#let's see what next creative endeavor i get too

[fettery-fetterie]

In other news. O hmt god I'm so doooown bad for my blorbos 🥰 it sucks btw because I don't have enough strength to pull out the goods 🥰 mayeb one day tho..........

[grandisknight]

rafayel: an artist's nails

summary: It’s been a while since your last nail endeavor, and you seek out your creative lover to fill in the missing details once again.

tags: established relationship, fluff, silly rafayel, gender neutral!reader, kisses, light banter, nail polish

wc: 1.0k | (ao3)

a/n: hi hi! eek this is my first time posting like this to tumblr, i'm not too familiar with it so please forgive me for any mistakes (⸝⸝⸝- ᴗ -⸝⸝⸝ ;) i hope my short but sweet little headcanon does rafmc some justice! the idea came to me randomly while angst writing (hhhh) so here we are c:

⊹˚₊‧───────────‧₊˚⊹

“Again?” He looks down at you from the impressive height of his ladder, palette and brush paused in mid motion. The canvas stretching his wall had streaks of pale blue, contrasting the rich sapphire that lay underneath them. Another masterpiece in the making, and you’ve caught him at a somewhat opportune time to air out your proposal.

“Please? I promise it’ll be the last time!” You gave him your best pout, hands clasped together in a pseudo prayer.

“That’s what you said two weeks ago, my love.” Rafayel shakes his head.

“Ra—fa—yel!” You called out, purposefully stringing his vowels in a way that he had a hard time saying ‘no’ to.

“Okay, okay. Give me a moment, yeah?”

Leaving his instruments behind, he descends from the perch of his ladder. Dusting off his hands on the edge of his slacks, he straightens his posture towards you with a few strides. Arms crossed over his chest, the warmth of coral and cooled blue examined your presence up close. “You don’t seem injured. Mission went well?”

“It did! But that’s not what I’m here for.” You flash your hands towards him, wiggling the tips of your fingers for dramatic effect. “Look at how much they’ve grown! They’re begging for a new design, and only one curated by Linkon City’s best painter could do the job.”

The bed of coral acrylic was slowly pushing past your natural nail, unflattering to the eye and no longer holding the fresh sheen it once had. It was long overdue for a retouch, and you trusted your boyfriend’s talented eye to decorate your fingers once more.

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” he half-heartedly remarks, but takes your hands into his own regardless. His fine fingers delicately trace over the rounded edges of your acrylics, tilting them alongside his head to capture their finish in the warm lighting of his art studio. “Hm… They are longer than before, I’ll give you that.”

An internal score in your mind was being kept, and you just landed your first point. “Exactly. So, I was thinking for the next design—“

“Woah, excuse you.” His fingers intertwined with yours, passing his warmth into your palms. He tugs you closer, hands closed like the prayer you presented just moments ago. Rafayel quirks a brow as he continues.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

You paused, a blink of confusion crossing your face. “…Am I?”

The plush of his lips puff out like a fish, awaiting your realization. Ah. You had to pay the kiss toll first—how could you forget?

You met his pout halfway, lightly pressing a kiss to pay your dues forward. Rafayel quickly chases your leaning figure, peppering a second, and then a third, to the lips curling into a faint smile at his antics and he mirrored yours all the same.

“Okay—Raf—Mm!”

He swallowed your interruptions with ones of his own, a barrage of straight smooches fluttering over your mouth. Only after the nth kiss did he finally part, rubbing his thumb over your knuckles with a hum in satisfaction.

“Payment accepted.” Rafayel lowered your hands, only to gently tug them in the direction of his desk.

Pieces of sketch paper and paints, pencils and more laid across the surface as you approached. He lets go momentarily, pulling out a chair and swiping away some tabletop space, before patting on the cushion in invitation.

“Alright, why don’t we start sketching out your ideas, yeah? Let’s see if we can make this new set better than the last.”

…

No sooner than a week later did you return to Mo Art Studio, feeling particularly energized as you practically skipped into his living space.

