#Who discovered Proton

[facts-i-just-made-up]

When is lead? What year was lead?

Lead was discovered in Rome in the year 82. Because Latin for "Eighty-Two" is "Plumbum," they called it "The Eighty-Second Substance," or in Latin, "Plumbumbundumum," which is what we call it commonly in English to this day. Scientists, being lazy and bad at speaking, shortened it to the initials PB, which are also my Uncle's initials, but he is not related to Lead.

Lead is very heavy, having an undisclosed number of neutrons, nutrients, protons, and proteins in it. It is also very poisonous, as only one ton of it can poison anyone who eats it whole. Smaller amounts can also be toxic, and can turn your bones teal. This is why Lead is commonly nicknamed "The Metal That Can Turn Your Bones Teal." This name also lead scientists to assume that Lead may been a metal, but there is no way for us to be certain so they may have also been mislead. "Mis-Lead" is the 83rd element, but that's none of our bismuth.

Pencils are said to contain Lead, but this is not true, nor was it ever true as "pencil lead" was simply slang for graphite, even well before the pencil was invented. Had it not been called "pencil lead," its use for writing may never have been discovered by the inventor of the pencil, Jacques Pencille, who was also notable for having invented the first playing cards, the first sofa, and the first baby-meat-grinder, which is thankfully just a scary misnomer as it does not grind up baby meat, but rather it kills the baby with several knives and needles. And that's the history of Lead.

[msbarrybeeson]

Before You Go | Future Donnie & April Insight (Part VI)

(Reader Included)

A/N: Any constructive criticism is appreciated. Reader comments and feedback are also welcomed a lot. 

I have been gone for a long time. Just occupied with my studies! No fan fiction author curse or anything (yet).

Summary: You’re both adopting-parents of Casey. The story follows the perspective of Donatello and April O’Neil during the Kraang apocalypse. You and Leonardo decided to ask them to watch over thirteen-year-old Casey.

In other words, familial interactions between April, Donnie, and Casey Jr.

Reader: Gender-neutral pronouns are used, except the terms “(Mom / Dad)” are also used. Second POV.

Pairing: Rise! Future! Leonardo X Reader

Warnings: Bittersweet.

Word Count:  ~3490

Parts: One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / ...

~

Donnie knew how much of a genius he was.

It was no surprise after all. In his late teens, he improved NASA’s satellites to communicate with planets light centuries away. He cured breast cancer through the use of protons in radiation therapy to target specific cells, rather than affecting the harmless. Hell, he even managed to discover a new type of radioactive particles: mutons. By that point, he—.

“—should have been given a Nobel Prize in Medicine and in Chemistry.” Donnie cursed under his breath. He strolled over to his lab bench, equipping his goggles.

Squeeeak. 

April– who was found seated on Donnie’s roughed-up, spinning gaming chair– raised an eyebrow. Her hair had grown out and was left unbounded. Faint wrinkles and eye bags on her features displayed maturity, in contrast to a couple of years ago. However, everyone was well aware that time was not the only factor. 

“Whatcha going on about now, Donnie?”

The softshell huffed. “Recall when I wrote a report about my experimental findings with an invention meant to revive a deceased human being?”

“...You mean the one where you thought it was a good idea to open up Curie’s tomb? Even gone as far as to ask for my help?” April grimaced. “Who’d ever forget that.”

She proceeded to massage her temples. 

“God. You were in all kinds of messed up for that, Don.”

Lightning-like yellow sparks flickered as Donnie had his robotic hands occupied with a butane torch. His goggles were sealed tight around his eyes as he built a oval-looking device on his lab bench. Titanium outer-layer over a seriously complex circuit-board; appearing as if Samsung marketed grenades.

He scoffed. “Oh please. It wasn’t as if I’d taken long to understand how Marie Curie deserves her rest for her great contributions to radiation. Thus is why–.”

“–You decided to take a poor random husband of an old wife,” April interjected.

“Ahem.” Donnie pronounced. “The poor woman was begging me for her husband to be alive again. I was simply gracious and generous enough to not charge her for the process.” He set aside the butane torch. “At least it progressed well; he stayed alive for an additional two years. It gave his wife psychological comfort, and I was able to submit my paper to the N.S.F..” 

He picked up a screwdriver. “Except....” 

April could tell her friend’s eye was twitching. 

“They rejected my findings, nearly had me detained, and claimed it was far too ‘unethical.’” Donnie raised his volume. “Scoff! As if those researchers weren’t committing the crime themselves! Taking bodies away from families and claiming them as scientific property without permission.

If I could go back in time and shove my documents in their jaws, you bet I would.”

April smirked. “Well, I have my regrets too, Donnie.”

“You sound rather amused, April. Is that so surprising? And here I never thought you would regret your part-time job at Albearto’s. Or the fact you wasted money to switch to journalism in university.”

WHACK!

April threw her bat at Donnie’s head, flying back to her hand like a boomerang.

“Watch your mouth, mister. I may have regretted Albearto’s, but not a single moment in my life did I ever regret my journalism passion.” She stood up.

“Ouch.” The softshell vocalized, squinting his eyes toward her. His robotic clampers paused, setting aside the torch and taking off his goggles. 

“Mind yourself, April. Horse-playing is forbidden in the laboratory. I am not consenting to having yet another silver-titanium apparatus get scratched because of you.” Donnie gritted his teeth. “Can you hear the negative connotation?”

“Seriously, Donnie? Where’d that come from? Not only was that years ago but it ain’t anything except a simple accident.” 

“‘Simple accident?’” the softshell repeated with dramatic offense. “An accident, like many others in science labs, which could have caused severe damage! Remember the incident when your teacher dumped bleach and vinegar into the trash bin?

You know, if you had paid any attention in your chemistry class, those two would make mustard gas?” Donnie side-eyed his friend. “Simple accidents can have serious consequences, O’Neil.”

A hand crept up the lab bench.

“Uh-huh, and I’m supposed to believe an instance of me knocking over your phone and books would kill somebody?” April crossed her arms. “If anything, the blame’s yours for not organizing your desk when you got drunk on coffee.”

The hand took ahold of the butane torch.

“Donatello? Disorganized? Sounds cheap coming from you, a student majoring in Journalism.”

April pulled up her coat’s sleeves. “Oh boy, you’re about to get it—.”

Squeeeak!

Heads spun and found a 13-year old boy, replacing April’s spot on Donnie’s chair. Casey eyed the torch with a great yet concerning amount of curiosity.

“Yo, what’s this for, Uncle Don?”

At lightning speed, while April ran to move the gaming chair away further from the workbench, Donnie snatched the tool from his hands. “Child. Casey. Young man.” The softshell heaved loudly. “I must inform you this is NOT meant to be handled with such casual ease. How in Hawking did you even—.”

“Don’t your lab have a passcode or something?” 

“–Is what I am wondering myself, O’Neil. I refuse to believe this child remembers the beginning thirty numbers of π–.”

“Nope, only us.” April and Donnie lifted their gazes to his lab entrance. You leaned on the frame while a dear red-eared slider stood just behind. A couple of steps inside, and the metallic lab door shut close. 

Donnie– strangely– was quick to hide his device-in-progress off to the side.

“You’re back!” April grinned. “Hell, you would not believe the convo Donnie and I were having a minute ago.” She hurried to hug you.

“Figures,” Leo remarked. “We could practically hear you yards off.”

“Sounds like things never get old.” You smiled.

There was a side-eye between Donnie and April, before the Commander proceeded to inquire, coughing: “Anyhow.. care to explain the occasion? You two don’t seem to be in a hurry.”

“The only times you ever visit my laboratory are to prepare for immediate combat engagement, and you look awfully collected.” The softshell furrowed his brows.

“No, no.” You waved your hands, shaking your head. “Thank God no. We came here to ask if you two could take care of our Casey here while we head out.” The other turtle scrunched his in-quote eyebrows. “You— You came here to request us to... babysit him?”

April jabbed him in his plastron.

“You see? Just like I said.” Leo turned to you. “I know my brother, love. Don’s not the kind of guy to take responsibility for a kid. Or anyone, really.”

“Hold on.” Donnie narrowed his eyes. “I never said I refused, Leo.”

“Don’t know, it sounds like it to me.”

“Well, my misinformed brother, contrary to your belief, I am perfectly capable of handling a child.”

You huffed with amusement. Your husband only winked back.

“If you say so, Don.”

“Where are you two heading off for if you needed us to watch over him?” April inquired. “Wondering, ‘cause this never happened even when you two leave for patrol.”

“Just finding some time for ourselves.”

April exclaimed, “As in a honeymoon? Why not just say so? We’ll leave you two alone–.”

“–In this economy and climate?” Donnie interjected. “Has it also not been six years since your yet-to-be-legal marriage?”

“Alright, alright,” Leonardo chuckled. “Cut us some slack, bro. Finding time wasn’t easy when there’s Kraang above our necks.”

“Right, and you’re going on a honeymoon, how?” The softshell crossed his arms. “Simply because you’re the leader does not equate to you making wise decisions, Leo.”

