#Nonlinear dynamics.

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Seeking Rogue Wave Origins

Rogue waves -- rare waves much larger than any surrounding waves -- have long been a part of sailors' tales, but their existence has only been confirmed relatively recently. The exact mechanisms behind them are still a matter of debate.  (Image credit: S. Baisch; research credit: A. Toffoli et al.; via APS Physics) Read the full article

[puppppppppy]

Been LOVING your lil magician folks recently please continue they're beautiful and very cute and cool and also very well-designed!! 🥺❤️

thank you for the kind words !!! im not much of a writer, but i do have some sort of story in mind for them.. theyre bitter rivals who end up as roommates bc of their scatterbrained elderly landlord lol

[aimwigs]

guys im so excited about this fic i think it's the best thing ive written since see your light shine

[calcichel]

What the hell does this mean

MIRROR/SENTENCE LUIS CAMNITZER // 1966-68 [vacuum-formed polystyrene mounted on– synthetic board | 18 4/5 x 24 3/5 x 1/2”]

[thepolymathexcuse]

Weeklies: Further

Happy Monday to everyone!

Our productivity stepped down a notch this past week, but that might have stemmed from a few other things, such as lack of motivation over certain topics due to an inefficient weekly planning and the looming anxiety over the job applications I sent a week prior. My lack of control over social media and phone usage in some moments to cope up with this anxiety also might have been a big factor. However, since we consider everything (and I am not exaggerating when I say every single thing I do) an instrument for learning and growth, I guess our productivity doesn't really define the things we learned this week. So, without further ado, here's our summary of how this wonderful week went.

Last week's new learnings:

A. Online Courses

I finally finished the last training video of the Dr. Mendoza series with the title "Basic Concepts and Impacts of Climate Change in Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources." [1] That means we can move forward to the next phase of this project: distilling the knowledge we learned from the four videos and connecting them in different activities you will be reading soon in this blog. The training title already defines the knowledge contained in this training. It provided definitions and connections between climate change and all related terms like greenhouse gases (GHGs) and global warming, as well as delved into the factors that affect climate change, and how climate change impacts several important aspects of our modern lives such as agriculture, health, natural resources, weather patterns, and biodiversity. Furthermore, what really brought me the most attention was the part that presented the international and national (Philippines) approaches on addressing climate change. Besides having a recalling of the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol, I was also introduced to other initiatives such as:

the REDD [Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and (forest) Degradation], which is an initiative developed by the UNFCC that works by providing incentives to developing countries to slow down rates of deforestation, which the organization inferred to be the main cause of around 17-20% of the increase in total carbon emissions within 5 years;

NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) which allows individual nation-states to provide their conditional and non-conditional commitments in developing their own ambitious plan to reduce their carbon emissions; and

the "cap-and-trade" market based mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol that manages GHGs emissions of participating countries.

Moreover, I learned that the Philippines had its own activities in contributing to combating the effects of climate change. This includes their NDC plan of cutting our GHG emissions by up to a whopping 75%! You read that right. The Philippines really took it to heart when the parties under the Paris Agreement said "ambitious." How are we doing this, so far? The Climate Change Act of 2009 led to the creation of the Climate Change Commission, which is the primary agency of our government reporting under the Office of the President tasked to coordinate efforts relating to climate change mitigation as stated by the law. This then led to the formation of a strategic plan that is contained within the National Climate Change Action Plan from 2011 to 2028. [2, 3, 4, 5]

Another key takeaway for me is this: although developed countries contribute significantly higher percentages to the total carbon emissions worldwide, it is more practical and less expensive to limit the GHG emissions of developing countries instead rather than to completely change the already-established system of the developed nations. The first thought that came to my mind was this: developing countries are already suffering more from the worsening effects of climate change and yet we are still asked to adjust for the sake of these wealthy nations. However, the international initiatives such as the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol, allows the wealthy countries to provide financial support to the developing nations to compensate for the reduced GHG emissions, which to me, seems like a win-win situation for both parties. But the most surprising thing about these initiatives is that they're completely voluntary, and although as unfortunate as it sounds, it became even clearer to me that the key to actually combating climate change to save our species from eventual extinction really lies in the hands of those currently in power.

B. Scientific Articles

I'm still working my way towards this article on the "Tipping elements of the Earth's climate system" but I'm slowly coming to terms with the concepts contained in the article. It's a slow process but this leads me to realize that I actually do not have the necessary foundation in order to easily understand this topic in greater detail and in a faster rate, because the mathematical derivation of how a tipping element is defined had connections with topics such as bifurcation theory or maybe even nonlinear system dynamics (which is offered in MIT Open Course Ware for free!). [6] Additionally, I had to tweak my learning strategy especially on hard topics like this, and I learned that digital notes is not the way to go. Instead I wrote down in a notebook in order for me to digest the information more carefully and connect the ideas better. Plus, you can never really go wrong with the aesthetics of a pretty handwriting! It also made me realize that I have to revisit my foundational knowledge on chemistry, biology, mathematics, and physics in order for me to fully advance with my areas of interest. It makes me wonder how ineffective of a student I must have been during my years of schooling to actually not have these basic knowledge drilled into me. I don't fully blame myself though because when I told this story to my friend (hi Ana!), it also revealed the areas for improvement on our education system solely focused on the students getting good grades. But I'm already here, so I'm trying to make sense of this article one way or another with whatever I already have. Who knows, maybe in the near future, I'll find time to solidify this foundational knowledge that would greatly benefit me if I ever pursue graduate studies.

C. Other areas of learning Note: Since I consider my thinking as an avenue for learning, I am abandoning the last section on my 'realizations' and instead write about them under this particular section.

I am having a hard time reading through a 567-page thriller novel called Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Reading a hundred pages in a span of a week is too slow for my usual reading. One of the intriguing reasons I could think of as to why this is happening is that I am taking too much time analyzing the book. It was supposedly just a leisurely activity, but here I am trying to analyze the characters' development and connections, how the setting affects the overall plot, the language being used, and the patterns that continually present themselves as I go deeper into the novel. I made it an intellectual activity, and although it might seem weird to others (and completely over-the-top or OA as the current trend refers to it), I actually find this fascinating and I might create an informal analysis about the novel in the future. It got crazy to the point that I even had a nightmarish dream of this Annabelle doll attacking me during the wee hours (at 3:00-3:30, I know, what a coincidence) of Saturday morning, which led me to eventually jump out of bed, and forgo sleep during that morning. That's how terrified I was! It might be because I used the Hemingway bridge technique in order for me to look forward to the next few pages, kind of like how telenovelas or TV series use cliffhangers to hook their audience for the next episodes. I stopped reading the book Friday afternoon at a particularly terrifying page with no actual conclusion as to what happens next. My mind must've been too eager to find out what's next; hence, it stayed within my subconscious and decided to attack me in the form of a nightmare. Well, guess what? Getting up that early on a Saturday morning means I got nothing to do but continue the next few pages, leading to me eventually finishing the novel's second part, which leaves us the last chapter to finish (equivalent to more or less 200 pages). [7]

Doing some of the learning activities within the Dr. Mendoza series led me to realize that the Geographic Information System (GIS) might be analogous with a Second Brain. The GIS software does exactly what a Second Brain does: (1) it captures data and stores it within the software's database; (2) it organizes data in a way that is readable for the system and accessible for the users of the software; (3) it distills data by manipulating it for spatial analysis; and (4) it expresses data through creating aesthetically pleasing maps based on the user's interpretation of the data. This leads us to believe that information or knowledge is just data that is captured, stored, organized, sometimes updated, and used in whatever purpose you desire. This is not a novel thought, but finding some analogy across two separate areas of my learning journey is a fun way to integrate the knowledge I'm learning. It kind of serves as a proof that what I'm trying to do (learning several areas at once) is not in vain.

