#time to put my hippocampus to work

[lilacthebooklover]

goodnight moral worms i'm transcending to a higher plane of existence for the night

[athanasius-symposium-of-writings]

Aesop's Birthday Gift Is You

I love you grey little mouse!

Rated: Mature | Warnings: none is horny and sweet

Embalmer's room fits his job description and personality, or preference is a better word for it. Everything here is for his craft with a basic small bed by a dark corner to the side wall. Aesop is content, so long as he can work and keep to himself in peace, he is content.

“Happy Valentine's Day, (Name).” He gifted the flowers to you after your impactful words, words he did not expect any living person to care about his work. Your outlook and input are something he did not find many from his time who cares about his profession…

Then you came along like the sunrise upon a grave, another morning shining on all even those who passed. Aesop found you are the sun, blinding and inescapable, warm, and something he did not realize how much he wanted. The Embalmer knows he is… Not the typical partner, the ones he has read in books or seen like Ada and Emil— He is grateful you love him so much, adjusting for his comfort.

You are the sun and he is the earth.

Aesop is limited in how intimate he can be with you (you refuse to say he is limited, you tell him this often and happily take what he gives). He wants to give more, give those things lovers give each other. Aesop appreciates it, appreciates you, it however does not stop him from wanting you to experience his touch without crossing his limits.

Then he found a way! Something you can appreciate and something that satisfies his desire for you.

“Aesop Carl.” You say out loud, “Aesop Carl.” You sound adored right now to him. He puts back the syringe that he used to inject the anesthesia, a slow-acting one to give him time with you.

With glossy eyes currently looking up at the ceiling, “Aesop,” This time saying his first name quickly. “Carl.” Now slowly saying his last name.

Affectionately he adjusts his position to fix the blanket over your body, “Is something the matter?” Checking on you as he stands above the coffin you are lying in.

It is going to be very hard to explain why you are in an open coffin and not dead.

First, this coffin is not the usual coffins Aesop uses for those to be buried, this coffin glows!— Well, it supposedly does more than that from what Hippocampus told you.

Two, part of what one was getting into is that you were asked by Aesop— Hippocampus, an alternate reality version of Aesop (the logistics of that statement is not something you are going to try to understand or explain. Just accept it with this wacky manor)— To sleep in the dream coffin.

“I want your last name.” You saw as waves sooth you, “So pretty.” Blunt, you are very blunt about love, “Aesop…”

“Shh,” You are talking nonsense, “Don't fight it,” The Embalmer's gloved hand touching your cheek, “Go on, I will watch over you.” He means that too.

Anytime he used drugs or toys on you, he made sure to always be mindful of what you could or could not take.

You see him then the world fades away to darkness.

Hippocampus

When you wake up— No, you still are dreaming! You know you are because everything is different! There you stand in the coffin, the coffin disappearing into the water you are standing on. The realm, like some dungeons and dragons scene with the warlock's patron, is dreamlike! The crescent moon high in the sky is surrounded by nebulae and stars! The water ripples making a soothing sound like in those ASMR sleeping meditation videos.

Beautiful and peaceful.

Then you see him.

He looks like the costume you have seen Aesop wear a few times, Hippocampus is what it is called. The figure is—

“Aesop, you're huge!” Shouting in this dream void getting his attention from his drowsy state. He is lying down as eyes lock on you.

“My dreamer,” He yawns, “I am glad to see you.” A sleepy smile on his handsome face, “So he dreams about you in this way.”

“Huh?” You did not look at yourself and when you did look down at your reflection in the water, “AH!” Pulling down his shirt as you are only in your underlings and the Embalmer top he always wears.

Hippocampus chuckles, “Cute.” Though he wears a mask, you know he is smiling gently at you. “No need to be ashamed, I am him and this dream is created for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes, his gift is to express his love for you.” His hand moved towards you and a finger used to rub your cheek, “Our joy, like a shooting star.”

You are bashful, smiling wide and looking away, “Aesop…”

“There are many ways he wishes to give you our gift. You need only to accept.”

“Just accept… But it's his birthday!”

“We are aware. You are the greatest gift in our lives, my dreamer. To give you this, will give us joy.”

It is sweet to know Aesop loves you, he does not always say it but he tries. You are happy with him, in love with him, and glad to know his other selves like you too.

“Dreamer, we offer you a piece of us each.” Speaking once more, “For the love you show Aesop, we only ask this of you to share it with us.”

“Can you tell me who us is?”

“You shall see.” The world becomes hazy and you stumble backward into a coffin before falling asleep again.

Trickster

This one is called Trickster, he is from a world being taken over by something called the Abyss. Apparently, in that world, you were corrupted by the Abyss. Isolating yourself as you created creatures made from the Abyss. You, the one who is only trapped in a manor, is the closest he has seen to the one he loves.

Trickster is a bit emotional, needing to touch your hand or kiss you— A lot of kissing as you are you but not you from this world, not that matters as you give back the affection he needs badly. You hold him, keeping him in your arms as his mouth wanders from your lips to your neck.

Aesop, this Aesop is not like yours, lives up to his codename. Loving you as he does for the other you while also teasing you too. Keeping you breathless from giggling as he tickles you.

He wants your smile, your laugh, your gasps, and your moans fresh in his mind. He will keep this memory of you, the Abyss will not take that away from him.

The naked lover in his arms who says his name in the sweetest way he recalls before that thing took you, this is you, the one he needs to separate from the horror he saw.

“I love you.” Saying to you as if he has to let you go, “I'm sure he does too.” He does have to let you go, the other you is not the same as you… They are tainted, the one he loved died a long time ago.

“It is nice to know in another world you and I still find one another.”

His smile is sad as you fall asleep.

Watchman

When you wake up to this Aesop, you are pretty sure of two things: there are people around the covered bed (one of those fancy beds with curtains around it types) and you are naked. Naked with markings on you. You should ask what the hell is going on, you should not just be letting him worship you, again you are very weak for Aesop.

One with dragon scales is really hot to you.

You moan, and your body feels like more hands are touching you as he whispers strange words on your skin. This is like some Dungeons and Dragons sex tape thing that is doing wonders for you as the moment his mouth is on your intimate part, you are gone! Not to say you are certainly going to be confused about this experience, but you will say the cult dragon thing vibes are having you cum faster than you expected too. Also, you realize the marks and seed left on and in you are gone! It is like Trickster never touched you which hurts but you know why.

All of this is a dream, each Aesop is dreaming of their time with you or a version of you.

You are glad when you feel him inside of you, glad when speaks to you though you understand nothing he is saying. He is not much of a kisser, he kisses like he going to eat you but stops as if realizing he cannot do that. Rough until you show him how to move, his nails are sharp like claws and threaten to cut skin, you biting the scales on his neck gets him going. Oh, and you bite and scratch his back as he moves inside of you, on his lap riding him as he speaks more to you but then you recognize the few words he says.

“I love you.” It is by chance that you cum with him as he tells you those words, you are grateful to cum at those words and with him. His cock buried deep within you marking you as much as he has marked your body.

“Aesop,” You feel tired, “Aesop.”

He shushed you and you realize he is purring and he is warm, you hate how comforting as he rubs your sore thigh while kissing your shoulder apologetically for his bites break skin several times.

The damn you pass out again and with no way to ask what the hell happened outside of semi-dragon sex.

Exorcist

“Welcome, (Name).”

You rub your eyes, blink a few times, then yawn, “Huh? Oh.” Waking up a bit to the smell of warm tea and the sound of wind passing through trees and grass, “This isn’t a bed.” Surprised to see yourself sitting at the tea table at… Night? The crescent moon is high in the sky and the garden is illuminated by lanterns.

“No, my apologies if you were expecting another Aesop to take you.” He is currently pouring himself a cup of tea, “I have not had the pleasure of meeting you yet in my world.”

“Then how do you know me?” Examining the teacup he must have made you while you were phasing in? You are not going to think of the logic of that question/statement.

“I have met you but not in the others have,” Looking at you, studying you, “We have crossed paths in the form of combat.”

Right, because Exorcist is a vampire meaning… “Am I a vampire hunter!?” Excited.

“You are. One working with the church currently trying to find the Embrace.”

“Embrace… That must be like your vampire god, right?”

“In a form yes. Very observant.”

“I guess, I used to play a game where the Embrace was how vampires described their turning and their ‘father’ was Cain or something.” Shrugging, “I don’t understand why you would want to meet someone you do not know uh intimately.”

“Because you, the hunter, have plagued my thoughts night and day.”

You drink your tea has you make a ‘hm’ sound with a bit of a giggle coming from your throat. Those red eyes, his grey eyes with a red tint to them in the center, are studying you. Following how you swallow your tea carefully, then your hands.

“Aesop, please, either kiss me or wake me up this activating a lot of feelings.”

He places his elbows on the table as his hands make a bridge for him to rest his chin on, “Oh?” As if he fucking knows! “Does my other self often stare?”

“Yes, mostly at my face though.” He is an Emblamer so it makes sense he wants to memorize your face within his mind.

