl people learn to do that, maybe, a select few, but not the majority of the entire population, right? Now take my world. 90% of the people can do that. This is what my world does in mathematical stuff - similar to real world stuff. Which is why I said 'genius' in pertaining to that - how it is viewed from an irl perspective. If someone irl could do that, that's what we'd call them. But in my world, that is the norm - the majority can do that, and not at all thought of as 'genius' in the world itself. Although, in my world it does seem like things most certainly would progress a lot more because irl we need to wait for people to learn things. For this society, this isn't exactly a learned skill, it's generally an inherent skilled with their brains wired for this. This is the norm for the world, it's accepted like everybody can walk, everybody can see, everybody can hear. The people who can't do this are mostly only babies due to them not biologically developed enough (not unlearned - newborns do not need maths just as they do not need to reproduce either. although maths is NOT considered part of puberty, the brain develops throughout childhood, before puberty) and those with impairing conditions.. I hope this is a better question, thanks so much and keep up the good work!

Feral: So here’s the trouble that I have with your set up… Doing math doesn’t make sense as an inheritable ability rather than a learned skill because math… kinda doesn’t exist. I mean it exists in the same way the English language exists, but it doesn’t exist in the way that green eyes exist. It’s a language. It’s made up. 

For example:

C = 2r is one way you can describe what you see. “Red” is equally as accurate. But is the circle really red? Is “redness” an intrinsic property of the circle? No. “Red” is a word that we English-speakers collectively agree is most the accurate description of the most common perception of that circle, but a color-blind person won’t see red; a mantis shrimp would not see red - not the red we have agreed on in our language. It’s helpful for us to have the idea of red standardized, but “red” kinda doesn’t exist. Similarly, the formula for the perimeter or circumference of a circle is helpful for us to have standardized. The idea of a circle is helpful for us to have standardized! But while the picture I’ve included is a good representation of the concept of circle; it’s not. If I zoom in really really really close, the edges will start to become pixelated. C = 2r will still be the best way we can describe the circle as a whole, but it’s not truly a definitive, immutable, inherent property of the physical reality.

And it may seem logical to you that, say, the ability to count and to add and to state 3 + 3 = 6 is inherently able to be understood by humans, but it’s not. There are languages in which there are no numbers. There are people who do not count, even on one hand! The concept of 0 was invented (at multiple times, in multiple places) after other number systems already existed.

So if math is just a language that is very, very good at describing physical reality but not perhaps itself a fundamental aspect of reality, then just being able to do math without training does not make sense.

Furthermore, the ability to do math in one’s head has nothing to do with math ability, it has to do with memorization and access to the short term memory. Again, that’s skill. There are literally people referred to as “memory athletes,” and while there are people who may have inherent talents that make them more likely to succeed, they still have to learn the game and train for it, same as any other athlete. This article describes how some memory athletes were tested against a control group which contained members of Mensa, aka actual geniuses. 

Until very recently, all math, including flight navigation for craft exiting the atmosphere, was done without a computer - of the machine kind. Did they do it without writing anything down? No. But frankly why would they? What is the point of exerting that much extra effort? And not only that, but as mathematicians, they would understand the probability of human error. 

Math is for communication. It is collaborative. By making it all about these ubermenschen, you’re not just ignoring the fact that math is made up, you’re ignoring why it was. What makes math what it is, is that it’s shared; it’s written down. It’s expression. I think you want us to say that the society of mathematicians would dominate everyone, but they wouldn’t because they’re not a society. They’re a bunch of people who live nearby to one another, and that’s not a recipe for a particularly society or a society at all. And don’t forget that math is step one; it doesn’t magically make things come into existence. The math of flight navigation is not practical if no one can build the damn plane.

Now, as always, you can put things that are not externally consistent with reality in your work. As long as you make it internally consistent, you can call it a day. But unfortunately, I don’t think we’re going to be of any more help in figuring out how to make your math genius society function, as there simply isn’t anything we can go off of beyond “do whatever works best for your story.”

[elizabethrobertajones]

FFXIV Write: Day 8, Tepid

(My brain hurts and I feel very sick so I went for something extremely low effort :'D)

3 Times Cid Complained About His Coffee And One Time He Didn’t

*

“Nero!” Cid suddenly coughs from the desk where he has been working hard on a blueprint. “This coffee you brought me is tepid!”

