#yes theoretically I learned about this in school

[smytherines]

emerging from the desert pale and trembling: do you guys know about color theory

[lkfarrout]

I need everyone to understand that Stan and Mabel are SMART. Ford and Dipper are often portrayed as the smart ones while Stan and Mabel are the "stupid twins" but here's the thing: Stan and Mabel are just as intelligent as their twins, they just care about different things.

Alex himself, in one of the episode commentaries (Little Dipper, I believe) says that Mabel is just as smart, if not smarter than Dipper, and could beat him at chess if she wanted to. But she cares more about playing pretend with the cute horses instead.

Mabel is also a genuis when it comes to crafting. If you've never done something like knitting before, you have no idea how hard it is and how impressive it is for Mabel to make all the sweaters and things that she does. Maybe not all her sweaters are handmade, but the Waddles sweater and Goodbye Stan sweater are crazy impressive on their own. There's also Wax Stan, all the puppets, and many other examples. Those types of things take a lot of planning, math, practice, and expertise.

Stan is portrayed as being lazy and dumb in high school because he copies off of Ford in class and has a very lame science fair project compared to Ford, but Stan shows ambition in other areas during that time of his life.

For one, he builds what we can assume to be a sea-worthy vessel out of basically scraps of old wood ("Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!"). I personally don't know anyone - much less a teenager - who could do that, especially in a time before youtube. And while Ford definitely did help Stan with the boat, we can tell by their feelings about it that Stan really did put in most of the work and care.

Another example, and a more subtle one, is that Stan was able to save up and purchase a nice, new (7 or 8 years old at the most) convertible catillac by the age of seventeen. He probably spent a lot of time working outside of school to accomplish that, while Ford was more focused on work inside of school. It's highly doubtful that Filbrick would have bought the car for Stan. Stan was highly ambitious during this time in his life, just like Ford was, but in different areas.

In the Land Before Swine commentary, Stan talks about working on the portal and says he had to learn "high school math". He really thought that what he was doing all that time was high school level math when really, it was probably closer to masters-level theoretical physics. This tells me that he probably didn't struggle with the math parts all that much, and because it wasn't super hard for him, he assumed it must have been high school level because he's far too dumb to do anything harder than that. Yes, it still took him 30 years, but that's mostly due to him not having access to all the blueprints that Bill helped Ford create.

All in all, I believe that Stan and Mabel are just as smart as their twins, but it isn't picked up on because the areas that they like to focus on are seen as silly and girly (in Mabel's case) or unprofitable and a waste of time (in Stan's case). In constrast, Dipper's intellectual efforts of solving mysteries, cracking codes, and doing things like converting a CD into a record (impressive!) further the plot of the show and are thus seen as more important. Just like how Ford's academic efforts are seen as profitable and thus more worthy of praise.

I'm of course not saying that Stan and Mabel are better than Dipper and Ford in any way - all the characters have their strengths and weaknesses and I love that about them. I love all four of the Pines Twins so much - they all have so much to offer and are all so smart. I really love this show and they way it creates depth with the characters, and I love analyzing them and writing commentary on them.

[luceafarul-de-dimineata]

Random whb characters when MC is stressed about exams

In honor of my exams this year

Satan

He could feel you being a bit on edge every once in a while and whenever Ppyong left for the human world you would ask he got you some notebooks, which he found absurd

Why are you studying at a time like this? We're in a middle of a war! Why are you reading Morometii?!

Satan yanks your book from your hands

Mc: I need that! Give it back!

Satan: No! Mc! You understand that if you die in this war you're not going to take any exam!

Mc: Don't threaten me with a fun time

Satan: Suicide is not an option I'm ever giving you.

Gamigin

He can sense you're worrying about something, his nurse senses tingling

You can't hide anything from him, especially when it comes to your health

He'll lightly scold you for putting your wellbeing on the line for an exam, but he tries to understand the feeling better

If it's something to do with anatomy he'll help! And if he doesn't understand something he just takes it to Lucifer.

If it's about anything else, he'll listen to you. He's quite a swift learner, so he makes for the perfect student

MC: It's a story about loneliness and being crushed by the expectations of a grim capitalist society

Gamigin: Damn... why do you have to learn such things?

MC: So we're prepared for adulthood

Gamigin: You should move to Paradise Lost. We don't have this capitalism you speak of. I'll ask big brother Lucifer if he's ok with us sharing a bed!

Mammon

His master is stressed and now his protective insticts are kicking in

When you explain to him you're scared about exams, he'll be more confused than anything

Why are you even studying? He already owns everything and you own him. Why even bother learning to get a job

You try to explain that you need the diploma and that's when he gets it

You're greedy for grades and knowledge. Got it!

He hires the best tutors in the whole of hell to come mentor you. He also asks Buer to help relax you with massages and yoga. He's not entirely sure how they work, but they seem affective

He'll make sure that you don't just bury yourself in your studies and actually go outside and socialise every day

He is not combating the sugar daddy allegations

Mammon: How was your tutoring today, master?

MC: Really nice, but I'm exhausted...

Mammon: It's alright, I hired the best relaxation professionals to help you out. Something about taking away dark spirits.

MC: I think you got scamed by a cult...

Mammon: That's silly! I know Buer and he's very trustworthy. Should I carry you to your appoitment?

MC: Yes, please!

Asmodeus

Ah, yes, school, he forgot you had to do that

Well, he's a believer in learning by doing

If it's something practicle, he'll just put you in a situation where you have to deal with the problem discribed in your notebook

If it's something theoretical he's actually quite a smart guy, he'll help you out.

He'll play the devils advocate in every situation or try to confuse you. If you can outwit a skeptic you trully know what you're doing

He's surprisingly unsexual in these situations. Sure, he gropes you and insists on either cuddling or sitting on his lap, but he doesn't activate his charm until you're done

After all, he needs to show you he's the best mate you'll ever have by showcasing his vast knowledge of humanitarian studies

After he feels you've finished your lesson, he'll gladly take his pay and teach your virgin body knew pleasures. But he can be patient if it's for his mate

Asmodeus: So? What answer did you get for 57?

MC: It's B

Asmodeus: Are you sure?

MC: Yeah. Because if we take the oportunity cost only takes into account the most desirable choice we didn't take

Asmodeus: If you say so~

MC: I mean... let me check the answer sheet

Asmodeus: Nah nah nah, no cheating. I'm just asking, darling. Don't get impatient. If I can wait, so can you

MC: I hate you

Asmodeus: Such mean words from such a cute mouth. Now, let's do number 58

[bumblingbabooshka]

Tuvok's idea of a hot pon farr: We're in a cave. There are candles on every conceivable surface. We're both wearing multiple layers that leave no exposed skin except our heads and hands. We touch fingers while staring into each other's eyes. We recite a ritual vow about becoming two bodies, one mind. I go right for your neck. There's not a bed in sight.

Tuvok could have fucked his holo!wife anywhere and he chose a cave. Ok, Mister Tuvok.

[shahaddahlan0]

"About some dreams that faded!!"

From the peak of strength to the depths of despair. I once built bodies, now I'm lost, hungry, homeless and searching for a handful of safety… but my spirit still fights. !!

My name is Shahad Dahlan, I am thirty years old, married to the kindest and most beautiful person in the world, my love “Hassan”, and on the twenty-third of next November we will have spent the most beautiful ten years together, full of love, loyalty and sacrifice. I will say that we “used to” live in our small house in a small village called Al-Qarara. This area is located between the city of Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah, in the middle opposite what is known as the cursed Kissufim checkpoint. But now we are trying to stand firm between its destroyed walls and the surrounding rubble, but it’s okay, we are still alive and there is still hope.

My husband and I had a beautiful love story. We loved each other sincerely, and that always gave me a sense of comfort and security. Finding the right partner for your life is a rare and precious thing. We’re close in age he’s 34, and I’m only a few years younger.

We don’t have children yet, but there’s a story I find strange that happened precisely around this time last year. I shared it with one of the previous updates alone, as it deserves its own story.

Despite our differences in some hobbies, we were very compatible. Even those around us said we looked alike! Haha.

I’m a naturally moody and energetic person, and I love life in all its details. What captivated me most was the morning; I loved it in all seasons. I loved waking up to the sound of birdsong and contemplating the sky when it was blue, dotted with piles of white clouds that looked like pieces of cotton. It made me feel like my day would be full of energy, full of the beautiful things I love, and full of life.

I had a great time, reading, singing sometimes, and playing my simple guitar, which I’d learned to play on YouTube. I wasn’t a professional, but I enjoyed it when I was bored. I also always listened to music, and I loved it loud and clear! I loved pop music, and I had a complete sound system in every corner of the living room. Music, for me, wasn’t just a hobby; it was essential, as if it ran through my blood! Like something administered intravenously! Hahaha.

I spent most of my day alone, which wasn’t a bad thing at all; I saw it as a valuable time to myself. My husband worked in interior design and decoration, which he had always been creative at. I don’t deny his amazing talent.