“Ah, you’re back.”

Rafayel called out to you before you had the chance to speak, swiping another shade of cerulean over the canvas. He looks over his shoulder, eyes twinkling at your appearance and brow upturned in curiosity. “You seem like you’re in a good mood. Did you get them done today?”

You nodded, waving him down with an equally bright expression. “Take a break! I want you to admire your masterpiece.” With an outstretched hand, you await his descending figure in a similar sense of deja vu.

“Yeah? You’re already here though,” Rafayel teases, taking hold of your invitation in turn. “But alrighty. Let’s go.”

Natural habits led your bodies to walk past the floor to ceiling entrance and into the sands hugging his estate. Seagulls chirp overhead as the fragrance of salty seas sting your nose, welcoming in the warmth of sunshine and ocean views all around.

“Maybe the crab from last week is still around,” you mention. “I think it was this way—Ah!”

Rafayel snickers at your enthusiasm, but paused you short of your wandering in an effort to pull you closer to him. He raises your combined hands outwards, turning them in every direction as he observes the new design.

Speckles of pale white and faint pink hugged the tip of your nail, pearly effects blending into the azure gradient that filled the rest of the space. Light traces of a circle or two resemble bubbles, a key seashell charm on your pinky finger and an exclusive Lemurian insignia resembling the bond over his heart were all littered across the set.

He nods in approval, and you could practically see the sharp rise of his shoulders in pride as he spoke. “Ah, they turned out really good this time. I wonder whooo designed them.”

You lean into his playful stance, pressing a kiss to his cheek and watching as his skin flushes in an adoring rouge. “Thank you, my love. Next time, we should do your nails too!”

“Yeah? I don’t know if I want to have another pot with steam drawn by you again,” he retorts, laughing as you lightly pushed his shoulder.

You raised your voice in self-defense, offering him a scolding glare. “Hey! I told you it was a steamed fish. Steamed fish! You of all people should know that well!”

Your voices faded away as you left your footsteps in the sand, the low tides pushing to support the harmony of your banter as the sun slowly settled. Safe to say, you wouldn’t be letting go of these nails blessed by the ocean anytime soon.

[alliddewrites]

Schlatt x ContentCreator!Reader

Content disclaimer:

Fluff,

SDMP,

Gender neutral reader

The power of the schlanket compelled me to finish this.

Masterlist

“Chat… This is taking so long…” you sigh, pausing in your building to look at chat.

Ever since you’ve been accepted into the Sleep Deprived SMP, your viewership has been steadily increasing. You had a smaller, but dedicated following before, which you were already very grateful for, but this push really helped you go full time with streaming.

Everyone has been very kind to you, both in your streams and on the server. The other content creators were helpful and included you in a lot of bits to help you assimilate.

You get along with the other creators pretty well, but there is one particular person you favored…

“What if I asked Schlatt for a favor…?” you lean back in your chair, taking your hands off your keyboard and mouse, character now still.

Chat immediately split into two sides, people spamming variations of ‘NO’ and ‘YES’ at the same time, with a clear majority of agreeing answers. There are people defending your honor, telling you to not sink to his level and ones that just wanted to see their favorite duo interact.

“You’re really enabling me here, chat… He’s still on, right?” pressing tab, you see his name on the server list, getting your question answered. “Yeah, he is.”

“I’m going to call him.” you sit back up straight, pause the game and open Discord on your other screen, next to chat. Clicking on yours and Schlatt’s DMs, remnants of a previous, spontaneous conversation pop up.

After a few seconds of hesitation– “Fuck it.” –you click on the call icon. Covering your mouth with your hand, elbow on the table, you stare at the screen while holding back a grin.

After a few rings, he joins.

“Yeah?” he asks straight away.

“Big man! I have a… uh.. favor to ask of you. If you would be ever so generous.” you say a bit nervously after uncovering your mouth, grin ever present. “It’s a pretty big ask.”