Across the Ironworks, Nero looks up from his maniac tinkering with deep offence engraved on his face. “It was perfectly hot when I brought it to you! You’ve been so absorbed in your useless design and trying fruitlessly to make it take off the ground that you let it go cold. Don’t you dare accuse me of being the one to bring sub par coffee into this workshop!”

(Needless to say, Jessie did her best to keep them from being alone together, but occasionally no one was there to stand between them on a slow day in the workshop, and disasters happened.)

Cid merely laughs ruefully. “I suppose I did let time slip away.” He takes another sip of the cool drink, and turns his attention back to the page in front of him, leaving Nero scowling and seething

*

Not a week later, Cid is deep in the guts of a beautiful machine, and, pausing to fetch a magitek spanner, he sees a mug of coffee set beside his toolbox, and takes a grateful sip.

“Nero, we’ve talked about bringing me cold coffee!” He shouts at once.

From the floor, where he has spread all the springs and magical cogs of his latest creation in an array that makes sense only to him, Nero looks up, wounded. “I brought that to you and tapped your shoulder and told you there was coffee. Is the great Cid Nan Garlond losing his memory with age? I specifically insisted you drink it.”

“Oh, I hardly paid attention to what you were saying, as I usually do,” Cid replies, rather less playful than his normal humour. It has been a wearing time between them, certainly.

*

Time passes, and friends pour in and out of the Ironworks, but alas there must be lulls where the two geniuses find themselves once more bent over wiring, fine tuning mechanisms, one oblivious, one quietly seething at the sight of the other’s work, and none have been in the room all afternoon save themselves and their one-sided psychodrama.

And of course Cid looks up from his detailed work, rubs his eyes, and takes a gulp from the mug beside him. “Oh, Nero, why can’t you ever make a warm coffee?” he laments, more to himself, though audible enough to reach the ever-vigilant ears of his erstwhile rival. Of course, all the tension has slipped right by him and, thinking only of his work, he forgets once more that there’s anything more than a vague correlation between Nero and cold coffee.

“Oh! Oh!” Nero starts off at once, throwing down his tools. “I made that coffee with the very same Mark XIV Thermocoil Boilmaster your assistant Wedge is so proud of flaunting any time he’s forced to scrape for the victories of your little workshop. And yet it’s not good enough for you? Because you let it go cold again! And meanwhile here I am slaving away at your behest, creating only the greatest works of my career, and all you can think of is to accuse me of not being able to manufacture a single cup of hot water every time I bring you a coffee!”

“I – I didn’t realise you felt that way. I’m sorry, Nero. I sincerely forgot that you had brought me this drink. Thank you for attending to me when even I forget myself!”

Nero seethes and hisses like the aforementioned kettle, but sits down again.

*

A few days later, Cid is working alone, when there’s an almighty thump on his desk, shaking him back from his craftsman’s reverie to see Nero has slammed a shiny red and gold cylinder on his desk. “There. Have your coffee, and shut up,” Nero growls.

“What is this?” Cid asks, bemused.

“I took valuable moments of my finite time in this world that could have been spent dreaming up machines beyond your ability to fathom, and instead created this cup that will keep your coffee warm, so that you may forget it at you please,” Nero snarls. He grasps either half of the cylinder and twists – the gold seam opens, a seal parts with a soft hiss of secret inner workings, and a full cup of steaming coffee is revealed inside.

“That’s incredible!” Cid takes a sip at once, and has to veer away from the scalding liquid. “You must talk with Wedge about producing these along with the kettle! He will be delighted by your innovations in hot drink technology!”

“I didn’t do it for the recognition,” Nero scoffs, then straightens up, startled by his own words. He blushes, turns on his heel, and stomps away.

Cid shakes his head, baffled, sets the cup down, the lid still unscrewed and sitting forgotten on the desk, and returns to his work.

[lyrical-epiphany]

about | nixie ho

first character on this blog :] will get to writing her brother soon one day.

# navigation | boundaries | masterlist

[ intro. ] for someone living a double-life as dangerous as hers, nixie certainly isn't as careful as she should be. that, unfortunately, can't be helped, but at least she's smart and knows what she's doing... most of the time.

fandom: lookism

tw // mentions of violence and death.