He would go out every day from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

As for me, six years earlier, I had finished my university studies in physical education and sports. My plan that kept coming to mind after university was to go to Egypt and pursue postgraduate studies, perhaps even a PhD in physical education. You never know, maybe I would have achieved something big in the future.

After completing university, as you know, employment opportunities in Gaza are extremely scarce, but I didn’t sit idly by.

I participated in numerous courses in my field, such as gymnastics and karate. I hated only one thing: swimming, to the point that I failed the swimming subject twice. I would pass the theoretical part and fail the practical part, Lol.

I joined various teams: baseball and volleyball. A group of my classmates and I were nominated to the Sports Academy and the Palestinian Volleyball Federation to referee volleyball after participating in specialized refereeing courses. We participated in events and matches held at the schools and universitys levels.

I worked part-time in several clubs and gyms, and I was also employed on a monthly contract within UNRWA programs at children’s summer camps. I also received numerous certificates, awards, medals, and shields.

You may be surprised when I tell you that I worked in a field completely different from my specialty “three years before the war.” I was hired to write content, edit, and publish. Yes, although this wasn’t my specialty, I enrolled in several writing and freelance courses and passed the job test and interview. I knew I had a talent for writing content and expressing myself.

When I received the email informing me that I had been accepted for the job, I felt as if I owned the whole world! It was a precious and unforgettable moment. I worked in this field for more than two years, rotating between writing scientific content, international news, and sports, in addition to editing. I then obtained proofreading and publishing licenses. I felt as if I was advancing step by step, as if I was being promoted!

Although my work was partly in the office, I completed it from home, sitting for hours in front of my personal computer. I never felt bored. I would put on my headphones, turn up the music, and start writing. For me, there is no accomplishment without music. That’s who I am.

This was my favorite job, and the last one I had before the war. I will never forget the office where I worked, or rather belonged to. It was called “palteam.” I had a wonderful time there, learned a lot, and enjoyed the company of my colleagues. It was an enriching job in every sense of the word, in addition to providing me with a good income.

But the war came and changed everything. That world became a thing of the past, perhaps even impossible.

I don’t know, my friend…

Yes, I had many hobbies that I wished to pursue freely, and dreams that I was waiting for to come true, or at least to be fulfilled. But Gaza wasn’t the most suitable place for them. I don’t know if it was the occupation that tries to rob us of even the air we breathe, or the restrictions imposed by customs, traditions, and religion.

I won’t hide the truth: I don’t abide by these restrictions much, especially when it comes to my life and hobbies. I’ve always given myself the right to live as I please, to experience life as I see it, especially since I’m still in the prime of my youth.

I love skating. I learned it from a young age. My mother made sure to provide me and my brother, who is a year younger than me, with skates. It’s been our favorite sport since we were little. I usually love all kinds of sports, anything that involves movement and excitement. Even my mind is full of thoughts. That’s why I think I might suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in some way! I love cycling and have participated in many races here in Gaza. They used to organize an annual youth marathon, along with many other events recently, all held on Rashid Street in the port area.

There were a large number of young men and women participating together… We had begun to live, breathe, and dream.

But it seems the occupier doesn’t even want us to breathe. !! 💔

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters , ( #502 ) & @bilal-salah0

GAZA 🇵🇸🍉🌿

[jabberjjs]

The first time I felt her stirring inside me, I was overwhelmed by a fear as old as life itself. Only the joy of holding her in my arms could make me push through it.

Carrying little Willow in my belly, I decided to make her a bow. Well, I tried. My days swung between excitement for her arrival and terror at the thought of losing her to the cruelty waiting outside. And it was during one of those euphoric moments that I decided to craft a bow for my girl, just like my father once did for me.

Yes, I would teach her to hunt. The thought that she’d know how to survive in my absence brought me some comfort — just a little.

I made countless attempts. Started over hundreds of times. I’d rescued all my bows from the forest a few years after the rebellion, trying to copy them — and failing almost every time.

But I was persistent. And I kept at it.

When Willow was born, I kept working in the small workshop Haymitch helped me set up at the back of the yard.

By her first birthday, I finally got it just right. I could hear my father’s voice, telling me I’d done a good job. The thrill of giving her that bow filled me with a nervous excitement, but I knew I had to be patient — after all, she was only one year old.

I stored the bow on top of the wardrobe, inside the big cover that held Beetee’s bow from the war — a bow I’d never used again. I found a spot for it in the attic, as it brought back painful memories.

But I’d wait for her to grow up. And she did — curious, brave, determined. Smart too. The second baby came just a few months after her six-year-old sister’s birthday, which made me postpone plans to take her into the woods.

In early autumn of the next year, I woke Willow before sunrise. We had a hearty breakfast while she looked confused about the change in our routine.

“Why are we waking up so early?” she asked.

“Because I want to take you somewhere,” I replied, trying to stay calm and patient, though inside I was buzzing with excitement.

We dressed warmly, put on our boots, and remembered to tie two knots—just like her dad used to do. And finally, the moment arrived — the bow was handed to my girl.

She hugged it tight, speechless, but her blue eyes sparkled with so much happiness that a few tears slipped down her face.

“Now I can be just like you!” she exclaimed, glowing with joy.

And that love, already in my heart, seemed to double or even triple in size.

We ran into the forest as the first rays of sunlight appeared. Even though she’d never been in the woods before, Willow felt so safe and at ease that I knew I’d made the right choice.

Our first lesson was a long, mostly theoretical. I taught her about plants, herbs, some birds, and places to avoid, along with simple traps. She asked endless questions about when she’d be able to shoot, and I told her what I always said “When you’re ready for the forest.”

At first, she didn’t take it well, but I could tell she was eager to learn everything I could teach her.

And so, almost every morning, we raced the sun into the woods. There was still a fence, but it only kept out the bears in spring. Beyond it, we assumed our roles as hunters.

Over time, Willow started carrying a small notebook. She listened carefully to everything I explained, not missing a single detail. Months passed… One year… And then more months.

Our trips became daily, and Willow grew impatient — she still hadn’t learned to handle her bow properly.

“Just like her mom,” Peeta joked during dinner after I responded to one of her many pleas, and she stomped off in a huff.

The next morning, no trip to the woods — there was a school thing. But we went the day after.

I noticed she was unusually quiet during our run. I wondered if I’d been too strict. Still, there was so much she needed to learn. I was about to cave to her requests when a somber question broke the silence.

“Mom… were you really a tribute in the Hunger Games?”

It was bound to happen; I just didn’t expect it so soon.

“Yes,” we stopped in the middle of the trail leading up to the hill where wild strawberries waited to be picked.

“Was daddy a tribute too?” she frowned.

“Yes. He was.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because... we were waiting for the right moment,” I said, feeling my heart crush in my chest as I tried to imagine what she already knew.

Silence fell.

I was trembling, but I was determined to answer any questions she had.

“They said you were the Mockingjay… during the revolution,” she looked at me, curious. I only nodded, watching her process the information.

“Can you tell me what happened?” she asked with a sad smile, and I nodded again.

And I told her. Not everything, just what was necessary — in a way that wouldn’t scare her. I talked about the Quarter Quell, about the District 13, and how her dad was captured, but I spared her the horrors he endured in the Capitol. I told her about the districts uniting and how many people lost their lives in the war — including Prim.

There were no lessons that morning.

The ride back home was even quieter. I could hear the gears turning in her mind.

As soon as she left for school, I told Peeta about the conversation in the forest, and the book was taken from the closet. It was time.

Explaining what had happened to Willow was easier than I expected. She asked so many questions, we lost track of time leaning over the book. Even though it was painful to talk about those we’d lost.

The next morning, Willow still seemed to be absorbing everything she’d learned, and I wondered if it was too much for her.

Maybe a day off..., I thought.

“Let’s go somewhere different today.”

“Where?”

“You’ll see. No school, no dad, no Haymitch, no Rye. Just us,” I said, and hearing that, she quickened her steps, grabbing my hand, a smile spreading across her face that barely fit her little cheeks.

The walk to the lake was filled with music — all the songs my father had ever taught me. The mockingjays sang along, and Willow was thrilled. She knew the story of the mockingjays, but seeing me sing and the birds echoing it back made her truly enchanted. Yes, I was the Mockingjay — the leader of them all, she said. It was a magical moment for both of us.

Willow wondered if she’d ever be like me, while I remembered my father with pride, knowing I was passing on your legacy.

At the lake, we played and swam almost the entire morning. Willow learned more about the birds there; the Sun made everything more enjoyable. We talked for hours and ate bread and cookies we’d brought along. We picked some Katniss from the lake and Willow loved sticking her fingers in the lake mud.

We headed back to District 12 late in the afternoon, greeted on the porch by Haymitch and Rye.

Willow ran to the bathroom at my command, too excited to complain about anything.

“Peeta told me,” Haymitch said as soon as I sat on the last step of the porch. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” I smiled, picking up my sleepy boy. “I think we’ll be fine,” I said, and Haymitch kissed my forehead, proud of the woman I’d become.

The seasons changed, slowly taking my little hunter’s childhood away. She was so dedicated and studious — she and her father had made a book about all the bird and animal species she learned from me. Insects too, though she was still cataloging them in her notebook.

