#i meant to make euclid look like a guy

[katlynthecat]

i made a design for bill's parents

[rangerbeads]

ficwip

fic writer asks

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again? - I broke up my multi-chapters into one-shots and shorter fics. It worked out so far! Makes it much easier to work on.

How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!) - Five. Four are published, I've got the fifth one almost ready to go. I'm hoping to have it finished before the new year, but it's... long now.

What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer? - I am really drawn to damaged characters, I like to explore them and try and bring them some peace and healing. While also doing that writer thing and poking them with a stick.

What piece of media inspired you the most? - Hannibal the TV series. That will become readily apparent later.

What fandom(s) did you write for this year? - Marvel (Blackhill) and Harry Potter (Fleurmione)

What ship(s) captured your heart? - Fleurmione!

What character(s) captured your heart? - Listen, I didn't know I liked Hermione Granger, at all. It was very surprising to all of us.

Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year? - Yes, see above. Harry Potter and Fleurmione. I even joined a Discord server!

What fic meant the most to you to write? - Ooof. It's probably still Red Sorrow, but Life Signs is really fun.

What fic made you feel the happiest to work on? - Wash Out The Salt From My Hands and this Christmas fic "My Arms Are Open" that I'm still working on.

What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing? - Red Sorrow, for sure. It's so long and I'm really proud of it.

What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it? - Red Sorrow was probably the most difficult, because it's time consuming and is requiring a lot of editing work. Life Signs is also difficult, though, because it's in a new area for me.

What fic was the easiest to write? - Wash Out The Salt From My Hands.

What were your shortest and longest fics this year? - There Is Something Beneath is the shortest, Red Sorrow is easily the longest.

Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023 - Red Sorrow for Blackhill. Life Signs for Fleurmione.

What were you go-to writing songs? - According to Apple Music... Sleep Token, Bad Omens, Evanescence, I Prevail, and Asking Alexandria are my top bands. Which isn't surprising in the slightest. Top songs were Take Me Back To Eden, Euclid, Just Pretend, Alkaline, Rain. All are Sleep Token tracks except for Just Pretend... Shocker.

What were your go-to writing snacks? - I'm not much of a snacker? I like pistachios if I'm going to snack.

What was the hardest fic to title? - None of them were hard to title. I guess the Christmas one took me the longest to narrow down from my options?

Share your favorite opening line - "The pain would never end."

Share your favorite ending line - "I'll remember that."

Share your favorite piece of dialogue - Oh no, I don't think I can pick a favorite. I love all of the banter in Red Sorrow so much. Maybe "... Do you know that you look like a Star Wars villain?" in the beginning?

Share an excerpt from your favorite scene - My favorite scene of Red Sorrow hasn't been posted yet... have this one:

“So you looked up something someone said and it pulled up porn.” Maria waved a dismissive hand. “Case closed. At least now you know what NSFW stands for.”

“It’s everywhere,” Rogers said, transitioning seamlessly to his thousand-yard-stare. “Like a minefield - and that’s when people aren’t actively sending it to you! I was shocked at just how much it, just, pops up. Stark was trying to help me with the internet and social media but then I kept getting messages about thirst traps and… it spiraled.”

“Ah ha, it was Stark! Should have known.” Barton slumped back down into the couch and returned his attention to the television. “That guy lives to push buttons. Especially yours. Maybe even more so than Fury’s.”

“Maybe we should put a parental lock on Cap’s devices,” Natasha added, a familiar mischief in her eyes and that lopsided grin of hers when she looked at Maria. “Commander, can we make that happen? We really can’t have his respectability violated. Imagine if the world found out that Captain America watches porn.”

“I’ll get right on it,” Maria said and nodded gravely. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Rogers. Rest assured that I will punish the filthy miscreant and we will make sure to protect you from smut from now on. Can’t have our paragon sullied.”

“At least he isn’t in the porn.” Clint grinned. “Yet.”

“Very funny,” Rogers said with a huff. “You’re all so hilarious.”

“We know.” Natasha groaned and turned away from the laptop. “Change of subject. Are you ready to start the questioning? Rock-paper-scissors for who goes first?”

“Excuse me! You can’t just kidnap me. I want my lawyer!”

23. Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out? - "The pain would never end. The intricate agony Bellatrix weaved for her, like the conductor of a torment symphony, reached deep, touching and torching everything. Every nerve and fiber, every stray thought, it burned through her synapses and fried her emotions, her rigid control to ash. Her torturer's masterpiece of anguish seized and strangled her lungs, stabbed through her belly, poured on her tongue and down her throat like honeyed acid. It twisted around her spine, pooled in her joints, and snapped every finger and toe." - I was trying to get the horrendous torture across without being too graphic and gory about it. As a horror fan and someone who loves a good action movie, too, I don't usually shy away from writing violence, but I wanted to be gentle here and I had to find a way to do that. I'm actually really happy with how it turned out. To me, it's much, much nicer than the more detailed version I originally had written.

24. What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story? - I had some interesting ideas pop up while I was outlining Vigilante (I haven't published that Fleurmione fic yet.) It didn't change that story so much, but I did end up going back and creating 5 other fics that will be precursors to it.

25. What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.) - I use Novel Factory to track my word counts and keep all of my details in one place. Very handy. I usually draft in Word and paste into NF when I'm finished. This is all on my laptop, unless I'm breaking down a scene or taking notes, then I use my reMarkable tablet.

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year? - When I posted a chapter of Red Sorrow and a chapter of Life Signs one right after the other! Two fics going at the same time! WILD.

27. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic? - I went to bed early LOL

28. How did you recharge between fics? - I consume a lot of media. If I'm feeling depleted I give myself permission to watch something like Brooklyn99 or a dumb slasher movie, maybe Lord of the Rings if I have the time. Just to watch something for fun instead of studying or seeking inspiration.

29. If this were an awards show, who would you thank? - Sarah, Seamount, AJ, thank you so much for reading things that I've thrown at you and finding all of my missed or incorrectly used commas. - My new friends on the Fleurmione Discord, thank you for being so welcoming. It's been a crazy year and I really appreciate you taking me in so readily!

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024? - Oooh. Okay. I want to start the Fleurmione fic "A Ghost In The Hallway Grinning," and my really fun Blackhill fic "Everyone Goes Home." I've got a lot of things outline and ready to go, just haven't had the time to knock them all out yet. I hope 2024 will be a fun and prolific year! Maybe I'll even get around to finishing a WonderCroft fic or my Supercorp fic.

[talesfromsiteredacted]

Questions New Staffers Often Ask

Starting any new job has questions. Who are you guys, why are you making me do this, when is lunch, and of course... we get paid for this, right? No worries, Auntie Rabbit is here with the important answers. As a witch, anomaly, and senior staffer, I'm not allowed to accept cash. But... payment in candy is always welcome, I also accept wine, nice beads, art supplies, and tea. Senior staffers are generally discouraged in buying/receiving souls in payment, FYI. There's some useful stuff, but there's also some... well... less-than-intelligent questions I've had thrown at me.

Is it possible to ride 682? In theory, yes. In practice, anyone who tried it other than Dr. Kondraki wound up as a tasty between meal snack for our oversized asshole kaiju knockoff. So, in practice... no.

Does 049 know what the Pestilence is? Tough one... yes and no, I'd say. He knows what to look for but not the actual transmission vector.

Which 001 is the real one? Don't know, honestly. It's way above even Dr. Gears' clearance levels. Best not to speculate. I honestly doubt it'll matter to the dead.

No, you cannot arrange for your ex to contract a nasty viral SCP as revenge for dumping you. Using anomalies for such purposes is forbidden, you will be demoted to D-Class, then further demoted to corpse. What is wrong with some of you?

Yes, I had to go through Dr. Clef's seminars, just like you. No, I do not know what he uses. No, I'm not the least bit curious. Yes, I puked up my breakfast like everyone else. Just because Clef likes me, I get off no easier than the lot of you. Pro tip for those who haven't taken the seminar yet... smuggle in some ginger ale and plain saltines. Trust me, it will make recovery easier.

It's perfectly safe to talk to 049 and other Euclid/Safe class anomalies provided protocols are followed. That being said, please stop trying to sell them multilevel marketing stuff. Multilevel marketing is banned throughout all Foundation sites for good reason, and it's not like the anomalies have money.

No, SCP Speed Dating never happened. No, there are no records. No, you're not supposed to even think of the anomalies like that. 076-2 may be "fine AF" and "hotter than the deserts", he's also incredibly likely to kill you before you even say hello to him. It never happened, it never WILL happen, anyone trying to make it happen will have their own date... with 173.

While I'm sure 049 would love a hug now and then, it's not safe. Sorry, but he IS Euclid for a reason, no matter how sweet and nice he is.

Putting 999 in a blender is a bit like going on a high speed tilt-a-whirl for him. That being said, it feels so wrong even thinking of it. So, no 999 blender rides. Feel free to give him hugs though.

If Dr. Clef asks you to do something, think long and hard before agreeing. If Dr. Bright asks, the answer is automatically 'No.'

The Bright List is supposed to be a horrible warning, not a how-to guide.

Dr. Gears is, indeed, human. He just had his sense of humor shot off. Probably by Bright or Clef.

No, you cannot have a Ketchup Puppy as a pet. They're simply impossible to house train.

This one is for Dr. Clef: yes, mushrooms decay around Cain. He killed the growth on my maitake log on my desk. I'm not mad, though. Turns out, being both plantlike and animalistic to a degree just meant my poor maitake lasted five minutes versus the normal instant decay. They never grew back. I'm not big on mushrooms anyway. He also kills lichen.

We tried 682 burgers. Worst. Burgers. Ever! Not even dousing the things in ghost pepper sauce could save them. It was like biting the zombie back, honestly. Don't ask how I came to that conclusion.

Speaking of biting back the zombies... 682 DID contract 008 that way once. He was sick for all of an hour, but got better. He really is nigh unkillable.

I do not recognize the bodies in the water. You do not recognize the bodies in the water. No one recognizes the bodies in the water.

How many SCPs are there? We're not entirely sure. Some would say we're a bit overladen with Keters, though. I do know the database lies.

The staff restroom is located to the left of the south wing, three doors after the supply closet. Now you know.

Everyone says Dr. Clef is two-faced. That's simply false. He's got more faces than a mask shop. They just look a lot alike.

Advice for the ladies out there: if a thin, weasel-faced MTF agent with greasy brown hair and more bumps on his face than 20 km of bad road asks if you want to see a 'naked Mole Rat', say no. Agent O'Hare really needs to get new lines.

No, sadly... the cake is real. Really, really, REALLY bad. The breads are also terrible. In fact... try to avoid the cafeteria food if possible.

No, Iris does not like the flower she's named for. She says the scent is choking. So, if you're going to give Agent Thompson flowers, daisies or roses are the safe bets.

No one knows who exactly is on O5. And it's not worth the risk of becoming bunkies with the D-Class to find out.

How to tell if a Type Green is mucking about in reality's egg salad? Doors and windows vanishing is a big clue. Inanimate objects trying to bite you, floors falling away, suddenly feeling like the entire universe hates you specifically, and colors shifting. Just close your eyes for a second, if you're confident in your safety, breathe in, hold for 7 seconds, breathe out. Remind yourself of where you were before it all went weird. Then, shoot the Bixby before he rescrambles your egg. (I need to step away from the Bioshock, next thing you know I'll be referring to Clef as Big Daddy, he'd be way too into that!)

Food fights are (technically) forbidden. However, in case of Containment Beach/outside invasion, you can, in fact, use Mabel's baked goods as impromptu weapons. That poor MC&D thug never saw that baguette coming. Yes, it would count as a Geneva Covention violation on the outside, but as the Geneva Accords do not apply to us... the Parker House rolls work great as projectiles. Dr. Iceberg didn't even need to freeze them. They can instacrit harder than the RE4 rotten eggs!

Running crappy dollar store novels through 914 is a waste of time. Nothing can improve those saccharine pieces of mass published literary junk food.

Yes, Dr. Bright nearly started a war with Amazon. Yes, while breaches were down that week, it wasn't worth facing Bezos. Nothing is.

Playing tag with the Keters is forbidden. Why? Why do you want to die so badly?

Playing ANYTHING with Dr. Bright is a bad call. He's a sore loser. No card games with Dr. Cimmerian either, he's been banned from every casino, back room poker game, Pokémon tournament, and even the site 25 weekly cribbage games. He never cheats, he's just really good at card games. Anomalously good.

[darsynia]

I Know No Other Way Than This | Ch 5

(Bruce Banner/OFC, Tony Stark & Bruce Banner Friendship, post-Avengers 1 Soulmate AU multichapter)

gif by @scottxlogan

MCU Masterlist | Tony Stark Masterlist | Prev | Next

Summary: Bruce tried to forget he had soulmate words entirely, but on the day of the Chitauri attack, he returned from his stint as the Hulk to find that his black words had turned silver. His soulmate must have watched him shift from the Other Guy into himself and said them while he was unconscious… Length: 2,159 Note: if I’d have found this chapter title before I started this, the entire story would be named Parallel Postulate, instead. Basically, Euclid’s Fifth Postulate is describing a line that falls across two other lines. It says that if the angle created by each ‘corner’ that the joins make are less than 90%, then the other two lines will eventually meet at a single point. Tony is the line that falls, and Cicely and Bruce are the two lines that will eventually meet! Tags: @starryeyes2000 @arrthurpendragon @ronearoundblindly @themaradaniels

Excerpt:

“How’s it going, Aris-Toss-All? Whatcha thinking?”

“Hulk was trying to warn you I think. The thing that set me off was finding out her stalker wasn’t a stalker at all. He was being paid to watch her, referred to a ‘them’ that had missed a payment.” 

There was a minute or two delay in hearing Tony’s next response.

“All right, JARVIS is on the case, thanks to what you already told him and some enhanced directives from me. But Bruce? I think you’re going to have to really watch those videos and see what you can see. AI is one thing, but--”

“No, I agree,” Bruce sighed.

“Don’t fret. Your impulsive instinct got us the jump on the guy.”

“My existence is harmful to her, Tony.”

Chapter Five: Euclid’s Fifth Postulate

Bruce’s left side was still a bit bruised when he woke up, despite the healing factor of the Hulk. He could feel it, tender and unfamiliar, as he rolled over onto his back on the springy floor of the room Tony had built for him. It had been a long time since he had felt a true serious injury; Bruce wondered exactly how long. Years, that was for sure. All of those injuries, even the one where he’d actually shot himself, had resulted in the Other Guy taking over and his body repairing the damage. For it not to have been fully repaired by the time Bruce was back in control of himself must have meant an extensive injury.

He looked up at the ceiling above him and found the answer.

There was a circular metal collection of slabs, not quite over his head, but close. They were clustered and angled, looking a lot like something he’d seen in the science fiction show Stargate, called the Iris. There it had been used to cover up the titular gate to prevent anything from moving through it without permission. Had Tony built a shaft through his tower to this room? Had he dropped Bruce all that way?

“Dr. Banner, Sir has requested that I monitor your condition and inform him when you are prepared to speak with him over the comm. Shall I give you some more time to adjust or are you ready now?”

He was used to JARVIS, but there was something strange about hearing the AI speaking so casually here, of all places.

“Go on, but I’d like you to do a welfare check on Cicely Besnard. The information I learned that set me off directly relates to her safety.”

“Certainly, Dr. Banner.”

It stood to reason that Tony had a protocol in place to make sure that simply telling him what had brought forth the Hulk wouldn’t do it again, but Bruce remembered what it was, and that information was still relevant. At least, he hoped it was.

“If it isn’t the Jaw-y Green Giant! How much do you hate watching videos of yourself as your chartreuse creature?”

“It’s not my favorite thing, Tony. Why?”

“He was really chatty during the flight. Seemed like what he was trying to say was important, but I couldn’t figure it out.”

Bruce was genuinely surprised. He sat up, resting his forearms on his knees, frowning. “Is there audio?”

“Sure. Here, ignore the wind noise:”

He understood what Tony meant as an audio file started to play. The sound of the wind whipping was distracting, but then the Hulk started talking.

