#'since it's over several years did you know what the goal of the research was before you started or was it for something else'

[girlscience]

y'all I have been in such a weird mood these past few days and I just know it's because I have this interview/meeting tomorrow with the professor at the aquatic sciences center. I am so unbelievably nervous and it's making me a bit panicky manic or something

[iri-2]

Then There Will Be

Category: F/F

Fandom: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)

Relationship: Mother Miranda/Mia Winters

Characters: Mother Miranda (Resident Evil) Mia Winters The Four Lords (Resident Evil)

The cold white tiles and harsh lights of The Connections' lab stung Miranda’s eyes. As she was led to the lab by a staff member, she wasn’t really paying attention to his introduction of the organization. Her mind was solely focused on getting to the lab and conducting her research to bring back her true daughter.

The staff led Miranda to the end of the hallway, where she recorded her fingerprint on a scanner by the lab door to unlock it, as instructed. The new lab was several times larger than the basement she had in the village, equipped with dedicated rooms for chemicals, samples, and various precision instruments.

Miranda looked the lab equipment with approval. Then she turned to the staff and asked, "Is there anything else I need to know? Other than the documentation and samples you'll provide me with shortly?"

The staff member found it difficult to understand why this taciturn scientist had such an intense presence. "Yes, we’ve arranged for a researcher to assist you with your experiments."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Does this researcher understand what my research’s about? I consider it a very... personal matter." She bent down, carefully observing the activity of a mold sample.

"Rest assured, besides our boss, only she and Dr. Droney know the details of your project." The staff member said, glancing toward the door where a figure stood. He then addressed Miranda, "Dr. Miranda, she’s here."

Miranda straightened up and looked at the doorway. A woman stood there, her hair a similar color to Miranda's past self and the present scientist Miranda, perhaps a slightly lighter shade of black, with shoulder-length curls that fell over her chest. She was shorter and slimmer than Miranda, but with her sharp judgment, Miranda could tell that the woman wasn’t as fragile as she appeared.

The researcher walked directly into Miranda's lab and reached out her right hand. "Mia Winters, a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Miranda."

“Greetings, Mia,” said Miranda, just two words. After five seconds, the strange silence in the air finally caught her attention. She realized she should shake the new researcher's hand with her hand. Feeling uncomfortable with the gesture, Miranda quickly pulled her hand back afterward, without really thinking about what she'd done.

Mia hesitated briefly, surprised by Miranda’s odd behavior, but quickly recovered and continued her greeting, "I'll be working with you for a while. I'm not an expert in biochemistry, but I can assist you, and... handle some unnecessary trouble."

"Unnecessary trouble?" Miranda asked, puzzled.

"You know, sometimes test subjects have issues. I'm quite good at preventing those things from happening." Mia hinted.

Miranda's instinct was correct. Mia Winters did indeed have the capability to deal with failed test subjects. Though Miranda herself could easily handle such matters without breaking a sweat, she was not in her village. So, she smiled and said, "Welcome to my lab, Mia."

---

Miranda accepted the coffee Mia handed her. Having another assistant by her side was something she was certainly not used to. She remembered how, fifty or sixty years ago, her student Spencer left Romania because of their ideological differences. Since then, she hadn’t taken on another assistant. Few people truly understood her ultimate goal. Perhaps Alcina did, but she had her three daughters, through whom she found a connection. Miranda, however, never felt the same bond with any of her "children" as she did with Eva. Miranda convinced herself that they were merely vessels, but she couldn’t ignore the glimpses of her own life with her daughter that she saw in the Dimitrescu family. Those fragments pieced together the warmth of the days from nearly a century ago.

"Dr. Miranda? Miranda?" A gentle voice called her back from her memories.

"Hmm?"

"The sample you put in the centrifuge is ready. You can check it now."

"Alright." Miranda tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You always seem to drift into deep thought." Mia remarked as she watched Miranda walk into the equipment room.

"It's nothing. I just like to think about things while working. It helps me focus." Miranda replied, opening the lid of the centrifuge.

"I feel the same sometimes. When you're doing something you love, your mind tends to wander, doesn’t it?" Mia said, leaning against the doorframe and watching Miranda carefully take out the centrifuge tubes.

"Maybe." Miranda replied. She wasn't sure whether she truly enjoyed these tedious experiments, but they were too meaningful to ignore, demanding a century of her time without pause.

---

Eleven at night, Mia handed Miranda the organized data. Watching Miranda intently review the figure, Mia quietly asked, “Miranda, don’t you need to take a break? Every morning when I arrive, you're already here, and every night when I leave, you're still here. Have you even been home?”

Miranda turned and sat at the lab stool, picking up a pen and scribbling notes on the documents, vaguely responding to Mia’s concern. "Hmm? Home? Of course, I've been home. My Lords and villagers all know I’ll be away for a while."

“Not your village, I mean your apartment here. Wow, the way you talk about your hometown makes it sound like you’re not that close to your neighbors.” Mia remarked, once again finding Miranda rather strange. Perhaps she’d been overworking.

It wasn’t until then that Miranda realized what she had just said. A thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead, but since her back was turned to Mia, she had enough time to calm her rising panic. She followed, “Yes, I’m not particularly close with them.” That much wasn’t a lie. “Mia, it’s late. You should head home. You must have noticed you're spending more and more time in the lab each day.”

“Long enough to realize you never take a proper rest.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Miranda set her pen down and swiveled on the stool to face Mia. “Even though this experiment is important to me, there’s no need for you to stay here so long on my account.”

“I know about Eva,” Mia said softly, lowering her head as she looked sadly at Miranda, whose blue eyes quickly filled with grief. “I’m so sorry, Miranda. I’ve never mentioned it before because I didn’t want to bring up painful memories, but I know you’ve never really moved on. I’ve heard you were absorbed in trying to bring Eva back even before you came to The Connections. And now that you’ve found new hope here, your dedication has only intensified. I can’t imagine how you maintain that drive, I can’t fully understand it, but I urge you to think about yourself for once. Maybe go to your apartment and get some sleep, or return to your village. Even if you’re not close to your neighbors, the mountain air would do you some good. If not, there’s actually a rest area behind the equipment room with a small bed. I guess you’ve forgotten it.”

Mia left the lab. Miranda stood from her stool and walked toward the equipment room. Sure enough, there was a door in the corner. Miranda must have opened it when she first arrived at the lab, but she’d quickly forgotten about it, as its contents hadn’t interested her at the time.

Miranda opened the door for the second time, and inside was indeed a small bed. There wasn’t any dust on it, indicating that Mia often rested there. A small porcelain pot sat on the windowsill, holding a plump lithops plant that was clearly well cared for.

On the nightstand, there were two glasses, one of them labeled “Mia”.

Miranda took off her lab coat and poured herself a cup of water with the other glass. She didn’t need sleep, so she simply lay on the bed, quietly reflecting. Her thoughts went first to Eva. There wasn’t a moment she didn’t think of her daughter. She recalled how earlier that day, she had smiled to herself, thinking of Eva, and wondered if Mia had noticed from the other end of the lab. It was a memory of five-year-old Eva mimicking the sounds of various animals, from chickens to pigs to goats and even crows, each imitation spot-on. Miranda had laughed as she scooped little Eva into her arms and set her on her lap, encouraging her to continue recounting her exciting adventures of the day.

Miranda tried to blur the memories of the Spanish flu outbreak, but it was clear she could never escape those dark days. One by one, her neighbors had died, and then misfortune had struck the only person she held dear. But the misfortune never came for her, nor did fortune, not until the day she buried Eva.

After that, she became the center of power. The faces of the villagers flashed through her mind like a carousel, along with the series of failed vessels. Then there was this white laboratory, and Mia.

Miranda told herself it was merely because Mia didn’t know about her status in the village and viewed her as an ordinary person which Miranda found novel. It wasn’t because Mia held any special significance to her.

---

Miranda told Mia that she planned to return to her hometown for a week of rest. Upon hearing the news, Mia could barely contain her excitement, she nearly hugged Miranda, though she stopped when Miranda stiffened in place.

Miranda changed back into her black robe. She descended to the basement and switched on the lights. The dim laboratory momentarily disoriented her. Ancient books lay scattered across the table, and the Cadou pulsed rhythmically inside its container. Everything on the shelves was arranged just as before, and the photo of her and Eva remained in its place, slowly fading with time.

Miranda pulled out a new photo and placed it on the shelf. It was a group photo with The Connections team, a symbol of her new hope. Strangely, the photo was in black and white, though Miranda didn’t pay attention to that oddity. What she did notice, however, was Mia smiling in the picture.

After filing away the data she had brought from The Connections lab, Miranda didn’t stand at her bench as she usually would. Instead, she sat on her bed and opened her diary.

May 9, 2010

Mia Winters suggested I take some time to rest at home, and I followed her advice. I rarely allow anyone this close to me, but she hasn’t made me uncomfortable. In fact, she’s been a great help with my research.  

I hope we can bring Eva back.

Wait, did she just write "we"?

The villagers noticed that Mother Miranda was less strict when conveying the Black God's will in the church. When they shared the current situation in the village with her, she seemed absent-minded.

The Lords picked up on this during their meeting as well. She didn’t admonish Heisenberg when he called her "Miranda" directly without using her title, until Alcina criticized him, causing tensions to escalate between the two. It was only when Angie chimed in with a sharp "fight, fight" that Miranda snapped back to reality, reminded of her current predicament.

---

A week later, Miranda returned to The Connections lab. Mia handed her a cup of coffee, looking cheerful as usual. “Welcome back, Miranda. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Mia.” Miranda said with a smile as she took the cup.

“It’s clear that the week off did you good. You probably won’t accidentally drink the nutrient solution from the beaker as water again.” Mia teased, giving Miranda a playful grin, to which Miranda could only chuckle helplessly.