At twelve, she finally learned to use a bow—but she already had the steps and the instincts of a true hunter.

By fifteen, she brought home her first deer and climbed trees so tall it worried me.

After all these years, I finally had someone I could trust to watch my back in the forest—someone who would stay alert for hours or cover me when things got out of control.

She’d done a good job, just like her father taught her.

Willow grew up. She learned more about me, about her dad and about our traumas in the woods than she ever learned at home. In the woods, I confided everything — completely transparent with my oldest child.

Her parents’ past haunted her a little; knowing what they had endured at the Capitol filled her with a fierce determination, a kind of rebellion, and she kept repeating that it could never happen again.

Willow Mellark had a bit of a rebellious spirit and a strong political sense—she was so good with words, and everyone loved her for it. Haymitch always said she was a perfect copy of her parents.

But now, I had other lessons for her.

Never stop believing in the goodness of people. That it’s worth living for those who’ve passed — because they’re the ones who freed Panem. We played a repetitive game together… A game that helped me get out of bed on my darkest days.

Willow agreed that the game could get pretty boring over the years, but she also agreed there were worse games to play.

[yanderes-galore]

Could you do a romantic concept for yandere Izuku Midoriya from MHA?

Yandere! Izuku Midoriya Concept

(Pro Hero AU)

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Delusional behavior, Stalking, Manipulation, Clingy behavior, Jealousy, Overprotective behavior, Isolation, Imprisonment/Kidnapping, Mentions of mature themes, Social pressure implied, Implied coerced relationship, Consensual turned forced relationship.

Izuku seems like he'd be a soft yandere, but can be intimidating due to his quirk and position.

He's a delusional yandere, oblivious to the fact he could be hurting you or forcing you into a position that makes you uncomfortable.

When he first met you in school, he no doubt wrote about you in one of his journals.

He tends to observe so I can see him taking notes of his obsession.

He probably doesn't even think of it as stalking.

It's more like... a guide to winning your heart.

Izuku is actually really nice and sweet around you.

Since meeting you at UA, Izuku has had a crush on you.

I just imagine he'd be too nervous to act on it.

He wants everything to be perfect when he does.

This is the reason he keeps a journal, follows you around, and often asks you questions when you hang out.

Since school life, due to his goals of being a hero, Izuku is no doubt always protective of you.

After all, as All Might's successor, it's in his nature.

Izuku keeps his crush hidden until you both graduate.

It's then he struggles to find time to speak with you due to becoming the number one hero.

He no doubt got your number before parting from you... but you're no doubt busy too.

Be that with support work or actual hero work, Izuku didn't want to bother you.

He instead usually... kept an eye on you from afar.

However, when you eventually ask to see each other again, be that months or a year after graduation, that's probably when you seal your fate.

Even if you never saw Izuku physically after graduation, you texted and called.

No doubt because you considered him a close friend.

Izuku on the other hand... probably still took notes on you and kept an eye on you.

He just can never leave you alone.

Izuku takes notes on everything.

Likes, dislikes, gear, hobbies...

Even notes on who you're close to, making all sorts of notes beside names.

He hides that journal away in his home when not using it... but most of the time he is, so he tucks it away in his hero uniform.

When Izuku meets you again, he looks just like he did on TV.

You knew he gained muscle and got taller... but it was a bit more intimidating when you saw him in person.

Despite his build, he's all smiles with you.

He's still the kind and attentive Izuku you remember, it even surprised you when he offered to take you to dinner and pay.

As a pro hero and a man who has loved you for what feels like ages... He wants to be a gentleman.

Although... You can't tell if you find it flattering or odd when he seems to do everything you like....

After your little dinner hang out (he definitely sees it as a date), Izuku still notes down every little thing about you.

Izuku is a yandere just normal enough you could probably have a normal relationship with him.

He's a well respected and trusted pro hero who only ever wants to protect others.

Due to such a reputation and what you remember from school... You're most likely going to trust him.

Izuku would try his hardest to be a good boyfriend too.

He adores you... he's researched every little thing to be perfect for you.

If Izuku ever asked you to be his partner, I can see you saying yes.

Only to learn about why he's so perfect a year or two later.

I feel that's what makes Izuku an unnerving yandere.

Yes he's strong and theoretically could kill if he was pushed to his breaking point...

But it's more the fact that he can seem so normal for so long that makes him scary.

His red flags are carefully hidden... leaving you to realize your fate much later.

Izuku tries to keep your relationship hidden, but when a fan asks if he's single, he can't lie.

You end up learning he's loyal... even if it's a bit embarrassing when he gushes about his love for you on TV.

He even waves to the camera, calling you sweet names.

That ends up being how everyone of his fans know you're together.

It's really sweet how in love with you he is... at first.

Even during dates he has you pressed against him, shielding you from curious fans.

At some point he just realizes dates alone with you at his home are probably better than public.

He didn't want everyone ogling you.

Which ends up being a reason you slowly disappear from the public eye, Izuku making your job more lowkey due to being involved with him.

A year later Izuku is giddy about asking you to move in with him.

You were denying it for a long time but eventually you cave.

Izuku adores living in the same house as you.

It's big due to his status and he's insistent on sharing beds.

He doesn't try anything... not until you're ready....

He just enjoys cuddling and kissing.

He loves to smother you in affection.

For a long time, Izuku doesn't seem like a bad man.

Even during your first time together, he's gentle with his strength.

Dude may even propose to you before you realize something isn't right.

You may notice him being jealous around others, defending you from fans that aren't keen on your relationship.

He may bark a few threats but you never expect him to go through with them.

He usually doesn't but he's thought of it.

He's mostly manipulative and delusional, keeping you close and trying to be subtle with his attempts to hide you from others.

He's calmed down on his stalking, but still watches your every move.

He has a journal with notes about you and your life... a diary depicting how he's felt about you for years... marriage plans... pictures... sketches....

He's obsessed despite how normal he seems and you only begin to fear him when you find the evidence.

Imagine this, Izuku proposes to you and you become engaged.

Days afterwards he forgets to hide his research on you and you stumble upon it due to sharing a bedroom.

You may have just been looking for something... only to realize your fiancé is insane.

It's then you try to break things off.

No wonder he was so perfect to you...

He's a creep.

Izuku no doubt tries to stop you from leaving him.

If he got you to cut off support, you're stuck with him unless you still have some friends willing to help.

If he doesn't, he tries to go along with the break up... only to continue following you when not working.

Izuku tries to accept the break up... he really is a creep.

Unfortunately, his delusional feelings make him think you're just taking a break.

Such thoughts lead to him hunting you down to 'take you back home.'

After all, he's waited long enough....

The break is over, you need to be wed!

Despite your fighting, Izuku's delusional thoughts make him lock you away in your shared home again.

He calls you 'mean' and a 'brat' for running away and leaving him.

He loves you, you know that.

He was just trying to be your perfect husband.

He even planned the perfect wedding!

There's a honeymoon and everything... Why are you trying to sabotage this?

Izuku wants the perfect domestic life with you.

He'll worship you and take care of you....

Please stop fighting him.

Izuku's delusional mind will make him think it's okay to lock you in your shared bedroom.

He'll keep you until you accept him... then you both can get married!

Afterwards, you're never allowed to leave his home.

You become his little house spouse and he comes home each day to spoil you.

Affection, gifts... and perhaps you two can have a family if you're capable.

If you cry or scream at him, he feels a little bit bad...

Yet he seems to not see his own actions as wrong.

You're just having a bad day... He's doing the right thing for you...!

He'll even prevent you from seeing friends unless you behave.

It's not good to ignore your husband and lie about him....

He doesn't try to hurt you on purpose... yet if he does... He does everything he can to make things better.

Except let you go.

Izuku can be normal, even as a yandere, until you find his red flags he locks away.

Izuku will love you for years, waiting for the perfect time to make you his...

Afterwards, he'll never let you go, even if you beg.

[finnlongman]

Hi, I was reading about Gaelic evolution, today, kind of on accident, and I came across this discussion of o-stem and s-stem verbs(?) (Might have been nouns?) changing their conjugation/declension (i think they were talking about like 800-1200 more specifically, im not totally sure though) except none of the words had any o or s in them that I could see and I was wondering if you knew anything about this

Ah. Stems. If they're o-stem and s-stem they're probably nouns. Theoretically, I was introduced to the concept of stems as an undergrad. Nobody, however, ever thought to explain what the stems were for and why we might need to know them -- I suppose they thought we might have learned this in previous language studies at school, but I did French the usual English way, and thus learned very little grammar and no linguistics. So I treated this as fun but ultimately irrelevant bonus information and spent most of my undergraduate years deeply confused.

Five years later I was sitting in a modern Irish class with a teacher who also taught Old Irish and she was explaining declensions in the context of the genitive case. "This is the first declension, and therefore behaves like this," she said, and looked at me: "Finn, that's like an o-stem masculine in Old Irish."

Me: 🤯 Me: Wait. That's what the stems are for?! That wasn't just fun bonus information??? They actually tell you something?!

So that... cleared a few things up.

