#it also helps to have lived with a chemist for two years

[shinobicyrus]

Cooking Things I Learned the Hard Way

Don’t use plastic utensils to prepare hot meals just. At all. The heat from the stove can soften and even melt the plastic, and then all that crap winds up in your food.

Do not microwave plastic tupperware containers with leftovers in them for the same reason. Put the food on a plate or in a bowl, first.

Don’t use metal utensils on your non-stick pots and pans, as it can scratch the non-stick coating and then start leaking that stuff into your food. Use wood or silicon utensils, instead.

Metal utensils are fine with stainless steel or cast iron pots and pans.

If you can afford it, I highly recommend investing in a good cast iron pan. They’re durable, get better with age, and can last you literal decades. Just don’t wash them with soap.

If you like rice, buy a rice cooker! There are some pretty simple, cheap, compact models out there that make rice perfectly every time. My roommate and I made it through quarantine with my little rice cooker.

Not technically cooking per se but try having a snack before you go grocery shopping. If you’re not hungry there’s less chance you’ll make impulse purchases and stick to your list - especially if you’re on a budget.

If multiple people are eating a meal, then one person should not be doing all the cooking by themselves! Even if you’re “not a good cook” you can chop or peel vegetables, fetch ingredients, wash dishes or clean counters as you go to make the after-meal clean up a little easier. Preparing meals is always more enjoyable when you do it together.

[mistydeyes]

pharmacist! hcs

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summary: ik some people put themselves in the role of the pharmacist but here are some headcanons i have for her if you consider her more of an oc :)

pairing: 141 x pharmacist!reader

see her here counseling the 141

her story if she likes price

her story if she likes ghost

PS. Another part of her story is coming soon! Look out for next Wednesday :)

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joined the British Army as a pharmacy captain after a two year pharmacy residency in a London hospital

she realized that working at a local chemists and in a hospital weren’t for her so she decided on the career change

speaking of her life before being a pharmacy captain, she was a good student — not at the bottom but not at the top

she primarily struggled with anything related to pharmacology but excelled with therapeutics and counseling

her blood type is O- (a universal blood donor)

before becoming a pharmacist, she had aspirations of becoming a linguist or historian

was amazing at picking up languages and learning them after some time

but she was drawn to pharmacy after seeing how it helped a close family friend who had an MRSA resistant infection

knows 10 different languages and counting (with varying speaking and writing fluency) - English obvi, Spanish, Mandarin, Greek, Latin, Russian, Arabic, Swedish, German, French, and is currently learning Portuguese

loves taking walks and runs at the base gym (she has to get in her recommended 150min of exercise a week)

if you think she’s listening to music while exercising you’re wrong, she’s listening to podcasts and always loves the medicine focused ones

always will show up to military balls or formal events and talk to you about anything under the sun

loves interacting with people 1 on 1 rather than behind a pharmacy counter

also keep in mind she’s not flirting, she just loves chatting with people and knowing how to make their day better

one time, she met a linguist and after the initial awkwardness (she thought the pharmacist was hitting on her), they had a whole conversation about the nuances of languages

if you know her well, you’ll notice how she deflects the conversation onto you and talking abt yourself as she loves observing

Gaz and Ghost frustrate her at times as she finds herself revealing things she normally won’t tell patients

despite the health risk, she loves caffeine and always has an energy drink or cup of coffee during the day

her diet is completely different, she prefers to prepare things in her room or look for the best things in the mess hall (she needs a balanced diet)

her bookshelves in her room are filled with books in a variety of languages and are often history books or classics

she also is currently reading a book that details the history of women in medicine

she has pictures in her room which show her happiest times aka being in pharmacy school

carries a large water bottle with her at all times and her tech’s have to remind her to stay hydrated during a shift

her techs are basically her siblings and she likes to take them off base occasionally to chat about something different than drugs and immunizations

her drink of choice is a tequila sunrise because tequila is the only alcohol that isn’t a depressant and also orange juice is a great source of Vit C!

her second drink of choice is a penicillin

wants to be a professor when she retires and dreams of teaching about self-care recommendations and emergency medicine

has a small tattoo of a mortar and pestle on her forearm, she got it with some of her friends when they all graduated

her tech joked that she should get a notepad tattooed on her wrist because she always writes reminders on her arms

primarily lives on base and occasionally visits her parents who live in Brighton

she updates them weekly but they know their daughter is in one of the safest places in the UK

her favorite drug to administer are any antimalarials, eye drops, nasal spray, and inhalers (she loves that she just has to count the boxes)

her least favorite is Metformin and thyroid drugs as they often are in counts of 90 or 180

constantly uses pink pen and colorful sticky notes (peep her little notes in the medical files)

the reason she hates doctors is not because of anything significant but because of an ex that told her that her degree was irrelevant because she didn’t go to med school

hates the stigma against pharmacists, in the US they’re literally considered doctors so why is there such disrespect?

she’ll never admit it but her favorite patients are the 141, they all have such unique personalities that she constantly looks for their scripts every morning

[nadiv22]

My favorite quotes from civ VI

TECHNOLOGY

“No man ever wetted clay and then left it, as if there would be bricks by chance and fortune.” – Plutarch

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” – Will Rogers

“I AM FOND OF PIGS. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” – Winston S. Churchill

“Who deserves more credit than the wife of a coal miner?” – Merle Travis

“When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.” – Will Rogers

“I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.” – Arthur C. Clarke

“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” -W. H. Auden

“I shot an arrow into the air. It fell to earth, I knew not where.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” -Mark Twain

“I’m also interested in creating a lasting legacy … because bronze will last for thousands of years.” – Richard MacDonald

“MONEA, if it does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort.” – Helen Gurley Brown

“A man on a horse is spiritually as well as physically bigger than a man on foot.” – John Steinbeck

“The Lord made us all out of iron. Then he turns up the heat to forge some of us into steel.” – Marie Osmond

“I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder … Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.” – Capt. E.J. Smith, RMS Titanic

“Create with the heart; build with the mind.” – Criss Jami

“One man’s ‘magic’ is another man’s engineering.” – Robert Heinlein

“There is no easy way to train an apprentice. My two tools are example and nagging.” – Lemony Snicket

The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” – Malcolm Forbes

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle

“Rocks in my path? I keep them all. With them I shall build my castle.” – Nemo Nox

“Not all who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

“People can have the Model T in any color – so long as it’s black.” – Henry Ford

“The pen might not be mightier than the sword, but maybe the printing press is heavier than the siege weapon. Just a few words can change everything.” – Terry Pratchett

“Astronomy’s much more fun when you’re not an astronomer.” – Brian May

“If facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts.” – Albert Einstein

“No one starts a war – or rather, no one in his senses ought to do so – without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war and how he intends to conduct it.” – Karl von Clausewitz

“Science owes more to the steam engine than the steam engine owes to science.” – Lawrence Henderson

“Bolt actions speak louder than words.” – Craig Roberts

“Never criticize a rifleman until you have walked a mile in his shoes. That way, he’ll be barefoot and you’ll be out of range.” – The 2nd Target Company

“For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.” – Leonardo da Vinci

“If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.” – Chuck Yeager

“Benjamin Franklin may have discovered electricity, but it was the man who invented the meter who made the money.” – Earl Wilson

“Chemists do not usually stutter. It would be very awkward if they did, seeing that they have at times to get out such words as methylethylamylophenylium.” – Sir William Crookes

“If God had really intended men to fly, He’d make it easier to get to the airport.” – George Winters

“Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets.” – George Patton

“There may be no forgiveness for polyester. On this one matter, Satan and the Lord are in agreement.” – Joe Hill

“I’m a big laser believer – I really think they are the wave of the future.” – Courteney Cox

"Even though the future seems far away, it is actually beginning right now.” – Mattie Stepanek

CIVICS

“Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” — Colonel David Hackworth

“A strong economy begins with a strong, well-educated workforce.”– Bill Owens “Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.” – Marcus Aurelius

“It was luxuries like air conditioning that brought down the Roman Empire. With air conditioning their windows were shut; they couldn’t hear the barbarians coming.” – Garrison Keillor

Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – William Shakespeare

“Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack.” – Sun Tzu

“History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

“A good navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“In democracy it’s your vote that counts; in feudalism it’s your count that votes.” – Mogens Jallberg

“There are very honest people who do not think that they have had a bargain unless they have cheated a merchant.” – Anatole France

“You can’t go around arresting the Thieves’ Guild. I mean, we’d be at it all day!” – Terry Pratchett

“Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government … You can’t expect to wield supreme power just ‘cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!” – Monty Python

“In diplomacy there are two kinds of problems: small ones and large ones. The small ones will go away by themselves, and the large ones you will not be able to do anything about.” – Patrick McGuinness

“A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman’s birthday but never remembers her age.” – Robert Frost

“New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.” – John Locke

“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” – Douglas Adams

“Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.” – Edward Wilson

“If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.” -Mark Twain

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” – Heywood Broun

“A good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week.” – George S. Patton

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” – John F. Kennedy

“Which of all my important nothings shall I tell you first?” -Jane Austen

“I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.” –Albert Einstein

[pinkypride]

Modern au ivor and gabriel

I wish to ramble again.

Ivor adopted jesse at a young age, around 5 or 6 years old. Ivor initially had a job as a chemist as well as his own place, but he got fired around a year after adopting his son. Gabriel offered to let them move in and Ivor didn't really have much of a choice but to say yes. They never moved out.

Ivor has Jesse call him "Uncle Ivor" bc he didnt want to upstage his original parents, plus being jobless and needing his best friend to help him raise a child made him feel not very dad-like. Ivor has a steady job now but there's no point moving out, Jesse is all grown up. He and Gabriel live a very domestic life together, one could easily make the mistake assuming they're married.