“So you came directly to the man at the top, huh?” he counters, the teasing tone clear in his voice.

“I had to make sure my request was accommodated properly, by the one and only.” you say, trying to appeal to his ego, while also not wanting to seem too excited.

“And what would that be, toots?”

“Well… I really, and I mean really, want to build a magnificent base for myself, and I already have everything planned out, but there's just one issue-” began your over the top, formal explanation, “-I am lacking quite a few blocks for this endeavor.”

He lets out a light and humorous scoff as you continue on, “So I thought I'd ask you to grant me creative mode, so I could contribute to this beautiful server, with my beautiful build.”

He gives a big, over exaggerated sigh before he starts speaking. “I could do that, as the person who owns the server, but…”

You squint as when you hear him drag out that last word. “But what?”

“But, I would need some sort of payment. I can't just go giving out such things to anyone for free. Then everyone would be asking me for similar things.” he finishes up. Now it's your turn to scoff at him.

“You say that like chaos doesn't constantly happen on this server anyway.” you roll your eyes at the camera, shaking your head for chat playfully.

“Okay, well, this discussion is over.” he snapped back with a serious tone.

“Wait! No no no no!! Please–!” you quickly ramble, laughing between the words, “--tell me what you want.”

What you didn't expect, is for his reply to come at you with lighting speed and directly hit you in the face with its outrageousness.

“Maid dress stream.”

Your face heats up as you stare at the image of the call in shock for a few seconds, weighing your options.

Does he want this to humiliate you?

Get a rise out of chat?

He already achieved that, only with that response.

Stir some light trouble for attention?

…

Or maybe he wants it for himself…

‘Nah, no way…’ you shut down that thought immediately, looking off to the side, only a portion of your face visible on stream now.

“...Sure...” came your quiet response after a few long seconds, face burning up even more.

The moment you finish saying it, you see something pop up in the Minecraft chat.

Schlatt gave you creative mode, just like that.

You stare dumbfounded as he begins speaking again. “I'll pick one out and mail it to you. See ya, toots.”

All you hear is the sound of him leaving the call as you lower your head and put your face in your hands.

“I guess we got what we wanted, chat.” you mumble out after a minute of silence, not even sure the microphone picked it up.

Your shared ship name became trending on X that night.

It stayed that way for a few days.

Support me on Ko-fi or Patreon!

[greenboyfriend]

choose a fish to fill you with whimsy & glee! (tarot reading)

"what can you look forward to?" image 1: this guy's got it all figured out. he's able to breathe above water due to the bowl of water superglued to his face. one might even assume he has prosthetic legs, or perhaps even feet... image 2: the ideal male figure... you may not like it, but it's a fish with a broom as a tail and no internal organs. image 3: a fish that doesn't resemble anything in particular. no... not at all! image source not everything may resonate with you, and that's ok! take what does & leave the rest. don't force it.

1.・。.・゜✭

you guys!!! there is something very wonderful in store for you, so long as you’re able to get yourself out of this rut! you may be feeling powerless, suffering some sort of attack, and being forced into the role of the victim. however! justice means to tell you that there is a major change that must be made on your part. instead of letting yourself be victimized, take action! use those emotions you’re feeling to tackle this challenge with passion– take that risk!! don’t be afraid to get creative, too. above all, and no matter what it takes, you’re going to need to address this, and with confidence.  in a broader sense, this situation is teaching you how to overcome a fear of yours. maybe you’re not the best at asserting yourself, but that’s ok! we’re all learning!! take this as a step in the right direction.  the extremely right direction, i might add, as the 9 of cups and justice seem to imply, this will be a very fruitful endeavor for you. the 9 of cups is often referred to as the “wish” card, because it represents having your wish fulfilled. after you take action, i see this result leaving you feeling quite pleased with yourself, and even a little smug! as you may know, justice is no card to be trifled with, so keep in mind that the actions you take regarding this situation will heed important results. do what you know is right and believe in yourself! you can do it!!! all of these cards are reversed-- except 10 of swords-- indicating that they're meant to inform your future actions (in the next few days, or next week). so don't worry if you haven't thought about it too much yet. but please remember that justice does not play! believe in yourself, you'll know when the time is right. there is some 18+ info beyond this point... click the link to read the rest but be warned its literally 2 sentences and NO ONE UNDER 18 SHOULD fucking READ IT! /srs link