Anyway, when I was doing my MA, I had to actually learn them, and have subsequently figured out they can be pretty handy when you're staring at a word trying to work out what case it could possibly be in and whether it should be behaving like that. Who knew. It's almost like a proper understanding of grammatical principles is more helpful than just giving people a textbook from the 1970s and a set of paradigms from the 1920s that were both written with the assumption that the person would have studied large amounts of Latin.

But yes, very often you will look at a word, and it claims to be an o-stem, and you're like, but there's no o here, what is this about?? So what's that all about? Well, I believe, based on the little I've gleaned from hearing people who actually understand linguistics talk about them, that this reflects the word endings in a much earlier stage of the language development -- like, way earlier, we're talking Proto-Celtic, so by the time it's Irish that's already usually gone. For example, fer 'man' from Proto-Celtic *wiros. There's an O there! Or carpat 'chariot', from Proto-Celtic *karbantos. There's an O there too. Now both of these being o-stems makes more sense.

(That said, all the s-stems also seem to end in -os in Proto-Celtic, so what makes some of them o-stems and some of them s-stems when they both contain both of those things, I could not tell you. Frankly, I zone out whenever people start offering me reconstructed forms with asterisks in front of them, so I am the wrong person to ask for more detail on that 😅)

The person who is really into all this stuff is David Stifter, who wrote Sengoidelc, among other things. He's always talking about the linguisticsy side of things! But if all you want to know is why they're called that, I think "there used to be that letter there a long time ago even if now it's gone" is probably the important part, and as for why you need to know what stem it is at all, it's because that decides how it will behave in different cases. Which is a piece of information I really would've benefited from being given five years earlier than I was actually given it.

(In fairness to my Old Irish teachers, I think if they'd realised I hadn't grasped this concept, they would have explained it. I just hadn't even understood enough to realise that I was missing a crucial piece of information, and so didn't know to ask. I was, put simply, not very good at Old Irish in undergrad, and survived purely because our language exams were also literature exams and my essays pulled my overall marks up. This did not work during my MA, when language was a separate exam. I had to (re)learn so much grammar 😞)

[robinsegghead]

Danny's Daycare Part 11

[Master List]

Dragging himself off the couch (where he’d actually gotten a few hours of sleep- how’s that for ‘not normal’ Red Hood?), Danny checked his phone. He had a missed call from an unknown number two texts, one from Damian one from Tim, and a reminder that Damian was coming over sometime after noon.

Tim: No worries, Danny. I hope everything’s all right?

Danny decided to respond to that later when he heard the bedroom door open and remembered he needed to get breakfast started. Hopping up, he moved to the kitchen, feeling lighter than he had in weeks, and started searching for food.

“‘Morning.” Santi murmured, taking a seat on the stools across the island from Danny. “Wha’s t’eat?”

He’d learned early on that the boys’ Gotham accent was even thicker after waking up and had to keep himself from cooing at how adorable it was. You’re not their dad, chill.

“Looks like….” Danny pulled out the container Red Hood had left the night before and read the little note he also included. Gallo Pinto, make some eggs and toast to go with it- there’s plenty so actually eat it, Danny. -Red Hood “Something called Gallo Pinto. I just have to make some eggs.” He ignored the pointed remark about eating the food and he definitely ignored the part about toast.

Santi sighed and placed his head against the counter. 

“You okay, kid?” 

The boy nodded. “‘M tired. Miguel’sa bed hog.”

Danny laughed. “Looks like you and I have something in common.” Santi looked up, questioningly. “Older siblings who hog the bed. I bet he steals the covers too, huh?” When the boy nodded Danny chuckled again. “Yeahhh…. They always use the ‘I’m bigger’ arguement too.”

“‘F I had a younger siblin’ I’d do it to ‘em too.” Santi sighed. “Did you do it ta Dani?”

“No I… I never had the opportunity.”

Santi tilted his head. “How come?”

He hadn’t told the boys much about himself, though he never held back information it usually just didn’t come up. He wondered though… if they outright asked him about certain things, Phantom, ghosts, Jack and Maddie, would he tell them? “We didn’t grow up together really.”

“But she’s yer sister.”

“Yes, well… I… didn’t meet her until I was fifteen and she was twelve and even after that we didn’t spend much time together. She spent her teenage years traveling and I- well I didn’t.” He let out a puff of air, Santiago was clearly very interested in this topic so he continued. “Dani’s a free spirit, she’s always come and gone as she pleased and well… I couldn’t be happier that shes’s decided to stay here for a little while. Don’t tell her but I kind of missed her.” He stage whispered the last sentence as if she would overhear him.

Speak of the devil and she shall appear. His door opened and closed without so much as a knock and then a very familiar face walked around the corner. “What’s to eat? I'm starving!” She exclaimed obnoxiously.

~~~

“So this friend of yours…” Miguel trailed off, Danny waited in silence for him to finish his sentence. “So your friend….” Danny nodded. “You have friends?”

Dani cackled while Danny huffed, exasperated. “Of course I have friends!” Miguel and Santiago shared doubting looks. “Listen, I just don’t have a lot of time to hang out with people. But there’s Sam and Tucker, we’ve been friends forever, and then Valerie joined the group- oh and Wes is definitely a friend too. We became friends towards the end of high school though so we don’t keep up as much. But yeah, I have friends.”

“Dude.” Santiago breathed. “That’s like… four people.”

“I’m pretty sure every friend is canceled out by an enemy so you’re at net 0 brother.” Dani laughed. “The negatives even.”

Miguel frowned. “You have enemies?”

Danny’s rebuttal was cut off by the knocking at their door- saved by the bell, well, sort of. Metaphorically. Damian was on the other side of the door, wearing slacks and a nice sweater (why was the kid always so dressed up?) and had a bag in one hand weighed down by (theoretically) cat stuff.

“Hi Damian!” Danny greeted. “Come on in!” He’d noticed throughout the time he’d known Damian that the boy was rather proper. He was always dressed nicely, always spoke politely, his posture was perfect, and he had an air about himself… like he knew his importance. He supposed it was good that the kid had that much confidence- maybe it would rub off on Miguel a bit.

Leading Damian to the dining room (which was really just a table in the kitchen), Danny started introduction. “I know you guys met briefly at the store-”

“You’re that guy whose brother goes by dick!” Santiago laughed.

Damian quirked an eyebrow. “Yes, Richard insists on going by it which I think is absurd.”

Santiago quirked his head. “Why you talk like that, man?”

“OKAY!” Danny clapped his hands together. “Let’s not be rude to my friend who is here to do us a favor and teach you boys about owning a cat, capeesh?” The boys nodded, Santiago sheepishly, and Damian untensed slightly. “Miguel, Santi, why don’t you show Damian your apartment and he can answer any of your questions.”

The boys nodded and Damian followed them without a word. The second they were out of earshot Dani gave him a Look. 

“What?” Danny asked defensively.

“Oh my Ancients.” She breathed, her eyes widened as if she’d just realized something.

Danny looked between where Damian had disappeared and his freaking-out sister. “What?”

“Nothing. You’re a dumbass.” She stood up and stretched. “This has been fun but I’ve got some things to see to, people to visit, you know…” She trailed off.

Pursing his lips, Danny tried not to ask. He’d suspected for a while that she was hiding something from him, but he didn’t know what or why. And he didn’t want to know. She was free to keep things to herself, he didn’t need to know everything she was doing at all times. “Okay- don’t forget, tutoring with Jason starts a week from tomorrow and you might learn a thing or two from him.”

“Pffff.” She waved a hand at him dismissively. “I’m already great at English!”

He deadpanned her. “You remember who you’re made from, right?”

~~~

“Do either of you have any questions?” Damian asked, looking between the two boys who’d been listening to his instructions without interruption for the past thirty minutes. When he’d met them- or, re-met them, he’d thought they would be incapable of listening to his expertise without butting in constantly, but he’d been wrong.

Miguel and Santiago shared looks, the older one was the first to speak up. “I don’t think so. Guess we can always ask Danny if we think of anythin’ later on.” He shrugged.

Knowing that Danny was not only new to owning cats but also incredibly busy, Damian hesitantly offered his own number. “If you ever have questions that Nightingale cannot answer or is not around to answer… you may… call or text me.”

“Oh shit man, really?” Santiago blurted out.

Miguel smacked him upside the head but it seemed to be more of a brotherly affection than anything else. “Manners, man.”

“Right, uh. Sorry.” Santiago offered. “Just excited I guess, we never got a pet before.”

Damian knew the feeling. When father had first agreed to letting him get a cat he’d been ecstatic. One cat, dog, and cow later and Damian was still excited any time he rescued a new animal or was able to get another one himself. “That is understandable, I too was excited to get my first pet.” Checking his watch, he stood. He still had homework to do before patrol tonight. “I should be going, but let me know how things are going once you’ve gotten all of the necessary supplies and have fallen into a routine.”