“Understandably, you are a sight to see.”

Oh, you definitely giggled which made him laugh at the sweetness of it. You both talked more, mostly him listening to you talking about random things.

When you started to yawn, he took your hand, your left hand, rubbing the place where a ring would be on your ring finger. “Such a lovely creature you are, (Name). Like the sun.”

You close your eyes with a smile on your face.

You open your eyes to Aesop, your grey mouse, checking your vital then falling forward when you snatch him into your arms pulling him into the coffin as you kiss his face a million times.

[ryukatters]

def gojo, but also toji and maybe y’all are like competing assassins who run into eachother sometimes

⟡ word count: ~700

⟡ a/n: your brain is so big

⟡ Based on this ask

Your target is right ahead of you.

Just a few more feet, the two of you will be away from any wandering eyes and security cameras— and you’ll be in the clear to take him out with a single blow.

It’s an older gentleman— a local politician, you’ve been told, with connections to the black market. Made a few people working underground unhappy with some new laws passed. So you’ve been ordered to execute him.

You get jobs like this all the time. You don’t necessarily like what you do, but you don’t necessarily hate it either. It’s something that brings food to the table, allows you a roof over your head. Despite your unconventional career, it’s actually pretty stable, given your high success rate and gracious recommendations from satisfied clients.

Stable, as long as you’re the one actually doing the killing.

You blink once and suddenly your politician has a bullet going straight through his skull.

“You’ve gotta be faster than that, sweetheart.”

The politician’s body hits the floor with a dull thud. You hardly pay attention because all you hear is the rush of blood in your eardrums and all you can see is that annoying smirk on that stupid face of his.

Damn him.

You stomp towards Toji angrily, pointing an accusing finger into his (well-built) chest, “That was my target, you freak!”

“Was it? Well that’s too bad. Looks like you’ll have to pick up another job elsewhere,” he sneers. “Think you could make a pretty penny with those tits of yours.” He stares down at them pointedly. You feel your cheeks burn from humiliation.

“Oh fuck off, Fushiguro.”

“I’d much rather fuck you.”

Toji Fushiguro: a quick, money hungry, infamous assassin. Or, as you often call him— a pain in the ass. Your ass specifically, since he seems to have a tendency to sabotage all of your missions.

He’d argue that he simply has a penchant for pretty things, and you’re a high he has yet to come down from.

“You’re deplorable,” you spit, arms crossing over your chest. “A waste of space. Are you really so broke that you feel the need to steal someone else’s kill? Maybe you’re the one that needs to pick up a gig at the local strip club.”

Your words do nothing— they bounce off him as if he were a wall of solid steel. He might as well be. Nothing could ever penetrate Toji, physically and emotionally.

“So everyone can see the scratches you leave on my back?” He sneers, taking a step closer. He smells like sweat and cheap cologne. It’s intoxicating. “Dunno why you’re pretendin’ to hate me s’much with the way you’re creamin’ on my cock all the time.”

“Maybe because that’s the only redeeming quality you have,” you bite back. Toji merely chuckles, as if the venom spewing from your lips lacks virulence. And maybe it does.

“You’re pretty spunky today, baby. You know how much it turns me on when you put up a fight.”

You let out a growl, swinging your arm to punch him, but he’s gone from your sight before you even get the chance to land a blow. That’s the second time you’ve missed tonight.

He appears behind you before you can react.

Toji presses a kiss to the nape of your neck, relishing in the way you suppress a shiver as he leans down to his whisper in your ear, “Gotta be faster than that, sweetheart.”

You hate him. You remind yourself that every single time you see him.

“Bring that attitude with you tonight and see where that gets you,” he murmurs, allowing himself a rough nip at your jugular— a little taste of the inevitable. “You know where to find me.”

The words ring in your mind, each syllable being burned into your hippocampus with every passing second. You make quick work of delivering the corpse to your handler before you’re off to find a certain assassin.

Toji Fushiguro would ruin your life. Yet for some reason, you can’t find it in you to push him away when he calls.

[joeyleesblog]

Where is my existence?

Notices: feeling of depersonalization and panic attack.

......................................

I will wake up soon. Was Spider's persistent thought, but even that seemed far off. The confusion and shock that had hit him like an ocean wave this morning now felt like calm waves, gently rolling up the coast and back out to sea. They were still there, but they didn't seem to be swallowing Spider anymore.

Or maybe he had drowned and his consciousness was fading. It could be...

"Hey Spider." Spider blinked and blinked again, Jake's voice snapping him out of the stupor he was in. The boy looked up into the man's face and stared at him for a few seconds before opening his mouth and the words spilling out.

"Hey."

Jake smiled softly, but if it was to reassure Spider, it wasn't working. Not with the sirens in the back of his mind telling him this wasn't the Jake he knew. Not after the war, not after Neteyam.

Oh, Eywa. Neteyam.

The gentle waves were starting to crash harder and suddenly his breath came faster as he remembered why his breakdown had caused him to cut his hand out of sheer desperation and disbelief. Neteyam was dead, he was with Eywa now. Spider witnesses this with his own eyes. So how the hell was Neteyam apparently alive? It had to be a dream or his hallucination, except that when his hand touched his brother's chest, he felt flesh and bone under his skin.

Screw everything. I went crazy.

"Spider!"

Spider jumped a little, looking wide-eyed at Jake, who had his brows furrowed, as well as his mouth. Oh no, he was irritated.

"Sorry." but it sounded distant even to his ears. "I'm sorry. I… I don't…" I feel like I've lost my mind. I feel like I'm going to explode. I feel like I'm not where I should be.

Jake looked at him intently for a moment, then sighed wearily and sat down on the bed beside him, his big blue hand coming to rest on the back of Spider's neck in a soft caress, making the boy melt almost automatically.

"Norm said there's nothing wrong with your head." Jake's voice was calm. "The blow caused a severe concussion, but did not cause any brain damage or trauma. The blow also did not affect the hippocampus."

"So am I okay?" Because he didn't feel well at all, to tell you the truth. Jake seemed to have the same thought, by the look on his face.

"What do you remember?"

Warm. Very hot, as if there were flames all around you, then the feeling of falling and the air being knocked out of your lungs.

"From falling and not being able to breathe"

Jake confirmed his words with a nod.

"Yes. You fell out of the tree and hit your head on the root. We took you to Moat, but I wanted to make sure you didn't have a brain or spinal injury, so I took you to Norm for a scan. The tests didn't reveal anything serious, but it's been two days since you were still unconscious. I was very worried, but Norm couldn't find anything wrong."

"Did I fall out of a tree?" Spider questioned, doubt in his tone.

"Yes son."

Spider ignored what that word did in his chest. It wasn't time.

"Is that all that happened?"

"Yes, why?" Jake asked, quite intrigued by the answer.

"No reason" Spider decided to put that aside for now, not being in a mental condition to seek answers even for himself. He just wanted this madness to end. "Can I go to my room? I want to sleep in a more comfortable place."

Jake's ears perked up at he question.

"Did you mean the Marui?"

Spider looked at him with obvious confusion on his face.

"No?" It was hard to sleep on the Marui when Neytiri's gaze burned into his back, so he finally decided it wasn't worth testing the woman's tolerance and found his own corner. On rare occasions, he would head straight back to the Inferno Gate to sleep in his old room.Norm and Max ensured it would remain his for as long as he wanted.

"Spider." Jake's tone was very careful. "It's been a while since you've had a room here, buddy."

Jake's words hit Spider like a violent wave.

"No." He simply said. "I've had a room here since I was a kid."

Jake's tail was starting to wag.

"Son, not you. You sleep with us on the Marui."

"Since when?"

"Since...since when? Since you were little! Don't you remember?"

Spider never slept with the Sullys as a child, no matter how many times his siblings begged their parents to. He was not welcome.

"No." He got up from the table and started walking towards the exit.

"Hey, hey. Where are you going?" Jake went after him and grabbed his shoulder, but Spider backed away.

"I have a room here." He could hear the hysteria in her voice. "I will show you."

"Spider..."

"I will show you!" And he walked purposefully through the halls to his room, followed by Jake.

Everything will be alright. Everything will be fine. Yes. Spider repeats to himself, trying to calm the panic rising in his chest. My room is there, as usual. Norm and Max haven't changed. They promised. They would have told me.

When they reached the room, Spider didn't hesitate to open the door and walk in, expecting, hoping, to be greeted with his things.

There were several boxes in that room, but there was nothing of yours.

"What?" he asked breathlessly. "Where, where are my things? Where is it?!

"Son, hey, calm down" Jake took him by the shoulders and turned him so that the boy was facing him. "Like I said, you don't have a room here. Your things are at the Marui."

Spider shook his head. It wasn't right, it just wasn't. "No, no, no. I've always lived here, I, I..."

"When you were a baby and there wasn't a mask that fit you." Jake explained.

"No." He couldn't say any more. "You're wrong! You're not Jake! Who the hell are you?!"

"Spider, hey! Stop it! Son..."

"I'm not your son! Let me go!"

"Shit! Norm!"