This came from an Instagram comment I saw yesterday (Sunday, Oct. 20) and it read: "self-growth never ends, we should always be trying to become better people." It reminded me that there really is no end goal in the learning process. Sure, maybe some day, there might actually be an audience for this blog and the success of this blog might be defined by the metrics of how many people visit and read what I write about, but the process of learning itself technically doesn't have an end. Yes, some courses might have learning outcomes and checking off those course goals could lead to a finished course but learning doesn't stop there. In fact, gathering new knowledge only leads you to ask more questions, and therefore, creates even more avenues for learning. In my opinion, if you start to view learning and self-growth as another ambitious goal, you will never get the sense of achievement or satisfaction commonly associated with goals. This might sound depressing, but this doesn't mean you cannot celebrate your own milestones, such as finishing a course or just getting your way through a tough lesson you spent so much time on. No, you can celebrate all these because they are still considered victories, but they don't necessarily correspond to a finish line, because learning has no finish line of its own. Additionally, as we progress towards the future, research and innovation will continue to bring new knowledge that we soon need to learn. Again, this seems like a depressing thought: what's the point of learning anything if I'm not achieving any goal in particular? Well, to me, here's where the journey matters more than the destination. Isn't it fun that we live more every day knowing we tried to step a little bit further into the top? Isn't it comforting that as we gain more knowledge, we eventually become better versions of ourselves? Isn't it exciting that we're learning because we're making ourselves more competent and equipped to face the increasing difficulties of our daily lives? In moments of rest and stillness, you can further comfort yourself by zooming out and appreciating the many steps you've taken, the amount of knowledge you've gained along the years, and just think to yourself: look how far you've come.

This is another random thought while I was scrolling through social media and watching this video on why more people are in the phase of burning out: we really are a broken generation. It sounds awful, but social media, overconsumption of information, and overall the capitalist world we live in brings in many of the stressors we as a species experience almost surprisingly in a collective manner. The theory of evolution encompasses the notion that the more successful species eventually adapt to their surroundings in order to survive. I'm nowhere near being an expert in genetics, but maybe our bodies will eventually form new genes essential for coping with the current stressors of our modern society. That's how previous species overcame extinction and survived through the years: through genetic mutations that allowed them to build a better version of their species. It's a scary thought, but it could also be comforting for the ordinary person: eventually, we as a species will find ways to adapt and survive in our constantly changing world. [8, 9]

I'm also currently reading two books on meteorology, which is another introductory activity for a more detailed course in the future. We had a subject on hydrometeorology when I was in college, and reading through these allows me to recall the knowledge I learned during that time. I learned about the following: the theories on the origins of our planet's atmosphere; how climate affected several extinction events in the past; how geological and biological activity impacts the climate of a specific time period which also by the way, involves a lot of chemistry; early weather forecasting methods and the development of modern ways to tell the weather (I have my eyes on you, Robert Hooke!); and the different ways to classify climate. It also allowed me to recall the primary difference between climate and weather. Climate is highly based on patterns and can be predicted given the right data, but weather is highly variable and random and your prediction for the next three hours may actually change because of a single perturbation. I couldn't think of a better analogy so I'd like to borrow the words of J. Marshall Shepherd quoted from one of the books: "Climate is your personality; weather is your mood." [10, 11]

Finally, it's always fun to chat with some of my friends and the people around me, because they, too, are valuable in my journey of personal growth and polymathy.

Here are some of this week's bops and constant listens:

Southern by Sleeping at Last: I used this as my focus music during my read through of the tipping elements!

New Orleans by Parachute: romantic, because of certain events happening in my life

Important by Ian McConnell: A really creative take on optimistic nihilism, a philosophy I would not be able to embody but still can be a great source of ideals and values for living;

Euphoria by The Ridleys: I danced to this music one night, and I just felt the love overflowing from within me. Ah, what a beautiful memory.

These two odd collaborations by Charli XCX which gave me profound realizations: i think about it all the time (feat. bon iver) and i might say something stupid (feat. the 1975 and john hopkins).

A recently released jazzy instrumental version of one of my favorite Coldplay songs, that gave me all the feels there is to be felt: Sparks (Instrumental) by Evan Jacobson.

May Singil Ang Pangarap by Barefoot Theater and the cast of the Bar Boys musical: Instant regret because this led to a queue of songs from various musicals that I sang so loud one early evening, which eventually led to a sore throat the following days. Hah!

Horizon by yuragi: A shoegaze track from a Japanese band I found from one of my old playlists, which gave me feelings of transition, of becoming, of change, a topic I've recently been spiritually connected to during this current journey of healing.

Gale Song by The Lumineers feat. James Bay (Live from Wrigley Field): A live version of a track from the film score of the Catching Fire adaptation, sang by two wonderful folk artists, was an unexpected surprise to me. I didn't even know this version existed until Wednesday afternoon!

A Model of the Universe by Johann Johannson (from the film score of The Theory of Everything) and Chopin: Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. Posth. (sorry for the long title, I am not well versed in classical music notation!): these 2 tracks are the main reason why I got through pages of the Ghost Story novel! Fantastic background music.

Introduction to the Snow by Miracle Musical and Tally Hall: I found this I think last year from an Instagram reel about self harm, and it absolutely introduced me to a genre of music I didn't know I would appreciate. For me, it reminded me of the seasons of my life: how my journey can sometimes lead to challenging and enduring winters. I don't necessarily know if that was the artist's meaning of the song, but that's how it appeared to me. I searched for the song, and it was a track from a musical! What are the odds!

There's another long read, but I do hope you enjoyed the bits of here and there in my journey of learning and self growth. I'll see you next week!

Once again, I leave you this: keep wandering and chase what excites you!

---

Footnotes:

[1] Basic Concepts and Impacts of Climate Change in Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources; Link

[2] Public Registry for the Nationally Determined Contributions of different countries; Link

[3] Philippines' First NDC; Link

[4] Climate Change Act of 2009 (RA 9729); Link

[5] Official website of the Climate Change Commission; Link

[6] For MIT OCW courses related to nonlinear dynamics of systems; Link

[7] Ghost Story (novel) by Peter Straub. I got the Pocket Books first print edition (1980). Oddly, enough, I salvaged this book for free from one of our cleaning sessions from an agency I used to work in!

[8] Why We're All Burning Out | Byung-Chul Han's Warning to the World, by Einzelgänger; Link

[9] The Price We Pay For Being Productive - A Philosophical Critique of Hustle Culture, by Robin Waldun; Link

[10] Weather: An Illustrated History edited by Andrew Revkin with Lisa Mechaley (2018)

[11] Weather Watching (Patrick Hook, 2006)

[astra-ravana]

Just Add Chaos

Chaos magick is a contemporary magickal practice that embraces the unpredictable nature of the Universe and harnesses its energy for personal growth and transformation. By incorporating the element of chaos into your witchcraft, you can tap into a powerful, natural force that can both challenge and inspire you.

Chaos magick rejects rigid structures and encourages you to forge your own path. It involves working with uncertainty and the unpredictable, rather than seeking to control. Chaos can be a potent source of energy, both creative and destructive, harmful and healing. It is something moving and intelligent, an element of nature that can be tapped into.

Principles of Chaos

These are some of the principles and ideas commonly acknowledged in the practice of chaos magick.