“His ōdachi can teleport anyone to anyplace, we have some hope we can easily teleport to a remote area,” you answered. “One without Kraang infestation. It’ll be hard, but we may as well try.”

“Bonus points if we find clear skies and an ocean.” The red-eared turtle grinned, wrapping his arm over your shoulders.

“What’s a honeymoon, (Mom / Dad)?”

Your hand went to caress Casey’s cheek. “Parent quality time. It just means you get to handle yourself like the responsible grown-up you’ll become one day. Just promise me you’ll be on your best behavior around Uncle Don and Auntie April?”

“I promise, (Mom / Dad)!”

“Good boy,” Leo laughed, ruffling the kid’s hair.

“You didn’t ask Mikey and Raph to help out too, or?”

“Between you and me, I think you guys are better of making sure Casey doesn’t get into any chaos,” you whispered to April. “Don’t tell them that, though.”

She laughed. “Okay, I see how it is. You both have fun.” 

Donnie bit his lip. Right as Leonardo and (Name) turn to exit the laboratory, he extended his arm out to them.

“Leo, (Name).”

You two faced back to him once more.

“Don’t kill yourselves out there.”

Everyone’s eyes widened– April, you, and Leonardo himself. But the brother in blue snickered, holding a smile that reached his eyes. “So you do also care for me, Don. And all this time I thought you were plotting to put me in my grave or something.”

“We won’t.” Leo placed a hand on your shoulder. “You got my word.”

“Bye (Mom / Dad)! Bye Papa!”

“We’ll be back soon, Casey!”

Donnie stood in silence as you finally left, leaving himself with none other than his best friend and his nephew. “I refuse to believe this is the future we have to deal with.”

“Times changed all of us, didn’t they?” April spoke. “One day we wish each other a good one, and the next, we hope we just don’t die. I could’ve been a famous news anchor by now, make my mother happy, fight crime without worrying about dying the next second.

..I wonder if there’s anyone else out there besides the small number of us down here.”

“..I doubt it.”

Donnie pulled himself together and walked back to his workbench, operating his clampers to work once again. He put on his goggles. Casey, being a young teenager of enthusiasm, peeked over.

“Watch yourself, boy,” April warned.

“Don’t worry about me, Auntie. I’m only standing over here.” Casey narrowed his eyes upon the glowing and metal-like ball his uncle had his tools on. “What are you working on, Uncle Don?”

“A sphere.”

“A sphere?”

“You heard correctly.”

“That sounds kind of boring.”

Donnie had to hold himself back from remarking with: ‘That is exactly what every child whose intellect is doomed would say.’

“I’m sure your mother would find it rather moving.”

“(Mom / Dad)? I don’t understand what’s emotional about a ball, though.”

“Hey Casey.” April coughed. “Why not tell us about your mask here? Haven’t taken a good look at it before. Maybe Uncle Don would like to hear it too.”

“You actually want me to talk about my mask?”

“Ain’t a problem, is it?”

“No.” He fidgeted with his fingers a bit. “You don’t have anything else to do?”

“We were just told to watch over you, kid.”

“Yeah, but everyone I know is always busy with the Kraang or supplying weapons. I never really get chances to hang out.”

There was a brief pause in the butane torch’s flame.

April’s expression softened. Her hand came up to brush his black hair. “Things have gotten calmer up there. So you’ve got plenty of time with us now.”

Casey smiled.

“So your mask?” 

The boy alternated between covering his face and removing it. “(Mom / Dad) gave it to me. She told me it is based on the one worn by my biological mother. (Mom / Dad) also said that my birth mother was kind of crazy-funny and likes to be loud. She would have a stick to play– what was it– hockey?

I don’t know what kind of game hockey is supposed to be, but I guess it’s nice to know how life was like before all the Kraang.”

A sad smile crept on April’s lips. 

“Anyways, I thought the mask looked kind of plain, so I decided to draw red marks on it. See?” Casey showed his mask off, fingers tapping the surface. “Guess who it looks like!”

There were two bold and thick streaks of red. Each one ran through one eye, truly a defining characteristic. The Commander chuckled, already imagining how much pride her friend in blue would feel from the fact a kid– let alone one he had been parenting– looked up to him so much.

“You know, I am seeing someone familiar here.” April hummed as she put on a thoughtful facade. Fingers holding her chin and everything. “Got to be Uncle Don.”

Named turtle paused for a moment and raised a brow.

“Seriously, Auntie April?” On the other hand, Casey gave her an incredulous look and shook his head. “You probably want to get your eyes checked out, ‘cause Uncle Don doesn’t have any red stripes.” Off to the side. “And even if he did, he won’t look as cool as Dad.”

April snickered behind her palm as Donnie eyed the boy from behind his goggles.

“You’re right, you’re right. Just messing with you, kid.” Her hand ruffled his hair once more. “Sounds like you really admire your Papa, don’t you?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Dad has an awesome sword that opens up portals. He always moves so quickly whenever he’s fighting. Bam! And the Kraang’s gone!” The teenager stretched his arm for emphasis. “Even as the leader, Papa knows when to get serious and when to make people laugh. He also cares a lot about me, (Mom / Dad), you guys, and everyone!”

It made even Donnie himself smile. 

However, the way Casey’s enthusiasm died down had not gone unnoticed. “I’ve always wanted to help out though.” He sighed, shoulders slumping. “I want to fight the Kraang right by his and (Mom / Dad)’s side. Except I barely get the chance to, because they keep telling me to stay close to base and hide behind a giant rock.”

April crossed her arms and went quiet. His feelings were nothing new. In fact, she experienced the same thing herself, seeing she had always been a human. It was like that until–.

“Have no hard feelings,” Donnie spoke up, his hands and eyes remained on his spheric gadget. The sparks were flying. “Your parents are merely worried about your well-being.”

“I know, I know. They won’t have to though, if I can have enough training or something.” Casey sighed. “Then again, I also know I’m only a normal sensitive human.

...Why can’t I be a mutant instead?”

“Ahem. You are classified as a human. That is a true statement and one you cannot change.” Donnie hummed. “However, that does not mean you cannot be strong and capable in other ways.”

“Why does it sound like you’ve been in my place before?”

“Perhaps I did. Did you truly think being a soft-shell turtle is easy? I happened to be born as one of the only Testudines species whose outer shell cannot protect.” Donnie remarked. “Casey, your mask.” His hand signaled.

“What about my mask?”

“I merely want to add something.”

Confused, he hopped off the chair and handed the mask over. “Hmm. As long as you don’t mess with the stripes, Uncle Don.”

“Who says I won’t?”

Casey kicked Donnie’s leg.

“‘Ow,’ I say sarcastically without feeling physical pain.”

“Hmph.” He crossed his arms. “Why do you keep saying things like that?”

“Such as?”

“You say those action verbs, even when you’re already doing them.”

April snorted. “Just his thing, kid. Uncle Don’s got his special quirks.”

“Do you have a quirk?”

“Picking unnecessary fights for one,” Donnie commented.

“You only call them ‘unnecessary,’ because you never want to fix the problem.”

He rolled his eyes. “My solution would’ve been ten times more efficient if you had allowed my technology and I to do the work.”

Casey wondered. “Does your tech ever go haywire, Uncle Don?”

“No.”

“Oh man,” April began, “you should’ve been there for this one time. Your Uncle Don was building some kind of overprotective bed to keep your late Gramps from waking up from his beauty sleep.”

“Gramps likes to sleep?”

“You’d be surprised to hear that he sure does.”

“Then what happened?”

“Uncle Don asked your Dad, Uncle Mikey, and Uncle Raph to try punching, slicing, throwing whatever they could on the bed. They were attacking it like crazy!”

“And then?” 

“And the bed was even more insane, ‘cause there were actual missiles shooting out! They went straight for his brothers. At some point, it got overboard, so Uncle Don tried to command it to stop.”

“I’m hearing a ‘but’ coming.”

“But it malfunctioned and thought Uncle Don was the enemy!”

“However!” Donnie pointed his finger up, interrupting the story-telling. “It did not take long for my creation to recognize his master.”

“Still went haywire in my book,” April remarked. 

“Ignoring that.” His robotic hand tapped the edge of his workbench, grabbing Casey’s attention. “Come here, young man.” He slid back the mask, except in his hands, it felt as if the frame had thicken.

“It looks the same, but it doesn’t feel the same?”

“Try wearing it over your face.”

The boy did as told. All of a sudden, a bunch of green rectangles and words appeared in his vision. He gasped in awe. He spun around slowly, watching the rectangle focus on a figure through the wall.

“Yes yes, I know. I am well aware of how amazing I am.” Donnie huffed in pride. “I have opted to construct an interface with your mask. I cannot see why you shouldn’t have something to defend yourself with,” he reasoned. “I have other updates in mind later on. As of now, however, your mask will help you detect life forms across other rooms or through other objects.” 

“That’s so cool!” The boy hesitated though. “But I don’t want to break it or anything.”

“Hey.” April rested her hand on Casey’s shoulder, giving a firm squeeze. “Our resources are already scarce. Using then losing them is better than nothing. You better make the most of our tech. Understood, soldier?”

