#all the while trying to find a research lab and an internship

[kanmine]

chat can i write a song in one month?

[anticapitalistclown]

Lookism Characters as Archaeologists pt.1

Jake, Eli, Johan, Samuel, Daniel, Yujin/Eugene

Jake

Specialization: Classical Archaeology

He romanticizes being an archaeologist, which makes working with him a dream job.

He knows all his workmates names and remembers all the students who spend a week on internship with his team.

He's straightforward and does what he thinks is more suitable on his research even if it means not keeping some strata in order to reach the most ancient one.

He does not teach, prefers to spend the day on the fields.

Has written some cool articles about remarkable warriors.

Didn't want to be an excavations' director but somehow ended up being a good one.

There's a rumor that he infiltrated in a black market in order to retrieve some stolen archaeological artifacts from smugglers.

Eli

Specialization: Forensic Archaeology

(Duties of archaeologists in this field of archaeology include collecting evidences like human burials, artifacts, footprints, tool-marks, etc., and trying to figure out the situation in which a particular crime might have happened; and to ascertain the influences on the remains of external factors that may have disturbed the crime scene).

His cold mindset made him the best on this field.

He teaches at the laboratories and side eyes the students who find gross touching real bones.

Keeps a file of plenty of different types of burials, sacrifices and traces of violence of the bones.

Shares laboratory with Johan.

He gets hyperfocused when a crime scene seems to be impossible to decipher.

He works more on the laboratory than the field.

When he was a student he destroyed a lot of evidence by mistake, improved trough practice.

Johan

Specialization: Zooarchaeology

(Also known as faunal analysis, is a branch of archaeology that studies remains of animals from archaeological sites).

There's a rumor that he cried when he found out a 4000-year-old dog died by a human weapon.

He's the best at his field but awful at tutoring, he doesn't have the patience to deal with students so Eli and other lab workers have to replace him on the teaching.

Has to be reminded once in a while that archaeology is a collaborative and multidisciplinary discipline.

Has made some internships cry.

He is the one who causes less damage to the bones making some restorers jealous.

Zack, Jake and Daniel forced him to participate on their excavations.

Samuel

Specialization: Prehistoric Archaeology

Joined this field because it was the hardest but the most well paid, doesn't mind the toxic ambience, he fuels it.

He is the strictest, never accepts he's wrong and avoids teaching newbies.

There's a rumor that he started a fistfight with Eli because of a debate about a burial ceremony.

He has good eye on the cutting techniques.

You have an only opportunity to make a good impression on him, if not you can say goodbye to work with him.

Talk about the survival methods and you have his attention.

Daniel

Specialization: Ethnoarchaeology

(Ethnoarchaeology is the science that deals with the ethnographic investigation of living communities in order to acquire knowledge of the past).

Joined motivated to understand the human conduct and because he was a fan of Indiana Jones since a kid.

His workplace is really tidy and organized, has a shelf with ceramics and fossils displayed on his office, so students can admire when tutoring.

None knows why, but he always ends up on the other archaeologists messes (infiltrated with Jake in a black market, got caught in the Samuel vs Eli fistfight, went to ask Gun for an artifact and ended up working with him).

A lot of students joined archaeology because had a crush on him.

He's a rookie yet has made a name for himself inside the community.

Eugene

Specialization: Quantitative Analysis Archaeology

None knows why there's this branch and why he does it, yet since he's the only one who knows how to use it, everyone depends on him.

Has never stepped in a field nor grabbed a shovel.

Loves to fail his students, says things like "you can try next year, if you succeed".

There's a rumor that his predecessor confused him for a student on his first day of teaching, and he cut his (the predecessor) car's brakes.

Only corrects his students essays so he can diss them.

[otaku553]

I recall you mentioning once that you worked in a lab, do u have any advice for getting to that point? I want (read: NEED) to work or intern at a lab but I don’t rlly know what to ask the ppl running them lol

If I can help I'd be glad to!! Full disclaimer though, I am an undergrad junior and I go to school at a pretty reputable research institution so I may not be that much help because I've been pretty lucky and privileged to have direct access to many opportunities. If you're not a high schooler or undergrad student, my advice might not even apply to you at all. This got quite long, so I'll put this under a read more. If you have any more questions, feel free to dm me!

I don't know what your research interests are or what level of schooling you're at so I'll try my best to be broad. You're right that it's best to directly ask the person running the lab, the principal investigator (PI). Even if there's an official application process for fellowships or summer research grants or programs, usually already having reached out to a mentor is either a requirement or strongly encouraged. This applies for both university labs and I think rseearch agency labs like NIH, though I will say, a lot more of my advice will apply to labs at universities.

Understandably, though, it's really difficult to write that email, and quite disheartening that usually you'll need to write multiple emails to different PIs before even getting a reply back. One way to deal with this is to find a template online to copy, because word for word these emails usually go

"Hello [so and so], My name is [so and so] and I'm [brief introduction]. I'm interested in [what research this lab does] and was wondering if you have any positions available in your lab for [period you want to do internship during]. If you need them, my resume and transcript are attached. Thank you for your time."

You can delve into more specifcs in the body but it doesn't need to be long-- I think PIs tend to be quite busy, so being concise and direct is good, as long as you're genuine about what you're interested in. It doesn't need to be an essay or multiple paragraphs or anything! I find that usually 3-4 sentences suffices. If they want to know more, they'll usually ask to meet to talk about what you're interested in.

(On a side note, my roommate has an excellent strategy for dealing with anxiety when sending an email where you recite "fuck it we ball fuck it we ball fuck it we ball" while clicking send lmao)

Now, more specifically, if you're already attending a college that has labs, and professors who are PIs of those labs, it can be useful to take a class that the PI teaches and email either while taking the class or after the class and say "this class was very interesting and i was hoping to explore [so and so] further. Do you have any openings in your lab etc." If you don't have the time to do this, just cold-emailing the lab is usually fine too, but it's good to cite a connection I think? Also keep an eye out for any presentations or seminars that might be given by grad students or professors, since going to those can be a good way to express interest.

If you're a high schooler, you won't have the immediate connection, but I think most researchers would be impressed with the initiative to reach out and have no reason to refuse help. You might have a harder time finding a paid internship as a high schooler, but even with volunteering you can definitely get a foot into the door with research experience. I think a good way to start for high schoolers is looking into local university labs and expressing an interest in their work? Or reaching out to alumni of your school to ask for general advice and or opportunities.

If you don't receive an email back, you can send a follow up in two or three days. Sometimes emails can get pushed to the bottom of the inbox before they're seen, and it's no harm to just bump it again, with a little "hello! I wasn't sure if you'd seen this email. I'd like to follow up on this." (historically, I have been very bad at this, ahha). If you receive a negative response (which is pretty unlikely I think?) you can still thank them for their time and ask for advice regarding getting into research for their field of specialty.

I hope this helps! If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask or dm me. I will try my best to be helpful :)

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

From earthquakes to starquakes: Seismology research helps understand exoplanet migration

When Jared Bryan talks about his seismology research, it's with a natural finesse. He's a fifth-year Ph.D. student working with MIT Assistant Professor William Frank on seismology research, drawn in by the lab's combination of GPS observations, satellites, and seismic station data to understand the underlying physics of earthquakes.

He has no trouble talking about seismic velocity in fault zones or how he first became interested in the field after summer internships with the Southern California Earthquake Center as an undergraduate student.

"It's definitely like a more down-to-earth kind of seismology," he jokingly describes it. It's an odd comment. Where else could earthquakes be but on Earth? But it's because Bryan finished a research project that has culminated in a new paper—published today in Nature Astronomy—involving seismic activity not on Earth, but on stars.

Building curiosity

Ph.D. students in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) are required to complete two research projects as part of their general exam. The first is often in their main focus of research and the foundations of what will become their thesis work.

But the second project has a special requirement: It must be in a different specialty.

"Having that built into the structure of the Ph.D. is really, really nice," says Bryan, who hadn't known about the special requirement when he decided to come to EAPS. "I think it helps you build curiosity and find what's interesting about what other people are doing."

Having so many different, yet still related, fields of study housed in one department makes it easier for students with a strong sense of curiosity to explore the interconnected interactions of Earth science.

"I think everyone here is excited about a lot of different stuff, but we can't do everything," says Frank, the Victor P. Starr Career Development Professor of Geophysics. "This is a great way to get students to try something else that they maybe would have wanted to do in a parallel dimension, interact with other advisors, and see that science can be done in different ways."

At first, Bryan was worried that the nature of the second project would be a restrictive diversion from his main Ph.D. research. But Associate Professor Julien de Wit was looking for someone with a seismology background to look at some stellar observations he'd collected back in 2016. A star's brightness was pulsating at a very specific frequency that had to be caused by changes in the star itself, so Bryan decided to help.

"I was surprised by how the kind of seismology that he was looking for was similar to the seismology that we were first doing in the '60s and '70s, like large-scale global Earth seismology," says Bryan. "I thought it would be a way to rethink the foundations of the field that I had been studying applied to a new region."

Going from earthquakes to starquakes is not a one-to-one comparison. While the foundational knowledge was there, movement of stars comes from a variety of sources, like magnetism or the Coriolis effect, and in a variety of forms. In addition to the sound and pressure waves of earthquakes, they also have gravity waves, all of which happen on a scale much more massive.

"You have to stretch your mind a bit, because you can't actually visit these places," Bryan says. "It's an unbelievable luxury that we have in Earth seismology that the things that we study are on Google Maps."

But there are benefits to bringing in scientists from outside an area of expertise. De Wit, who served as Bryan's supervisor for the project and is also an author on the paper, points out that they bring a fresh perspective and approach by asking unique questions.

"Things that people in the field would just take for granted are challenged by their questions," he says, adding that Bryan was transparent about what he did and didn't know, allowing for a rich exchange of information.

Tidal resonance locking

Bryan eventually found that the changes in the star's brightness were caused by tidal resonance. Resonance is a physical occurrence where waves interact and amplify each other. The most common analogy is pushing someone on a swing set; when the person pushing does it at just the right time, it helps the person on the swing go higher.

"Tidal resonance is where you're pushing at exactly the same frequency as they're swinging, and the locking happens when both of those frequencies are changing," Bryan explains. The person pushing the swing gets tired and pushes less often, while the chain of the swing changes length. (Bryan jokes that here the analogy starts to break down.)

As a star changes over the course of its lifetime, tidal resonance locking can cause hot Jupiters, which are massive exoplanets that orbit very close to their host stars, to change orbital distances. This wandering migration, as they call it, explains how some hot Jupiters get so close to their host stars. They also found that the path they take to get there is not always smooth. It can speed up, slow down, or even regress.

An important implication from the paper is that tidal resonance locking could be used as an exoplanet detection tool, confirming de Wit's hypothesis from the original 2016 observation that the pulsations had the potential to be used in such a way. If changes in the star's brightness can be linked to this resonance locking, it may indicate planets that can't be detected using current methods.

As below, so above

Most EAPS Ph.D. students don't advance their project beyond the requirements for the general exam, let alone get a paper out of it. At first, Bryan worried that continuing with it would end up being a distraction from his main work, but ultimately was glad that he committed to it and was able to contribute something meaningful to the emerging field of asteroseismology.

"I think it's evidence that Jared is excited about what he does and has the drive and scientific skepticism to have done the extra steps to make sure that what he was doing was a real contribution to the scientific literature," says Frank. "He's a great example of success and what we hope for our students."

While de Wit didn't manage to convince Bryan to switch to exoplanet research permanently, he is "excited that there is the opportunity to keep on working together."

Once he finishes his Ph.D., Bryan plans on continuing in academia as a professor running a research lab, shifting his focus onto volcano seismology and improving instrumentation for the field. He's open to the possibility of taking his findings on Earth and applying them to volcanoes on other planetary bodies, such as those found on Venus and Jupiter's moon Io.

"I'd like to be the bridge between those two things," he says.

IMAGE: Ph.D. student Jared Bryan was able to use his knowledge of Earth-based seismology to solve an exoplanet mystery as to how hot Jupiters end up so close to their host stars. "I thought it would be a way to rethink the foundations of the field that I had been studying applied to a new region." Credit: Left photo courtesy of Jared Bryan. Right image: Carlos Villamil and Julien de Wit

[ladyzee-oddityhunter]

He Saw WHAT!? Interview With a Real GLITCH Scientist

[The video begins with Zee standing in a hotel room with two queen beds. The one directly behind her has her open satchel and a set of pink polka dot pajamas on it, and the one behind that contains her sliggo, Tala, and her sensu oricorio, Carmelita. They’re nestled in the balled up blankets]

“Hello my lovely skiddo kiddos! You’re here with Lady Zee, and I have a special treat for you today! It’s a little late, sorry, I’m still working out the whole living in a hotel in Hoenn thing, but better late than never, right? Last week I got to meet with a glitch researcher based in Hoenn and do a quick interview. These are just the highlights to keep it snappy, but if you want the full thing just let me know! Enjoy!”

[The scene swipes away and is replaced by the pre-recorded footage in a lab in Lilycove. Zee is standing side by side with a lanky, glasses-wearing blue-haired man in a labcoat. A small herd of pokemon is in the background; A kadabra, a very chubby pelipper, and something resembling a VERY large pile of feathers. The pile of feathers seems to be breathing. Tala also slowly creeps her way into view, exploring]

“HeLLO my lovely skiddo kiddos! You’re here with me, Lady Zee, and today I’m with a VERY special guest! This is Simon, a glitch researcher with Devon Corp.”

She pauses for just a moment to let him say hello. There’s a sound from him. It’s not a loud sound.

“Today we’re going to start our discovery of glitch pokemon, but before that I wanna rave about Sweet Skies Malasadas! Do you want to try Alola’s speciality dessert, but you just can’t find the time to go ALL the way to Alola? Sweet Skies MAILED us this box of malasadas just after I got to Hoenn, and after just a few minutes in the oven or with your favorite fire pokemon, they taste like they’re FRESH out of the fryer!

I warmed these up in the hotel’s breakfast toaster oven because I’m lazy. And also don’t have a house at the moment. But anyway, search Sweet Skies Malasadas on your rotom phone and use the code ZEE10 to save ten percent on your first order!”