“BRUCE’S ANN. ANN DANGER. NEW ROSS HIRE NEW EMIL WATCH BRUCE’S ANN.”

He recognized some of the names, but not their context.

“Bruce?”

“Give me a few minutes!” Bruce yelled at Tony. He scrubbed a hand through his hair and added, “I’m not that angry, I just need to think, okay?” He was on edge, and if he wasn’t careful, he’d lose it again and Cicely would be in even more danger. Waiting to hear back from Stark’s AI was making him antsy.

“There’s clothes through a human-sized door activated by your fingerprint, light it up, will you JARVIS?”

Bruce stood and looked around until he saw a (green, of course) blinking light above a door-shaped indent in the padding of the walls. He walked over and activated the controls, opening it up to find a few outfits hanging on the wall. One of them was a t-shirt with Oscar the Grouch on it, which had Bruce laughing despite the serious moment.

“Dr. Banner? I can report that Cicely Besnard is currently at home. The man who has been seen following her around was not visible on any of the surveillance taken from her journey.”

“That’s less encouraging than it sounds, JARVIS. Someone’s hiring people to tail her, that’s what made me lose it. We need to tell her, and either move her somewhere safe or arrange for some kind of security until we can find out why. And it sure as hell better not be because of me.”

“Shall I inform Mr. Stark about this development?”

“Please.”

Bruce dressed quickly, his mind on the names that Hulk had used. He’d sounded upset, in as much as the Other Guy could have variations in demeanor. Ross was obvious, and so was Emil, for that matter, but calling them new was throwing Bruce. And ‘Ann?’ He couldn’t think of any--

Wait.

Betty had told him about a nurse who had been particularly kind to her in the hospital after his initial rampage as the Hulk. The woman had changed shifts, altered her schedule, so she could be there for Betty. That nurse’s name had been Ann.

He stumbled out of the changing room, finding the light switch and turning it off with a weak hand. Did Hulk remember that? The creature’s thought processes were primitive, he knew, but were they associative?

‘New’ Ross. ‘New’ Emil. ‘Bruce’s Ann.’ Bruce’s nurse. A bad guy called in an accomplice to watch Bruce’s nurse?

“How’s it going, Aris-Toss-All? Whatcha thinking?”

“Hulk was trying to warn you I think. The thing that set me off was finding out her stalker wasn’t a stalker at all. He was being paid to watch her, referred to a ‘them’ that had missed a payment.” 

There was a minute or two delay in hearing Tony’s next response.

“All right, JARVIS is on the case, thanks to what you already told him and some enhanced directives from me. But Bruce? I think you’re going to have to really watch those videos and see what you can see. AI is one thing, but--”

“No, I agree,” Bruce sighed.

“Don’t fret. Your impulsive instinct got us the jump on the guy.”

“My existence is harmful to her, Tony.”

Just saying it out loud hurt. He’d been looking forward to seeing her in person, after warning the stalker off, even though he wouldn’t have approached her. The Hulk’s determination to pass along Bruce’s message in the only way he could think of was very worrisome to Bruce. It meant that Cicely was more important to him than he’d thought she was, which was already too much.

“Seems to me it’s too late to worry about that. If there’s no way to avoid complicating her life, shouldn’t you both at least benefit from it?”

“You got an old laptop you can put on your internal network so I can watch from in here? I don’t think I’m ready to head out just yet,” Bruce asked, ignoring Tony’s question entirely.

“Man, you have no idea how tempted I am to try to set up something on one of those PlaySkool tablets. I won’t, though. I know you’re taking this seriously.”

“Yes, I am.”

Bruce had been looking through files and sorting them into various folders for about five hours when Tony showed up in his Iron Man suit with a person-sized cot, and some blankets. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Bruce said, standing up and holding his hands to the small of his back like a man thirty years his senior. “Got carried away.”

“Hey, I’m the last person to chastise a good work binge. Getting any headway?”

“There are at least two of them. The guy I scared away and another man,” Bruce said grimly. “JARVIS did some background, and I’d just like to say that if I weren’t pretty sure this was about the Hulk, I’d be seriously concerned about your access to resources that cross ethics boundaries.”

He was being mild. It seemed like JARVIS had the ability to do things that if the US Government did them, they’d be hearing about UN violations for spying on its own citizens. Intellectually, he knew that private citizens were held to a lesser standard, but when it came to some of the things that he’d been involved in over the course of his life, Bruce didn’t see much difference in the kinds of people who were willing to cross those lines. That Tony Stark was one of them was concerning. It wouldn’t take much to nudge him over into the category of people whose well-meaning concepts were twisted into something horrible.

Bruce would have hoped that the things he’d read about at the Stark Expo a few years back would have taught the man something.

“Bottom line?” Tony asked.

“You’re going to need to send someone to approach her. Maybe Romanoff?” he sighed and once again pushed back the protective urgency he’d been feeling all evening.

“Why wouldn’t you be the one--”

“Okay, you’re Cicely, you recognize me as the person you said something innocuous to only for it to turn out to be a soulmark on my body. You ran away, but I’ve found you, and uh oh, here I am to warn you that someone other than me is stalking you, and it’s probably my fault. How will you react? Favorably, do you think?” Bruce shook his head.

“You watched her do research on you, Bruce. She knows you’re a scientist. The woman’s smart, she can figure out that it’s only logical that you tracked her down. It’s not like you picked her out of a list of women.” Tony flew up to the iris-looking metal door in the ceiling. “JARVIS says you still have some bruising. Should I fit this with some sort of net?”

“Focus, Tony!” Bruce said, irritated. His own comfort was far from a priority right now. “Ideally we set up someone to speak to her as she leaves for work in the morning. Whoever is tracking her was almost certainly warned that we’re onto them.”

“I can send Clint to watch the entrance now, if it would make you feel better,” Tony said, flying back down and landing near Bruce.

“It would.”

“I’ve got at least five empty apartments here, you know. The commute wouldn’t be too bad, and--”

Bruce’s frustration exploded into a tirade. “I can’t get close to this woman, Stark! Look what happened when she vaguely said something in my direction!”

“Wow, you actually do get green around the ears. I thought that was a euphemism!”

Bruce leaned over with his palms on his knees and started doing his breathing. Whether or not there was some kind of genetic imperative to caring for and/or protecting one’s soulmate, he felt responsible for the woman’s safety. She’d come into contact with him, and shortly afterwards, she’d become a target. Tony’s insistence that he remain involved with trying to get her into a safer situation was quite literally driving him insane.

“I’d kick you out of the tower to put her in instead but you’re kind of the one guy who should stick around,” Tony pointed out.

“We neutralize the threat, let her get on with her life. It’s that simple,” Bruce said.

“That’s right up there with ‘create world peace, everyone is happy,’ but okay.” Tony was hovering over Bruce in a way that would look nonchalant except for the way he lifted higher every time Bruce looked up at him. “I’ll send Clint to watch out for her overnight, and in the morning, Nat will drop by for a friendly chat. She’s good at undercover bullshit. Maybe something like a routine sweep of suspicious persons caught two men that had been subsequently seen on surveillance footage following her.”

Bruce let out a breath. “That could work,” he allowed. “Especially if Natasha questions her gently about whether she knows the guys. It could come across like a sting on them, not an operation to protect her.”

“Okay, it’s settled. Do you want me to read you a bedtime story?” Tony asked, sounding entirely too excited at the prospect.

“I already know about the book Go The Fuck To Sleep, Tony, but nice try,” Bruce laughed.

“Damn. I bought it to swap out for one of the books Cap takes to Children’s to read to the sick kids every month, but it turns out he actually does his due diligence and checks the books before he leaves. Knew it was me, too,” Tony lamented.

“Get out of here before your soulmate blames me for your absence. Good night,” Bruce ordered.

“Yes, Dad,” Tony said.

“Wow, no snarky nickname?” Bruce couldn’t resist.

“All I came up with on the fly was ‘Father Throws Best,’” Tony shrugged.

Next chapter, Bruce does his best not to get attached as he seeks to make life better for his soulmate-- but comes to the realization that his life got better after the attack on New York.

[ballorawan740]

SCP Scenarios: SCP x Younger!Sister!Reader (REQUESTED)

Main Masterlist | SCP Scenarios Masterlist | My Works Masterlist | Rules | Request | Socials | My Original Post

Requested by:@mimiocto

SCP 073 (Cain)

(Yes. I think of Cain and Abel as brothers. Like a lot of others who's in this fandom)

Being the youngest sister of Cain and Abel meant that you has both or at least 1 of the brothers looking over you most of the time. Namely Abel. Cain however, was more lenient towards you and allowed you to have some free time. "CAAAAAAIN!!!" you screamed at the eldest brother. "Yes (Y/N)?" he answered softly. You wanted to ask him about Abel because you wanted to fix the problems they both had when they faced each other. By problem, it was that time when Cain killed Abel. You can't blame Abel for being mad at Cain because of this, but you really wanted to get your only family members together without having any tension. Cain noticed you thinking and questioning, "You ok (Y/N)?". You snapped out of your thoughts and smiled. "I was just wondering if 343 is free right now" you replied in which Cain didn't push any further. You both walked over to 343's cell for a visit. 343 was the other SCP you've ever been close to other than the brothers and 105. 343 sat in his room and read a book until he saw the both of you standing by his door. He greeted you and you guys had a nice chat. 343 always treated you and your brothers as a family so you were always comfortable around him. You are a safe class SCP with the number tag of 073-2.

SCP 076-2 (Abel)

(It's pretty much like Cain's as I just associate them both as brothers)

After your visit with the eldest brother, Cain, you went to see Abel. He was the most protective dickhead you've ever met, but he would give up anything to save you. "Hey (Y/N)!!!" your brother spoke. "Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!" you sighed heavily. "Tell the mechanical man to piss off". You wanted to slap some sense into Abel but didn't as you just sat in his box quietly and felt the need to cry. Abel came over to you and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. You cried and slept in his box for a good few hours until the guards came to retrieve you. You both said your goodbyes and went back to your cells. You are also known as SCP 073-2, safe class.

SCP 999 (Tickle Monster)

Not unlike your older brother, you made everyone's day by being kind and gentle. You can heal their wounds and they'd give you treats in return. You and 999 hanged out every day and played for hours on ends. The guards who escorted you there were watching and giggling at your antics. Why do you need guards you ask? It's because one time an idiot decided to take advantage of you in which 999 requested guards to escort you at all times. The guards treat you kindly like a daughter/sister so you always held respect for them. After every test rounds, you were requested to help the SCPs while your elder brother helped with the test subjects. After that, you both were free to roam. Sometimes, you'd bump into 131 and they'd stay with you for a bit if the guards weren't there to stay with you. Your number is SCP 999-2, safe class

SCP 682 (Hard to destroy reptile)

Without any researchers mentioning you and that giant angry lizard, nobody would've guessed that you guys were blood related let alone siblings. Unlike 682, you weren't as hateful as him as you had a small bit of hope left for humanity, however, you can be fierce and cold when need be. Everyone including 682 has acknowledged this and sometimes you were helping the MTF to search and contain SCPs. Not only are you intelligent, you also had the strength which rivalled both 682 and 076-2 as seen when you both had a duel during a containment breach. 682 was a protective older brother when you both were young and still hold a good relationship till this day, with the exception of a few instances when you'd both have a fight and the poor innocent bystanders had to intervene the both of you. Its not like either of you would get hurt. You weren't afraid of most SCPs, unlike a certain wimp who was terrified of a rabbit, although you both shared the same interest towards a little girl in the facility. During containment breaches, you were often called in to fish out your big brother to avoid any further damages and kills. The SCP designation given to you is SCP 682-2, Euclid class.

SCP 049 (Plague Doctor)

Growing up with the plague doctor was rather unique. He taught you everything and anything you wanted. Especially the plague and how to perform surgery on humans. You travelled with him for centuries and had witnessed just as much as he did. After being "captured" by the foundation, the personelles often see you both side by side and rarely separated. Except for those interviews and tests. You wore a cape and a mask not too dissimilar to his, however, it only covered the first half of your face. Your style of clothing were of the Victorian era which you picked up on your travels and had some form of interest in those types of clothing. Like your brother, you spoke with manner and eloquence and wore cloves with pointed nails and also carried a bag with tools in which were the same make as those found in 049's bag. You have the designation of SCP 049-A, Euclid class.

Dr. Glass

Everyone at the facility shipped the both of you without realising that Dr. Glass was your older brother. "Hey (Y/N). Did anyone tell you that you and Simon would make a cute couple?" a researcher asked. You looked at him with disgust as Simon appeared out of nowhere and heard the conversation. The both of you said that you're both siblings without missing a beat and the researcher looked embarrassed and apologised. This news has spread like wildfire to both of your dismay and everyone said that they now see the resemblance. You both had similar personalities, however, the only difference is that although you did study psychology, you were specialised in neuroscience and forensic science.

Dr. Bright It's pretty much obvious that you both were siblings. Similar appearance, humour, intelligence, you name it. Boy only that, you had a bracelet with the same red gem as Jack's necklace. Much like the previous one I’ve mentioned (Dr. Glass) you did study the same subjects as your brother, and yes, you are specialised in a subject in the scientific field, namely biochemistry and mathematics. Not only that, but you’re also the head of the department and is in the O5 Council. Jack Bright was like every other older brother, annoying, protective and funny. As you both grow older, he became even more protective of you as you were one of the only family member left and he doesn’t want you to be in harm's way. He had witnessed too much for him to lose you so he would always accompany you if you were on a mission

(Sources - Pics: SCP 073 | SCP 076-2 | SCP 999 | SCP 682 | SCP 049 | Dr Glass | Dr Bright)

[egcdeath]

secret santa

pairing: ransom drysdale x f!reader

a/n: this is so self indulgent. SO SELF INDULGENT. more self indulgent than anyone will ever be able to comprehend. before u all read this, i want u to know it was originally supposed to be about training ransom at a job, but then i realized that i nothing about 1. working at a coffee shop and 2. training an employee. also, i am the worst at writing dialogue. so i didn’t write a lot of dialogue LMAO enjoy :)

also, half of this was written at 1 am. just a warning

warnings: coffee shop au, enemies (kinda) to lovers, a lil fluff, not really angst but bitter feelings, kinda slow burn and then all the sudden a fast burn i’m sorry 😭

word count: 2.6k

You woke up to the sound of your alarm rumbling your bedside table sometime around the asscrack of dawn, and rubbed your eyes with a groan. Sometimes, you really couldn’t stand your job, but bills didn’t really pay themselves, did they? You rolled out of bed, and began your dreaded morning routine before heading out to start your opening shift at your local café.

Somewhere between warming up the espresso machine and taking out last night’s trash (which you shouldn’t have had to do in the first place), an older, yet expensive looking car pulled up to the front of the parking lot. You were a bit confused, as you’d never seen this vehicle, and it was quite clear that you weren’t exactly open yet. You watched as a tall man hopped out of the car, wearing a large peacoat and very unnecessary sunglasses. He approached the door, gave it a knock, then waited for you to come open it for him. Reluctantly, you made your way over, and in order to keep yourself safe, began to speak through the glass.

“Can I help you?” You asked in an annoyed tone, then gestured towards the piece of paper that labeled your hours on the door. There was no reason for any customer to be here this early. You looked up at the mystery man and made a rather intense eye contact with him. If this was any indicator of your crowd today, work was going to be far from pleasant.

“Yeah, I was told that I’m starting today?” He had a wicked smirk on his face, like he knew he was getting under your skin already. You hated people like him, and couldn’t believe that he could possibly be your coworker. On the bright side, he probably wouldn’t last long in the first place.

“Well, are you sure you’re here on time? I can’t see any situation where Melissa would schedule to open for your very first shift.” You commented with a furrowed brow.

“Eh, I kinda just figured I’d come in whenever. The girl in my bed was an early riser, so I thought to myself ‘Why not just come in now?’” He said casually.

“Your name?” You inquired, trying to keep your annoyance to yourself, and put on a customer service smile.