[ general information ] ❀ full name — nixie ho / tsuyo ruri ❀ other names — ho nimpeu ❀ title(s) — the learning genius ❀ nicknames — nix, bluey ❀ currently 17y.o. ❀ straight | [she/her] ❀ 3/4 japanese & 1/4 estonian ❀ fashion (formerly beauty) student at j high school and one of charles choi's geniuses

[ family ] ❀ tsuyo daiki — older brother ❀ unnamed adoptive & biological parents ❀ has a legal guardian. probably.

[ quotes ] ❀ "you know how some people don't like my eyes? well, i do. looking like some sort of mutant is pretty cool." ❀ "uh... it's fine because nobody died..?"

[ prominent traits ] ❀ her bravery is more due to her impulsiveness and lack of common sense. ❀ although quick-thinking and adaptable, nixie's intelligence doesn't really go any further than her academic and combat abilities, and she tends to put herself in danger if she thinks it'll save everyone she cares about. ❀ has probably comitted several crimes before. her biggest priority is to protect her loved ones and she has no sense of consequence whatsover. ❀ she is constantly seeking self-improvement and doesn't even realise it when she overworks herself. similarly, she can and will fight without any regard for however close she is to getting fatally hurt. it isn't over until she says it's over. burnout is unfortunately common with her. ❀ attachment issues of some form. struggles to empathise with others but can get overly attached to certain others, too. ❀ like gun, nixie seems to know nearly everyone. ❀ unlike gun, she doesn't actively try to become their enemy. but she does usually value people based on her trust in them and how much potential they have. ❀ two-faced little shit. will be all sugary towards you one moment and breaking both your arms the next. ❀ there are two things that make her very distinct. one, her dark blue eyes. two, her uncanny learning capabilities. nixie soaks up knowledge, and paired with her observance, her knowing how to effectively use that knowledge... can either be for the better or worse. much easier to manipulate if she looks up to you, so have fun with your new sponge weapon. ❀ nixie never accepts or asks for help. she really wants to be independent, and has way more pride than she can swallow. ❀ huge fear of red ladybugs. don't ask...

[ fighting style ] ❀ she's fucking fast, but no matter how hard she trains, her strength can't keep up. ❀ as boxing was the first form of fighting she was ever exposed to, and as her favourite, it's her instinctive go-to. she's a hit-and-run boxer, but is more defensive in order to stall for time. ❀ being the learning genius, her head is filled to the brim with different combat styles and moves, as well as the best combinations to go along with them. ❀ the longer she faces an opponnet for, the easier it becomes for her to fight them. nixie learns just as much through experience as she does through a textbook, and her well-roundedness and adaptibility allows her to switch to whatever martial art she finds most effective. she figures her opponent out before wasting any time on attacking. ❀ absolutely cannot take hits, which is why she's good at dodging. ❀ want to take nixie down? brutal force is the way to go. ❀ or get more people. she wins because she gets good at figuring out how to counter her opponent. but if you give her more fists to dodge and more enemies to keep track of, and all at once, she's dead meat.

[ backstory ] ❀ links to other posts will go here when i have the motivation to write her story. otherwise it'll be too long. ❀ you can guess the rest for now <3 ❀ nixie was born as ruri, the daughter of a yakuza family — or more specifically, the daughter of the tsuyo family, an affiliate specialising in assassination and the second-in-command to the yamazaki clan. ❀ brought to seoul, south korea for unknown reasons as a young girl, nixie was first brought to charles choi's attention at the age of thirteen. ❀ might've been bullied as a kid for her eyes. still deciding on how strong pre-genius nixie was and whether she could defend herself well. strange colour, those eyes, but nixie personally finds them pretty cool. ❀ her mother was half-estonian, half-japanese, and had blue eyes. ❀ she mainly trained with gun park. he's not the training genius for nothing. but if i'm being honest, it was more... honing her skills than learning anything knew. she also potentially knows how to use weapons from watching goo fight with them, but prefers limbs to blades and other throwable objects. ❀ barged her way into every fucking backstory. she liked to hide in big deal street when she was little. vasco and jace's childhood friend. went to zack, johan, and mira's middle school and definitely had a crush on mira at one point. ❀ she skipped third grade. now she's a year younger than most other students and proud of it. ❀ daiki found her when she was fourteen. now they owe gun. (yikes...) ❀ why didthe learning genius choose j high? when it comes to nixie, it's friends over career. for now, at least. ❀ nixie started off in the beauty department for those hair-dying perks. transferred to the fashion department at the beginning of the second semester when she decided she liked clothes more... then met daniel park and most likely snitched on him to charles choi.