• The Butterfly Effect

• Unpredictability/uncertainty

• Order/disorder

• Gnosis

• Mixing turbulence/nonlinear dynamics

• Feedback

• Fractals

• Strange attractors

• Complex/simple

• Self-similarity

• Spectrums/layers

• Synchronization

• Yin/Yang

• Randomness

Chaotic Practices

Incorporating chaos into your magick isn't hard, yet letting go of control can be. Try to remember that chaos is all around us, all the time. It affects our lives and the world around us. It is within you already and it is yours to utilize. Chaos magick itself embraces multiple practices and systems including, but not limited to:

• Sigils/symbols- Creating/using intentioned sigils for any purpose imaginable

• Numerology- Harnessing both the power and randomness of numbers

• Invocation- Summoning and empowering the spirits, deities, and energies around us

• Enchantment/spellcasting- Invigorating spells with the raw energy of chaos

• Servitor creation- Chaos births spirits of purpose and intent at the hand of skilled practitioners

• Trance/meditation/gazing- Letting the chaos of your mind fuel your own enlightenment

• Music/chants/incantations- Tuning into the frequency of chaos with words and melodies

Correspondences

Colors: Red and blue, rainbow

Herbs: Wormwood, henbane, mustard seed, pokeweed, mayflower, hemlock, mandrake, blue bell, lobelia, mistletoe, blueberry, poppy, apple, wolfsbane, chicory, angelica, boneset, mugwort, bittersweet, saffron

Crystals: Moldavite, labradorite, opal, pietersite, apophyllite, rainbow obsidian, bloodstone, malachite, phenacite, rainbow tourmaline, herkimer diamond, arfedsonite, garnet, corundum, agate, fire quartz

Planets: Uranus, Pluto, Mars

Deities/Spirits: Eris, Loki, Set, Paimon, Tiamat, Leviathan, Asmoday, Ptah, Zagan, Apophis, Dionysus

Animals: Wolves, butterflies, snakes, cats, crows, spiders, monkies, octopi, badgers, raccoons, foxes, opossums, rabbits, coyotes, ravens

Embracing Chaos

Many fear chaos due to their perceived lack of control involving it but it is simply another element of the universe. It exists regardless of how you feel about it. So why not invite it into your magickal practice? Why not embrace it fully as the natural occurrence it is and take advantage of it as we would a full moon or a lightning storm. The presence of chaos does not mean an absence of calm, as there is an eye to every storm. You are the eye and the storm, chaos is already within you. Let it free.

[flyingwargle]

september fanfic recs!

check out the previous months' recs: july, august

some of these fics are rated e!

sakuatsu

your hands (pressed to my cheeks)

t. 2.9k. lovely fluff and soft domestic sakuatsu for the soul.

this too, has changed

t. 6.4k. sakuatsu childhood friends agenda! it was so sweet, and their reunion at the end was *chef's kiss*

dog eat dog eat dog world

t. 8.4k. introspective piece in sakusa's pov about atsumu and their eventual getting together.

where i want to be

t. 8.8k. oooh boy i loved this. sakusa offers to share his bed with atsumu but isn't used to it and sleeps on the couch and atsumu takes it the wrong way. loved the hurt/comfort, the fluff, and eventual resolution.

curse breaking

t. 9.2k. 2/2. atsumu is giving sakusa the silent treatment and he doesn't know why. also includes glimpses of their established relationship, which is portrayed in such a soft and affectionate way <3 the sequel, phantasm, is also just as soft and beautiful.

soft landing in a crater heart

g. 9.9k. sakusa confesses to atsumu right before atsumu leaves to play overseas. lovely mutual pining and a reunion that made me swoon. beautiful writing too!

Spit

e. 12.2k. 3/3 part of a series where atsumu has an eating disorder and body dysmorphia and sakusa is a loving partner. this particular one is nsfw but full of body worship and love <3

Miya Atsumu, Only Man Ever

e. 13.9k. first: sakusa and hinata friendship? yes. second: sakusa being down bad for atsumu? yes. hilarious premise, and sakusa gets his man in the end. loved this!

On Public Affaires And Private Affections

t. 14.1k. in which everyone thinks sakusa and atsumu are in a relationship (they aren't) and no one thinks hinata and kageyama are in a relationship (they are). the slowburn was so good and the build-up was amazing. loved every minute of this.

shadow play

e. 14.7k. 3/3. atsumu is tired of hookups and decides to throw money onto an adult site to watch a camboy named umeboshi. i think you know where this will go 👀 i loved the writing, the mystery, the eventual coming together. beautiful details and art too!

cut the conversation, just open your mouth

e. 16.2k. nonlinear sakuatsu fwb narrative where they both catch feelings. i swear i can come up with a whole list of recs for this specific flavor of sakuatsu.

morpheus

m. 18.2k. 3/3. atsumu's dreams are filled with sakusa but they're intrusive to the point that he can't sleep. they eventually get together. this was filled with amazing imagery and metaphors, one of my favorites <3

even my cats think we'd be good together

t. 22.6k. 2/2. FLUFF OVERLOAD! sakusa owns a cat cafe and hires atsumu as a full-time worker. slowburn with lots and lots of cats and so many people calling sakusa out on his obliviousness.

Miya Atsumu, Adored By All (loved by some)

t. 41.1k. 2/2. first: atsumu can knit? yes. second: atsumu gets the man and all the hugs? yes. insecure atsumu is also a flavor of atsumu that i love and this was done so, so well!

And Foxes will Lie

m. 86.7k. 17/17. mafia au with such a complex plot and intricate character dynamics. the whole time i was reading, i was in awe that this?? is free?? i love longfic writers 🛐 check it out for amazing twists, suspenseful mystery, and ofc, endgame sakuatsu (with other amazing side ships and relationships)

sunaosa

frying pans

g. 4.3k. first: best summary ever (i'd include it but it's slightly too long for brief commentary haha) and second: osamu takes suna's sister to disneyland and she sasses the living hell out of him. amazing. i also really loved kindling, the sequel <3

(if you're wondering if i want you to) i want you to

not rated. 5.2k. ginjima shares a link to a google form that's a poll to vote for the best miya and he reads some of the comments aloud. osamu starts wondering if suna wrote one of the comments, and he's right. love the premise, the getting together, and the friendship.

long way home

e. 15.5k. it takes suna 6 years to realize what osamu means to him while sleeping with him throughout. we love and support an emotionally constipated suna in this house.

The Loss We Learned

t. 41.6k. 8/8. suna and osamu break up after a nasty argument, lose contact for 5 years, until they see each other again. i loved the hurt/comfort, the gradual awkwardness melting away to perhaps rekindling the relationship again, and how time played a part. beautifully written also!

bokuaka

I once was lost but now I'm found

g. 3.4k. bokuto gets lost in a corn maze and akaashi goes to rescue him. very cute and endearing premise, and lovely character interactions.

I'll give a bouquet to these unending days

g. 6.5k. a spin on his attendance to the msby vs. adlers match where akaashi is repressing his emotions and bokuto takes a step closer toward him. i loved, loved, LOVED the imagery and characterization, my gourd. gorgeous writing.

iwaoi

Like One of Your French Girls

e. 4k. oikawa needles iwa into sleeping with him. peak awkward iwaoi, i enjoyed it!

no love like your love

t. 9.8k. iwaoi through the years with outsider povs. i love outsider pov fics of developing relationships and these povs are all varied and nuanced. loved them all!

i grew up, you grew down

t. 19.7k. 2/2. my gourd, this fic. oikawa retires and promptly falls off the face of social media to hermit at iwa's place. idiots to lovers with paparazzi and social media scandals. also explores "what next?" after volleyball in such a poignant way.

my heart is where it's always been

not rated. 21.1k. 4/4. iwa learns that oikawa is pining after someone and it takes him 4 chapters to realize that he's pining for oikawa, too.

other

Bunk Beds

t. 3.7k. miya twins hurt/comfort after a traumatic incident in osamu's pov. excellent writing and comfort, we love and respect the twins in this house.

one day, felt it let go of me

g. 4.2k. i really needed natsu being adopted by all of hinata's past rivals and friends in sendai to learn volleyball from them. i need more natsu in general, honestly.

Of Beers and Epiphanies

t. 4.6k. kagehina. kageyama visits hinata in brazil and hinata may have confessed to him in portuguese? loved the language shenanigans and eventual coming together.

the body you become

t. 5.5k. miwa pov about growing up with kageyama, the loss they endured, and her big sister instincts. we love wholesome sibling relationships in this house.

A helping hand

t. 6k. kagehina. natsu tag-teams with miwa to get their brothers together. very cute, we stan supportive sisters in this house.

you're the brake lines failing (as my car swerves off the freeway)

t. 14.9k. kuroken. i feel like every month, i read a banger kuroken fic, and i'm all for it. kenma goes through the 5 stages of grief about his crush on kuroo but eventually gets his man <3

Below Destiny

g. 15.5k. daichi tries to get ennoshita to accept the captain position after him but ennoshita is Not Having It. amazing writing and character study, with karasuno-typical shenanigans.