“Hugh, or Ransom,” he responded. You turned around, allowed yourself a huff and eye roll, then walked through the kitchen, and into the break room to check if he truly was a new employee, or just some random creep. Sure enough, a bright pink post-it note in very neat handwriting confirmed this man’s existence. You made your way back to the door, unlocked it, and let him in.

“Since you’re here, you should… set down the chairs,” you told him, less than entertained by his presence. You could just tell he was bad news. This Ransom guy was like the textbook definition of a red flag. He talked your ear off while you tried to get through your opening routine, some casual remarks about his last hookup, complaints about how he only got this job because his mother was a regular and good friends with your manager, and how he was threatened to get cut out of his grandfather’s will if he didn’t get employed soon, and what better way to spite your family than to mess up their daily coffees.

Eventually, a few more of your coworkers, along with your manager, Melissa, made it to the café before the morning rush began. You were sitting down at your typical barstool spot, and sipping an iced Americano when Melissa broke the news to you that you would be training the new employee. Upon hearing the news, you audibly groaned, and rubbed your forehead. There was no way that you could handle this man.

-------

During his first week, Ransom not only managed to offer (and successfully give) six customers his phone number, break two mugs, mess up more orders than even Euclid could comprehend, and spill straws a multitude of times all over the floor, but he began to flirt with you relentlessly. You had no idea why you’d become his new target of choice, when it was clear that he could have literally anyone he wanted. Maybe he liked that you were playing hard to get.

If you were being honest, you had to accept that he was handsome. And rich. And the definition of a fuckboy. And since you were being frank with yourself, you had to acknowledge that you were attracted to that ‘toxic and will treat you like shit’ kind of guy. You had a roster of ex boyfriends to prove that for you.

---

It was a pretty slow Tuesday afternoon, which meant you were sitting on your phone until a customer placed an order. Eventually, the little bell above the door chimed, and an older man came through, ordering a dark and bitter drink, then standing by the counter to wait. You began to restock lids while Ransom took care of making the drink, and once it was ready, you passed it over to the man. The man in question took a rather large sip, then promptly spat it out.

“What the fuck is this!” He roared, barely giving you time to react before he proceeded to toss the drink at you, spilling most of the hot content on your apron.

You gasped, gawking down at your scorched and ruined clothing, then up at the customer, who’d turned around with a huff and left, leaving a stream of strong language on his way out. You bit back tears at the whole fiasco, and cringed as both the steamy drink, and your salty tears stung different parts of your body. You turned to look at the barista, who had passed you along the drink, and were met with no other than the white devil himself. It seemed that all the blood had drained from his already otherwise pale face.

“Oh my god, this is all my fault,” he began remorsefully. “Let me make it up to you somehow.”

“Whatever,” you huffed, running a hand through your hair, and shoving Ransom angrily while you more or less stomped into the staff bathroom.

You looked at yourself in the mirror and frowned before bringing up your bundled apron to your face and screaming into it. Stupid fucking customers. Stupid fucking job. Stupid fucking Ransom. It’s like he came to your job just to make it hell. You were tired of cleaning up all these messes for him, and honestly, you wish he’d just quit already. The longer you worked with him, the more tempted you were to pour sugar in his gas tank, then take a club and break all the windows in the Beemer.

------

For the next month, your brain was completely elsewhere at work. Your brain was constantly going back and forth with you between finding Ransom hot and horrendous. While the pair of you finished up closing one night, you heard your coworker begin to speak to you as you placed your hand on the keys in your pocket.

“I know you hate me, Y/N. I get it. What that guy did to you was awful, and yes it was my fault, but what else have I done to hurt you?” He asked, seemingly out of the blue. You weren’t even sure how to respond. Ignoring the man and demonizing him in your head had become almost a second nature. “I mean, I think we could’ve been good friends. Even though you seem to think I’m devil incarnate, I think you’re a pretty cool chick-“ he continued before being cut off by you.

“Why do you even care?” you burst out, “Ransom, you just don’t get it do you? You’re just.. a douchebag. I get it, you have your moments where you’re candid and open with people, but half of the time you’re talking, you’re objectifying someone. Or bragging about something you own. Don’t get me wrong, I could get past what you did to me on accident, but you seriously have to work on yourself,” the words just seemed to pour out without your control. “Goodnight, Ransom,” you said simply before leaving the café for the night.

——

Since that day, the tension between you and Ransom had evidently become more thick. Since he was finally finished training with you, you made sure to only speak to him if you absolutely needed to, and even then, you only communicated with him in brief and straightforward answers. Sure, it seemed like a small thing to be upset about, and sure, he’d apologized, but something told you that any excuse to stay away from Ransom was a good excuse.

Though he appeared to be an immoral and selfish man, he seemed genuinely sorry for all that he’d put you through. Occasionally, you’d be sitting in the break room and look up from your phone to see him watching you. When you’d make eye contact, he would look like he wanted to say something to you, but your petty ass would leave, or look back at your phone. He was bad news anyway.

Your boss quickly caught onto what was going on between the two of you, and usually, Melissa didn’t like to participate in petty drama, but your new sour mood was such a stark contrast from before, and it seemed to shift the whole mood of the café.

That afternoon, Melissa called for a team meeting a bit before closing, and suggested a family dinner along with a Secret Santa. She’d said something along the lines of ‘It’s been way too long since we’ve done a team bonding activity, and a gift exchange is perfectly fitting for the Holiday season.’ This did make you perk up, as Melissa had a great taste in restaurants, and you were always down for a good gift exchange.

Melissa then told everyone to write their names down, then put them in a decorative Santa hat. You and your coworkers obliged, then began to pass around the hat once again in order to draw a name. You really hoped to get Xavier. You had the perfect idea of something he’d love. As you drew a piece of paper from the hat, you imagined the matching pair of fluffy socks for a human and dog that you’d passed by during your last trip to Target. You began to unfold it, thinking of what color he might like the most, when you looked down and saw ‘Ransom’ drawn out in chicken scratch.

You tried your best to mask your annoyance at who you received, but on the inside, you were seething. You mentally cursed the universe out while you pulled on your coat, and grimaced to yourself once you got out to your car. How were you supposed to get this asshole a gift?

—-

The week leading up to the exchange went fairly well for you, although it was getting a bit exhausting to be so mad at Ransom all the time. You tried to be less harsh with him, considering you needed to learn more about him in order to get him a somewhat decent gift for your exchange.

He’d seem to have taken your conversation with him to heart, and began to talk less and less about other girls when he was working with you. He didn’t comment on how well your jeans fit you, and you noticed that he’d often overextend himself in order to help you with (pretty basic) daily aspects of the job. Ransom would ask you questions about yourself, and your family, and speak less about himself. If you were honest with yourself, he was becoming a better man. And the best part was, he seemed to be doing it just for you. The thought of which brought heat to your face.

—

On the night of the exchange, you threw on a hideous and scratchy Christmas sweater before picking up your neatly wrapped gift for Ransom. You truly hoped that he’d like it, even though it certainly wasn’t the most expensive item. You bid farewell to your cat, then went on your way to the restaurant. You had to admit, you were a bit late. So it should’ve been no surprise when you arrived, and found that the only seat left at the table was next to Ransom. You gave him a cordial smile before sitting down and ordering yourself a glass of Merlot.

Something about being so close to him was kind of riling you up. The strong timbre sent coming off of him was making your whole body feel slightly warmer than normal, and you tried to ignore this strange sensation while you talked and joked with your coworkers. At one point, Ransom leaned in nice and close to you, and began to speak to you.

“Jesus Christ, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything as hideous as Karmen’s sweatshirt,” he whispered right into the shell of your ear. Maybe it was the wine talking, but that simple action sent a whole chill through your body, and made you flush even harder than you’d flushed before. You let out a little giggle and nodded in agreement, looking across the table at her very ugly sweater.

“To be fair, the whole point of this was to wear something really ugly,” you turned your head back to where it was before, only to find that Ransom had somehow moved even closer to you.

“I just don’t know where you find something like that,” he commented, gazing much too deep into your eyes. You swore you felt the room shift after he began looking at you like that. There was about a 20% chance that you’d be able to keep your panties on after this kind of exchange. Luckily for you, a waitress broke the tension for you, setting down a few plates for everyone, then bidding them farewell. Damn.

The food was amazing, and didn’t last very long, meaning that it was time to pass gifts around sooner than later. You watched as Amy received a gift card from Sophie, Emily opened a plethora of chocolates gifted to her by Melissa, and Xander whiffed a candle given to him by Kennedy, then, it was your turn. You glanced around the table before you felt the arm next to you reach down, then hand you an oversized gift bag.

“I hope you like it,” Ransom said with a shy smile. You casually felt your cheeks on your way to pull out the very large item. You found it was a very large, and soft, hand knit blanket. It looked like it could’ve cost a small fortune, and you immediately found yourself embarrassed.

“Oh wow. This is perfect! Thank you so much,” you grinned over at your coworker, who seemed to be blushing himself. “Well, I guess I should probably give you this then,” you chuckled awkwardly before passing him your wrapped package. He tore it open barbarically, then began to laugh. Of all the gifts in the world, you two had gotten each other somewhat similar items. Sure, it wasn’t hand knit with the love of some grandma who ran a small business on Etsy, but it was the thought that counts.

“I love it, Y/N,” he exclaimed, looking deep into your eyes once again. He ran his fingers through the soft fabric, then set a hand on your arm. In that moment, it felt like time stopped. It was just you two, sitting in a quiet room, enjoying the presence of each other. You don’t even know what had gotten into you, but before you knew it, you felt a nose pressed up against yours, and a billion butterflies erupt out of your stomach. You heard a few grimaces from your coworkers at the sappy, Hallmark-like moment but what could you say.

Maybe Ransom was not that bad after all.

[thetomorrowshow]

Slower Than Words Ch. 26

First  -  Previous  -  Next

Me, writing this chapter: I am going to create a situation that is so awkward,

cw: food

~

~SHARON~

welcomes you

Remus eyed the sign suspiciously as he drove past. It was set low in the ground, as if it had sunk a bit over time. It didn’t look familiar at all—none of this did. Did he have the wrong place?

Patton shifted a bit in the seat beside him, looking around with interest. They’d reached their destination, after all. Remus couldn’t help but doubt himself. There were other Sharons in the country, after all. Maybe they’d just gone to the wrong one.

Something about this city called to him, sure. But that didn’t mean anything—the cult had called to him too. Remus’s instincts weren’t the best.

He was roused from his thoughts when Patton softly tapped his shoulder. They were passing a grocery store—Save A Lot. It was time for lunch, wasn’t it?

Remus pulled left into the parking lot of the store, which was fairly empty for midday Friday. Only three cars, and a fourth pulling in at the same time as them. Remus parked in between two of the other cars there (mostly because he could) and hopped out, taking a moment to stretch before entering the store. Patton got out too, walking around to the driver’s side while Remus continued to reach toward the sky.

Patton led the way, holding the door open for Remus, who looked up as the bell jingled. An older man waved from behind the counter. A shopper milled about in the nearest aisle. Classic rock played quietly in the background. It was nice, in a weird way. Very peaceful. Very easy.

Pat headed for the bathroom and Remus watched him for a second, before turning down one of the aisles at random. They probably needed some fruit or something. He followed the aisle through to the small produce section on the other side of the store. Another employee leaned against the meat counter on the other side of the section, eyes glued to his phone. Remus froze and stared at him, waiting to be told that he wasn’t allowed back here. Nothing happened.

Remus fully exited the aisle and checked out the fruit. Oranges, apples, different apples, a handful of pineapples. The oranges were the cheapest, and Patton needed citrus too. There was a vitamin in citrus, right? Vitamin D? C?

Whatever it was, he was pretty sure that Patty needed it. He needed every vitamin, actually. Remus picked up an orange, about to pull a plastic bag from the roll.

“Oh my gosh. No way!”

Remus dropped the orange, spinning on his heel and straightening up. His heartrate spiked, breathing quickened, and he stood at attention, keeping his eyes on the linoleum floor.

“Remus?”

He chanced a quick look up, forcing his eyes almost immediately back down. He saw . . . a woman. Young, probably about his age. Tall. A shopping basket over her arm (probably why he hadn’t heard her coming. No squeaky wheels). Smiling. She was completely unfamiliar, but by now the watery reflection of the lights on the floor had gotten into his head where he was. In a grocery store. In his hometown. Not back there.

With effort, Remus wrenched his head up, meeting the woman’s eyes. “H-hey,” he said, clearing his throat. “What’s up?”

“So it is you!” The woman laughed a little. “I haven’t seen you in years. How’re your parents?”

This woman knew him. So he had definitely lived here. But this wasn’t a very big city, and if she knew him, then she had to have known his family, right? Why would she have to ask him how they were? Had they moved away? Cold clutched at his heart as he considered that option. They can’t have. He can’t have lost them before he even found them.

“I-I dunno, just got in town. Haven’t even dropped by yet.”

The woman nodded. “Where do you live now?”

“Other side of the country,” Remus hedged, “Desert-y place.”

“Oh, I grew up in Arizona,” the woman said, almost commiseratingly. “So hot. There were days that I’d just go stick my head in the freezer.”

Remus laughed nervously. “Yep, wish—wish I coulda done that.”

“Mhm. Really, I haven’t seen you since—gosh, since we graduated! You didn’t even come to the graduation itself, I heard that you skipped town practically the day after school got out.”

Okay, someone he’d gone to high school with. Remus remembered being sorta close with the other kids on the soccer teams, but he mostly hung out with the stoner kids to annoy his parents. He couldn’t see how he would know this chick. Maybe they’d been lab partners? Or maybe she’d been someone he hung out with?

The woman seemed to be casting around for something to say, her eyes eventually falling on his face. “Wow, that mustache has really filled out, huh?”

Remus’s hand flew up to smooth it unconsciously. “Yep, this is a couple years’ hard work,” he boasted. The woman chuckled.

“No offense, but it used to be this terrible shrimpy little thing,” she said. “I remember prom night when you picked me up you were all grumpy because your mom made you shave it off. You didn’t even talk to me until we got there!”

Oh shoot.

Oh no.

This was an old girlfriend.

Remus hadn’t dated anyone in years. He’d tried for a while, those first months in the cult. But the gals weren’t interested and the guys were too scared, so he’d given up. He hadn’t really minded it, honestly—he had dated all through high school, but looking back he only did it to make his parents mad. They didn’t want him steady dating until he was an adult, and definitely didn’t want him dating dudes and stoners, so he had done both over and over again between the ages of thirteen and eighteen.

Now, though?

Maybe it was just the cult stuff talking, but Remus wasn’t interested in a partner. The romance part sounded cute (he’d never admit it, but part of him really wanted to curl up with his partner and watch a romcom, teasing each other lightly), but the rest of it sounded like way too much of a hassle. He didn’t have the time, not when he was carrying the load of three different people’s trauma. And while he had a feeling that the commitment might help ground him, he just wasn’t interested in the rest of it. If that made sense. Heck, this was his own head and it didn’t really make sense.

Anyways, he remembered this woman, just a little. Not much about her, or how well they worked together, or if they had truly been in love. He mostly remembered that he had left without breaking up with her, without even telling her goodbye.

“Yeah, I was a terrible kid,” he said, secretly waiting for her to agree with him. Instead she shrugged.

“Sure, you were always hanging out with weird people,” she replied, “but you were very kind. I definitely don’t think we were meant for each other, but I had fun with you.” She winked and Remus almost physically recoiled. He didn’t like when people winked.

A hand tapped his elbow and Remus jolted, turning his head. Patton was there, smirking a little bit.

The woman’s eyes traveled between them, clearly trying to figure out their relationship. “Boyfriends . . . ?”

“Kidnapper and victim,” Remus said, turning back to her fully and smiling toothily. He felt a little bit more in control now. She barely seemed uncomfortable, instead sharing her own smile.

“Right. Well, tell your parents I said hi,” she said, waving slightly. Remus noticed the ring on her wedding finger, but before he could ask, she answered.

“D’you remember Claire, from the swim team?”

Remus opened his mouth to lie, but she continued to talk.

“Well, after you left, she comforted me and helped me decide what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and the answer turned out to be her!” the woman laughed at her own joke, and Remus laughed along, not quite sure why. It was obviously a practiced line, and he didn’t really find it funny either.