It's wrong. It's all wrong. But what went wrong? What?

"Norm! Spider, please calm down!"

"Jake, what the hell is going on?!"

"I don't know!"

The fight was starting to leave Spider's body, as well as his consciousness, for some reason. The last thing he heard was Jake and Norm's voices arguing in the background and then everything went dark.

...

Post 1, Post 2 , Post 4

[adultswim2021]

Aqua Teen Hunger Force #89: “Rabbot Redux” | February 8, 2010 - 12:00AM | S08E02

Happy Space Ghost day, everyone! 30 dang years with our great guy. Wow! Seems like as good a day as any to start this shit up again. To the small-yet-still-dwindling number of people who read my shit: Hi! Real life is having it’s way with me right now, so please know I’m instituting a hard-and-fast “will update when I feel like it” rule to this thing for the right-now. So, please don't expect this to be a nightly blog. It'll be more like a "nighty" blog, as in "nighty-night", because it will be angelically and perfectly asleep most of the time. Thank you. 

It’s Rabbot Redux: a fairly unnecessary explanation for what happened directly after the events of the live-action episode. It turns out the Aqua Teens drove their moving van two doors down, to the other house next to Carl’s. Not a lot happens; Neil unpacks while Rick and Vivian fight over which room is theirs. Shake immediately claims the bathroom, not realizing it’s a bathroom. Meatwad gets a luxurious room with a salad bar and a harem.

Eventually Rabbot (from before) shows up with a housewarming gift. He then crushes the Aqua Teens’ house, forcing them to go back to the old house. Schooly D shows up and sings a new theme song (which is also used over the opening sequence). This one calls back a lot of stuff from Rabbot, like Carl working out of the home, and “dancing is forbidden”.

This one isn’t especially groundbreaking, and it’s a little puzzling that they felt the need to write themselves out of that "hole". Normally they’d just ignore stuff like that and relish the show's lack of continuity. Not only did they air an episode between the two episodes (a Christmas special), but they also put it on DVD with multiple episodes between this and the Live-Action episode; I’m guessing in some production order or something. It's striking how little these guys care, sometimes. It's weird to see them dutifully tie up a thread.

This one is fairly funny, though. There’s nothing egregiously bad in it. The biggest smile I did was the part when Shake started berating Frylock about sucking his stuff. Shake is a nasty guy who says rude stuff :)

EPHEMERA CORNER

FOX on Adult Swim bump (January 11, 2010)

Hey, here's something fun and--what luck! I am telling you about it: At this time, Adult Swim was airing episodes of Family Guy shortly after they premiered on Fox, and they had a significant viewership on both channels. In the episode "Big Man on Hippocampus", they aired a fake Adult Swim bumper (intended to mess with Fox watchers) as they went to commercial, making a joke about confusing their viewers into which network they were watching. When the episode aired on Adult Swim, they followed it up with a Fox-style promo instead of their normal bumper. Fun fact: I once spoke to somebody who was writing on an Adult Swim show and they entertained the idea of doing a fake Adult Swim bumper, and asked me if any other shows had done that. I told them "even Family Guy has" because I happened to catch this bit. Took the wind out of those sails.

MAIL BAG

oh wow she's straight-up married to the mindless self indulgence guy. woof

LOL

Hello Mister Swim! What if I called you Mister Swim all the time, like you were Mr. Moviefone? Would that be a treat?

Yeah, it would be a nice treat. Thank you for being so nice to me.

[pope-neuro]

Give headcanon for merc.

(Sorry I been taking so long to get to these, I’ve been dealing with the sudden death of my baby bird, life has been kinda terrible this week)

NOTE: There will be some suggestive stuff in here but most of it is for comedic purposes

General merc headcanons:

Scout:

-my boi got adhd like you would not believe

-The poor bastard cannot focus on anything for the life of him, no matter how hard he tries

-One of the reasons why he has trouble with reading, he was never really able to focus enough to figure it out, as that’s something that takes a LOT of time and a LOT of focus.

-Really talented artist tho! He loves drawing and keeps a sketchbook or two in his room! He likes to doodle before bed each night, it helps him calm down

-Somehow gay and homophobic at the same time

-Would absolutely lose his shit over the blue lobster meme no matter how old it gets

Soldier:

-My goofy ahh uncle

-The physical embodiment of “he a lil confused, but he got the spirit”

-Bro does not give a FUCK what anyone else thinks and I respect the hell out of that

-The men in his family were all in the military, which is one of the reasons why he’s obsessed

-secretly very insecure that he never actually made it into the official military

-Puts up a front so he can avoid feeling like a disappointment sometimes

-Solly is one of those people that sleeps like a LOG. Literally nothing can wake him up other than his own internal clock, which conveniently goes off at 6am.

-It is at this point in the morning when he goes around the base and attempts to make everyone else get up. Most are not pleased.

-Bi as fuck. He kisses men. He kisses women. He literally does not care, a beautiful person is a beautiful person, son.

-He calls his partner “son”.

Pyro:

-He is my son

-I love my son so much I am so proud of him for just existing.

-Pyro’s name is Ernesto

-His mask is literally just his face, like the plague doctor SCP. What appears to be clothing is actually just his body.

-He is from another planet, and the oxygen in our atmosphere has hallucinatory effects on members of his species

-Poor baby is basically in a haze 100 percent of the time :( but he does his absolute best!

-He literally only wants to spread peace, love, and flower power

-Fire makes him feel nice, because it’s bright and it’s warm. Fire is friendly and comforting. It helps ground him in this strange world.

Demo:

-Under-appreciated as fuck holy shit

-Probably one of the most hardworking people on the team, if not THE most

-This guy is doing multiple jobs at once in addition to his demanding work as a mercenary.

-He’s actually super smart! He may not act like it when he’s super drunk, but he seriously does know what he’s doing

-Chemistry EXPERT. Can he please help me with my chem 101 homework I literally could never. I know he’s smart because chemistry is fucking impossible and he loves the subject

-sometimes works with Engie to develop new types of bombs!

-My theory is that he turned to alcohol in order to cope with the chronic burnout he must be facing by working so many jobs at once. Just helps him check out of life for a while, but unfortunately that comes at the cost of his liver.

-Fr tho how the fuck is he even alive, he drinks HYDROGEN PEROXIDE at one point, which isn’t even related to alcohol at all, it’s literally just a poisonous chemical💀

-I have reason to believe he now has epilepsy as a result of medic damaging his hippocampus while scooping his brain, I made a post about this a while ago if you’re interested in more details

-He is very much in need of a hug

-I love him so much

-You’re doin good lad

Heavy:

-One of the smartest people on the team, despite what you might perceive at first glance.

-The only reason he may sound “dumb” to some people is because English is his second language, and he has a very hard time speaking it.

-Fr tho English sucks, I have no idea how people learn it later in life on their own

-In the Russian dub of meet the heavy, he speaks a lot more eloquently. Definitely strikes me as the type of person to have a PhD in Russian literature.

-His dream was to one day become an author, but mercenary work got in the way because it was the best way to provide for his family overseas.

-He still writes from time to time in a small notebook he keeps by his bed, in the hopes that one day he’ll publish something

-He will

-Gay AF

-The literal definition of a Bear

-His guns are his babies, he literally loves them like they’re his children.

-Honestly I feel that way about my PC so I get it😭

Engie:

-Also a very underrated character

-Ties with medic for Smartest On The Team

-Engie just puts his genius towards more practical (and less unhinged) use

-I mean clearly he’s not TOTALLY stable, he did cut off his own arm to attach the gunslinger

-Always felt the need to prove himself growing up. Because of where he’s from, people tended to assume he was kinda stupid based on stereotypes. He obviously ended up proving everyone wrong.

-Is autistic and has OCD. He needs to do things a certain way or he can get extremely upset, especially in his workshop. It’s his safe space that is not to be invaded unless he is expecting you.

-Acts like a father figure to pyro. Basically the only one who isn’t unsettled by him (other than maybe medic)

-He definitely takes pyro fishing on the weekends

-Very talented singer, but he’ll absolutely deny it if you tell him. He’s super humble about everything

-But nah everyone else always loves to listen to him sing and play the guitar when they’re all hanging out at the fire pit.

-He’s such a dad I love him

Medic:

-Medic is my wife

-Smartest member of the team along with Engie

-Actually very strong! He lifted soldier up by the collar in expiration date, and he’s gotta weigh at LEAST 250.

-Also carries around heavy equipment all day, and is STILL the second fastest runner on the team, only behind scout.

-Medic is actually a pretty big dude. It’s just hard to notice when he’s standing next to heavy who is an actual giant. I think medic is canonically like 6’1 or something. Big dude. Wide shoulder. Booba. 👍

-Of course he looks small when he’s near heavy, EVERYONE looks small standing next to heavy

-Bi medic Bi medic Bi medic Bi medic

-Contrary to popular belief, he DOES indeed have the title of “Doctor”. In order to get a medical license in the first place, you are required to complete med school and obtain an MD or DO degree. Licensure and degrees are two separate things. You can lose a license, but you can’t be stripped of the education you already learned. The title of “Doctor” comes with a degree, not a license, as we have seen with engineer and Heavy’s PhD’s.