Casey grinned underneath his mask. He fixed his posture up and saluted. “Gotcha–! Understood, Commander!” 

He faced the inventor, whose hands were already back to being occupied with the “sphere.” “Thanks so much, Uncle Don!” Casey exclaimed, leaping towards the turtle to give a tight hug. “You’re the best!” 

Upon contact, Donnie stiffened up, but his lack of experience with physical touch did not prevent a smile forming on his face. He extended a robotic arm, patting Casey’s back. 

The boy then scanned around curiously with his mask. “Hey! Think I spot Uncle Mikey and Uncle Raph two floors down! They’re holding hands over a table or something. Why are so many people circling around them?”

April rolled her eyes. “Sounds like another arm-wrestling match between the our youngest and oldest brother.” 

Just like that, Casey booked it out of the laboratory so quickly, it reminded her of a certain red-eared slider. “What the–! Casey!” April groaned. “And here I thought we don’t have to deal with runaway kids. I better catch up to him.” 

“Would not worry about him too much,” Donnie commented. 

“What do you mean by that?”

“Considering we will not always be alive to protect him... the sooner we leave him to himself, the easier it will be for him to survive alone.” 

“Hey. Come on now.” April walked to her best friend’s side. “Don’t you say things like that. We’re all going to survive this together–.”

“April.” Slight pain wavered in his voice. “You know as well as I do how our current reality is. It is only a matter of time before the Kraang finds everyone.” 

“Yet you’re still here trying.”

No response.

“It’s all because of the kid, isn’t it?” April affirmed. “He ain’t any genius prodigy you were expecting long ago. But he gave you a reason to try– he became someone worth fighting for.”

“I would not put it as simply as that.”

She shrugged. “That’s how I’d say it. You know you’re not the only one whose life changed because of Casey.”

Donnie paused his work, turning off the butane torch and finally pulling his goggles off his eyes again. “...Casey reminds me of when we were young, being rash and immature teenagers like any other. I hate admitting to such thing, but I was one too. And I hate admitting much more how much I missed those times.

The child has known nothing of the trouble we’ve experienced outside, April: when Cassandra was killed, when Draxum was torn apart, when Dad decided to sacrifice himself despite the slim odds.” His hands clenched into fists.

“Do not expect me to have any false hope for our future, but do not assume I would want Casey to feel the same way. For as long as he can, I want him to hold onto that false hope.”

“...” April had her arms crossed. Her eyes slowly came to linger on the workbench. “Is that ‘sphere’ his false hope?”

“..No. Not his.” Donnie traced his thumb over his contraption. “It’s for (Name).”

[cryptotheism]

From your studies who, if given more time, would have figured the whole turning lead into gold thing?

Well, the theory of alchemical transmutation is wrong, the universe doesn't behave the way alchemists theorized it did. Even if given infinite time and resources, they wouldn't be able to achieve alchemical chrysopoeia (gold production), because it's not physically possible.

However, if you gave them infinite time and resources, they would likely end up discovering the mechanics of modern chemistry and atomic physics. They would learn about things like protons and neutrons, and would eventually figure out atomic transmutation.

But like, you'd need to lock Miriam of Alexandria in some sort of hyperbolic time chamber ass thing. Even with infinite resources, It would take anyone a while to figure out how to build a nuclear reactor.

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Deleted/altered Monsterverse scenes in Godzilla & Kong: The Cinematic Storyboard Art of Richard Bennett

Kong: Skull Island

There's a longer opening sequence, with Marlowe discovering Gunpei's camp instead of them both crashing at around the same time.

Conrad stows away on the expedition instead of being hired as a tracker

Weaver and Conrad meet at a Philadelphia train station (no clue what the context was).

Kong swings around a helicopter while the gunner is still firing and the bullets hit another helicopter, which I think is the closest he's ever come to using a gun.

Packard's group watches Kong fight the Mire Squid instead of Chapman.

Very different take on the Iwi village, with smaller lost ships/planes incorporated into the architecture.

The big one: Conrad flashes back to an encounter with King Ghidorah in Vietnam. The three-headed monster's silhouette is basically just the Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah version, but he has at least five prehensile tails he uses to snatch up soldiers.

Conrad and Weaver are tied to a tree during the napalm plot against Kong. Another character sets them free and they go wild on a few soldiers, with Weaver hitting one on the head with a rock. The Skull Devil emerges in a separate scene.

Kong uses a plane wing as a weapon in the final fight.

The Skull Devil has a grappling tail similar to that of Otachi in Pacific Rim.

The Iwi fight Conrad's group (I think) as the Gray Fox is lowered down a waterfall with a pulley system and something ambushes Kong in the background. This one was especially hard to make any sense of without dialogue.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Jonah spies on Emma and Madison as they drive to Mothra's temple.

The video montage in the Senate hearing is done via hologram. A mushroom cloud is displayed while Serizawa argues with a senator.

Mark bows to a wolf that approaches him in a nice bit of foreshadowing.

Mothra arrives in Boston alongside Godzilla instead of turning up later.

Godzilla vs. Kong

In an alternate opening, the Iwi retell the history between Godzilla and Kong's species using highly-elaborate puppets. There's a horned character loaded with weapons who briefly traps Godzilla in a cage and transforms into a Rodan-like figure. An ancient mecha?

Text mentions that "the Pensacola/Florida Godzilla attack scene was going to be much longer, involving a mall stampede."

A massive explosion takes place on Skull Island (I believe coming from the Vile Vortex there).

Jia is first shown signing with Kong just before the fleet engages Godzilla.

In true kaiju kid fashion, Jia messes with the controls of the ship to set Kong loose.

Nathan discovers his brother's crash site in the Hollow Earth and gets into a fight with several guards. This scene was definitely filmed.

Bernie was at one point a woman (drawn with ultra-short hair, although in general the human characters in these storyboards bear little resemblance to their screen counterparts).

Kong finds a skeleton of another member of his species sitting on the throne. He breaks off the skull, stares at it, and throws it aside.

Ground troops engage Godzilla and Kong during their Hong Kong fight; neither even notices.

Mechagodzilla coils into a semi-sphere to deflect Godzilla's atomic breath.

Echoing his fight with Kong, Godzilla tries to outrun Mechagodzilla's Proton Scream through the streets of Hong Kong.

[mindblowingscience]

Physicists have discovered an exotic new state of matter that takes the form of a highly ordered crystal of subatomic particles. The new state of matter, called a "bosonic correlated insulator," could lead to the discovery of many new types of exotic materials made from condensed matter, according to the researchers, who detailed their results in a study published May 11 in the journal Science.  Subatomic particles can be separated into two categories: fermions and bosons. The primary differences between the two are how they spin and how they interact with each other.  Fermions, such as electrons and protons, are often thought of as the building blocks of matter because they make up atoms, and are characterized by their half-integer spin. Two identical fermions cannot occupy the same space at the same time. "Bosons can occupy the same energy level; fermions don't like to stay together," study lead author Chenhao Jin, a condensed-matter physicist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said in a statement. "Together, these behaviors construct the universe as we know it." But there is a case in which two fermions can become a boson: If a negatively charged electron is secured to a positively charged "hole" in a different fermion, it forms a bosonic particle known as an "exciton."  To see how excitons interact with one another, the researchers layered a lattice of tungsten disulfide atop a similar lattice of tungsten diselenide in an overlapping pattern called a moiré. Then, they shined a strong beam of light through the lattices — a method known as "pump-probe spectroscopy." These conditions pushed the excitons together until they were so densely packed that they could no longer move, creating a new symmetrical crystalline state with a neutral charge — a bosonic correlated insulator.

Continue Reading

[scotianostra]

February 14th 1869 saw the birth of Charles Thomson Rees Wilson who became a physicist and meteorologist at Glencorse Midlothian to farmer John Wilson and Annie Clerk Harper.

The first of two Scottish Nobel Prize winner of the day C.T .R, as he became known , is also the only Scottish-born physicist ever to have won the Prize for Physics,

C.T.R. was inspired by the cloud formations he had witnessed on Ben Nevis. He started out attempting to recreate clouds in his laboratory, but his invention and experiments led on to massive strides in the science of particle physics. The search for the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider is the latest stage in the hunt for answers about fundamental particles of life, however, in the late 19th Century, very little was known about protons, neutrons and electrons. Photons, neutrinos, muons and quarks were a long way from being discovered.

C.T.R. was given the Nobel Prize in 1927 “for his method of making the paths of electrically charged particles visible by condensation of vapour” - but essentially it was for his invention of the cloud chamber. Throughout his career, he got the opportunity to conduct research, teach and work as a reader and demonstrator at the Cambridge university. His most significant works include his observation on the formation of clouds and subsequent development of the cloud chamber, research on the behaviour of ions and so on.

He was honoured with several other awards and recognitions for his research and contribution to physics. Throughout his life, he remained active in the field of science and during his retirement, he shifted to Edinburgh, and later to the village of Carlops at Glencorse. During this time, he worked on his manuscript on the ‘theory of thundercloud electricity’. He died on 15th November 1959 in Edinburgh aged 90.