Gabriel is a cop and has been since before Jesse was born. He's one of the few officers who has the respect of the community, mainly due to how kind and understanding he is. Jesse also refers to him as his uncle.

Ive been going back and forth on whether or not to have Ivor and Gabriel actually in love or strictly platonic and im still not sure where to land. I like the idea of these two old men who raised a kid together to realize, now that said kid is independent, they have feelings for each other and have for awhile. BUT I also think it would be funny to have these two best friends live together and act very married but they have no romantic interest in each other whatsoever.

[lisbeth-kk]

Experiment

Thanks for the prompt @calaisreno

Realisation

One of John’s favourite things is watching Sherlock interact with Rosie. She’s almost four and already Sherlock’s equipped her with a small microscope, goggles, gloves and an apron. Seeing the two curly heads bent over their microscopes fills John’s heart with love, and he must resist the urge to go over and kiss them. He does it sometimes with Rosie, but with Sherlock. No, that would not go well. The man’s married to his work. That said, he’s adjusted considerably since John and Rosie moved in. He watches Rosie when John has late night shifts at A&E, and Greg’s told him that Sherlock refuses to come to crime scenes when he’s watching her. John’s told him he can ask Mrs. Hudson or Molly to help on those occasions, but Sherlock’s determined.

“You trust me to watch her in you absence, John. That’s not something I take lightly. A crime scene is barely that important,” Sherlock’s reassured John.

Sherlock’s another man than he was before the Fall. More considerate, more contemplative, but also the same infuriating, lazy git John remembers and missed for two years.

***

“So, what are you two up to today?” John asks after lunch.

It’s Saturday, so there’s no daycare for Rosie, and John’s shift starts at 2 pm. 

“Speriment?” Rosie asks and beams at Sherlock.

Sherlock looks intently at the little girl, steeples his fingers under his chin and scrutinises her for a while. Rosie giggles and claps her hands. She loves it when Sherlock takes her seriously, which he does most of the time, truth be told.

He’s so great with her. More like a second father than a godfather.

The thought hits John like a car in full motion. Sherlock spoils Rosie, but in a good way. With undivided attention, teaching her all sort of things John can’t, taking all her questions seriously, but he’s also stern with her when she has a tantrum. John’s startled out of his musings when Sherlock speaks and Rosie squeals with joy.

“Yes, Watson. We’ll do a new experiment today, but we need to do some shopping first. Soap.”

“Soap?” John asks and gives Sherlock a quizzical look, and Rosie mimics him.

“Mm, yes. We’re going to find the perfect mix that gives the biggest and shiniest soap bubbles,” Sherlock says, his index finger tapping his lips.

“Soap bubbles!” Rosie sings and jumps around the living room.

John grins and his chest expands with all the love he feels for the two crazy chemists.

“Right, have fun,” John says and scoops Rosie up for a hug.

She kisses his cheek and wriggles to get back down on the floor.

“Shall I bring back some takeaway?” John asks Sherlock. “I’ll be finished around nine.”

“I know, John,” Sherlock says and rolls his eyes. 

As if he’s not memorised John’s schedule.

John knows this, but he won’t take Sherlock for granted, particularly when he’s caring for Rosie.

“Stop worrying, John. I’ll text you.”

“Fine. Bye, you two.”

And with a heavy heart, John descends the stairs and walks to the tube. He loves his job, but some days he just wants to spend it with the two people he loves the most.

***

It’s a slow day in the A&E this Saturday. John’s almost bored, but at least he gets a serious amount of paperwork done. He knows that it might explode with all sort of things later. Accidents may happen, victims of violence are not unheard of during the weekend, people with fractures is an everyday routine. 

When his phone rings, his blood freezes in his veins. It’s Sherlock’s number. Sherlock never calls, he texts. Unless something’s happened to Rosie.

“Sherlock?” he answers, trying to keep his voice calm.

“John, I’m so sorry. It’s Rosie. She…”

Sherlock’s voice is far from calm, and John can hear Rosie crying in the back.

“What’s happened?” John asks, still calm. Rosie crying means she’s conscious, and that can be a good thing. He hopes it is, but Sherlock’s distress may suggest otherwise.

“I didn’t pay enough attention. I’m so sorry, John. Her hand, I think it may be broken. I…um…”

Sherlock’s clearly about to panic, and John knows just how to handle that. Captain Watson’s needed.

“Sherlock! Listen to me. Get a cab and come here straight away. I’ll meet you at the entrance. Try to steady Rosie’s arm as much as possible, and…I know it’s hard, but try to stay calm. For her. Small children tend to pick up on their parents and loved one’s distress. Fake it if you have to, okay?”

John hates being this brusque with Sherlock when he’s in this kind of state but needs must.

“Yes, John,” Sherlock acquiesces and hangs up.

***

Sherlock’s about to hand Rosie to John when they arrive at the hospital, but John stops him.

“We´re going straight to the X-ray department, and you’re holding her perfectly now. The arm’s stabilised and the pain subsided a bit. Let’s wait to move her until it’s inevitable,” John says and bends down to kiss Rosie’s forehead.

“Hey, sweetheart. Let’s get you sorted. Sherlock’s going to carry you, so your arm won’t hurt, okay?”

Rosie sniffs, nods and leans her head against Sherlock’s chest. John places a hand on the small of Sherlock’s back and guides him to the lifts. Sherlock walks cautiously, transfixed on the girl in his arms. John leans in, stroking his back.

“It’s alright, Sherlock. You did just the right thing. Don’t worry. She’ll be fine,” he assures Sherlock, who looks more devastated than John’s ever seen him.

Sherlock doesn’t answer. John suspects he’ll break down if he’s forced to speak, so he just keeps stroking Sherlock’s back to sooth him. Rosie’s totally still but looks around curiously when they exit the lift. She cries out in pain when she’s taken from Sherlock and placed on a bench in the X-ray department. John stays but prompts Sherlock to wait outside.

***

When Rosie’s put to bed that night, exhausted from today’s happenings, John walks into the sitting room and finds Sherlock curled up on the sofa. His body shakes and John acts on instinct. He kneels on the floor, strokes Sherlock’s upper arm and back.

“Sherlock, what’s the matter? Rosie’s fine. It was just a small fracture, and she’s quite satisfied with her cast and the attention from the medical staff. They were utterly impressed by her. Telling them all about your experiments while they …”

“It’s my fault, John. I didn’t pay attention. If I hadn’t…”

“Stop it, Sherlock. It wasn’t your fault. Rosie’s the one who were in a rush when Mrs. Hudson came to visit. That she tipped that bottle of soap over and then slipping was an accident that could’ve happened even if I was present. These things happen with children all the time, Sherlock. Don’t pester yourself, please.”

Without being aware, John’s started to stroke Sherlock’s hair. Sherlock’s gone limp and breathes evenly. 

Is he sleeping?

Then Sherlock moves and faces John, reaches out an arm and pulls John in, hiding his face on John’s chest. John continues to pet Sherlock’s hair.

“Did you finish the experiment?” John asks quietly.

“Mm, we did,” Sherlock mutters.

“Good. Maybe we can go to the park and try it out tomorrow, then,” John says and places a kiss on the top of Sherlock’s head.

Sherlock draws back a little and looks up at John, lifts a hand and places it on John’s cheek. John turns his head, grabs Sherlock’s hand and kisses the palm. Sherlock’s eyes widen in surprise. He looks so young and vulnerable, and John can’t resist the urge any longer. They meet halfway in a soft, promising kiss.

Some parentlock for you this Saturday <3

@totallysilvergirl @missdeliadili @topsyturvy-turtely @meetinginsamarra @raina-at @peanitbear

[lyn-js]

One Step at a Time | Chapter 1. Unwanted Encounters

Calvin Evans x OC Reader

Summary: Everything in Ava Mason's life was what you call normal. She has a steady job as a lab tech at Hastings, has a beautiful bungalow in Sugar Hill, and sometimes babysits her friend Harriet's kids. But that all changes when social services show up at her doorstep with, her 2-year-old niece Delilah. Ever since then, it has been keeping you from your job, going to work late, and leaving when everyone else has gone home. But a certain chemist wants to know why a lab tech is staying late.

Warning: Angst, swearing, mentions of drug & alcohol abuse, dysfunctional family, mentions of adoptions & being put into foster care, and a whole lotta fluff.

(This story is kind of based on what actually happened in Lessons in Chemistry. But no dying. We need to keep one of Lewis's characters alive.)

I also do not own any characters in Lessons in Chemistry except for my character Ava Mason, Delilah Mason, and more to come.

It always feels weird being after hours at work. I think to myself. Even though for the past month or two I’ve been staying a little later than I would usually like. But If I was going to be here without a choice. I would look damn good doing it. So, with a little help from Harriet and Delilah, they helped me pick out the perfect Dress to wear for the pageant.

As I pull up to my usual parking spot, I just take a moment to collect myself before I unintentionally make a fool of myself onstage.

Let's get this show over with, shall we? I think to myself before getting out of my car and walking up to the building. Let’s hope this night isn’t a complete disaster.

(Calvin’s POV)

As I walk into the very crowded, lively room, I see many chemists with their friends, and loved ones mingle, talking, and what seems to be having a good time.

I snap out of my thoughts when I see a chemist walking up to me saying they’re surprised to see me, and exporting me over to the bar to grab a drink.

As I’m at the bar, trying to sip on my drink, and the other scientists discussing secret experiments with everyone. I give a second look when I see her walk into the room. For some reason, it feels like the world has come to a complete halt when looking at Ava. She looks so elegant, and pristine like a light from above was casting down on her.