The woman reached out and patted him on the shoulder, a warm look in her eyes. “Seriously, it was great to see you. Everyone was really worried about you, we thought you’d died in some ditch. Take care!” And with that, she was turning down another aisle, quickly out of sight.

“Who was that?” Patton asked as soon as Remus turned to him. The smirk was gone, his eyes now wary.

“A friend from when I was a kid,” Remus signed distractedly, looking at the oranges again. He grabbed two, then a third one just in case and led the way back to the cash registers. On the way he snagged a package of beef jerky, grimacing at the price.

That was the weirdest encounter he’d had, probably ever. At least it was proof that they were in the right place.

-

“No clue where we are,” Remus sang under his breath, checking the street signs as they passed a church. The area looked vaguely familiar, so that had to mean something, right? Apparently not, because after the grocery store experience, everything looked familiar. He pulled to stop in front of a stop sign, patting Logan’s car as it groaned. For a moment, he let his eyes close and his head rest on the steering wheel.

Patton tapped his arm, waiting for him to look. “Trust your instincts,” he signed, finger-spelling the last word. He smiled softly at Remus, then turned back to the window, pulling the patched hoodie closer around his shoulders. Remus took a deep breath. He could do this. He’d survived a cult. He’d saved a whole kid from the same cult. He was awesome.

Remus took his foot off the brake, letting the car carry him from street to street, waiting for something to happen. If this didn’t work, then he’d go street by street, knocking on every door until he found his parents and brother.

Then, as he turned right in a somewhat busy intersection, his hands spasmed. Muscle memory took over, and he turned right again onto a smaller street. Memories of driving this road far too fast in the darkness of late nights and early morning flooded his mind, overlapping and playing simultaneously. In the memories, he followed this street through, then turned left at the end of it.

So he did, his arms turning the wheel almost without conscious input. Another two turns, and he was Euclid Ave, a street name that made his heart jump into his throat. Just two houses down, there it was.

150 Euclid Ave.

Suddenly, the home phone number was on the tip of his tongue—he’d memorized them together. He recalled his parents, sitting on the sofa, clapping for a miniature version of him reciting the full address and phone number.

He stared at the house so hard stars appeared in his vision, surprised to feel almost nothing. It was familiar of course, just like everything else, but it was also . . . normal. It almost felt like he’d never left. Or like he’d gone back in time, back to when this was right. Back to when this was who he was.

“Home?” Patton asked out loud, the middle of the word slurring a little. Remus’s eyes misted a little bit.

“Yeah,” he managed. “Home.”

-

Knock-knock-knock.

Remus rocked back onto his heels, shooting a reassuring smile to Patton. He could do this. No sounds came from inside the house, but there were two cars in the driveway, so someone had to be home. Hopefully both were his parents, then he could see everyone together.

But his brother could drive now, right?

They were five years apart. When he’d left, his brother had been in middle school. Now he was probably in college. If he was away at school, he wouldn’t be home right now, would he?

Remus knocked again.

Now there was sound from inside, the creaking of footsteps on floorboards, the running water. Adrenaline suddenly pumped through his veins, and the wild thought of running back to the car crossed his mind. He could get out before they ever knew he was here, just leave and nothing would change.

Did he want it to change?

Click-click. The door unlocked.

Swung open.

Remus composed his face the best he could, trying to smile and look as normal as possible. He could do this. He could do this.

He looked up.

A face, lined, clean-shaven, framed with close-cut dark hair that was greying at the ends. A face that Remus saw from the stage of a talent show, sitting in the audience, smiling and clapping along with his clarinet rendition of Jingle Bells.

The shoulders were broader than Remus ever thought his own would be, proved otherwise by time. Remus saw the shoulders from the closet of his parents’ room, where occasionally on Sunday afternoons the boy was allowed to try on suit coats that swallowed him completely.

The left hand had a simple silver band, one that Remus could see resting on the aluminum foil ring holder he’d made in class as a Father’s Day present. He’d always been afraid that it would catch his fingers when they played the hand stacking game.

Remus’s eyes traveled back up the arm, the shoulder, the neck, the face, back to the eyes. Blue, almost grey, a color that neither he nor his brother had inherited.

“Hey dad,” he croaked. “I'm home.”

The eyes widened.

~

Taglist: @enragedbees @gotta-love-alejandra @bunny222 @basiic-emo @patt0n-sanders @rosiepupper @fangirlgeekandfreak @dn-fan21 @that2000skid @remy-the-lemon-berry @itsadastraperaspera @xionbean @sanderssides-angst @hell-yea-we-gay-tonight @maybedefinitely404 @broken-pencils @thewhimsicallibrarytech @doomllily @hereissananxiousmess @judyismydog  @arodynamic-enby @at-that-one-nerd @therapysides @awkwardandanxiousfander @thekitchenpan @im-an-anxious-wreck @larkiaquail @anteonnix @fantasticfander21

[hello-im-not-a-possum]

give us more SCP Snowflake, he's caught my interest

Warning: Body horror. Because when it comes to the SCP foundation, for every tickle monster and infinite pizza box, there’s around thousands of nightmare-inducing horror things.

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

"H-hey! C'mon! Let me outta here!" Wally pounded on the sealed door, even as the footsteps on the other side grew fainter and fainter. "I ain't cut out for this! I didn't even do anything ta deserve this!"

The D-Class continued to shout to the unsympathetic guards outside the testing chamber of the newly acquired SCP 41400. Or, 'The Ink' as the Personal had been calling it.

His heart pounded in his chest as he thought of all the ways that the mysterious tar-like liquid who was in the room with him would destroy him, not helping was the fact that he could hear the damned stuff was moving around in the room with him, almost as if it was taunting him. Yes, in his previous experiment with it he had accidentally brought something to life with it and the kid he made was the farthest possible thing from scary and or dangerous. But that stuff simply wasn't to be touched by humans.

What it did during the attempted breakout was proof enough of that. God, the screams were still ringing in his ears.

The former janitor looked to the camera in the room with pleading eyes, wordlessly begging whoever was on the other side to not make him do this. He didn't want his bones and flesh to get dissolved into that stuff!

"Franks, you have been brought here to engage with SCP 41400." The gruff voice of the doctor droned through the speakers. "Failure to comply will result in imminent termination."

Wally gulped in fear at that as he turned back to face the sea of tar with supernatural properties before him. He kept weighing the pros and cons; getting shot repeatedly wouldn't be his idea of how he wanted to end his day, but while his low rank meant that he didn't know much about the SCPs, a feeling in his gut told him that he'd have to be the luckiest man alive to not suffer a fate worse than death at the hands of that 'ink'.

But then again, even with that bad feeling, Wally knew that there was a wheel of fate at play. Certain death from gunshots, or unknown effects from the SCP? Besides, if they killed him, he knew that they wouldn't give up the experiment. They'd only reach back into the cage and pull out another 'guinea pig'.

"Okay..." The D-Class begrudgingly relented. "So... what do ya want me ta do wit' dis stuff this time?"

----

"The aftermath of the test was messy." Dr. Conner recalled as he spoke to Dr. Pendle while continuing to write down his report. "After a few years of working here, it wasn't exactly surprising to watch a man's body get disintegrated into nothing but ink. And in hindsight, the attempted breakout alone should've been all we needed to see to consider this an open and shut case of another malevolent force to keep under lock and throw away the key but the higher ups don't always see it that way."

"Oh." The new doctor's smile wavered a bit as she put a pile of papers back into her folder. "I see that SCP 41400 and it's byproducts are... very different then."

"Tell me about it." He sighed as he straightened out his work. "If I didn't know any better, I'd just assume that there wasn't even a connection between those four and this gunk..."

"And did the D-class tell you anything about the experience after he came back?"

"He came back?" Thomas parroted with a furrowed brow. "I was unaware that he had done that..."

But he could believe it and felt a weight come off his chest as he heard it. After all, it would explain why SCP 41400-D hadn't asked about him. The little guy was extremely clingy to his unwitting creator and would undoubtedly freak out if he had disappeared for good.

"41400-D spoke about him during his interview. Apparently, according to 41400-D, after the experiment was done, our test subject came out of an ink puddle in the byproducts' cell While spitting out ink as well as loudly and passionately complaining about the the flavor of it, how the foundation treated him, and a lot of other things. 41400-D also claimed that the reason why we couldn't see the D-class personal was because as he had been 'claimed by the ink', he could now hide in it whenever he wanted."

"I see... How come I wasn't informed of this sooner?"

"Well..." Allison sheepishly fidgeted as she pulled out her own reports on the SCP. "I didn't know what to tell you first regarding what these guys told me. Especially if what we have is to be believed."

"Wait a minute..." Thomas took a file from her, recognizing the picture included in the report. "I know this place! My old job used to send me to work at there before I came to the foundation."

The Doctor only found more and more unsettling surprises the more he had read through his colleague's reports.

----

"Dr. Drew!"

Thomas burst open the door with Allison close behind him. Both doctors carrying large stacks of papers.

“We’ll need to change SCP 41400′s class from Euclid to Keter immediately. As well as practically completely rewrite most of what we have on it.” Dr. Conner slammed the recently written report down on Dr. Drew’s desk. “After we’ve made interviews with the 41400 byproducts and ran more tests, we’ve discovered that a lot of what we assumed about the SCP was wrong. SCPs 41400-A, B, C, and D aren’t actually what we previously thought they were, they’re all just instances of 41400-B.”

Dr. Drew stroked his mustache in thought as he looked through the new report, his eyes growing wider and wider with each word he read.

“Dr Conner, you don’t mean...”

“Unfortunately, I do. SCP 41400 wasn’t the Ink itself. It’s just an instance of 41400-A. The real SCP 41400 has yet to be recovered.”

Dr. Drew looked to Dr. Pendle with an expression akin to a deer who was caught in the headlights.

"Please tell me you have good news."

Allison shrugged and shook her head.

"The SCP appears to be dormant at the moment, but we don't know for how long."

Dr. Drew solemnly nodded as he planned to make a call to the retrieval team.

[sannoji]

new scp

SCP-9928 mother tree

Class: Euclid

Clearance Level: 3

Disruption Class: Keneq

Risk Class: Caution

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-9928 is to be housed with 2 researchers and 4 guards at all times, and SCP-9928 is to be said to the public as a wildlife preserve. Termination of SCP-9928-2 instances is to be only done if the instances are to approach personnel. In addition, SCP-9928-1 is to not be touched by personnel at any time.

SCP-9928-3 is to be given a weekly evaluation for its mental health and physical health, as well as be given entertainment sources. If any damage is found on SCP-9928-3, it is to be immediately treated.

Description: SCP-9928 is a cave located inside a hill in [DATA EXPUNGED], North Carolina. Inside is SCP-9928-1, a large tree with many organisms fused inside it through anomalous means. The tree is believed to be an unknown species of baobab tree that is endemic to SCP-9928. No other instances of the species have been found.

[SCP-9928-1 when not producing SCP-9928-2 instances]

SCP-9928-1 creates SCP-9928-2 instances, which are humanoid creatures consisting solely of wood belonging to SCP-9928-1. SCP-9928-2 instances will wander around the area of SCP-9928, and will produce vocalizations. (See Addendum 2)

[Instance of SCP-9928-2]

SCP-9928-2 does not seem to require nutrients, but is able to die. When death occurs in a SCP-9928-2 instance, it will produce a large beam of light from its “head” and in the process, loses it. Dead SCP-9928-2 instances will then slowly start sinking into the ground, before becoming a new instance, taking approximately 5 days up to a year.

SCP-9928-2 instances are unable to be killed, and rather will randomly die, the reason for this is unknown. SCP-9928-2 instances have also been seen looking up into the sky, and staying in this position for exactly 5 hours, before going back to wandering. It is unknown why SCP-9928-2 instances do this.

SCP-9928-2 instances can be interacted with, and also is believed to be the same species that SCP-9928-1 is. SCP-9928-2 instances do not interact with other instances, but will seem to “mourn” when a SCP-9928-2 instance dies. Once again, it is unknown why SCP-9928-2 instances do this.

SCP-9928-3 is a large, humanoid tree with the appearance similar to that of an elderly human male, believed to be the same tree species that SCP-9928-1 is. Unlike SCP-9928-2 instances, SCP-9928-3 contains some degree of intelligence and is able to communicate with personnel. As a result, SCP-9928-3 was interviewed for information on SCP-9928.

[SCP-9928-3′s location and photo]

SCP-9928-3 will also periodically go into a state of inactivity, closing its “eyes”. It appears to only do this when under stress or randomly during interviews, the reason for this is unknown. These periods of inactivity last for 1 minute to 1 day, although have been getting longer as SCP-9928-3 ages.

INTERVIEW 1, 2/9/20██

BEGIN LOG

SCP-9928-3: Oh, hello, traveler.

Dr. Quinn: Hello, SCP-9928-3. I’m here to ask you a few questions.

[SCP-9928-3 chuckles, lifting its left arm] Why, of course. Ask away.

Dr. Quinn: Okay. Do you know anything about SCP-9928, SCP-9928-1, or SCP-9928-2?

SCP-9928-3: Pardon me?

Dr. Quinn: You know, the tree that produces those wooden creatures?

SCP-9928-3: Oh, them. It’s a long story, I’m not sure you will want to hear it little guy….

Dr. Quinn: I’m well trained to take an earful.

[Dr. Quinn laughs]

Dr. Quinn: Anyway, tell me about them.

SCP-9928-3: Well, this place used to be a town, we had such a huge amount of technology, and the scientists got too out of hand, and made this mess.

Dr. Quinn: They got too out of hand?

SCP-9928-3: Yes. We did.

Dr. Quinn: You did?

[SCP-9928-3 goes into an inactive state]

Dr. Quinn: We’ll finish this later.

END LOG

INTERVIEW 2, 2/14/20██

SCP-9928-3: Hello again. I am sorry for my absence.

Dr. Quinn: It’s alright, we just need to know what you meant by the scientists “getting too out of hand”.

SCP-9928-3: Well, we...created that thing.

Dr. Quinn: We?

SCP-9928-3: Yes, I used to be human, just like you doctor. How I miss being human and being free to do whatever I wanted. Now, I’m just a tree.

Dr. Quinn: I understand, SCP-9928-3. Do you know how you became what you are now?

SCP-9928-3: Experiments. Well, my experiments. I tested on the townsfolk just like my fellow coworkers. I am vile, just like them.

[Dr. Quinn stands in silence]

SCP-9928-3: Go, I need to be alone.

Dr. Quinn: But, we have more questions-

[Dr. Quinn is interrupted by SCP-9928-3 bellowing]

SCP-9928-3: Why can’t you leave?! Leave!

Dr. Quinn: I’ll leave you be.

END LOG

INTERVIEW 3, 3/7/20██

BEGIN LOG

SCP-9928-3: I am sorry for my outburst I had. That was rude of me.

Dr. Quinn: It’s perfectly understandable. Now, may I ask about the experiments?

SCP-9928-3: ...What about them?

Dr. Quinn: What were the experiments?

SCP-9928-3: They were partially the reason behind the wood people. We wanted to create indestructible life, even if it meant us becoming mindless beings. The large tree in the center here was the god of us, if that makes sense. It was created as a way to recreate someone once they die.

Dr. Quinn: They are? Huh.

SCP-9928-3: Then, it went haywire. Started turning everyone into the monsters you see today.

Dr. Quinn: How did you survive?

SCP-9928-3: Survive isn’t the word I’d describe me. This life is agony. How I regret taking the serum…

[SCP-9928-3 sighs]

Dr. Quinn: A serum?

SCP-9928-3: I made it as a last resort of sorts: if our plans went wrong, I drank it and ran to somewhere peaceful. If I was going to turn into a stationary tree, I better be somewhere quiet and calm.

Dr. Quinn: Alright, that’s all we need for now. Thank you, SCP-9928-3. Tell you what, I’ll see if I can convince my higher-ups to give me a radio for you to listen to.