After saying goodbye to Danny and heading out Damian couldn’t help but hope the boys would text him. He pushed the sentiment away quickly. They either would or would not message him and it did not matter either way.

~~~

  “So Danny’s like- not human, right?” And wasn’t that a crazy way to start a conversation?

“Hi Santi, what happened to hi? Hello? How are you? My name is?” Miguel joked back, not taking his eyes off the textbook in front of him.

His younger brother groaned. “Come ooooon! There’s somethin’ weird ‘bout him! He’s gotta be a meta, right?” 

Spinning his pencil, Miguel responded absentmindedly. “What makes you say that?”

“‘Member when he was having a long day last week and accidentally ripped the handle off the fridge ‘cause it wouldn’t open? Or how ‘bout when I left some stuff here the other day and came ta get it while he was at work an’ he was also here? And at dinner that night I asked ‘im how work was and he said it was good?”

Miguel hummed. “Maybe he took that day off and didn’t want us to think he was bein’ a helicopter parent.”

“AH HA!” Santiago shouted, jumping to his feet and pointing. “You called him a parent!”

The older boy groaned. “Santi- I didn’t mean- look, he’s like five years older than me! At most he’s like an older brother and even then-”

“Tell me again how ‘e chased down your kidnappers and kicked their asses? Or how safe you felt when he moved you out of the way of danger? Or how he checked on us a buncha times at night and got you anythin’ you asked for?”

Miguel groaned, completely forgetting about the textbook as his brother listed off more times Danny was ‘meta like’ or ‘dad shaped’. It wasn’t untrue- but Miguel had said he didn’t want Danny to play parent and he meant it. He’d had parents, he knew how that song and dance went, and he wasn’t looking to suffering it again. 

Danny was cool, he fed them, helped them with school stuff, took care of them, all the things a parent did, but he didn’t get on them about curfew, or eating their vegetables, or grades, or any of that bullshit parents got upset about. He was cool. And safe.

He didn’t remember a lot from his kidnapping- Danny said that was probably for the best- but he remembered a lot of loud noises at one point and how badly he wanted them to stop. And all at once they did. After that there was a voice, it was comforting, calming, and gentle hands that held him close. Danny had told him after the fact that he’d moved Miguel away from the danger and had Red Robin take him home.

Because apparently Danny wasn’t done. Miguel had no idea how many guys Danny took out, but any amount was too much. After the way Miguel had treated him, the way he’d yelled at Danny and got mad at him for just trying to help- Miguel didn’t deserve Danny’s help.

“Are you even listenin’?” Santiago asked, leaning close.

“So what if he ain’t human? Meta’s’re cool.” Miguel argued.

Santiago looked at him like he’d said something stupid. “Obviously. But Batman hates ‘em! What if he finds out ‘n kicks Danny outta Gotham!” 

Anxiety clawed at Miguel’s insides but he pushed it down in favor of quelling his brothers’. “That aint’ gonna happen dumbass. Batman don’t care ‘bout Danny bein’ a upstandin’ citizen.”

“Hey guys,” Danny knocked on the door and leaned into Miguel’s room. “Dani wants to go out for a couple of hours this afternoon, go shopping, get food, stuff like that. You guys want to come?”

The boys looked at each other, knowing why Dani was trying to get him out of the apartment. “Nah, got work to do.” Miguel answered casually. 

“Okay… Santi?” 

Miguel froze.

“‘M good, gonna stay with Mick.” Santi answered, unperturbed.

Danny shrugged and left them to their work. When Miguel was sure he was gone he whipped around to Santiago. “You let him call you Santi? Since when?”

His brother bit his bottom lip nervously. “Uh… when… he called me that when I… when you were…”

Right. That made sense. High stress moments make people form bonds or whatever. Jazz said something about that the last time she’d swung by. She was never around for long, just enough to ask the boys about themselves and make sure Danny was eating and sleeping (he wasn’t). “Do you… want ‘im to call you that?”

Up until this point, Miguel had been the only person allowed to call him that nickname.

“I mean… I kind of… like it?” Santi mumbled. “He’s just so nice and he takes care of us and- and I- I… he’s okay- okay?”

Feeling a twinge of guilt and jealousy, Miguel shrugged. “You can let anyone call you whatever you want, Santi.” The two worked in silence for a moment before Miguel’s phone buzzed. “Dani says they’ll be gone for at least three hours ‘n that we can get to work now.”

“I still can’t believe he didn’t tell us ‘bout his birthday.” Santiago huffed as he stood up and followed his brother out of their apartment and to Danny’s.

Miguel shrugged. “He don’t know ours. Maybe he don’t like it?”

They could both understand that a bit. Birthdays were a touchy subject for them, maybe that was the case for Danny?

~~~

Danny was kind of oblivious a lot of the time, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know why his younger sister had dragged him out of his apartment for a multi-hour shopping trip on his birthday after very obviously not mentioning his birthday. He tried not to think too much about what the boys might have been dragged into back home while his sister buys anything she sees and likes.

To be fair, she really did need some stuff for her apartment, she’d furnished it almost immediately after moving in, but she lacked decorations. Dani was a maximalist, she liked displaying her knick knacks from her trips around the world, covering every piece of furniture in pillows and blankets, and making the place feel overall, homey. Something Danny wasn’t as good at.

(Where the hell did she get that from? It certainly wasn’t him. His and the boy’s apartments were  true testament to his lack of decorating skills and although he’d offered the boys many times to take them shopping for decorations and whatnot it seemed they felt similarly about the subject.)

“Danny come on!” Dani sighed dramatically. “You’ve been dragging your feet all dayyyy!”

With a scoff, Danny picked up the pace. Luckily they’d already been shopping for a few hours and she had promised this was the last store. He froze when he saw the store. “I am not going in there with you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a boy. It’s just bras.”

“It’s not the bras- it’s shopping for bras for my sister. Not happening.” He was putting his foot down on this one. Dani shrugged and disappeared into the store for way longer than he’d expected. Finding a nearby bench to sit down on, Danny pulled out his phone.

Tim: Astronomy, huh? 

Danny: Yeah its like the only thing Im good at

Danny: After science that is

Tim: And running a daycare apparently

Danny: In my defense I didnt know Id be good at that until I did it

Tim: You’re telling me you just kind of…. Did it?

Tim: No thoughts?

Danny: Something like that

Tim: Dude. What the fuck

Danny: Okay, your turn. Hobbies?

The two had been talking on and off for the last week since Danny had reached out but they were both incredibly busy and often only sent a couple of texts a day. Dani’s impromptu shopping trip gave him a good excuse.

Tim: Skateboarding and photography

Danny: Thats so cool! I remember you said you were going skateboarding with your boyfriend?

Tim: Yeah one of them

One of them? Danny looked up for a moment, his brain rebooting to understand- what the fuck? He couldn’t even get one partner and Tim had two?! How was that fair? Shaking his head, Danny responded.

Danny: Thats cool, does the other one not skateboard?

Tim didn’t respond quickly enough before Dani came rushing out of the store with a large pink bag and a big smile. Danny put his phone away and picked up the myriad of of bags he’d been tasked with carrying throughout their shopping spree. 

“Is that everything?” He asked, trying to keep the whine out of his voice.

She rolled her eyes, carrying only the bag from the last shop they’d been to. “Yes, Danny. We can go home now Ancients, you’re so impatient!”

“I don’t know where you got your love of shopping from but it was not me!” He was just grateful they could fly home invisible and intangible and it wouldn’t take long although it would take a bit longer than if he weren’t weighed down by a dozen shopping bags.

They got to the apartment building a few minutes later, stopping in Dani’s apartment first to drop off the bags- he hadn’t bought anything after all. 

Dani set everything down then gave her brother a thoughtful look. “I wanna say hi to the boys.”

“O…kay?” Since when did she need his permission to say hi to the boys? Before he could ask she’d grabbed his hand and dragged him from her apartment to his. She made a lot of noise trying to open the door instead of phasing through which was strange but Danny was tired.

As the door opened he noted that the lights were all off- maybe the boys were in their apartment? Now that he was thinking about it- hadn’t they been at their place when he and Dani had left earlier? Why did she assume they’d bein his-

“SURPRISE!” The lights flickered on as a chorus of voices shouted at him.

Startling slightly, Danny gained his bearings. Standing in his living room were the boys, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Valerie, and Wes, all wearing party hats and smiling widely at him. He hadn’t spent his birthday with anyone in a few years so he hadn’t expected anything like this. He probably should have.

“Happy birthday, little brother!” Jazz exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Dude! You should have seen the look on your face!” Tucker laughed, joining in the hug Jazz had started. Sam joined too and for a moment Danny felt completely at peace.

Someone shoved through the tangle of limbs and bodies. “Yeah yeah, happy birthday Nightingale.” Valerie scoffed.

“Man you didn’t tell us you had kids!” Wes shouted from the couch.

Danny made his way into the living room and collapsed into an armchair, exhausted from the shopping. “That’s because I don’t.” He thought he caught a frown flit across Miguel’s face but he pressed on. “But they’re good kids and I’m happy to talk about them. Is there food? I’m starving?” He hoped getting the focus off of the boys would help them feel a bit more comfortable.