[ appearance ] ❀ creds — lookism ai filter & edited by an irl friend

a/n; i love nixie she's the stupidest most gremlin little mf i've ever come up with omfg // the legal guardian is probably charles choi tbh // i wrote way more than i intended to. // um. i'm sorry she's awfully overpowered

[tokiro07]

Martial Master Asumi ch.3 thoughts

[DILF: Dad I’d LIke to Fight]

While the first two chapters were heavily focused on characterizing our main cast, this chapter focuses more on the meta of MMA, which is a very necessary shift for a sports manga to make considering that it’s about the sport

I really appreciate seeing Asumi analyzing and strategizing in real time, especially since it’s made so clear that he has no idea what he’s doing

Not that he isn’t capable of thinking on his feet and succeeding, as he does react well and earn praise from Okiba’s father, but his inexperience is on full display, giving us a clear baseline for the improvement he’s going to be undergoing as the story goes on

There are two ends of the spectrum for protagonists in sports manga: the genius and the rookie. You can either follow someone who’s amazing at the sport from the get-go and gets to show off against everyone else while imparting some kind of philosophical truth to everyone else with their skill, or you can follow someone with no experience or interest learning said philosophical truth from everyone else as they catch up

Hinomaru Zumou’s Hinomaru was the former, teaching other geniuses the value of perseverance, while Asumi is the latter, though exactly what lesson he has to learn really hasn’t been developed much yet. I’m guessing it will be something along the line of actually embracing his life instead of running from it

Asumi learning that MMA is fun is an important step, but interestingly it’s been portrayed as exclusively negative thus far, with a tendency to go too far and hurt his opponents. He’s been stopped every time so far, but sooner or later there will certainly be a time where no one is around to keep him in check and he’ll either really hurt someone or have the strength to self-regulate, and that’s going to be a huge moment for him

I also like the foreshadowing for the fingerlock from last chapter, where his grandpa beat him with a fingerlock, so naturally he tried to do the same thing to his opponent when he had the opportunity, not realizing that it was a foul. I think he also took his grandpa’s advice about “feeling the flow of power” instead of just “grabbing at anything,” considering that he was able to lead Okiba’s father into a position that would let him bring him to the ground and then consistently counter his attempts to break his holds

I do think that Kawada could have illustrated the choreography just a bit better, I feel like I couldn’t really follow the action very well. I was actually under the impression that Asumi “grabbing at anything” was him trying to grab his grandpa’s fingers not realizing it was an illegal move, but I realized that the framing of the panel makes it clear that the lock was painful, so it had to be Asumi

I think that drawing sumo, which is generally more straightfoward than MMA, might have somewhat limited Kawada’s ability for choreography, so I think drawing MMA will be a good challenge for him to broaden his art, and I’m excited to see how it grows from here

Speaking of Hinomaru Zumou transitioning to MMA, I have to figure that Kawada chose it specifically because he felt like he didn’t get to focus on Kunisaki enough. I’m hoping that we’ll actually get to see him in this series, maybe getting some updates on that lady he hooked up with in America and the baby they had. I love when authors connect their series together, and this one has a perfect opportunity. Maybe Okome will even be a major character in some way? I don’t know what year this is meant to take place relative to Hinomaru, so she could easily be either grown up or Asumi’s age

I’m expecting next week to be another character heavy chapter with the introduction of Kazuro. Admittedly I wasn’t expecting him to show up this quickly, I figured he’d show up in like...twenty to fifty chapters, maybe a few arcs in, not right at the beginning

I will say though that if he’d been introduced later, I probably would have taken it as a red flag since estranged family members are usually a sign of cancellation. Can’t wait to see how this plays out!