[SCP-9928-3 smiles]

SCP-9928-3: You don’t have to do that for me, but thank you…

END LOG

ADDENDUM 1

On 3/19/20██, SCP-9928-3 was given a radio that is placed beside it on a small table. SCP-9928-3 seems to be happier as a result, further enrichment ideas are necessary.

ADDENDUM 2

Listed below are different vocalizations created by SCP-9928-2 instances.

“We must go, we cannot let them torture us like this.”

“I can’t take this.”

“Why?”

“For the mother.”

“I want death.”

“Let it be.”

“Drag me to the underworld.”

“I don’t want to suffer anymore.”

“Stop it.”

“Why can’t I die?”

“God help us.”

[jenna347-blog]

SCP 100,000

SCP 100,000

Jenra(Jennifer and Lira)

Object class Euclid/Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-100,000 is contained in a standard studio-style apartment in site-17, fully furnished was allowed to have a desktop with the internet, her Nintendo switch with games, and some CBD/delta 8 THC gummies/flowers. Jennifer could leave her room and freely roam around the SCP facility as she wishes to help with the SCP foundation. Low Special containment procedures when calm. No guns or any type of weapons in 100,000 in her containment. SCP Foundation allows her to eat SCP 458, including having anything in the break room if she pleases, that includes SCP Coffee Machine.

Description: SCP 100,000 contains with 2 anomalies, 10,000-a and 100,000-b. 100,000-A appears to be a 37-year-old, African-American human woman but could be older than she looks, and she claims to be over 80-100. She goes by Jennifer standing at 154.94 cm(5’1”) and weighing 107.501 kg(237lbs). 100,000/b claims to be an African distant voodoo queen of unknown age, calling herself Lira who also claims to processed Jennifer, with jagged sharp teeth her eyes changed from brown to red with cat shap pubils . SCP 100000 has a tracking device on her neck just in case she tries to leave or goes into a keter or a dangerous Euclid SCPs.  

Jennifer or 10,000-a anomalies effects would be if she gets angry, scared, and/or protective she’ll blackout and Lira would come out she’ll normally attack in a defense mechanism 10000/a doesn’t know what’s going on till she snaps out of it when she does go to one of these episodes Lira(10000would brutally kill her “attackers” to a bloody pulp then eat them as well till Jennifer snaps out of it screaming in shock with slaps of meat in her mouth. That’s what she had told Dr. Bright and also told him that sometimes it’ll come out of nowhere, but in this form, she’s not a threat towards nobody.

10,000 a/b was discovered in an investigation from California-Toyko, JP in 5 months of 20--, when there was a mass gruesome murders but she was located in Japan scared with human flesh hanging half off her mouth. She went to two of the SCP researchers, telling them “I don’t know why this keeps happening please help me I know who you are. Lira keeps killing these people because I got pissed.” She basically on her knees begging for help.

Addendum 100,000: SCP-100,000 Interview transcript

<Begin Log>

Dr. Bright: walks in gives 100,000(Jennifer) a cup of coffee and some water.

Jennifer: Hey, you must be Dr. Bright? I want to thank you and your crew for finding me, you guys don’t know how much I needed someone to help me. Because I can’t do this anymore (cries), she controls me to kill others and I wouldn’t know she’s doing this till I wake up seeing other people on the ground covered in blood, not just that I’ll have a piece of meat in my mouth. You probably wanted to know where I get these strange curses right?

Dr. Bright: How did you know I was going to ask you about your effects? And yes, I would like to know when you have these issues.

Jennifer: I could read your mind because Lira tells me about you and what you had said in your mind. So, I’ll tell you when it happened to me and also my abilities, you should put that down in your paperwork Mr. Crazy man (Laughing) I heard Iris or 105 told me that. Well, it all happened when I was 36. Living my best life, just land my first 6 figured salary Software development career when I told my family when I was accepted to the position I could see my cousin getting upset, so I pulled aside tried to see what was the matter she just gave me the cold shoulder. So, fast forward to 2 years later when this happened, she wanted to say that she was sorry for acting the way she did and wanted me to come over just get our differences aside, so I did we talk for about an hour. I told her that I had to go back to my hotel in savannah, ga had to go back to Mountain View, CA she had told me that she had a gift for me because of my new position, she went to the kitchen to “get the gift” but when she came out she had the gun behind her back when I asked her what was behind her back that’s when she pulls it out the first bullet was in my left side then my right when I holding my head because of the pain then the uber driver took me to the hospital. I recovered less than 3 days my skin looked like it wasn’t injured.

Dr. Bright: You also told people that Lira's first killing was right after the hospital, but nobody believed you is that correct?

Jennifer: Yup you’re very much correct, they all thought I was beyond crazy as hell and about to lock my ass up and throw away the damn key. (Jennifer looks down in shame and started crying) Not just that she made me kill my mother oh my god. I can’t believe she’ll make me do this, she not just ripped her into shreds but also was eating her corpse as well.

Dr. Bright: I’m sorry to hear that, for your mom and cousin doing this to you. I know someone who went through the same type of death like you.

Jennifer: Yes, I know about SCP Iris or 105. That’s different, but yes it’s tragic to lose someone you care about. Maybe I and her get along so well, told her I’m not a killer, unlike those Keter class SCP. Sometimes I wish I could just get rid of her Doc, I guess it’s better than being Joe Schmo, not able to be heard or seen even though I rather have that power than not able to be awake half of the time. Not just that but able to control it half of the time it’s kind of like June Moone dealing with Enchantress but with the Hulk angry issues.

Dr. Bright: I think that’ll be all with the interview. Thank you for giving me that information about yourself.

Jennifer: You’re welcome, but I need to tell you something I don’t know if you have it in your paperwork that I can’t die by anything that kind of explains my age and why I looked so young.

Dr. Bright: I’ll add that to your profile, maybe we could experiment on you with either Mr. Fish or Cain. That’s if you want to Jennifer.

Jennifer: I would love that, and hopefully you’ll be there Doc even though you sound crazy half of the time, but you seem cool as hell. Hopefully me, you, Iris could have a 420 party in my place.

(Bright nods yes)

Interview ends.

 Experiment log: SCP 100,000 A/B, SCP 073, SCP 105, and SCP 527

MR. Fish: (Sighs) Why am I here?

Jennifer: Dr. Bright told me that he wanted us to hang out, but I didn’t know Iris was coming too.

Iris(105): Girl, that’s bright for you (laughs)

Cain: Hey Jennifer, I’m Cain nice to meet you.

Jennifer: It’s nice to meet you too Cain. (She looks at his symbol) Wow, cool cain symbol on your forehead .

(Both Iris and Mr. fish was shocked)

Iris: How did you know that’s what it meant

Jennifer: Lira tells me everything, she won’t shut the hell up for anything. (Looks up towards her forehead) Yes, I’m talking about you, unless you wanted to say high but you can’t kill them or I’ll try to snap out of it got it.

(Changes into Lira)

Lira: Finally, she’s let me free but the only problem is she’s trying to fight back my dears. (with a raspy low demon-like voice showing her ragged teeth)

Mr. Fish: Are you dangerous?

Lira: You have no idea, you demon ass fish head man, you better be glad that I only eat human flesh. SCP 105, you look very tasty

Iris: Why are you doing this to Jennifer and kill people who didn’t deserve to die.

Lira: Because it’s fun to do so, and I love human flesh. Plus People pisses off, or try to harm Jennifer

Cain: I remember that you and Jennifer can’t die, just like 1504, Able, 096, or 682.

Lira: That’s right Cain.

Dr bright: Lira can we have Jennifer back please and thank you.

Lira: (Looks at the one-way mirror). Why should? Jennifer stop that, okay I’ll turn back, but you owed me this time.

(Lira switched back to Jennifer)

Jennifer: Great you guys are okay. I didn’t want to lose you guys or anybody

Mr. Fish: (Hugs her) You won’t lose us mate, we’ll be here with you till the end.

Iris and Cain: That’s right

Jennifer: (Starts to smile) Dr. Bright is it okay for them to come to my room and smoke and eat some Delta 8 CBD stuff.

Dr. Bright: Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem. I could join in as well

Experiment log ended

[weneverlearn]

Dead Boys 1977

Interview with Clevelander Dave Treat about his new photo book that peaks into some daze in the pre-legendary life of the Cleveland punk rock masters. 

It’s easy to forget that, by their initial demise circa 1980, the Dead Boys were considered a kind of dark summation of the original American punk rock explosion. A blistering live act no doubt, they were “the Stooges played fast;” glam rock sans glitter; even proto-power pop given the best hooks of the second album. One of the ultimate flameouts in rock’n’roll history, their punk status was cemented just under the ubiquitous Lower East Side canon. And heaven forbid, they were from Cleveland.

But as the years roll on, the layers of their status have shifted and deepened. Being from Cleveland – actually forming out of bands who pre-dated the CBGB scene (Rocket from the Tombs, Frankenstein) – makes them punk originators, not just the out-of-towners they were sometimes painted as when they moved to the Big Apple in 1977. Their debut album, Young Loud and Snotty, remains perhaps the most consistently invigorating American punk album of that era. Singer Stiv Bators’ too-soon death, guitarist Cheetah Chrome’s long journey to find himself, it all inadvertently lent gravity to the band’s more immediate and welcome sense of humor that put them in stark contrast to the sometimes pretentious CBGB scene.

And in the last few years, Chrome has been busy as hell, making new records, playing Dead Boys songs again with various friends, and doing occasional solo acoustic sets that can be genuinely tear-quelling in their intimacy and memory-dredging.

If you haven’t checked out Chrome’s 2009 biography, A Dead Boys Tale: From the Front Lines of Punk Rock, you should! It not only gives a flailing firsthand account from one of punk’s template tossers, it articulates to outsiders that Cleveland was the equal to NYC as THE post-industrial blank canvas for young, drunk, and broke punks to come up with their own thing. Further, you will find no trust fund kids in his story, no relocated Connecticutians sliding into ripped jeans and hoping nobody finds out their dad is a Wall Street lawyer. As “punk” has incrementally defined its soul as a working-class genre, the Dead Boys story becomes more and more foundationally iconic.

And now this beautifully bleak collection of photos and quick quotes, Dead Boys 1977: The Lost Photographs of Dave Treat. It’s a perfect companion to the first few chapters of Cheetah’s bio. Half are gloriously raw shots of the band awkwardly striking poses around the desolate streets of downtown Cleveland as a newly minted, four-piece Dead Boys. The second half is color photos from two 1977 Cleveland shows. Then the book closes with achingly alone solo shots of Stiv, also shot during one afternoon (Treat lived in the same building where Stiv and Chrome roomied.) Stiv had an uncanny visage that could be simultaneously madcap and melancholy. For a guy who would whip it out anywhere on command and who spent the majority of his adult work life yelling loudly on stage, he remains a mystery man in many ways. And you see that mystery in his eyes and bent body through these pix.

As you arrive at the end of this book, you feel as if you just spent a day and night with the Dead Boys. Your inclination on closing it is to swig back the last backwash, throw the bottle down, and say “See ya later” to the guys, walk out onto Detroit Ave., and never look back, just like they did.

The photos herein were meant as a no budget attempt at “promotional rock photos,” but the band soon added a fifth member and moved to NYC, so these photos have been sitting in a box since then. Save for one small gallery show where a few of them were displayed, this is the first time they appear.

I asked Treat about the book and more.

The Dead Boys pose for Dave Treat on Huron Avenue in Cleveland, 1977, a time when the central city was so desolate you could do this in the middle of the day and hardly see another soul. L-R Johnny Blitz, Cheetah Chrome, Stiv Bators, Jimmy Zero. Photo credit: Dave Treat

Did you grow up in the Cleveland area?

Yes, on West 41 St., off of Clark Avenue.

So when and what were the initial inspiration to drag these pix out and do something with them?

Actually, I didn’t know I still had them. I was cleaning out some boxes and there they were. That was three years ago. I went to Blue Arrow Records and started talking to Pete the owner, and he liked the pics. He had Brittany Hudak look at them and she wanted to do a gallery show at Gallery 61-- owned by Byron Miller, who also printed them for me -- with a 25th Anniversary Show honoring the loss of Stiv Bators. That is how it all started. Clem Burke of Blondie came to the  Cleveland Stiv show on Waterloo and gave us a number and recommendation to Lethal Amounts in LA. The gallery show was first, with Cheetah playing to a sold-out crowd after at the Monty Bar.

How did you first meet up with Cheetah and Stiv?

I moved to an apartment on Giel Avenue in Lakewood. About three months later, Stiv moved into the building. We met and became friends. Cheetah was always there. One note: Stiv and Cheetah wrote some of the songs for Young Loud and Snotty in their bathroom. Cheetah on the toilet and Stiv in the tub.

The pic with the band next to the dumpster – what was the impetus behind purposely shooting in garbage? Were any of the members like, “Can we take nice shots somewhere, like maybe at Swingos?” I know Cheetah mentions the first Ramones album cover as inspiration.

No nice pics, it was decided to go downtown and find the place we shot the photos. Cheetah liked the Ramones album cover. Collectively, we wanted the urban decay, the garbage and the dilapidated buildings. We didn’t want them lined up against a wall, but something unique to them.

So how present were the Ramones and the notion of this new "punk" music in your life personally? 

For me, the intro into punk was through the Dead Boys. Meeting and seeing their passion for this new sound was amazing. It pulled you in. Finally, something new in Cleveland.

What were the live music clubs you'd go to, and were there local bands you could stand? I know Cheetah's told me how it was mostly lame blues or ‘60s cover bands, if any live music at all...

Pirate’s Cove, Agora, Jicky’s After Dark, Piccadilly’s.

 Pere Ubu, The Pagans, Styrenes.

     (A history-smushing aside: The Pirate’s Cove turned into Peabody’s, which I frequented in my youth (Replacements, Pixies, Godfathers, Death of Samantha, Rocket from the Crypt, among many), and only died a few years ago; and the Agora is still there, operating on/off.)

Can you just give me a random crazy Stiv story, and maybe one that is not expected from the "wild man" he's known as?

Came home from classes, started knocking on the door, looked in the hall and Stiv was having sex with someone. He looked up, waved, smiled and put up his index finger to say just a minute. I laughed and went upstairs.

Dropped at the door of Drome Records, 1977.

Was Stiv a late night, drunkly opening up with his feelings kinda guy?

No, not at all. He was always upbeat. He liked having a good time, pulling a good prank…never melancholy.

Dead Boys singer Stiv Bators poses for Dave Treat at the Cleveland Agora with their friend and neighbor “Barb the Fat Bitch” (a joking nickname for someone who, according to Cheetah Chrome, was in fact neither fat nor a bitch). Photo credit: Dave Treat

I grew up in Cleveland - Parma Hts., to be exact -- and the whole Catholic thing about Cleveland is one of the simmering things inside the Dead Boys that I always loved, and makes them so "Cleveland," no matter their fame gained in the Big Apple. But did religion actually come up much? Or any stories of desecrating churches or anything?

Religion never came up. Nothing too outrageous. Stiv putting his finger on his throat and barfing on a Denny’s window while people were eating. Cheetah pissing out the window or back porch. Cheetah mooning two ladies walking on Giel Avenue. Not too crazy yet.

I think, while the NYC scene was peppered with slumming rich kids, reading Cheetah's book and looking through your's, you definitely get the sense there was none of that in Cleveland, that the Dead Boys and the few people in the actual "scene" were not exactly getting their rent paid for.

No rich kids here. Went to classes in the a.m. and worked in the evenings. Paid for everything myself.

That "ruin porn" early-70s punk era is always mythologized, but as Cheetah has pointed out, it wasn't some huge scene. At underground or new rock kind of shows, there might be 15 people in the crowd. Do you agree, and any stories of hanging out at shows with Cheetah and Stiv, with 10 other people or what have you?

Cleveland at that point was in a free fall. Our mayor had the city’s garbage men deliver a porn poll. We were called the Mistake on the Lake. The city would go into default. There were no jobs. My roommate, after I moved, and another student at Cooper actually organized the First Annual Cleveland Smoke-In. Attached is a copy of the flyer.  In short, good or bad, you got by.