Pics are of the an himself and a commemorative plaque at Ben Nevis about the observatory there, and C.T.R. Wilson's cloud chamber.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

NASA CubeSat finds new radiation belts after May 2024 solar storm

The largest solar storm in two decades hit Earth in May 2024. For several days, wave after wave of high-energy charged particles from the sun rocked the planet. Brilliant auroras engulfed the skies, and some GPS communications were temporarily disrupted.

With the help of a serendipitously resurrected small NASA satellite, scientists have discovered that this storm also created two new temporary belts of energetic particles encircling Earth. The findings are important to understanding how future solar storms could impact our technology.

The new belts formed between two others that permanently surround Earth called the Van Allen Belts. Shaped like concentric rings high above Earth's equator, these permanent belts are composed of a mix of high-energy electrons and protons that are trapped in place by Earth's magnetic field. The energetic particles in these belts can damage spacecraft and imperil astronauts who pass through them, so understanding their dynamics is key to safe spaceflight.

The discovery of the new belts, made possible by NASA's Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment (CIRBE) satellite and published Feb. 6, 2025, in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, is particularly important for protecting spacecraft launching into geostationary orbits, since they travel through the Van Allen Belts several times before reaching their final orbit.

New belts amaze scientists

Temporary belts have been detected in the aftermath of large solar storms before. But while previous belts have been composed mostly of electrons, the innermost of the two new belts also included energetic protons. This unique composition is likely due to the strength and composition of the solar storm.

"When we compared the data from before and after the storm, I said, 'Wow, this is something really new,'" said the paper's lead author, Xinlin Li, a professor at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) and Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. "This is really stunning."

The new belts also seem to have lasted much longer than previous belts. Whereas previous temporary belts lasted around four weeks, the new belt composed primarily of electrons lasted more than three months. The other belt, which also includes protons, has lasted much longer than the electron belt because it is in a more stable region and is less prone to the physical processes that can knock the particles out of orbit. It is likely still there today.

"These are really high-energy electrons and protons that have found their way into Earth's inner magnetic environment," said David Sibeck, former mission scientist for NASA's Van Allen Probes and research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who was not involved with the new study. "Some might stay in this place for a very long time."

How long such belts stick around depends on passing solar storms. Large storms can provide the energy to knock particles in these belts out of their orbits and send them spiraling off into space or down to Earth. One such storm at the end of June significantly decreased the size of the new electron belt and another in August nearly erased the remainder of that electron belt, though a small population of high-energy electrons endured.

CubeSat fortuitously comes back to life to make the discovery

The new discovery was made by NASA's CIRBE satellite, a CubeSat about the size of a shoebox that circled the planet's magnetic poles in a low Earth orbit from April 2023 to October 2024. CIRBE housed an instrument called the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope integrated little experiment-2 (REPTile-2)—a miniaturized and upgraded version of an instrument that flew aboard NASA's Van Allen Probes, which made the first discovery of a temporary electron belt in 2013.

After a year in space, the CubeSat experienced an anomaly and unexpectedly went quiet on April 15, 2024. The scientists were disappointed to miss the solar storm in May, but were able to rely on other spacecraft to provide some preliminary data on the electron belt. Luckily, on June 15, the spacecraft sprang back to life and resumed taking measurements. The data provided high-resolution information that couldn't be gleaned by any other instrument and allowed the scientists to understand the magnitude of the new belts.

"Once we resumed measurements, we were able to see the new electron belt, which wasn't visible in the data from other spacecraft," Li said.

Having the CubeSat in orbit to measure the effect of the solar storm has been bittersweet, Li said. While it provided the opportunity to measure the effects of such a large event, the storm also increased atmospheric drag on the CubeSat, which caused its orbit to decrease prematurely. As a result, the CubeSat deorbited in October 2024. However, the spacecraft's data makes it all worth it.

"We are very proud that our very small CubeSat made such a discovery," Li said.

TOP IMAGE: The May 2024 solar storm created two extra radiation belts, sandwiched between the two permanent Van Allen Belts. One of the new belts, shown in purple, included a population of protons, giving it a unique composition that hadn’t been seen before. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Kristen Perrin

LOWER IMAGE: The CIRBE CubeSat in the laboratory before launch. CIRBE was designed and built by LASP at the University of Colorado Boulder. Credit: Xinlin Li/LASP/CU Boulder

[heidi891]

My Digital Minimalism Journey

Doomscrolling. Smartphone addiction. Google this, Google that. Sounds familiar? I've begun a journey to untangle myslef from American megacorps and declutter my digital life.

I consider Google the worst big corporation, because while Microsoft and Apple sell products (hardware, software), Google's basically an advertising company. We are Google's products—that's why Google can give us so much for free and still make so much money. "But I have nothing to hide." Me too. I don't commit crimes, I don't watch pornography, I don't do anything classified. If everyone suddenly could see everything I do online, I'd just be slightly embarrased, that's all. But monopolies are illegal and dangerous for a reason. They erode freedom, shape our reality, leave us no alternative, influence our beliefs. I know I'm not immune to this, even though it's easy to believe otherwise.

Another factor I take into account is using local products to support my country's (Poland's) and Europe's economy and security.

Google Search

I noticed long time ago that Google Search became far from ideal, full of ads and focused on shopping. For example, when I looked for information about a medicine, I saw a long list of online pharmacies. I started using Bing, because it gave me information I was looking for—the medicine's description and side effects. (My husband is happy with Google, but his searches involve more shopping, like buying things for his hobbies and renovations.) Recently I've started using Qwant—a French search engine that uses their own index to some extent and Bing. Some people like German Ecosia that uses Google search results AFAIK.

Browser

The problem with browsers is that most of them are based on Chromium (not to be confused with Google Chrome). Chromium, Safari's Webkit and Mozilla's Gecko are like engines beneath the hoods that are browsers. Browsers may have different functions like adblocks, tab management or favourites, but those three are what allows browsers to read and display websites. While Chromium is open source, it's controlled and developed by Google.

I decided to use Mozilla Firefox with turned off telemetry and Qwant and uBlock Origin extensions. Mozilla, though American, is open source and non profit.

E-mail

Almost twenty years ago, as a teenager, I set up my mailbox on Onet—a Polish news portal. When I got married and changed my last name, I changed my mailbox too, to Gmail. Recently I've started using my old mailbox again when I discovered that I could create an alias for my current last name. In my Gmail I set up my mail to be forwarded to my current mailbox and deleted from Gmail. It isn't perfect, because the mail still reaches Google servers, but I changed most logins and I hardly get any mail there.

If you're from Poland, you can check out wp.pl and O2, they have mailboxes too. Otherwise, Swiss Proton and German Tuta are popular, especially amongst those who care much about privacy. Swiss Infomaniak offers a mailbox in Western Europe. There may be some good mailbox providers in your country, you can look it up.

Contacts

I deleted my contacts from Google and store them locally on the phone. I have backups saved on a pedrive and in a cloud.

Calendar

I've started using a paid Polish app called Domownik (dom means home, so the name means it's an app for home, for household matters). I keep my private calendar there and tasks, and recipes, and weekly menu, and a shopping list that I share with my husband, and some notes that I used to keep in Google Keep and Microsoft OneNote. It's Polish and family oriented, so it isn't a good choice for everyone. Some mailbox providers offer calendars too. You may also think about a paper calendar.

Google Drive, OneDrive

I still use them to some extent. We pay for a family plan on OneDrive. Unfortunately, when I checked European providers like Filen, Proton, Koofr, Cryptee, kDrive, Jottacloud, Hetzner... (if you just want a few GB of storage for free, check them out), it turned out OneDrive is cheaper. My husband loves photo remainders there too. I want to use Swiss pCloud where you can pay once for a lifetime. They also offer nice photo gallery and playlists made from your files. I hope I manage to change it this year.

Google Maps

I checked out a few navigation apps like HERE WeGo, Magic Earth and Organic Maps, but eventually decided to use mapy.com (former mapy.cz). You can download one country's map for free and they have great hiking trails map. I know it works best for Czech Republic and its neighbours (which I happen to be), so I'm not sure if it's as good in other countries.

There's an option to share location, but currently I'm the only one in my family who use it, so I haven't had a chance to try it out. Location sharing is the only reason why I'm still keeping Google Maps on my phone. Next time we're visiting my parents I'll try location sharing in WhatsApp and if it works, I could get rid of Google Maps.

For public transport I use Polish app jakdojade.pl.

Google Docs, Microsoft Office

I've used LibreOffice for years (and OpenOffice before that), so I don't need to change much on my PC. However, I used Google Docs and Sheets on my phone. I had a Google Sheets file for recording my weight. I decided I'm going to keep a digital version of that as ODS (LibreOffice file) on my PC (with a backup in a cloud) and I'll start noting my weight and pressure in a notebook, so if I ever have to show it to a doctor, I can just bring it with me. I used to write fanfiction in Google Docs, so I'm either coming back to writing on my PC in LibreOffice or I'll try French Cryptpad.