“Speaking of which, the mold colony report from the week you were gone is ready.” Mia led Miranda to the computer and opened the monitoring system, showing her the recent research on the E-type mold. “Out of two hundred samples, one hundred in the control group without Cadou did not produce any fully formed organisms. They remain in loose colony forms within the culture medium. Five of them exhibited some human traits, like sample 23, which developed humanoid palms, and sample 57, which produced teeth, but with sharp dentalcrowns, resembling a beast rather than a human arc.”

“In the experimental group with Cadou, all one hundred samples were more active than the control group. You can see them pulsing rhythmically, similar to human blood flowing through the colonies. Seventeen of the samples have developed mostly humanoid structures, though they are still covered in thick mold.”

Miranda pointed to one of the samples. “Sample 119 looks more active than the others, the mold is moving across it more quickly.”

“Exactly. It should be the most successful one. I examined its physical structure and found that its limbs are slenderer and its mouth is smaller, with a hyoid bone appearing in the throat.” Mia explained.

Miranda felt a surge of excitement and instinctively placed her hand on Mia’s shoulder. “Do you think sample 119 could be...”

“Are you thinking of sequencing its DNA?” Mia anticipated Miranda's thoughts.

Miranda nodded.

Mia skillfully assisted Miranda in extracting the “blood” sample, placing the processed samples into the expensive instrument.

“We just need to wait a day.” Mia said.

“Thank you, Mia.” Miranda offered Mia a warm smile.

The lab felt particularly warm that day, perhaps summer was approaching. Miranda sat on the bed in the small room, spending the hour before the results were due, contemplating every possibility.

Mia appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame. “You don’t need to be so nervous. We all saw how successful it was, the compatibility must be high.”

“I know, I know, Mia.” Miranda lowered her hand, which had been anxiously touching her cheeks, and looked up at Mia. “I’m glad everything is progressing positively, I’m just worrying about the future.”

“Worrying about the future? You just said the experiment will go well.” Mia asked, puzzled.

“It’s not about the experiment. I’m worried about life after all this ends,” Miranda sighed. “You know my life has revolved solely around Eva. I rarely pay attention to the trivialities of my life and other matters.”

“You’re worried that after everything succeeds, you won’t be able to adjust to that kind of life?” Mia walked in and sat down beside Miranda.

“Yes, my life has changed so much compared to years ago. I’m concerned I won’t be able to return to a normal routine with Eva. I don’t know what path to choose.”

“Do you want to take her back to your village?” Mia asked gently.

“I don’t know. That would bring about significant changes. Everything in the village would be very... different.” Miranda thought about the order she had worked hard to establish nearly a century ago. Would it all crumble with Eva’s return?

Mia was unaware of Miranda’s true background, she could only assume that the villagers would view a person’s resurrection as a miracle, which would undoubtedly shock them. In fact, it just required advanced scientific technology and relentless effort. “I think they will gradually come to understand everything. Many unusual events happen in our world, but everything calms down over time.” Mia placed her hand gently on Miranda’s back. “Eva’s mother is a powerful woman. I can’t believe she has such strong willpower to face all of this.”

Miranda turned to look into Mia’s eyes and, for the first time, noticed that her eyes weren’t entirely brown, they had a ring of deep green around the edges. “And you’ve been here with me through all of this.”

“You just need someone by your side.” Mia said, sensing the warmth emanating from Miranda, subtle yet noticeable only up close.

“And that someone is you.” Miranda reached out and took her hand, her thumb lightly resting on the back of Mia’s hand.

“Miranda, are you shaking my hand?” Mia suddenly laughed.

“Hmm? No, how come?”

“When we first met, you shook my hand like this. If you hadn’t done it so forcefully and quickly, and hadn’t bent down, I might have thought you were going to kiss my hand like those gentlemen of old.” Mia teased.

A blush crept up Miranda’s pale ears, as she completely forgot those details.

“To save you from this embarrassment, we can check the results now.” Mia said, pulling Miranda to her feet.

“Match compatibility with Eva's DNA reaches 93.87%. Miranda, you did it!” Mia leaned down and hugged Miranda, who was sitting in front of the screen.

Miranda reached out and hugged Mia back. “Yes, we did it.”

[yarameijer]

Hi!

OMG are you the writer who wrote "Accidental Reverse"?!

If so, I'm a Huge fan!!!

Anyways... How are you?

If you accept headcannons or drabbles, what are your thoughts on Shindou and Tenma? How would you explain their relationship? Do you have any headcannons about them?

... I should probably stop here, so... Thank you so much for your AMAZING stories! I can't wait for what ideas you have in the future!

Take care and keep up the great work!!!

Heyhey! Yes, I am that writer! I’m good, super busy with exams and finishing my research tho, but hopefully I’ll get some more free time again eventually. Yes, I accept both headcanons or drabbles (as long as it works with my story universe), but I’m VERY bad at actually finishing drabbles haha…

Okay so I LOVE Tenma and Shindou’s dynamic, so thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to ramble about it XD

Shindou and Tenma’s relationship is, in one word, complex. As we all know, Shindou at the start of the anime doesn’t particularly like Tenma because of his behavior towards soccer, for two reasons: he thinks Tenma is very naive and his thoughtless actions will not only get himself in trouble, but also everyone else (and at this point, if Shindou has to choose between the team he’s been a part of for a year and a kid he’s met a day ago, it’s not even a choice).

The second reason is that he understands. Shindou loves soccer too. In a prestigious family where achievement is everything, soccer sometimes felt like the only thing he could just do for fun, not because he had to be good at it. And he was good at it.

But Fifth Sector ruined it for him, and the only reason he hasn’t left the club yet is because he feels a responsibility towards his teammates and because this is the only way he still gets to do what he loves, even if it’s twisted. So when he meets Tenma - cheerful, bright-eyed, hopeful Tenma - he hates him. He sees himself in him. And he can’t stand to see that spark in Tenma’s eyes fade like it did for him, so he tries to push Tenma away, get him to quit, before he has to see that happening. Beyond that Shindou is having a very hard time in general and using Tenma as a… well, a punching bag, in a way. At the same time you’ve got Tenma, who doesn’t know the meaning of backing down, and is also not the type of person to fight back against the type of treatment Shindou is giving him.

Of course, eventually this starts to change; Shindou gains hope that maybe, just maybe they can do something against Fifth Sector, and once he’s made up his mind about something he’ll go all in. With Shindou and Tenma now on the same side, the previous tension in their relationship fades and they have the chance to get to know each other. Tenma is (sort of ironically) very shy and very enthusiastic, and his optimism brings Shindou out of his own depressive slump. It’s contagious, really.

Once Shindou stops targeting Tenma all the time, Tenma gains a new appreciation for him as well. He’s already a fanboy of anything soccer and Shindou’s plans, the way his mind works, blows him away - Shindou is easily the smartest person Tenma’s ever met, and for him to look at Tenma and treat him as a teammate, as someone to be acknowledged… that means a lot. Just like that, their relationship becomes much more amicable, and they bond over their shared love of soccer and their goal of defeating Fifth Sector. They’re, maybe not friends, but at least on friendly terms.

Then there is another important factor that influences the way they interact - the captain switch.

Several people have actually expressed their surprise at the two of them. Tenma essentially ‘replaced’ Shindou as captain, after all, so outsiders would expect Tenma to reject Shindou’s advice - to prove himself as the ‘real’ captain, instead of listening to the old one. Similarly, Shindou was expected to hold a grudge since he was replaced by a first-year. Except that’s about as far from the truth as you can get.

Tenma respects Shindou very much first as captain and later as strategist, and holds his opinion in high regard. Even after all the years they’ve known each other, Shindou is still the one he’ll turn to first when a decision needs to be made and he wants a second opinion. Even if he doesn’t necessarily ask for it, he’ll always listen if Shindou has something to add. Furthermore, Tenma has never wanted to be captain - the role was thrust upon him due to circumstances, and he agrees because his team asked him to, but he’s never seen himself as any sort of leader and if he could, he’d shy away from the responsibility. He’s also of the opinion that Shindou is a great captain - why would he need to be replaced?

Except, of course, Shindou gets injured so there isn’t really a choice in that. What does happen, however, is the decision the team made to have Tenma stay on as captain even after Shindou recovered - which was suggested by Shindou himself.

Because Shindou doesn’t like being captain.

He’s pretty good at it, but it stresses him out a lot. He’s a strategist first and foremost and being captain interferes with that. Shindou wants to make plans, analyze the world around him, observe and gather information but if he’s acting as captain he can’t do that, can’t retreat into his own head like that. He’s got a responsibility to the rest of the team and he always feels the pressure to be aware of them, lift their spirits, lead them, and if he’s too busy with his plans he can’t do that. He also does not see himself as the most empathetic individual - gauging the team’s mood, figuring out what to say, isn’t really instinctive for him. He can do it if necessary but it takes effort and he often second-guesses himself, and with a team so diverse and intense as Raimon, empathy is a must.

So to Shindou, being captain is a burden. He took the position because the team wanted him to and he doesn’t regret it, but once Tenma shows a pretty instinctual talent for it and has a few weeks to polish that talent - once it becomes clear how easy it is for the team to follow him - well, Shindou sees his chance and takes it. He’s the one to voice the thought first, and once he tells the rest of the team, they don’t see any reason to disagree.

Which is exactly why Shindou has no resentment towards Tenma for taking his position. Shindou can do what he likes most - strategize - and aid his team, all the while knowing Raimon is in the best possible hands. And beyond that; Shindou didn’t give up any of his authority in the team. If a decision has to be made, Raimon decides together. Shindou and Tenma are a duo when it comes to leading the team - Shindou makes the plans, Tenma inspires them to do what’s right and encourages them.