[askviktor]

What degrees do you have? Are there any interesting stories from your undergrad/grad school days?

I have a Master's degree in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Theoretical Physics. My Master’s thesis in Applied Mathematics explored nonlinear dynamical systems in self-regulating mechanisms - how complex, seemingly chaotic systems could stabilize themselves through feedback loops. My Theoretical Physics PhD dissertation was titled "Harmonic Resonance and the Theory of Energy Optimization in Adaptive Constructs." I proposed that energy could be manipulated more efficiently through resonance patterns, allowing mechanical systems to function with minimal external input. In essence, I sought to create machines that could power themselves.

Much of that time was a blur for me. I did gain something of a reputation as an instructor, however!

To be clear, I did not smash his laptop. I knocked it off his desk, which caused it to smash upon the ground. An unfortunate accident, you understand.

[steddieunderdogfics]

ooh, for the december 11th nonlinear fics challenge, i'm calling out 'Give me one good honest kiss (And I'll be alright)' by ChristinMKay! it's omegaverse alpha/alpha and SO good!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/60959554

Give me one good honest kiss (And I'll be alright) by ChristinMKay

@transmascsteveharrington

Rating: E

21,459 words, 1/1 chapters

Archive Warning: No Warnings

Tags:

Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha Eddie Munson, Alpha Steve Harrington, rejection sickness, isolation sickness, Steve Harrington Whump, Secret Relationship, Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents, Smitten Eddie Munson, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Knotting, Oral Knotting, Rough Sex, Tender Sex, They just have the range, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Non-Linear Narrative, no beta we die like steve harrington's heterosexuality, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary:

Dustin doesn’t seem to notice Steve’s trouble breathing, just whines, “Just move your date this one time, come on.” His inner alpha is back to panting. He likes the idea of moving the date that doesn’t actually exist, just quietly mumbles something along the lines of Eddie and alpha and mate into Steve’s ear. Steve pretends it’s tinnitus and a high pitched ring actually drowns out his inner alpha. Apparently, those concussions were good for something after all. “What, to hang out with you and Eddie the freak Munson? Yeah, I’ll pass.” or: Eddie and Steve have been dating for a while now but no one can know since they are both alphas. The secret has unforeseen consequences for Steve's health

Thanks for the rec!

This rec is a part of our Birthday Celebration Challenge Week! The challenge for today was NON-LINEAR FICS.

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[wangxianficfinder]

Canon Divergence pt.2 (general) (pt.1)

~*~

The Scarlet Lotus by rainbowninja167 (M, 137k, WangXian, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Identity, Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical war crimes, Yunmeng Bros, the mortifying ordeal of getting seduced by your own husband, nonlinear chronology we die like cql, just kidding nobody dies in this fic, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication)

stay, fury, your wrist wrapped in silk by spookykingdomstarlight (E, 228k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ LWJ, LWJ loses his golden core, yiling wei sect, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Major Character Injury, Injury Recovery, Temporary Character Death, War Crimes, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Revenge, temporary impotence, growing intimacy)

I Know How Those in Exile Feed on Dreams of Hope by rabbit_habits, saltedpin (E, 474k, WangXian, NieLan, XuanLi, ChengQing, Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Canon-Typical Violence, Presumed Dead, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Political Marriages, Ensemble Cast, minor non-canonical character death, 3zun | Venerated Triad Dynamics, the dynamics are 'UST', Canonical Character Death)

Hand in Hand Together (All Your Life) by sami (T, 41k, WZL/JC, WangXian, Queerplatonic relationship, Implied future MingLi, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Slow Burn)

The Dreams of Youth by sami (E, 85k, WangXian, YZY/TLJ, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Fix-It, Family, Not Lan Sect Friendly, Bad Dads, good dads, JFM's A+ parenting, Qingheng-Jun's F- Existence, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Sort Of, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Some People Live/Not Everyone Dies, Canonical Character Death)

An Elegant Solution by giraffeter (E, 205k, niewangxian, canon divergence, arranged marriage, friends to lovers, fix-it, everyone lives au, courtship, polyamory, smut)

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 742k, WangXian, WIP, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Feelings Realization, Getting Together, Sexual Tension, Supportive LQR, Light Angst, Internalized Homophobia, Period-Typical Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, WWX learns about his parents, First Dates, First Kiss, First Time, LWJ is confused, Then he is 100 percent on board, Kink Discovery, Kink Exploration, Bisexual WWX, Dual Cultivation, Slow Burn, Fix-It of Sorts, Not JFM friendly, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fluff and Angst, Blood and Gore, Supportive LXC, Protective LXC, Canon Divergence, Inventor WWX, Eventual Smut, Possessive LWJ, Genius WWX, Cultivation Sect Politics, Scheming NHS, Cultivation Discussion Conferences, Pre-Sunshot Campaign, Minor Character Death, NHS gets himself a beard (not the facial kind), POV WWX, Fluff and Smut, Burning of the Cloud Recesses)

🔒Instead by apathyinreverie (T, 27k, wangxian, fix-it, darker gusu lan, manipulative elders, but in a good way?, golden core transfer fix-it of sorts, not Jiang friendly, or anyone friendly, except wangxian, cultivation world critical, fluff, sunshot, politics, courting rituals, genius WWX, no demonic cultivation, talismans, possessive LWJ, protective LWJ, WIP)

no step had trodden black by Stratisphyre (T, 32k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Madam Lan lives, Past Rape, Golden Core Reveal, Hurt/Comfort, References to Attempted Suicide and Suicidal Thoughts, Canon-Typical Violence)

to hell and back for you by blumeraki (G, 5k, WangXian, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Universe, Protective WWX, Protective LWJ, Everything Hurts, Implied/Referenced Torture, Hurt WWX, Hurt LWJ, Branding Iron, Whipping, discipline whip, jc saves the day, Canon Divergence)

these colours fade for you only by doodlebutt (T, 36k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everybody Lives, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, ...eventually, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, bed sharing, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Sunshot Campaign)

🔒 Blossoming flowers in a full moon - 花好月圆 by ThisIsWhereTheMagicHappens (T, 64k, wangxian, canon divergence, happy ending, fix-it of sorts, wangxian cuddle to immortarility)

🔒🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 53k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU)

Ties series by WithBroomBefore (M, 15k, NMJ/WQ, wangxian, canon divergence, fix-it, not everyone dies au, family feels, no golden core transfer, sect leader JYL, canon typical violence, sick fic, trans NMJ, sunshot campaign, WQ pov, happy ending)

🧡 Company by WithBroomBefore (T, 29k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, POV LWJ, Fix-It, Pre-Canon, at least to start, WWX goes to Cloud Recesses, But Not In The Usual Way, fear of character death, Everybody Lives, Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Light Angst, good teacher LQR, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, brief discussion of past minor character suicide, Kitten, Not YZY Friendly)

The Devil That You Forgot by pottedplnt (Not Rated, 20k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, BAMF WWX, YLLZ WWX, Rogue Cultivator WWX, WWX Isn't Adopted by the Jiāngs, Angst, Sentient Burial Mounds, Demonic Cultivation, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sunshot Campaign, Chronic Pain, JFM and YZY Bashing, Bad Parent YZY, Jiāng Family Bashing)

To Ride A Stygian Tiger by Madyamisam for Duochanfan (M, 111k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time travel, Angst with a happy ending, BAMF WWX, Dark LWJ, Slow burn, Family Feels, Misunderstandings)

Those Who Defy by qurbat (G, 31k, wangxian, LWJ & LSZ & WWX, canon divergence, found family, everyone who matter lives au, justice for wen remnants, WIP)

Cultivating immortality by KizuKatana (E, 231k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Mutual Pining, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, unreliable narrator, Found Family, First Time, novel canon relationship dynamics)

🧡 a paper friend by soft_wanning (G, 4k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fluff, Paperman!WWX, Identity Porn, Meet-Cute, Different First Meeting)