He wasn’t exactly unhappy that everyone was visiting- he was incredibly grateful they’d taken the time to come all this way and spend his birthday with him but he was worried. The boys had been forced to socialize with people they didn’t know without anyone they knew there to act as a buffer. Sure they’d met Jazz a few times, but they were more comfortable around Dani than they were around her.

Miguel especially didn’t like when there was a lot of attention put on him.

“Of course there is! I brought a meat platter-” Tucker started.

“And I brought a veggie platter and vegan dip.” Sam cut in.

Valerie rolled her eyes. “I ordered pizzas- meat lovers and vegan.”

“I brought drinks!” Jazz offered.

Wes looked around. “Well shit- no one told me to bring anything! Besides I just got off a double shift at the Planet and drove her right after! I haven’t even showered in two days!”

“So that’s what that smell is.” Danny smirked.

Overall, it was a success. The boys seemed to loosen up once everyone started eating and relaxing, Valerie played with the kittens (who were getting quite big at this point) while catching up with Jazz, and Wes was ranting about work.

“I mean- the guy “gets a few interviews with superman” and suddenly he’s like the go to guy! He’s literally superman! That isn’t investigative journalism! It’s an autobiography!” Wes shouts, finishing his rant by stuffing the rest of the pizza in his mouth.

Sam snorts. “Wes, come on, Clark Kent is not Superman.”

Wes gave her a Look. “This is high school all over again! I told everyone I knew who Phantom was- and I was right!” Danny gave him a pointed look before glancing at the boys. “I know who Superman is, I’m ninety-eight percent sure I know who each of the Gotham vigilantes are, I’ve got the Flashes figured out, and no one believes me!”

Miguel tilted his head. “Who’s Phantom?”

Now you’ve done it. Danny glares at his friend. “Small town hero from our hometown. No one’s seen him in years though so you couldn’t possibly know who he is.”

Looking between the curious teenager and the possibly enraged eldritch being that could tear him apart with the snap of his fingers, Wes chose life. “Yeah… you’re probably right.” 