And the way her dress flowed when she was turning to get a good look at the room.

Just… so… beautiful

But that moment is ruined when I see Fran pull Ava away from my view to go talk to the other contestants in the pageant. 

I could tell from the way her body was fidgeting she didn’t want to be there. I would want to be here either. I just needed to come to this ridiculous thing so I could apologize for the way I acted towards her.

So I decided to walk up to her and apologize. As soon as I’m walking over to her, I see her walking towards me. I let out a little breath thinking she was coming up to talk with me also.

“Miss. Mason I have wanted to-” I stop when she completely ignores me and walks past me to go backstage with the other women.

Way to go Evans!

I make my way over to the tables to sit and watch the show go on. When Fran finishes she hands the microphone over to the head of Amino's lab, Dr. Price. 

He introduces himself and gives very bad science puns, which everyone laughs at. And then introduces all of the contestants.

And my eyes fall on Miss. Amino’s, Ava Mason. The only thing she could do onstage was just give a half smile, trying to play the role of a woman who wanted to be up on stage.

Later on, the pageant continued with the talent portion. Some girls danced and did gymnastics, and one of them even whistled. As the other women show their talents, I see another woman come up behind me but walk past me and close her distance with Donatti. That must be Mrs. Donatti.

I try not to listen to their conversation, but I can only hear that their daughter's fever goes down. But suddenly when she sits down in front of me, I have a potent, awful smell filling my senses. I wanted to get up and move but I already saw Mrs. Donatti turn around and introduce herself.

She was all smiles and laughter but lost that expression on her face when I got up to leave to finally get some fresh air. But when I reach for the doors, I bump into someone. I can’t contain myself and I start to release all of my bodily fluids on the ground. When I tried to apologize and look up to see who I ran into, I wanted to die on the spot right then and there.

(Back to your POV)

I never expected to want to die of boredom in my entire life until this very moment. So far the pageant was okay, but others would say they were having the time of their lives. The only thing I wanted to do was go home to Delilah, have an amazing cuddle party, and have a good night's sleep. 

It was the talent portion of the pageant, and all I was going to do was put a tomato in a bowl of boiling water and then peel the skin off. It was stupid anyway. So, as Fran was almost finished with her dance routine, I tail out backstage, grabbed my coat, and tried to get out of the building as fast as humanly possible.

As I’m walking out of the hall, I can hear my name being called by Dr.Price, and that just made me want to get out of there faster. Just as I’m about to reach the front doors I feel someone bump into me, I try to go and apologize to the man, but I see him hunch over and start to vomit all over the ground. 

When he looks up at me, I look down at him. I never wanted to die of embarrassment in my entire life, up until this very moment. I could tell he had the same expression on his face, and couldn’t agree more.

I tried to ask Calvin if I could drive him home, but he told me that he could walk. Saying that it was about 6-7 miles from work. I completely disagreed with him walking and insisted on driving him. He eventually agreed and walked out to my car with me, so he gave me his address and we were off.

As I drive down the road, I can see that this street is very familiar, and as I’m thinking about it, I can see my house come into view. He lives in the same neighborhood as me. 

What if he was the man I saw the other day? Why was he looking at me like that? Why was I looking at him like that?

I snap out of my daze when I hear Calvin speak up saying we were at his house. So I parked out front, and got out so I could help him get inside. As I’m leading him up the steps I hear him release a dangerous burp from his mouth. We were probably thinking the same exact thing when he handed me his key to the house. I tried to open it as fast as I could so we could get inside.

When we made it in his humble abode, luckily he dashed down the hall and made it to the bathroom to finish his business. While he was in there I was trying to look in the kitchen to make him something small, just so he could get something back into his system. 

A short time later I can only find a couple of tea bags and a kettle. So tea it is then. As I put the kettle into the burner, I look around for a spoon to mix the tea with when it’s done. Only coming to find one singular fork in one of his drawers.

“He only has one fork,” I mumble to myself, and then put the utensil back, and continue to look around. 

“S-sorry, I’m not much of an entertainer.” I hear him say. I jolted up a little bit before turning around to see him sitting on his sofa. “I can see,” I say as I walk over towards him with a glass of water.

“I just wanted to say I’m terribly sorry again for what happened tonight, I just don’t want you to hate me-“ he speaks up, but I immediately cut him off “Please Dr. Evans, I can’t accept your apology because you don’t know what you are apologizing for.” 

He tries to repeat something, but I speak up. “Yes, I did take some of your Ribose. Some of a very plentiful supply, If I might add. You have all the resources and the rapt attention of the entire scientific community. But, you take it for granted. So to respond to your comment earlier I don’t hate you I just— I just don’t like you.”

I see his brows furrowed a little bit. Also trying to find some way to speak, even trying to get a word out. But he can’t seem to find anything. I just see him look up again, and say “Thank you.”

Just until then, he sits back on the couch to reach for something in his pocket. He pulls out a bottle and sets it on the coffee table. “You wanted to bring me ribose?” I ask him with a questionable look. 

“It’s the only reason I came to the event tonight.” You don’t know why but for some reason I feel tiny, little sparks set off in my stomach. I don’t know why this is happening, I just said a minute ago that I didn’t like him. But for some reason, I just heard him say that he only came to the pageant just for me. It felt like for just a moment that someone cared about me.

“You have your masters in chemistry?” He asks which makes me snap back into reality. “I do,” I say back to him. Wondering where he was taking this conversation.

“So you didn’t want to pursue a PhD?” he asked. I suddenly freeze. I didn’t know what to say. “I was just in a complicated situation,” I say. But what was I supposed to tell him? My sister got pregnant, and her partner abandoned her, then she showed up at my apartment, crying and saying she didn’t know what to do.

But I wouldn’t trade that situation for the world, in the end, I gained a wonderful, happy, and healthy niece. She is my whole entire world, and I will always be there for her. But I’m trying not to choke up in front of Calvin, and not spill my entire, and dramatic life story onto him.

So now we are in complete silence, not a single word is spoken until I hear the kettle start to whistle in the kitchen. I back away and walk towards the talking dish until it’s off the stove, and into a nice coffee cup with a tea bag. I stirred it until it cooled down a little, and was going to bring it back to Calvin. But apparently, he beat me to it when I saw him in the archway of the kitchen.

“May I ask you a question?” I grabbed the coffee cup with the hot liquid, and I looked back at him with a smirk. “I can’t promise I’ll answer Dr. Evans.”

What was your talent going to be for the pageant?” he asks, almost seeming like he is interested in my stupid little baking trick. “Well, I was going to crack an egg into a bowl and separate the yolk from the whites. I would take a mixer and start to beat the white for a couple of minutes. As you know heat causes molecules to excite. The egg whites expand and oxidize when they are mixed at a fast pace, so they form into a meringue of some sort.”

Now I feel a little bit dumb for saying that out loud, why would you even say that…

“You would have won,” he says to me, and I try to hide the forming smile on my face. But I look up “Good night Dr. Evans.” I say as I make my way out of the house and back to my own.

As I’m driving down the block back to my own little bungalow, I wonder what that whole interaction was about. Why was he trying to be so nice to me now all of a sudden?

It was finally back to work and once again going back as it seemed I was just a lab tech. Plus I got an earful from Dr. Price to not embarrass him again, also telling me that I would instantly regret it. I try not to let him and the other get to me. I’ve worked too hard, and too long to get where I am today.

So, I decided to blow off some steam in the cafeteria and eat some lunch. When I was packing my food last night Delilah decided to patter her way into the kitchen and draw some cute little pictures of me and her and an oddly shaped Poppy, and sneak them into my lunch box. But either way, they were all masterpieces to me.

As I was unwrapping my piece of chocolate chip brownie, I could see out of the corner of my eye someone standing over the table. I look up and see the one and only Calvin Evans.

“May I join you?” he asked, but with some uncertainty behind it, almost bracing himself as if I were going to turn him down. “You may,” I say in a polite tone. Also wanting some extra company. So, he took the seat across from me and got comfortable.

“You made that?” he asked, but I could see in his eyes he wanted to devour my dessert. “Would you like to try some? I assume you haven’t eaten today.” I ask, but he tries to push me off and say that he had a sleeve of crackers earlier. But I wave him off and cut a piece and place it on a napkin, so I can slide it over to him.

I see him take a bite, and see his eyes flutter close. So, I think he likes it. “ Wow– that’s. I've never had anything– That's perfect.” He tells me, trying to find the right words to say. “Well, it’s not perfect but it has the potential to be. This is my sixteenth attempt.” as I tell him about my attempts, his eyes widen a little bit. Surprised at how many times I made this dessert over and over again.

I decided to tell him all about the ingredients and tell him what went wrong with them. Showing him my notebook about how I could try to improve. I quickly turn some pages so he doesn’t see the doodles that litter the whole page Delilah made.

We both look up at each other, and he lets out a chuckle. “So you needed my Ribose to perfect your brownie recipe?” “No. The brownies are my dessert after dinner. I need your Ribose for my research.”

I will try to explain how all of us got to this point. All of this complexity here on planet Earth.

“Abiogenesis” was the only thing he said back to me. “You’re interested in it?” I ask her, “Keep me up at night.”

At that moment we both hooked onto each other. So for the rest of the week, Calvin and I would meet in the Cafeteria, and go over Abiogenesis. Talking about other ideas and experiments other people have created and discovered. Also as time went on, I could see Calvin start to feel more comfortable around me, especially other people. One day he decided to sit next to me instead of across, and I didn’t mind one bit.