❤️ By Any Other Name by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 31k, Wangxian, Canon Divergence, Crossdressing, Misunderstandings, Identity Porn, Identity reveal)

Heart of the Beast by WaitForTheSnitch (E, 386k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Protective NMJ & NHS, Soft NMJ, Pining LWJ)

A Good Placement by madwriter223 (T, 12k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, What if YZY had been the one to find WWX AU, Emotional Manipulation, Lies, Street Child WWX, Fluff and Angst, OOC but YZY is doing that on purpose, Found Family, itty bitty Wangxian, Bittersweet Ending)

Until The End by abCEE (M, 365k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, war changes people resulting to OOC, no Pining, Established Relationship, wangxian are married and have a son, Mpreg, Good Uncle LQR, a little grey LWJ, a bit of JC bashing from LWJ, BAMF JYL, 16 years of yearning, mainly CQL verse but has scenes from the novel as well, LSZ is WangXian's Child, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Canonical Character Death -WWX, Canon Rewrite, Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts)

🔒❤️ shades of grey by cl410 (M, 58k, nielan, wangxian, Hurt/Comfort, Accidental Sibling Acquisition, Single Dad NMJ, NHS & WWX Friendship, Fluff, Humor, Happy Ending, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Protective NMJ, Some angst, Blood and Injury, Kidnapping, Protective Siblings, Found Family)

🔒Dear Fellow Traveler by Netrixie (Not Rated, 13k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alive WWX parents, immortal BSSR and family being rogue cultivators together, meet cute, travel partners falling in love, Flirting, Yearning, Sharing a Bed, Fluff, Sweet, good parental figures only, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together)

🧡 close your eyes, feel my heartbeat by ThatDesiGirl (T, 11k, WangXian, blind!WWX, Angst with a Happy Ending, Rewriting Canon, not a fix-it but a what-if, Golden Core Transfer)

🧡 Resplendence by FrozenMarVel (E, 166k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, CS Lives, Different first meeting, Fluff, Crossdressing, Love at first sight, Fix-it of sorts)

🔒Wújī by FairyTaleDreams (M, 55k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, WCZ & CS Lives, Rouge cultivator WWX)

you can have the best of me, baby by stiltonbasket (Not Rated, 12k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Pre-Relationship, Dual Cultivation, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Sunshot Campaign, Getting Together, a-yuan is wangxian's baby, Happy Ending)

There are (no) (un)written rules by Winxhelina (T, 33k, WangXian, Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, madam yu is madam yu, Misunderstandings, Angst and Humor, Mutual Pining)

You don't have to go home (there's a long way to go) by AmiraAlzilu (M, 28k, WIP, WangXian, XuanLi, not Jiang friendly, Jiāng Family Bashing, Fluff and Angst, Family Feels, WWX Has a Family, Getting to Know Each Other, Getting Together, BAMF WWX, Self-Reflection, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Fix-It)

🔒 the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break by RoseThorne (E, 91k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, Self-Esteem Issues, Fix-It, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, PTSD, Handfasting, Panic Attacks, Getting Together, First Time, Aftercare, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, /Referenced Torture, Scars, Chronic Pain, Golden Core Reveal, First Time, Switching, sex-related injury, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, LSZ is a Wèi, Good Sibling JC, Dissociation, Burial Mounds Settlement Days)

[romanceyourdemons]

we need to talk about kevin (2011) essentially follows in the tradition of the bad seed (1956)—a worst-case-scenario exploration of the nature-nurture debate—but its focus is not on listing the contributing factors of nature, but rather looking at the nuances of nurture. headlined by tilda swinton and ezra miller’s unsettling powerhouse performances in a nonlinear film that takes pains to be more psychological than melodramatic, the film’s main concerns more or less echo those of the bad seed (1956): that evil and violence can present itself even in a child who is white, wealthy, suburban, doted upon, and altogether raised in the way that is supposed to produce “pure” innocent american childhood. however, whereas the earlier film fundamentally fears that this evil is genetic, this film’s greatest fear is that it is learned, the product of a toxic home. it is interesting to note that the blame for this genesis of evil falls squarely onto the mother’s shoulders in both films. the bad seed (1956) does not bother examining this too much—when evil is genetic, there’s not much to blame except for the maternal line of serial killers—but this film takes a fascinating and open-ended look at the dynamics through which the sins of the children belong to the mothers who should have been more present and loving, but the rewards of parenthood go to the fathers who are there as much as they can be and can’t be blamed for snapping sometimes, what with all the stress in their lives. this film departs from its predecessor in not claiming to provide answers, only identify questions, something i appreciated a lot. its beautiful visuals and unambitious, meditative story make up for a lot of the things it leaves unsaid that i feel could have borne more speaking (discussions of class, nihilism, psychiatry, etc), but all things told we need to talk about kevin (2011) is an excellently executed and very interesting film, which i enjoyed a lot

[soullessjack]

i think another really interesting angle of tfw2.0’s dynamic is how the original 3 handle things like regret or selfishness being directly opposed, or even juxtaposed, by how jack handles them as someone experiencing those things for the first time. there’s a MASSIVE generational divide between them (even more massive by Cas’ standards) and that divide basically lays the groundwork for A) how they approach parenting jack, and B), how jack mirrors their different aspects or arcs that they previously had

like. post-S12, dean and sam and cas are all relatively at ease with their pasts and mistakes. not to say they don’t still feel guilt or hold the burden of their actions anymore, bc they Do—they explicitly say so and relay that to comfort jack over his own guilt—but they’re also well past jaded by now. they’re ready to accept what they can’t change, move on, and commit to being better. then in S13, enter: jack, a Completely New Person who doesn’t understand the world, is experiencing literally everything for the first time, and doesn’t know how to even handle feeling strong emotions or experiencing traumatic events—much less how to cope with them. and to boot, he’s the son of Lucifer and has a bit of a complex about doing even slightly bad things.

i don’t remember what post this was on or if it’s even from this blog, but it was effectively about the same thing, with just a little more mention on how sam and dean are (loosely speaking) normal humans with normal stages in development and being in the world and all that. Castiel isn’t a human, so his development was nonlinear and primarily around unlearning his celestial fundamentalism and learning how to be a human being (like the glass animals album) especially in regards to human empathy and emotions. emotions that later bring on other human things like doubt, guilt, and love. also, sam and dean and cas have had unique arcs dealing with some “inner evil” variation that motivated them differently and you get the idea —but i say this bc 1) it’s relevant , 2) to add in the human-development part specifically , 3) jack being lucifer’s direct son narratively hits even heavier* than sam and dean’s destiny as vessels or castiel’s existential deconstruction & betrayals , and also 4) to disclaim that these particular things mean jack is baby-coded or whatever bc Cas had the same arc.

*heavier in the sense that they weren’t permanent biological factors more so than outside influences and alterations and not in any sense of diminishment of what they went through or what it meant at the time YOU GET THE IDEA

you see it the most in tombstone after jack has a “Baby’s” First Murder moment and can’t get over it no matter how much the guys try to console him. he’s worried about the security guard’s potential family, of the loss he just burdened them with and (in an older script version anyways) he’s also frustrated that he can’t control himself. in other words, jack can’t accept what he couldn’t change. he’s canonically very stubborn (I forget which episode/script but at some point dean mentions something like “you know how he is when he gets ideas in his head”) especially when it comes to his own plans/goals, and he also essentially feels like being a good person + living up to Kelly’s envisioning of him + being better than his father is his personal responsibility slash burden to bear specifically because he is Lucifer’s son. which unfortunately also means that any time he fucks up he will either run away from it or lock himself in his room for weeks on end trying not to feel like he’s fulfilling a dark patrimonial prophecy.