Tenma, despite first floundering under the responsibility, handles it well and Shindou (nor the other senpai) refuses to let him shoulder it alone. Tenma’s still just a first-year, after all, and like mentioned before, Shindou sees himself in him. Now more than ever. They both know what it’s like to become captain in their first year, to have the responsibility thrust upon them, and Shindou refuses to let Tenma struggle with it alone. He acts like a listening ear, always willing to lend advice if the younger asks for it, and although at first Tenma is quite hesitant (with Shindou being his senpai), he’s also very earnest and open.

Over time, they get to talking more and more, outside of club-related things. Shindou is the dependable smart friend Tenma can always come to with his issues, while Tenma is cheerful and optimistic and doesn’t really expect anything from Shindou, not like the rest of the world. Doesn’t expect perfect grades or being the best, and while it takes Shindou a while to let go of the mask, eventually Tenma becomes one of the few friends he can just completely be himself around. Shindou is much more relaxed now that he’s no longer the captain and the tension in Raimon that was present under Fifth Sector’s reign is gone, and it shows in his friendship with Tenma. They act crazy, or lazy, and just do things for fun because they want to. They, together with Tsurugi, have been dubbed the new Raimon Trio, and it just works. Their skills complement each other and they settle into a comfortable friendship and shared leadership over the team after Tenma’s first year.

Sure, it takes them quite a while to get to that point, both because they have unspoken issues between them originating from the start of the year, and because they need to learn to understand each other. There's the boundaries caused by Tenma's insecurities and Shindou's expectations for himself. It takes a while for Tenma to learn to depend on other people and for Shindou to learn to be patient and listen, something that's been driven out of him by years of expectation and responsibility. But they get there. Maybe not immediately, but once they do, their friendship is unbeatable and something they both cherish dearly.

As for headcanons…

They tease each other all the time. Tsurugi plays a part in this too. The three of them just full on snark whenever they have the chance (Tsurugi and Shindou especially like making fun of Tenma for being the shortest, Tenma and Shindou like making fun of Tsurugi when he’s pretending to be all cool, and Tenma and Tsurugi will never let an opportunity to mention Shindou’s dramatic tendencies go).

Tenma loves listening to Shindou playing the piano and once Shindou figures that out, he offers to play something whenever Tenma comes over to his house, to Tenma’s absolute delight.

They often discuss team matters, sometimes over video or phone call, and always end up sharing ideas for hissatsu techniques and strategies (either for themselves or their teammates). It’s actually why they’re so in sync and can pull off improvised moves so well; they share their ideas so often they know pretty well how the other thinks/works, and that shows when they’re in the middle of a match. Super convenient when you know your best friend has been designing a new super shot for WEEKS and is itching to try it out.

In the year Shindou goes to high school while Tenma’s still in middle school, they end up calling each other quite a lot, and they like to get ramen or bubble tea or ice cream after school if they’ve both got the time, since they can’t hang out anymore as easily. Soon they drag anyone in the team along if they’ve got time, but it’s a habit that started with just the two of them.

They have a standing agreement to disagree on whether cats or dogs are better.

Tenma has been known to drag Shindou out very early in the morning during weekends if he’s got plans, whether that’s soccer practice or for a walk or whatever they’ve planned this time. Shindou is NOT a morning person but it’s very hard to say no to Tenma.

That’s it for now, I hope you enjoyed it! ^.^

[entertext]

HGSN 22-2

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

P1

(sfx: wakes up)

Yoshiki: Uwahh!

Yoshiki's mom: Dear...! Are you alright!? Why did you go to Takeda-san's place..!?

Yoshiki: Mom...

Mom: Is it true!? That old Takeda geezer went into a rage and knocked the two of you out?

Mom: The researcher? staying there managed to stop him, but...

P2

Yoshiki: Wait...slow down...you didn't call the police or anything...

Mom: A small quarrel within the village that isn't worth getting the police involved over...that's what it will be settled as, it seems. I seem like a fool. Even if I filed a complaint...

Yoshiki: Enough of that, what about 'Hikaru'...?

Mom: He's sleeping on the next bed...

(sfx: curtain swish)

Mom: But he hasn't woken up yet...

P3

(sfx: thump)

Tanaka: (This katana...)

Tanaka: (I snuck it into Takeda's house for an emergency, but it came in handy. It was able to cut "that" better than I thought)

Tanaka: (This confirms it. It took a long time to get to this point. I'm...really lucky... To think that it's manifesting in this era)

P4

Tanaka: (On top of that, how funny! Not only does it have an ego but it made itself weaker!)

Tanaka: (So things are already progressing towards my goal?)

Tanaka: (But....if that's now the case...)

Takeda: Tanaka!!!

Takeda: My father...they said he probably can't be saved. That it was a heart attack.

Takeda: What the hell happened...!?

P5

Tanaka: ...my apologies. I rushed there but didn't make it in time.

Tanaka: I noticed too late. ...It's my fault.

Takeda: ...

Takeda: My father...had said "I'm next"

Takeda: Was that was true then?

Tanaka: ...seeing the beings on the other side means the other side can find you more easily too

Tanaka: If you find them, the more you fear them, the easier of a target you make

Tanaka: That's all that happened to Matsuura-san and your father.

P6

Takeda: I see...no, to be honest

Takeda: My wife and I were relieved...though that isn't proper to say

Tanaka: ...

Tanaka: ...by the way, my sunglasses

Tanaka: have you seen them?

Takeda: They're right in front of you, aren't they...?

Tanaka: ...

(sfx: splash)

Takeda: You...

P7

Takeda: Is it possible that you're blind?

Tanaka: Yeah....

Tanaka: That's right.

Tanaka: But this is a kind of spiritual impairment. Even with a medical examination, there's nothing wrong

Tanaka: Besides, with these sunglasses I can more or less see

Tanaka: Though its annoying that they're company provisions

Takeda: How long ago?

Tanaka: ...since a very long time ago. Are you finished?

P8

Takeda: Wait

Takeda: What the hell is your goal here?

Tanaka: It's my job

Tanaka: My "company" is looking for a particular thing that originates from the other side

Tanaka: They've searched for several hundred years... It's worth that much effort

Tanaka: And that's why they send people like me out to survey any place that it has even the slightest chance of being in

P9

Takeda: No, I'm talking about your personal motive

Takeda: I don't know anything about that company or whatever

Takeda: But for you to do so much, you must have a reason

Tanaka: Haha, you're suprisingly sharp

Tanaka: Regarding "Nounuki-sama"...it's not wrong to say I plan on doing something about it

Tanaka: At the very least... I'm on the side of humanity

Tanaka: ...but I've just gotten a few more things to do now.

P9

Tanaka: I'll be gone from this village for a moment, so you're responsible for now

Takeda: !? Hey!

Takeda: What about dealing with Nounuki-sama!! If someone gets attacked by impurities...

Tanaka: Please fight them with that katana! Takeda-san, you're 6th dan in Kendo, aren't you?

Takeda: Is that possible!?

(txt: Missed Call: Satou)

==

Next chapter: in two weeks probably

Twitter Extra (link):

If he started speaking before it was stuck back on:

Yoshiki: ....!

Hikaru: How about working at a haunted house?

[edenfenixblogs]

What are you doing to help black people?

Several things! (A Note on My Personal Limitations: I am not black. I am unable to protest for health reasons. I do not have much money at all)

I elevate black voices whenever I can

I joined an anti-racism book club where I can learn how to be a better ally and unlearn as much systemic prejudice as I can

I do not tolerate anti-black racism from anyone in my life for any reason. I call it out every time, publicly.

I donate (when financially possible) to several causes devoted to both long term and immediate aid to to black people including: various bail funds in my current state and my home state, the southern poverty law center, the Homeless Black Trans Women gofundme, the ACLU, and others.

I consistently educate people in my life about the goals of BLM — including defunding the police — in order to reduce their knee jerk reactions and foster better understanding.

I shut the eff up unless I can help. I’m no savior; I know this. I don’t break into conversations that don’t involve me. I just listen. Most of my public advocacy is amplifying black voices on issues that affect the black community without adding my irrelevant opinions as white-passing person.

Privately, I have and continue to reach out to the several black people in my life to let them know I support them and that I am listening. I listen to them vent to me about their pain and suffering. I let them tell me if I’ve fucked up somehow without getting defensive. Then I apologize sincerely and onboard the new information and don’t do whatever the offending action was again. I have not had anyone tell me I’ve fucked up in that way in over a decade, though. I did, however, realize (during my continuing journey of learning how to be anti-racist) that I’d held problematic opinions as a teenager (nothing crazy. Just ignorant teen bullshit borne from growing up as a liberal in a red state and thinking I was more progressive than I actually was at the time) and proactively reached out to the black friend I’ve known since my teenage years to say that I know I was an idiot back then and I’ve learned a lot since then and I will continue to learn and to apologize.

My work involves public communications. In my role, I continually advocate for anti-racist, black-affirming language in our company guidelines and publicly disseminated materials, even when that means confronting my boss—who is a white man.

I vote in every election in which I am able, researching every politician and bill thoroughly from multiple sources and voting as leftist as possible and educating people in my life about these bills details and the politicians platforms and records.

I am not perfect and don’t claim to be. I only claim to try my best to continually improve.

I don’t make a habit of sharing private communique and am only doing so now because this post asks for receipts. Here are some excerpts from conversations had during 2020 when tensions were a little higher. I decline to share receipts from more recently, as those conversations include more private and more identifying information. The pictured conversations involve friends I’ve had since pre-school, high school, and college. Again, this is not something I would normally share, because saying “I have black friends” is tacky and gross. But I am trying to respect your request for my commitment to the black community, which does of course include my friends. It feels wrong not to mention them in this context, even though I feel awkward saying it at all. Im also sharing only the start of longer conversations, as my friends’ pain and concerns are not for public consumption.

Idk if replying to your question alerts you, so tagging you just in case. @phantomdiebe

[compressedrage]

*cracks knuckles* It's King time baby– Episode 30

This will be in two parts because I have much to cover. One part will be the backstory segment, and then the other will be the rest of the video.