Google Translate

I've started using German DeepL instead.

Social Media

I have a blog and used to have fanpages on Facebook and Instagram. I don't offer any services or sell any products; it's a project born out of passion. Running a fanpage was so time consuming and hardly anyone was interested in my work, so I decided to stop doing it. I still have my blog; I started running a small blog on wordpress.com with updates and interesting links, so that anyone who's interested can subscribe to it via newsletter or RSS app. I write an update only once in a while when I change something on my main website or if I find something interesting. I deleted Instagram and Facebook (I changed there some settings though, to get some most important notifications to my mailbox), and Tumblr too (too much mindless scrolling).

I downloaded an RSS app instead (I chose Bulgarian Inoreader, but there're others). I follow news sites and blogs I like. It's a feed, but it's my feed, in a chronological order, without ads, sponsored content, algorithms and stupid or hateful comments. Just news and blog posts in a chronological order. I noticed I started to actually read articles! On social media apps it was so easy to read a title and go to the comment section immediately.

Podcasts and Music

I follow my favourite YouTube channels in the RSS app and I got rid of YouTube. I listen to my favourite podcasts in Swedish Spotify. We used to have a family plan in Spotify, but we use American Tidal for music now, because it's a little cheaper, there aren't so many YouTube-like podcasts that my son watched (and I don't want him to), and Tidal pays artists three times more than Spotify. Personally, I'd love to come back to having my mp3 files and playing my own music (I only listen to my own playlists anyway), but my family isn't on board. I'll try to buy my favourite songs to support artists a little and find a way to convert my CDs to digital files (I did it years ago, but I got rid of them...).

Films and TV shows

We had Netflix, Disney+, HBO and Prime at one point. Currently we only keep Netflix (where we have lots to watch) and Prime (my husband says it's cheap enough to keep; I'd just get rid of it if it were up to me). We may pay for i.e. HBO for a month when there's something we want to watch.

I love watching TV shows, so I don't want to give up streaming altogether.

Phone

I use an old iPhone. Android is controlled by Google and iPhone is the only Apple thing I use. Degoogled Android like Graphene OS or Dumbphones are too much for me (just like self-hosted cloud).

What Is Difficult To Get Rid Of

I keep Google Family Link and Microsoft Family Safety to have parental control over my children's computers and phones. My children keep using Microsoft Edge browser too because of that. It's less about time limits and mostly about blocking some websites (I want them only to use websites and download apps that I allow them to). I haven't find a better way yet.

[velvet-games]

1, 2, and 30 for the music asks?

ask game

1: A song you like with a color in the title

Pink Pony Club 😭 I'll never get over this song tbh, esp when it's live and you can hear the crowd singing

2: A song you like with a number in the title

13 Angels Standing Guard 'Round The Side Of Your Bed by Silver Mt. Zion <3 scared the shit out of me at first when I just heard a clip of it but it's actually really beautiful

30: A song that reminds you of yourself

ooh there's a lot lol

EP.4: Important by Ian McConnell: 'Cause humans aren't really gonna kill the planet We'll just make the planet unlivable for us But earth will keep right on spinning Way long after we ain't in it And life will keep right on living 'Til the sun explodes and oh I'm not important and neither are you So let's do whatever we wanna do Bask in our cosmic insignificance Soak up this blip we're living in 'Cause nothing matters anyway Isn't that great?

the reason I love space haha; there's nothing better than looking at the moon and realizing you really are a tiny blip on a tiny rock in a very, very big universe that doesn't care about you. just breathe and focus on enjoying the happiness you can make for yourself and others; your child hands were never strong enough to break the world.

Thank You and Goodnight by Black Gryph0n & Baasik:

We may be monsters, creeps, and killers But we'll miss you just the same And don't be sad, we're stuck for eternity In constant torture, fire, and pain 'Cause there is love, and joy, and laughter Who cares if it's wrong or right? We had so much fun, so thank you, and good night

I think this is the basic theme of the helluverse and the reason I love and connect to it so much; yes everything's terrible but people manage to find joy in each other anyway.

Apple by The Narcissist Cookbook: Like an apple You carry a seed around inside you And from it will sprout a brand new person A sapling A child in your image but entirely separate ... They will look up hoping to find heaven wedged Between the Earth and the sky Instead they will find the sky just keeps on going and going They'll crack open atoms hoping to find God's initials enscribed on the inside Instead they'll find neutrons and protons And inside them they'll find quarks And inside quarks they'll find fucking something else All its dark materials, Eve All its dark materials laid out neatly on the workshop table Waiting to be discovered!

fucking love this whole song. don't let god get in the way of your humanity.

Midwest's Best by Nik Salah:

I don't know how to deal with all this bullshit This nightmare that I'm living in What if you aren't impressed by the best I have? I'm a collection of the people and the places that Gave me a home, broke all my bones, told me I'm ready My mother's rage, my father's pain, hereditary When did we go from growing up to growing old? I'm a progression of all of the things that came before Live wire, head on fire, my heart beats out of my chest Answer me, will I ever be more than Midwest's best?

can't believe this is by nik salah of all people but I love this song lol. 'gave me a home, broke all my bones' is a perfect description of it.

honestly thanks so much for this ask haha; I've been feeling kind of cynical lately but these songs reminded me of why I want to stay <3

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Seven of Nine

By Ames

While we definitely miss Kes, her replacement on Star Trek: Voyager definitely succeeds in filling her shoes and then some. Seven of Nine may have been introduced on the show as an obvious thirst trap to boost the show’s sex appeal, but she is so much more than that. The ex-Borg bombshell, with the acting chops of Jeri Ryan and some excellently written story arcs, grows into more than just the sum of her nanobots.

Get assimilated with your hosts from A Star to Steer Her By as we explore the many facets of Seven, whose journey to regain her humanity pairs so beautifully with the Voyager’s journey to make it back to the Alpha Quadrant. Scour through our astrometrics records below for our usual Best and Worst Moments lists and listen to our hivemind discussions over on this week’s podcast episode (jump to 1:32:36; featuring some bonus moments from guest star drone Carl!). Resistance is futile!

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor abyss of space After Seven has [reluctantly] joins the crew, one of the first thing she does is start helping out in the astrometrics lab, and in “Message in a Bottle,” she discovers the relay network that our heroes use to send the EMH over to the Dauntless and pass communication to and from Starfleet. It’s an early glimmer of hope after years of tooling around in the Delta Quadrant.

All by myself. Don’t wanna be all by myself anymore. We get an absolute showcase in acting from Jeri Ryan in the stunning “One,” in which she’s left to guide the ship through some nebula or other while the rest of the organic crew members wait in stasis. Seven’s battles with her own demons of isolation, loneliness, and self doubt play out as hallucinations, but she keeps it together enough to save the whole crew from nebula gas!

A single Borg among billions of individuals When home seems to be in reach because of a starship Arturis brings them to in “Hope and Fear,” Seven initially determines that she doesn’t want to go on this roadtrip because of how daunting she finds returning to Earth. Watching her deal with those feelings until she comes out the other side feels like a win, even if Arturis’s scheme turns out to be too good to be true.

The robot has been neutralized. May I leave now? This is just one of those little moments from the show, but I like it enough to include it. In “Night,” when Tom is trying to pass the time during months of monotony, he’s playing some Captain Proton with an unimpressed Seven, who simply deactivates Satan’s Robot with one of her patented “I am Borg”s and it’s just so charming and funny that I’ve got to hand it to her.

Are you my mother? By the time we hit “Drone,” Seven’s able to help her sort-of son One learn the merits of individuality weighed against the dangers that the Borg exemplify, no matter how tempting they may seem. Her taking this new breed of Borg under her wing shows just how far Seven has come in the season since her introduction, and her heartbreak at losing him is real and lovely.

Part of me not unlike your replicator. Not unlike the Doctor. Like Kes before her, Seven develops a rapport with the EMH that is built on trust and their outsider perspectives (oh, and horniness because the Doc can be a bit of a cretin sometimes). Seven fights for his rights in “Latent Image” when she urges Janeway not to blank his malfunctioning memory again – something you couldn’t do to one of the solid crewmen.

You and I wouldn’t be able to play Kadis-kot anymore Another great friendship we see Seven develop is with Naomi Wildman. The young Ktarian starts out terrified of the ex-Borg drone, but by “Bliss,” the two are teaming up to take on the bioplasmic organism, as the only two people on the ship not affected by its hallucinatory effects. They bond over how they don’t have anyone waiting for them on Earth, but they have each other!

Time is the fire in which Braxton burns You know I’ve got to give some love to one of my favorite time-travel stories! Seven really gets to shine in “Relativity,” jumping through time to prevent some sabotage to the Voyager and brilliantly uncovering Braxton’s madcap plan. She knowingly puts herself in danger with repeated trips through time because she knows the importance of this mind-boggling mission.

No really, are you my mother? If you liked Seven’s friendship with Naomi, you’re gonna love her relationship with the dronelings we meet in “Collective.” We meet the Borg children adrift on their vessel and threatening anyone who comes by like puffed-up stray kittens, but Seven tries to save them from themselves and takes in the four survivors (and the Borg baby!), acting like their foster mother.