-He’s autistic with a special interest in medicine! If he’s not actively in battle, his in his lab working on shit. He LOVES it. It’s basically the only subject he cares about (source: am autistic w/ medical special interest. Am I projecting? Maybe but oh well)

-He very clearly knows what he’s doing, even though his methods are kinda fucked💀

-He’s succeeded in literally raising the dead multiple times in addition to inventing all of his healing devices completely his own.

-Hangs out with Engie when he’s not working on stuff, they both enjoy building/inventing devices and they enjoy talking about their shared special interests. He is closest with Engie and heavy out of everyone on the team.

-The only one that knows pyro is an SCP

-He’s a hoe. A massive hoe

-we are married

Sniper:

-Emotions are scary and Should Not Exist

-Also autistic! The man has literally no idea how to speak to other humans, and talks to himself constantly (am autistic, can confirm)

-MASSIVE introvert, has to retreat to his van a couple times a day to recharge

-He likes to draw birds he sees while on the job!

-Likes plain black coffee which I will never understand it’s so fucking bitter literally wh

-Doesn’t like people to know he’s somehow only 27 years old despite looking like he could be my dad when in reality he’s only like 7.5 years older than me

-He could be my brother but he looks like he could be my dad wtf

-One of those lucky bastards who doesn’t burn in the sun easily, he’s outside constantly

-His ideal place to be would be outdoors on a nice sunny day. A wide open area with no one else around.

-Puts his hat over his face when he sleeps because of course he does

-He Is Not Straight

Spy:

-Pan, poly

-Canonically enjoys his romances “in groups of six”

-Spy hosts orgies guys, valve’s words not mine

-Sigma chad, has fucked your mom and will do it again

-Is not aware that he smells terrible from smoking all the time

-God knows how many children he’s left behind because he’s afraid of staying in any type of committed relationship

-Very similar to sniper in that emotions are Scary

-Speaks every language known to mann

-He absolutely has a sex dungeon. In this video he literally has plans to “remodel his dungeon”:

https://youtu.be/IIoBW__Y8DY

-WHAT OTHER KIND OF DUNGEON WOULD HE HAVE

-ITS A SEX DUNGEON

-HE’S HAD IT LONG ENOUGH THAT IT NEEDS REMODELING

-Probably has the best social skills out of anyone else on the team

-Possibly a sociopath? Or just very good at hiding his intentions and motivations

-Spy is awesome but also I love making fun of him

-Haha skinny legg mann

Im so sorry poor anon asked this like a month ago😭😭 but I wanted to be really thorough with my headcanons!! I hope you like em and feel free to ask me more shit :))

[rin-and-jade]

After a while of paying attention to people's content, i got curious and have made my own breakthrough, though doesn't matter of someone knew about it already because i'd still like to share my findings.

Ok, we all know that one usual thing, where we don't remember and will never remember what you did or went or said until someone prompts your memory to finally recall it when they go "hey you remember that time where/when we ___ ?" and you go "OH YEAHHH!..." ?. i have an explanation and some tips though i need people to test it out for me and provide answers please! (because one person can't vouch its effectiveness)

Well, reason is in the hippocampus, that one part which is responsible for memory, and the easy way to explain the process of encoding and retrieving memories is how you write things down in a piece of paper (encoding) and then finding the paper that has the contents of the memory (retrieving). Not to mention that all alter's encoding and retrieval abilities are in a spectrum, that means that some of you won't have problems with remembering but some will too.

So the problem, for those who are bad at recalling things, unless someone prompts the specific memory, it has to do with your encoded memories, it is weak, its like (continuing the previous analogy) the paper that had written the contents has no title, so you have a hard time searching for it because it's not specific enough to retrieve it yourself (assuming you also don't know the contents but only the title that belongs to a certain content). And its usually due to:

Not paying enough attention, so it can't be properly encoded and that affects how hard it is to be recalled.

Getting interfered, when in process of paying attention/memorizing but another new information gets in a way will weaken the existing memory thats being encoded.

Uninterested/no emotional associations, sometimes being apathetic to an important event others care about will not have a great impression so it will only get encoded for short term but not for long term thus harder to be retrieved when needed.

stress/sleep deprivation/exhaustion, does affect how well you encode and be able to retrieve memories though doesn't change anything and will indirectly make things harder for you.

Though not proven how effective it is, i had been using some and another bunch i don't use but learnt from existing informations and tips:

Writing upcoming work/events in a calendar or journal

Rehearsing the same information each day to strengthen encoding and retrieval (i have been doing this twice a day every time and without doubt it works like a charm)

Using associations, either visually or emotionally, so its easier to encode and recall it whenever you need (i also use this for multiple choices in tests, or remembering certain memories from different friends)

Linking, which is putting a new information together with the old information you always remember so its easier to recall (like going to the bathroom and remember you had a new skincare when being in there)

Take pictures so it's easier to remember what you ate, or did, or went to incase you might forget, via visual proof

Think thats all for now folks, i spent days to make this post so please don't let it flop..

- j

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #62

I said that I might go over some more techniques that I like to use in order to keep my memories and emotions in check. Today I made use of one, so I figured I might as well go over how it works.

I did dishes today, which might not seem like a huge accomplishment at first glance, but given that one of my ribs is out of place on the right side, doing anything that moves the right shoulder typically generates a lot of pain for me; I have to be very careful of how I move, or else it'll start to feel like someone is trying to tear my shoulder blade and my collarbone right out of my body.

Today I was having a bit less pain than usual, so I decided to do the dishes. They've been piling up, and I wanna cook something soon, and it's easier to cook things if the sink is empty, because then I can just put things in there without worrying about it becoming overcrowded. Also, if you're making pasta, the sink has to be empty and scrubbed down so that you can put the pasta strainer on the bottom without worrying about things getting icky.

Unfortunately, I have a lot of trauma when it comes to doing house chores. So if I'm not very careful about keeping my memories in check, my brain will start to wander over to the past, and memories of being screamed at for not doing a good enough job will creep into my mind. The memory of my mother evaluating my work and then berating me for it still looms over me whenever I do anything related to cleaning my house, and if I'm not careful, the feeling of tension will make me forget that I'm not in that world anymore. No one here cares if I miss a speck of dust on the carpet while vacuuming. No one here cares if they find a spot of hard water or even a speck of food on a plate that I washed; they'll just put it back into the sink to be washed again like sane, healthy people - WITHOUT accusing me of being an "ungrateful little fuck" who "is trying to give the whole house botulism" and threatening to send me back to my father's house so that my stepmother can "beat my ass into shape".

As you might guess, housework is very triggering for me. But I can't just not do it. So that means I have to find a way to keep my brain's adrenaline response from going haywire. And make no mistake, I will get an adrenaline response, because my body still remembers the time when nothing I ever did was good enough (even if it was "clean enough", I could always do it "faster" or "more efficiently", and just… ugh… I couldn't win in those days…).

But just because you get an adrenaline response doesn't necessarily mean you have to allow it to rule you. If you know that one is gonna come up, then there's a variety of things you can do to keep it in check and function through it.

The basic premise is that when the adrenaline response begins, the amygdala essentially shuts down the higher thinking parts of the brain in favor of prioritizing one's survival instincts. Anything that one does often enough can end up becoming hard-wired into one's instinctual behavior. So if, for example, you have to fight often in order to survive, the motions eventually become second nature - hard-wired into our instincts so that we don't have to think about it in order to do it with the kind of automaticity required to minimize any hesitation that might kill us. This is precisely why the amygdala will shut down the brain's higher functions; it diverts all resources to itself in order to maximize its speed and efficiency, because the brain has only a limited amount of CPU, so to speak; it can't do a whole lot at once.

Now, normally, if an adrenaline response is unwarranted, the hippocampus (a part of the brain that deals with things like memory encoding and retrieval, and a handful of other stuff) will step up and say, "Yo, come on now, cut it out." And then the amygdala is supposed to be all like, "Oh snap! My bad! Sorry, B! I'll go right back to chillin'."

Unfortunately, for those of us with trauma, we have this giant, beefy amygdala that operates on a hair trigger, and a small, underdeveloped hippocampus that can do fuck-all about it. This is because adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones, fun fun) are actively neurotoxic; if you live in a situation where you have stress hormones coursing through your body all the time, they will break down other parts of the brain while the over-used amygdala gets super strong and sensitized. Yay, neuroscience, I guess.

So, when one is triggered to the point of being in an adrenaline state, higher functions such as "logical thinking", "empathy", "language processing", "critical thinking", "emotional regulation" and all that fun stuff… these are the first things that the amygdala will toss right out the damn window. This is not a "willpower" thing. It's not a "moral failing". This is basic human biology. It is chemistry and physics. Thinking like a person can "willpower" themselves out of an adrenaline activation is like thinking they can stab themselves in the neck and "willpower" themselves to not bleed out. It's just not how this stuff works.