It was one night I was trying to lock up the lab, from being in it to staying after hours and cleaning up some equipment. As I’m closing the door I hear Calvin speck up. Which led to me getting a little jumpy, and just continuing to lock up and walk out of the building.

“I’ve been thinking. My enzyme research would benefit from your molecular synthesis work. So I could talk to Donatti, tell him you could work for me, and then you could be able to focus on your own research.” I immediately shut down the thought of the idea. I know for a fact that Donatti would never let me become a chemist. I would always be a silly lab tech to everyone around me.

But he was not caring as I was saying no. “I will treat you as an equal. Hell, you’re one of the smartest people in this lab that I know.” Once again telling him that they would never see me as a real chemist, and they would let Calvin take all of the credit for the research.

We suddenly realized we were in the lobby of the building. Not realizing what he was wearing. “I’m sorry, but are you wearing pajamas?” “Oh no, this is my running gear. I run to and from work. It helps me clear my head a little bit.” After that, we stand completely silent until I hear Calvin give a quiet goodbye. Which left me standing in the lobby, leaving me with my loud thoughts. 

What if I complete this research? I can finally prove something to myself and to others. I can show Delilah that no matter what, you can always follow what you want to do. I just want to make her happy and want her to have a good life. I want him to have everything Izzy and I didn’t have.

As I’m thinking about all of this, I’m racing down the steps to make sure Calvin hasn't gone far yet. When I call out his name, I see him stop and turn around to look at me. 

“Yes!” I shout back at him. '`Yes?” he says back. “Yes.” I see him give a little “Woohoo!” with his fist's pumps in the air, and I let out a little laugh. After that, he starts to run again, and once again I’m left by myself and my thoughts.

But the only thing I’m thinking about is just hoping I’m not making a big mistake. I’ll just have to find out and see.

Reblogs are always welcome. Unless you're under 18. I will block you. and comment if you want to be added to the taglist. If I forgot anybody message me and let me know. You will be added.

Taglist: @petersunderoos96 @mrspedropascal5683 @callsign-magnolia

dividers are by @saradika

[keplercryptids]

Hey, I sent an ask earlier asking about help with medications for migraines and I now see a bunch of your past resource posts. Thank you for taking the time to write and post about your experiences.

I was prescribed sumatriptan a few months ago, but haven't taken it often because it makes me feel dizzy, fatigued, lightheaded, and gives me brain fog. But I've been taking 50mg and never considered decreasing the dose! I plan to try 25mg now. I've been relying on ibuprofen, excedrin, and cannabis to treat pain which isn't great for my long term health. If you have any more suggestions, they are more than welcome and very appreciated

I guess I have 2 new questions, if you'll have em :)

1. So far I haven't found any of your posts that discuss preventative options. Do you have experience with these? What was your experience like?

2. Healthline says that one shouldn't cut or crush the tablet. Based on your posts, I assume your experience with doing this is fine, but I wanted to make sure before trying it.

Genuinely thank you for any help you may be able to give me. I downloaded the keeler method because of your recommendation.I appreciate it🐝

hi! some folks definitely get some gnarly side effects from sumatriptan. i was told by my physician that cutting the pill in half is fine, and i've been cutting the pills for 10 years without issue. but take that with a grain of salt, i'm obviously not a chemist lol. you may also want to ask your doctor about other triptans (rizatriptan, zolmitriptan, etc). it's possible that you'll react similarly to all triptans, but maybe there's an option that you'll tolerate better.

there are many options for migraine preventatives, which i have been exploring for 7 or 8 years now. keep in mind that my experience comes from living in the US with private health insurance. i can't speak to how you'd go about this in a different country or if you're uninsured, etc. also keep in mind that health insurance might not approve you for preventatives (especially the newer, better ones) unless you've been diagnosed with chronic migraine (meaning, 15 or more migraine days per month).

something i highly recommend to everyone suffering from regular headaches is to start taking magnesium. start at a lower dose (200mg daily), which you can increase to 400-600mg. magnesium is affordable, accessible and well-tolerated by most people, and is shown to be effective at preventing migraines. the main side effect is a laxative effect, so proceed cautiously if you have problems with that.

as far as prescriptions go, older migraine preventatives fall into three classes: antidepressants (usually amitryptaline), anticonvulsants (topiramate is a common one), and blood pressure medications. newer (and better, but more expensive) preventatives are: botox injections and CGRP inhibitors. in most cases, you'll need to jump through hoops to get these better preventatives. health insurance usually requires that you try and fail two of the three classes of old-school preventative before approving you for botox or CGRPs.

i've tried amitryptaline (did nothing; also, i don't tolerate antidepressants well) and three different anticonvulsants (topiramate, gabapentin and lamotrigine). i had horrible reactions to the anticonvulsants, with side effects like constant brain fog, tingling in my extremities, changes to how food tasted, increased headaches, and a full-body rash, to name a few. i don't say this to discourage anyone from trying these preventatives--in fact, many folks have great results with them. but they're medications used to stop seizures. they're heavy duty and the side effects should be weighed against their benefit.

botox (injected every three months by my neurologist) worked amazingly for about 6-8 months, and at its best i was only getting one or two migraines a week (which for me is great). but over the last six months, it stopped working as well and i was back to getting 10-15 migraine days per month. i would have liked to keep getting botox while pursuing other options, but insurance wants you to try monotherapies first. so i stopped botox and i'm in the process of getting approved to try aimovig (a CGRP inhibitor that you inject yourself once a month). there are other CGRPs that are in tablet form, like nurtec. CGRPs work remarkably well for lots of people, so i'm hopeful.

as a final note to this very long post lol, if you're able to get a referral to a neurologist or, better yet, a neurologist with a migraine/chronic pain specialty, i highly recommend doing so!

[sapphicwildfire]

I finally got my new pcos supplements delivered. I got berberine probably six months back (it was from a dodgy Amazon store since I couldn’t get any from within Australia) so I’ve been scared to take it despite the fact it kills bloating but the major chemist is finally selling a proper brand berberine so I got my two big half price bottles. I also got some vitamin d since there’s a very fine line where I live between getting sun and sun cancer with the massive hole in the ozone layer. I’ve been taking inositol for several months and I’ve seen and felt the improvements so fingers crossed these make some difference along with all the herbal tea I’ve reluctantly bought (I hate to admit it is helping my digestion). I’m trying to get rid of the seemingly permanent upper stomach bloat/weight and with the inositol and a bit of weight loss thanks to finally minimising my insulin resistance I’m seeing a bigger difference than I have in years.

[darkwolfgoddess]

Tangled Superhero AU

Had an idea today for this kind of AU while at work. So here it is!

Story:

Once upon a time, two celestial gems fell from the heavens, the Sundrop and the Moonstone. One grew into a beautiful golden flower with the ability to heal the sick and injured, yet also burn anything in its path, the other became a mysterious blue crystal capable of grand destruction, yet also incredible protection. As time went on, two kingdoms, Corona and Eclipse, grew where the celestial drops resided- until Corona’s crown princess and eventual successor was kidnapped, bringing with it the loss of the Sundrop.

18 years after her disappearance, the lost princess Rapunzel returns with Eugene Fitzherbert aka Sassy Wolf, a petty werewolf thief. All seems fine…until an ancient evil demon is accidentally released from her eternal imprisonment. Now Rapunzel along with Eugene, her personal guardian Cassandra and a mysterious young chemist Varian must go on a journey to find the Moonstone before the Eclipse in order to prevent Zhan Tiri’s plans while also discovering more about Rapunzel’s own powers…

Characters:

Rapunzel aka Phoenix- a freshly 18 year old young woman who is Corona’s princess and eventual successor. She received her powers from her mother who, while pregnant, was cursed by Clementine, one of the members of Separatists of Saporia, causing her to fall deathly ill. Luckly the kingdom’s members found the legendary Sundrop Flower, thus healing Arianna and granting Rapunzel her powers. Unfortunately, soon after her birth, Mother Gothel kidnapped her and imprisoned her away from Corona in her own luxury apartment on top of another city’s highest skyscraper for 18 years…until she met Eugene and, having figured out the truth about herself, escaped. At first, she’s happy with her new life, but after meeting a certain young chemist, an ancient demon Zhan Tiri is released and, in order to stop her, she and her friends must take on a journey to the Dark Kingdom in order to get the Moonstone before the demon.

With the help of the Sundrop Flower lullaby, Rapunzel gains its powers. She has super speed, the ability to fly(DUH), glow in the dark, heal others and bring back those who have died with a touch of her hand, reverse aging and, after her hair’s been cut off, summon rays of sunlight from her hands that can act as a grappling hook. Upon discovering the third incantation, the also gains an ability to summon fire, turn into a phoenix which creates a healing aura around her as well as enchants her flying speed, and creates powerful blasts to knock enemies away.

Eugene Fitzherbert aka Flynn Rider aka Phantom Howl- a sarcastic thief who works in a suspicious second hand store in a shady area of the city he lives in while working as a werewolf thief Phantom Howl by night- until one day he meets Rapunzel and makes a deal with her to see the Lantern Ceremony of Corona. The two fall deeply in love and after Gothel attempts to take Rapunzel back, he sacrifices his life to kill the evil witch, only to be brought back by Rapunzel’s healing tears. Upon bringing her back, he’s pardoned of his crimes and later joins her on a quest to find the Moonstone while also learning about his own origins.

Having had a rough life, Eugene’s street smart and knows what to do in a dire situation. During the night, he turns into a werewolf, a form which he uses to his advantage, be it to climb using his sharp claws, sense danger via enchanted smell, hearing and sight, leave the police in the dust via super speed or dash through rounds of bullets fired at him via higher invulnerability. Not to mention being able to carry others on his back(he hates it) and understanding animal language(often leads to hilarious interactions with Max, Fidella, Ruddiger and Pascal). He gained an ability to turn into a werewolf when a week after his birth he Moonstone let out a massive shockwave, killing his mother as well as many other members of Eclipse, thus leading his father to send him away due to his fear of it happening again.