Tucker and Sam laughed as Wes slunk to the kitchen to get more food. “Don’t worry Wes! I’m sure the Planet will recognize your brilliance soon and you can score your own interview with Clark Kent- sorry- Superman.” 

~~~

Turns out, Dani had only bought a bra so she could disguise her gift for Danny in a bag she knew he wouldn’t carry for her. He hadn’t expected gifts but upon opening them he couldn’t have been more grateful. Jazz’s gift had been a yearly pass to the planetarium and observatory in downtown Gotham. She mentioned that he was allowed to bring one free guest with him every visit.

Sam, Tucker, and Valerie had gotten him a bunch of new space themed clothes, blankets, and books- including a new book he’d been debating getting for a while.

Wes promised his gift was coming but ‘it was a bit sensitive and he’d understand when it arrived’. That only worried Danny a lot.

Dani had gotten him the newest model of the Celestron telescope. There was no way a store was just carrying one of those, she’d have to have ordered it specially. Turning it over he found his name engraved into it along with his favorite constellation. He almost cried.

(He did).

The cake was delicious, Miguel and Santiago ate more than Danny thought they should have (but he wasn’t their dad and wasn’t going to tell them to slow down) and ended up in a sugar coma for the rest of the evening. He moved them to his bed and closed the door so he and his friends wouldn’t wake them (What? He didn’t have to be their dad to take care of them like one).

“So Danny,” Wes started. He was on one side of the couch, his legs on top of Tucker and Sam’s laps who were leaning against each other. Jazz had taken his armchair from earlier with Dani sitting on the arm which left the spot next to Valerie on the loveseat. Ironic. “You didn’t tell us you had kids.” He repeated from earlier.

Sighing, Danny closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headrest. “Like I said, they aren’t my kids. I didn’t just say that for their benefit or something.”

Everyone nodded slowly, giving each other looks, but Tucker spoke up. “Sure, but like… you house them, clothe them, feed them, tutor them, love them, protect them… That’s kind of like a dad, no?”

“Not my dad.” Danny shot back nonchalantly. 

Jazz winced. “But like a dad should be.” She added quietly.

He thought about it for a moment. “I’m only five years older than Miguel-”

“Does that really matter?” Valerie snorted.

Shooting her a look, Danny started again. “I’m only five years older than Miguel and nine years older than Santi but if I could legally adopt them and call them mine, I would. It’s not like anything would change if I did, really. I wouldn’t suddenly be overbearing or whatever, but I promised Miguel when he agreed to let me help them that I would not try to parent them. So I’m not. 

“I’m doing what I said I would. Clothing, feeding, housing them, that’s easy, loving and protecting them is something I was going to do whether or not they agreed to let me help. But I’m not going to call them my kids,” not out loud anyway. “I’m not going to… tell them they can’t have more cake than they should or give them a curfew or ground them or- I… I’m not going to parent them unless they outright ask for it.” He finished with a shrug.

The room was quiet for a moment.

“Who would’ve guessed C+ average Nightingale would be the first with a prominent career and kids?” Valerie joked, elbowing Danny in the ribs.

The room erupted in laughter as everyone started bringing up different ideas of where they thought he’d be at twenty-two (twenty-three now) and it was definitely not ‘Daycare owner in Gotham with two pseudo kids’.

Once everyone had calmed down, Danny asked the question he’d been afraid of asking all afternoon. “When do you guys head out?” It had been so nice seeing his friends again, he hadn’t realized how badly he’d missed them since moving to Gotham.

“Well- about that.” Sam chuckled. “I actually got a job under a prominent scientist I’ve been obsessed with since like- forever- so I’ll be moving to Gotham soon.”

“What? Sam that’s- that’s great!” Danny spluttered.

Tucker nodded. “Obviously I’m moving here too and I’ve got a job interview lined up with Wayne Industries.”

“You’re joking.” 

His friends grinned, shaking their heads. 

“You mean, you two are going to live in Gotham?” They nodded. “Jazz and Dani are already here, and Wes is just in Metropolis,” He turned to Valerie. “What do I have to do to get you out here?”

Raising an eyebrow, Valerie scoffed. “As if I’d move all the way to Gotham city New Jersey to be near you weirdos. I’m only friends with you because my life was boring before.”

“So you’re saying we’re exciting?” Dani chimed in.

“I’m saying there’s never a dull moment with you weirdos.”

Danny shrugged, leaning into Valerie much to her dismay. “Four out of six isn’t bad- plus Wes is within driving distance. But I’ll find a way to get you guys here. Just watch, I’ll climb the social ladder, own this city, and bribe you here with crazy good jobs.”

They all laughed. After all, that was a ridiculous notion.

Prev. Next

[five-rivers]

If you're still doing prompts, may I suggest Danny learning about the legends following his time travel (what the Romans thought was up; the Buddhists, that one kid, etc

Physics and engineering major or not, Danny still needed credits in the humanities. Comparative Mythology and Folklore was the obvious choice for that. All through high school, Sam and Jazz had been on his case about knowing so little mythology, on account of his ghostly enemies and allies sometimes being mythological figures.

(Also the constellation thing, but they didn't bring that part up all that much, funnily enough.)

At the time, Danny had figured (see what he did there?) that there wasn't much point to it. Pandora wasn't all that similar to her mythic version, Medusa didn't turn people to stone, and winged horses were, by and large, not friendly.

Recent events had made him reconsider that stance.

Anyway! The class was a "two birds, one stone" sort of deal. He got both credits and practical knowledge. Theoretically.

So far, they'd covered creation myths and etiological stories, gods and goddesses, the monolith and the hero's journey, and now, in the tiny slice of time before they had to start studying for the final, they were looking at weird minor similarities without clear causes.

"Now," said the professor, "this next one is probably my favorite, because it's so specific and so widespread. Of course, the most obvious reason for this is that it's a story that traveled, much like how the pre-Indo-European gods traveled. However, the times and locations involved make that very unlikely, at least in my opinion. The other end of the spectrum is, of course, aliens, which are even more unlikely."

There was a soft smattering of laughter throughout the large classroom. Danny started to get a bad feeling about this.

"The other strange thing about this particular similarity is that it comes out of seemingly nowhere, with regards to the larger culture. There have even been several instances of it in this century - although, given modern information infrastructure, those instances may not be entirely organic. But Imperial Rome, China, Colonial America, just to name a few… That's weirder. Any guesses about what I'm talking about?"

No one raised their hand, and after a couple of minutes, the professor used their remote control to go to the next slide of their presentation. Danny sank down in his seat as he stared up at a collage of himself in a dozen different art styles.

"All around the world, there are stories about a young man or boy with white hair and dark clothing coming from 'distant lands' to either fight off 'monsters' or to retrieve unspecified objects. As you can see, despite some of these pieces being from cultures that never had any contact with one another, the resemblance of the figures is striking. The– Yes, you have a question?"

"Will this be on the final?" asked a student a few rows down from Danny.

The professor sighed. "As a general rule, if I'm teaching you about it, I'll be testing you about it. Moving on–"

Danny forced himself to start taking notes. He couldn't believe he was going to be tested on himself. Especially when he was pretty sure he hadn't even been to all of those places yet.

Clockwork must be laughing his head off.

[creatingblackcharacters]

hello! i'm wondering how i should approach a Black female character with a complex relationship to violence. plot context: she herself does not commit any, but she does enable and encourage her white girlfriend to kill and maim people. it's not in a fantasy context, and she's not at all framed as manipulating her love interest into doing bad things. more like two fucked up people making each other more fucked up. she's never going to be harmed or in danger around the violent character, but she will witness it and find it fun. characterization context: she's a college student making the best grades she can with aspirations of going to a good law school and becoming a patent lawyer. she was raised by working class parents and is determined to make enough money to provide for her and her younger siblings. to a certain extent she feels pressured by the idea of her Black Excellence and the need to represent her family. she's hyper-feminine and enjoys y2k fashion, anime, and old technology, but sometimes second guesses if she should be open about her hobbies for fear people will take her less seriously. <- she will actively overcome this in the narrative as she leaves an abusive relationship and cements her sense of self. she learns about her love interest killing people after said character kills her ex. she processes this as a huge romantic gesture and swoons over it. while she finds her girlfriend's murderous tendencies very hot, she demands that she's careful about it because she doesn't want any hot water splashing on herself and ruining her chances at becoming a lawyer. ^ please let me know if any of this at all raises red flags to you as racist! FTR her ex-boyfriend is not Black, because i don't think its a great look to have a white woman kill a Black man to "protect" his Black girlfriend. this does come with the downside of my character being a Black woman in an abusive relationship with a non-Black man and finding solace in another non-Black person, which is something i think could also read in poor taste. should i nix the abusive ex in general? many thanks for taking your time to do this for us all, and so sorry if this is too long!

I mean, Black characters in toxic situations can be very fun too (I love a good 'We Murder Folks While In Love' story)! It's not that we can't be written in these situations, it's that 1) we are cognizant of how we are writing them, so as not to lean into stereotype to strengthen our story and 2) that we recognize some viewers are gonna have their biases against them regardless and perceive that story in that way.

I can see where your concerns are in the ex story and him being Black, good job for considering it. That story could be written, yes, but I think it would require a deeper understanding of misogynoir and not white savior writing.

If it were ME, one way I'd handle this situation would be allowing her some more autonomy in what's happening. Like, maybe she gets the chance to lash out at her ex, and she is the one in theoretical control of the knife in her new girlfriend's hand at that moment. Just give her some empowerment in it, in who dies.

I also think as long as you focus on the why's of your Black character falling in love with this woman (and it not leaning towards a "look, she is the pinnacle of the safest choice, she the White Woman"), you'll be fine. Again, focus on her autonomy, and how she makes space for this woman in her life as it develops, versus a narrative of that woman saving her.

[brightlotusmoon]

"...the thing about Leo in Rise is that he's still developing the leader capability. Consider this: he's living how he wanted to live but never got the chance to in previous iterations. You can see in the 1987 iteration when Donnie used the "personality changer" (don't remember the exact name but it's been awhile) he was more relaxed and fun, but perhaps it wasn't a change in personality but rather a gear switch. Leo has always had the leader/being responsible opted in as like, his main thing. However clearly the personality swap had to have something to pull out, so theoretically he was always like this. I think it was a good change in pace for him.

Instead of Rise completely erasing the type of person Leo is from the show entirely, they gave it to Raphael. Yes, Raphael is aloof and a bit dumb sometimes but when shit gets serious, he toughens up and he gets stuff done. He wants the best for his brothers and tries to be responsible for them all. He's very insecure and nervous for his brother's sake, and he tries to protect them. As for honor and spirituality, the show isn't very big on it (blame Nick) BUT at the end of the day, the first turtle to show that was Raphael to get his brothers to learn the Hamato ways. Raphael was the one to help his brothers to train and tried his best to keep them grounded.

Eventually, we do get to see Leo be a leader, and sure he's not shown to be as serious or insecure as the other Leos but that's because he's RISING up to become sort of like that. Even in the movie, we saw Leo mature and kinda become like the Leo you enjoy watching. Sure, this Leo has a totally different coping mechanism compared to the others, but it's what you'd have to expect from a modern teenager (I mean, I can't be the only one seeing the memes teenagers make to cope with their lives.)

Rise didn't ruin him, but rather showed a different perspective of him that we don't get to see often. The whole show kinda makes you remember that they're teenagers. The teenagers I see becoming leaders around my school remind me of Leo alot, they're flamboyant and loud on the outside but when you start to know them is that on the inside you can tell they're insecure and feel like they have to find a way for people to like them so people listen to them.

Honestly, it works for rise, because you can see Raphael failing to get the interest of his brothers sometimes, whereas Leo can easily get people to actually listen to him. He's bold, but that convinces his brothers to listen to him. Unlike the other Leos we don't see him struggle to lead, because we slowly see that it's natural to him. To bring that aspect back, we had Raphael struggle, which leads to the eventual switch.

So that hero/for honor personality is still there, but it's in Raphael, not Leo. You have to realize that the roles switched for a reason. The purpose of rise was to give TMNT a different perspective but not everyone caught onto the perspective because it takes the subtle details to figure that out."

[yuri-is-online]

How do you think Yuu’s otherworldly education compares in common subjects between Twisted Wonderland and Yuu’s world? Would a Yuu being 16 influence if the prefect is ahead in any classes? I’m sure this would be dependent on the standard age for levels in a school system and what kind of school system we are looking at.