[The footage in the lab is spliced with a shot of Zee opening a pink and white postage box, then another shot of her nearly setting a toaster oven on fire at a hotel breakfast spread. Just as a significant plume of smoke begins rising out and Zee flails away, it cuts back to the lab]

Present day Zee waves her hands in a showy gesture of excitement and flashes a pearly smile.

“Now!” She turns to Simon, pink hair whooshing over her shoulder with the movement. “Simon, a pretty basic but fun question. You’re a GLITCH researcher. That is super niche and pretty risky just looking at what you share. What made you want to follow this particular career path? Why not do something with regular pokemon?”

There’s a solid beat of silence as Simon appears lost in thought. Then he gives a small start as if realizing he’d been asked a question, blinks, and opens his mouth.

"Uh.. right.." He starts, "Um... well believe it or not I actually started on this career path back in Kanto. I took an internship with Silph Co. And it was a project one of the departments was working on. Glitch Research. I guess one thing led to another and here I am. I guess I didn't realize what I was getting into at the time."

[The camera pans around the lab, showing some of the pokemon wandering around, a few other lab workers, a worryingly large pile of pomeg berries, and a room labeled “Danger: Bad Eggs” filled with an even more worrying number of eggs]

“So what does a normal work day look like for you?” Zee continues. “Are you clocking in to study anything new right now? I imagine it’s egg and pomeg berry related.”

"Well... the Pomegs are a bit of a surplus we have from our last project." He explains, "You've probably heard of the term 'Glitzer Popping'. It's a slang term for the state induced by consuming Pomeg berries while nearly pushed to the point of exhaustion. It can trigger a heightened mental state that can alter one's perception of time."

Zee maintains a somewhat lost but interested smile as Simon provides his matter-of-fact explanation. Perhaps this is perfectly common knowledge to scientists.

"We had been using this method to attempt to make contact with a glitch pokemon called the Decamark. Or ten question marks. We've found however that this method, and possibly making contact with this pokemon at all is... well incredibly dangerous"

[The video freezes, and there’s an added voiceover from Zee]

“If you haven’t see Simon’s decamark videos, I’ll include a link below. Content warning for hopelessness, poisoning, and threat of death. Do not try to recreate his experiment at home.”

[The video resumes]

Zee is looking off to the side, and the camera zooms dramatically in on the “Danger: Bad Eggs” sign.

“Can you tell us about the Bad Eggs? How’s an EGG an invasive species?”

"Well," Simon goes on, "Bad Eggs aren't actual eggs. They are actually more like egg shaped pokemon. The main issue with them is how they reproduce. They can cause waves of corruption called surges. Causing these allows them to reproduce and create more Bad Eggs, but it’s also incredibly destructive. It makes them the only Pokemon that see humans as a prey item that they can hunt."

Zee frowns. ”So they’re like predatory togepies? And you just have a room full of them over there? Must make it easy to relax.”

Her sliggo begins to show just a little too much interest in exploring toward the danger door, so Zee stoops, and a loud, wet slurping noise follows as she forcefully peels the snail pokemon from the floor. Tala continues to squirm for freedom even as Zee cradles her.

“So what does a surge look like?” Zee continues. “And how does a Bad Egg, like, eat?

"A surge is... well.." Simon pauses in thought.

"You know it’s a strangely quiet phenomenon. Actually it makes very little sound. Visually it can look like... stripes of static. And it can cause people caught within it to appear to de-synch with themselves." He makes a gesture as if very familiar with the scenario, but Zee furrows her brows, struggling to visualize his description.

“Let’s talk about something a little more chill,” She suggests. “When you’re not at work, what do you like to do? Do you have any hobbies or personal projects?”

"So... um... I'm not really very much of a trainer, but I do have a little team I'm training." He goes on, "I do have a rival! He's from Glitch City of course. We've actually both won a badge on the circuit. Just one mind you, but it's still been fun to try our hands at battling."

Zee visibly perks up at the mention of this mysterious place, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she watches Simon with wide eyes.

”Ohh, Glitch City? I’ve been trying to find out how to get there. Do you know? Could you show me some time?”

“Well, I do know the way, but we aren't volunteering that information to just anyone right now. " He says, "Maybe I could ask Professor Zzazz about it. She's... er... probably watching actually." He glances into the camera and waves a little "Hi Zzazz. Hi �aver!"

Zee spends a moment mouthing the second name Simon said, visibly baffled by the “Kz” sound at the beginning. She wrinkles her nose. That’s a question for later.

[There’s a cut, and Zee is smiling again]

“Speaking of pokemon types, my next question! If you could be a pokemon for a day, which one would you want to be? It can be anything! Even a glitch one, you’ll just have to explain it to me.”

Simon chuckles for the first time, finally looking somewhat at ease. "Well, I've said before I'd love to know what it's like to be an E3. They're such smart, curious creatures. I do wonder what's going on in their heads."

[His dialogue is spliced with a close up shot of the breathing giant pile of feathers in the background]

"Otherwise... maybe a 4 4? They have a very potent visualtoxin that makes them hard to look at, but the coloration is impressive, and actually really beautiful! Just a massive array of blues and greens. I do wonder what it's like to look at the world as one. They must be able to perceive many more colors than we can. I imagine it would be fascinating."

When he finishes speaking, Zee continues to watch him for another moment with a growing fond smile.

“So this isn’t one of the planned questions, but what can you tell me about the 4 4? Is that your favorite pokemon? Is it also… Bird type?”

"Oh, 4 4?" He asks, "Actually yes, it's a Bird/Normal type. I wouldn't call it my favorite pokemon, it's just one that interests me. Favorite might need to be E3 really. 4 4 are actually rather dangerous. They have the most potent visualtoxin of any pokemon besides Mimikyu. They won't kill you, like a Mimikyu will, but they can have some nasty effects if you look at them directly. Still a fascinating pokemon. We think the body may resemble an urchin, covered in spines. It's also about twenty feet tall. "

[A quick overlay of three and a half Zee’s are stacked on top of each other, helpfully labeled “<—For Scale”]

“Okay!” Zee sweeps her hand up toward the ceiling, flashing the gold underside of her cape. “Next question! WHAT is the absolute CRAZIEST thing you’ve ever done?”

"Well," He says, "I guess I did help quell the 3TrainerPoke in Celedon... but mostly I was just giving advice there. Wasn't allowed to leave the hospital. Er.. hm... I did take a trip into what I can only describe as the Backrooms once in the back of a Pokemart. Recorded the whole thing. Found the weirdest Skitty I've ever seen back there. Time really does flow differently down there."

Zee waits for a few moments after he finishes. She then grins knowingly at him and holds a finger to her painted lips. “You don’t have to censor yourself for me, mimicutie. This is an R rated stream. For frightening or disturbing content, of course, so you can keep your top on. And your bottom. And your shoes.”

There’s a pause as Simon seems to consider this. There’s a little tension in his face as if he’s uncertain about continuing, but he does. "Well, I'm sure you've seen some of the Decamark things. " He says, "You've... er ... talked about those. I've also dealt with a couple temporal surges. Those split the timeline and can show you every possible outcome of your every action. I've er... induced them once or twice. Mostly by accident. They're caused by a Pokemon move, but the effects they can cause are rather astonishing. Like... being able to see every possible eventuality spreading out in front of you like they're threads you could reach out and grab."

“Nooo way. You’re TOTALLY messing with me.” Her brilliant white grin splits her face. “So you actually, literally saw the multiverse? What… What did you see?” She takes in a dainty, likely practiced gasp. “Did you see your own DEATH? What move causes that? What… Are there long term effects?”

Simon goes a little pale, but he soldiers on. "The move is an undefined one. Name is almost unpronouncable. But when it's called, that's what it does. Splits time in a sense." He meets her eyes, "And, yes, actually. I saw every eventuality, and some of them did include my own death.

"Actually, I did see some kind of specter at the end of one of them. I don't know how to describe it. If you've ever seen a Decamark... it had a similar look to it but bigger, longer, much more... human like. Staring at it felt like staring death itself in the face. Like standing next to oblivion."

Zee’s enamored smile widens. “So what do you think you saw? Like a nihilego? Death? It sounds a lot like a light at the end of the tunnel sort of thing. How did seeing all of that not drive you totally insane?” She raises a brow, but her grin never falters. “Am I trapped in this lab with a mad man?”

[The scene cuts before he can answer. It resumes with them still in the same spot with Zee unmurdered by the potentially mad scientist]

Zee flips her vibrant pink hair over her shoulder. “So I guess you didn’t try filming that part? If it was a real thing and not just a hallucination, the camera would have detected something, right? Promise you’ll invite me over next time you’re going to do it.”

She winks at him. “Well, I’ve probably talked your ears off long enough. Do you have any questions for me or words of wisdom for your new fans?”

"Words of wisdom, well. ah...."

After a moment of scrambling for words, a little smile graces his face.

"Well, just remember to keep an open mind about the people and Pokemon you meet. Even if they're a little unpredictable, you know?"

Zee claps her hands once, emitting a sharp snap that echoes in the lab. “Okay! Thank you so much for joining us today, everyone! And Simon, thank you so much for having me. This was a lot of fun!

“Remember, everything we discussed today was done and practiced by a professional. Don’t try any of it at home. And don’t forget to follow Simon’s page to keep up with his research. He’s doing some really cool things here.”

Zee sweeps her right hand across her chest, then snaps it out to the side, flashing the golden underside of her cape.

“Again, thank you so much for your love and support! If you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe, and I’ll see you at the next stream!

“And remember skiddos, mommy loves you!”

[The following black screen is overlayed with white text reading, “Simon took me to a corner cafe in Lilycove during his lunch break…”]

[A photo of Simon laying facedown on the ground with his pelipper perched on his back, proudly gobbling down his sandwich]

“RIP Simon’s Dignity

2023 - 2023”

Find Simon’s Decamark Vlogs: @pokeglitchden

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5 This was pretty long

Part 6 Holy moly!

Part 7 Make it stop

Part 8 Oh, thank goodness

[sunaleisocial]

Bridging the heavens and Earth

New Post has been published on https://sunalei.org/news/bridging-the-heavens-and-earth/

Bridging the heavens and Earth

When Jared Bryan talks about his seismology research, it’s with a natural finesse. He’s a fifth-year PhD student working with MIT Assistant Professor William Frank on seismology research, drawn in by the lab’s combination of GPS observations, satellites, and seismic station data to understand the underlying physics of earthquakes. He has no trouble talking about seismic velocity in fault zones or how he first became interested in the field after summer internships with the Southern California Earthquake Center as an undergraduate student.

“It’s definitely like a more down-to-earth kind of seismology,” he jokingly describes it. It’s an odd comment. Where else could earthquakes be but on Earth? But it’s because Bryan finished a research project that has culminated in a new paper — published today in Nature Astronomy — involving seismic activity not on Earth, but on stars.

Building curiosity

PhD students in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) are required to complete two research projects as part of their general exam. The first is often in their main focus of research and the foundations of what will become their thesis work.

But the second project has a special requirement: It must be in a different specialty.

“Having that built into the structure of the PhD is really, really nice,” says Bryan, who hadn’t known about the special requirement when he decided to come to EAPS. “I think it helps you build curiosity and find what’s interesting about what other people are doing.”

Having so many different, yet still related, fields of study housed in one department makes it easier for students with a strong sense of curiosity to explore the interconnected interactions of Earth science.

“I think everyone here is excited about a lot of different stuff, but we can’t do everything,” says Frank, the Victor P. Starr Career Development Professor of Geophysics. “This is a great way to get students to try something else that they maybe would have wanted to do in a parallel dimension, interact with other advisors, and see that science can be done in different ways.”

At first, Bryan was worried that the nature of the second project would be a restrictive diversion from his main PhD research. But Associate Professor Julien de Wit was looking for someone with a seismology background to look at some stellar observations he’d collected back in 2016. A star’s brightness was pulsating at a very specific frequency that had to be caused by changes in the star itself, so Bryan decided to help.

“I was surprised by how the kind of seismology that he was looking for was similar to the seismology that we were first doing in the ’60s and ’70s, like large-scale global Earth seismology,” says Bryan. “I thought it would be a way to rethink the foundations of the field that I had been studying applied to a new region.”

Going from earthquakes to starquakes is not a one-to-one comparison. While the foundational knowledge was there, movement of stars comes from a variety of sources like magnetism or the Coriolis effect, and in a variety of forms. In addition to the sound and pressure waves of earthquakes, they also have gravity waves, all of which happen on a scale much more massive.

“You have to stretch your mind a bit, because you can’t actually visit these places,” Bryan says. “It’s an unbelievable luxury that we have in Earth seismology that the things that we study are on Google Maps.”

But there are benefits to bringing in scientists from outside an area of expertise. De Wit, who served as Bryan’s supervisor for the project and is also an author on the paper, points out that they bring a fresh perspective and approach by asking unique questions.

“Things that people in the field would just take for granted are challenged by their questions,” he says, adding that Bryan was transparent about what he did and didn’t know, allowing for a rich exchange of information.

Tidal resonance locking

Bryan eventually found that the changes in the star’s brightness were caused by tidal resonance. Resonance is a physical occurrence where waves interact and amplify each other. The most common analogy is pushing someone on a swing set; when the person pushing does it at just the right time, it helps the person on the swing go higher.

“Tidal resonance is where you’re pushing at exactly the same frequency as they’re swinging, and the locking happens when both of those frequencies are changing,” Bryan explains. The person pushing the swing gets tired and pushes less often, while the chain of the swing change length. (Bryan jokes that here the analogy starts to break down.)

As a star changes over the course of its lifetime, tidal resonance locking can cause hot Jupiters, which are massive exoplanets that orbit very close to their host stars, to change orbital distances. This wandering migration, as they call it, explains how some hot Jupiters get so close to their host stars. They also found that the path they take to get there is not always smooth. It can speed up, slow down, or even regress.

An important implication from the paper is that tidal resonance locking could be used as an exoplanet detection tool, confirming de Wit’s hypothesis from the original 2016 observation that the pulsations had the potential to be used in such a way. If changes in the star’s brightness can be linked to this resonance locking, it may indicate planets that can’t be detected using current methods.

As below, so above

Most EAPS PhD students don’t advance their project beyond the requirements for the general exam, let alone get a paper out of it. At first, Bryan worried that continuing with it would end up being a distraction from his main work, but ultimately was glad that he committed to it and was able to contribute something meaningful to the emerging field of asteroseismology.