Definitely in contention for worst parents in Trek While the SSHB team tends to prefer Mezoti because she’s the best, Seven takes a particular liking to Icheb. Like a mother honey badger, she protects him when she smells the danger that his parents pose to him in “Child’s Play.” She figures out their scheme to sacrifice their child and saves Icheb from getting reassimilated, even if it would help his terribly flawed people.

They’re tryna build a prison for you and me to live in By season seven, Seven’s come so far in her character development that she fights for the rights of Iko, the death-row prisoner in “Repentance.” She determines that he can be rehabilitated and given the chance he deserves because he feels true remorse. If Seven got the chance to regain her humanity after everything she did as a Borg, shouldn’t this guy too?

Their isolation may limit their potential, but if that isolation ends, so will a unique way of life This one may not be a particularly good episode, but it’s always nice to watch Seven learn a life lesson. Though she doesn’t initially understand why she should prevent the Ventu culture from getting corrupted by the Ledosians in “Natural Law,” Seven befriends the primitive people and comes to understand the value of allowing them to develop on their own terms.

—

Worst moments

Scorpions are not to be trusted Speaking of things Seven does as a Borg, when we first meet her in “Scorpion,” Chakotay is reluctant to trust this scorpion in Borg’s clothing, who is certainly going to betray the agreement she made with Janeway. And whaddaya know, Seven immediately betrays the agreement she made with Janeway! Just like the scorpion in that parable that Chakotay totally lifted.

Nevertheless, I am willing to explore my humanity. Take off your clothes. Once Seven gets deborgified, it becomes clear that she’s first and foremost here for her sex appeal. And the show is going to remind you of that. A lot. No one is more aware of that at first than Harry Kim, especially in “Revulsion” when Seven just offers to sleep with him to lessen the tension, having no idea how inappropriate that is. How else are we to notice she’s hot???

Quoth the raven: We are Borg Like Data in “Brothers,” Seven feels compelled by some unnatural force to take over a ship and fly towards her homing beacon in “The Raven.” Unlike Data, she’s not just programmed by some Soong or other, but instead is hallucinating all over the place and would like to be reassimilated by the Collective. She even holds Tuvok hostage until she learns the corvid truth.

Jenny, I got your number: Species 847-2309 A big speed bump to Seven’s reintegration comes in “Prey” when the Hirogen are demanding the crew hand over an injured being from Species 8472. Janeway tries to teach her the value of compassion for a helpless creature, but Seven loses any trust that’s she has built up by deciding on her own to issue them a death sentence and beam them over to the Hirogen vessel to be murdered.

Sometimes your words just hypnotize me While we’ve already thoroughly put most of the blame for this one on the EMH’s shoulders, Seven isn’t entirely innocent when it comes to the episode “Retrospect.” She’s quick to believe his quack psychiatry and accuses Kovin of violating her just because the Doctor tells her to. If anyone was going to view the facts first, even under duress, it should have been Seven.

From Alpha to Omega The Borg strives for perfection, so Seven gets super into the Omega particle in “The Omega Directive” so much so that it becomes an infatuation. She stops considering reason and the danger of the situation that this highly unstable particle poses, which seems entirely unlike Seven most of the time. Like, it’s a cool particle, but don’t get everyone killed just to look at it, lady.

This is a starship, not a nature preserve After living among the crew for close to two seasons, you’d think Seven would have a slightly better handle on tact by the time we get to “Someone to Watch Over Me,” but apparently she’s just as inappropriate as ever just so the writers can make a joke. Frankly, watching her study Tom and B’Elanna’s mating habits makes me roll my eyes at the inanity.

We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own Oh, and we can’t forget all the assimilating that Seven did as a Borg, even if it’s hard to blame her as a person for it. But she sure does, so we’ll take that pass and run with it. We have a perfect example of it in the flashback story in “Survival Instinct” when she forces the little mini collective who’ve been showing signs of individuality to assimilate, ruining their very lives.

It’ll be like a simple night's sleep I can’t help but harp on this moment in “Dragon’s Teeth” when Seven opens up all the crypods and releases the Vaad’waur from stasis… for absolutely no reason. Scratch that: the reason was to move the plot forward. But really. Seven of all people should know better than to release swarms of randos without investigating the circumstances first. They could be assholes!

The caretaker array is turning the frogs gay! Okay, while I’d admit that this one might inadvertently (or maybe advertently?) be the funniest episode of Voyager, you’ve got to admit that Seven downloading all the logs into her Borg brain in “The Voyager Conspiracy” is hare-brained. Like when the Doc turns himself into Mr. Hyde in “Darkling,” Seven tampers with her mind and ends up turning into a conspiracy nutjob.

Fun will now commence On the flipside, some of the moments that are meant to be comedic fall flat in “Ashes to Ashes” when Seven teaches the dronelings a basic educational curriculum. She has no idea what she’s doing in providing the basic education of the kiddos… and it’s not her job! It’s clear the writers have only stuffed her in these circumstances for some chuckles, but I see through it!

We aren’t far from the boner of your people While I’ll be the first to stand up for the Chakotay-Seven relationship (rushed though it was), any time there’s weird romantic and/or sexual bullshit in the holodeck, I admit the red flags go up. So when Seven makes herself a holo-Chakotay in “Human Error,” that’s a no no. We’ve chewed out La Forge and Janeway for this before, and just wait until our surprise spotlight next week!

—

Turns out resistance wasn’t futile! We’ve just got one more bonus Voyager character spotlight before our Enterprise series wrap – and it’s a doozy! So make sure you’ve got this holoprogram running, follow the page for future spotlights and blogtivities, celebrate with us as we get through the rest of Enterprise on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast, chat with our hivemind over on Facebook and Twitter, and we are Borg!

[obwjam]

so i heard you want requests 🙏 i suggest 17 with a Ghostbuster of your choice. pls?

“Ugh, you’re squishing me!”

"ghostbuster of my choice" is always egon sorry NOT sorry

from this post

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ugh, you’re squishing me!”

Egon pursed his lips in concentration. He stole a glance downward, realizing that his loose fist had inadvertently tightened around you. “Sorry, Asa,” he stated, keeping his strides long but stable. He adjusted his grip so his thumb was no longer pinning you down. You were injured, after all.

It had been a few months since you were discovered by the scariest group of humans you had ever seen. You knew something was eerie about the apartment whose walls you inhabited, and it all came to a head with the human who owned the place screaming, a disgusting green ghost running rampant and four men dressed in brown jumpsuits causing chaos as they tried to catch it.

After the dust had settled, the walls were left destroyed and you were left out in the open, hurt, confused and terrified. The Ghostbusters had found you, taken you back and patched you up, and you had been living with them ever since. You had built a strong bond with them – Ray, the one who had been so gentle when he first found you, had instantly gained your trust and was like your rock. Winston was the one you went to when everything became too overwhelming and just needed to feel normal for a few minutes. Venkman teased you all the time, but it was out of love – he was like an older brother, or a fun uncle to you.

The only one you couldn’t figure out with Egon. He had insisted on running countless tests and experiments on you, which was a borrower’s worst nightmare. He rarely ever smiled and always looked at you with this cold, stoic expression, like he was studying you instead of regarding you as a real person.

Truthfully, he terrified you, and you never wanted to be left in a room alone with him. Problem was, it was just you and him in the firehouse this afternoon, so of course today was the day that something had to blow up in your face. 

Egon had stayed behind while the other three were off investigating something that Venkman had been complaining wasn't worth their time all week. He had a trove of experiments that he was behind on, and this call didn’t seem that serious. He was deep into some slime samples when he heard a small poof and subsequent thud come from upstairs.

You were working on your own experiment, just on a much smaller scale. Ray had asked you to make adjustments to your own mini proton pack so you could start going on ghost-hunting missions with the gang. He had done as much as he could, making something for someone four inches tall, and he trusted you to finish up.

You don’t know exactly what you did wrong – you always thought of yourself as handy and a quick learner – but a wire got crossed and BOOM! There was a bright flash of light, a deafening sound and all of a sudden, you were falling falling falling until you hit the ground with a thud.

Egon immediately abandoned what he was doing, ripped off his rubber gloves and sprinted up the stairs in a huff. He told Ray this would be a bad idea.

Egon burst into the room, eyes focused on the table he had last seen you on – but you were nowhere to be found. “Asa?” 

You couldn’t move. You could barely speak. The wind had gotten knocked out of you, and you were honestly shocked that you were conscious right now. Egon’s massive form was more like a looming stormcloud than a person.

Egon’s eyes rapidly darted around the room until he realized something – maybe you weren’t hiding or embarrassed.

He softly gasped when he saw you on the floor. You had never looked smaller, even when they had first found you. Your hair was strewn across your face, making it near impossible to see if you were… no. No, you were alive. He knew that with your smaller mass, falls like that wouldn’t kill you – but they would surely hurt. 