I’m going to use math as an example for my rambling. Math isn’t a skill that requires any magical knowledge as a background, so Yuu could theoretically be ahead in that subject. (I have no clue what math skills are required by grade in a Japanese school which NRC is partially based on.)

Using my high school as an example. Our math courses followed the track: Algebra 1, Trigonometry, Algebra 2, Pre Calculus, and then AP Calculus or AP Statistics depending on the year. A freshman could easily make it into a higher math like Calculus before graduating if that person started farther along in the track.

So a Yuu (from the 4 year system of schools) could have been approaching a higher level of a subject at 16. And if Yuu’s math skills were better than the level of a first year, I’m not sure a placement test would have been offered to Yuu since that would require effort from Crowley Grim’s level would have to be accommodated on top of fitting Yuu’s schedule with normal first year classes. Which would be such a disservice to Yuu, even if the class being easy gives more time for the subjects that need to be learned from the ground up.

I have thought way too hard about this. I am sorry for the rabbit hole and the asks being so close together.

- 🦐

No need to apologize for sending asks shrimpy friend, you always have the nicest theories. You can spam me if you please.

We know from a few tidbits here and there that grade skipping is allowed, but it depends on where you are in Twisted Wonderland. Given that the original intent for Idia was to have him be a child prodigy who had speed ran his way into NRC, I would assume grade skipping is allowed by the school board, but well. You have already hit on the tiiiiny wittle issue with Yuu.

Grim and Yuu's grades are averaged, if I understand what Crowely says at the start of the game and Crewel's vignette correctly. The idea was that since Yuu would automatically fail any magic based classes, Grim would pick up the slack there and Yuu would be able to help him learn practical life skills. Yuu being smart probably would help them, but their other half would still need to be brought up to speed about things like basic math before Crowley would consent to let them jump ahead a year.

You are correct that this would be a disservice to Yuu. Deuce's dorm uniform vignette has him struggling to solve simultaneous equations. Ace and Cater both list this as a basic math skill they learned in middle school, meaning they are excepted to know this, so a Yuu who was in something like Calc or AP Stats would be in a very advantageous position... but they still would need to teach basic math to Grim and keep on him so he did his homework for his other classes.

So the TL;DR:

No Yuu being more advanced than the other freshmen probably wouldn't help them graduate faster. It might help them educate Grim faster, but this assumes he wants to work which he does not.

Yes this is almost entirely down to Crowley not wanting to put in effort and his decision to count Yuu and Grim as one student.

If we are being honest it probably is more convenient for Crowley to have Yuu be a first year given the work he wants them to do for him. He gets to keep them around longer that way lol.

[evilminji]

As I have recently discussed, with the ESTEEMED Quirk Scholar @mayfay !

Suprise Quirk Accident Babies! Gotta love um!

They're the, ironically enough, love child of "suprise child acquisition" and "suddenly pregnant" troupes! But SPEEDRUN! Because THAT IS A TODDLER/BABY! Right here. Right now!

Just?

POOF!

✨️~BABY~✨️

And now YOU! Yes, YOU! Get to deal with it. All those vague "do I want to be a parent someday? Would it be SAFE? I am READY?" Questions AND MORE! Suddenly NOT SO VAGUE.

Suddenly VERY RELAVENT. Immediate. People are asking you questions you are GOING to need to answer. And?

You are not the only parent.

You might be JUST out of fucking high-school. Staring down a top lister, high 20, maybe TOP TEN, Hero. Who is society gonna choose here? Your barely adult ass... or them? You might never see your kid again if they decide to take them. Decide to be an asshole.

They have enemies, too.

Can... can you HANDLE those enemies? To protect your kid?

It's been less then fifteen minutes. Fight has barely ended and your sitting under a shock blanket. Decisions are going to have to be made. And all you can think is the sound of your own panicked screaming. Static white noise. The reporters and shady Goverment officials already circling like sharks. Gotta make a decision. Gotta make a decision. Gotta....

It is? The BEST.

The more unlikely the combos the better! My asexual ass is thriving! Fuck yeah! Free baby, no sex!!! You can have platonic child rearing shenanigans! Interesting Self Insert Setups! New OCs! Character dramas! Or romance, if your into that sorta thing!

But you know what I think would be funny as hell?

The continued bloodline curse of AfO being so Platonicly Yandere at his own kin that they go Rabidly Feral Wet Cat and try to claw his throat out, bare minimum! Because obviously HE isn't the problem here! No, no, it's everyone ELSE that caused the issues last time! He doesn't have to learn from past mistakes! He's perfect! (Spoken by the world's most delusional man)

He ALSO has lost track of how many minor quirks he has shoved in metaphorical pockets at the moment. As he is, as always, a kleptomaniac. The way the react to each other? Cascade and shift? React to OTHER outside quirks?

Ha! He's never fucking studied that. Why would he study that!? He has power to steal.

So... set the scene~

Toshinori v. Afo: Kamino Ward.

Make the changes you please, add or subtract Heros, but the BIG TWO are there. They clash. Like Titans. Like GODS. AfO getting frisky with his quirk use, throwing everything at the wall. But?

Oh. This time. THIS TIME, you bastard! Toshinori is NOT ALONE!

The power of community, of an ARMY, is not to be underestimated. They make be struggling. Have broken bones and worse. But they know he just... just needs ONE shot! They... they can give him one shot.

Even if it's the last thing they ever do.

Because? They are god damned HEROES.

AfO feels his legs rip out from under him, just as he's about to dodge. It's going to be a killshot. He may... potentially... THEORETICALLY... conceivably... possibly... panic... just a bit. MAYBE. A microscopic amount.

He lashes out.

With everything.

And he DOES mean everything. Yes, including that "grow flowers" and the "summon apples towards you"Quirk, for all the good THOSE would have done.

Something? Happens.

The blast hits the Oaf infront of him... and? Resonates. Like the striking of a great clear bell. It RINGS. Deafening. Without noise. The damn brat...rewinds? No. He's not younger. He RESETS! OH YOU MOTHER FU-!

Something sliding off him. Like dust. From the reset. Drifting towards other dust.

Swirling. Some merging, like planets forming. Most not enough. Turning grey and falling to the ground. But... but he can SEE it. A whisp of white hair gets in the way. HIS hair. Ha. Ha ha hA HA HA HA HA!!! Reset! NOT JUST YOU, ALL MIGHT!

The heroes are getting up. It doesn't matter. He'll just put them BACK on the ground.

INTO it this time.

But then?

The dust from him, all might, so many others. Solidifies, compresses, the pops like a firework. Dumping a very started black hair, blue eyed, toddler on the ground.

AfO connects the dots first. He has AfO hair texture. Quirk weirdness just happened and their is ALWAYS a cost or drawback to Quirks. Such as... any overflow creates an infant? Did he just make his own child?

Not risking it.

He lunges.

All Might lunges for the simple reason of "oh GOD SUPERVILLIAN AND A BABY!" D:> same as every other hero there.

Meanwhile DANNY? Retired Halfa Superhero, Zone Councilman, and LATE to his DnD night... is beginning to suspect THIS is what Clockwork meant when he said "some roads take longer to get home".

Was that that a "Lol good luck buddy"!?

@mutable-manifestation @babbling-babull @legitimatesatanspawn @hypewinter @hdgnj

[qqueenofhades]

I’m in undergrad but I keep hearing and seeing people talking about using chatgpt for their schoolwork and it makes me want to rip my hair out lol. Like even the “radical” anti-chatgpt ones are like “Oh yea it’s only good for outlines I’d never use it for my actual essay.” You’re using it for OUTLINES????? That’s the easy part!! I can’t wait to get to grad school and hopefully be surrounded by people who actually want to be there 😭😭😭

Not to sound COMPLETELY like a grumpy old codger (although lbr, I am), but I think this whole AI craze is the obvious result of an education system that prizes "teaching for the test" as the most important thing, wherein there are Obvious Correct Answers that if you select them, pass the standardized test and etc etc mean you are now Educated. So if there's a machine that can theoretically pick the correct answers for you by recombining existing data without the hard part of going through and individually assessing and compiling it yourself, Win!

... but of course, that's not the way it works at all, because AI is shown to create misleading, nonsensical, or flat-out dangerously incorrect information in every field it's applied to, and the errors are spotted as soon as an actual human subject expert takes the time to read it closely. Not to go completely KIDS THESE DAYS ARE JUST LAZY AND DONT WANT TO WORK, since finding a clever way to cheat on your schoolwork is one of those human instincts likewise old as time and has evolved according to tools, technology, and educational philosophy just like everything else, but I think there's an especial fear of Being Wrong that drives the recourse to AI (and this is likewise a result of an educational system that only prioritizes passing standardized tests as the sole measure of competence). It's hard to sort through competing sources and form a judgment and write it up in a comprehensive way, and if you do it wrong, you might get a Bad Grade! (The irony being, of course, that AI will *not* get you a good grade and will be marked even lower if your teachers catch it, which they will, whether by recognizing that it's nonsense or running it through a software platform like Turnitin, which is adding AI detection tools to its usual plagiarism checkers.)

We obviously see this mindset on social media, where Being Wrong can get you dogpiled and/or excluded from your peer groups, so it's even more important in the minds of anxious undergrads that they aren't Wrong. But yeah, AI produces nonsense, it is an open waste of your tuition dollars that are supposed to help you develop these independent college-level analytical and critical thinking skills that are very different from just checking exam boxes, and relying on it is not going to help anyone build those skills in the long term (and is frankly a big reason that we're in this mess with an entire generation being raised with zero critical thinking skills at the exact moment it's more crucial than ever that they have them). I am mildly hopeful that the AI craze will go bust just like crypto as soon as the main platforms either run out of startup funding or get sued into oblivion for plagiarism, but frankly, not soon enough, there will be some replacement for it, and that doesn't mean we will stop having to deal with fake news and fake information generated by a machine and/or people who can't be arsed to actually learn the skills and abilities they are paying good money to acquire. Which doesn't make sense to me, but hey.

So: Yes. This. I feel you and you have my deepest sympathies. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to sit on the porch in my quilt-draped rocking chair and shout at kids to get off my lawn.

[slothlady]

Kaiman is a high-IQ Dumbass

Y'know one of the main reasons I love Kaiman so much as a character is because he's actually a good depiction of what intelligent people are like in real life. Like, a lot of times in anime, a character being smart is basically their whole thing. Everyone knows, "that's the smart character; they're quirky and weird, and their purpose in the story is being smart." Being smart is like their main personality trait, with other eccentricities tacked on. It's kinda annoying, because while there are people like that, usually, actually intelligent people aren't obvious about it.

That's why I love how Hayashida wrote Kaiman, because it's never explicitly shown how intelligent he actually is. Which works great for his story, because the whole point is that Kaiman doesn't know anything about himself, and neither do we, the readers. You can tell, though; it's subtle, but it's there.

I clocked it in the first episode when I started watching the anime. When Kaiman is upset because Fujita got away, and Nikaido mollifies him by commenting that they got to see a door open, which they hadn't seen before. At first I thought, "Huh, they're not just hunting sorcerers, but learning about them?" In hindsight, you know Nikaido doesn't care about seeing a door (she's a sorcerer, this is nothing new to her) but she knows Kaiman does.

Kaiman's surprisingly well adjusted for a guy with no memories. He doesn't get confused often and is always interested whenever he comes across new information. He tends to be the first to put things together, especially in high-intensity situations (Chapters 11 and 166 have my favorite examples of this). He works at a hospital, which, even to be an assistant, you have to be fairly competent to do.

Some of the best evidence for Kaiman's actual intelligence is when he and Nikaido are going to visit Kasukabe for the first time. Kaiman is genuinely interested in meeting the Professor and learning about sorcerers. Not only that, there's this scene...

There are plenty of reasons for Kaiman to hate ghosts *cough*Risu*cough*, but no, they freak him out because he can't understand them. That's an intellectual response if I've ever seen one.

You can see this with Aikawa, too. Aikawa's well-known at Zagan; he steals food, pesters the teachers, and probably skips class pretty often, courtesy of headaches/Kai. He seems to get away with a lot, and despite him not really seeming to put effort in at school, the other students ask him to help them practice/study. He must have been a fairly good student, all things considered. There's also the fact that he voluntarily enrolled in school twice. My boy's a nerd masquerading as a jock.

And obviously, we know Ai is a genius. He's also kind of stupid. I love my delusional son.

Is Kaiman impulsive? Yes. Is he preoccupied by food most of the time? Also yes. If you know any academics, most of us are the same (well, I am at least). A lot of really smart people are neurodivergent and really fucking weird - but in a fun way. Yes, I headcanon these dumbass boys have ADHD.

Neurodivergent academics are just Like That. If you doubt me, just know that I am writing this instead of doing my actual theoretical physics work.