Cassandra aka Night Knight- Rapunzel’s personal guard and best friend. Unlike the show, in this version Cass knows she’s Gothel’s daughter and thus, even though she hates to admit it, has a bit of a grudge towards Rapunzel, thinking she was somehow “better” than her due to having been abused very early in life. After being abandoned by her mother, she was taken in by the captain of the guards and trained from a young age to become a guard. Upon Rapunzel’s return, she’s made her personal guardian, much to Cass�� disappointment, but upon seeing the warm person that she is, the young guardian begins to have doubts about her previous thoughts. But due to her desires to get more attention than being princess’ personal guard and Zhan Tiri’s manipulation getting the better hold, she takes the Moonstone so she could defeat Zhan Tiri by herself. But it soon dawns on her that it takes far more to defeat an ancient demon…

With the power of the Moonstone, Cassandra gains the ability to fly, super strength, higher invulnerability, telekinesis, summoning black rocks to destroy everything on her path or to imprison people in cages and drain lifeforce from everything around her. Upon discovering the third incantation, she gains an ability to summon a protective shield around herself in case her invulnerability doesn’t do the thing or as an extra precaution, turn into a wolf and also gain a powerful shockwave which can even go through buildings and destroy them.

Varian aka Crescent- a 14 year old chemist and master technician who lives with his single father. Having had to spend much of his time alone due to his father’s neglect and a lack of friends other than his pet raccoon Ruddiger, he’s mostly self-educated and enjoys trying out new tests in his lab, often ending up in disaster. Upon meeting Rapunzel for the first time during a Science Fair and getting a handshake from her, the two unknowingly release an ancient demon Zhan Tiri from her eternal imprisonment, thus bringing about a snowstorm that sort of severs his friendship with Rapunzel. But instead of taking revenge right away, he decides to play the long game so he could get Moonstone for himself to free his father from the amber he created. Aaaaand then maybe cuss Rapunzel out. But during their journey, he begins to regret his thoughts and decides on not going through the plan, not knowing a certain demon has her own plans…

Being slightly affected by the Moonstone’s essence, Varian has a surprisingly high invulnerability to injuries as well as turning into a werewolf. As his powers grow, he slowly begins to gain Moonstone’s other powers, such as telekinesis(which eventually leads him to realize how much he misunderstood Rapunzel)

Mother Gothel- an evil witch who was once in the service of Zhan Tiri. Although the demon didn’t tell much to her three followers about her true quest, Gothel figured out how gaining at least one of the powers grants you immortality. She betrayed her master, but at the last moment Lord Demanitus stopped them by sending Zhan Tiri and two of her followers into a Lost Realm as Gothel escaped, but not before Zhan Tiri cursed the witch to be old and weak until the end of her lifetime. Sometime later however, Gothel came across the Sundrop Flower and upon discovering it can temporarily reverse her condition, used it so she could at least keep living on. Until Corona’s queen fell ill and the flower was used to heal her. The evil witch kidnapped the princess so she could still remain young, but that ultimately came to an end when Phantom Wolf cut away Rapunzel’s hair, severing her connection with the Sundrop flower and causing her to die.

Zhan Tiri- an ancient evil demon who enjoys causing chaos and commiting murder. She has an ability to control nature, shapeshift as well as possess both people and animals. Upon learning about the Celestial Gems, she decided to get them cos more power means more murder(She’s a complete psycho in this AU, okay?). Taking the form of a human, she joined forces with Lord Demanitus to find them. During their time together however, Zhan Tiri fell in love(or became obsessed with him to describe it better) with him and decided to reveal herself, only to be rejected by the mastermind. The duo were caught in a seemingly endless battle for years before Demanitus discovered the Lost Realm, a dimension that slowly drains the lifeforce of anyone who enters there, and managed to imprison the demon. But via Rapunzel’s and Varian’s handshake, she is freed from her realm and though weakened, she decides to get the Moonstone and Sundrop for herself to at least regain those powers for herself.

Sundrop and Moonstone themselves:

Unlike the show, Moonstone in this Au takes the form of a blue crystal, which by the time of when the AU takes place has been made into a pendant(a blue round stone surrounded in one side with a crescent-shared howling wolf head), while the Sundrop stays the same.

They grant whoever fuses the stone with powers named above and will activate via incantations. However, the powers only last around 2 hours before the incantation must be sung again. Alongside that the powers of different gems will either be stronger or weaker depending on whether it’s day or night.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

One of the three letters written by Vlad Drăculea, Prince of Wallachia, and the historical predicate for the character Dracula, studied to diagnose his condition of hemolacria. :: [Robert Scott Horton]

+

A chemical analysis of the letters of the legendary historical figure reputed to have inspired fictional vampire Dracula has revealed Vlad Drăculea (aka Vlad the Impaler) may have cried tears of blood. Traces left behind on the paper by the 15th century ruler of Wallachia suggest he was afflicted by a condition known as hemolacria, which manifests as the presence of blood in tears. And he may have had skin and respiratory conditions besides.

"To our reckoning," writes a team led by chemist Maria Gaetana Giovanna Pittalà of the University of Catania in Italy, "this is the first time such research has been carried out and has helped to bring to the limelight the health status of Vlad Dracula the Impaler." Vlad Drăculea, also known as Vlad Țepeș, was certainly a towering figure in European history. His exploits as ruler of Wallachia are almost mythical; in particular, the extremely bloody lengths he went to in order to protect his land from multiple conflicts.

It's unknown how many deaths he is responsible for, but estimates put it at over 80,000 – and an estimated over 20,000 of those were impaled on wooden spikes. Not to mention all the other forms of torture of which he has been (disputedly) accused. Although his life and deeds have been well documented, and in many cases no doubt exaggerated, there are some details that we are likely never to know. But Pittalà and her colleagues thought there may be a way to find out – by studying objects that Drăculea is known to have touched. Namely, letters the man himself penned.

Letters are an absolute treasure trove for historians. In this case, however, it was not the contents of Drăculea's letters that interested the researchers, but what secrets may have been left behind on the paper: the molecules and proteins that may have been transferred by human touch. The letters are now over 500 years old, and extracting material from them could cause damage, which is not ideal for precious historical documents. But the recent development of a special film of ethylene-vinyl acetate, treated with ion exchangers and water-repelling resins, has been used to promising effect with ancient fabrics and papers.

When applied to any type of surface, this film is able to extract proteins and molecules without damaging the surface. The team used these films on three of the Vlad Drăculea letters, one dated 1457, the other two 1475, and used mass spectrometry to analyze the results. They found thousands of peptides and proteins. They focused on signals of human biology; and, because many people have handled the letters over the centuries, only the human material with the most advanced degradation.

[Dracula Letters]

* * * *

“How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams.” ― Bram Stoker, Dracula

[kingsbride-moved]

Here's some info about Nerine 🫶🏾 super simplified because I'm lazybones right now 😭

Like I mentioned she's Also 3000~ years old due to the effects of the Ultimate Weapon 💔 her height didn't increase like how AZ's did but it did affect her hair and eye colour 😱

Currently thinking of her as like an early chemist, like ah... I forgot her name 😭 that ancient Assyrian perfumer girl.

AZ had an interest in building machines, and Nerine had an interest in science and humanities. This is how they initially connected...

Because I'm a big fan of cheesy tropes I do like the idea of a "forbidden love" between a noble and a lower class woman 😭💔 not sure if I'll go that route tho

Also considered the idea of AZ taking notes from Nerine's research in order to construct the Ultimate Weapon... something she absolutely did not give him permission to do 🙊

Her Magearna is a prototype of the "official" Magearna, which is based on old concepts and diagrams by AZ. Nerine's Magearna has a deeper colour palette as well as a keyhole in her chest protecting her soul-heart. Its eyes also appear to be constantly closed... AZ had created it as a gift for Nerine 3000 years ago, so there is no other exactly like it in the world.

Nerine's doublade is straight up just the soul of a famous knight who died during the war 3000 years ago.

Nerine's name comes from a type of spider lily... Her spider lily theming as well as palette are meant to tie her to yvetal. She looks a little suspicious; there's certain things about her that could easily tie her to team flare, and the fact that she's not particularly emotive doesn't help........ (The reality is that she's just autistic)

AZ's floette sometimes comes to visit her, tho she's never made herself a permanent companion. Floette is waiting for AZ to let go of the anger and grief he's held onto for centuries now...

Floette isn't quite sure if she can forgive AZ. Neither is Nerine... but 3000 years is a very long time. The world has changed and so have the people within it...

AZ only finds Nerine again after Floette returns to him. They've led two very different lives in their time apart. While AZ was once a king he seems to be nothing more than a vagabond to most people. And Nerine is now a deeply respected academic and fashion historian (is it cheating if she's lived through it all?)!

[phoenix-creates]

Mortal Kombat Master Post

A compilation of all art/comics/writings I do regarding my Mortal Kombat AU. This will feature OC x Canon content and my own personal HCs for characters and relationship dynamics. This post will be constantly updated with more information as I make more content. Without further ado, everything will be under the cut!

Original Characters:

Qiaolian and Qiangbei Norixius

Members of the Norixius Clan, an old and powerful clan of dragon-blooded warriors who are political allies of the royal family. Tensions have been high between the clan and the empress in the last thousand years as General Shao managed to spread distrust to Sindel, speaking of the clan plotting a coup of the throne. Sindel, thinking that Shao's predicting was close to coming true, kept the Norixi under close watch, often sending various members of the clan out on the worst of tasks so that they prove their loyalty. This ultimately worked against her as the clan started to resent her and almost aligned with Shao. Thankfully, Qiaolian and Qiangbei weren't completely swayed by his words and eventually defected from his army. They now loyally serve Princess Kitana.