“I think it’s evidence that Jared is excited about what he does and has the drive and scientific skepticism to have done the extra steps to make sure that what he was doing was a real contribution to the scientific literature,” says Frank. “He’s a great example of success and what we hope for our students.”

While de Wit didn’t manage to convince Bryan to switch to exoplanet research permanently, he is “excited that there is the opportunity to keep on working together.”

Once he finishes his PhD, Bryan plans on continuing in academia as a professor running a research lab, shifting his focus onto volcano seismology and improving instrumentation for the field. He’s open to the possibility of taking his findings on Earth and applying them to volcanoes on other planetary bodies, such as those found on Venus and Jupiter’s moon Io.

“I’d like to be the bridge between those two things,” he says.

[swarrnimuniversitygandhinagar]

Your Guide to Studying Chemistry and Microbiology in Gandhinagar

Set in the heart of Gujarat, Gandhinagar is spotted with great schools, especially for science lovers. So, if you are contemplating what to study, Gandhinagar and other parts of Gujarat have a lot in store for you. This blog will inspire you to know what these subjects are all about, where you can study them, and how you could be able to choose the right track that will make your footprints stronger in the future. 

An Introduction To Chemistry 

Chemistry is sort of like magic in science. It shows how different things can mix together and react with each other. It's very essential in the production of medicines, new materials, and understanding how our planet works. 

Gandhinagar is a smart, intelligent city, and it has a love for education here—the best B.Sc in chemistry college in Gandhinagar comes in the form of chemistry and microbiology that students want to read. The schools come in with the best labs, caring teachers, and classes that would make you think and learn a lot.

An Introduction To Microbiology

Microbiology is all about living things that are so small that they can't be seen only through the eyes. It helps us fight diseases, make food, and care for our environment. Both the subjects are super interesting, and they might take you to do many great things in the future.

The state of Gujarat, especially Gandhinagar, brims with prestigious schools that could be perfect for diving into Microbiology. These B.Sc in Microbiology colleges in Gandhinagar not only teach well but also bring students together to work on important science projects.

Choosing Between Chemistry and Microbiology

Depending on what rouses your blood in life, one might find beauty in life through the process of discovering how everything is made and the way it reacts. Then, possibly, it is chemistry. Or if the invisible world of microbes and how they impact our health and our planet is something you are curious about, then possibly it is microbiology.

Preparing to Apply

The application process isn't just a snap, crackle, and pop; it does, in fact, take some work to get into these schools. You need to figure out what is required at each of them, be it tests, essays, or interviews. Really, knowing what you are getting into and being ready for it can help when you are trying to gain an entrance ticket to one of these microbiology colleges in Gujarat.

Internships and Research

However, such a school is in Gandhinagar all over Gujarat and is based on learning by doing. They really provide with real labs and opportunities to get engaged in research projects, as well as with the people working in science. Such an experience doesn't help to learn but to prepare for a future job and feel how something makes a difference in the world.

Swarrnim University: Helping You Build A Future 

At Swarrnim University, you get to explore courses from the diverse genres of Engineering, Architecture, Science, Business, Design, and Healthcare. Swarrnim is different in the way that they work towards blending conventional education with practical experiences to ready their students for their start-up lives or to look forward to a successful future. Innovation is a key focus area at the university, where students are availed of the required resources, mentorship, and support they may need to turn their ideas into feasible businesses or impact-making solutions.

Conclusion

Starting your science odyssey in Chemistry or Microbiology in Gandhinagar or anywhere in Gujarat isn't simply about obtaining a degree; it is about joining a community of curious and passionate people who will explore and delve into the world of the unknown. The schools here are ready to help you learn, discover, and eventually make the world a better place.

Take your time while you think of the paths you might follow in the future. Visit the schools, talk to the teachers, talk to the students. Find in which environment you feel excited most of all and at home, too. In fact, it's quite a big adventure, science: that's what this is. And Gandhinagar is just the place to begin.

[moistvonlipwig]

well i certainly am not aiming for a job i'll hate !

maybe it'll help me to write out the pros and cons of each. this is mostly for my own benefit but anyone who follows me or sees this post, please do feel free to chime in with your thoughts, especially if you have any experience in the listed fields but even if you don't...

MATH:

pros: honestly this is a super interesting subject that i've been getting into more since becoming a math tutor. and my aunt is a retired mathematician so i could exchange Math Ideas with her. it's something i want to learn about and i could see myself spending my life studying it and not getting bored because there are so many delightful things to discover about it. plus if i did a PhD that means i don't have to pay for schooling. cons: i would have to take a few courses to make up for what i didn't take in college prior to applying for any program, which could delay me. a PhD program would take an additional 5-6 years; a Masters' would be shorter but potentially less useful and i'd have to pay for it. additionally, since i am interested in pure math, not really applied math, it could be difficult to find a job, as it is actually quite difficult to get a stable tenured academic position in math.

ASTROPHYSICS / QUANTUM PHYSICS:

pros: similarly, these are subjects i am highly interested in, and in fact i would say i'm more interested in these subjects than i am in math, and unlike math i already did some undergrad coursework in college and i have some professors who at the very least could write me recommendation letters/advise me on potential paths (i've spoken to one in-depth already back in february). like math, i could see myself spending my life studying either of these subjects and not getting bored. and again, if i did a PhD then that's a free ride. cons: i would still have to take a few courses to make up for what i didn't take in college, plus in order to get into a good program i'd probably have to work on an independent research project on my own since i have no research experience and the labs at the universities near me aren't hiring (i've checked). same with math, a PhD program would take quite a few years, while a Masters' is supposedly not very useful at all in physics. and the same issue arises that it is very difficult to get a good research/academic position in either astro or quantum physics. my astro professor from college compared it to trying to make it in hollywood which is exactly what i'm trying to get myself away from. so. yeah. there is the possible route of aiming not for an academic position but for a position with JPL/NASA, which would be a much more stable job, but i might have to shift focus to an aspect of astrophysics that interests me less & that i have less experience in (e.g. planetary science) and also i have reservations about working for JPL/NASA due to their involvements with the government & astrocolonialism (which to be fair is also an issue with certain branches of academic astrophysics research as well).

SCREENWRITING / PLAYWRITING:

pros: this is what i've been trying to make work for years. i love writing. i want to write. i would love to write for tv. my dream is to be a showrunner. that's been my dream for over a decade, and even though last august i started accepting i should probably look into other things, it's so hard for me to give up that dream. i wouldn't have to take any extra classes or learn any new skills to apply for a writing MFA program, just produce/polish some samples, and i already have several old professors & industry contacts who could recommend me. plus there are a couple free programs i could apply to so the money thing wouldn't even be an issue. if i did an MFA in screenwriting (or playwriting, which i'm also interested in) that opens the door for internship programs that are only available to current students as well as way more networking opportunities than i currently have. it also would help me get better at writing & give me the opportunity to maybe put my stuff on screen or stage for real which would beef up my portfolio. honestly i will probably apply to at least one free program just for the sake of it, because why not. cons: i've been trying to make it work for years. and it hasn't. never mind getting a writing job, i can't land any industry job. maybe networking in an MFA program could help, but it also might not -- it's a highly competitive industry that is going through a lot of changes. and then i'd have spent 2 years not making money just to end up in the same boat i started in. and that's speaking for screenwriting -- it's very hard to make it as a playwright at all, although some screenwriters start as playwrights, and i do love theatre (part of me wishes i could be an actor, in fact, because i love acting, but 'theatre actor' is not a job that makes money and i have no illusions about how likely someone with my body type + presentation is to be cast in commercials or film/tv). not to mention getting into an MFA program will be competitive as well. even if i were to break in, it's hardly a stable career unless i get a big break, and i no longer fancy myself that lucky. and i don't know if i can live that kind of unstable life.

ANIMATION:

pros: i think animation is super cool and it's one of my favorite mediums. a lot of my favorite shows & films are animated and i think you can do things with animation, including children's animation, that you simply can't do with live-action. i would love to work on animated shows & create my own. and it does seem like, with few exceptions, getting into animation writing & creating is often less about studying screenwriting itself and more about studying art & animation. and there are good schools & fellowships i could apply to which could help me do that. although putting together a portfolio to apply would be a ton of work (see below), it would be work i could much more reasonably do on my own than, say, a research project for astro or quantum physics good enough to get me into one of those programs. additionally, i already live in what is arguably the animation capital of the country, and there are lots of good programs and studios local to here, so i wouldn't have to move to find a good program. (as much as part of me wants to flee to the east coast, it would be practically much easier for me to stay here, at least until i am much more financially independent than i am now.) cons: i never really studied art beyond a couple high school classes, i doodle and stuff but i'm not anywhere near professional level, so i would need to seriously buckle down and spend a lot of time learning on my own. of course there are other avenues than just drawn animation such as claymation that i could look into, but that is also very much a learned skill. so it would be a lot of independent work before i could get into a program. i also admit that while art & animation is not uninteresting to me, i mostly really am interested in writing & conceptualizing animation over the art itself, although possibly that could change with time. there's also the concern that the animation industry is going through a lot -- a lot of skilled & experienced animators are struggling to get hired and have to sell themselves on twitter, and there are lots of issues within the animation industry that could make a career unstable or unsustainable if i'm not lucky enough to get a good deal. and as mentioned above, i no longer trust my luck, and i do really need something stable & sustainable. it's always possible to try to make independent animations while doing another career, of course, but that is also, obviously, much more difficult for a host of reasons.

LAW:

pros: this would probably be the easiest program to get into -- with my 174 lsat score & essay writing skills i could certainly get into a decent law school and maybe even a prestigious one, and also if you get into a decent law school and do very well there's the option to transfer to a more prestigious one after your first year. of all my options, this one probably offers the highest likelihood of actually getting a decent-paying stable job, which i do need in order to be able to live a good life. i also think that i could find fulfillment in certain types of law advocating for human rights & similar things. cons: the law school debt bro.......like yes if i got a good-paying job i could take care of that but still!!! also there is the concern that the type of law i would find fulfilling might not actually be the best-paying or easiest to get a job in lol. there's also just the fact that of the options on this list it's the one i'm least invested in. for me it's screenwriting/playwriting/animation > astrophysics/quantum physics > math > law. which, law is still above many other professions, but, still. :|

ok anyway that's it i guess. there's also other stuff i think is fascinating (like paleontology......one of the coolest jobs ever!!!) but that i would basically need an entirely new bachelor's degree to do and uhhh i'd like to avoid that if possible lol

having an existential crisis this summer and am desperately unsure if i should go into math or astrophysics or animation or get a screenwriting mfa or give up on all that and go to law school

[jcmarchi]

Bridging the heavens and Earth

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/bridging-the-heavens-and-earth/

Bridging the heavens and Earth

When Jared Bryan talks about his seismology research, it’s with a natural finesse. He’s a fifth-year PhD student working with MIT Assistant Professor William Frank on seismology research, drawn in by the lab’s combination of GPS observations, satellites, and seismic station data to understand the underlying physics of earthquakes. He has no trouble talking about seismic velocity in fault zones or how he first became interested in the field after summer internships with the Southern California Earthquake Center as an undergraduate student.

“It’s definitely like a more down-to-earth kind of seismology,” he jokingly describes it. It’s an odd comment. Where else could earthquakes be but on Earth? But it’s because Bryan finished a research project that has culminated in a new paper — published today in Nature Astronomy — involving seismic activity not on Earth, but on stars.

Building curiosity

PhD students in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) are required to complete two research projects as part of their general exam. The first is often in their main focus of research and the foundations of what will become their thesis work.

But the second project has a special requirement: It must be in a different specialty.

“Having that built into the structure of the PhD is really, really nice,” says Bryan, who hadn’t known about the special requirement when he decided to come to EAPS. “I think it helps you build curiosity and find what’s interesting about what other people are doing.”

Having so many different, yet still related, fields of study housed in one department makes it easier for students with a strong sense of curiosity to explore the interconnected interactions of Earth science.

“I think everyone here is excited about a lot of different stuff, but we can’t do everything,” says Frank, the Victor P. Starr Career Development Professor of Geophysics. “This is a great way to get students to try something else that they maybe would have wanted to do in a parallel dimension, interact with other advisors, and see that science can be done in different ways.”

At first, Bryan was worried that the nature of the second project would be a restrictive diversion from his main PhD research. But Associate Professor Julien de Wit was looking for someone with a seismology background to look at some stellar observations he’d collected back in 2016. A star’s brightness was pulsating at a very specific frequency that had to be caused by changes in the star itself, so Bryan decided to help.

“I was surprised by how the kind of seismology that he was looking for was similar to the seismology that we were first doing in the ’60s and ’70s, like large-scale global Earth seismology,” says Bryan. “I thought it would be a way to rethink the foundations of the field that I had been studying applied to a new region.”

Going from earthquakes to starquakes is not a one-to-one comparison. While the foundational knowledge was there, movement of stars comes from a variety of sources like magnetism or the Coriolis effect, and in a variety of forms. In addition to the sound and pressure waves of earthquakes, they also have gravity waves, all of which happen on a scale much more massive.

“You have to stretch your mind a bit, because you can’t actually visit these places,” Bryan says. “It’s an unbelievable luxury that we have in Earth seismology that the things that we study are on Google Maps.”

But there are benefits to bringing in scientists from outside an area of expertise. De Wit, who served as Bryan’s supervisor for the project and is also an author on the paper, points out that they bring a fresh perspective and approach by asking unique questions.

“Things that people in the field would just take for granted are challenged by their questions,” he says, adding that Bryan was transparent about what he did and didn’t know, allowing for a rich exchange of information.

Tidal resonance locking

Bryan eventually found that the changes in the star’s brightness were caused by tidal resonance. Resonance is a physical occurrence where waves interact and amplify each other. The most common analogy is pushing someone on a swing set; when the person pushing does it at just the right time, it helps the person on the swing go higher.

“Tidal resonance is where you’re pushing at exactly the same frequency as they’re swinging, and the locking happens when both of those frequencies are changing,” Bryan explains. The person pushing the swing gets tired and pushes less often, while the chain of the swing change length. (Bryan jokes that here the analogy starts to break down.)

As a star changes over the course of its lifetime, tidal resonance locking can cause hot Jupiters, which are massive exoplanets that orbit very close to their host stars, to change orbital distances. This wandering migration, as they call it, explains how some hot Jupiters get so close to their host stars. They also found that the path they take to get there is not always smooth. It can speed up, slow down, or even regress.