(10 of swords, page of wands reversed, 9 of cups reversed, justice reversed)

2.・。.・゜✭

hello my silly little broom fish. you’ve been working hard! if you haven’t, expect to work hard soon! you will be taking on a new project or adventure, which will require your full attention. i’m thinking, some of you guys might be taking a new class, or be receiving training of some kind. you’re going to need to put your all into this! you may already have an idea of what to expect, but some things will be new, too. take the time to really get into the minute details, tie up loose ends, and recheck, then rerecheck, and rererecheck just for good measure.  this may also be a way for you to expand your horizons, and become a leader. if you have a good idea, share it! you may end up showing others the way, and being a representative of some kind. remember, though, to be painstaking about this, and really brush up on those fine details.  along the way, make sure you’re keeping yourself on course. if you need a moment to reflect and think about where you’re going, consider it a part of the process. while it is also a good idea to consider other perspectives, keep in mind that you’re here for a reason. you may have to assert your position & really push for your way of doing things. again, if someone else has an idea, don’t underestimate it, but don’t underestimate yourself, either! this may take the form of having to resist authority, and you may have to be firm. in doing this, you may also be able to reap a reward of some kind! remember, there are so many people in the world that would push for their perspective no matter what, even if they haven't researched it at all. based on the 8 of pentacles, you most certainly have researched, so believe in yourself! make that stand!!... well, when it comes to. all of these cards are reversed, so this situation is likely to come into fruition in the future-- in the next few days, or possibly next week. mull over it for a while. when you start to see the signs, seize your opportunity!

(8 of pentacles reversed, 3 of wands reversed, 7 of pentacles reversed, 7 of wands reversed)

3.・。.・゜✭

ok go off!!!! or somefin it’s time to commit to that regimen. whether that’s eating healthier, taking more time for yourself, or, if you’re like me, trying to practice more self kindness, creating an organized structure/routine is likely to help. so, for example, i’ll take my own life into account: i’ll often think certain thoughts can make me feel bad about myself without me totally realizing it, and lately i’ve been trying to change how i talk to myself. i use a systematic approach, in that i recognize the thought, then force myself to replace it with a positive one, instead. it seems silly at first, but the more that i stick to this method, the more success i’m seeing! this is just my example, but can be applied to your own situation! it’s always tough to start something new, but a month or two in, or maybe even a week, you see improvement. & it’s ok to make mistakes! you may be focusing too much on what you lack, or your shortcomings. there may also be setbacks keeping you from achieving your goals, or maybe you’re convinced that you made the wrong decision.  know that it’s always darkest before the dawn!! you may be in a bad place right now, and if you are, consider how you can make things easier on yourself. instead of letting yourself be a martyr, or feel powerless, do what you know will make you feel better. like that new god forsaken ariana venti song, be your own damn best… friend. it’s wise counsel. both of the readings above this are about the future, but for you, i think this is very much about the present. with all cards facing you except temperance, there is a story unfolding, where you complete some unfinished business, and find peace. the peace part is likely in the future, with it being reversed and all, but the time for action seems imminent, or already happening. i think you probably know what you need to do. whatever those plans are that you’ve been sitting on, make them happen! i just keep getting “declare yourself openly”!!! so do with that what you will.  you may even discover some sort of missing truth, keeping you from seeing things fully. you may also be swept up into the tides of change, and witness all the elements fit seamlessly into place. so hey! enjoy!

(the emperor, 5 of cups, 8 of wands, 10 of swords, temperance reversed)

[dragonagefanevents]

What are Tag Games/Daily Events?