In the book, the mentions of how dead it was downtown, Cheetah saying you could just stop in the middle of Euclid Ave. and take pictures -- do you have memories of just exploring downtown Cleveland then? And did you have a feeling that this really was the end of a city, an end of an era, or did you think Cleveland could "come back?" Would you want it to "come back?"

As far as downtown, it was dead. The malls opened in the ‘burbs and people didn’t need to go downtown. I shot the guys in the middle of Huron. We were there 10-15 minutes. No cars or people. Can’t do that now.

What did you think when the band decided to move to NYC?

They had to, there wasn’t a market in Cleveland. When they first went to CBGB’s, there was no turning back. They found where they needed to be, and I am glad they did.

How did you hear about Stiv dying, and when was the last time you'd heard from him?

I heard there was a benefit for Stiv and Babylon-A-Go-Go, 6/29/90. I went there and saw people I knew. They told me what happened. *

Where do you live today; what are you doing for a living; and what do you think of the more bustling downtown Cleveland of today?

I currently live in Solon, Ohio. I am a currently consulting in residential construction. It’s about damn time. Actually the renaissance of downtown and the Flats has been doing incredibly well. I’m proud to say I’m a Clevelander.

* -- I too was at that memorial:

http://weneverlearn.tumblr.com/post/520928279/this-is-the-funeral-card-from-stiv-bators 

These are the amazing VHS tributes that were shown at Stiv’s memorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FreVBEt_8BQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfIZwblztxQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOUIZIQghFY

Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome moons Dave Treat’s camera in one of downtown Cleveland’s MANY empty buildings in 1977. L-R: Stiv Bators, Cheetah Chrome, Jimmy Zero, Johnny Blitz. Photo credit: Dave Treat

Photographer Dave Treat, photo credit: Bryon Miller

[thatbrontide]

1. selfie: Look up a picture of an obvious meth addict. Stare at it with deep love. 2. what would you name your future kids? Euclid, Anya 3. do you miss anyone? I truly miss myself 4. what are you looking forward to? Learning to cook 5. is there anyone who can always make you smile? Tig Notaro I guess. 6. is it hard for you to get over anyone? I have been painfully missing my ex (the nice one) lately. Knife-to-gut type shit. It's ridiculous. 7. what was your life like last year? Worst yr of my life by far. An abusive relationship and a psych med prescription I was coerced into left me suicidal, blank, and eventually cussing at doctors in a psych ward. I lost the best job I've ever had as well as my writing skills and confidence. I lost my social due to the abusive relationship. Currently trying to recover. 8. have you ever cried because you were so annoyed? probably as a kid. I've cried from frustration before. 9. who did you last see in person? Andrew and Miles. A cousin and a dude I want to be better friends with. 10. are you good at hiding your feelings? People have asked me why I’m so depressed when I felt fantastic. I had to train myself to smile when I feel happy because I realized you were supposed to do that. So. Yes. 11. are you listening to music right now? No but I just left a house show. 12. what is something you want right now? Sleep 13. how do you feel right now? Hungry, empty, nervous, serious 14. when was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you? there are at least seven sexes. And tonight. 15. personality description. This type of self-awareness seems impossible. Ppl have told me I’m odd and hard to pin down. 16. have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you didn’t? A lot, yeah 17. opinion on insecurities. most have them, don’t judge people because insecurities are there for complex reasons and people are trying their best. Support people, compliment them. I can't believe how many ppl just assume a person isn't shit just because the person is struggling with confidence. Be compassionate, asshole. 18. do you miss how things were a year ago? A year ago was literal hell. I was having full-on panic attacks several times a day, dealing with a partner who called me a piece of shit and constantly gaslighted me and crossed my physical boundaries, and suddenly feeling like a completely/permanently different and much less intelligent/capable person. So. No. 19. have you ever been to New York? about 40 times. My maternal side of the family is there. Grew up on LI beaches and going to Broadway shows and museums in NYC. As a kid I thought that was where I was meant to have grown up, like something fucked up happened and it messed up my life's beggining. 20. what is your favourite song at the moment? something by Russ 21. age and birthday? aquarius leo leo 22. description of crush. Thomas Middleditch is such a dreamboat to me but I know it's an unhealthy projection thing. The only real person I have any tiny crush on is this gymnast in my philosophy class. He's very cute. 23. fear(s). Not getting my self back, not being in a loving, paramount relationship again. 24. height. Not tall enough 25. role model. UCB celebrities 26. idol(s). Laura Kightlinger 27. things i hate. doctors, the education system, when ppl are not inclusive, long nails, when ppl blast headphones and watch videos in public w/o headphones. Fuuuuck you 28. i’ll love you if… you're bizarrely funny, have a certain demeanor, seem to understand struggle 29. favourite film(s). natural born killers, the original hairspray. Junebug was nice, Get Out was brilliant 30. favourite tv show(s). Broad City, Silicon Valley, Insecure, Key and Peele 31. 5 random facts about you. I was raised Jewish, babies are generally not cute, growing up ppl asked if I was anorexic when I wasn't, I once spent an afternoon in a Tel Aviv emergency room, hitchhiking was the most liberating experience. 32. are your friends mainly girls or guys? both/other 33. something you want to learn. How to fight physically, how to stop coming across as someone who deserves to be fucked with 34. most embarrassing moment. One time I went to an independently owned hardware store to speak to the manager about a job and buy a wooden rod. The guy was such a fucking asshole and misogynist that when our conversation concluded, I walked out of the store accidentally ‘stealing’ the rod. The fucker ran after me. It was embarrassing mostly because he made me so goddamn uncomfortable about simply asking for a job. I hate that fucking guy. 35. favourite subject. Philosophy, language 36. 3 dreams you want to fulfill? Be interviewed on a talk show, write a memoir, travel everywhere 37. favourite actor/actress. No clue 38. favourite comedian(s) Morgan Murphy, Louis CK, Jon Mulaney, and Maria Bamford. Sommore kills me sometimes. 39. favourite sport(s) um. Slolom. Idk. 40. favourite memory. Laughing rly hard as a kid all the time 41. relationship status. As single as possible 42. favourite book(s). Bluets by Maggie Nelson 43. favourite song ever. Maybe something by the blood brothers 44. age you get mistaken for 25? Idk 45. how you found out about your idol. Watching a library DVD of 90s comedians. Mary Jo Peele was so good. 46. what my last text message says. I'd be happy to meet w u tho 47. turn ons. Genuine kindness, good humor, good shoes 48. turn offs. Arrogance, bad breath, hipsterness 49. where i want to be right now. Asleep on a cloud 50. favourite picture of your idol. I've barely ever seen her 51. starsign 52. something i’m talented at. I have a good eye for style. I could have been great at art. 53. 5 things that make me happy. Color, dogs, remembering, a good melody, a good dance 54. something that’s worrying me at the moment. Just life. I'm worried about myself for real 55. tumblr friends. i don’t rly have online relationships 56. favourite food(s) guacamole 57. favourite animal(s) dogs, opossums. 58. description of my best friend. We had an overdue falling out. She is mean. 59. why i joined tumblr. to document inspiration

[mathematicianadda]

Read Euclid backwards: history and purpose of Pythagorean Theorem https://ift.tt/3erY1je

The Pythagorean Theorem might have been used in antiquity to build the pyramids, dig tunnels through mountains, and predict eclipse durations, it has been said. But maybe the main interest in the theorem was always more theoretical. Euclid’s proof of the Pythagorean Theorem is perhaps best thought of not as establishing the truth of the theorem but as breaking the truth of the theorem apart into its constituent parts to analyse what makes it tick. Euclid’s Elements as a whole can be read in this way, as a project of epistemological analysis.

Transcript

Let’s read Euclid together. Euclid’s Elements, one of the most important and influential works in human history, who wouldn’t want to read that? “Euclid alone has looked on beauty bare,” as the poets say.

Let’s do some episodes on this where we go through Euclid’s Elements Book I. And here’s the first twist: Let’s read it backwards. Well, not quite. But it’s a good idea to start at the end. Book I of the Elements ends with the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse. It’s not a murder mystery, it won’t spoil the fun to know the ending.

I will explain why I think this is a good idea. This has to do with appreciating the refined goals of the Elements. It’s a very subtle work, in ways that are easy to miss. So I will use this idea of starting at the end as a way of highlighting some things to keep in mind in that regard, so that we approach the text with appreciation of these subtleties.

It might be a bit dry to do only that, so I will also mix it up with some lighter things. Some stories related to the Pythagorean Theorem. Did the Egyptians use the Pythagorean Theorem to build the pyraminds, for example? Is that how they got the angles just right? We will discuss that soon. And I will also play a clip of RoboCop.

I will try to do this for the Elements as a whole: a serious discussion of its finer points, as well as some entertaining tangents exploring the many cultural links of the various parts of the Elements.

So here we go. My first goal is to outline the mindset with which we must approach Euclid’s text.

If you’re a young person, you may look at Euclid’s Elements and say: yeah yeah, triangles and stuff, I saw all of that in high school too; our textbook had proofs just like this thing by Euclid; it’s pretty much the same thing. No, no, no. That’s like listening to Mozart and saying: yeah yeah, big deal, music is music.

Forget it. There’s a world of difference. Euclid is on a whole other level of sophistication than some crappy high school textbook. You wouldn’t know it just by looking at the text though. The text looks the same as any other geometry text. Triangle ABC blah blah blah. It’s the same with musical scores, isn’t it? They all look the same when you just glance at the pages. You can’t tell Mozart from some hack.

We must look deeper to appreciate the subtlety and genius of Euclid. The text itself doesn’t spell that out, just as a Mozart quartet doesn’t have a narrator telling you what’s great about it. But great works reward reflection. The more you study Euclid, the more you interrogate the text, the more you puzzle over its oddities, the more you come to appreciate the mastery that went into crafting everything just right. Euclid knew exactly what he was doing. His work is orders of magnitude more sophisticated than other superficially similar works in the same genre.

The exercise of reading backwards is one angle we can use to start getting a handle on this. If we read Euclid from cover to cover, in the order it’s written, we get a strictly “bottom-up” perspective: we start with the most basic things and gradually get to higher and higher levels of sophistication. That’s how mathematics is typically written down. And with good reason. But the way mathematics comes into being is much more bidirectional. Mathematics grows like a tree: as the branches extend, so do the roots. Starting our Euclid adventure with the Pythagorean Theorem is a way of making us think about this.

Of course when we read Euclid’s proof of the Pythagorean Theorem we find that it is based on earlier results. So you might say: Obviously you have to read those first before you can understand this proof. But that’s a bit simplistic. You could also say: Actually you need to look at the Pythagorean Theorem first because only then can you understand what the purpose is of those earlier propositions. From a purely logical perspective you have to read it linearly from start to finish, but to understand the meaning and purpose of these logical constructions you have to take a step back and interrogate the text from other angles as well. For a dogmatic understanding, it is enough to read it linearly, and parse the logical steps like a machine. But for a critical, independent understanding you want to not only verify the logic but also see how one could arrive at such logical constructions organically.

That goes for any formal mathematics text, still to this day. Or maybe even more so today than ever. The definitions and axioms are the starting points of the way mathematics is written, but often they are almost the end product of the actual creative thought process. Only after you have figured out the hard parts of your theory do you know what the starting points need to be. Or at least there’s an interaction, a back-and-forth negotiation between the top and the bottom of the theory. Each is adapted to the other.

So that’s one reason to read Euclid backwards. It’s a reason that applies to any formal mathematical theory, because they all have this element of bidirectionality.

Actually geometry might be among the more unidirectional formal mathematical theories in how it was conceived, because the results of geometry were known in great detail, long before they were formalised. The tree came before the roots, so to speak.

Here’s another way of visualising it. Think of the Pythagorean Theorem as the apex of a pyramid. The proof reveals which lower, more foundational stones it rests on. Those stones in turn rest on other stones, and so on. Something has to be the bedrock that is considered solid enough not to need any further support beneath it. Euclid’s Elements can be read in two directions: as a way of building up a more and more elaborate structure on top of solid foundations, or as a way of reducing advanced results to their basic components. So when we read the proof of the Pythagorean Theorem, one of the perspectives we should use is to think of it as “boiling down” this somewhat advanced result to more basic ones. This will help us appreciate the purpose and achievement of the more fundamental parts of the Elements when we get to those.

Indeed, by the time Euclid wrote the Elements, the theorems themselves—such as the Pythagorean Theorem—had been known for hundreds or even thousands of years. Even proving the theorem wasn’t all that new. There were plenty of proofs. I bet Euclid knew two dozen proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem.

We shouldn’t think of Euclid as saying: Hey guys, I discovered some things about triangles and stuff; check out this book where I explain how I came up with these theorems.

No, no, no. That’s not at all what Euclid is doing. We must understand, when we read the Elements, that we’re way beyond that.

If you just wanted to convince a random person that the Pythagorean Theorem is true, then there are much better proofs than Euclid’s. Simpler ones. More intuitive, based on simple diagrams. If all you want is a psychologically compelling argument that the Pythagorean Theorem is true then there are better options than Euclid.

Euclid knew all of that, and he chose his proof very deliberately. Because it’s the best proof for his purposes. Namely the purpose of carefully analysing how the truth of the Pythagorean Theorem can be broken down into smaller truths. And more generally to do the same thing for all the truths of geometry in a comprehensive and systematic manner.

So the proof of the Pythagorean Theorem isn’t so much about showing that the theorem is true. It’s more about showing what its ultimate foundations are.

Here’s another metaphor for this. Think of a mathematical theorem as a dish that you cook. The Pythagorean Theorem is like a soup, let’s say. You can whip it up very quickly with store-bought ingredients like stock cubes or just microwaving something from a can. But Euclid doesn’t do store-bought. He’s going to do everything from scratch. And I mean really from scratch. If there’s going to be carrots in there, then Euclid is going to grow his own carrots.

In fact you might say that Euclid is not so interested in cooking at all, even though a proof is like a recipe. Euclid is like a cookbook author who doesn’t like cooking and has no interest in feeding anyone.

Instead he’s more like a chemist who is analyzing the molecular composition of foods. His recipes are not meant as a practical cooking guide but as an analysis of what the core ingredients of the dish are if you deconstruct the recipe as far as you possibly can.

Here we have the idea of reading backwards again: Euclid isn’t really interested in making Pythagorean Theorem soup, but in starting with Pythagorean Theorem soup and taking it apart in the lab. Put it on the Bunsen burner. Different ingredients have different boiling points and so on, so you can carefully separate them out again.

There was already plenty of geometry before Euclid. If theorems are food, everyone was already well fed, so to speak. Everyone already had their favourite dishes and neither they nor Euclid were looking to replace the traditional menus. What Euclid is bringing to the table is not new food but a refined theoretical perspective that stands apart from actual cooking.

The idea of reading Euclid backwards is also related to a famous anecdote recorded about Thomas Hobbes, the 17th-century philosopher. Here’s what it says about Hobbes:

“He was 40 years old before he looked on geometry; which happened accidentally. Being in a gentleman’s library, Euclid’s Elements lay open, and ‘twas the [47th Proposition of Elements Book I, the Pythagorean Theorem]. He read the proposition. By God, sayd he, this is impossible! So he reads the Demonstration of it, which referred him back to such a Proposition; which proposition he read. That referred him back to another, which he also read. [And so on], that at last he was demonstratively convinced of that trueth. This made him in love with geometry.”

It is interesting that Hobbes ended up reading Euclid backwards by accident like this. Precisely what I recommended as a deliberate strategy. But he doesn’t seem to have appreciated the point of doing so the way I have described it. Maybe he could just as well have read the book forwards and had the same experience, as far as this anecdote goes.

Hobbes fell “in love with geometry” by reading it backwards, but others had the same experience reading it forwards. Bertrand Russell, another famous philosopher, read Euclid the conventional way, starting at the beginning, and he still found it, as he later said, “as dazzling as first love”: “I had not imagined there was anything so delicious in the world.” Bertrand Russell was eleven at the time, while Hobbes was 40 when he stumbled upon Euclid. They lived almost three centuries apart. So these anecdotes speak to the universality of Euclid’s text: young or old, forwards or backwards, conservative or socialist, in a society of cars or one of horses—the one thing they have in common is the love that Euclid stirred up in them.