He bent down, and that oh-so familiar sinking sensation told you that someone was here. Your breathing picked up in your dazed state as you momentarily forgot who was here with you. It was like you couldn’t see his eyes through his lenses. It was just another scientist in a white lab coat ready to pluck you up before pinning you down. 

Egon sucked the air through his teeth as he slid his hands underneath your fragile body, trying his best not to jolt you around too much as he stood up to his full height. His heart lurched when you struggled in his grip, clearly dazed and scared as to what was going on. Worried he was going to drop you, he curled his fingers loosely around you. 

“Don’t move so much,” he mumbled lowly. “You’re hurt.”

His deadpan voice brought you back to reality. “Egon…?”

He looked down when he heard your strained voice, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He needed to get you downstairs.

Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked around frantically for somewhere soft to put you down. If he were broken all over his body and had a giant carrying him, he wouldn’t want to be put down on a cold, hard table.

Eventually, he found a folded up cloth that was clean enough to plop you on. He tilted his hand and you unceremoniously tumbled down, breaking your fall with your one miraculously good arm.

You managed to sit up, clutching your head with a groan as Egon dashed off to who knows where. Thankfully, your breathing was getting better every second. Of all the questions Egon had asked you when they first discovered you, you still haven’t told him about –

You jumped at the sudden clattering noise next to you. Egon had grabbed a handful of supplies, including some sharp, shiny instruments you had only ever seen from afar. The giant scientist grabbed his scissors and a roll of gauze. “This will take a lot quicker if you don’t squirm,” he said as he carefully snipped off a piece.

You began to shiver. “Wh–what–wait, Egon–”

“Why are you sitting up? You’re hurt, Asa,” he said matter-of-factly. “I don’t know why Ray let you mess with a proton pack in the first place. That kind of power could blow a hole through the space-time continuum if you’re not careful. How far was that fall?”

“How am I supposed to know?” you snapped. You were going to pretend that he didn’t just insult you. “Human measurements don’t mean anything to me.”

Egon hummed. “You’re right. It was a few feet, at least. Scaled to you… probably 100 or so. Feet, that is.”

You stared at him. “...Is that far?”

He suddenly turned his gaze to you, eyebrows raised as if you just asked the dumbest question ever, causing you to shrink back. “Asa, that kind of fall would kill someone.”

“Oh.” You watched warily as he continued to snip pieces of that strange white cloth. “What are you–what is that stuff?”

“It’s gauze,” he said simply.

“...which is for what, exactly?”

Egon paused for the shortest of moments. He always struggled with the fact that you were a fully intelligent, fully functional person, yet you didn’t know about the basic mechanics of human society. Half the time, he had to stop himself from talking down to you like a child.

“Your leg is broken. Normal humans would get a cast made of much stronger materials like plaster or fiberglass, but this will do for you. Now, hold still.”

Your eyes widened as his hands descended on you. “No, w-wait–”

Your breath hitched when his hand made contact with your leg, which, for as badly as you wanted to believe it would heal quickly, still hurt like hell. You whined in pain, and it only seemed to worsen when he applied pressure while wrapping the gauze around you. 

“How’s that?” he asked, voice surprisingly soft. It’s not every day he had to patch up a person no bigger than his thumb.

You managed to stand up, trying to get used to the strange feeling of your leg being constrained and stuck straight. You looked up at Spengler, uncomfortable underneath his awed gaze. He was gawking at you like you were some kind of marvel. “How am I supposed to do anything now?”

“We’ll just carry you to where you need to go,” Egon shrugged. “But hold on, I’m not done yet. Your arm–”

“–is fine,” you cut him off. “Seriously, it’s–”

“Look, Asa, you’ve probably got a lot of adrenaline pumping through you right now, but you shouldn’t even be standing.”

“I’m not kidding, I’m fine! I don’t need–”

 “You need to listen to me, Asa. After that kind of fall, I’m surprised you’re even alright. Even being so small, it should have–”

“EGON!” 

He stopped in surprise. You yelled with such force that you might as well have just shouted right into his ear.

“I know you–you’re just trying to help, but…” you paused to take a shaky breath. You hadn’t meant to yell, but you were getting overwhelmed. “But I’m already healing. I should be completely back to normal in a few weeks.”

Egon blinked. “Broken limbs take months to heal, Asa.”

“Not for borrowers,” you mumbled, almost ashamed. “We heal a lot faster than that.”

“Asa…” Egon was beside himself. Rapid healing? That was some real comic book stuff, even for someone who investigated the paranormal for a living. “How come you never told anyone that before? The kind of tests we could run, the things we could learn…”

“Because I’m a person, Egon! I’m not just some–some thing to study!” The normal restraint you had when talking to him was gone. “I’m grateful to you guys for saving me, and–and giving me a place to live. And I don’t mind telling you guys about borrower stuff. But you can’t just–you have to remember that I have feelings, too.”

Egon was lost in thought. Had he really come across as cold? Well, from your perspective, he supposed it made sense. He knew he was rather stoic and serious, and for someone so small in such a giant world, he must have been rather intimidating and scary to you.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Asa,” Egon sighed, pulling a chair up and taking a seat. “I suppose I just have a hard time…”

“Thinking of me as a real person?” you guessed. 

“Yeah,” Egon smirked. “That.”

A comfortable silence fell over the both of you as you ogled at each other. Truthfully, you were both in a sort of shock that you were this close to someone at such a different size than either of you were used to. You were still getting over your baked-in fear of giants, and Egon was still struggling to truly understand your intelligence, but maybe you just had to spend more time with each other to get over it.

“Well, I appreciate you making me this… cast,” you offered, gesturing sheepishly to the gauze. “It might not take months to heal, but it still hurts like a bitch right now.”

Egon cracked a smile. “You sure you don’t need any others?”

Truthfully, you could probably make do without any others, but if this was Egon’s way of helping…

“Maybe you could make me one for my arm,” you said, lifting the busted limb up as far as it could go. 

“I can do that,” he started, rolling more gauze out, “but only if you tell me more about that special healing of yours.”

You chuckled, but something in the tone of his voice was sincere. He wouldn’t have a free hand to jot down notes at lightning speed like he usually does. Maybe he was asking… just because he wanted to get to know you more.

“Alright, Spengler. You got yourself a deal.”

[c00kiejar]

This song...

I've never really made a proper post before, just shitposts and the occasional art thing. I want to make one to properly express how I feel right now and why this song represents it perfectly. I will warn you first, however, that this mentions a certain YouTuber who was recently completely destroyed on Twitter and my personal experience as a viewer, and may delve into some not-too-happy thoughts

Still here? Let's dive in

It all starts way back when I was still a kid. I was navigating the wonderful site known as YouTube, trying to find videos on videogames and, specifically, I think it was Super Paper Mario. I had no idea how to beat Chapter 2-3 (the Ruby debt one), and I needed help. That's when I stumbled across a YouTuber called Chuggaaconroy (a.k.a. Emile). The way he provided all the information I needed in one video was exactly what I needed. I couldn't subscribe to his channel because I didn't have a Google account, so I just periodically checked his channel, eventually learning he uploaded every day at 5 PM, perfect for younger me. I'd watch his videos when they came out, loving every single one. I eventually discovered his collab channel, The Runaway Guys, and loved that channel even more. He, Proton Jon (Jon) and NintendoCapriSun (Tim) entertained me for YEARS with their content. I even branched out into Jon's streaming community, becoming a semi-regular artist on the booru for a time (you can still find my stuff there under the name TehSm1tty. Not my best work, but I still like some of it). Years come and go, and I have my fair share of mental health troubles, but I'd always find Emile, Jon, and Tim there to brighten my days.

Fast forward to sometime last week. I've been pretty inactive on Twitter aside from my alts, but I decided to see what was popping on main. I log in and get recommended a post with the hashtag "WeStandWithChugga". I had no idea what was going on, so I looked into it. I won't go into detail here, but the jist of it is that Emile was a total creep to many women and even drove wedges between himself and good friends because of this weird behavior. There's a lot more to this than just that, but the point is that it shattered my view of him. I knew he was pushy and that always kinda annoyed me, but the extent of it broke me. For a few days now, I've been having a rough go of it. I mean, my childhood YouTuber just got outed as a complete creep and has some serious allegations of being at least a lolicon, at worst a pedo. I've been down and out for days, and it just wouldn't stop. That is, until I found out that Tim has a Reddit account. I never knew this (or, well, maybe I did and just forgot. Idfk), and was amazed to learn that Tim's been keeping Reddit updated on what he's able/willing to share. Turns out Emile's getting the help he needs at a legit mental hospital and that he's ok. That's what made everything stop. Hearing he's ok. After all the shit Emile has done, he's still a human being and doesn't deserve to have the whole internet turn on him in a fraction of a second. Hearing a fellow human is ok made me feel better. I'm not letting him off the hook, and I do not believe he should ever be forgiven for what he's done, but if he is willing to better himself and become a better person, I am more than willing to believe in that Emile.