Amalia

Older cousin to Zeffeero(Rain) and Outworld's most notorious thief! Amalia is a talented mage who mastered cloning magic and is able to make identical copies of herself at will. And with this magic, she successfully lives a double life as a thief and someone who works for the Royal Family; no one has yet to learn her secret. Amalia isn't just a thief for fun though, as she never keeps any of her riches for herself. Like Robin Hood, Amalia distributes wealth to poor Outworld citizens and has no qualms about taking from those with more wealth than they need. She also possesses interesting spatial magic and can create pocket dimensions to store things in, which she usually uses to hide her stash.

Lady Ivory

The young daughter of one of Outworld's noble families. Long ago, Ivory's family was cursed to be "devoured by snakes" by a mage, but the curse was mitigated somewhat to be less of a curse and more of a way of life. They now live and die with snake-like markings that are alive and live as one with the family. Ivory was born with an abundance of markings and is the most adept and living with her vipers, making her a dangerous foe to anyone who dares cross her and a valuable informant to anyone who needs her services. Her vipers are a part of her and she can summon them at will, send them out for expeditions, and use them to send messages. She is someone you'd rather befriend than get on her bad side.

Eli

A prodigy bio-chemist and geneticist, Eli was at the height of his career about to make the discovery that would change Earthrealm. Unfortunately, a jealous coworker destroyed Eli's work and doused the young scientist in the samples he was working with. Eli's DNA combined with that of the animal samples he was working with, along with other chemicals, and his DNA and physical body was forever to changed. Eli went on a rampage until the Special Forces found him, and Kenshi made the decision to take him to Outworld to help him. Eli was overwhelmed by the new area and fled, getting lost in the world until he was found by a certain sorcerer. The rest, as they say, is history...

Jéan, God of Nature

Jéan is a nature deity created by Liu Kang and Geras, blessed with a gift from each of the other Keepers of Time allied with Liu Kang. Jéan doesn’t know it, but he is more powerful than both Liu Kang and Geras and was initially created to keep the two of them in check; knowing that the timelines were still unstable and that there was always the possibility of one of them going rouge, Jéan was made as a fail-safe in case someone got overly ambitious. However, neither Liu Kang nor Geras saw the appeal of making a deity solely as a back up plan, and Jéan was given free will to do as he pleases. He still serves Liu Kang, but as a friend rather than a tool.

Anrika

Anrika is a very talented sorceress rumored to be able to raise the dead. Her magical prowess is vast and she only uses her abilities to help others rather than use them for personal gain. Many people distrust her and her intentions, thinking anyone that kind-hearted has to be hiding something. But Anrika has nothing to hide; all she wants to do is make Outworld a better place with her talents. Anrika has not yet confirmed nor denied the rumors of her ability to rouse the dead, but many people are after her as they want to learn the secrets behind her prowess.

Minor Characters

(Characters that may be mentioned in stories but not overall important to the lore)

Rubeus: Qiaolian and Qiangbei's older sibling. Rubeus is a talented blacksmith and has made a number of weapons used by many warriors, but most notably, they created one of General Shao's war hammers.

Aoihang Norixius: Grandfather to Rubeus, Qiaolian, and Qiangbei and the current Grandmaster of the Norixius Clan. Aoihang has ruled over the clan for thousands of years and still feels that he is in the prime of his life despite his old age. Aoihang never agreed with Shao's principals and suspected the General was up to something, but as tensions grew between the Norixius and Empress Sindel, Aoihang found it best to stay silent lest he be branded a traitor for going against the General. He and Shao have a rivalry.

Elliana and Regis: Ivory's parents. They're proud of her daughter for her mastery over her vipers and her work helping Empress Mileena.

Locations:

(Non canon locations I made up for sake of my AU)

Fae Yuyan:

A Southeastern seaport metropolis in Outworld. All major waterways, such as canals and rivers, connect at Fae Yuyan, making it an important route for trade and travel. The most famous waterway is the canal between Fae Yuyan and Sun Do, the quickest mode of transport between the two cities. Many merchants set up shops and sell their wares in this city making it central to Outworld’s economy. Currently, Lord Regis and Lady Elliana are the rulers of this city and regularly communicate with Sun Do and the Empress.

Sariyon:

A southern city of Outworld. Sariyon is home to many wood and metal workers, weavers, seamstresses, and other artisans that make up the creative industries of Outworld. Sariyon and Fae Yuyan have established a union where the people of Fae Yuyan provide safe transport for the people of Sariyon, and the people of Sariyon offer their goods and services to Fae Yuyan at discounted prices. Sariyon profits the most when festivals are in full swing as the people can put their best work forward.

Norixius Colony:

Long ago, disgraced descendants of Onaga were nearly banished from all corners of Outworld. They rebelled and caused a massive and bloody civil war, eventually resulting in the Norixius Clan controlling a territory of Outworld. This territory, located in the fertile grasslands of Central Outworld, has been the Colony’s property for multiple generations and only once had the royal family tried to take it back. The conflict did now end well for the empire. It now stands as both a stronghold and a home for the massive clan.

Bei Ningzun:

A small village in Northern Outworld and Anrika’s birthplace. Bei Ningzun is a quiet farming village that is somewhat cut off from the rest of Outworld as the people prefer to live quiet lives. The older inhabitants take care of the farmlands while the younger ones make the journey to the more populated cities to sell herbs and crops. Bei Ningzun is almost home to one of the oldest temples of Outworld and the people regularly head into the mountains to pray.

Misc. Drawings:

Qiangbei and Raiden

Qiaolian and Syzoth

Amalia and Rain

Twin Gossip

Toxic Love

Scorpion and Snake

Yield

Couple Goals

How the Twins Discovered Starbucks

Pupils and Masters

Puppet

Amalia Genderbend

Cold

Qiaolian Earthrealm Outfit

Bi-Han’s Hot Wife

Prude-Han

Invasions Edits:

Scorpion

Nitara

Sub-Zero

Relationship Dynamics:

Shang Tsung/Eli: 1

Tomas/Jèan:

Syzoth/Qiaolian:

Kuai Liang/Ivory:

Kung Lao/Amalia:

Li Mei/Amalia:

Amalia & Rain: 1

Fanart

Kenshi

Classy Cage

[beardedmrbean]

Texas veterans have pledged to come out in force at the Capitol in the coming months to vouch for delta-8, the hemp derivative that provides a soothing effect similar to marijuana, as state officials argue it’s illegal in court and lawmakers consider banning it.

“If eating a delta-8 gummy helps you manage your life, helps you function, helps you avoid a pharmaceutical fog, helps keep you gainfully employed, what is the harm in that?” said Mitch Fuller, national and state legislative chairman for the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars, adding that addictive opioids are often much more detrimental.

“This is not an overly dramatic statement: Access to hemp-derived delta-8 saves lives, period.”

Delta-8 has become so sought-after by veterans that the products are now readily available in vending machines at six VFW posts across the state, through a partnership formed a couple years ago with Austin-based hemp company Hometown Hero CBD.

The VFW is also advocating for an expansion of the state’s limited medical marijuana program to include patients with chronic pain, but Fuller said the regulated products tend to be more expensive and less convenient to buy, and veterans deserve to have a choice.

Delta-8, typically found in the form of edibles or vape cartridges, has exploded in popularity since 2019 when Texas, along with many other states, legalized hemp production following the passage of a federal law that reclassified the plant from an illegal drug to an agricultural commodity. 

It rose to prominence due to a loophole in those laws: For hemp products, they set a 0.3 percent limit on the concentration of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which induces the high associated with marijuana. However, the laws did not touch on another less common compound found in the plant, delta-8 THC, which can cause a similar feeling, especially at high dosages.

Delta-8 products grossed over $2 billion in sales in the last two years, according to a report by the Chicago-based Brightfield Group, a market research firm that studies the cannabis industry.

The Texas Department of State Health Services is engaged in an ongoing legal battle over the legality of delta-8, but in the meantime, the courts have allowed it to remain on shelves.

State Sen. Charles Perry is looking to put the issue to rest. Perry authored the bill that veterans like Fuller say they’re committed to fighting, Senate Bill 264. The Lubbock Republican has said that the Legislature never intended to legalize products that make people high.

This is not the first time Perry has attempted to curb the production of delta-8. 

Perry offered up legislation in 2021 to restrict delta-8 products, telling his fellow lawmakers that chemists had figured out how to synthesize hemp to go above the 0.3 percent THC content, “making it illegal in Texas, but also making it an unregulated, possibly unsafe product in the market.”

The House rejected the measure.

Red tape stunts state program 

Since 2019, lawmakers have broadened the medical marijuana program to add more than half a dozen qualifying conditions, and the number of patients enrolled has grown to 45,440. But leaders of the state’s licensed dispensaries say the proliferation of delta-8 has made a noticeable dent in their customer base.

Nico Richardson, interim CEO of Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation, one of three medical cannabis companies licensed in Texas, said the number of active patients in the program — those who have filled at least one prescription in the last six months — has dipped by from 47 percent to 38 percent over the last year, a loss of about 3,000 patients, which he attributes at least in part to the availability of delta-8.

The medical dispensaries and some consumer advocates warn that delta-8 products come with some risk, as they aren’t subject to the same rigorous testing requirements and other regulations.