So for me, in order to survive in the world I was raised in, my instincts became "dissociate" or "lash out in the same way that my caregivers used to lash out at me". These became my instincts because I've either witnessed them or have had to do them countless times. It is literally ground into my brain wiring now. If I'm not very careful, my body will do these things with an automaticity that I have little control over and very much do not like, even though these things are no longer the appropriate thing to do in any of my situations anymore.

…For you, it's combat. It's eliminating the enemy quickly and with prejudice. You have had no choice but to do these things countless times in order to stay alive, so by now, it's ground into your brain wiring. So for someone like you, if you get sufficiently adrenaline-activated, your body is simply going to do the thing that it knows, and the whole time, your awareness is only going to be partially there as you go through the motions of the neural pathway you've been forced to blaze thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of times, even if that's not the appropriate thing to do in a given situation.

…Complex PTSD is SUPER ANNOYING like that. It's absolute fucking garbage. It's like doing an involuntary time travel to your worst possible memories anytime you get stressed out. There's not a whole lot to be done with it other than to manage it, and fortunately, there are LOTS of ways to manage it. You can grind new instincts into your amygdala through deliberately practicing better things, and you can keep choosing the new thing until your brain has no choice but to prune away the connections of the old response. It takes years to do (because it took years to build those neural pathways to begin with), but it's work worth doing.

So, nowadays, when I gotta do housework, I will first weaken my amygdala by putting on tunes and singing as loudly as I can. I'll explain how this works:

Remember when I said that a brain has only limited CPU? It really can only do a few things at once. Singing forces us to activate the speech and language centers of the brain, as well as the creative centers, audio processing centers, and fine motor coordination centers (most people don't think about this, but the coordination required to move the mouth and tongue to speak is absolutely fucking insane). It also forces a person to be intentional and deliberate about their breath; one cannot sing well without being very mindful about breathing deeply and keeping the airways open. If you'll recall, I talked about why breath is important in my previous letter. Singing truly is the most perfect tool for preventing adrenaline activation and flashbacks.

So I'll do the dishes, and my amygdala is gonna try being all like, "ohhh, here we go again; we're about to get our ass handed to us, better sound ALL the alarms before we get got," because that's what it does every goddamn time. Except, I'm already gonna be belting out "City Ruins - Rays of Light" from Nier:Automata, and so my amygdala is not going to have the resources it needs to overpower everything else, because I'm forcing my higher functions to remain active and keeping my breath under control:

I wonder if you noticed the parts where I suddenly became aware that I am recording myself and quavered. I posted it anyway, because it doesn't have to be perfect to be worthwhile. This video should be proof enough that you don't have to be good at singing in order to use this coping skill.

So, I'm sometimes still left with a vaguely uneasy feeling while I do the tasks (this is unpleasant, but manageable), but at very least, my amygdala won't be able to hijack the rest of my brain in service to a narrative that no longer exists, for the purpose of keeping me safe from threats that are no longer present. I like to think that this bit of brain hackery is pretty swanky! Don't you think so, too?

I think that's all I've got for writing today. I had a lovely visitor at my house - a very dear friend of mine - who needed a safe place to help him deal with a situation he's having. I won't get into the details. But I am glad that my house is a safe place where those who are having a difficult time feel like they can go to get a bit of reprieve. I thought I was going to go to the grocery today, but I think I'll do that tomorrow instead.

Remember that you're loved, and please stay safe.

You'll hear from me again soon, I promise.

Your friend, Lumine

[hartshorn-and-isinglass]

(I see we're toeing a line again, Marve...)

I'm sitting in a front-row seat of the old auditorium, staring at an empty stage dimly lit by a single shaft of light coming through one of the back doors. I hear footfalls as someone makes their way down the rows.

"Is this seat taken?"

It's not the Muse. Not the current one, anyway.

"Wait a minute. What the hell are you doing here?"

They shrug. "Hey, it's your brain. You tell me." They look around. "I haven't seen this part of your head before. How come you never invited me up here?"

"I didn't even know I had an entire-ass auditorium in my head until recently. There's a lot of things I'm discovering about my mind these days. I mean, I didn't even know you were still in my head. But I guess none of you ever really leave, do you."

"Yeah, we're all still here. I've met the other Muses in the break room next to your hippocampus." They slide into the seat next to me. "Seriously though. You look like you've been having a bad day. Do you wanna talk about it?"

My voice cracks. "I'm fine."

"Marve." They put an arm around me. "If I'm here, it's probably because things are not fine."

Hot tears well up in my eyes. I try to laugh it off, but immediately realize the absurdity of trying to conceal my feelings when I'm literally sitting inside my own head next to the manifestation of some aspect of my personality.

"Yeah... okay. I'm not fine. There's a whole bunch of emotional baggage that I've apparently been holding onto since I was in high school, just a mess of weird perfectionism and impostor syndrome and depression and loneliness. That would be why you're here; my brain isn't exactly subtle about like, symbolism and shit."

I lean against them. "You were seriously one of the few good things about my teenage years, you know that, right? I looked up to you because you were like, this absolute fuckin' weirdo who I could relate to and who was also successful." I feel their shoulders heave with a barely suppressed chuckle. "No seriously," I continue. "You gave me hope that there might be a place in the world for me after all."

"There absolutely is a place for you in the world. But you know why? Because you carved one out for yourself. You did that. That's something you can be proud of."

"But now what? What was all that surviving for? When will I finally have something to show for it all?"

"Wait, seriously? You don't think you have anything to show- ohhh. You don't think you have anything good enough for the Muse. That's what this is."

I look up at them. "Hold up. Do I detect a hint of... jealousy?"

"You didn't have any hangups about showing me your work. I'm just wondering out loud what's different this time."

"Oh my God, dude."

"I realize this may sound rich coming from me of all people, but... you don't actually have to impress the Muse just because they inspired you."

"This isn't really about them, though."

"Oh? Because there's a giant corkboard posted in the chart room of your prefrontal cortex labeled 'Five-Year Plan for Getting Noticed by Senpai' that has gone through numerous revisions over the last eight months."

"Who let you into my prefrontal cortex?!"

"Marve, I'm a figment of your imagination. No one's going to badge me when I show up. But back to the point... if you're going to use us as your yardstick for whether or not your limerence has gotten out of hand, I'm going to remind you that you didn't have a five-year plan to get my attention back in the day."

"I didn't plan for anything back then. I didn't see the point. In an alternate timeline I might have, though."

"So you have more control over your life now, but you want to devote it to maybe impressing someone you've never even met?"

"They're a stand-in for me. Until I can like myself enough to be my own motivation again."

"But this limerent devotion isn't helping you if it's making you feel inadequate and anxious."

"At least something is motivating me again. I just need a reason to keep going until I can find the next reason to keep going."

"Your five-year plan doesn't include any solid strategy to transition away from chasing after the Muse as your main source of motivation. If this whole thing is only supposed to be a narrative frame for your own personal growth, where and how exactly does personal growth fit into this narrative?"

I slide off their shoulder down into my seat and sigh. "Hell of a way to get called out by my own brain."

"Marve, you know I don't hand out compliments of any kind lightly. When I said that I was impressed by how smart and talented you were, I meant it. And now I also know what extraordinary inner strength you have in you, too. You have no reason to consider yourself inadequate. If this weirdo- if you meet them IRL and they don't like you, that's on them, not you."

"...you're a little jealous."

"I'm not. Granted, I do have some... questions about their whole deal. But what I really care about is keeping you from running yourself into the ground again. You say you know who this is really for, but I think the boundaries have gotten too fuzzy and it's time for you to pull back and refocus on you."

"Dear God. This is possibly the weirdest pep talk I've ever received from my own brain."

"I hope it means something, to hear it coming from me. Don't forget that there have always been people out there rooting for you. Including myself."

They lean over and kiss my cheek. "I'll see you in your dreams, Marvy. I'm usually somewhere in there if you're doing the Inception Architect thing. Come find me and say hi."

With that, they get up to leave. I watch them go, still trying to process everything that's just transpired.

[drowsyanddazed]

find a word tag

the rules are simple - find the word (or something close enough) in a fic (WIP, published, whatever) and share the excerpt it’s in.

words i was given: moon, skin, flavour, ache, try

your words: wrist, bright, want, blood, sun

thanks for the tag @colgatebluemintygel :) this was fun!

i tag: @pomegranate-pill @kreestars @weighty-ghosts @steelycunt idk if you guys have been tagged/already did it but erm what’s the harm in doing it again? (if you’d like!)

excerpts under the cut:

moon - from the currently unnamed wip

“Have you been here at all this term?” Sirius asks, pouring some milk into his tea.

“Once,” Remus says, biting the inside of his cheek. “With Cardoc.”

Sirius’ eyes flicker up at that, unreadable as they meet Remus’ and then he looks away, off to the side.

“He didn’t care much for it though,” Remus adds because for some reason it seems important.

It works. Sirius turns back to him, tide and moon.

“His loss,” Sirius says, gaze unwavering.

Remus’ heart is a snare drum in his chest.