OKAY PART 1

The opening to this video sets up the later tragedy so well. It introduces Gold, King's son, but we know something is going to happen. it hangs over every little wholesome thing we see.

And in terms of wholesome things, they chose amazing ones to show! We have King reminiscing over a younger Gold, before the Gold of the present gives him a corn dog. They share a cute bonding moment (can you hear my heart cracking) before going to the festival.

(I love the concept of the festival from a world-building perspective. is there a reason there's a festival? is it even a festival? it looks very fun)

Gold is drawn in by a booth advertising a virtual realty experience in the world of Minecraft. He excitedly brings King over, and King signs a waiver. King's body language during this scene is hesitant, and the tone is almost a little eery; there's no one else in the section for the Minecraft experience. They are more-or-less alone.

(I wonder if King thought something felt off. I wonder that made him blame himself even more since he did nothing to stop Gold from entering the experience)

Gold is so excited. The workers at the experience let Gold go in, and he enters. The door locks behind him, and he is integrated into the game. King watches as he happily runs around the game, collecting resources and making tools.

Suddenly an alarm sounds. Something is wrong. On the screen King can see a black void open up in the sky. It rapidly expands and spreads, threatening to swallow Gold whole. Gold runs, before opening the menu and exiting the game.

He bursts from the entrance, but he isn't safe. The void is emerging through the opening, and Gold begins to disintegrate. King bangs on the door; it's locked tight. Not even the workers who run over to help him can get it open.

Gold reaches for his dad, but collapses and is sucked back into the game. A "fatal error" show on the screen. Gold is gone.

King drops to his knees. The workers approach him nervously, and one reaches out to touch his shoulder. King whirls around and grabs them by the throat, slamming them onto the ground. He does the same to the other workers who try to stop him before stopping and staring into the Minecraft experience. (In one of the most beautiful shots I've ever seen, the red glow is so ominous)

Back at his house King is in shambles. He lashes out at a poster he took of the experience, punching the wall as if it were the glass doors separating him from his son. He wilts against the wall for a moment, before getting up with new resolve. He will find a way to destroy Minecraft and avenge his son.

He is obsessed with this goal for an unknown amount of time; it could be months, could stretch into a few years, who knows. he researches everything he could ever find about Minecraft. He learns about its mechanics, its blocks. He learns of the command block, and acquires one from a shady figure in an alley. (such a smart move my dude)

The staff doesn't work. He tries several different versions, but even when he does manage to get it to work he still doesn't quite understand its mechanics. Maybe there was another way.

He delves into Minecraft's myths and mysteries. There he finds a description of the Minecraft Game Icon: "The most powerful item in Minecraft". The location is unknown. He tears the page from the book and walks around town, showing it to people. I honestly don't know what he expected but props to him for showing initiative I guess.

He stops outside a tech store. There, showing on one of the televisions, is a group of young sticks playing with an icon. Playing with it. King now as proof such an item exists, even if he has no idea how to get it. But he has a goal now.

Find those sticks.

He hangs up wanted posters all over town. And by a crazy stoke of fate a purple stick finds them and takes one.

Purple shows up at King's house with the poster and appears to explain the he knows the CG and how to find them. King doesn't seem to respond, or at least respond positively. (King's vibe in that scene was one of "I just woke up and I don't want to talk to people", which... mood, I guess that comes with the depression)

Purple jumps to prove himself, displaying how he is agile and can fight. When that doesn't get a reaction he pulls out his elytra and show off his flight skills instead. Lots of flips. King gestures for him to come inside.

King's house is a mess. Purple looks around a bit, finding a picture of King and Gold. King takes it out of Purple's hands and Purple backs away. They make their way down to the basement, where it is clear King has been working on the parkour trap idea for a very long time. And he has a Nether portal. He lights it up with his staff (which he now knows how to wield) and they enter Minecraft.

In the Nether they find a bastion. They defeat its inhabitants, and King offers them gold in exchange for their allegiance. (I'm pretty sure they might think he's a god of some kind because he can technically create gold from nothing, and remember how he disabled the AI of that one Piglin? Dude's terrifying)

With the Piglins now under his command, King builds himself a throne of quartz and gold. Purple kneels and hands him a golden crown. King takes it and gives Purple a head rub. I'm pretty sure that head rub won him Purple's undying loyalty tbh.

_._._

This section of the episode is so good. It sets up everything we need to know, and portals King perfectly. We can see and understand how he got to this place of extreme grief and obsessive vengeance.

We also see Purple, whose motivations we now understand from the last episode. He seems so upbeat here, so happy to help. It's devastating that he was so willing to betray his new friends for the validation of a father figure. My poor boy.

[sethshead]

From the Kivunim Institute: Good and Evil: A True Story You likely don’t know the name Dr. Shoshan Haran. I met Shoshan, a world-renowned plant seed developer, while doing research for what became Let There Be Water: Israel's Solution for a Water-Starved World. Shoshan helped me to understand how Israeli non-GMO plant breeders had developed drought-resistant crops and plants that thrive on otherwise unusable brackish water. But at the top of her career, Shoshan had an epiphany: Instead of using her extraordinary abilities to help farmers in rich countries get ever-better seeds, she would devote the rest of her life to helping poor farmers in Africa. “No one,” she told me, “was developing specific seeds for places like Ethiopia.” Farmers there had to make do with generic seeds for their crops. An urbanite like me didn't know this, but seeds can be developed for particular places, with changes made for local climate, water sources, soil type and pests. Shoshan started a not-for-profit called Fair Planet with the intention of developing seeds for those poor African farmers as precise as the ones she had been helping to create for American and European farmers. The project succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. In the first season using Shoshan’s tomato seeds created for central Ethiopia, farmers there saw a 500 percent increase in yield. Not only did this help to address issues of hunger and nutrition for those farmers and their families, but household income rose helping to lift communities out of abject poverty. In the ten or so years since, approximately one million farmers in several African countries have been using seeds developed by Fair Planet. In other words, Shoshan Haran is a hero, a person who has made the world so much better for her having lived. Now for the hard part. On October 7, Shoshan and her family were together in her home on Kibbutz Be’eri, a successful communal farm established by her father and the place where she was born. In all, there were ten family members gathered – Shoshan, her husband, her sister and brother-in-law, her daughter and son-in-law and their two children, her husband’s sister and the sister’s husband. They were all taken captive by the Hamas terrorists who invaded the kibbutz. In recent days, the remains of Shoshan’s husband and brother-in-law have been identified. As best as is known, Shoshan and the other seven family members – three generations – are hostages in Gaza, but no one knows for sure. It is easy to recognize this as evil harming far more than Shoshan and her family. Those many African farmers, and many others, are also harmed by the Hamas assault. It would also be reasonable to say that there are two competing ideologies at work here: One by incrementally helping others in peaceful ways and the second using horrifying and indiscriminate violence to achieve its goals. For me, I have been depressed, enraged, struggling to make sense of the terror attack, but now that I have learned one of the captives is someone I know and have hosted in my home, it is also personal. I hope the governments of Africa will join in with others to try to get Shoshan and her family freed from captivity, assuming they are still alive. Perhaps you, too, can try to publicize this story, sharing it with others. Every one of those being held deserves to be released, but showing how terrible it is to have a person like Shoshan in captivity perhaps helps to transform a general act of criminality and evil into something concrete and harder to ignore. Over time, many more stories of October 7 victims will be learned. Just knowing Shoshan’s story offers clarity that so much more than the lives of the victims and the captives are affected. Seth Siegel

h/t Shoshana Hantman

None of this matters to the left. They'll accuse Shoshan of promoting genocide by replacing traditional crops with higher-yield GMOs. There is nothing we can do anymore to convince the left that we are anything other than ogres poisoning the global well and using the blood of children for our bread.

We must keep our own ethics to heal the world, but not expect to win any hearts or minds. We must do what we must to protect ourselves, and let the public opinion of those who would destroy us be damned.

[jerardeusebio]

The Funeral Run

I feel ambivalent about naming inanimate objects. For one, it feels counter to non-attachment, a Buddhist philosophy I’ve embraced and committed to practicing to the best of my ability. Another reason is the implied materialism of such an action. Again, it feels incongruent with the narrative I’ve created about myself. But a few weeks ago, the "death" of my five year-old running watch surprised me. I know this sounds bizarre, and the strangeness starts with its intensity and climaxes in the way I responded to it.

I bought the most basic running Garmin in 2019: the Forerunner 35. This was about a week after my iPhone 5S, which slid out of my running shorts, got run over by a tricycle. Intimidated by the price of iPhones, I decided to buy an Android. What I saved from settling on a more affordable phone would allow me, for the first time in my then nine years as a runner, to buy a running watch. Since moving back to my home campus a year prior, I had renewed my commitment to the sport and was logging considerable miles. A GPS watch made perfect sense.

One fine Sunday, after several days of research on running watches, I marched into the Glorietta 5 Garmin store and bought the thing. I wore it for the rest of that day at the mall. I caught myself glancing at it, trying to catch the minute turn, checking to see how it looked on my left wrist, preening in the mirrors and windows I passed, happy to have assumed this new self. Before the purchase, my vision of who I was and what I did was clear: educator, writer, and runner. Now, I was still all three, except now I was a runner with a GPS watch! In an effort not to name my things, I simply referred to it as “Garmin.”

That day at the mall, there was just no way of knowing what was to come. By my best estimate, Garmin had accompanied me to about a thousand runs since its purchase. Not just this: it had seen me through two falls (the scars from which have already faded), the COVID-19 pandemic (and my shortlived shift to cycling), my tenure, four heartbreaks, countless lectures (both given by me and given to me), classes, students, faculty meetings, committee meetings, meetings with big wigs, awarding ceremonies, speeches, and a whole lot of firsts that would be impossible to contain here. Garmin has monitored my heart rate, informed me every time I hit my step goal, and congratulated me—six times in the past year—when I breached the half-marathon distance.