“We just don’t know what the safety profile is,” Richardson said about delta-8, whereas “our medicine is very highly regulated, and a high level of scrutiny goes into testing.”

[whatwouldvalerydo]

Carnage Circus 🔥

Part 20/20 - The conclusion

The end is here.

Thank you all for making this possible, for trusting me with your characters: @kc-and-co @lifeofkaze @the-al-chemist @cursebreakerfarrier @that-scouse-wizard

I can’t believe it's been more than a year since Circus was announced, but like all things, this too must end.

Shaking the cold from his bones, detective Winger walked with his head bowed, cursing under his breath as the sharp wind lashed against his face. As far as he knew the weather should have been sunny, however that morning proved to be the opposite as a dark, heavy, grey sky loamed over the city.

Stopping to get a coffee in order to warm up, his hand hovered above the door handle, eyes reading the poster in front of him. He felt as if his heart stopped for a second before it suddenly picked back up, Talbott feeling sick to his stomach.

Making his way to the station, the captain just set on the desk of his colleague a heavy dusty box “Looks like you’re in luck rookie, the Carnage Circus is back in town. Been a while since we had them in our jurisdiction.” Turning around, the captain pointed at Talbott “Winger, you go with him, help, show him the ropes. Maybe this time two heads will manage to get something out of that scum.”

Scoffing, Talbott just nodded as he marched over to his own desk, hands fumbling to light up a cigarette, lighter not producing even a flicker “Fuck.” Searching in his drawers for another, he finally managed to light it up, smoke filling the office from his desk.

Pulling out some notes his eyes landed on several names and information dotted down. Ethel and Selene left the moment they were set free, last he heard was that they were travelling, jumping from city to city and country to country as they were used to doing. They told Siobhan that way Akira could never find them, if they don’t settle, he cannot hurt them.

Siobhan on the other hand was still in the city. She found the love of her life and was working together with him, having opened up a veterinarian clinic. She was happy from what Talbott could gather, however if she ever caught a glimpse of him or anyone she knew, her face would pale and she would always look away. But who could blame her?

Reuben and Leila were also close to the city, living on the outskirts in a small home, content with their life together. She was even speaking or started to at least, that much he knew since she actually told him to “fuck off” in a not very friendly tone.

As for Talia, well most nights they spent together in the confines of his own home. She made a full recovery as far as her body was concerned, but her heart was healing still. When she did not know what to do with herself she would go and speak to Victoria and Oliver, them managing to put her back on the right path.

But Talbott knew that the moment she saw the posters plastered all across the city, it would be chaos and fear would bloom inside of her heart like a disease that decided to rear its ugly head after such a long time.

Just like years prior, Talbott made his way to the circus grounds at night, his colleague shuddering as the winds blew past them, the ticket booth screeching at them, the voice even more distorted than Talbott remembered.

The grounds were filled to the brim, despite the weather, main tent illuminated, peering through the thick fog, music playing from within it as Akira’s voice boomed, announcing the beginning of the show. Closing his eyes, Talbott took a deep breath as he walked inside, dust rising as a new act started under the cheerful applause of the crowd. The acts have changed, new faces smiling back at the crowd of people, but the detective knew the price that came with joining the circus.

It was all an act, hiding behind it a gruesome curse.

They patiently waited for the show to end and people to start leaving the tent before Talbott and his partner for the night approached the heavy curtains leading back stage “Listen to me” he stopped him from advancing, Talbott facing him “he’s very guarded, odd. You need to be careful alright?”

“Please, he’s just a man. They all crack eventually and if he’s responsible for those murders and people disappearing, then we will get him.” Puffing his chest, he walked past Talbott, hands moving aside the curtains. A gush of hot air rushed over their bodies, whispers being heard despite no one being in sight “Akira Crane, this is the police. We need a word.”

Shyly, a member from the team showed herself from behind some boxes “The director is busy. He must never be disturbed. You need to leave.”

“Not going to happen mam. Where can we find him?”

The girl shook her head, blonde locks falling in her face and Talbott recognized her from the poster as being the other half of the brand new trapeze act “Come on, I know where his changing room is. There’s no need to bother her.”

Walking ahead, Talbott felt as if it he could barely breathe, the air thin and far too hot. The corridor leading to Akira appeared to narrow down, shadows as if dancing around them, a low growl reaching their ears before they knocked on the door.

“You brought a friend.” They heard from inside the room, Talbott turning the handle. The setting was as he knew, him going to sit down on the couch, letting his partner take the lead “And somehow with two, the questions are just as boring.” Akira looked around, eyes dramatically rolling “I would have expected, all things considering, that this time you would…” he suddenly stopped, springing to his feet, eyes searching around, chest heaving.

“Akira?” Talbott leaned in closer, his partner basically having jumped back out of fright.

Letting out a shaky exhale, Akira shook his head, trying to gather himself “It would appear the last days spent preparing have been far too tiresome, haven’t slept you see. I don’t have time for the same line of questioning detectives. You know the drill, I’m here for an entire week and I know you’ll be returning.”

Watching him walk outside, Talbott’s brows rose. Something was off, way off, he could feel it. The sudden shift he could never deny his gut feelings. Something was about to happen. Or was already happening inside the circus and that’s why Akira suddenly reacted.

His eyes widened, Talbott also getting up “No, no.”

Running outside, his partner hot on his heels asking a million questions, the detective could not deny what was happening. The air was warmer, lights brighter, atmosphere a tad less creepy, even the fog lifting slightly. She wouldn’t. No. But it was the only scenario that made sense. The key was still out there and Akira was still in tune with her. Even if she was free from his clutches.

“We need to go, if you see Talia Crane let me know.”

“What? Why would she be here? Isn’t Akira the one that put her in the hospital? By the way isn’t it odd that she didn’t press charges?”

Sighing, he had hoped for once in his life that the new recruit wasn’t actually trying to make a name for himself “Look, I’ll explain later. If we find her, we find him. She’s like a magnet for Akira.”

And how right detective Winger was. Akira knew exactly where to go, Talia waiting for him at the camping area, the current squad not knowing how to deal with the stranger before their eyes. She asked questions, if they were treated right, if he was being mean or cruel to them.

Walking slowly towards her, she turned to look at him, a smile directed his way, his name leaving her lips “Leave us.” He ordered the crew, who shared confused looks between themselves, however still obeyed his command.

Walking in front of her, he removed his gloves, extending a hand out to her, Talia’s palm grazing his, a kiss being placed to the back of her hand, eyes never leaving hers “I wouldn’t have expected to see you again in this lifetime.”

“Truth be told, I did consider it. You have kept me under the veil of your darkness for so long.”

“You know why.”

Nodding her head, her eyes closed for a moment “I do now. But I hated you so much.”

Upon hearing her name being uttered, she opened her eyes to witness Talbott and a stranger running towards them. Stepping between them, Talbott stared Akira down “Never again.”

“What is going on Winger?” his partner demanded answers, Akira chuckling.

“I can’t force her to rejoin me. It needs to happen out of her own accord if she wishes to.” He tried to glance at her, however Talbott didn’t let him, instead pushing Akira a step back for good measure.

“She will never come back to you. You’ve done enough.”

Darkness swarmed them, Akira’s glare vicious “I’ve never hurt her.” The temperature appeared to suddenly drop a few degrees, the circus reacting to the director’s rage “I still won’t.”

Directing Talia towards his partner, Talbott refused to let Akira take even a single step “You forge destinies on blood and when you’re done with them, you dispose of them too. Don’t you?”

Akira scoffed, shaking his head “You still don’t understand, how can you?”

“He can’t.” Talbott and Akira turned towards Talia “Not yet at least.” Finding she managed to take the gun off Talbott’s colleague and was directing it at him “Don’t move, none of you.”

“Talia? What are you doing?” Talbott asked, trying to approach, stopping when she shook her head.

Her forehead creased, hand slightly shaking “As long as I am alive, I am linked to him. So that means I am never truly free, am I?” her eyes travelled to the gun, directing it at her own head, her taking a step back to create some distance “I can end it, tonight, pull the trigger and get it over with.”

“Please don’t do anything stupid.”

“Shut up detective. I can’t think with you talking constantly.” Her eyes travelled from Talbott towards Akira, who just shook his head “You know right? You feel it. What does it feel like?”

“Like you’re splitting me in two.” Akira replied his voice shaking.

“Mam, put the gun down and let’s talk about this.”

“Shut up!” Looking back at Talbott, Talia exhaled “You wanted to understand why some days are bad? It’s because I still feel the connection and it’s like it never went away despite being free. It tears you apart and you can’t replace the emptiness with anything. And I kept asking myself why? What’s the reason. But deep down I knew. Oh how I knew and refused to believe it.” The fog started covering the terrain more and more, winds stopping for a second, a sudden uninvited calm, Talia gripping the handle of the gun, trembling in her limbs subsiding “A life for a life detective. I hereby free Akira Crane and nominate Talbott Winger as the director of Carnage Circus.”

Turning the gun on Talbott’s colleague, she pulled the trigger, the sound of it drowned out by the fireworks illuminating the sky.  Akira’s caravan crumbled to dust before them, blood painting the earth as Talia dropped the gun from her hand.

The darkness travelled towards Talbott, leaving Akira entirely, the detective feeling as if the weight of the world landed on his shoulder, crushing him under its weight “You don’t love him.” Knowledge that was not there previously suddenly latching onto every part of his mind, history not his own becoming a part of him.

“Don’t I?” taking a small bow, Talia looked him dead in the eye “It’s your turn. You will need to find your key, set them all free and end it. End it all. The last time, the last curse. Free yourself, free them all.”