dean is the first person to be upfront with jack about the situation (no shade to sam or cas tho). when jack says ‘you’re afraid of me,’ dean responds that it isn’t jack The Person they’re afraid of, but the harm his powers could and already did do to others. ie, jack isn’t evil just because he’s dangerous and those things don’t necessarily have the same meaning. furthermore, what sam and cas told jack in the car— they’ve all done bad things, they’re all guilty and just have to deal with it, but they can be better (which he doesn’t realize because he was born two months ago and has no concept of complex morality) — is reaffirmed by dean saying that if jack has to be a monster for 1 accidental kill, then so do the rest of them for everything on their hands. and, going unsaid but still very important, We Can Be Better Together.

now, the writing with jack isn’t always perfect.. sometimes it’s extremely hard to watch, actually. happens to the best of us. but the way they set about writing a teenage boy character, who’s frankly not really written like a standard or even stereotypical Teenage Boy character, is something i personally consider to be one of their highlights. and i say all this to say, he’s not just a cardboard Millennial (chronologically incorrect but you get the idea) and the generational divide between him and sam and dean isn’t a Father I Cannot Click The Book boomer comic. if this show was about normal people and also 100% lamer it would probably roll like that tho. but naur instead we got Father I Cannot Cope With My Guilt and it fucking rocks

TLDR the perfect found family dynamic is 1 guy who’s like “ohhhh shit i did something bad and selfish and the guilt is eating me alive now im inherently evil” and 3 guys who are like “i think we’re ALL💜 a little selfish and guilt-ridden by our sins and the fear of inherent evil 🙏but we can do better 🫶”

[windor-truffle]

Dolphinnnnnn i finished L&L and you’re one of the two people who’s used the Asbel/Lambda tag so pls yell with me about them 🥺

OKAY WELL REMEMBER YOU ASKED FOR IT 😂 Time to raise the age rating of my blog!

I mean for me it's largely the tsundere-isms. Pav can testify that when I streamed Lineage and Legacies for her i was cackling throughout most of Lambda and Asbel's conversations, they always go the EXACT same way and it's so stupidly funny: Lambda shows up to insult/threaten Asbel, Asbel decides to view it in the rosiest tinted glasses in the fucking world and ends up either thanking or complimenting Lambda, and Lambda always IMMEDIATELY leaves with some insightful like commentary "This is foolishness," or "Hmph." That is peak comedy to me, watching a dude set a trap then fall for it himself 😂 "Haha I'm going to ruin this guy's life for fun and oh no, what are these, feelings?? Abort!!"

I know I'm always poor little meow-meowing Lambda a bit, but it's clear the loosely defined "guy" has been loved by exactly 1 (One) person and then that guy was fucking murdered which made Lambda think that love, or anything good really, would never find him again. So for Asbel to show up with unconditional positive regard despite barely knowing him, and forgiveness despite everything Lambda had done... yeah I'd fall for someone like that too 😅 He's such a kind man, it's the trait we love most about him 💜

Personally I'm fine to see Lambda and Asbel written platonically, like in the fic I wrote (which I'm assuming you're referencing in your ask thank you for the kudos 💜) where it's more ambiguous and a little one sided. But ALSO personally I think Asbel should have a harem, EVERYONE'S a little in love with the guy (but that's probably my oh so obvious bias talking 😅) (bonus points if Asbel's contentedly aromantically oblivious to his polycule). Asbel's always radiating beams of friendship, and he believes in people so much it makes them want to believe in themselves. And for characters who feel/have been told they are unlovable and shouldn't exist? Yeah that's how you get partners who are utterly obsessed 😅

But that's the more wholesome take on shipping them... there's also the appeal of more toxic and/or erotic dynamics. I'm not 100 percent sure this is what you're asking for so if the idea makes you (or anyone reading this) feel uncomfy, this is the paragraph to stop reading at.

So the fun thing about characters undergoing potential redemption arcs is that their journey can be nonlinear, or completely unsuccessful. I have no qualms about keeping Lambda in an antagonistic role regardless of Asbel's support. In some ways it makes sense for him to doubt or dislike Asbel's love; after all, it's unfamiliar and uncomfortable. If Asbel is right in his assertion that humans have potential, it means that Lambda was wrong to hurt and attempt to exterminate them, and that's not easy to admit. So it's fun to imagine Lambda doing everything in his power to make Asbel hate him so he can "win" this argument of whether he's redeemable or not. Things like bullying and intimidation like in canon, or more serious stuff like trying to kill Asbel's friends with his own hands :)

But that's barely toxic, in fact that could have a very wholesome ending if so desired. There's also some "fun" dynamics to be had with jealousy and abuse; it stands to reason the being possessing a guy would be, well, possessive 😅 If Lambda latches onto for Asbel for his kindness without actually internalizing it himself, we get into some pretty toxic stuff :) My long fic, though not shippy, does this, blurring the lines of Lambda's possessiveness from "you're mine" into "you're ME, you're an extension of myself and thus have no agency beyond what I permit." He's mistaken Asbel's friendship for unwavering approval and agreement with his worldview and actions, he blatantly violates his boundaries, and he dismisses his protests as "foolishness" or "not understanding reality." In the long fic, this comes to a confrontational breaking point (murder-suicide attempt), but knowing canon Asbel's endless belief in others even to his/their own detriment (like failing to call out Richard sooner during the main arc), I could see Asbel letting himself be abused for far too long under the misguided notion he can still "save" Lambda (good luck convincing someone who's actively benefitting from their actions to stop them buddy 😔).

As for the erotic, there's the sormik of it all... You know, the whole *leans into my imaginary microphone* fellas is it gay to live inside another man? 😅 It's probably not very hard to get someone off if you have direct control of their body huh. In fact, getting back to the jealousy thing and the fact that I'm still a hardcore Richass shipper, I like to think Lambda could get a little jealous of Asbel's arousal at Richard's hands and is like "oh that? I can do that here watch" and picking the absolute WORST moment to demonstrate. So Asbel has to clean himself up and awkwardly explain the reason why he and Richard keep that in the bedroom, beyond just for comfort's sake 😅

In conclusion, I like them :) They can be the most wholesome redemption-through-love pairing, or the most toxic fucked up kinky thing imaginable. Or both! They're fun 💜

[pragmaticide]

Mastering the EIGS Factor: A Guide to knowing who to cooperate with to survive the Killing Game (Shitpost)

Introduction

As we all know, Mxs.Pragmaticide has tried every means to prove that Whit Young is suspicious and untrustworthy as hell--based on which they designed a multi-dimensional dynamic risk assessment model that achieves fine-grained differentiation of character types through nonlinear functions and weight allocation.

Behold, the EIGS model—by ingeniously weaponizing variables like Outward Warmth (E) and Inner Warmth (I), we've cracked the code to exposing Whit's diabolical duality with the elegance of a raccoon dismantling a trash can.

Below is the complete mathematical model and usage instructions:

Upgraded Mathematical Model (EIGS)

Let four continuous variables (ranging from 0 to 5, integers or decimals allowed):

E: Outward Warmth (5=extremely warm, 0=extremely cold)

I: Inner Warmth (5=extremely kind, 0=extremely cold)

G: Grief Expression (5=extremely grief-stricken, 0=no reaction)

S: Suspicious Behavior (5=extremely suspicious, 0=completely normal)

Formula Design

Formula Interpretation and Weight Allocation

Decision Rules

EIGS factor ≥ 15: Extremely Dangerous (active deceivers or highly anomalous behavior, must avoid).

8 ≤ EIGS factor <15: High Risk (requires continuous observation and limited interaction).

3 ≤ EIGS factor <8: Moderate Risk (can cooperate but remain cautious).

EIGS factor <3: Safe (priority alliance targets).

Examples

Model Advantages

This model has several advantages. First of all, its Dynamic Nonlinearity ensures that Whit's gaping chasm between E=5 ("golden-retriever type of boyfriend! A cute and pink matchmaker!") and I=1 ("black hole of empathy") triggers a danger multiplier so explosive, it's basically Newton's fourth law: "For every smile Whit fakes, poor Charkitten's soul gets audited."

Meanwhile, Behavioral Sensitivity weaponizes metrics like Suspicious Behavior(S) and Grief Expression (G)—because nothing screams "trustworthy" like someone who makes puns about hanging and their classmates fed-to-the-wolves while muttering formulas about how to snap a person's neck under their breath.