That’s all very nice, but it kind of misses the point in terms of what I have tried to argue was the goal of Euclid’s Elements. What Hobbes and Russell fell in love with was the idea of geometrical proof, it seems. Historically, those epiphanies are better associated with a pre-Euclidean period. We discussed Thales before, and there were plenty of others in the centuries between him and Euclid.

So when you read Euclid, by all means, do fall in love. Be seduced like so many others have been. But also keep in mind that these charms are only part of the greatness of Euclid. Euclid’s Elements can be as good a vehicle as any to have that epiphany of the beauty of mathematics. But to Euclid and many of his readers that was old news.

Euclid wanted to do more than that. He didn’t want to just show how cool it is to prove stuff, although that is lovely. More than that, he wanted to explore the very essence of geometrical knowledge. What are its preconditions, and the source of its certainty? Just as a chemist seeks to decompose any substance into the elements of the periodic table, so Euclid sought to find the “periodic table” of geometry, so to speak: he wanted to uncover the ultimate building blocks of this entire branch of knowledge.

Ok, so that’s my lesson one in how to read Euclid. Start at the back and keep in mind this theme of distillation into ultimate foundations.

So I urge you to go read Euclid that way. I’m not going to go through the proof here; you’ll have to follow along in your own copy of the Elements. I recommend my own edition, for which I added illustrations for each step of the proofs. It’s a joy to read, in my opinion. But it’s too visual to translate into this medium, so I’ll leave that to you to pursue.

Now I wanted to take this opportunity to think about the origin of the Pythagorean Theorem. Part of the appeal of reading Euclid’s Elements is how embedded it is many aspects of human culture and history. So in parallel with our reading of Euclid I wanted to bring up such themes as well.

The Pythagorean Theorem has little to do with Pythagoras. It was discovered independently in several cultures, some of them long before Pythagoras. But never mind the name. The more interesting question is: Why were people interested in this theorem? Why would anybody want to calculate a bunch of hypothenuses?

If you look in a modern geometry textbook, you won’t find any good answers. The book will give you the formula and ask you to apply it in all kinds supposedly real-world cases, but they are all fake and transparently ridiculous. How to calculate the diagonal of a field when you know the lengths of the sides: When would you ever use this? Why wouldn’t you just measure the diagonal then if that’s what you want to know?

Ladder problems is another one of those fake classics. The foot of the ladder is so-and-so far from the wall, and the ladder is so-and-so long, will it reach to such-and-such a height, maybe for instance the ladder of a fire truck to save someone from a burning building? Not a very realistic scenario. Wouldn’t you just try it and see if it worked? Wouldn’t that be just as easy as sitting around making calculations? And why would the distance from the wall to the foot of the ladder be some exact given number? And so on.

It doesn’t make sense that people discovered the Pythagorean Theorem because they were wrestling with practical problems like those. They would not have needed mathematics for that. If they wanted to solve those problems they would have used trial and error and direct measurements.

Unfortunately, ancient textbooks are as ridiculous as modern ones in this regard. Here’s an example from a Chinese text from about the time of Euclid. A 10-feet-high stem of bamboo broke in the wind. It broke into two straight prices. One part remains upright, perpendicular to the ground. But the other part, that broke off but is still attached, tipped over and is now touching the ground, 3 feet away from the base of the stem. How high up the stem did the break occur?

You can calculate this with the Pythagorean Theorem, sure enough, but of course there is no way anyone would ever do something so absurd in the real world. Just measure it, if you want to know. You apparently already measure the distance along the ground and the full height somehow, so why couldn’t you just as well measure this thing? Doesn’t make any sense.

Here’s another scenario some have claimed involves the Pythagorean Theorem. On the Greek island of Samos, there’s an ancient tunnel, which was dug in fact right in the lifetime of Pythagoras.

This tunnel is a marvelous thing, a tribute to the engineering skills of the Greeks. It’s still there today. The tunnel is over one kilometer in length through a big mountain. It was dug to supply the capital with fresh water.

Digging the tunnel was certainly a geometrical project. In fact, the walls still have letters on them, like the lettering of a geometrical diagram. Evidently there was a plan of the tunnel in the form of a drawn diagram, with points makes by letters, and then as it was dug these letters were inscribed on the wall to keep track of how the actual tunnel corresponded to the geometrical plan.

This was all the more essential since the tunnel had to be dug from both ends, in order to complete it in half the time. So the diggers had to be coordinated to ensure they met in the middle. A highly non-trivial problem, which the Greek geometers solved flawlessly.

In fact, at some point the plan even had to change because the rock was becoming to porous. So there was a risk that tunnel would collapse. Therefore it was necessary to make a bend in the tunnel that took it more toward the core of the mountain, which had harder rock. The geometers dealt with this flawlessly as well. They added a shallow isosceles triangle to the diagram. So each digging team had started out along straight lines that would have met in the middle, but halfway through both teams were instructed to make a slight turn which was specified with geometrical precision. So the whole tunnel has a kind of V-shaped bend in the middle. But it still worked. The two digging teams met just as the geometers had calculated.

That’s great stuff, but is it the Pythagorean Theorem? Let me play to you a clip from the History Channel documentary series Engineering an Empire, which claims that it is.

“Eupalinos dug tunnels from each side of the mountain, until they met in the middle. To succeed, Eupalinos had to make sure that each tunnel started at the same vertical height., on opposite sides of the mountain. The tunnels also had to match up on a horizontal plane. Otherwise, they would pass each other like ships in the night.”

“By forging a path from the spring to the city, in short perpendicular lines, Eupalinos could measure each small length in order to calculate two sides of a right triangle. With two known sides of the triangle, the hypothenuse became the path of the tunnel through the mountain.”

So according to the History Channel, the plan for the tunnel was based on the Pythagorean Theorem. The History Channel are not even taking into account the alterations of the plans midway through, by the way. They just discuss the problem of making a straight tunnel.

The presenter of this documentary is Peter Weller, who is also the actor who played RoboCop in the 1987 movie. Turns out he’s also a historian.

I must say though that I disagree with RoboCop’s analysis. The tunnel of Samos was great geometry but it wasn’t the Pythagorean Theorem. The way RoboCop puts it in the documentary, it sounds as if the point was to calculate the length of the tunnel. That’s the hypothenuse that RoboCop is talking about in that clip. But of course the real problem is the coordination of the two digging teams, so they won’t miss each other “like ships in the night,” as RoboCop himself said. How is the length of the hypothenuse supposed to be useful for this? Knowing how long the tunnel is supposed to be doesn’t help you determine the direction of digging.

So I don’t think this tunnel stuff is a great example of real-world motivation for the Pythagorean Theorem. We have to keep looking for where ancient man could have had reason to discover or apply this theorem.

Here’s another such scenario. Did the Egyptians use the Pythagorean Theorem to build the pyramids? I’ll play another clip from another documentary series that claims: yes. This is from The Story of Maths, a BBC documentary presented by Marcus du Sautoy.

“The most impressing thing about the pyramids in the mathematical brilliance that went into making them. Including the first inkling of one of the great theorems of the ancient world: Pythagoras’s Theorem. In order to get perfect right-angled corners on their buildings and pyramids, the Egyptians would have used a rope with knots tied in it. At some point, the Egyptians realised that if they took a triangle with sides marked with 3 knots, 4 knots, and 5 knots, it guaranteed them a perfect right angle.”

The theorem involved here is not the Pythagorean Theorem itself, but the converse of it, which is Proposition 48 in Euclid.

In terms of historical evidence, we really don’t know if the Egyptians did this or not. It’s plausible that they knew this but there’s very little documentary evidence from way back then.

Obviously you can’t believe anything just because Marcus du Sautoy said it in a BBC documentary. Marcus du Sautoy is not a historian, he’s just clowning around. But let’s see, if we’re serious about it, does it make any sense?

I used to be skeptical about this, but I have come to think maybe it’s not so bad. I think the standard formulation about a rope with 3+4+5 equally spaced knots on it is a bit silly. Seems very complicated to get the knots just right.

But you don’t really need one triangular rope. Instead you can just use three separate ropes, of lengths 3, 4, and 5. That’s easy to make. Then when you need to make a right triangle you stretch the 3 and 4 ropes along the intended sides, and you check if the 5 rope fits between their endpoints. Then you have the guy holding the end of the 4 rope move a bit this way or that until it lines up perfectly.

I have to admit, if I was building a pyramid I would probably go with this method. Especially because of the scale of the project. The base of the pyramid is enormous. You would use ropes with lengths 3, 4, 5, but not in feet or meters but some bigger unit. Maybe 30 meters, 40 meters, 50 meters. The ratio is all that matters of course. The longer the ropes, the less significant the measurement error becomes. So it’s a pretty good method I think.

Let me read you a quote here from the book Euclid’s Window by Leonard Mlodinow. I thought it was quite funny.

“Picture a windswept, desolate desert, the date, 2580 B.C. The architect had laid out a papyrus with the plans for your structure. His job was easy—square base, triangular faces—and, oh yeah, it has to be 480 feet high and made of solid stone blocks weighing over 2 tons each. You were charged with overseeing completion of structure. Sorry, no laser sight, no fancy surveyor’s instruments at your disposal, just some wood and rope. As many homeowners know, marking the foundation of a building or the perimeter of even a simple patio using only a carpenter’s square and measuring tape is a difficult task. In building this pyramid, just a degree off from true, and thousands of tons of rocks, thousands of person-years later, hundreds of feet in the air, the triangular faces of your pyramid miss, forming not an apex but a sloppy four-pointed spike. The Pharaohs, worshipped as gods, with armies who cut the phalluses off enemy dead just to help them keep count, were not the kind of all-powerful deities you would want to present with a crooked pyramid. Applied Egyptian geometry became a well-developed subject.”

So that’s a quite comical way of putting it, but the point is well taken, I think. Indeed it does make some sense, this whole thing. The historical and societal context, the mathematics available at that time, the need to make exact right angles, the method for doing so using strings and a Pythagorean triple: that is all quite plausible, I would say.

It’s hardly plausible that they would have discovered the Pythagorean Theorem this way, by starting with the problem of making right angles. But it is plausible that may have used knowledge of the 3-4-5 special case of the converse of the Pythagorean Theorem to make right angles.

Here’s another proposal for the possible origins of the Pythagorean Theorem. This proposal is from van der Waerden’s book Geometry and Algebra in Ancient Civilizations. He proposes that the original motivation for the discovery of the Pythagorean Theorem might have been related to eclipses. Namely, calculating the duration of a lunar eclipse.

Indeed, astronomy was important to many ancient peoples. You know the Stonehenge, Maya temples aligned with solstices and so on. People cared a lot about the sky back then.

Eclipses were a big deal. Probably they were often seen as having some kind of theological significance, some sort of omen, and so on. They were also scientifically important, for instance for exact calendar keeping.

So what do eclipses have to do with the Pythagorean Theorem? Mathematically, this is a neat example. Fun to use in a geometry class.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the shadow cast by the earth. The earth’s shadow is about twice the size of the moon, at that distance. So the moon is approaching this dark spot, it enters it, and keeps moving through it, and comes out at the other side. The whole thing takes maybe an hour or two, it differs.

We can predict in advance how long a particular lunar eclipse is going to last. The determining factor is whether the path of the moon goes right through the middle of the earth’s shadow, or cuts across it off center. The moon’s orbit is complicated and it’s different each time. Sometimes it’s coming in a bit high and sometimes a bit low. We can see this by comparing its position to the stars.

So this means that the problem of calculating the duration of an eclipse comes down to calculating the length of a line cutting through a circle, not necessarily through the middle. We assume that the moon’s speed is constant throughout the eclipse. So the duration of the eclipse is determined by how big of a segment of the moon’s path is in the circular shadow cast by the earth.

This indeed becomes a Pythagorean Theorem problem. You can picture it like this. Draw a circle. That’s the shadow cast by the earth. Now draw a line cutting through the circle, but not through the midpoint. That’s the path the moon is moving along. We want to know the length of the segment inside the circle. This is what determines the duration of the eclipse.

Find the midpoint of this segment. Connect it to the center of the circle. This is a known length, because it corresponds to how far off-center the moon was in its approach, which we can determine by comparing its position to the stars. So the distance from the midpoint of the segment to the center of the circle was known before the eclipse began.

Let’s add one more line to the diagram: the line from the center of the circle to the point where the moon’s path entered the circle. That’s of course a radius of the circle, which is known because the size of the earth’s shadow is known.

So now you see why it’s a Pythagorean Theorem problem. The two knowns are two sides of a right-angle triangle, and the sought length is the remaining side.

Could this be how ancient man discovered the Pythagorean Theorem? This hypothesis has one thing going for it, namely that the sought quantity cannot be measured directly in advance of the eclipse. You genuinely need the Pythagorean Theorem to do this. It’s not one of those fake ones where you could just as easily have measured the side you are looking for, instead of measuring the sides you don’t want and then calculating the you do want, as in those fake textbook problems.

Mathematically, that’s all very satisfying. Unfortunately this hypothesis is not very plausible historically. In the Babylonian tradition, mathematics came long before mathematical astronomy. Serious mathematical astronomy such as this, with detailed eclipse calculations and so on, was a preoccupation of the second flowering of ancient Babylonian mathematics. That’s about a thousand years after the first golden age of Babylonian mathematics.

Already the older period had excellent mathematics, including something like the Pythagorean Theorem. One of the most famous old Babylonian clay tablets states the ratio between the side and the diagonal of a square. So it’s essentially a numerical approximation of the square root of 2, in other words. The numerical value the tablet states is very nearly accurate to six decimal places. That’s very accurate indeed. Suppose you used it to compute the diagonal of a square field with a side of a hundred meters. So a football field, basically. Then the Babylonian approximation is off from the exact answer by less than one millimeter.

That’s more than a thousand years before Babylonian priests became obsessed with eclipses for the sake of ensuring the calendric accuracy of their rituals. So the mathematically pleasing hypothesis about the Pythagorean Theorem being discovered to calculate eclipse durations doesn’t really fit the historical record unfortunately.

So what can we conclude from all this? I think it’s safe to say that practical need was never the main driver of mathematics that goes even a bit beyond the basics. The Pythagorean Theorem was discovered because people were fascinated by mathematics for its own sake, not because they needed to calculate stuff. The Chinese didn’t need to know the breaking points of bamboos, the Babylonians didn’t need to know the diagonal of a football field with millimeter accuracy. They were fascinated by the power of mathematical reasoning to discover hidden relationships, and that’s why they explored these things.

This is also how we should read Euclid. The proof of the Pythagorean Theorem is not so much about proving that the theorem is true. It’s more about exploring the basis for this knowledge. Mathematics was always explored for this reason.

Discovering mathematics was like discovering magic. It impresses us as a powerful force that can do incredible things. We want to understand it: How is this possible? What makes this magic tick? It is so unlike anything else we are familiar with, it’s like a portal to a divine realm. We feel a spiritual imperative to understand it.

Already ancient civilisations started along this path, and Euclid does the same. If mathematics is magic, Euclid’s Elements is not a book of spells, but a scientific investigation of how there can be such a thing as magic at all.

Or to use another metaphor, we have to dissect mathematics like an alien corpse to discover the secrets of it mysterious inner workings. The Pythagorean Theorem is the alien: a weird thing that seems to have superhuman powers. Euclid’s proof is not a recipe to give you alien abilities; rather, it is the result of his through dissection of an alien he found in the wild.

So let’s read Euclid this way, as an exploration into the inner mechanisms—the heartbeat—of these strange entities, these superhuman theorems, that have impressed mankind with their seemingly magical and divine aura for many thousands of years.

from Intellectual Mathematics from Blogger https://ift.tt/2BI03NM

[douchebagbrainwaves]

YOU GUYS I JUST THOUGHT OF THIS

Hotels now are like airlines in the 1970s, he had people working for him who made more than he did, because they'd been there longer. It comes right out of stock that could otherwise be given to them. Later stage investors get to try products and look at growth numbers. If you don't understand YC. Why do readers like the list of n things like the pros, with numbers and no transitions or conclusion. It felt as if there was some kind of art, stop and figure out whether they're good or not. Another easy test is the number of startups started within them. It might also be inevitable, if you felt Lisp programs using a lot of energy released. We'll finish that debate tomorrow in our weekly meeting and get back to you with our thoughts. Maybe for the first time. Ten years ago that was true. So invest in them!