An important implication from the paper is that tidal resonance locking could be used as an exoplanet detection tool, confirming de Wit’s hypothesis from the original 2016 observation that the pulsations had the potential to be used in such a way. If changes in the star’s brightness can be linked to this resonance locking, it may indicate planets that can’t be detected using current methods.

As below, so above

Most EAPS PhD students don’t advance their project beyond the requirements for the general exam, let alone get a paper out of it. At first, Bryan worried that continuing with it would end up being a distraction from his main work, but ultimately was glad that he committed to it and was able to contribute something meaningful to the emerging field of asteroseismology.

“I think it’s evidence that Jared is excited about what he does and has the drive and scientific skepticism to have done the extra steps to make sure that what he was doing was a real contribution to the scientific literature,” says Frank. “He’s a great example of success and what we hope for our students.”

While de Wit didn’t manage to convince Bryan to switch to exoplanet research permanently, he is “excited that there is the opportunity to keep on working together.”

Once he finishes his PhD, Bryan plans on continuing in academia as a professor running a research lab, shifting his focus onto volcano seismology and improving instrumentation for the field. He’s open to the possibility of taking his findings on Earth and applying them to volcanoes on other planetary bodies, such as those found on Venus and Jupiter’s moon Io.

“I’d like to be the bridge between those two things,” he says.

[erwinsvow]

𝐚𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨

note: part two to the college headcanons! part one can be found here! i had a lot of fun writing these and i hope everyone enjoys them :) teacher/student dynamic warning for zeke and hange's, and i guess bullying for annie's :/

𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐝

the very definition of kind-hearted frat boy who doesn’t fit the stereotype he’s been assigned at all

starts off with accounting before realizing he hates math, moves into business management and marketing

the linkedin profile is absolutely popping, 500+ connections and details about every club and organization he’s ever been a part of

the friend that helps everyone find internships and fixes their resumes while offering helpful advice and not being condescending�� anyways so that’s how you meet porco

he works at the career center 100% and does various coaching/prep help, and you, pieck’s friend, are in desperate need of an internship

so you’re complaining to your friend as usual, when she tells you to stop by the building and ask for a “pock”

so you do just that, walking in and asking for “pock” and porco is a little stunned by this pretty stranger calling him by a nickname reserved for his close friends, and even then he just barely tolerates it

but he doesn’t want to correct you, especially since you’re being so sweet and he can tell you need some help

so a meeting at the career center slowly turns into facetime calls to review applications and last-minute edits, stopping by your dorm to help you fill out paperwork and walking together to mail it out

i have a feeling porco doesn’t wanna be too forward, and he thinks he’s being very aloof and casual, when he really just seems oblivious

and you cannot tell for the life of you if he likes you or he’s just being friendly since you’re close with pieck

finally after you land the internship and won't have your normal excuse to spend time with him, you get the guts you've been searching for

you tell him about the position later in the day, stopping by the center for hopefully the last time

"by the way, my number's on my resume if you're ever gonna ask me out."

leaves pocky-boy flustered and red and scrambling to ask you out, and you have been happily dating since

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫

oh boy

conny is a very typical college kid in the sense that he will sleep through every 8 am class he has, blow off class to go wait in line for the nacho bar, and has adopted the mantra ‘c’s get degrees’

but he is an extremely lovable education major with a focus in history

rarely seen without his shadow sasha, but now that she started dating niccolo, she thinks that conny could use a relationship too, and that it might do him some good to be with a funny, down-to-earth person

thus begins the most grueling two weeks for every girl on campus, as sasha hunts down girls that she thinks would be a good match for her best friend

this includes airdropping a photo of conny to the lecture hall with the caption “would you date this man? serious inquiries only”

creates a fake tinder complete with a google form to narrow down the options

however, none of this is necessary because sasha bumps into you in the smoothie line and causes your triple berry blend to go flying

she helps you clean up and idle conversation leads to you talking about dates and so forth

“well, i’d love to set you up with my best friend? how do you feel about a blind date?”

yes, conny met you, the love of his life, on a blind date set up by sasha with a stranger

it’s one of those funny stories that people don’t believe when you tell them, because how ridiculous is that, but you both think it’s perfect since you get along so well and it made all the waiting worth it

bonus: double dates with sasha and niccolo! fondue night at their apartment, going to the arcade and having to lug up sasha and her food baby while niccolo parks the car, just overall a grand time :)

𝐳𝐞𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫

zeke yeager, ph.d. started his new job at university with one rule in mind: absolutely no illicit affairs

he also coaches the club baseball team, because why not get involved on your campus

he really believes that he’s gonna stick with it too, despite the overwhelming number of students who come to his office hours with questions that his less handsome teaching assistants could answer

but no, he doesn’t want to earn a reputation as that professor, and so he heads into the new semester with absolutely no lingering thoughts of an exciting little dalliance to get him through the monotonous days

he knows his huge lecture classes would always come with a few pretty students, but it’s the smaller, upper-level psych class he’s teaching when he meets you for the first time

zeke has you all figured out, or so he thinks. sitting in the front row, raising your hand for questions he wasn’t expecting anyone to actually have an answer to, neatly handwritten notes in a color-coded notebook. he wouldn’t peg you for the type to jump and take the risk by starting a relationship with a professor.

but he soon realizes that he didn’t have you as figured out as he thought he did.

you avoid the gaggle of freshmen during office hours by scheduling meetings instead, sometimes right before class, coming to him with two cups of coffee and a wide smile that actually had him fooled into thinking you were here for academic reasons

this facade quickly fades though, because after a semester of interactions with you and getting more and more comfortable with each other, to the point where coffee orders are memorized and it’s zeke rather than professor yeager, you’ve had just about enough

he knows he’s fucked when you come visit him at practice for the baseball team, bringing him a drink and engaging in conversation while the players watch their coach flirt with you

he’s especially fucked when he realizes he’s looking forward to practice just because there’s a chance you’ll stop by on your way to your next class

you submit your final paper early, nearly a week before it’s due and of course the first in the class to do so, and waltz into his office the next day with another steaming cup of his favorite drink

“you submitted your paper pretty early, you know.”

“i know. i also know that it means i’m not your student anymore, so if you were going to make a move, now’s the time.”

no, he definitely had underestimated how much he knew about you.

𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐬𝐚 𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧

mikasa is a forensic sciences major and is still debating on the minor- she’s torn between criminal justice or history like armin.

she loves her major classes, but she just wants something else interesting to look forward to as well, so armin suggests sitting in on a couple classes early in the semester and getting a taste for it.

so you don’t really think twice when she claims the empty seat next to you on the first day of classes, smiling politely and paying attention to the professor. you do notice, however, that she’s not writing anything down or looking at the syllabus, leading you to strike a conversation on why that is.

she explains herself and then before you even know it, the lecture ends and you spent the last forty minutes talking to mikasa about anything and everything.

she’s sitting in on another class tomorrow, and absent mindedly invites you to come along, to which you agree all too quickly, because why wouldn’t you

numbers are exchanged, times are fixed, and mikasa leaves wondering why she’s so excited at the idea of sitting with you in class again.

you two hate the history class she had chosen, with the professor droning on and on and you being focused entirely on the conversation you’re having with mikasa

until the professor kicks the two of you out for not shutting up, that is

you’re both laughing hysterically once you reach the hallway

“i’m gonna have to discourage you from doing that history minor if that’s what all the classes are like.”

“well, i have to do criminal justice so we can have that class together, anyways.”

𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭

true to form, annie goes into one of the most difficult majors: cheg. definitely flies through intro courses with straight As and minimal effort, but that’s also mostly because all she and bertholdt do is study

reiner tries his hardest to get her to go to a party every once in a while, but usually to no avail because she always has an exam to study for

you’re a tutor, and honestly, you’d say you were pretty good at your job. you can answer questions and explain reasonings fairly well to confused students. but when annie comes to your office hours with some complicated problems and she’s asking for explanations that you just don’t have, you literally feel your face burn with heat for the entirety of the time she’s there

long story short, your first encounter is embarrassing, to say the least. you’re stumbling over words as you try to look through your old notes and piece together an answer for annie, who you cannot even look in the eyes.

anyways, she leaves eventually and you want a hole to open in the ground and swallow you up, but at least she won’t be back next week, right?

wrong.

miss leonhart doesn’t know how to express her feelings any better than you, so her way of flirting is spending time with you in the tutor center as you fail to answer her questions time and time again

you want to scream at her to stop coming because she and you both know you’re not helping either of you with this

but also you really don’t want her to stop coming because you don’t have any other ways to see her outside of class

both of you reach your wit’s end on the same day, her coming to you with the absolute easiest problems she could find in the textbook, and you with every intention of asking her out to dinner

she opens her book, and you reach and close it quickly

“unless this is the only way you know how to flirt, something has to change now.”

𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐳𝐨𝐞

dr. zoë teaches, just, way too many classes

we’re talking multiple chemistry labs and upper-level research courses as well

you’re just a ph.d. student doing rotations as per usual, and you’ve heard the comments from students senior to you about dr. zoë, who makes every student in rotation say hange instead of the formal way you’re used to

you’ve heard everything from crazy to genius and everything in between

what you weren’t expecting was… so good looking, and young? and comforting? and talking about all the things that you didn’t have the guts to bring up with other people, like how you always feel a little left out in the field and that you think no one cares about your research interests that much—a lot of stuff that you find yourself pouring out to hange on your very first day in the lab

you’re wondering why it’s so easy to talk to them, and why none of the other rotations ever felt this comfortable

and then you realize you’re spilling your guts to someone who probably doesn’t even care, and has way more to deal with on their plate than a ph.d. student with imposter syndrome

so you’re apologizing right after you’ve finished, when you’re met with the warmest look and a reassuring hand on your shoulder

it’s so easy to fall after that, with weekly meetings and regular check-ins, and you know it’s wrong to have this strange crush on your superior, but hange really feels like the one person you can count on here

you hide the crush in favor of getting the mentorship you desperately think you need, but it’s not long until you’re onto the next rotation and the next lab’s work is even closer to the stuff you love

you hate the way you feel, that you’re not gonna have any reason to keep in touch and you never even got to explain how you feel about them—and that you didn’t even get to experience hange’s energy because she was always listening and helping you out

it’s not until you get a text the night before your first day in the new lab from hange, filled with reassuring words and asking for a coffee date later in the week to talk about how it goes, that you realize just how well hange understood you

𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫

last but not least, miss pieck is double majoring in french and public health

absolutely obsessed with her majors and loves the subjects, but works herself to death to keep up with it all

you don’t even realize that the pretty, studious girl you’re seeing in the library all the time is the same girl you spot with some of your friends from class

pieck is as oblivious as they come. you invite her on study dates after you two are introduced by reiner, invite her to get coffee after a particularly late night of studying, pretty much start spending most of your days together

you can’t help but be disappointed that pieck doesn’t see you in that way, because you’ve slowly been falling head over heels, but you accept that maybe it just wasn’t meant to be, and you still love the friendship you two have

it takes a while for things to click for pieck, but they do right as the semester eases up

once exams are over, you two decide to go to these famous parties porco and reiner never stop talking about

it’s not the usual scene you’re comfortable with, but what’s wrong with letting loose a little, especially after midterms? no harm in having fun, right?

wrong again! you definitely get plastered way too quickly, and eventually pieck takes you to a room to settle down

drunk confessions of love aren’t usually the way to go, but you can’t help but reveal everything you’ve been feeling for the last few months when pieck is taking care of you in your current state

you definitely wake up hungover and ignorant to last night’s shenanigans, but you’re in your dorm, with a bottle of water and ibuprofen on the nightstand, phone plugged in and shoes off

pieck comes back with breakfast, coffee and your favorite pastries, and checks up on you

“so.. about last night..”

“i’m so sorry, did i throw up on you?”

“no, but you did say you were in love with me. was that just a drunk thing, or is it a sober thing too? because i think i’m in love with you too.”

[ask-pokemonfatefuljourneys]

Characters Bios

Name : Sacha (Satoshi/Ash)

Age : 25

Former City : Pallet Town

Current City : Vermilion City

Occupation : Trainer, Ranger, Research Fellow for the Sakuragi lab, challenger in the Pokémon World Championship. Former Orange Islands/Kalos League/Alola League Champion. Chosen One (much to his dismay).

Family : Delhia (adoptive mother), Crys (twin sister). Professor Kukui (father figure), Professor Burnet, Lei (little brother.)

Backstory : Leaving the house at 10 like most of the young aspiring trainers in the Pokémon world, Sacha will face all sort of challenges and adventures along the way. At 11, during his first championship, the Indigo League, he’ll be reunited with his twin sister, Crys, that he never knew he had. He’ll also meet his best friend and first friendly rival, Ritchie. They kept traveling on their own journeys, reuniting occasionally along the way (movie 2 and 3 events, for example.)

After traveling through Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto, he’ll go to Hoenn where his Aura power slightly awakens during his time there, like a sort of enhanced instinct. After a short training time in Koga’s dojo to improve his battling abilities, he’ll go to Sinnoh (where he’ll find a Riolu’s egg and will hatch it).

Then Alola, where he’ll attend the Pokémon High School, specializing in Ranger and Battling classes. Living at Professor Kukui’s place, alongside Lilie, and developing a strong father-son relationship with him, his closest friends are Gladio, who joined the school once his sister was safe, and Hau.

Chosen by Tapu Koko, he’ll receive the ability to control lighting and electricity, and he’ll focus on it, neglecting his Aura ability. He’ll be his spending his last year traveling around Alola with Crys, the twins finally taking the time to actually live together for a while, and will win the first Alolan League.

He’ll then leave to challenge the Battle Frontier from Kanto, and will become a Frontier Brain. But ever chasing after his dream of being a Pokémon Master , he’ll then leave for Kalos to challenge the League. Meeting his Greninja, they’ll develop the Battle Bond, which is directly linked to his Aura. After winning the league, the Lumiose Crisis and his meeting with Lysandre will leave him pretty shaken, and he’ll go back to Alola for a while, to heal his body and mind. Once ready, he’ll be back to Kanto without a real plan, but life will lead him to a certain Fateful Encounter.