The Tumblr Dragon Age community is active every day of the week! We love to share what we're working on and support each other's creative endeavors. In order to make sure we see those posts--and to encourage our friends to share their own work--we tag each other.

Every day has a different theme. Some work for both art and writing, and some are more geared for writing.

Last Line Monday (Writing)

Tidbit/Teaser Tuesday (Art & Writing)

WIP Wednesday (Art & Writing)

Throwback Thursday (Art & Writing)

Fan Work Friday (Art & Writing)

Friday Writing Circle (Writing)

Soundtrack Saturday (Any)

Six Sentence Sunday (Writing)

Read on for more information about what each daily theme is about, and how to get involved!

Tumblr Etiquette

These are the unspoken rules of Tumblr Tag Games:

If you are tagged by someone in their own post, reblog it with a note of support in the tags or replies!

If you were tagged by someone, tag them when you make your own post so they can see it!

If you tag someone and they make their own post, reblog it with a note of support in the tags or replies!

If someone asks not to be tagged, please do not tag them.

What does participation in the event look like?

▸ Make your post.

Maybe someone tagged you, or maybe you want to get the ball rolling! Choose the piece of your work you want to share and make a tumblr post.

▸ Ping the person who tagged you (if applicable).

If you were tagged by someone, begin with "I was tagged by @tumblr". Tagging them lets them have a chance to see what you're working on and cheer for you!

▸State what the tag event is.

Regardless, copy/paste or summarize the rules of the specific tag game, such as the ones listed at the end of this post for Last Line Monday, WIP Wednesday, etc.

▸Show us the work you wanted to share!

It's polite to put long, wordy WIPS under a "read more" cut to avoid clogging the dashboards. :)

▸End by tagging forward.

Some people choose not to tag anyone, if it's very late in the day, or if you're shy. You can always say "I tag whoever is reading this post to share their work next! Tag me so I can reblog it too :)" or something similar.

What are the tag games/daily events?

▸Last Line Monday (Writing)

Post the last line you wrote on your WIP with no context and tag forward!

▸Tidbit/Teaser Tuesday (Art & Writing)

Post a small piece of your WIP (a few sentences at most, or a cropped piece of an image) without any context, for your followers and friends to make guesses about. Tag at least one person to post their own.

▸WIP Wednesday (Art & Writing)

Share something you're proud of from a WIP, new or old, and tag forward!

▸Throwback Thursday (Art & Writing)

Share a short excerpt or a glimpse of an old work. If it's posted somewhere, put a link so we can appreciate it there, too! Don't forget to tag forward.

▸Fan Work Friday (Art & Writing)

If you’re tagged, MAKE A NEW POST to showcase one fanartist and/or fanfic for any fandom you recommend (with links), and tag someone to give their recs next!

Don’t forget to reblog the rec you were tagged in, and include these rules! :)

Bonus: Choose works by people you aren’t super tight with, or choose older works that maybe haven’t gotten some love in a while. :)

▸Friday Writing Circle (Writing)

DA Drunk Writing Circle is a casual Friday evening event for all Dragon Age writers, focused on writing small pieces based on prompts. This is NOT a tag game, but a community writing circle you can sign up for and participate WHENEVER you feel like it, with very low stakes!

▸Soundtrack Saturday

Share a song (or a few) about a canon character, an OC, a fic, or something else that you think it goes with, and tag forward!

▸Six Sentence Sunday (Writing)

Post six sentences from your WIP and tag forward!

[phoenixashvibes]

Mercury in Aries ♈️

TRANSITS (RX is 4/1)

March 9, 2024 at 11:03pm EST Mercury will transit to Aries starting to steadily approach its retrograde on APRIL FOOLS DAY on April 1st. These times will be marked with a transit from out of the creative, dreamy and watery Pisces into quick expression, highly enthusiastic, quick and decisive Aries. We will see people being more alert and assured of what is going on with themselves. It would be an ideal time to put some of those ideas you dreamed up in Pisces season to fiery action in a practical manner. This is a favorable energetic for kicking off literally anything new for you!