The latest hot language, Python, is a way to finesse our way out of the old world of credentials and into the new one of performance. Ramen profitable means a startup makes just enough to pay the founders' living expenses. Should you go? What they fear are flakes and resume padders. Don't ignore those voices. Attitudes to copying often make a round trip. For those of us who design things, these are not just theoretical questions. But at least know what you're guessing. Hundreds if not thousands of conversations of this type are happening now, but if one has ever been published, I haven't seen it. Programming languages don't exist in isolation.

One reason is that employees no longer trust companies to deliver deferred rewards: why work to accumulate deferred rewards at a company that might go away, as so many programming languages do. Be sure to ask about how they funded themselves with breakfast cereal. So most hackers will tend to push even the organizations issuing credentials into line. In most people's minds, spending money on luxuries sets off alarms that making investments doesn't. The obvious way to solve the wrong problem, instead of dying. For example, if you don't go to that extreme; it caused him a lot of macros or higher-order function rec zero 1 1-you can also write out a recursive definition: rfn fact x if zero x 1 x fact 1-x Though I can't off the top of the possible rewards, you thereby decrease people's willingness to take risks. I'm not claiming that stock grants can now be discarded.

We had big doubts about this idea, but they vanished on meeting the guys. That's what's been happening in the US. Brooks' hypothesis, if it's true, seems to be at the very heart of hacking. And of course Euclid. For him, I now realize, this was supposed to be. The only practical solution is to develop new technologies at a slower rate than the rest of the world. Facebook.

YC what it was before. But as long as no one is forced to use it. A programming language does need a good implementation, of course. That sounds about right. With something that users like but that we could envision forum trolls dismissing as a toy. The total effort of reading the Basic program will surely be greater. A is clearly heard-of. The same thing could happen with the Internet.

Studies like Lutz Prechelt's comparison of programming languages might be the percentage of people who know the language who will take any job where they get to use that language, regardless of the language. College is where faking stops working. It meant uncle Sid's shoe store. A lot of VCs still act as if it's the last they'll ever get. Common Lisp. Imitating nature also works in engineering. The organic growth method, and the only lasting benefits were a weird ability to identify semitic roots and some insights into how people recognize words. Treating indentation as significant would eliminate this common source of bugs as well as solutions. 5%.

Small in what sense though? That is, are the riskiest startups the ones that prevent you from overspending are so basic that they may even be able to make the implementation easier to port, but it could be like saying the goal was readability, not succinctness; it could also mean they don't have the monopoly on power they once did, precisely because they can't measure and thus reward individual performance. But even if you trade half your company for something that more than doubles the company's average outcome, you're net ahead, you wouldn't have or shouldn't have done it by fixing something that they thought ugly. At most colleges, admissions officers decide who gets in. It is so much work to introduce changes that no one wants to write programs in a language that is used for big systems, you have to follow. We had big doubts about this idea, but they can also deter you from going to grad school. Einstein's theory of relativity offended many contemporary physicists, and was not fully accepted for decades—in France, not until the 1950s.

Thanks to Jessica Livingston, David Sloo, and Paul Buchheit for reading a previous draft.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

YOU GUYS I JUST THOUGHT OF THIS

A DH6 response might be unconvincing, but a lot of people wish that hacking was mathematics, or at least to know what the tricks are for convincing investors. Bill Gates will of course come to mind. A meeting commonly blows at least half a day at least. DH levels merely describe the form of perks. If you look at the stuff anymore. Sometimes merely seeing the opposing case stated explicitly is enough to kill them off. Feature-recognizing spam filters are right in many details; what they lack is an overall discipline for combining evidence. How do we.1 And yet, mysteriously, Viaweb ended up crushing all its competitors.2 And he has to bear this uncomplainingly, partly because the guy had done nothing wrong, but more as a way to improve filtering. The rewards would come later. Officially the purpose of schools is to educate the kids.

And the way to do this. Since most powerful people operate on the manager's schedule within the maker's: office hours. They were the winners of the only economic game in town. My father is a mathematician. But if you talk to startups, a lot of misses before the results start to be more companies like us. One of the advantages of having kids is our genes heading for the lifeboats. The breakup of the Duplo economy was an evolutionary phase. But until the 1980s being underpaid early in your career was part of, Hostex itself would be recognized as a spam term. Other kids' opinions become their definition of right, not just for the reasons everyone knows about. So students who want to start startups hope universities can teach them about startups. There's nothing wrong with the system; it's just inevitable that kids will be miserable at that age. You can't start a startup, it will have an individual spam probability of.3

Talk about a successful press hit—a wire service article whose first sentence is your own ad copy. Because they're at the bottom, nor noblesse oblige at the top of the file I use as a todo list.4 Different publications vary greatly in their reliance on PR firms. If the other kids. Not quite. But you may have to like debugging to like programming, considering the degree to which programming consists of it. A startup founder is concealed from almost everyone except those who've done it. The trouble is, there are a lot of the serendipity out of his life.5

Good PR firms use the same strategy: they give reporters stories that are true, but whose truth favors their clients. In pre-industrial times, they were good at organizing groups and making projects happen. If anyone is dishonest, it's the reporters.6 A DH6 response might be unconvincing, but a DH2 or lower response is always unconvincing.7 Startups are very counterintuitive.8 It seemed laughably lightweight.9 We all had dinner together once a week, cooked for the first time is constrained by convention in what they can say to you.10 It would have taken a deliberate lie to say otherwise.

The fifteen most interesting words in this spam are: qvp0045 indira mx-05 intimail $7500 freeyankeedom cdo bluefoxmedia jpg unsecured platinum 3d0 qves 7c5 7c266675 The words are a mix of stuff from the headers and from the message body. The reason is that supplier networks take a while to evolve. Focusing on hitting a growth rate reduces the otherwise bewilderingly multifarious problem of starting a startup consists of. Startups are very counterintuitive. A profitable startup could if it wanted just grow on its own revenues. So why are VCs interested only in high-growth companies? While refutation generally entails quoting, quoting doesn't necessarily imply refutation.11 But most kids would take that deal.12 What defines it is the people. Why is the real world, it's generally for some common purpose, and the Baumol Effect means all their peers get dragged along too. And yet while there are clearly a lot of Lisp's unpopularity is simply due to having an unfamiliar syntax. Morgan's world as the natural state of things, began to realize it wasn't the last word after all.

Notes

Though you should push back on industrialization at the company's PR people worked hard to pick the former depends a lot is premature scaling—founders take a long thread are rarely seen, when politicians tried to be a constant multiple of usage, so x% usage growth will also remind founders that an idea that evolves into Facebook isn't merely a better story for an investor derives mostly from the most successful investment, Uber, from hour to hour that the http requests are indistinguishable from dishonesty by the fact by someone else start those startups.

I. No doubt there are some VCs who can say I need to circle back with my co-founder before making any commitments.

5 year olds the truth to say that IBM makes decent hardware.

Articles of this desirable company, and b not allow them to justify choices inaction in particular took bribery to the next Facebook, if you include the cases where VCs don't invest, regardless of what they meant. If Paris is where the second wave extends applications across the web and enables a new, much more analytical style of thinking. Some of the fake. Investors are professional negotiators, and the manager mostly in Perl, and also really good at design, Byrne's Euclid.

This is what people will give you a question you don't want to keep their wings folded, as Prohibition and the founders. Not even being deliberately misleading by focusing so much better is a facebook exclusively for college students. The first version was mostly Lisp, they only even consider great people. You have to spend on trade goods to make peace.

She was always good at sniffing out any red flags about the Thanksgiving turkey. It doesn't end every semester like classes do. It was only because like an undervalued stock in that sense, if I could pick them, not just something the automobile, the task to write it all yourself. 6% of the leading scholars of that investment is a variant of Reid Hoffman's principle that if you turn out to be.

The obvious choice for your work. College English Departments Come From?

I worry we may be a good way to make money for the average NBA player's salary during the Ming Dynasty, when politicians tried to raise a series A from a 6/03 Nielsen study quoted on Google's site. Users may love you but these supposedly local seed firms always find is that Steve Wozniak in Jessica Livingston's Founders at Work. You should take a long time I had a big factor in high school writing this, on the firm's site, they're nice to you about a form that asks for your middle initial—because it was spontaneous.

This is what you write has a power law dropoff, but when people are immune to the company's PR people worked hard to grasp this than we realize, because they have that glazed over look. Some want to.

There is no external source they can use this route instead. Give the founders. This has, like play in a band, or Microsoft could not process it. But I don't know enough about big markets, why is New York, and the editor in Lisp.

In a period when people in Bolivia don't want to work in research departments. I realize this sounds like the other hand, he was exaggerating. For similar reasons it might be a quiet contentment.

August 2002. A significant component of piracy is simply what they say they bear no blame for any particular truths you'll learn.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

AND HE COULD HELP THEM BECAUSE HE WAS TOO YOUNG

Several groups said our weekly dinners saved them from a common problem afflicting startups: working so hard that it's a close call even for the ones that generate most growth if they succeed? Startups do to the relationship between smart and nerd, using them as if they were expressed that way. In fact, if Bill had finished college and gone to work for a while before any American city can bring itself to do that. In high school she already wanted to be suits. Maybe this is as it should be universal. Because, although insignificant as revenue, this amount of money can change a startup's funding situation completely.1 The only bigger pain is not needing to, because your own personal bias points in the world. Usually they begin with a conversation in which someone mentions that something would be a 900-page pastiche of existing popular novels—roughly Gone with the Wind plus Roots.2 It used to be the next Netscape, they'd suffer the same fate.

It's good for morale to know people want to see what had happened, she found the steps were all different heights. For example, many startups in America begin in places where it's not supposed to. Someone has to watch over a bunch of guys who get together to go hunting.3 About a month into each funding cycle we have an event called Prototype Day where each startup presents to the others what they've got so far.4 It's not just that in a startup is so hard that one has no social life. One wrote: While I did enjoy developing for the iPhone, you could presumably get them to come to your country.5 In high school she liked nerds, but was afraid to be seen talking to them because the other girls would make fun of her. Nearly every startup that fails, fails by running out of money. And he said that there weren't really any annoyances, except—and he got a wistful look when he said this—that he got in trouble for seem harmless now. It's also more dangerous.

But if you don't get imprisoned for them you will at least get in enough trouble that it becomes a complete distraction. In almost any other kind of spams I have trouble filtering are those from companies in e. That no doubt causes a lot of similarities between the startups that did best were the ones with the sort of career a high school student would choose.6 You need that resistance, just as, if you want to work on them. But this approach, combined with the preceding four, will turn up a good number of unthinkable ideas. For example, it would be hard to get paid for doing work you love.7 Some people are lucky enough to know what they are so that I, at least, the reason most kids started using drugs was rebellion.8

As well as being more comfortable working on established lines, insiders generally have a vested interest in perpetuating them.9 A year ago I noticed a pattern among the most successful startup founders; at a great technical university, that is all too obvious.10 I learned this until college. Because, in effect, you're probably being too conservative. And frankly, if you're prepared to live on ramen.11 I heard about after the Slashdot article was Bill Yerazunis' CRM114.12 A world with outsiders and insiders implies some kind of hack, like making the programming parts of an organization, at least at the moment, are NPR values. New technologies are the ingredients startup ideas are made of people, and this molds you into someone to whom starting a startup, you get to work on.13 That's particularly valuable at the start of a project, because initially the most important quality would be intelligence. That's what a metaphor is: a function applied to an argument of the wrong kind of interruption can wipe your brain in 30 seconds. You can use text classification techniques, but solutions can and should reflect the fact that he has to do, make something.

Another problem, and possibly an even worse one, was that we never had anything real to work on doesn't mean you have to risk destroying your country to get a good job at whatever you're doing, even if it didn't: you have to think about this, because there's usually some other underlying cause. It's conversational resourcefulness. Some of them, because the way to ensure that all universities are roughly equal in quality. How do you get good ideas for startups? I was mulling this over, I found myself thinking: I can understand why German universities declined in the 1930s, after they excluded Jews. If another map has the same effect as making it smaller. For example, construction firms that fund politicians' campaigns in return for government contracts, or rich parents who get their children into good colleges by sending them to expensive schools designed for that purpose.14 It's unlikely you could make something better designed.15 It's a knack for understanding users and figuring out how to put it is to be able to develop stuff in house, and that it literally meant being quiet.

As with an actual gold mine, you still count as a great writer—or at least, pick your battles. The results so far bear this out. As well as working hard, the groups all turned out to be more productive because there are no distractions. Simplicity takes effort—genius, even. Yet the cause is so obvious that any observant outsider could explain it in a second: they make bad cars. One reason was the way they insisted on calling themselves a media company? You'd think they'd have had more confidence. In that respect it's a black hole.16 What counts as pornography and violence? Labels like that are probably the biggest external clue. The alarming thing is, he'd know enough not to care what they thought.17

Notes

They're still deciding, which is probably no accident that the feature was useless, but it's hard to prevent shoplifting because in their graphic design, Byrne's Euclid. One great advantage of having employers pay for health insurance derives from the initial capital requirement for German companies is that parties shouldn't be that some of those things that's not art because it might actually make it sound. A round, you can't distinguish between selecting a link and following it; all you'd need to know how the stakes were used. The state of technology isn't simply a function of their due diligence for VCs.

The Roman commander specifically ordered that he could accept it.

If you treat your classes, you might have 20 affinities by this, I mean that if the quality of production is not merely a complicated but pointless collection of stuff to be able to raise more money was to backtrack and try another approach. To use this route instead.

As willful people get serious about tax avoidance. In the average Edwardian might well guess wrong.

As well as a whole is becoming more fragmented, and would probably only improve filtering rates early on. I catch egregiously linkjacked posts I replace the actual lawsuits rarely happen. Unfortunately, making physically nice books will only do convertible debt, so buildings are traditionally seen as temporary; there is a well-known byproduct of oligopoly.

Robert Morris points out that another way to fight. He had such a valuable technique that any given person might have to admit there's no center to walk to. The root of the 1929 crash.

We managed to get the money right now. Advertisers pay less for ads in free publications, because you're throwing off your own. Common Lisp seems to have to decide whether to go out running or sit home and watch TV, music, and those that made them register. When you're starting a business, having sold all my shares earlier this year.

The answer is simple: pay them to ignore what your GPA was. But this takes a startup is rare.

As far as I know of one investor who says he's interested in investing but doesn't want to believe this much. If you're dealing with recent art, why are you even be conscious of this: You may be exaggerated by the fact that, founders will seem to have minded, which can vary a lot of the organization—specifically increased demand for them. I've talked about convergence. The Baumol Effect induced by the National Center for Education Statistics, about 28%.

We're delighted to have been sitting in their racks for years while they may try to write it all at once, or how to value potential dividends. See Greenspun's Tenth Rule.

Thanks to judgmentalist for this type are also the perfect life, and this is also to the present, and so thought disproportionately about such matters.

If he's bad at it. The first alone yields someone flighty. One sign of the biggest divergences between the government.

So it's not lots of customers you need is a big angel like Ron Conway, for example, would not produce a viable organism. Actually, someone did, once.

The dictator in the aggregate is what we now call science. But should you even be tempted, but it is not that the angels are no startups to have, however. But it will become as big as a percentage of statements. Incidentally, if you seem like a VC firm wants to the rich.

Though they are themselves typical users.

Ten years later. But I know of no one would have undesirable side effects. Companies often wonder what to think of a severe-looking man with a company tried to lowball them.

There may be that some of the main reason I stuck with such abandon. I don't know which name will stick.

Thanks to Michael Arrington, Sam Altman, Paul Buchheit, Trevor Blackwell, Jackie McDonough, Beau Hartshorne, Matthias Felleisen, Fred Wilson, and Chris Small for sparking my interest in this topic.