He brings his mug up to his lips. “Yeah,” he susurrates, amphoric against the ceramic rim of his cup, and then he swallows down his tea and looks away.

skin - this desperate in love

But that’s the problem, isn’t it? A bat of the eye and he’s completely done for. Because, a long time ago now, Sirius reached in, between the brittle bones of his ribcage, and squeezed, leaving behind an indentation on Remus’ heart, a sunken, soft spot like that on overripe fruit that spreads fast and irrevocably until all there’s left is mush. Mush where a heart should be. And the fact is, Remus doesn’t know how to say no, doesn’t know if he’s capable. Because while being wrapped around Sirius’ finger gives Sirius complete power to devastate him, it’s also exciting, consuming, electricity at touch, it’s the wind in your hair and the vertiginous drops to a valley below, gooseflesh on skin, a buzzing in your bones, and a frisson down your spine.

And so when Sirius bends down to whisper, “Let’s go,” in his ear, the smell of amber and oud wood at his shoulder, Remus’ fate is already sealed.

ache - losing my mind, thinking about you

The bite of the parky night air and the cold brick wall of the Hog’s Head exterior is a welcomed comfort as he leans against the brickwork and rummages around his jacket pocket for his box of cigarettes. The sound of his fumbling echoes against the walls of the alleyway, making his small movements more pronounced, rising and meeting the tension and his need for tobacco between his teeth.

There’s flames, licking their way up his chest, and he aches to put them out in the only way he knows how— with more fire. More, more, more. Until he’s suffocating on it, until it turns him numb.

try - this desperate in love

His hippocampus is working overtime trying to memorize the press of his hips against the kitchen counter, Sirius’ hand on his waist, Sirius’ breath, hot and humid and frantic, down his neck so he can slip the memory into his back pocket and pull it out to examine later again and again and again until the edges are worn and true.

i couldn’t find flavour anywhere! so here’s another try instead:

try - bless the telephone

There’s a click as the record stalls, preparing to move on to the next track and, in the sliver of silence between, the kitchen phone begins ringing.

“I got it!” Lily calls over her shoulder, pushing her way into the kitchen just as the drums for the next song kick in. The saloon-style doors swing shut behind her, clapping loudly in place.

This seems to wake Peter, who bolts upright, face viridescent and eyes wide. And then he’s blundering his way down the hall, towards the bathroom. “leaving Sirius lying here, the blood rushing to his head as he stares at the empty corner of the living room. He squints at the clock there, trying to make sense of it upside down and five drinks in and immediately gives up.

“Shit,” James mutters, before getting up to trail after him, leaving Sirius lying here, the blood rushing to his head as he stares at the empty corner of the living room. He squints at the clock there, trying to make sense of it upside down and five drinks in and immediately gives up.

[valentinecult]

You said Kratos was going 'all out' against Thor in the second fight but Kratos never used Spartan Rage and never killed Thor. He's clearly holding back like he did in the last fight.

Kratos was holding back, yes.

He's holding back all his strength to avoid killing Thor after slipping up with Heimdall, whom caused Kratos to relapse back to his murderous impulses.

However, Kratos was fighting much more seriously and putting in more effort. If you notice, when Thor carries Kratos in flight mode, Kratos would start punching Thor in the face. First time, those punches didn't phase Thor, implying Kratos pulling his punches. Second time, before the fight started, Kratos briefly knocked Thor back, hitting much harder than before. Little details like that clearly show Kratos approaching the fight differently.

Remember also, Thor was toying with Kratos in the first encounter, he never was serious and kept goading Kratos to get serious.

Even if you used Spartan Rage, Mimir will warn Kratos to stay in control of his anger.

Now, even if Kratos wanted to kill Thor and reverted back to the Ghost of Sparta, the fight wouldn't be as easy as many would believe. In his journal notes, Kratos admitted and acknowledges how strong Thor's attacks were, Thor packs a lot of power behind his blows. The guy was able to hit the World Serpent so freakin' hard, he sent the poor thing back in time! That goes to show that Thor is physically the strongest Aesir God in the Norse pantheon!

Thor has even showed monstrous amounts of endurance. It's true that one of the reasons why Kratos is able to beat him is thanks to having a versatile set of weapons, but Thor isn't a weakling. He took a punch to the face from a temporarily enraged Kratos and all that did was break one of his teeth.

Bruno Velazquez, one of the workers of Santa Monica that worked on God of War, stated that Thor could put up a good fight against Poseidon's hippocampus. Now, we can take it this with a grain of salt, but clearly Thor isn't someone to be underestimated.

Thor is a monster and a true rival to Kratos in terms of physical might.

So in my opinion, even if Kratos wanted to kill Thor, Thor wouldn't go down easily.

He may not be as powerful as Zeus, but even Kratos knows better than to downplay his enemies.

[tsyllaes]

The mere creation of the haima has a bit of a story behind it. I have a list of creatures to draw for each kingdom, made up of all the creatures I've used in the story plus some I know will turn up, then bulking it out with 'bird,' 'insect,' 'mammal' etc to have some critters to come up as required. Tsayth's list was extremely short (it was the sea dragon and leviathan, that was it) and so I bulked it out with a few more mythical sea creatures. One of them was the hippocampus, which I think I put on there just as inspiration because hippocampus, like centaurs, piss me off. Not for the same reasons, tho. Hippocampus just don't look like they can function in water. The front legs never look right to me, even when people put fins on them. So idk.

So I started to think about those legs. No matter how I tried to turn them into something more hydrodyamic, they'd just turn into proper fins and basically become a dolphin. The idea of something to do with mudskippers came into my head, at the same time as I remembered The Shallows exist in Tsayth! The Shallows are a huge gulf in the ocean which is no more than 10m at its deepest, even at high tide, and drops down to 1m to just sand at low tide. So what if the legs are for wading when it's shallow, but they can swim when the tide comes in? And then what if it was big enough to ride, so the Tsaythis have a steed? Especially in The Shallows where a boat is only gonna get you so far.

This, therefore, is the oceanic steed of Tsayth, the haima, the name for which seems to be the Old Chinese root word for seahorse in about half a dozen Asian languages. It's about the size of a horse, and I have no idea as yet how they ride it. In deeper water, it swims mostly with its tail for propulsion and the legs are just for steering. When the water gets too shallow to swim in, it walks on the front legs, one foot in front of the other, with the stumpy back fins at the back at an opposite gait with the tail trailing behind. It doesn't hop and bound awkwardly like a seal out of water, it's definitely walking.

Haimas are fish, but amphibious. I'm not entirely certain how mudskippers do it, but they keep water in their gill chambers and breathe through that? Somehow? So they have to keep dunking their heads in water every couple of hours, but it's not like The Shallows turns to a desert every time the tide goes out. Plenty of puddles around for them to stick their heads in. I'm also going to say they absorb oxygen through their skin, because haimas don't exist and I can do what I want with them.

Speaking of, they reproduce as per seahorses: female lays eggs in the male's brood pouch, where he fertilises them and holds onto them until they hatch.

For a completely random 'use this as inspiration idk' entry into my list of creatures to draw, this has become a somewhat culture-defining creature for Tsayth, I think. They've never had a steed before! They've always just gotten around in boats but, having relatively recently created The Shallows (…okay it was 2020 shuddup), boats are only going to get them so far. So now there's something they can ride whether the tide's in or out. Can they pull things and be a beast of burden? Idk how you'd drag anything over sand wet. Wheels won't work. Anyway. Haima!

[squids-comics]

Medical Log Four: The Knowing (Part Nine)

Medical log four, Dr. Stein speaking. 

Today was the first mandatory checkup on Dr. Weston. I was shocked to discover the state he's in. His skull has fully developed into the elastic bone-like structure I identified when I first operated on him. This transfiguration was seemingly done to help the skull expand, a necessary effort given the increased size of his brain. It is roughly three times the size of a regular person's, and the growth shows no sign of slowing. The parasite seems to be releasing a compound into his brain that acts as a BDNF, causing an increase in neuron cell production. The growth seems to have happened in several key regions, rather than uniformly across the brain. Parts of the frontal lobe, most notably the pre-frontal cortex, and the hippocampus have grown considerably, while areas like the basal ganglia, the motor cortex, and the amygdala seem to be shrinking. The shrinking seems to imply some level of neuronal migration happening. The creature is increasing the areas of the brain that control learning and memory, while simultaneously decreasing the areas that control motor function and emotions. This is an incredibly worrying development. 

Dr. Weston no longer looks human. His head has inflated to nearly triple the size in some areas, while remaining stagnant in others. This has created large bulges growing across his forehead and scalp, making him similar in appearance to a bunch of grapes. Crew members have reported feeling uneasy passing him in the ship's hallways. I felt uneasy running tests on him. 

I have sent Dr. Weston back to his quarters as I prepare to share my findings with Captain Hudson. I fear cutting the parasite out may be our only path forward. As great as the risks are, we don't know when this creature will stop, or what it could do to the rest of us. I asked Lieutenant Volkov to keep an eye on Dr. Weston until the Captain and I find a plan to handle the parasite. Dr. Weston would have noticed his symptoms, but he didn't report them. He tried to hide them. Whether that was his choice or the parasite's remains to be seen. Either way, he must be kept under surveillance until the parasite is removed.