Now to come to roughly 40 minutes ago. I decide to boot up Satisfactory and play a bit, but I have no idea what to listen to while I do. I put on a song but quickly get bored of it, and then I see "OMORI | Do You Remember? | Extended" in my recommendations. I put it on and instantly, as if I were splashed in the face by water, I wake up and feel better. I was still stressed about everything going on (I'm set to go to college in September, AND my folks are headed to Mexico in about a week, so I'm stressed from those too), but with the first note on the piano, everything faded. All my swirling negative emotions were replaced with a somber peace. I'm still hurt by the last week's revelations, and I'm never going to truly recover (who could?), but I'm moving on. I think my comment on the video describes how I feel best; "The sad yet peaceful feeling this song evokes in me... It's pretty much how I feel today. I feel at peace... or, well, mostly. There's still pain, and there always will be, but I can move on and I'll live. In the future, I'll look back on this last week and feel sad, but that'll be in the future when this is all over with for good, so I can also look back at before it and be happy that those good times happened. Nothing will ever be the same, but such is the way of the world. Saying goodbye is saying hello to the future, and we all need to do that eventually. Who knows what the future may hold? I, for one, can't wait to see. Hello future, and goodbye sadness".

Chuggaaconroy was an inspiration and a light in the sea of darkness for so, so many, and these revelations have snuffed the light he provided out. What I hope is that Emile takes a long, long break from the internet to become the person we all believed him to be, to truly become that bright light in the dark, rather than just another dark figure holding a flashlight. I don't hope for that as a supporter of him as I don't support who he is right now (as if I haven't said it enough), I hope for that as a fellow human who only wishes to see everyone become the best version of themself.

I think this post was exactly what I needed. I've finally gotten everything out in a cohesive (maybe?) and healthy manner, and I'm ready to become my best self. I will be beginning work on YouTube videos tomorrow, and will hopefully be posting Thursdays at 5 PM (in honor of DatPags whom has not uploaded in a long time).

To anyone who finished reading this post, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Please, go become your best self, but do not do so by putting others down. Better yourself and acknowledge your flaws, overcome them, and do not repeat Emile's mistakes. Learn from those around you.

Yours truly,

Cookie_Jar of Tumblr dot com

[linuxgamenews]

Discover the Massive Content Update for Slay the Princess

Slay the Princess content update releases free for the horror visual novel game on Linux, Steam Deck, Mac, and Windows PC. Thanks to the incredible skill of Black Tabby Games, this experience is truly unforgettable. Available on Steam, GOG, and Humble Store with 97% Overwhelmingly Positive reviews. Slay the Princess just rolled out a massive content update, it's something you don't want to miss! Developed by Black Tabby, the same folks who brought us "Scarlet Hollow," this title has really turned heads with its unique blend of surreal horror visual novel and engaging storytelling. Now, it's back with even more to offer. First off, let's talk about the free content update for Slay the Princess. It's a substantial expansion of the endgame content. Imagine more animations that bring the eerie world to life and over 3,000 words of additional dialogue. That means more choices, more depth to your interactions, and a richer experience overall on Linux and Steam Deck. And the icing on the cake? Some epic orchestral tracks recorded by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Trust me, they add a whole new level of intensity to those climactic moments.

Slay the Princess NOW offers a free content update

While the content update release – you can also buy Slay the Princess at a 20% discount during the Steam Midweek Madness sale. If that's not a deal, I don't know what is. And it gets better. The game is also part of the "Cabins in the Woods" bundle on Steam, alongside "Inscryption" and "What Remains of Edith Finch" Proton. All three titles have their unique twist on cabin-themed settings, and you can get them at an additional 10% off. That's a deal that's hard to pass up. Slay the Princess isn't just another typical title with a free content update. It challenges you in unexpected ways. Voiced by Jonathan Sims (yep, the guy from The Magnus Archives) and Nichole Goodnight, the story sucks you right in. The premise seems simple – enter a cabin, pick up a dagger, and confront the Princess. But trust me, it's anything but simple. Each choice you make leads you down new, often startling paths. The Princess isn't just a static character; she evolves with every encounter, making each playthrough unique. The love and support from the community have been Overwhelmingly Positive. Tony Howard-Arias, the lead writer, expressed heartfelt thanks to everyone who's played, shared, and created content around this title. Your enthusiasm is what fuels these updates and expansions. So, if you're looking for something that's a bit off the beaten path, with its content update, offering a blend of horror, mystery, and immersive storytelling, Slay the Princess is a must-try. And there's no better time than now, with the new content and these killer deals. The free content update is live on Steam for Linux, Steam Deck (playable), Mac, and Windows PC, priced at $17.99 USD / £15.29 / 17,99€ (with the 20% discount) until April 8th. Regular price on GOG and Humble Store.

[spxnglr]

𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝙻𝙻𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚂. CLASS VI TRANSDIMENSIONAL BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THEIR SUMMONING

The price for summoning the cadre of demons that have come to be known as the "Collectors" is high. They offer the permanent abduction of whatever target the person who summoned them specifies, but this service comes at the irrevocable cost of their sanity.

The demons are single-minded, and, once engaged, they will pursue their quarry with no thought to secrecy and without being distracted by any other beings they encounter. This has led to more firsthand accounts of their activities than might be expected, given that the Collectors are such dangerous entities.

The demons tend to take on the appearance of their prey, becoming a supernatural duplicate that brings to mind the German concept of the doppelganger. (These are complementary concepts, and any potential relationship between the two bears further study.)

The Ghostbusters were captured by the Collectors and deposited in some kind of interdimensional limbo. Fortunately, we were able to escape by rewiring a proton pack to explode. Although we'd been trapped for just a few hours, we discovered that months had passed in New York, an interesting note for future interdimensional research.

Further investigation revealed that the Collectors had been sent after us by Janosz Poha (see entry on Vigo the Carpathian on page 64), who had been possessed by the demon Idulnas. When Idulnas tried to avoid paying the price for summoning the Collectors, hoping they would take Poha's sanity and not his own, the head-hunting entities forcibly removed Idulnas from Poha's body and abducted the demon to their own plane of existence.

The Collectors, Tobin's Spirit Guide, Section III: Metaspecters, page 46, written and compiled by Dr. Ray Stantz and Dr. Egon Spengler.

[cloudbattrolls]

If it's not already been done.. 📝Arty,

Sometimes all its technological and physical senses weren't enough.

Sometimes no matter the amount of information, no matter what it could experience in a moment from its many bodies, its connection still felt tenuous, still didn't satisfy.

It had dusted and scrubbed plenty tonight in the castle. It could take some time for itself.

Besides, if it didn't, well...

Arty came to a door it kept closed, if not locked. It felt it would be wrong to lock a door in a place that was not, strictly speaking, its home, no matter how much it loved it here.

If Quilis discovered it, she hopefully wouldn't be mad. It hadn't disturbed anything, and it kept the place clean. It had moved all furniture and the few delicate objects there were to other places, other unused rooms.

The room was now coated all over in an inch of slowly moving, shifting metal - more like a viscous silver liquid than anything else.

Arty sighed in relief as it shut the door behind it and unraveled its form, storing its clothes in its sylladex.

It wrapped itself in the metal, the rest of its form joining with it, rising and bending like arcs and droplets of water.

Its truest, most basic sense took over.

Connection.

Potential.

The unity of the two.

The building of the castle. The traces of the lives that had passed through it. The insects and spiders and tardigrades and objects that all perceived themselves, the lusus, the magic, the connection to the ethereal plane -

A vast web of light, spiderwebbing infinitely, even the smallest of atoms and their protons, neutrons, and electrons all bound together, the quarks and neutrinos and gluons - but it wasn't really light.

Light was just one of the first things there had been before any eyes had seen it. Light was an experience, waves of photons, frequencies in harmony, energy unbound from matter.

It was dark as much as it was light. It was what didn't happen as much as what did. Void, some trolls would call it. The possibility collapses. The world splits.

The cosmos is born and dies infinitely in every moment. There are things that eat worlds, after all, that feed on time and space, but it isn't one of them.

And it is...distracted.

Carbon and hydrogen bound beautifully together, glorious molecules of nitrogen and calcium and every other element this type of organic life is built from. Vertebrae! Organs! What a fresh and recent arrangement for life! It's been around them for a little while now, but they are still fascinating.

This troll is particularly novel.

Many connections, but she keeps them clipped, lessens their strength. Great potential she has fulfilled, but avoids other things entirely. A guardian of her holdings, castle and forest alike, protector, capable and strong and fostering the possibilities of others.

Always she learns, she listens, she does not assume, and this appeals to its emotion as well as its inherent nature.

She is, in this view, a miniature network of light herself, nerves alight with the electricity of life, brain a marvel of what flesh can be, so complex, yet treacherous to itself at times.

Her face - who knew skin and eye jelly and hair could gain such particular appeal - is also lovely. A strange sort of loveliness to the potentiality of worlds, but one it has become all too enamored with.

As long as it never speaks of it, everything will be fine. Trolls are very easy to disturb and disgust. They are more resilient than many, Quilis, but everyone has limits it must respect.

The metal shimmers as a rainbow of lights plays over its surface, and it rises, head and torso and arms all slick and unfinished, to make itself back into troll shape once more.