As Mercury gets comfortable in Aries it is go time because On Sunday The Moon is NEW MOON in PISCES at 5:00AM EST and then later the Moon will also join Mercury in Aries at 8:19PM EST Not to mention that the sextile with Mercury and Pluto in Aquarius at 6:20pm EST & Moon & Pluto Sextile at 10:38pm EST There are huge improvements in communication coming in with this astrological transit. Aries is the sign where the vibe is "it's all about me" and with Mercury the sign of (thinking/communication) this will initiate a period of time with bright and passionate sparks of creative endeavors taking off with lightning speed whether that be romantic (or platonic) outings, communication can get a bit spicy. There will be no filter on and offline!! Sarcasm will reign. Communication can easily lead to argument or conflict if we aren’t careful since it can be aggressively assertive in nature. People will be way more blunt and say what’s on their mind before it’s fully processed smh on a more positive side difficult conversations will be easier to have and it won’t be hard to speak up or put yourself or ideas out to others :)

People will also be driving fast on these roads. Be safe and buckle up. This is ideal for race car driving for those who are Aries Mercury it's a Need For Speed. Trust me I know. These people drive really fast and recklessly but they usually do not hit people they are normally the ones who get struck in traffic accident wrecks so be safe during these times because now EVERYONE will be on this.

When Aries is in Mercury people really don't have much patience for b/s and things can get violent super quick with speedy Mercury in this Martian territory. This will be a time to think before speaking, driving crazy, and/or doing anything too risky based off impulse. Know when to cut out or remove yourself from any hostile or chaotic situations with haste it would be good for you and all involved under this astrological transit w/ Mercury in Aries

Embody the evolved side of Aries where you are strategic about your next move. Well thought out planning while executing without much delay. Do what you feel most passionate about. Do not let any trivial matters and concerns overwhelm you. Be truthful about everything to yourself and others unapologetically but also as respectfully as you are able to be. Do not let anyone provoke you into any situation where it can undermine your position, success, self worth, etc. Do not be too selfish or a pushover during these times.

MARCH 18th PRE-RETROGRADE shadow begins MARCH 19th is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING it is also the same day the Sun goes into Aries later at 11:06PM EST. Earlier in the day, Mercury will go conjunct with the North Node in Aries spiraling us to adapt to embracing brand new perspectives and plans for elevating our lives for the near and far out future in the new zodiac year.

APRIL 1st Mercury goes RX at 6:15PM EST This will be a good time to start setting more alarms and alerts/ Practice more self exploration and introspection. stay loyal to your friends and spouses. Make efforts to do more positive self talk. Practice patience while communicating. Avoiding heavy traffic areas if at all possible while traveling unless you want to be around those who drive like it’s the Autobahn or NASCAR. Journal and meditate. Clear the headspace since Aries rules the head! Also, don’t be afraid to take the lead. Aries is all about leadership and doing being that it is a Cardinal fire sign. Take action to have your life run the way you want, you’re the main character 🥰

APRIL 11th- Mercury conjunction with the Sun at 5:06PM EST An ideal day for anything that requires a quick response. Social interactions will be at an all time high. Ironically the day is 4/11 which is also a number that stands for information, you know the 411 lol 😂 so there will be a lot of information being exchanged. Chatterbox city on and off line. You won’t be able to avoid communicating with yourself or others about new ideas and plans for what’s to come!