Personality : Cheerful and optimistic, Sacha is an extrovert who loves to bond with others, Pokémons and humans alike. Formerly quite an over-confident young trainer, he grew and learned a lot from his experiences through his journey, to become a focused and skilled trainer, and a good leader. Very empathetic, he’s always ready to help those who need it without thinking twice, and will often rescue hurt or abused Pokémons, and will always think of their well being before anything else. He’s very much in the moment and sometimes will have difficulty to see what’s right under his nose, but he is pretty good at reading his friends in general.

Skills and abilities : Good athletic skills, climbing, stamina. Martial Arts training. Mastered Z-move with Pikachu, Battle Bond (Synergy) with Greninja. Ability to channel electricity/lightning and enhanced athletic skills (strong jumps and balance). Aura Guardian.

Guardian : Tapu Koko. (And being the Chosen One, he’s bound to meet many Pokémon Legendaries and Deities.)

Main Pokémons (in rotation at Sakuragi’s park) :

Name : Crys

Age : 25

Former City : Aquateal City, a small seaside town at the east of Fuschia City

Current City : Kiyomi Island, Orange Archipelago.

Occupation : former Trainer, Top Ranger.

Family : Sacha (twin brother), David (adoptive father), Esy (adoptive mother) , Ema (adoptive little sister). Matsuba (main mentor).

Backstory : Separated at birth from her twin brother , Crys learned about him when she was 8, and got obsessed at the idea of finding him again. Taking on the occasion, she’ll follow her instinct and will leave on her Trainer Journey at 10. She’ll meet Ritchie along the way, and will be reunited with her brother during the Indigo League. However each of them decided to pursue their own journeys for a while, and Crys and Ritchie will leave for Johto for a while, before reuniting in the Orange Islands again, prior the second movie events. Meeting her guardian Lugia, she’ll receive the ability to control wind and air, tho it’ll be very weak at first.

After completing the challenges of the islands (but not competing for the League), she’ll be back in Johto and will compete the League (ranking top 8), where Matsuba will notice her and take her as an apprentice in Ecruteak City, as he detected her skill for Anpsi.

She will then leaves for Hoenn as a Ranger trainee, helping the Rangers to rescue Kyogre from Team Aqua, before joining properly the Ranger school in Almia. She often goes back to Ecruteak City to complete her training with Matsuba, and will do her internship in the Pokemon Marine Laboratory close to New Bark Town.

She’ll then join Sacha in Alola for a year of traveling together around the Archipelago, and will increase her Wind ability to a powerful skill, as the elemental energies are very strong in the islands, and will complete her ultimates grades of Ranger training.

She’ll establish as Ranger on Kiyomi Island, in the Orange Archipelago, but is sent accross the PokeWorld for different missions. After a big personnal crisis, she will go for 18 months of martial arts training on the Isle of Armor, then back to Ecruteak City, before going to support her brother at the Kalos League finale. She’ll be on the front for the Lumiose crisis and will help Sacha to escape from Lysandre.

Finally then making her way as a Top Ranger, part of the Instinct division under the leadership of Spark, she currently trains new Rangers rookies and will sometimes join Sacha and Goh for field trips.

Personality : even though she has an optimistic nature like her brother, Crys is less of an extrovert and will have more difficulty to bond with people at first. She’s just as empathetic, and will naturally choose to become a Ranger - battling was fun, but she is not competitive at all! She can sometimes be a bit short-tempered, but values honesty and trust above everything else and will be very protective of her loved ones. She likes to find little wonders in everyday life and she has the weird habit of mimicking Pokémon’s cries to try to communicate with them, and is very interested in observing and understanding their behaviors. Most of her Pokémons are rescues.

Skills and abilities : Stamina. Martial Arts skills, weapons included. Extended behaviorism knowledge on feline and marine Pokémons. Ability to control and create wind/air. Anpsi with some species.

Guardian : Lugia

Main Pokémons (in rotation at the Myrtifolia Ranch)

Name : Ritchie (Hiroshi)

Age : 25

Former City : Celadon City

Current City : Kiyomi Island

Occupation : Trainer, Ranger, owner of the Myrtifolia Ranch (rescue and rehab center). Challenger in the Pokémon World Championship.

Backstory : Ritchie grew up in Celadon City in a disfunctionnnal family, with an abusive father and a mentally fragile mother. As soon as he reached 10, he took the opportunity and left, forever turning his back to the city. Having befriended Erika a few years before leaving, she offered him the Rainbow Badge so he wouldn’t have to come back to challenge her.

He quickly befriended Crys on his journey and supported her during the Indigo League through her reunion with her twin. He and Sacha became best friends, and friendly rivals, Ritchie defeating him in the League, where he reached top 4.

After the events of the second movie, he received the ability to generate and control fire from Moltres. He competed in the Johto League and won, and Asuna took him as an apprentice for a few months.

During an adventure, he was separated from his Pikachu, Sparky and thought him dead. This event took a toll on him and he decided to stop battling altogether. He kept studying legends around Pokémons and eventually joined Crys on the Ranger’s training. After almost 2 years, he’ll be reunited with Sparky, who survived and was rescued by Mew in the Tree of Beginning all this time.

After completing his Ranger training, he received some money from his mother’s inheritance, and decided to buy a Ranch on Kiyomi Island in the Orange Archipelago, and focused to create a rescue and rehab center for abused Pokémons. He will hire Touko to help him at the Ranch, and soon will gain a great reputation, keeping in touch with Professors from all around the world.

He’ll occasionally leave the Ranch to help on rescue missions, and training a rookie. But the flame for battling never really left him and he decided to join Sacha to compete in the Pokémon World Championship, even tho he has some catching up to do, and during that time, will let Touko runs the Ranch.

Family : Father (still alive), mother (deceased). He considers Crys and Sacha to be his real family.

Personality : Despite his harsh childhood, Ritchie is someone profoundly kind and open to the others. Good natured and collected, he was mature from a young age, but somehow never lose his passion. Analytical, he tends to be less reckless than the twins - which saved their lives once or twice, but sometimes can lack courage in situations that could trigger him. Curious and resourceful, he’s pretty clever and quite handy in a lot of situations. He has the habit to nickname all of his Pokémons.

Skills and abilities : Good athletic skills. Extended knowledge on Pokémon Legends. Mechanics and electronics skills. Fire ability.

Guardian : Moltres

Main Pokémons (in rotation at the Myrtifolia Ranch)

Name : Goh

Age : 21

Former City : Vermilion City

Current City : Vermilion City

Occupation : Research Fellow ; intern student at the Sakuragi Lab.

Backstory : Goh grew up in Vermilion City and never really left. Despite a burning passion about Pokémon, his isolated childhood due to his parents overworking, and years of bullying at school, never really gave him the courage to throw himself out in the world. His only friend for the longest time was Koharu, and he probably spent more time around the Sakuragi home rather than his own. He spent hours studying Pokémons, either alongside the Professor to-be, or locked in his room, but actually never spent that much time with Pokémons themselves. After seeing Mew during a summer camp, he became quite obsessed by the idea to catch it. During a summer vacation he befriended Tokio, and after a misunderstanding that will definitely damage Goh’s trust in other people, they reunited during teenagehood. They had a brief relationship, but between Goh still having trouble to trust people, and Tokio’s trainer journey, they didn’t push the thing very far and remained good friends. After graduating in advance from high school, Goh attended Vermilion’s University and started to work his way to become a Professor. Sakuragi eventually asked him to carry on his internship at the Laboratory, and offered him the job of research fellow, leading to a certain Fateful Encounter.

Family : Camille (mother), Walker (father), Halta (grandmother.)

Personality : If at first he appears calm and collected, Goh’s inner fire is burning bright, his passion for Pokémons letting him show a very enthusiastic and stubborn side. A gifted child, his cleverness and compulsory thirst of knowledge about his interest leads him to over sharing and have a certain pride in it, not always being very modest, but his love for Pokémons is genuine and he longs to bond with people sharing big dreams like his. He sometimes needs a little push to take the first step, and will give up easily on things he won’t manage on the first try, but has a great capacity to learn and grow from his mistakes. His socials skills are not always the best, but he is a very supportive and loyal friend, and extremely caring to his Pokémons

Skills and abilities : Extensive theoretical knowledge on Pokémons in general. Analytical mind. High intelligence. Extremely good aim. Computer/tech savvy.

Guardian : Suicune.

Main Pokémons (in rotation at the Sakuragi Park):

[ninjastormhawkkat]

The man, or Steven, frowned at Wordgirl's startled expression, very puzzled. Had she heard of him before or something? "Um is everything alright Wordgirl? You seemed very surprised when i said my name." Wordgirl stared at the man, noticing his messy blond hair and green eyes. Nothing about this man looked remotely similar to how her dad used to look before the accident. 'It's probably just a coincidence that this man has the same name as dad had.' Becky rationalized in her mind. She decided to compose herself and handle the man's concerns as well as find out why he wanted to speak to her. "Um no trouble..Steven. You just happen to have the same name as someone I know in my life." Steven, thinking she meant that someone she knew also had the same first name as he did, accepted her answer. "So what do you need my help with?" Wordgirl asked. Steven sighed with apprehension. He did not feel comfortable talking about what he went through, especially with one so young, but he needed a safe place to lay low and aid to find Gene and save Carl. "It's a long story but," A loud grumbling from Steven's stomach interrupted him. Steven then gave a sheepish grin. "Um can I get something to eat and drink first, I haven't had anything in a while and I'm kind of strapped for cash right now."

A little while later, Steven was munching on a stuffed Pastrami sandwich and drinking a large water with it. He stopped after chewing his food to explain his situation to Wordgirl. "Years ago, I used to be a research assistant at Northic University to a Professor Carl Woods who was a brilliant geneticists and bioengineer." Steven didn't mind their confused reactions. He knew that Carl and he were kidnapped way before this kid's time so it was safe to assume she had no idea who the man was. "A few weeks into my internship, I had discovered that Professor Woods had constructed a clone and grown him like a biological child. The professor raised this clone and loved him as his own child. *chuckle* Professor Woods threatened me to not reveal his son's identity to the public. That was the first and only time I have ever seen him that angry like an animal parent protecting their child. His son's name was Gene." Steven smiled fondly as he continued speaking. "Gene was brilliant, maybe even more so than the professor or I thought was possible. He grasped subjects very easily. He was also so kind hearted, so human, you would forget easily that he was grown in a test tube. Gene also had a hidden skill that the professor did not expect him to have. Gene was not like other clones. His body could adapt to most anything." Steven frowned now as he spoke. "I don't know how, but someone found out about Gene's adaptability. Some government people came to the lab one day and they offered to pay Professor Woods in exchange for giving them Gene. Of course Professor Woods refused outright in selling his son. They did not like that at all. Suddenly soldiers barged in and swarmed the lab. The kidnapped the professor. I tried escaping with Gene, but I then got shot trying to help him. Gene escaped and I know he is still out there somewhere in hiding. The next thing I know was that the professor and I were taken to some kind of facility. Forced to do unethical experiments under terrible conditions. I was able to escape recently but the professor is still trapped there." Tears fell from Steven's eyes as his whole body was shaking from the retelling. Steven steadied his breath. "That is why I have to find Gene and find a way to save Carl Woods. That is why I need your help Wordgirl." Steven finished speaking as he gazed directly at the young hero and her monkey sidekick. His final words filled with determination and drive.

@drtwobrainsstuff

(this is for the rp idea we talked about on discord)

His lungs were burning as he ran. His whole body ached with pain, screaming at him to slow down, stop and rest. But he couldn't do that, no matter how much he wanted to. He had to run, had to get away from the monsters that imprisoned him. He had to get away from those who treated him no better than the human test subjects they had kept, locked in those horrific conditions, only kept alive for unethical experimentation. Deep down, his survival instincts were telling him to keep running, stay ahead, survive! He knew what would happen if THEY caught him. It was still dark out, but soon the man noticed an large and brightly lit billboard. The man let curiosity slow him down as he read the words printed on the billboard through bleary eyes. 'Fair City: An Upstanding Place To Live - 500ft ahead. The man let out a short, elated laugh despite the dryness in his throat. He finally found civilization. He finally found a place he could hide from his pursuers for long enough before he could fully recover from his ordeal. A hopeful thought appeared in his mind, one that motivated him, gave him a reason to live through his past nightmare. 'Maybe this city has the resources I need to finally find him.' The man thought with a hopeful smile. He took a deep breath before running again, towards this "Fair City". "Don't worry Carl." The man said aloud to himself, "I will find Gene and a way to free you."

Becky yawned as she was awoken by the light coming into her room through the window. She got up and then glanced over at her pet monkey Bob who was still dozing lazily on his bean bag bed. Feeling Becky's glance, Bob slowly fluttered his eyes as he stared groggily at the young human looking child. "Morning Bob, ready to seize another glorious summer day with fun activities?" Becky enthusiastically said with a broad smile. Bob just blinked at her before rolling on his back, pretending to still be asleep. Becky huffed with annoyance at Bob's response. She hopped out of bed and walked towards him, now standing over the primate. "Come on Bob, it's a beautiful day outside. There is a lot of fun outdoor activities we can do while the sun is out. You can be lazy on rainy days." Becky stated with her hands on her hips. Bob just grunted, not convinced by her words. Becky sighed in defeat. "Will you please come outside with me if we have a picnic/tea party today?" Becky pleaded with Bob. She really wanted to spend an active day with one of her best friends today, especially since her other best friend Violet was at art camp for the whole summer again. She would have joined Violet if not for her hero duties and her lack of artistic talent keeping her homebound. Bob gave a small, affirmative chirp and an thumbs up. Becky smiled in delight. "Great, now let's head down for breakfast and get a head start on our summer vacation. Becky put on her clothes and went downstairs followed by Bob who was also eager for breakfast.

Soft humming could be heard from the kitchen as he placed down a plate filled with steaming freshly scrambled eggs and crispy side of bacon. It was lovingly made, even looking appealing to Dr. Two-Brains himself despite it having none of his beloved cheese in it. Perking up as he heard his daughter head down from her room. What perfect timing, the villain thought to himself. As always Becky didn't need him to wake her. He was still in his rather comfortable pajamas. Hair in his curlers as he didn't bother to change out of them just yet. Feeding his daughter was more important on his agenda for the morning. It didn't take long for him to prepare an omelette mixture for himself. Back turned as he heard Becky enter the kitchen and sat herself at the table. He of course couldn't forget Bob. Having a plate of food prepared for him as well.