Garmin stopped working on the morning of June 9th, 2024. My family was in Taal for my parents’ 37th anniversary celebration. Confident of its durability and the many instances I’ve swum with it, I wore it to the pool, ignoring the peculiarly intense scent of chlorine as we approached the water. My guess is that it suffered undue pressure, being caught in between my arm and my mother, whom I lifted from the water as a dare. The high chlorine concentration must have ruined the already worn-down waterproofing. When we got back to our room, I was distressed that it no longer showed the time. I held on to hope for a few days. I buried it in rice. Left it under the sun. Wore it to work for two days despite its uselessness. When I was convinced it was safe, as my last try, I charged it. I left it in an upright position on my bedside table. It still didn’t work when I checked it after an hour. And my heart sank when I saw a little pool of water right where I had picked it up.

What ensued was an intense week of mourning. My attachment to Garmin was such that on the day I accepted its death, I decided to run with it for the last time. One for the road. I ran a kilometer for each year it had spent with me/I had spent with it. At kilometer three, looking at its blank screen and remembering our years of togetherness, a lump began to form in my throat. Cooling down, I held my left wrist up before me, Mt. Makiling in the background. As I studied Garmin, my now really dead inanimate running watch, I whispered a thank you. I then pressed it to my right cheek. It stayed there for a while, as the tears rolled down my eyes.

Back in my room, I placed it in a rectangular black box, where my other old dead timepieces were. Each of them displayed their time of death, clear and final. Only Garmin had a blank screen, its time of death a mystery. Later that night, I stared at the ceiling, awake in the darkness, wondering about my strange behavior, my absurd response. And in the end, I understood the things I was grieving for and over: unrecoverable versions of myself, time and distance past, and the end of a story that brings with it the excruciating, inescapable start of another.

[noelledeltarune]

gooigi rant?? pls. i love the goo-ber

ok this is another case where i don't really have that much of substance to say but literally gooigi is so fucked up to me. like e gadd's research journal actually makes me kind of upset 💀💀. i know he has very little canon character but i am very endeared to gooigi and so just knowing about e. gadd's research journal kind of fucks me up :-(

like literally you read it and one of the first things said about goo is that its like. sentient to some extent. even as a blob. and it's capable of reacting to stimulus. when water is poured on it it actively like. moves away from the water to avoid melting. it can hear and will follow music being played.

so you see that and then it's like oh ok cool this thing is alive. sick. and so then there's the whole shebang with the using stolen dna thing to give gooigi like his actual physical form. and it's like oh okay cool so you've made a guy. that's a guy now. you made a person. 👍

and so then it's like the. weaknesses testing and stuff.

which like ok. whatever. sure. see like idk if gooigi just doesnt really care about the whole getting experimented on and hit with giant hammers and melted and set on fire thing so i'll also just say that's whatever. but like idk it kinda fucks me up in general just because of the last part LOL like

was this really necessary :-( like think with me. imagine you made a guy. you accidentally spilled coffee on some of the samples you were studying and it came to life and you so made a guy.

this guy is sentient. reacts to stimuli. can definitely act independently because you cannot play as gooigi in 1p mode in the luigi's mansion 3ds port.

so like this is the main point of the post because it just messes me up soooo baddddd like i have never ever imagined gooigi as a tool even playing lm3 in 1p mode just because of the way that he like. is a separate guy from luigi. not really questionably. like when you collect something as one the other will still react (even if you're only controlling luigi while gooigi is out of the tank, gooigi'll give a little thumbsup yknow). the several cutscenes where gooigi just acts on his own independently of luigi like right after you beat king boo + the ending + several of the credits photos if my memory serves correctly. that's a guy. so hearing e gadd be like "oh man this person i made has his own thoughts and feelings and doesnt listen to me sometimes. i think i will possess him." is just like. was that really the only option. did you HAVE to do that.

like i'm sorry this is becoming just mainly pictures but 😭😭 wow so crazy how embedding a chip in someone to control them will stop them from acting independently and doing what they would normally do if they could control their actions... and like the fact he landed on POSSESSION of all things as the best way to control gooigi like 😭😭 this kinda shit's always happening to guys who's names end in uigi

also like kind of unrelated but can you imagine being luigi and finding out about this? like "wow you used my dna to make a guy and then spent hours of rigorous testing trying to and eventually succeeding in quashing his free will so you could possess it to hunt ghosts? thats nice" he doesnt actually know about this as far as i'm aware but it's the principal of the thing :-( i feel like it would upset him

ANYWAYS point is i like gooigi and always imagined him as like being his own character so the research journal fucks me up a little 💀 top ten moments that really cement e gadd's status as a fucked up scientist.

in general to me i feel like he definitely got meaner over the years :-( which makes me kind of sad because in lm1 his main goal definitely seemed to be like..helping luigi LOL. like he saved his life and seemed genuinely concerned when he found out about mario being a real man who has since been captured. and he helped luigi to get mario back without it feeling necessarily like his primary goal was in his own self interest. but a lot of his dialogue just feels really mean in dark moon and lm3 goes like almost the opposite way. this section in particular always stood out to me as feeling out of character compared to him in the original

and like i could be wrong about dark moon because i've never played it but just like reading the dialogue on the wiki was like 😬😬 he was SOOO mean to luigi like

reading half of these was just like man if i were him i would have cried i'm serious 😭

and this is of course not to say that i hate e gadd in general but i will admit to not really liking him much after dark moon

[potentiallypolyglot]

Plans for Career Change

Alright guys. I have a decent job in management and sales right now. And you know what, its a decent job, but I really have no passionate for it. The days are repetitive and I spend a lot of time saying and doing the exact same things day in and day out. Having little to no underlying passion for what I do takes a toll and I don’t want to do this forever. I’ve been with the company for 5 and a half years and in my current position for a year and a half. Really the only things keeping me here is fear of change, lack of a standing alternate job offer, and (the big one) not wanting to feel guilty for “abandoning” my team/the company. Which are not reasons that I can justify forever.

Lately, I’ve been contemplating what I really want and what I would actually enjoy. What can I do that won’t just feel like tomorrow and tomorrow creeping in a petty pace from day to day? The one thing that has been a consistent passion of mine is languages. I always took it up from time to time and it was the constant I returned to. At this point, all I have to show for my hobby of an effort is a fading B1 certification in Spanish, scraps of phrases in languages I abandoned, and over 300 days on Duolingo in Chinese (more substantial is the progress I have made from watching cdramas and extrapolating phrases).

That being said, I’ve decided to pursue a career in Chinese translation. I’m obviously far from qualified, so for the first time, I’m decided to dedicate a concentrated effort to actually learning Chinese (Mandarin) and being able to read, write, listen, and speak it effectively. So I am making this announcement here to hold myself to some standard of accountability. I will make clear and measureable goals in the near future and also post my progress and what I am learning. I don’t feel that I can share with the people around me bc it is such a distant thing at this point and I don’t want threats of desertion to get back to my current job. But I want to stick to it and I know the first step is to share one’s goals. Last night I did research and began my journey. Today is Day 1.

My big, long-term goal  as of now is to get certified by the American Translator’s Association since this will lend me credibility considering my lack of formal education in this area. (Going back to college is not an option for several reasons at this point). I would like to achieve this by Fall 2024. I understand that for all intents and purposes, this goal is lofty and unrealistic, but I’m excited about it and will be satisfied with a shoot for the moon, land among the stars approach.

Final word, if anyone works in Chinese->English translation or a related field or is pursuing this career or field and has any words of advice, I’m more than open to hearing it! Thanks!

[thelostrainbowthenovel]

Antagonist: Argento Mercury

The second post about the antagonist! Originally had started a different version of this in my drafts six months ago, but I never really touched it since then. As was going to be mentioned, I have felt more comfortable during the past year to share more about the main antagonist, as while my original intention was to keep them a secret till the actually story comes out, I have technically already shared snippets about him already.

So, get ready to hate this guy! This is just his basic information for now since I still need to draw his official reference, but hope you still enjoy reading!

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

- King Argento Mercury

. Age: 25

. Gender: male

. Sexuality: straight

. Family: father, (deceased)mother, older sister

. Relationships: Crowned Princess Talia Neptune(former fling, still currently pursuing)

. Abilities: metal magic(natural), hand-to-hand combat, sword-fighting

. Physical Appearance: tall with a well-built and muscular build, straight and shoulder-length silver hair, tanned skin, dark gray eyes

King of the Kingdom of Melor, the cursed to be forgotten fifth kingdom. Since he was born he was raised in only the most cutthroat and merciless environment, one that did not leave room for softer emotions or anything deemed as “weakness”. Argento himself has grown to be very cunning and ruthless, doing whatever he deems necessary to achieve his goals and get what he wants, and cares little for the feelings of others he may hurt along the way. He does recognize his behavior as cruel, but with the attitude instilled in him from his older family members and his kingdom's general bitterness towards others and goals of becoming the strongest over all the other countries, it is the only way of thinking he knows. He is intelligent in many areas, most notably battle strategies and is always calculating his next moves carefully. He is entirely unforgiving and unforgivable, but he does have somewhat of a small soft spot only for those he deems the most loyal to him, such as his older sister. His hunger for power and domination has allowed him to recently become the new king, as he managed to beat his father in a duel for the throne. Melor traditionally follows an "upon death" line of succession, but heirs can duel their predecessors for the throne if wanted or needed. Such is the case for Argento, as when he was building up his strength he planned on beating his father to put his plans into full action without his father potentially preventing him. He still recognizes his father is a powerful and strong man to have on his side, so he still keeps him and his sister close for a form of "council" with his plans, as they help him out.