End of log.

This chapter was fun to write! I got to put my psychology major to work!! I hope you had as much fun reading it!

[shakil244]

Apocalypse of Miaoya Camera’s appearance in the entertainment industry

In the past few days, Miaoya Camera has become popular, but the extent of the popularity is not that widespread. The author analyzes the reasons why Miaoya Camera got out of the circle, and combined with two recent cases of getting out of the circle, talks about their revelations about getting out of the circle, hoping to inspire you.

In the past two days, Miaoya Camera has become popular. what is it?

To put it simply, a software that uses AI to generate photos. According to the mini program process, you only need to upload HE Tuber a clear photo to create a digital clone.

Based on the digital clone and 20 multi-angle, multi-light, and multi-expression upper body photos, you can get a set of AI portraits; however, you need to pay 9.9 yuan to make the digital clone, and it comes with 10 "diamonds" that can be used to refine the portrait.

I tried it myself. On the left is the image photo I took at Hippocampus last year, and on the right is the digital clone generated by AI. What do you think?

"Left: Hippocampus Right: Wonderful Duck Camera"

Yeah, quite handsome.

Judging from the photos, the quality of the pictures is very high, it has the feel of a commercial photo, and the light levels are clear. Although the AI ​​has been beautified to a certain extent, it has not deviated too much from my true appearance, which may be why everyone wants to try it.

However, this software is not without barriers.

My friend Lao Zhang told me that he was on a blind date recently and originally wanted to use AI to generate a photo for the other party to see. As a result, he didn’t care about the 20 yuan fee. Instead, he was rejected because he could not provide 20 multi-angle photos. use.

Judging from the extent of the fire, it was not that widespread.

I asked some friends who don't work in the Internet industry, and they don't know about this software. This may be because I belong to a specific group.

This type of phenomenon is called a filter bubble in psychology.

What does that mean?

Due to social recommendations, algorithmic filtering or human selection, the information that individuals are exposed to is consistent with their own opinions or interests, lacking more perspectives; it is this situation that causes us to fall into the implicit attribution bias (false consensus effect). middle.

However, more importantly than this, I am more concerned about what is the nature of fire? Taken together, there may be two factors:

One, novelty.

If I were to describe this feeling, I would say it is a mixture of the four words "strange", "novel", "uncommon" and "familiar".

Last weekend, a friend who was under great pressure from work went to Wuhan for a day. He had never been to Wuhan before. When he came back, he shared with me that when he arrived there, the surrounding environment felt "strange yet familiar".

What was strange was that Wuhan’s landmarks, streets, food habits and culture all brought novelty to him, making him feel that these scenery and objects could not be seen in Shanghai; familiarity was that when passing the Yangtze River Bridge, he seemed to have seen it on the news and TV I have seen this scene countless times, and today I finally felt the majesty.

In addition, Wuhan's special food, hot and dry mango, was unforgettable for him because he and his partner had eaten it in Chengdu; it was this blend of novelty, strangeness, familiarity and uncommonness that made him feel relieved.

Yes, freshness is so attractive.

The novelty of Miaoya Camera is that it changes our understanding of "AI mapping".

In the past, we always thought that pictures generated by AI could only achieve basic face-changing effects; now, AI can learn by itself, perform three-dimensional reconstruction, and generate commercial-looking portraits based on basic portrait photos. It is worth trying.

Second, expressiveness.

Everyone is willing to express themselves through various hot spots, images, and topic participation, and to a certain extent, they have also achieved "self-shaping."

When many people feel sad, they choose to express their emotions by posting a text or a few pictures on platforms such as Kuaishou and Weibo.

For some people, the photos generated by Miaoya Camera have practical uses, such as being used for personal social media avatars, and for certain occasions that require photos, without actually taking photos at all.

Some people also compare it with photo studios such as Hippocampus and Tianzhenlan. In fact, today, when everything is pursuing standardization, photography is like an assembly line, and AI has become an essential tool for photo retouchers.

For 9.9 yuan plus 10 yuan of diamonds, you can experience 36 templates, which is really "wonderful".

So, it's out of the circle.

Well, I admit that when the above two characteristics exist at the same time, it will definitely attract people. But there was still some concern, and when I asked people around me if they would use the software again, they all said firmly no.

why?

On the one hand, everyone thinks that AI can evolve the desired feeling, but after all, there are some thresholds. The 20 low-quality photos will produce poor results; on the other hand, the background selection is quite limited, and some of the generated photos look out of place.

There is no doubt that if the function of a product itself is not strong, it is likely to be abandoned by users after the novelty wears off. Starting a business is difficult. I hope the Miaoya team will continue to explore the efficiency that tools can bring to people, and I sincerely wish you the best.

However, many people also ask me, what can brands learn from this? I think one sentence is: either create something new or follow the trend of something new.

Let me tell you a story:

Recently, the educational institution Yuanfudao and Zhongjie 1496 conducted a cross-border cooperation.

They have launched a product called "Cold Knowledge Popsicle", which includes four flavors: Chinese, mathematics, English and science. This fresh idea is very popular among children.

I researched it specifically and found that each flavor of popsicle has its own characteristics, and even their advertising slogans are very unique.

For example:

The advertising slogan for the English-flavored popsicles is, "Take a bite of this English-flavored popsicle and you will feel like you have suddenly entered an international environment; as if you were on the banks of the Rhine, greeted by a gentleman in a top hat, blowing in from the Welsh coast. The cool breeze takes you into a whole new world."

The advertising slogan for math-flavored popsicles is: "Euclidean created the spatial order, and Thales outlined the digital world. When you take a bite of the cold popsicle, your brain will be awakened and start to work crazily. Spin and jump”.

In addition to this popsicle, they also offer a "Pocket Book of Trivia Popsicles" that comes with it. In the little book, children can challenge themselves by answering questions every day, and if they successfully pass the level, they will have the opportunity to draw prizes.

What’s more interesting is that after eating the popsicles, the remaining sticks can also be used as bookmarks. Isn’t it very fresh and a good business that can serve multiple purposes with one stone?

"Ice Cream and Cultural Combination"

Another story is:

There is a blogger on Xiaohongshu named Bairi Xiaoxiong. One day, she piled a lot of colors on herself.

An avocado green tube top cardigan and a pair of Barbie pink pants. She paired it with a piece of music with the keyword #多dopamineattire#. On May 3, it received 3.37 million likes. Since then, she has continued to work hard and made consecutive 2 videos with over 5 million likes.

Everyone should know what happened after that. With the help of short videos, some bloggers began to imitate, such as @康康和grandpa. The 86-year-old grandfather challenged the dopamine outfit, which became popular all over the Internet and was called the "most fashionable grandpa".

In addition, there are a large number of Internet celebrities, actors and stars who have quickly made dopamine outfit videos, such as @cailuoli with 17.69 million fans, @PIYoung with 28.74 million fans, etc.

So far, the number of views on dopamine-related topics has reached 340 million.

The famous business consultant Mr. Liu Run calls it emotional value, but I think it is more like an innovative and fresh combination.

Whether it is the above-mentioned popsicle collaboration, dopamine outfits, or the recent Miniso Blind Box Festival, the mobile game "Undecided Events" jointly launched by Chamomo and MiHoYo, they all reflect the freshness effect produced by the combination of different categories.

I even began to imagine whether there would be a combined experience themed on endorphins, hormones, and serotonin in the future?

[thedarkmirrorsworld]

Day Two: The Fashion of Coral Sea, Part One

King Triton from the Little Mermaid is actually a character of lore in Greek Mythology. He’s a demigod, born from the Sea God, Poseidon, and the Nereid, Amphitrite. The palace he lives in is an offshoot of Poseidon’s palace. His seven daughters are the personification of the seven seas. And, unfortunately for the original Little Mermaid, even though Ancient Greece was a cultural melting pot, the most recent version of Ariel actually does makes more sense appearance-wise. Though we don’t really see any sign of any fashion at all from the mer-versions of Azul and the Tweels, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

From what we can tell of Azul’s backstory and the tidbits we hear of the Tweel’s, there is a Hierarchy coming into play in the Coral Sea. One would think that that the main Hierarchy would go Royalty > Nobility > Commonfolk, but I believe it actually has to do with what aquatic level you live in. As we’ve all learned in Elementary Science, there are three main layers of the sea, The Sunlight Zone, The Twilight Zone, and the Midnight Zone. This, I believe, is the main Hierarchy in the Coral Sea, THEN it goes to the societal pyramid. Therefore, there absolutely must be a way to tell who is who. Here is what I have.