"Good morning Princess! Anything planned for today?" He cheerfully greeted his daughter, back turned to them. When she began to tell him about her plans, he was reminded of the dream that had woken him up in a cold sweat. It had been awhile since he had that reoccurring dream. Him in his father's lab, the men barging in. Chaos breaking loose in a matter of seconds. His father no where in sight as he saw his old friend in the chaos in the floor before he was ripped away. Screaming out a name he hadn't spoken in so long.

"ad..?" It took Becky multiple times to break him from his deep thoughts.

"Dad? Dad are you okay? Your food is starting to burn. " She seemed worried, it wasn't often that he'd mess up whatever he cooked.

"Sorry sweetheart, guess my minds on something else today." He chuckled in a sheepish manner. Immediately focusing at the task at hand. Doing what he could to fix his own breakfast. Seems like crispy cheese was on the menu today. That was alright. He'd eat it anyway, Squeaky would've had a conniption if he dared to waste precious cheese.

Once placing the salvaged breakfast for himself on the table, Dr.Two-Brains joined his daughter abit too late as she finished hers as he sat down. She thanked him and gave her father a kiss on the cheek before heading out excitedly. He smiled at her, she was already so independent. A thought came to his mind. Pretty soon she won't need him at all. Growing up so fast. He could still remember the days of when she was a toddler. Becky had gone through a phase where she stuck to him. Literally. He loved to tease and remind her about it.

What was with him and reminiscing about the past today? He had found it ominous today. Sure he thought about those past events before but it was different this time. He didn't know why but he had to shake it off. Squeaky had been getting impatient with him, wanting them to eat their meal already. Giving in as he didn't want to deal with the rodents tantrums so early in the morning yet.

@ninjastormhawkkat

[olivarryprompts]

Fanfic Friday #11

Welcome to Fanfic Friday! Each Friday I post a new here and on A03. Enjoy x

Read and save it on A03 here https://archiveofourown.org/works/33567529

{fancy suits from dad}

Ships: Peter Stark & Tony Stark, Pepper Pots/Tony Stark

Warnings: swearing, just fluff otherwise :)

Wc: 2,319

Here’s the thing, Peter Parker grew up in Stark Tower, which eventually became Avengers Tower of course. So whilst his whole class was buzzing about their field trip, all he could think was, “shit, shit shit.” His dad was going to embarrass the hell out of him. His Aunts and Uncles were going to endlessly tease him.

So, no Peter was not looking forward to the field trip. Not in the slightest. He still wanted to go, though. He knew that the rumors of his internship being fake were started by Flash, the annoying teen. He also knew that Flash had not once said his real name, preferring the name Penis Parker. It didn’t bother him as much as it used to. Also since highschool began, Flash had calmed down with his bullying. Well, maybe Flash hadn’t calmed down and high school was just bigger and he had thicker skin. And a new support system with plenty of people to go to.

Peter had been adopted by the Starks when he was a mere ten years old. At first, he was terrible at receiving any gifts or even too much attention. Slowly but surely, he got more and more used to it. Now, he wouldn’t not know what to do if any of that was taken away. Plus, he really did find a liking for expensive suits, however shallow. He looked good in them, and his father always insisted on buying him more and more. Tony would always find an excuse to spoil the kid a little more, however much Pepper tried to stop him.

“Peter, please see me after class regarding an urgent matter.”

Brough out of his thoughts, Peter swiftly nodded his head.

He looked at the board to see the words from before still written on them, “Field Trip to Stark Industries!” It might as well have said, “Dig Peter Stark’s Grave!”

“So, let’s get started with today’s lesson, graphing imaginary numbers on the complex plane!” He’d done this one a while back with his father. Something about not only learning applicable science and engineering. Peter tapped his glass, and the episode of Arrow he’d been watching on the car ride over began playing. He’d be ever grateful for his father’s gift of EDITH to him. Pepper had tried to ban him from wearing them to school, but hastily gave up when Peter pulled the spiderman danger card.

“Alright, class dismissed. Please remember to do this homework pages 11-18 on this unit’s homework handout.”

Peter, forgetting his teacher's previous request, was very glad to be on his way home. He was one foot out of the door when the teacher called his name. Now, his day had gone pretty well up to that point. Bucky made pancakes for breakfast, which were delicious. There was wayyy less traffic on the way to school. He’d aced an essay and a couple of quizzes, and then he even participated in PE effectively. But alas, all good things had to come to an end.

“Mr. Parker? The discussion.”

“Right,” Peter thought, joining the teacher at his desk.

“Peter, you are truly a great kid. I know you’ve been through a lot recently and in your life, but it is no excuse to make up an internship. We both know that it is not real. Now, acknowledging that you have a bright future, the administration and I have come forward with an offer. If you agree to write an apology, expressing that you understand what you did was wrong and immoral, you will both be allowed to come on the trip and no punishment will be given to you. If you choose to not take this opportunity, you will be banned from the trip and will be chastised.

Peter just stood there, not really comprehending. Apparently Flash’s little rumors were a lot bigger than he anticipated.

“I-i-I’m not lying,” was all he could manage. He had filed all the right paperwork and proved his internship.

“I’m sorry to hear that you will not come forward with the truth. You have up until the day before the trip to hand in the letter if you change your mind. Goodbye Peter.”

Peter just let his legs take him out of the classroom, then out of the school, and then to the road, a couple blocks away, where his dad picks him up from.

“Hello mini-me.”

“Hey,” Peter said, jumping into the passenger seat.

“‘Hi Dad, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to pick me up each and every day. Sick new car by the way! I’d love to drive it sometime!”

Peter just rolled his eyes with a smile, “Car looks great dad. McLarren’s are superior yet.”

“Ungrateful, so so ungrateful. What’s got you in a mood then?”

“Nothin,” Peter said, pulling out his phone.

“Oh come on, tell me. Tell me or I’ll call Ted.”

“Ned, Dad. We’ve been friends for like three years.”

“Not the point.”

“Just something at school.”

“Wow how very descriptive. You know I’m trying to do the whole feelings thing here, and you should appreciate that coming from my emotionally stunted self.”

“You’re so dramatic. Basically we’re having a field trip to your tower, and I’m not allowed to go because the teacher doesn’t think I really have an “internship.” Which, to be fair I don’t but that’s on you and not me.”

“Nah na na. I offered you an internship, and you said I’d be bored.”

“It would be. Doing a project for your company under strict supervision of some person would be sucky. I mean I can do anything I want from the lab you built me.”

“I know, but remember technically you are my intern. Remember we did that whole personal intern bullshit for the school.”

“Oh right. Is that why you keep harassing me about submitting all my completed projects.”

“No, that’s all your mother. Something about not wanting a lawsuit over a fake internship.”

“Make sense. She tends to be a lot smarter than you.”

“Ah, I feel so attacked. The abuse I suffer.”

“You’re terrible.”

“I am internally crying, kid. Sobbing.”

“Shut up,” we laughed.

“Who’s home?”

“You saw Buck and Sam this morning. Nat and Steve came back from their mission this afternoon. Thor and Loki are back for dinner tonight.. Strange might be coming round, not sure though. Cliff and the family aren’t back for at least a couple weeks. Oh and Bruce is wholed up in his lab as usual.”

“Shit. Everyone staying till the end of the week.”

“Yeah, oh the field trip. You’re screwed. You should have not told me.”

“Ughhhhh!!!”

“I love your life Petey.”

Peter walked into the kitchen and saw Steve reading a newspaper.

“Uncle Steve! Your back!” he smiled, dropping his bag off near the sofa. Steve got up to give the smaller boy a hug.

“Yep. Mission completed.”

“Nice. Can you tell me about it?”

“Yeah, it was nothing too interesting. We just needed some more intel into a terrorist organization stationed in the US. Most of the mission was recon. The next steps are being taken in a couple weeks.”

“Good to know there’s an active terrorist organization out there,” Peter said lightly.

Steve just smiled, not quite understanding the modern humor.

“Where is everyone else?” he said, realizing the living room was not in it’s normal chaotic state that he’d come to love. The chaos was his favorite reminder that he had so many people. He liked having lots of people, even after all this time.

“Nat and Buck are training, they invited you to join if you want. Bruce is in his lab, and dont worry he slept and ate last night. Not sure about the rest.”

“Right, thanks. I think I’m going to go train.”

Before he knew it, it was Friday morning, and his school was coming to his home. He was going to try very hard to ignore them. To do so, he asked his mum to let him sit in on some meetings. He had an easy in to the R&D and mechanical side of the company via the other interns. He was actually planning on hanging out with some of the “other” interns later that day. They were always happy to let Pete in on their projects and let him give them a hand. But he was always interested in getting more detail about the business side of the company, and he liked to get a window into it. Pepper was always happy to show her son the ropes. I mean he was heir to the company after all, even if he didn’t know yet.

He asked his mum to only schedule meetings after 12 as he requested a sleep in. Pepper was always happy when Peter slept as he was a little too much like his father. So, he woke bright and early at 11:00 o’clock.

After a scroll through his phone and a quick shower, he was ready to pull on his far too expensive Brunellio’s custom suit. It was one of his favorites. His father had got it custom made when he was in Italy, and told him he simply could not resist getting one for the kid. Pepper just smiled.

He had a large breakfast (enhanced metabolism) and headed towards the 34th floor where his first meeting was located. He’d been shadowing his mum for almost a year now whenever it was convenient, so he had the rointine down. He was almost sure he could take over a few of her meetings.

“Hi honey,” Pepper said, giving the boy a quick kiss on the cheek on the way to her own chair beside him. Peter blushed before resuming his professional posture and facial expression.

“Good morning everyone, as you can see Peter will be joining us today. I want to talk about some of the services we provide for our employees and their feedback. I’m aware we have a large portion to talk about so Kendra please take it away on that front.”

The first meeting went smoothly as planned. It was a discussion on the progress of the internal services, aka the IT department. Peter hadn’t learned much about their IT department, so it was good to listen in to. Pre these meetings, he, of course, does research into the background stuff, so he’s not completely lost. Pepper’s assistant usually provides him with a packet of info about the Stark Industries side of things. He is also given a list of key words and concepts he might want to make sure he understands. The research is fun for him, it makes him feel all professional.

Usually he spoke during the meetings, asking a couple questions and suggesting some ideas, but for this one he just learned and took in. The next meeting, however, was very much so his field. He’d spoken a lot with advertising, becoming very interested in the data analysis behind it. He even took a stats class so he could keep up. In that one he asked questions Pepper was on the verge of asking twice. He also contributed to the analysis of data once. Pepper usually liked him to participate as it was good for him, but he always felt bad suggesting stuff to the senior adults. He usually spoke to his mum or dad about projects for the company, preferring that.

They hung back in the room of the second meeting.

“Good job in this one Pete. Took two questions right off my tongue.”

“Thanks ma,” he said, always appreciating some approval.

“That’s all I’ve got for you today, kid. Rest of the stuff is, ya know.”

“Course. Thanks for these two. It was good to learn about internal affairs a bit more. Have a gap of knowledge there.”

“Yeah. Was that the first time meeting our CIT?”

“I believe so.”

“Well, next time we have a broader IA meeting, I’ll pull you outta school,” Pepper suggested.

“Really? That’d be epic.”

“Course, hun. Jarvis, sort that out please.”

“Of course Mrs. Potts.”

“Thanks J,” Peter yelled.

“Anytime mini-boss. No need to disturb the entire floor.”

“Are AI supposed to be so snarky?”

“Dad programmed it, what else would it be?”

“Valid point.”

“Right, got to run. See you later.”

“Bye, love you mum!”

“Love you too, Pete.”

“Jarvis, could you send me the tour plan for the visiting tour today?”

“Absolutely, sir. They’re on your phone now.”

“Thanks J.”

Looking at the plans Peter smiled. He had successfully avoided them the entire day. It said they were supposed to head back to school at 2:30, and it was about to be three. Smile on his face, he trotted down to the lobby to grab a coffee before going to meet Loki at the arcade. Don’t judge them, it was their thing. Taking the private lift down, and then walking straight to the coffee stand and ordering.

“Mr. Parker!” he heard the angry voice of his teacher, “How dare you show up here aft-”

Shit. shit. Shit.

“Edith, call dad, and tell him it’s urgent in the lobby.”

“Of course Peter.”

“Peter, are you listening to me! You are going to face extreme consequences for this.”

“Your coffee,” the man said, not realizing it was Peter, level ten personal of the tower, that was being yelled at.

“Thanks.”

“How dare you get coffee! In this building! Security!”

Tony arrived spotting his son instantly.

“Kid this best be impor- I see.”

“Hey Mr. Stark,” Peter said weakly.

“Mr. Harrington is it? Please stop harassing my intern.”

“H-he, he is y-your intern?”

“Yes. My favorite. Please exit the building and never question him again. You will be hearing from me.”

Let’s just say, Monday was an interesting day. At least Flash backed off, he was definitely an intern at SI, and no one embarrassed him on the trip.

[ascalonianpicnic]

so the twisted marionette is back and it seems like a good time for this~ @mystery-salad requested I do an essay on Scarlet and discrimination in STEM so~

Warning: discussions of sexism, racism, and ableism. If I got anything wrong (in terms of real world issues) or was disrespectful in any way about certain subjects please let me know

Hey, let's talk about Scarlet Briar. 

More specifically, I wanna talk about Ceara, and how she became Scarlet Briar. Because I'm a gay mathematician and former computer science major, and I think Scarlet is cool.

So let's start here. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is a heavily male dominated set of fields and career paths. A few decades back in the real world, there was this deep set societal belief, at least in western society, that cis women were just "worse" at STEM related things like math and chemistry. It's not as visible of an issue now, but, like I said, STEM fields are still really male dominated, and that's because STEM fields still have a massive issue with sexism. Women have full on left the field due to the sexism they faced in workplaces in just the last decade. Trans women in STEM share really interesting and important personal accounts about how before transitioning, they were treated with respect, offered high level jobs, and entrusted with loads of responsibility, and how post transition, despite having even more experience, are offered significantly lower level jobs, worse pay, and are all around treated like they know less. STEM has a sexism problem. 

So, why is this important to Scarlet? Well, her backstory and her life before Omadd's Machine actually tie in to this real world issue in a really fascinating way. It's about Respect. And Scarlet's story is about how she was denied respect over and over, because she was a sylvari, because she was a woman, and because she was neurodivergent. Let's talk about Ceara. 