But fear not! Our Safety Compensation Factor graciously deducts risk points for Whit's occasional "kindness" (e.g. pretending to have an eye surgery and monitoring Hu and Teruko while mentally calculating the TV show costs), because obviously, giving someone new clothes to wear in a Fangan, even if the clothes are stolen from the other party's house(poor Hu would never have expected Whit to use his three-dollar-store-thrifting abilities on her expensive Hanfu, would she?); neutralizes 0.0001% of their latent sociopathy.

Finally, Fine-Grained Classification dissects Whit's 16 personas across the Whitverse—from "Faux Altruist" to "Semi-Sentient Tax Evasion Algorithm"—proving, with spreadsheet-level rigor, that even his mid-tier evil modes outpace humanity's moral median like a Ferrari lapping a bicycle.

In conclusion, the EIGS model isn't just good—it's 666% peer-reviewed (only been seen by a writer who lives on the Western Hemisphere but keeps the same resting hours as Prag in the time zone of GMT+8 @rulanarinrush), ethically unhinged, and guaranteed to diagnose Whit's villainy faster than he can say "Aw Frig." Science!

Usage Recommendations

Congrats! Now that you've mastered the art of saying utter bullshit, deploy your Quantum-Tuned Paranoia Engine™ with the strategic finesse of Prag against any accuses that disagree to their Charxanteruwhitvid agenda: did someone just "accidentally" point their useless remote (that can't even make an elevator start running) at the lights of the computer lab where the redhair dies? Immediately boost their S to 4.9 faster than a conspiracy theorist connects dots, because that person (instead of Whit Young innocently displaying yaoi with his Hispanic little boyfriend for the audiences in the far corner) is definitely the mastermind!

When resources dwindle to "dirt on the ground and the aromy in the ballroom," redefine alliances like a billionaire redefining "middle class." Set your cooperation threshold to Danger<30—After all, you're so hungry now that there's nothing left to eat. As long as the other party isn't some blue-haired psychotic policeman screaming "justice" while pointing a gun at you; everying is negotiable. Remember: In the hunger games of trust, you're both Katniss and the tracker jackers.

Also, to cloak your inner Moriarty, calibrate E=3, I=3, G=4, S=1—achieving the charisma of a slightly damp sock and the menace of a spoon. This renders you invisible to both Eden Tobisa and Veronika Grebenshchikova, like a LinkedIn profile optimized for witness protection.

Pro Tip: If your Danger score ever dips below 1, congratulations—you've either become Gandhi 2.0 or a sentient doormat. Either way, update your will.

Final Notes

Please calculate with real-time data as the game progresses—your survival probability is directly proportional to the model’s rigor. Now, survive! (Unless you’re Whit Young, because your fate is doomed to be impaled by spikes like Chiaki Nanami or that boy in Forever Dead while you are left dying alone!)

Credits&Peer Review

Let's take a moment to bow down to Rula, whose sleep schedule is so inverted it makes bats look like morning yoga enthusiasts. Without their caffeine-fueled midnight cackles, this formula would just be math, not a masterclass in weaponized absurdity.

Then there's my data-obsessed irl accomplice Mxs Cai, who, upon seeing my Whit's E=5/I=1/G=0/S=4 rating, immediately tried to run a regression analysis. As the saying goes:

"Any equation can be a banger if you gaslight people into believing it." — Sun Tzu, probably

[chaos0pikachu]

Film Making? In My BL? - The Sign ep01 Edition

So, if we're doing this we're doing this, so buckle in baby.

I'm gonna focus how the opening scene below, uses two narrative devices and one film technique to build out the scene as a whole: in media res, misdirection, and the long take.

Okay so to begin, we have to start at the beginning, or well, the middle lmao

In Media Res

I saw a post in the tag that said something to the effect of how The Sign starting with no context and providing no information at the beginning was strange, with the implication it was bad writing. I disagree, fundamentally, because The Sign is using a very common literary device called 'In Media Res'. And in my opinion, uses this device very well.

If you're familiar with basic storytelling terms I ain't telling you anything new, but for folks who may not know, in media res is a latin term that means "in the midst of things" and lots of stories - both prose, comics, and film - use this device.

The most famous is The Iliad by Homer, which if you've ever read - and you should it's glorious also it'll give some context to Song of Achilles - you know it drops you full-on no context into the middle of things. The beginning will differ in verbiage depending on the translation you pick up, this free version starts with:

THE CONTENTION OF ACHILLES AND AGAMEMNON. In the war of Troy, the Greeks having sacked some of the neighboring towns, and taken from thence two beautiful captives, Chryseis and Briseis, allotted the first to Agamemnon, and the last to Achilles.

Right off the bat the story drops four character names and the setting with no real context. Who are all these people? Why is there a war? Well, keep reading to find out! It also starts the story with an action aka an argument - nay A CONTENTION!! Achilles and Agamemnon are such bratty bitches lol

Other (more mainstream) examples include:

The Dark Knight

Lost

28 Days Later

Mission Impossible (pick one)

Fight Club

Full Metal Alchemist (both)

MDZS

Inception

And, The Sign.

"In contrast to linear storytelling, which starts at the beginning and moves sequentially, in medias res is a nonlinear approach that can make stories more dynamic and immersive.

It's a technique that challenges the audience to make sense of the narrative puzzle, often revealing essential information about the characters and their motivations gradually." (source)

What's described above is exactly how The Sign, starts it's story, in the middle of things, specifically to create a puzzle for the audience to figure out gradually. If you watch the above scene, what's happening?

We get a (well done) overshot of an island (establishing setting), we see a group of soldiers (establishing the characters we'll be following) we see them doing military things (okay these are their skills, and they're on some sort of mission), their drone spots a group of people inside and a character says the dialogue "Listen up, you only have 15 minutes" (this establishes stakes, okay there's a time limit to this mission) "Team A will rescue the hostage" (okay now we know what the mission is and informs these characters are on a rescue mission).

Who is speaking here? We don't know yet, but a safe assertion would be this character, since they are the first character who speaks on screen, will be important.

And we'd be right because it's Phaya speaking, one of our main protagonists as well soon find out.

All this happens within the first minute; the show provides an interesting set-up. It deals out information in tidbits - setting, characters we'll be following, situation set-up, stakes - but not enough information for the audience not to ask questions.

I want to iterate that at this point, the goal isn't to "care" about the characters yet, so much as create an intriguing set-up based in action that will showcase various information about the tone, setting, and skills of the piece that will engage the audience. To make the audience ask questions, to engage with them.

When you open up on MDZS the protagonist, Wei Wuxian is dead and we have no context for this. Everyone is just in the middle of celebrating his death and we, the readers, do not care that he's dead or why he died. The story could have started in a more linear way, with him arriving at Cloud Recesses arguably the beginning of his journey, but would that have been as interesting? As engaging?

I like how this article breaks down the why of starting your story in media res is a powerful and often used device:

This is what The Sign is doing in this opening part. Starting the action of the series off with action and creating that immediate engagement. The scene also ends with a plot twist which connects to that final point about information control.

This isn't a technique I've seen often used in BL because BL is a sub-genre of romance and most romances are told in chronological order, rather than non-linearly - there are, of course non-linear romances, but most mainstream romances, and by extension most BL aren't told in this way - BL shows don't often have actual physical action. A majority, especially in Thailand, are grounded, closer to slice-of-life, coming-of-age, and comedy dramas - though we are starting to see a change in that trend.

So starting in the middle of things, like chepa the middle of what? Two dudes walking~ to Engineering class?

The goal of this opening scene is to pull in the audience, make them wonder and ask questions: "who are these characters? will they rescue the hostages? who are the bad guys? who is this character who's having visions?" and so on and so forth. It's a way to engage in the audience without having to slow down the narrative with a ton of exposition, or build up stakes slowly, rather it grabs the audience immediately and sets them in the middle of the tension asking them to engage with what's happening.