Sunlight Zone, Part One

Royalty: Flowy Fabrics, Precious Gems, Long Hair, Metal Scales

Now, you must be wondering: “What kind of clothes, if any, would Merfolk find use in if regular fabric would just weigh them down?” My solution: Gossamer. It’s a lightweight, tightly woven, silk-based textile that’s waterproof and, if I am correct, actually does NOT weigh you down in water. If my fabric distinction is correct, Gossamer can be Holographic Fabric, another type of textile that has a unique shine to it when put in the light. This is the type of material that would make sense for Royalty to wear day to day. It’s elegant, it’s stylish, and it’s a good thing to trade for with the Overworld.

There are many precious gems and minerals that are formed in the ocean. Pearls are the most common and well-known, but we’ll get to them later. These gems and minerals would be inlaid into the accessories of the Royal or even sewn into the clothing. Take Prince Rielle(?) for example. I can see his crown base being made of gold, maybe rose gold, and having green aquamarine stars to compliment his hair. Maybe even a few shells or little trinkets.

Another thing I think the Royals would have is long. Ass. Hair. Like, down to their tail fin long. This shows they have the privilege to not have to “work” (I put quotations because obviously it takes a lot to run a kingdom, though most people would think they have more leisure time so I digress) and that they can take care of it without trouble, most likely with help, of course. Let us take Prince Rielle(?) for example again. Even though he is a Royal, his hair would most likely just go down to his ankles in Human Form than compared to his tail fin in Mer-Form. This is so then his hair doesn’t drag on land. Plus it shows that he is still youthful and is a sign of his role in the Royal Family as the youngest son.

Last up on this tier is my personal favorite characteristic (which is why I saved it for last): Metal Scales. Now before you go in the comments and start calling me obscenities, I actually have a good reason for this one. The eldest of Triton’s (daughters) sons, whom I have renamed Attino (the masculine version of Attina) would most likely have the role of Lieutenant General in the Royal Guard. He would need armor suitable for being swift in the water, but also defensive in nature. The best he can do for himself and his Mer-Soldiers is get either A, merge the metal scales on top of their natural born scales, or B, scrub off said natural born scales and implant the metal scales. “But why metal scales?” In Greek Mythology, there are several notable sea creatures. Ones like the Hydra, Scylla and Charybdis, the Hippocampus, etc. The Hydra was defeated by Heracles during his Second Labor, therefore it’s scales cannot he used. Scylla and Charybdis roam the seas together and are too dangerous to approach. The Hippocampus is a precious creature of Poseidon, so obviously no one would harm them. For a bonus, even though Obsidian is sharper than steel and would be in more abundance due to underwater volcanoes, it is too brittle to even be used as surgical scalpels. Metal would be the best choice in this situation from what I can tell.

That’s all for part one! See you at the next post!

[theobsessiveloser18]

Random Thought:

Upon leaving his 'office' Johnny found his students grouped and dispersed talking at full volume, The majority formed just by seeing him, but the heaviest insisted on continuing with their work and ignoring the presence of the sensei, with his infallible 'Quiet', those who were missing joined in but none of the boys He stopped talking, the sensei shouted 'Quiet' like he had never done before in his life, everyone was stunned, believing he had dominated them, the blonde was preparing To give her lessons, but a female voice stood out in the silence, everyone turned to look at the girl, who at that moment realized that perhaps she had made a mistake.

Johnny walked menacingly towards her.

“Why haven't you kept quiet, crazy hair, are you deaf?”

The girl tried to sound calm before the sensei's threatening voice, swallowed dryly.

“Sorry sensei”

Maybe he felt a little bad for putting her in that situation, he sighed

“You better have a good reason "So as not to have shut up, because there is a long section of squats that you must lead for all your partners." Faced with the annoying gaze of the majority, the girl chose to tell the truth,Smiling and showing emotion in her voice thinking that her attitude would save her

“I was telling the guys about the free tickets to go to the museum.” Some patted their heads in Frustrated.

“Listen, if it's a lie You are disappointing, you are shameless and you use your wit intelligently, if it is true you are putting me in a difficult situation. Because I wouldn't know whether to fire you for not having learned in 4 months that being a nerd doesn't work here, or to put you to work until you go bald and stop being a nerd.”

She was quite confused but like the good cobra she is, she didn't give up.

“It's more interesting than you might think, sensei, it's an art exhibition.”.

Not knowing what to do, the others smiled trying to alleviate the situation.

“In case you don't know, girl, being a hippie is another way of being freaky that leads to the same nerdy point where you started,Now you understand why Miguel didn't want girls, they distract aspiring men with their sensitivities

“It's an art exhibition about karate sensei,” said Tory, tired of so many detours.

“That's what you had to say from the beginning,” one of her friends murmured.

“Look Nichols, I have nothing against you bunch of lazy people wasting your time on that kind of thing Crap,But I don't know how to distract my space with that, understood” the conversation was about to end

“but sensei, it's not just an art exhibition about karate, it's an art exhibition about history About karate” Miguel intervened, and before Johnny's indifferent look he insisted with a nervous smile “you love karate, we love karate, what better way to see it than for free?”

“Well, go see it because they keep insisting on this damn it?”

“because the exhibition is next week at lesson time”

“Go ahead” he commented with a smile that confused everyone.“But anyone who is not in my class at that time will never set foot in my dojo again in their life.”

“How are we going to be in both places at the same time?” a boy asked, everyone looked at him in disbelief and a girl yelled at him

“We will have to choose which of the 2 places we want to be that afternoon You big idiot, your brain was conceived in a can of tuna?”

Johnny moved towards the motto on the wall. He was finally going to start class but Bert intervened.

“Sensei in fact it would be a good idea for us all to include him in the exhibition, the images transmit the same information as the training of changing ,This learning method will expand the hippocampus of our brains, which will allow us to store more information.”

“What is he supposed to say?”

“I don't know but I don't think he even knows it.”

“What the wet shit are you supposed to say Bert?

The exasperated man shouted.

“That's how you do little genius,” Hawk mocked.

“I don't think you could have done it better Mohawk.” comment penis breath The boy gave him his best look.

“I'm saying facts sensei facts "That benefits us all."

Before the man could send them What dogs did I bite,The person causing the discussion intervened

“That's enough guys Sensei was right This has gone on for a long time”.Johnny smiled satisfied as the They looked Each other confused

“I'll tell y/n I'm going to tell t/n, thank you Give the tickets to others”

“y/n?”

“If Sensei doesn't remember that she works in an art museum?

A little hope seemed to be taking over the situation. The expectation carefully followed the girl's words.

“Well, when she knew that they were giving away tickets for teams like ours, she moved heaven and earth to get them. She was very excited because We were going to see her work, she is going to be the tour guide, she sent the group of us the sexy outfit that she is going to wear, she really has good taste”

“It was not known between Johnny and the boys who was more surprised than what she had revealed, only one thing was certain: you were too calm telling everything, unlike Johnny, who was practically panting and everyone knew better, but they preferred not to guess what was on her mind.

Hawk wanted to add to the contribution

"oh yes, sensei we could see the photo on Tory's cell phone and it looks hotter than a fire, all the guys will beg for her to give them a private party, if I were you I would beat them to it" red haired boy received bad looks from everyone

"what day is it?" the man asked suddenly

“Wednesday of next week,” the girl responded. The adult circled around them.

“If you really want to learn karate you should watch Bruce Lee and Jackie Chang movies, instead of watching that crap of the modern world, even Rocky Balboa teaches more karate than the supposed action movies that you see”

"Actually, Sensei, the first two movies are about martial arts, which is superior to karate and is not what we learn here, therefore," commented another of the dojo's nerds. They all chose to ignore him, but they decided to keep him quiet. The doubts

“one more word, seven less organs”

"As I was saying, I don't think the exhibitions teach much, but if they promised y/n, they kept y/n.”

When the led man turned his back, they had a mini celebration.

"And I'm going with you, I'll make sure you pay as much attention as possible." "The animal that decides to miss will do push-ups for 7 classes, and if it decides not to return to the dojo, I will pay it a visit myself."

“positions” the man shouted and everyone settled back down but not before congratulating the girl with the curly hair for having achieved her goal.

“It turned out better than I expected,” Miguel commented.

“You were expecting something, I still can't believe it worked.”

“Tory, darling, what is this lack of confidence? I never disappoint.” The girl put her arm around your shoulder and shook it friendly.

“Yes, you definitely don’t.”

Bert high-fived you, and those around you couldn't stop murmuring praise.

“You know, I deserve recognition too, help convince him,” Hawk complained.

“Commenting on something he didn't see”

"That's not the point, the point is that I convinced the sensei, with something that we all want to take the hot chocolates home with us."

He and the other boys walked away quite a bit when they saw the look of disgust, disgust and, above all, anger on the girls' faces. the rest

“Come on Tory, I need to hit them.”

“It is better to do it when they are distracted, it will hurt more”

“You're really smart girl.”

“Believe me, not as much as your nameless one” they both smiled,

Getting Johnny Lawrence to comply with his students' whims may be impossible unless he is manipulated

By the way, nameless(no name) is the nickname that Johnny gave her the first time she entered the dojo, he said that he wasn't interested in her name because he didn't see any cobra material.

Fun fact: she can beat Hawk and Miguel with the only one she hasn't been able to do is Tory.