When he was 22 he decided to venture out of Melor to spend the summer in Versuvia, the melting pot country of the mainland, to conduct some research on how to bring his kingdom back into prominence. While there he met Crowned Princess Talia Neptune, who was also in the country on a trip her and her graduating class got to take. They hit it off fairly well at first, both charmed and interested in the other, and soon entered into a little fling together. It was pretty fun and exciting for the first several weeks, though Talia was never really aware of his royal background or Melor in general, just assuming him to be some rich hunk and never thought to look into who he was further. As he was enticed by her spirit and magic, he thought that with his "help" he could help her expand upon and broaden the range of her power beyond the vanity she most often displayed it as at the time. This is when she started to notice the red flags about him, and when he wanted for her to come back to Melor with him, she refused. This caused some pretty big verbal fights and hurtful words to happen between the two, which all escalated to the point where during one particular fight Talia impulsively slapped him in an attempt to get him away. Needless to say she was very scared after that point, quickly packing her things up and heading back home as soon as possible. Even if heavily implied from their fights, there was never an official breakup between the two. Argento noticed this, and as he was never taught the proper ways of romantic love he had a twisted obsession about her, one where he wanted her for himself but not necessarily for pure love or the like. He swore a "vengeance" on her after that fateful summer, and during the past three years since then he both became king and together with his family, has been putting together a plan to get her back.

[meditating-dog-lover]

Proving doctors wrong

I'm all about proving doctors wrong. Not actuall doctors who genuinely care for your health and wellness, I mean doctors who don't gaf about that and will push pharmaceuticals and surgery on you like you're some sort of compliant and uninformed guinea pig.

I've significantly healed myself since last year and I feel amazing. I did this by incorporating several healthy lifestyle habits. The only thing I want to address now is my eczema. To find the root cause (whether it's due to allergies, food sensitivities, or gut imbalances) is my remaining goal.

Of course some clueless doctors will call me a pseudoscientists because I reject the usage of topical steroids since they come with a bunch of side effects and have a low success rate. It makes me so mad when they dismiss more successful yet non-traditional treatments such as vitamin D and flaxseed oil and looking into allergies as "NoT eNoUgH eViDeNcE, trust me I went to med school!!". I know how debilitating and painful eczema can be. So it makes me angry when doctors prescribe temporary treatments and quick fixes that come with side effects even worse than eczema to patients with severe cases of the condition knowing it won't do shit except stop the itchiness and redness for an hour or 2.

The patient is left to suffer and feel absolutely clueless and hopeless because a severe skin condition is slowly sucking the life out of them. Eczema isn't caused by an obvious poor lifestyle choice like smoking, inactivity, drinking, or overeating junk food. The root cause is so obscure and can affect perfectly healthy people. So no one feels like they "deserve" it or "had it coming".

I'm not a doctor, but I'm a scientist and I know for a fact that steroid creams are bullshit. This is because they come with a ton of side effects such as skin thinning, photosensitivity, discoloration, and topical steroid withdrawal if you quit cold turkey. Also eczema is not skin deep and always has an internal root cause, whether it be inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, allergies, or stress. A topical cream will NOT fix that. My scientific background puts me at an advantage here because I will spend hours researching root cause medicine and will understand the scientific and biological mechanisms behind how they work. I can't imagine how frustrating it would be for a patient with no scientific nor medical knowledge who is desperate for a longterm solution and only have the choice to heavily rely on what their doctor recommends, Even if their recommendations are lazy, inadequate, or harmful.

My blood work shows I have elevated white blood cells, and I am convinced my eczema is heavily connected to this. I'm going to do an allergy test to get to the bottom of this. An allergic reaction can manifest itself as eczema.

Idk if any of my mutuals also struggle with eczema. But I hope my posts can help those who come across it and are suffering with the condition. I know how horrible it can be and I want longterm solutions and lifestyle changes as opposed to a simple steroid cream.

[oliviapas]

Writing Initiative #7

You have now had a chance to present your finalized body of work (2D, 3D, 4D, Reflective) to the class for feedback and discussion. As we conclude the semester, please write a summary of your experience as a final blog post, including responses to the following:

What have you learned about yourself doing this self-directed assignment?

What did you find to be the most difficult aspect of your chosen assignment? Creativity? Research? Connecting design to research? Craft? Organizational skills? Time management? Something else entirely?

What did you enjoy about this opportunity?

How would you rate your performance over the course of the semester?

Hindsight is 20/20. What would you do differently, now that you've had this opportunity to work this way?

I really enjoyed this class. I found I do fairly well without forced deadlines and I got some good practice in for creating my own deadlines and mostly being able to stick to them. I also experienced some pretty brutal setbacks so I learned I need to be able to give myself grace as well and space to figure those kind of issues out. I’m not super surprised that I did okay with time management, but I think given the issues I had with coding problems and then struggling to come up with an idea at the end, I am impressed I got everything done in time and to a level of execution I’m satisfied with.

I think creativity and leaving time for learning were probably the two things I struggled the most with. At first, I did pretty well with generating ideas, but then I had some snags for coming up with a full idea for 4D and then even more for 3D. At the beginning of the semester, I made some solid goals for deadlines for myself, but I did not leave myself time to learn, because I had several new programs to learn for my projects. Blender and p5.play were brand new to me and I set myself up with way too high expectations for what I could learn to do in the time we had.

Still, I’m really happy I actually was able to learn some new things for this course. I really appreciated the chance to see what workshop would be like next year, because I came out of this knowing that even though I could do and would enjoy workshop, I’d like to use the rest of my time at OCAD to keep learning. We had to focus on things we were passionate about for this course so I did a lot of computer stuff and coding, but that meant I used mostly things I already know, and I think there are a lot more aspects of design I’d like to learn more about to get a diverse education.

But overall, I think I did well this semester. I got everything done on time and consistently worked on this course every week, and I’m happy with the projects I made. SUPER proud that I finished the game! I think if I were to do it again, I’d try and be more experimental, since I did go fairly literal in some ways for my word. I’d consider myself a practical thinker and I like making things that do something and have a direct purpose, so I’m not sure I’m wired to make more experimentally, but this would have been a good opportunity to try it.

[katy-l-wood]

Rebinding paperbacks into hardbacks: a tutorial

I promised a tutorial about how I’ve been doing this, so here we go! First though, I must stress that I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL. I am making this up as I go based on several hours of research for a single project about ten years ago. But I needed a serotonin boost from a project I didn’t have to buy anything new for, so I decided to just throw myself back into book binding.

Are there people out there with better advice? Yup. Am I doing parts of thing wrong? Probably. But I’m also having tons of fun. So goal accomplished.

Just...don’t do this with any books you adore/rare books without digging deeper into the more professional side of this. Just for fun, okay? Okay.

This will be a pretty long post, so most of it will be under a cut!

First up: Supplies.

Your book! For this tutorial I’m using a copy of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater because I’ve ended up with three copies of it, so it’s perfect for this project.

Some clean scrap paper.

A cutting mat. If you don’t have one you can use some scrap corrugated cardboard (probably best to have a couple layers, if you do it this way), however the mat is nice because it has angles marked on it which will be important for later.

Rubber cement. (Technically, spray glue would probably be better, but I didn’t have any spray glue so it would’ve violated my rule of “do not spend anything on this project.)

Craft glue.

Ruler.

Scissors.

Creasing tool. Alternatively, a pen with a flat, slightly rounded bottom edge can work well too.

Sandpaper.

Pencil

Water cup.

Ribbon, if you want to do a bookmark.

Papertowels.

Paint pallet you don’t mind getting glue on. A sturdy paper plate works fine too.

A charm for your bookmark, if you want one.

Some kind of book board to form your covers. You can use a lot of things for this including thick, sturdy, non-corrugated cardboard, cereal box cardboard glued together in layers, wood, or actual book board that you purchase online. I am using some chipboard that was used to stabilize and protect something I ordered online. It works FANTASTICALLY. I always hang onto this stuff when I get a package that has it.

Some brushes you aren’t afraid to ruin with glue.

Heavy duty box cutter (if you’re using wood, you may need some sort of saw).

Exacto knife.

Something to form your spine. Again, you have a lot of options here. I am using some faux-leather I had laying around, which I’ve found works best. If you use a regular fabric you’ll have to hem it, and use a fabric friendly glue that won’t come up through the fabric, which is not covered here.

3-4 sheets of scrapbook paper. Thicker cardstock papers work best for their sturdiness, but you can use lighter weight papers as well, you just have to be careful how you glue things so the lighter papers don’t warp.

Letter stickers if you want to do a title on on the cover. There’s lots of other ways to do titles, though, so it’s up to you.

(sorry, forgot to add this in the picture) 6 small binder clips. Like, the half inch sized ones.

(No picture again, sorry!) Something heavy to set on top of your book while it is drying. I just used a box of acrylic paints.

Whew. Okay, onto the actual tutorial.

Step one: Measure and cut your boards.

Measure your book, and then add 1/8-1/4inch to each side EXCEPT the spine. So, if your book is 5x8inches, you’ll want to measure out 5.25x8.5inches. The 1/8-1/4inch part is up to you. I prefer to do 1/4 inch because I like to see a bit of the endpapers even when the book is closed.

Cut out two of these rectangles from your cover material using a ruler to guide the cut and your boxcutter. With chipboard, this will likely take several cuts. I put about half an inch between each rectangle just so that if I mess up a cut I’ll only ruin one of the rectangles, not both.

Congrats, you now have your two covers! Sand down any stray bits on the edges from cutting and you’re good to go. At this point, you can do whatever you want to the things. Paint them. Collage on them. Paper them. Woodburn them. Totally up to you. Just remember, at least half an inch of the spine side will be covered by your spine material, and the insides will be covered by your endpapers, so don’t put anything important there! For this tutorial we’ll only be covering the paper wrapping method, but you really can do whatever you like.

Step 2: Wrap ‘em in pretty paper.