Turning towards Akira, she extended her hand out to him, him taking it as they both walked away. Taking the gun, Talbott aimed it at Talia, her turning around to look at him, a smile on her lips “You can’t hurt me or him. We’re free director Winger.”

“What if you are my key?”

Glaring at him, Akira spoke “Even if you think it, want it, she was never yours to begin with.”

Inside the fortune teller’s tent, Orion welcomed his latest customers, a smile shaping his lips as he stared inside the crystal ball.

“I see you are happy with the outcome.” Victoria smiled, taking out a random card from the desk, Oliver sitting beside her.

Lifting his eyes, Orion nodded “As are you, only you knew how she could free Akira. Tell me how did you convince her?”

Putting the card back, she shrug her shoulders “I didn’t, she asked, she wanted this. It was there, despite what we did.”

Flipping the card around, Orion hummed in response “I have all but forgotten she drew another card.” The lovers being set between them.

Glancing at them, Oliver shook his head with a chuckle “What now?”

Peering inside the crystal ball, Orion smiled “Now we do it all over again, but this time is the last one.” His brows drew together as he looked over at Oliver “Please don’t intervene again, once is enough too many. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go help the new director.”

[cozycottagegamereviews]

Review of Potion Permit

Developer: MassHive Media

Publisher: PQube

Release Year: 2022

I realize this game is a bit older, but I recently completed my first play through and wanted to share my thoughts.

Storyline

You play a chemist from the capital who is assigned to the small town of Moonbury. You quickly discover that everyone hates you and wants nothing to do with you, but the mayor has agreed to let you live in a rundown shack in hopes you can help his daughter. You help her and the other residents of Moonbury reluctantly agree to let you offer them health care.

You spend the rest of the game getting to know the residents, earning their trust and uncovering the secrets of the past that led to the people of Moonbury distrusting people from the capital in the first place.

I found the storyline for this game very satisfying, but it was also kind of short. By the time I’d wrapped up the story I was still making friends with some of the villagers and there were a lot of potions and upgrades that I hadn’t unlocked.

Art

Loved the art for this game! The characters, the monsters, the village and the surrounding environment were all beautiful to behold.

I really liked the photo album in the chemist’s house. As you reach a certain friendship level with each character, you unlock a photo of them. It gives you a better idea of what they look like and incorporates some beautiful character art into the game.

Friendships

Making friends with the villagers and unlocking their stories was probably my favourite part of the game.

Each character had a fun storyline to explore and it was great getting to know them.

My one complaint (and it’s minor) is that I like learning which gifts to give each character in a game like this, but that’s not part of Potion Permit. The people of Moonbury have a tradition where they give each other a certain tea and that’s the only gift you can give. It’s a nice part of the story, but you don’t learn the individual tastes of each character.

Romance

I have to be honest, this part of the game was a little bit of a let down in some ways.

For one, romances in Potion Permit only advance to the dating stage. You can’t marry anyone or even enter an exclusive relationship.

For two, when I was doing my play through there were only six characters who could be romanced: three female and three male.

For the men there’s Reyner, Xiao and Matheo. All fine choices. I was immediately drawn to Xiao and found the romance plot with him quite sweet. Matheo is the person who hates you the most when you first arrive and at first I was curious as to why he was even a romance option. But the story with him was also really sweet and well done.

For the female characters there’s Martha (the requisite female character who can’t wait to throw herself at you), Leano (pirate empress of my ❤️) and finally Rue, the mayor’s daughter and a CHILD!

I could not for the life of me figure out why Rue was a romance option, especially when there were other characters who seemed like more obvious choices. Bubble is super sweet and kind, and Runeheart is a badass.

Since my play through though it seems they’ve added two additional romance options, Helene and Victor, so maybe there are future plans to add even more romance options. (Like Lucke and Forrest, for instance, or the two women mentioned above.)

I’ll have to go back and spend more time with Helene and Victor. The one nice thing about the romances only progressing as far as dating is that you can spend time with multiple characters and there are no hurt feelings.

Foraging and Potion Making

Considering the name of the game I maybe should have opened with this.

The gameplay revolves around you heading out into the wilderness where you forage materials using a scythe, pick axe and regular axe. You pick flowers, mine rocks and cut down trees. You also defeat monsters and harvest their corpses for potion ingredients.

Then you take everything home and throw it in a cauldron. Each ingredient takes the form of a different shape and is one of four colours, depending on its element. Each potion requires you to fill a certain shape. Some potions can use ingredients from all four elements, while others use only three, two or one. Somehow you have to fill in the shape to make the potion.

The foraging was mostly fun and exploring the wilds surrounding Moonbury was challenging, but not overly stressful. My only complaint is that sometimes you had to grind pretty hard to get all the materials needed to upgrade your tools, your cauldron, your house and your clinic.

The actual potion making I found to be a lot of fun. It was my favourite part after getting to know the villagers.

Diagnosing the Villagers

In order to know which potion each villager needs, you first have to diagnose their ailments. This involves completing one of three possible mini games.

For the most part I did okay at this but you eventually get to the point where the rhythm section mini game can be quite challenging. Luckily you can unlock a potion to help you bypass these harder mini games, but only once you’ve completely upgraded your cauldron. I recommend prioritizing the cauldron upgrades.

Cooking

I love cooking in this game! The only real purpose the food serves is to replenish your energy (you can’t gift it) but it was still fun to discover the recipes and ingredients.

The one weird thing is that I hit the credits and there’s still one recipe I haven’t unlocked. Not sure what I missed.

Fishing

The weird thing about fishing in this game is that you can only fish in one of four specific spots.

But the fishing mini game is a lot of fun (once you figure it out). To fish in the game you cast your line and drag it past a fish-shaped shadow, hoping for a bite. Once the fish is on the line, you reel it in, but the fish will put up a fight. If the line turns red, let the line go slack and wait for the fish to exhaust itself before reeling it in again. (Very similar to Fae Farm.)

Honestly, even though the fishing was fun the limited locations meant I didn’t fish often. It was only when my beloved Leano demanded fish that I prioritized it.

Overall

I had a lot of fun playing this game, but it was pretty short. I’m excited to see some new content has been added and will check it out.

[lesbianoctoling]

🖊 🖊 thatcher and angel?

Meme

Thatcher -

The daughter of Toni Kensa and an Octoling. It's hard to tell that he's part inkling at first glance, but his ears give him away. He grew up not knowing who his father was and was raised as a soldier, but after discovering the secret through a magazine (without much proof, though) he came to the surface to become a nuisance and try to take over his father's company.

Thatcher is such a fun character for his premise alone. I want to write a short story about him one day. He actually hardly has any solid evidence of his heritage when he first comes to the surface other than 'we look alike and you vaguely mentioned your previous love life in a magazine interview once', but his father's reaction to him when they meet is enough. There's big daddy issues here.

He loves the surface though, and company aside Thatcher wants to become a fashion designer or something eventually. He also bothers Ava like, a lot. Ava and Callie were the ones to help him in the first place!

Thatcher's mom also kind of hates Toni Kensa too. I want to write Toni Kensa as an epic divorce man. I should honestly think about it all more one day, but it's really a story for another day.

Angel -

oh my god angel i can go on about her for literal hours and hours and hours . After I got a bit stuck writing WPW i kind of ended up focusing on her and her story. My poor little meow meow. My absolute garbage of a woman. I have a ton of human art of her too, because her human counterpart is similar but a little more grim and in a sci-fi universe. If I were to ever take my ocs out of Splatoon she's where I'd start with a unique universe, but I'm happy with her having two versions.

Trying to figure out what to say about her without spoiling story stuff I also want to share on day is a little hard - though a lot can be pieced together through some art too tbh.

Her morals are awful but she doesn't think so. Angel is an unreliable narrator, and why I want to write about her so bad one day. She's awful, but in a way where I can't really say where she stands on 'worst to least worse' of my villain ocs. She's willing to kill anyone in her way under the guise of making her world (The Deepsea Metro City) better, but she'd never ever hurt a child. She's consumed by this, but she thinks she's in the right. She hates the Telephone so much. So much.

But her plans for revenge take years. She's around 25 when her villain arc starts, and 37 during Octo Expansion (I think 42 at the start of Splatoon3). She's a chemist with the odd job of stealing memories and making mem cakes out of them. I haven't figured out how this makes sense yet, I have to research it, so this could change in the future. But her stealing memories is pretty important - about every test subject in Kamabo has gone through her for it.

Tartar has tried to sanitize her a few times but her body's tetrodotoxin combats it. He gave up and gave her her current job instead. She's experimented on herself with sanitization before, though, over the years - to try and see if it was possible to sanitize an octoling and keep their free will. This resulted in the scarring on half her body and sanitized eye. Sara was eventually the first successful attempt at this. i don't have a smart in universe scientific explanation for all of this but I want to do my research eventually to make sense of it. If ur a scientist and this doesn't make sense I am so sorry.

Post story is weird. She isn't forgiven for most of the damage she's done and I think it's important to point that out. I hesitate to say she gets 'redeemed'. I was actually originally going to kill her off, because I didn't know what to do with a villain like her without somehow saying her actions were ok. I decided not to, though, because not only had I become really attached to her, but it also felt extremely cruel - she's evil, sure, but she's also very very traumatized and a pretty sad woman. She can live, but has to forever live with the guilt of what she's done.

Oh and some of the people she's killed still want revenge on her years later so she has to deal with quite a few metaphorical bounties on her head.

i like to joke about it sometimes though because i am guilty of making her a little silly....

She has two girlfriends by Splat 3 (post story), Idunn who belongs to @herosplatling-replica and Rivera who belongs to @inkbwush . They're all a fucking mess and their family gets big and complicated because polyamory and found family does dat.