The Long Take

You've probably heard about "the long take" but to break it down, a long take is one continuous take without any edits/cuts. The film 1917 was famously filmed to "look" like one long take. One of the most cited and well known long takes is from Children of Men by Alfonso Cuarón:

Now if you watch this movie you can tell why there isn't a lot of BL long takes because, god damn, they built a new type of car just to get that one scene. [read here for more on long takes]

So, The Sign. It's long take starts at about 2:08, following Phaya - again, we the audience don't know this is Phaya BUT since the camera is spending specific time with him we assume he is An Important Character and he is! Set up and payoff! Funny how that works - and ends at around 4:27.

[Sidenote I love that the take ends, not with a cut but a transition. Which I'll cover in another post but in the land of Thai BLs which favor cuts so damn much transitions were so refreshing to see]

During this long take, we establish that these characters are competent at what they do. We understand that they're military trained, in both hand-to-hand combat and firearms. We also get these two mid-close ups, which signifies these will be Important Characters:

And they are, the first shot is of Phaya, Khem and Thongthai and the second is Tharn and Yai.

This also sets-up the character dynamics; Yai and Tharn are already close and know each other so they are drawn to each other while on the mission, while Khem and Thongthai have a pre-established relationship but are still supporting behind Phaya.

This type of shot also allows for the audience to better see and follow the fighting that's happening on screen. Filming fight scenes are their own beast, and while there's no one school of thought on how a film scene "should" be filmed, there are techniques that that place some fight scenes above others.

The first video showcases some techniques on how to film a fight scene, while the second one at the 8min mark talks about the long take in John Woo's classic action film Hard Boiled.

This long take in Hard Boiled really showcases why long takes are so powerful in filming a fight scene specifically. They pull the audience further into the action and create a palpable energy that just works better than a scene with lots of quick cuts.

There's a reason one of the biggest criticisms of Mortal Kombat (2021) was that all the fights were edited to pieces while John Wick (2014) was a refreshing jolt to the industry.

The Sign takes a page out of John Woo's book, and places the characters, and the physicality of the scene front and center, pulling the audience along with the camera in one long shot.

Long takes are hard, I can't really emphasize this enough, if you watched that video on Children of Men you can see all the intricate work that went into scenes that amounted to maybe 5mins of actual film time. Likewise this long take in The Sign is only about 2mins of actual time in the show BUT it's effective, it's engaging, its ambitious.

Which is why, I gotta give The Sign it's roses because of that ambition. Long takes are a lot of hard work, time, effort, blocking, rehearsals, on top of incorporating the fight chorography that's a lot and it looks good.

Now is this the best~~~ long take I've ever seen? lol no god but it's well done and ambitious especially for the sub-genre of BL.

Misdirection

Misdirection has more in common with in media res than the long take as it's a literary device and not a filming technique.

From Gotham Writers:

"In fiction misdirection can be either external or internal. That is, the author can be using the story as a frame to misdirect the reader, or a character in the story may be misdirecting one or more of the other characters. Or, of course, both." (source)

Misdirection is often used in thrillers or mystery narratives, Hitchcock used misdirection a lot in his films.

In Psycho the audience is lured to believe that Marion, the character the film opens with, builds up, and essentially sets up as our protagonist, is in fact our protagonist. She's not, she's murdered and her sister, Lila, is the actual protagonist of the movie. Sorry if this is a spoiler for an almost 70 year old film lmao

Misdirection is often used to set-up plot twists down the line. A good misdirection will leave clues for the audience when they watch back and go, "oh! I can't believe I missed that!"

In film The Sixth Sense is a good example of this, where the plot twist at the end doesn't weaken the film once you know it but rather, it enhances the film itself on a rewatch. Another good example of misdirection in film are both Knives Out and Glass Onion, where Rian Johnson will set up a non-linear story and then slowly unravel the information for the audience.

Take the scene where Marta, in Knives Out, finds Fran's body and hears Fran say "it was you" at least to audience ears. Then stands up looming above Fran's body. The scene cuts, and the audience is led to believe Marta has let Fran die to protect herself (since we the audience also have been led to believe Fran is dead) only to find out later that Marta didn't let Fran die, she is alive, and she knew Ransom was the killer.

The Sign uses misdirection in a much more simple way. It sets up an expectation: Phaya is going to die, upping the stakes from "must save hostages" to "must save a comrade" aka the character we, the audience, have been following for the last 11 minutes. It sets two characters, Chart and Phaya, as opposing against each other, for reasons we don't know - is Chart one of the villains? Why is he trying to kill Phaya? etc - and the audience is led to believe this is a life or death situation.

Then, plot twist. The reveal happens that this was all a training exercise, and there was never any "real" danger whilst also keeping the audience on their toes. And like in The Iliad, now we have context for the mission, and then the story is able to step back and explain.

It's not like, the best~~~ use of misdirection but there was a purpose to it. It sets up an expectation, and subverts that expectation of the audience - but in a good way not a Game of Thrones way. While also pulling the audience into the show by starting in the middle of the action rather than slowing down the story with exposition or giving their hand away to much that this was a training exercise.

If you knew it was a training exercise, suddenly the stakes feel less intense because none of the characters are in any real danger, but not knowing that, withholding that information until it's relevant, ups the stakes of the scene.

The opening scene of The Sign imparts a lot of information without using a lot of dialogue and I find that impressive. We learn which characters will be relevant to the story - Phaya, Tharn, Yai, Khem, Thongthai and now we know, Chart is also important - that they are skilled combat fighters, knowledgeable in firearms, there's a fantasy element to the story via Tharn's visions, they're on an island which the setting for right now, and the tone and aesthetic of the show itself.

It's actually a fun scene to rewatch again with more context because I appreciated it even more. Which is just good film making.

I didn't talk much about the camera work - needless to say it's notable and fun - but maybe I'll save that for the next post. What other shows or scenes would be fun to breakdown? Drop me a line but heads up I don't actually watch a ton of shows so idk if I've seen xyz show lmao

Later chepies ✌️✌️

Other posts in the series:

Aspect Ratio in Love for Love's Sake | Cinematography in My BL - Our Skyy2 vs kinnporsche, 2gether vs semantic error, 1000 Stars vs The Sign | How The Sign Uses CGI

[like these posts? drop me a couple pennies on ko-fi]

[the-sun-and-the-sea]

Do you have anymore just random odesta fics? I’m so desperate x by the way I adore your blog you’re the only thing keeping me alive whenever I wanna read an Odesta fic 💕

Hi, thank you for your interest! I do have a few more fics to recommend:

we were married by the ocean (we were tethered by the sea) by beautifuldrukkari - This is such a beautiful Finnick lives AU with a cool nonlinear narrative style. If you're interested in fluff, I'd definitely give this one a try.

If these heights should bring my fall by LogosMelittaes - This one has such an interesting premise with a cool build of suspense. It's very unique but does a great job of capturing the characters/world, which makes it really engaging.

into the mystic by petruchio - This one explores a really interesting time in Finnick and Annie's relationship, and it doesn't a great job illustrating the 'she crept up on me' line. I also love how both Finnick and Annie are so fleshed out and their dynamic is done justice here.

Salt by Sheeana - This one takes place post-mockingjay so there's definitely some sadness to it, but overall it's really hopeful. It focuses a lot on the relationship between Annie and Johanna, but Finnick's presence is felt throughout the story in a really touching way.

Sea Breeze by MrsHannahLongbottom - This one does a great job of taking a simple moment and giving it so much depth and heart. Their dynamic here is beautiful, so I'd definitely recommend this one.

this my excavation by TDK - This is a short one but the amount of emotion it can pack into a story under 1k words is astonishing. The structure of the story is also so cool and creates a really poignant effect.

black rocks and shoreline sand by the_milliners_rook - This is a unique take on the soulmate AU, because Finnick and Annie's relationship still develops very organically. Also, the writing is so beautiful and expressive.

That's about all I have for right now, so I hope you can find something good to read! Feel free to reblog with recs of your own or self promo :)