If you are using lighter paper, you’ll use rubber cement for this step. If you are using thicker cardstock, you can use craft glue, but it MUST be watered down (about 1part glue, 2parts water in your paint tray). If you have a printer that is big enough for scrapbook paper, you can also print titles onto the paper before you attach it to the boards. This is what I did for Hunger Pangs. If you do this, you just have to be very careful with your positioning when placing the board so that your title lines up properly!

Take your first sheet of cover paper and lay it face down. Then, take one of your cover boards and apply an even coat of glue all across one face. Plop that down on the boring side of your scrapbook paper, with a couple inches of room on each side, and press it firmly for a couple minutes.

Next, trim down your paper with the exacto knife so it is even on all sides. I honestly just lay my ruler against the edge of the board, then cut along the other edge of the ruler. Quick and easy, no measuring required, and it will be exactly the same every time.

Now trim off all the corners at a 45degree angle, leaving about 1/8inch between the corner of your board and the cut. This is where the cutting mat comes in handy, since it already has these angles marked for you. If you don’t have one, you can just measure out the angles on your own.

Now, use the smoothing tool of choice to carefully and gently fold over each of your edges. Emphasis on gently. Then, using the same glue you used to secure the front side, glue down the edges one at a time. You’ll probably have to hold them in place for a minute or two to make sure they stick.

Congrats on completing the first cover! Now repeat the process for the other one. Again, you can do whatever you want to it at this point. I added a second layer of paper feathers to mine because, well, it’s the Raven Cycle. Feathers and trees.

Step 3: Attach the book.

Lay your backcover down in the proper position, and coat it with watered down craft glue (not rubber cement). For this you want your glue a little thicker, so about 1part glue 1part water. Don’t go quite all the way to the edges, except on the spine side.

Apply book. Make sure it is centered top/bottom, and the spine of the book is lined up with the spine side of your board. Press firmly, then put your weighted box/other books/whatever, on top and let dry for at least fifteen minutes.

Next, apply glue to the front cover of the book, and attach your new cover on top. Again, make sure everything lines up properly, then press firmly for a few minutes before putting your weights on top. Let dry for an hour.

Step 4: Give it some spine.

You can work on this during the hour your book is drying. I’m doing this with faux leather (which, I know, evil plastic, hissssss. But it was what I had laying around in my art hoard from before I knew how crappy faux leather is. Better to use it than throw it out).

Measure the width of your book with the two new covers included. Then add 3/4inches to the width on each side. Measure the length of your book, and then add 2x whatever you added when you cut out your boards to each end. So if you added 1/4inch to each edge in that step, add 1/2inch at the top and bottom each in this step. If you added 1/8inch in that step, add 1/4inch in this step.

Cut that baby out using scissors. (You can also add more than 3/4inches to the width of your new spine, it just depends on the look you’re going for. You can also have fun with the edges, rather than making them straight, as long as you keep that 3/4inches as your minimum and expand out from there.)

Once you’ve given your book its hour of drying time, remove the weights. Using a line of pure craft glue, secure the first edge of your spine in place. Make sure it is centered with an even amount hanging over the top and bottom. Only about 1/2inch of the long edge of the leather should be in contact with the book. Put the weight back on top and let sit for about fifteen minutes.

If you want to attach a ribbon bookmark, now is the time, after that 15 minutes of drying. Cut out your ribbon about 4 inches longer than your book, apply the charm if you want to, and then glue about two inches of it to the outside of the paperback’s original spine using pure craft glue.

Flip your book, and glue down the other side of your new spine the same way, making sure it is even with the front cover. Don’t pull it too tight, or it will keep your book from closing properly. Place it back under your weight and let dry for an hour.

Once dry, apply a line of pure craft glue to the little bit hanging off one end. Don’t make it too thick! Just enough to cover the leather well.

Now fold over the leather so it wraps around to the inside, and use the binder clips to hold it in place. Wipe off any excess glue that gets pushed out, then let dry for an hour.

Step 5: Endpapers!

While that’s drying, cut out your endpapers! You’ll likely only need one piece of scrapbook paper for this, but it depends on the size of your book and if you want to do anything special with the pattern you’re using. Again, if you want to you can use your printer to put text on these.

If you want to have your endpaper covering BOTH the inside of the cover and the first page of the book (and the last page/inside of the cover for the back) you’ll have to do some careful measuring to cut things out and you will need two pieces of scrapbook paper for this. But I like to keep things simple and just cover the insides of the covers, not the first/last pages too, so I just use two simple rectangles. You’ll want to cut them about 1/16inches SHORTER than the measurements of your new covers.

Once the spine is done drying, remove the binder clips and check that your endpapers fit properly and aren’t hanging over the edge. You may have to trim them slightly. Once the size is right, glue them into place using rubber cement. Use your smoothing tool to press down the edges. Do this for the front and back. Put back under weight for another hour.

You’re done!

Congrats on your new book! Enjoy it.

[blindbeta]

I have a question! Thank you for existing I deeply appreciate it. I was wondering if it is possible for a blind person to be able to read by learning the shape of raised letters, rather than braille. I ask because I have a situation in which it is reasonable that the blind character would know this, if possible, and the person they are travelling with is completely illiterate.I thought it might be interesting if the seeing character could describe the letters, or find a way to texture them so the blind character could tell them what something says. I have done a great deal of research for this character, but this is the one part I can't find a clear answer for. Thank you very much.

Good question, nonnie.

The short answer is, maybe? It would depend on the time period and location of your characters.

Since you want both characters to read, I’ll assume this culture has a formal writing system in place and values written communication.

A Brief History

In order to address this, allow me to offer a brief history of Braille. Because what you’re describing is exactly what happened in France before Braille was invented. This informative video summarizes it pretty well. Here is the text version of the video. The video mentions the embossed letter or raised type method of reading that was used at the time. It was difficult to read and the letters had to be very large in order to be understood, making it harder to read words and sentences. Reading must have been very slow.

According to this page on the National Braille Press website, reading this way required slowly tracing raised print letters. To write, one had to memorize the shapes and try to create them on paper, although they could not read the results.

Creating books was even more difficult. According to this page, [quote] “teacher Valentin Haüy made books with raised letters by soaking paper in water, pressing it into a form and allowing it to dry. Books made using this method were enormous and heavy, and the process was so time-consuming that l'Institution Royale des Jeunes Aveugles, or the Royal Institution for Blind Youth, had fewer than 100 of them when Louis Braille was a student there.” [End quote]

Braille books are already notorious for taking up several volumes. Large print books are only a little better. Textbooks used in schools take up several shelves to translate one print textbook.

Individual use and traveling with these things must have been impossible for the everyday person, even if you were a student.

Also, in this video by blind YouTuber Molly Burke, at the 9:05 time-stamp she answers the question: why don’t we raise print letters for blind people? She explains that it took too long to read and is not as efficient as Braille.

In the interest of time, I’ll try to keep this brief. The transition from the raised print letters to Braille was not a smooth one.

In 1826, first embossed letters published in English was James Gall’s triangular alphabet. Read about it and other systems here.

Another source says Gall’s writing system was introduced in 1831. The system did not gain much popularity outside of Endinburgh.

According to this page: [quote] “In 1832 The Society of Arts for Scotland held a competition for the best embossed type. There were 15 entries but Edmund Fry’s alphabetical system of roman capitals triumphed. Shortly afterwards John Alston began printing at the Glasgow Asylum for the Blind using a slightly modified version of Fry’s design. “Alston type” proved popular and inspired similar forms across Europe and North America.” [end quote]

None of these really caught on outside of certain areas.

In 1821, Charles Barbier was invited to the Royal National Institute For Blind Youth in Paris to demonstrate his Night Writing invention, which was developed for soldiers to read in the dark. It was too difficult to read and so was not used by soldiers, nor did it end up being used by the blind schools. However, a young Louis Braille was in the audience and was inspired.

In 1825, Braille thought he had figured out a good system of writing.

In 1829, he published the first Braille alphabet.

1834 - Braille is invited to Exposition of Industry in Paris, which extended the popularity of the Braille system.

1846- a school for the blind in Amsterdam starts using Braille’s system.

In 1852, Louis Braille dies.

1854- Royal National Institute For Blind Youth officially adopt Braille as official system after fighting it for years.

Because Braille didn’t take hold as quickly in Britain, the British and Foreign Blind Association, all of whom were blind, voted in 1870. They decided Braille was the best system. Braille quickly fell into use all over the world with the exception of the United States. By 1882, the embossed letter system was over.

In the U.S, from 1868-1918, the New York Point system was used. American Braille (developed by a blind teacher named Joel W. Smith) was also used from 1878 to 1918, when the U.S switched the standardized English Braille.

Would Your Character Know Raised Type?

Remember how I said you might be able to do this depending on the time period and place?

If you have French characters, you can used the raised type method as you described in your ask if the story takes place before, probably, 1825. It would be reasonable for your character to know the raised type method if they had attended a blind school before the Braille method was adopted in 1854. Between roughly 1829 and 1854, the French blind character attending school would know about the Braille system and probably complain about their school not teaching it despite Braille himself teaching there.

Similarly, they could used raised type depending on where the story is set, when the character attended school, and what system was in place at the time. If the story is a fantasy, you could make up a history similar to what I described above, although it would be important to have schools for the blind and have Braille or the equivalent be created by a blind character.

Remember that your blind character needs to learn the raised type method if you want them to use it.

If Braille would be available in real life (such as a more modern setting), I would prefer a blind character use Braille instead. Which is why I tried to offer alternatives that were historically justified.

I don’t feel very comfortable with a blind character having to use a raised type method rather than another system, because Braille literacy is declining nowadays and something about learning a raised type method over Braille (or other system, depending on where you set the story and what they were using at the time) doesn’t sit right with me. Your character doesn’t have to use Braille specifically, but I would rather they use the system that is available to blind people at that time. For example, if your story is set in the United States, it would be fine to use American Braille or the New York Point, depending on the time period.