Ceara was a sylvari secondborn, and an engineer from the start. She emerged from the Pale Tree when her race was still brand new to the world and largely unknown. She spent 8 years of her life studying all the Grove had to offer her about mechanics and nature and the universe. She was born curious and as such, was determined to learn everything and anything she could get her hands on. After her time in the Grove, Ceara left, off to find new teachers and extend her knowledge further. After the Grove cane Beigarth, a famed norn smith. He gladly took Ceara under his wing, seeing her genius and potential. For a year, she trained under him, his best student. Then, much to his dismay, she left, feeling she had learned all he could offer about what she wanted to know. She moved south, going to study under iron legion gladium and demolitionist Asagai. Asagai was an old charr, and it took some convincing on Ceara's end, but she eventually took the sylvari in and taught her about gunsmithing and artillery. And after two years, Ceara moved on again, this time heading for Rata Sum and its colleges. 

The asura of Rata Sum did Not like Ceara. She had to fight to be allowed to study at the colleges. She won in the end, being admitted into the college of Dynamics. Within a year, she finished the course work, and, feeling like she was finally getting somewhere, she applied again, this time getting admitted to Statics. Two years and two colleges down, at the top of her class both times, Scarlet still wanted more. The Arcane council was curious now if she could keep this streak up, so they let her enter Synergetics. This was what she had been looking for, and she got deep into her studies, taking her time. The Arcane council was unimpressed with her work at best. While not driven from the colleges, she found herself being walked off and looked down on more and more, so she sought other sources. These other sources, both of knowledge and support, came from the inquest, and it wasn't long before she fell in deep. It didn't last, however. When the krewe she was working with ran into trouble, she was abandoned as a scapegoat, and thrown out of the asuran colleges. She wandered on her own for a while, taking the time to study alchemy with the michotl hylek, but mostly keeping to herself. Until Omadd found her, pulled her back into his personal research, and, with her help, built Omadd's machine. Once it was finished, Ceara walked in, and Scarlet walked out. 

Sexism in STEM means that people perceived as female are often perceived as knowing or understanding less than they actually do. It's because of this that you'll find young cis male students in STEM classes trying to correct or speak over their female presenting professors. It's why you'll find men at science conferences telling the women presenting for certain topics that they don't seem to understand the topic they're covering or grasp the basics that well, and then recommending or referencing books and research papers written by these women. It means that women will often be overlooked for internships, research positions, and grants. And that is the sort of thing Scarlet faced as a young woman trying to learn everything she could. She had to work for the apprenticeships she could get, and with Beigarth, despite how highly he thought of her, she had to work harder to prove she was ready for more each step of the way. Finding anyone to teach her at all among the charr was a struggle, until an older woman took her in. And no one in Rata Sum took her seriously. 

There was more than just the fact that Scarlet was a woman at play with Rata Sum though. As stated, STEM has a bad sexism problem. But that's not all. STEM isn't just mostly men, but also mostly white men, and as such, the fields have a bit of a racism problem as well. Personally, I can only speak so much to this as I myself am white, have never faced racism, and never will face racism. I do know that the intelligence, skill, and effort of people of color goes largely unacknowledged. They will be denied the same opportunities and respect that their white peers receive, and their work and contributions will be ignored, exploited, and stolen. 

Racism in Tyria isn't the same as it is in the real world, though it is still present there, and prevalent. And it is something Scarlet has to face and struggle with repeatedly as a sylvari. The sylvari are young and new to Tyria. Because of this, the other prominent groups all tend to think of sylvari as innocent, ignorant, and overly naive. The asura are especially bad about this. They already think of themselves as the smartest of Tyria's inhabitants, above everyone else. And when they first encounter the sylvari, the asura refuse to believe this new group could even be sentient. So, when 11 year old Ceara shows up at the colleges, the Arcane Council and the asura in general doubt she could possibly understand asuran studies. She's a sylvari, after all, and just a girl on top of that. There's surely no way she could keep up. 

So when this young sylvari girl finishes at the top of her class in just a year, not once but twice, the Arcane council is intrigued. They don't respect her. They don't hold her work in high esteem. But they do want to know if this is some sort of fluke or if she can do it again. So she's admitted into the third and final college, and when she gets caught up in her studies, genuinely interested and invested in what she's learning and wanting to take her time to take it all in, the Council is disappointed. Never mind that Scarlet has already done what no other non-asura has. She took too long doing what she loved, learning, so the Council dismisses her, and dismisses her hard work. Her theories are looked down upon and ignored, and she is left with only support from Omadd, who can use her and her theories for his own gain, and the inquest. Omadd and the inquest make her feel valued and respected. The inquest let's her try anything she wants, it lets her really explore the fields of study she's most drawn to. The inquest makes sure to profit off her hard work and, when it comes down to it, the inquest leaves her to take the fall for everything. It's easy, after all, to pin the blame on someone already so looked down on by the society she's in. Scarlet is kicked out of the colleges and the city. She loses her access to information, her belongings, and even her own research and findings. All her hard work, taken from her because the inquest was more than glad to use a sylvari. 

And then of course, there's Omadd. He was glad to have Scarlet as a lab assistant, and endlessly fascinated by and supportive of her work. So once she's gone from Rata Sum, he leaves too, taking her research and starting on his own personal project. He gets stuck, he seeks Scarlet out, and he convinces her to help him again. Once Scarlet is back on board, the project goes smoothly and the two construct Omadd's Machine. Omadd's. Despite being built off Scarlet's theories and research, despite her being integral to the construction of this machine, it's Omadd's and it carries his name. Funny how that happens, isn't it? And once the machine is up and running, he thinks Scarlet should test it first. Who knows what could happen in there, better to leave it up to the assistant to try it out, and frame it as her getting the honor of the first try. As we all know, it goes poorly. Scarlet learns so much more, all the knowledge she had been seeking for over a decade, but in return, the seeds of Mordremoth are planted in her mind and slowly take over, destroying her. 

Now Scarlet, who has been used and devalued and disrespected and infantilized every step of the way, her whole life, is going to start tearing down the things that held her back for so long. She just needs a plan, and with the help of a certain sleeping dragon, one begins to form. 

There's something I glossed over earlier that is so important to note, and that's how Scarlet was treated in the Grove. Now, it's been stated explicitly by Scott McGough, a narrative designer for the fame, that Scarlet emerged with lacking empathy. Low empathy doesn't make Scarlet, or anyone, a bad person. It's sometimes a symptom of autism, as well as some personality disorders, and it does affect how Scarlet is treated. As an autistic person myself, Scarlet very much reads as autistic to me, between low empathy, a one track mind, and an intense special interest in the universe and its mechanics. She has a hard time connecting with others, is easily bored by subjects that don't relate back to her special interest, can focus intently on and get caught up in her work, and doesn't really get social graces or expectations. Regardless of any diagnosis she would have if she existed in our world, Scarlet is treated differently due to her low empathy, a trait she cannot help about herself. 

From the moment she emerges in the Grove, she is treated differently. She is talked down to. Her desire to take in her first sights and how it overwhelms her is dismissed as overconfidence and rudeness. Her own brother, barely older than her, talks like he knows so much more than her. Scarlet is an outsider among her own people. How does it feel to have low empathy among a race connected to each other deeply through empathy? Probably not great. Her studies in the Grove are limited, she is treated as rude and prideful for wanting to be independent and needing space. Rather than being accommodated, rather than being understood, Scarlet is infantilized, dismissed, and disregarded. She isn't neurotypical. She was born different. She's punished for it. 

When she emerges from Omadd's Machine, made from her own hard work and creativity, Scarlet Briar is a young woman who has frequently been overlooked and rarely understood. All these thoughts and ideas, all this passion, and the only people who have ever even seemed to understand her have used and betrayed her so thoroughly. Scarlet Briar has always had to look out for and take care of herself, as a woman, as a sylvari, as someone who is neurodivergent and is in a field that doesn't respect a single aspect of her identity. The world won't accommodate her and the world won't take her seriously. So why shouldn't she show the world what she can do? Why not force everyone to recognize her for who she is? Why not give in just a little to that voice that has been calling to her in her nightmares since she left the machine? After all, it promises power and recognition and a sense of belonging. 

[mysticalmusicwhispers]

hey,,,your thoughts and headcanons on indchuran college au 😳😳😳😳😳(i am very predictable as per usual)

o-o o-o college aus have my heart so thank you for the ask! These turned out as platonic/general hcs but I hope you like them nonetheless! (also this isn’t really associated with any set AU and is separate from the indchuran bros for life AU)

notes: this is based on the little I know about how US colleges/universities work ahahah sorry for any inaccuracies lol

— They’re all in the same year, and China and India got put in a dorm together with Iran next door (oh my god they were roommates ;) )

— They meet when Roshan heard Aditya’s got a copy of a book they wanted, went over to borrow it, and found Aditya trolling Yao with meme songs while the latter was wearing headphones and trying to study (this is kinda half assed and I don’t think it’s funny enough so if you’ve got another meeting scenario please do tell 👀)

— Yao’s fashion is a hot mess, per usual. It’s half lazy college student wear and half blinding eye-strain. Sometimes he still goes edgelord mode and does dark colors and goth attire when he’s particularly annoyed or grumpy (in addition to threatening to evict Aditya/steal all his possessions if he’s bugging Yao); Aditya and Roshan just coo at this. 

— Roshan dresses very eccentrically. I think it’s called the art hoe aesthetic? They dress like an art student but pick even more outlandish outfits. But it’s elegant in an eye-catching way, and it makes them stand out a lot. They like it and also love the attention it gets them :) also Roshan would be an amazing person to ask for clothing opinions, except that they might criticize your current outfits too much hksdfsdf

— As for Aditya, I don’t really have a set image for him really? lol I'd give anything to see him dressed in some kind of academia aesthetic (glasses are a bonus), but I feel like his style is more casual and comfy? just average person casual shirts and hoodies. Still knows how to pick good outfits though, but makes awful decisions when in the wrong headspace (like being Severely sleep deprived)

— Yao either studies a) business b) politics c) game theory d) a mix of all three (overachiever). I think he’d also take some of those like, quantum math classes and stuff just to ~expand his horizons~ and ends up taking enough to get a minor in that. Also absorbs STEM stuff from other people although he never went that route :\

— Roshan studies art history! They’re wicked at math as well though, I think they’d definitely be interested in studying pure mathematics as either a minor or a fun side hobby.

— Aditya minors in literature/creative writing and regularly waxes poetic about life. He also complains about the school cafeteria food in flowery prose. Yao yells at him to just make food himself if it’s so bad, but it’s too much effort 😔 (this is literally me)

I’m still undecided on what he majors in, but for now I’m stealing your hc that it’s biophysics :>

— Yao’s tried dabbling in stocks as part class project and part personal side hobby; one of his professors probably helps him with this, and somehow he gets a lot of money even though he invests in some very questionable things that look like shitpost material

— Courtesy of talking with @luyous, these three competitively study during midterms/finals season. They hardcore compete to get the best grades, even though they’re in different majors, and literally. the temperature heats up a couple degrees in the dorm when they’re revising because they all want to “beat” the other two 😭

— Literally they’re such bookworms but have a thirst for being The Best 😔

— Yao has a shit sleep schedule and both Aditya and Roshan have called him out on this multiple times; Aditya more often because they share a room and it’s kind of annoying when your roommate’s desk lamp is still on at 3 AM while you’re supposed to be sleeping. He eventually bought an eye mask for this but still has to forcibly drag Yao to bed at least once a week.

— Aditya is the resident boomer and tech hoe (although he fools around on the computer more than he does useful stuff) inspiration from you raunak <3

— Roshan and Aditya once tricked Yao into watering a fake plant they bought from Target for a full five months :) They keep a log of the shenanigans on their respective social medias as proof <3

— Roshan has a windowsill with a line of very cute potted plants! It’s very aesthetic and they show them off to anyone who asks. Don’t touch though because the plants are their babies

— Aditya sings very well! Has perfect pitch and all that. Does karaoke nights with friends, drags Yao along even though all he does there is type away on his laptop (and sometimes glances up to simp for Aditya). Often prank calls acquaintances, occasionally with Roshan, because he’s also pretty good at voice acting

— Out of the three, Aditya’s probably the friendliest if you’re a stranger, but it do be hard trying to build a friendship with any of them 😔 yao’s condescending to strangers and it takes some time to crack him if you don’t come off as quick-witted and smart on the first try, Roshan doesn’t really take people they just met super seriously unless they can impress/charm them, Aditya’s flashy but is kinda flaky and sometimes talks down to you and seems to always have something else to do besides hanging out one on one unless you win his respect. They’re good with each other though, occasional spats are mostly misunderstandings unless there’s Too Much miscommunication going on

— They’re all kinda legends for academic achievements. Roshan probably got a paper published in some vaunted journal about idk, changing methods of making pottery in ancient Iran or something; Yao has his stocks (and is also kinda rich in the first place so he’s “famous” before that) and Aditya probably got an internship or opportunity to do lab work for a cutting edge research thing

— they no-homo each other all the time it’s insane. It doesn’t help that they’re in close quarters (Yao and Aditya being roommates and Roshan right next door) so it’s like, accidentally wearing the other’s clothes, stealing snacks, so much touching and closeness lol classic pining material

— Yao jokes at least once a day that Roshan is just a parasite of his and Aditya’s dorm, with the amount of time they spend in there instead of in their own dorm, but they sniff haughtily and say that at least their dorm is much more organized than whatever indchu have going on (it’s true; Yao believes in organized chaos and pretends his organization system is having No Organization; Aditya just does whatever he wants and “anyways I’ll find it when I need it”, Roshan is the only sane one here)

— Roshan drinks tea religiously (all three of them do, but Yao chugs energy drinks sometimes, Aditya binges coffee when needed, whereas Roshan’s solution is tea)

— They’re kinda chaotic but it’s fine they’ll make it through uni :)

[btswishes]

Love me for who I am now

Bucky x Reader ( Chapter 1 )

Part1 / Next 

Summary: You apply for the Stark internship and end up getting it, so now you have 5 months to make a good impression to continue working with the Avengers.