If your story is modern, blind people can usually read raised print letters on signs, such as for the bathroom. In fact, a lot of people who can’t read Braille get by this way. However, keep in mind that we have screen-readers and audiobooks now. People aren’t reading entire texts or even many words with this method.

As for other countries, I tried my best to research what places, such as Japan, used before Braille. For several reasons, including the European-centric search results that keep coming up over and over again, finding the correct information is proving difficult. In some cases, previous methods may have unfortunately been lost due to colonization. It is important that we acknowledge that.

I feel that it would be easier to leave the research up to you since you know where you want to set your story and your own personal background, historical knowledge, etc.

Keep in mind that not all blind people in the world had access to formal education, depending on the place, time, their social class, etc. If you want your blind character to know how to read, you’ll need to find or create a setting that allows for it.

Generally, I would prefer blind characters use methods designed for blind people, whatever that happens to be in that time or culture. Prioritizing the other characters’ needs and having a blind character learn raised type over Braille when Braille actually exists in the story doesn’t work for me.

Like always, I suggest having more than one blind character in the story to avoid tokenism. Also, since your character is going to teach another character, be sure to show your blind character’s needs and goals as well.

I hope this helps. Feel free to message me or send another ask. I am not a historian and so if anyone wants to correct anything, such as dates, or provide any relevant knowledge, please feel free. I tried my best with this question. I would be grateful for help if anyone has more information!

-BlindBeta

[moonsdancer]

Only if you want and please don’t feel obligated to answer if it makes you uncomfortable or you just think of it as boring!

MelJay

Pre-relationship 3,4,5?

General 4 & 6?

Love 7

Melco

General 1, 6, 7

Love 10

MelJayVik

Pre-relationship 6

Love 10

Domestic Life 9 & 10

Thanks for your time!

Let's do this! Thank you for the ask!

Warning: I really ramble on too much, I'm so sorry but this was fun, and it was like a writing exercise for me. I did all three, yay.

meljay

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

3.Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

Elora, if only because it's been endlessly tiresome to watch Mel make calf-eyes at the Talis boy wonder and flirting with him, sighing wistfully at the random advertisements that pop up all over the city with his grinning visage on them, and with increasing frequency and obviousness over the years. But part of her is really concerned about it because it becomes increasingly clear as the years pass that Mel's losing sight of their goal -- doing whatever it takes to gain favour and pardon from the Clan and return to Noxus -- taken as she is by Piltover, the person she's becoming in Piltover, and its other attractions of which Jayce Talis is undoubtedly one.

Viktor, because he can only take so much of Jayce getting distracted in the middle of presentations because he's too busy mooning at Councilor Medarda before it gets annoying as hell. He's also been forced to listen to several drunken rants about how there's "no way a woman like that" would look twice at him. And while Viktor's not an expert on these matters, he's a very good observer. It's fairly obvious the councilor isn't immune to Jayce.

Ximena has met Mel a few times over the years, at the launch of the Hexgates and a few balls and banquets to which Jayce tends to bring his mother as a date. The first time she witnessed her son in Mel's presence, she knew what was up. She doesn't push, after all, who knows how young people do courtship these days, but she hopes that one of them will see the light and get on with it.

Finally, Harold, who started working for Mel's personal office security detail after the events of episode 3. He's seen the young'uns around each other a time or two, and wonders when the Talis lad will put his big boy pants on already.

4.Who felt romantic feelings first?

Well, Jayce has been nursing a crush since the moment outside Heimerdinger's office but he convinced himself over the years that he didn't have much of a chance. Mel admitted to herself that she has romantic (not merely lustful attraction) feelings around year 3 or 4.

5.Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

Yup. Jayce, for aforementioned reasons. Mel because she's constantly aware of their differing social status, even as Jayce starts to ascend into Piltovan high society as the city's golden boy. She doesn't want to feel like she's taking advantage, or like she's doing the sort of thing she was taught to do back in Noxus. Maybe if Jayce wasn't Jayce, she could. But there's something about him that makes her not want to.

GENERAL

4.Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

Nope. Mel's had liaisons over the years with people that run in her circles. Nothing serious or significant but enough to scratch any itches she might have. Before, in Noxus, before she was banished, there had been someone, a girl who was training as a healer for the Medarda armies but she'd been barely more than a child then.

Jayce has had some relationships but he was always so focused on his research and cracking hextech that nothing's ever developed beyond the casual. He has had a number of hook-ups, though. I like @eddawrites angle on this - all those conference are festivals of f*cking, and sometimes he's just got to let off some steam, and the forge doesn't quite do the trick. Also, as he'd gotten more famous, a lot of people threw themselves at him, so he went through a bit of a rake phase but got over it eventually.

6.What’s their relationship with each other’s families? Do they share a friend group?

Well, Jayce is lowkey scared of Elora because he's never quite understood whether she's just Mel's companion, or a secretary, or a bodyguard but either way it's like she can see right through him every time he made excuses to come to Mel's office for some "advice" during the time skip. And well, he's just met Ambessa, but yikes. The more he gets to know Ambessa and see how Mel is around her, how much smaller she sometimes seems, the less he likes her. And he didn't like her much to begin with.

Mel's obviously met Ximena but they don't have a close relationship yet. Mel's charmed by how kind, gentle yet brave Ximena is, right from the day she stepped up to save her son, something her own mother never did for her. She's seen how close Jayce is to her and sometimes she feels twinges of envy. Eventually, they'll be very close, and Mel will get to experience motherly hugs that don't feel like they're serrated.

LOVE

7.What are their favorite things to do together?

Jayce loves watching Mel paint. Sometimes he brings out one of his instruments, and strums gently while she does so. They're both constantly busy so having moments of quiet intimacy is important. Cuddling is key for a somewhat touch-starved Mel. Attending starchy high society functions so they can find a comfy spot to talk shit about everyone in attendance is also a top fave activity (see: ep5) -- if they tend to disappear at some point during these events for some private time, well, hopefully no one marks it.

melco

(I'm using maybe elements of the unfinished AU for this)

GENERAL

1.Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

Mel. She can be very pushy. Almost every step of the way it's been her inserting herself into Silco's orbit with the aim of making herself indispensable in some way so they can work together to build an empire and destroy Piltover. Of course, she doesn't initiate it with any romantic delusions, this is about power, and they both understood that. And Silco unexpectedly enjoys the oddity of being both the spider and the fly in this strange dynamic of theirs.

6.What’s their relationship with each other’s families? Do they share a friend group?

Jinx, who has been observing her father's weird relationship with the piltie woman, makes an assassination attempt on Mel. Mel, who's been fending off such things since she was barely out of diapers quickly neutralises the threat and befriends Jinx. She recognises little bits of herself in this little girl, and they form a bond. Mel shows her cool ways to braid her hair and they do a lot of messy painting in Mel's studio.

In this AU, there's no Elora, so Mel is very much alone.

7.Who takes the lead in social situations?

They're both dangerous, brilliant, savvy operators in their own right and both have their distinct domains. Mel leads in Piltover, Silco does the same in Zaun. In spaces where they're both players, e.g. the illicit underground parties that Amara holds, to which both of them are invited, they work as a deadly team.

LOVE

10.Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

This is interesting because they have a kinship somewhat. While Mel is touch starved but was raised in a martial society where affection was not easily given or received, Silco is somewhat touch-averse and has lived the kind of life where he understands most touch to be accompanied by some form of violence. Of course, when he adopted Jinx, he started to open up more but she's his daughter. With Mel, their physicality is raw, kind of needy when they allow it, with underlying violence that works for both of them.

These two are probably the most talkative characters in this show besides Heimer - as in, they know how to play with words, to threaten, to convince and manipulate, to cajole etc. But while they do engage in wordplay, they rarely show affection with each other verbally. That would be too much. Too vulnerable. They're both too cunning and ruthless for that.

meljayvik

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

6.If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

Jayce would be over the moon, and completely unsurprised. These are two people he cares about a great deal so of course they're his soulmates. And he's going to keep them. FOREVER.

Viktor would be lowkey confused and irked. He's committed to science, to building a legacy of his own, to proving everyone who told him he'd not amount to anything wrong. He has survived as long as he has by avoiding messy emotional entanglements and now he has not just one but TWO soulmates?? What on earth is he to do with them? But maybe, maybe, underneath, the lonely kid who had no friends or companions - maybe that kid is thrilled.

Mel would be somewhat alarmed because soulmates are deemed a serious liability in Noxus. To have a person who is your greatest weakness personified means they can easily be a weapon used against you, to compromise you. But there's also a part of her that's relieved. The part of her that's still the girl who wanted to paint the world in gold, the girl who's deeply heartbroken because her own family didn't love her enough to protect her. And that girl dreamed of a soulmate, and now, she might have two.

LOVE

10.Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

Jayce is so at ease with offering affection, both verbally and physically. It's one of his greatest superpowers. Him being so open and generous in that way creates space for Viktor and Mel to learn. For different reasons, Mel and Viktor are starved for physical affection, although Viktor is much worse at asking for/reaching for it - so it's up to the other two to tug him in close, or rub at his aching shoulders, or rest their heads in his lap.

DOMESTIC LIFE

9.Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

Mel is a cuddler, and she's never really had to keep early hours like academics do, so she's pretty good at convincing both of them to come back to bed and let her be the middle spoon.

10.Who’s the better cook?

Jayce, without a doubt. Ximena made sure her son had two things to carry him through life - excellent hygiene and decent cooking skills. Jayce also likes being quite adventurous with his palette, experimenting with flavour and inventing strange combinations that often work out pretty well. Viktor has some recipes that his parents used to make, and he does a fair job at them but he tends to be very pedantic about following recipes. Because of all the medication he takes, he's not got the best palette either so sometimes his stuff can taste... questionable. Mel cannot cook, she's never had to learn, really. But she's good with a knife (her weapon and painting implement of choice) so if they're cooking together, she gets put on chopping duty.