A/N: This is my first Marvel fic and I am taking it as a challenge. It is opposite of what my account was made, but here I go. Sorry for any mistakes made, hope you enjoy it even a tiny bit.

Word count:  3,281

Warmings: fights, harsh language, not part of the original MCU 

Y/N- Your name Y/L/N:  Your Last Name

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

  Through sleepless nights and dark circles, books and pens, through months of work you reached your goal. The moment you received the acceptance letter from Stark University you almost flew out the window without a fear in your mind. This was it!

  Time had passed since that moment, but it is still engraved in your mind- a memory keeping you strong during the hard midterms and piles of work, even the small glimmers of regret. Trying your best wasn’t an option, you could do only that and no less. It was no easy task, lost social life as much as you tried to keep it. You were really lucky you had good friends that understood and supported you. University wasn’t easy for anyone making this one even tougher. People of all ages, backgrounds and cultures were piled up with you in this building. The best of the best as the slogan said, the ones that proved themselves and emerged victorious.

  When you were young ,you used to spend a lot of time with your uncle at his places outside the country. He would introduce you to his work colleagues and things you had never seen before. There was a time where you would spend months on end with him. Not many memories were left from those moments in your head. At one point you spend a few years with him, your mother thought it would be good experience for you and it turned out to be nothing but the truth-at least you hoped so. You learned a lot from him and his friends, it felt like each spend day would offer you more knowledge in areas you never knew of. Computer work, ways of thinking and so much more that had become second nature to you.

  The sky was tinted in a wash of oranges, reds and yellows bleeding one into the other, swirling around the sun emitting them. The day was ending, but you found yourself filling up an application in the library, covered by the silence and smell of exam worry.

  Sponsored and founded by the one and only Tony Stark, this establishment offered an internship. Being part of the Avengers, Tony didn’t let just anyone from the students attending in, even if they were the best labeled by the school. It had been a year and a half since you started pushing yourself harder to be able to apply and there was nothing that could stop you. Pressing your finger over the enter button was very nerve wrecking yet simple. Even if it didn’t work out this year, you planned to do it again and again ,till he had no other choice but give you a chance.

  Usually F.R.I.D.A.Y. went over everything and left only the applications worth going over by Tony himself or Pepper. The next 5 weeks for you were very stressful, but there was nothing more you could do but wait and focus on your own work. The first person you wanted to tell about this was your uncle. He went to work in some distant place where they had no internet so you switched to mail. Not as much paper under his name passed through your hands, as he had stopped answering you. You missed him, but the muddy childhood memories kind of compensated for that.

“Did you send it in?” the phone muffled a bit the sweet voice coming from the speaker 

“Yeah, a few days ago actually.” You answered with a gentle sigh

“And no answer yet?” the girl’s pitch rose at the end of the sentence, amazed at that what she just heard

“I know, I know. Think about it though Nea. Who knows how many applications get submitted. Someone has to brush through them after all.” defending the situation was a form of coping for you, made you feel hopeful.

“So you are trying to tell me Tony Stark’s interface or whatever it’s called, can’t sort them out in a couple of hours? Come on Y/N! You and I both know you are trying to make yourself feel better.” The small pause made you anxious over what Nea said “Listen.” A breathy start of the sentence “ I don’t mean to brag, but I think I am one of the people who know exactly how much you deserve this. You were never the studious type, plus that you were gone for years on end with that mysterious uncle of yours. I never expected you to suddenly go for Stark University. Your dream changed you, from this quiet kid to crazy ol’ you right now on the call with me.I ain’t letting you bust yourself up over this just because it didn’t happen the first time around-”

                Ding ding

  Nea’s deep speech was cut off before she could unleash herself completely, by the slight ring of your phone’s notification.

“Who tf has the audacity to text while the great me is giving this legendary –“

                Ding!

  The second time the sound sung out made her choke up with anger, you could almost see the fumes coming out of the phone.

“WHO IS IT!” a loud hiss pierced your ear

“Maybe if you gave me a minute I could answer your question.” Pulling the call down, your finger ran over the screen to the email, making your notification lamp blink like a car. Almost instantly it opened before your eyes and you gasped. The action made you swallow suddenly and cough out a bit ,giving poor Nea an idea about the level of shock you were in.

“What?What? You can’t just almost die and not tell me what is going on.” She proceeded with a not so tasteful interrogation.

“I-…they accepted my application…” at the end a small smile flowed over your lips contorting the sound coming out

“Stop!?” she choked up as well “You gotta be fucking with me!? No fucking way this is real!”

“I am honest. It says here that they liked my skill set, my grades and the way of thinking I presented in my essay. I got the spot Nea! I fucking did it!” you threw the phone on the bed letting it bounce as you started dancing.

“Of course you did! I told you! You will be working with THE AVENGERSSSS!” at some point it sounded like your best friend was more excited than you “When do you start?”

“Well…” taking a second to calm down and re-establish contact with your phone, you looked up the schedule that came attached with the email “…ok…so it says here that I will be starting on Monday so~ in 2 days? “

“So soon! Any requirements for the job miss Avenger’s sidekick?” and the teasing begins

“A list, surprisingly.” Rolling onto your back, you held the screen away and above your face, scrolling past “ I guess my first job will be with Dr. Banner in the lab. Apparently I will be given some sort of assignments throughout the 5 months work span. I will be monitored by Dr. Bruce Banner and the grading, I guess if you can call It that ,will be done by Tony Stark himself.”

“Basically Hulk will be your babysitter.” once this girl starts teasing she never stops even in amazing situations such as this one, good thing you loved her “That sounds so cool though! You will be able to meet Captain America and Black Widow~! I am so jelly of you I swear! When you leave work make sure to wait for someone from the group to walk by, omgggg I am fangirling so much right now.What if you go to dinners with them!?AAAAA!”

“Fun thing about that.” Your eyes landed on the last paragraph of the email “It says here that I am supposed to move into the compound and stay there till further notice. The whole idea is that if I do things well I will get a permanent job. Weird…” you hummed

“Weird !? How? That is so cool! Who knows you might even become an Avenger! You will be living with them anyways.” at this point Nea was either not breathing or hyperventilating so fast you couldn’t hear it

“Don’t be ridiculous.” your attention landed once more on the thought process you had a moment ago “I don’t get one thing. They say here that my PE grades combined with my IT and overall studies make me a great candidate, but I don’t remember sports being a requirement at all, or even providing them in the first place. Does it mean that if my grades were low in that department I wouldn’t have gotten the spot?”

“I guess people of science aren’t that flexible. Who cares anyways! You got in, no ifs and buts. I am telling you, at this point you could be an Avenger.” poor girl began thinking of names and suit designs for you “ Hurry up and pack those bags before I drop by with take away, so we can gossip over Steve Rogers’s abs.”

“Um…don’t get me wrong he is super hot, I just see the Cap more like an older brother figure than anything.” It was true, you looked up to him since the first time you studied about the Civil War. Fearless, gave his life in a way for his people, astonishing man over all.

“Hey! Let me drool over him! You were always more of a Winter Soldier fan anyways.” Nea pouted audibly . Her words made some lone memory pop up in your head, but it was as murky as the rest. “I don’t know why I am interested in him. Somehow his look is very nostalgic and rugged. Anyways. ”you shook your head out of the mental image of the soldier “I will go pack up, tell my parents and fix up all my documents. Probably find some stuff from former Stark employees online. I want to have a bit of an idea of what he expects and what I am getting myself into.”

“Fine fine, you could have just said you like troubled guys. You were the one who was happy Loki got a second chance after all. I will be over in like 3 hours.” She informed you

“Hey! He deserved to redeem himself, he was used!” a firm Loki supporter as always “Ok then, see ya.”

   Hanging up the call you placed your phone to charge and rolled off your bed. The email gave vague information about what you needed, but clothing wise you would still be able to come home and get stuff if you had to. What was on top of your priorities were papers, documents, all your research materials and tech. Those things had to be organized no matter what ,since they got you this far in the first place.

  Nae came over as planned and you two had a nice sleepover talking about you know who. The night came and left, letting the morning find you in your bed at 11am. Your forearm rested on top of your forehead in a relaxed manner, letting enough space for an exhale to linger in the air in front of you. Your mind was going over everything that was about to happen to you. It was one of your dreams, you worked for it nonstop day in day out, so why were you so worried about meeting the rest of the Avengers? Maybe it was just anxiety or fear of the unknown, yeah made sense.

  All you did during the day was make lists for every piece of tech you were binging with yourself. Things seemed to be in order, but worry kept nibbling on your bones. The moment of truth finally rolled up and so did your suitcase in front of your house. Nea came to send you off as she promised.

“Sweetie, make sure to call us every day. Eat well, don’t overwork yourself and-“ your mom went off with caution about anything and everything that came to mind

“Mom, you know I am going 3 blocks down from here right? Plus I can come home at any time I want to. I am not moving to Mars or getting arrested.” You smirked the panic away from her, giving them a big hug.

“Call me or text me when you get there.” Nea pulled you in, whispering in your ear as quietly as possible “And don’t forget to sneak me a booty pick of good ol’Cap. You know what they say-”

“That is America’s ass.” Your voice came out in a mocking tone

“That i-…let me at least finish it by myself! Geez!” she pushed you towards the door “Ok ok, go now before you spoil me something else” her arms crossed in front of her chest

  The walk wasn’t that long, you were too invested in your own thoughts to notice when the time and distance had passed. The glistening windows of the compound building shined into your eyes. Your lungs filled up with a breath that they kept in for a moment, before releasing it back in the outside world. Pulling out the documents you stepped in. The fresh smelling air hit you making you close one eye for a second.

People were walking around you fast and concentrated. Some looked in a hurry, others were on break with a cup of coffee and a strain-leaving expression.

 Your feet, as slightly shaky as they were, took you right up to the front desk were a lady with a dark rich red colored uniform looked at you. She flashed a professional smile, her eyes asking for your purpose.

“Um, hello. My name is Y/N -Y/L/N.” she saw the logo on your papers and gasped

“You must be the new intern Mr. Stark told us about.” She signed something and reached out “Can you give me your hand for a second.” Your fingers didn’t go past the surface of the desk when she pocked your skin. Pulling in your extremity, your palm wrapped around the spot that began to sting a bit “Don’t worry about it. This is your identification pass. Fancy, no?” she smiled winking. Her body stood up as she pointed at the elevator far in the back of the foyer.

  Instructions were given with each step of the way, calming your nerves a bit. The moment you found yourself inside the elevator she pulled your hand to the sensor on the wall next to the buttons.

Recognized: Code 2514. Welcome Miss Y/N  

 Your head shot up when F.R.I.D.Y.’s voice echoed in the small space. The women smiled giving you a small nod and stepped out of the vicinity. Once her body was outside ,the doors slid closed. Over them glowed a protective blue light layering over the material like a soft veil.

 It felt like you weren’t moving an inch. Your body flinched when the sun stung at your eyes from the window. Your gaze landed over the view of the city, as you went higher and higher, ascending into the clouds  The blues and yellows were covering the inside of the elevator, such vibrant and lovely colors warming your body. For a moment your heart felt heavy- lost memory tugged onto it again. An often occurrence lately, yet you kept brushing off as deja vu. 

Floor 134. Welcome to the Avenger’s compound Miss Y/N

“134!?” the numbers cracked out with your voice. The interface made you turn towards the opposite opening doors revealing a room as big as a hall, if not almost a stadium. The ceiling was high being the lid to this round area. Your heart beat increased pumping blood to your body, dilating your pupils at least twice their original size. It look amazing, almost like you had just entered heaven. The walls were white, the furniture was perfectly placed and cream colored. Stepping outside you jumped at the sound of the elevator doors closing behind you. 

“Wow” escaped your lips, your hand pulling the suitcase closer. So this was the common room or the shared space. The windows were so big they were practically a wall of their own. The bright rays were making themselves at home giving the white paint a new color with each passing minute. The ceilings were probably the equivalent of 3 floors in height. There was this weird feeling of home inside, a bit of isolation maybe mixed in. 

“Miss Y/N?” your head swung to the side when you recognized that shy but bright smile. Throwing the papers on top of your suitcase, you extended your arm at the man.

“Ah.” Good thing your mind automatically responds politely to people without you giving it much thought “Dr. Banner. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.” you shook his hand gently a couple of times and let go ,finding the papers and showing them to him “My name is Y/N-Y/L/N.” gentle bow and a smile followed the words skillfully chosen

“Welcome Welcome. Tony is out right now so I might be the only one actively walking around the compound. Well…”he scratched the back of his neck, lightly hunching over with a sheepish smile “I am one of the people you will be working under anyways, so I guess it is good that I came to get you. I would love to show you the lab, but I am sure you would like to set up your things first.” You nodded and he showed you to your room. The corridor had 3 tall doors scattered on the walls, all looking modern and elegant.

“This is the side where usually we have our female members. Natasha and Wanda will be your nextdoor neighbors. Hope it won’t be any trouble.” Bruce looked at you ,when an aggressive shake took over your neck

“No, no. Not at all sir. I am very grateful to have such amazing heroes next to me. As a matter of fact won’t they be troubled with me here?” and here came the normal anxiety that you had for everything

“I am sure they will like you. Don’t worry about it.” Bruce stepped next to the door and waved you over “You don’t have a key or a door handle as a matter of fact. Tony’s idea, don’t ask. If you got up here on your own I assume he made the girls downstairs give you an identification implant. That is basically your entrance for everything here. Kind of an Avengers thing.” You nodded and him wiggling his fingers like a spell. Placing your hand on the door like he told you activated F.R.I.D.A.Y.

Recognized: Y/N. Access and ownership granted.

  The metal frame slid open and you found yourself standing before a big room. It was nicely furnished. The desk was big enough for you to work on it and have everything around. Bookshelves empty and ready to be used on your left and a large bed on your right flush against the wall. The window was once more its own wall right in front of you standing behind the desk. The bathroom door was opening a space before the shelf the same color as the paint in the common room.

“I will let you set up. If you need anything F.R.I.D.A.Y. is always here. The room is interactive, you can ask exactly what works under the interface’s control. The door is one.Take your time.”he was on his way out “Would you like some coffee or tea?”

“I would like some tea, thank you very much.” Bruce flashed you a smile “F.R.I.D.A.Y. the door please.”

Door closed 

  Done as said and requested, clicking behind you. 

Would you like an extensive list of my functions as an assistant?

“Please do.”