APRIL 25th 8:55AM EST Mercury goes Direct Everything comes to a culmination. Of course the shadow period will be for two more weeks but the hard part is out the way. Now is a time to reflect and directly apply everything you learned through this transit. There will be a lot of work to build a solid foundation for whatever it is you initiated under this Mercury in Aries transit. There may be some making up to do for those that let the fiesty, fiery side come out through arguments and conflict. It will be easier to start hard conversations in order to gain understanding from whatever got misunderstood when things got chaotic. You will have the courage to speak up regarding whatever it is you initiated and focused your attention on. Some will be playing catch up and others will be moving at faster rates. Results and progress can be made quicker now so use this wisely to push ahead 🫶🏽

May 13th Mercury’s Post Retrograde (RX) ends

On May 15th Mercury enters Taurus

HISTORICAL EVENTS DURING ARIES IN MERCURY Sinking of the Titanic - April 16, 1912

Battle(s) of Lexington & Concord- April 19, 1775 (start of American Revolutionary War)

American Pony Express First Run- April 3, 1860

Former US Pres. Donald Trump plead not guilty to NY court on 34 felony counts of falsifying documents related to 2016 "hush money" payments to a woman alleging they had an extramarital affair- April 4, 2023

Former Pres. Barack Obama endorses his former Vice P. Joe Biden for pres.- April 15, 2020

My Predictions for This Year in 2024:

More Coverage/Talks of Multiple Countries at War

Beef between Stans or Musicians

New Laws Being Proposed & Others Being Implemented into Law

Pre-Election Talk

Zodiac Signs Most Effected?

Aries, Gemini, Libra, Taurus

[mike-haters-dni]

GIMMIE THE FUTURE MIKE HCS I BEG

oh boy here we go time to dig through my adopted oc's lore

The first thing you notice about post-coming-of-age Mike is that he holds his face a lot more softly. The teenage angst has burned away and revealed the tender, affectionate (and sometimes vaguely sad) core it was protecting. Make no mistake, the judgy bitch will still come out if the situation calls for it, but he no longer approaches every social interaction assuming the other person is going to hate him. Turns out he can actually be pretty charismatic when he doesn't feel the need to be a dick in preemptive self-defense.

The low self-esteem never completely goes away but it does diminish to the point where he can occasionally believe people actually like him and maybe he deserves to be happy. He even gets to the place where he can accept most compliments, except if you specifically imply he is either kind or attractive, which he will reflexively scoff at. The two things he can never truly believe about himself 😔. El finds this endlessly frustrating ofc.

During high school, Mike is the first one to get a car (birthday present from his rich parents) so it becomes his job to carpool everyone to school, as well as drive El anywhere she wants to go at any time. idk anything about cars but its black and pretty nice (Karen is absolutely treating her kids after they almost died in a monster war) and Mike lowkey mostly agrees to favors because he likes driving it around so much.

Actually no one else but Lucas gets a car bc why go through the hassle when you can just barge into Wheeler residence at any time and guilt Mike into driving you. He does have a driving toll however, and that is maintaining full control of the stereo, which he uses to blast hair metal.

(El fucking hates hair metal but she's too nice to admit that to Mike, who eventually figures that out on his own after seeing her visibly tense up whenever he plays it. She never fully admits to hating it but she also doesn't really deny it when he says that she obviously does. This also applies to 90's Mike getting into grunge)

The only reason El graduates high school is because Mike absolutely insists that she can and acts as her personal (unrelenting) tutor for the last half of 12th grade (love her but she's really not good at school), despite her best efforts to persuade him to just let her give up because "Did you know that you can legally drop out of school at 18?" ("Yes, but having a GED is really important if you want any opportunities in life." "…See I don't even know what that is." ":/") Luckily, Mike is a talented and very passionate Explainer of Things and took all the classes she's in last year (he's in AP classes now obv) so it all works out, though after she passes her last final she makes him swear to never ask her another math problem again.

After high school he tries to go to college for writing but ends up mysteriously losing the ability to focus on anything or be creative, which causes him to not do any assignments so he starts avoiding going to class out of shame. He rationalizes this as him being tired of school and not needing to go to school for a creative endeavor anyway haha (true), and he ends up dropping out. (Unfortunately, this is just the start of the college/post-college plot line, which is the gang all getting hit full force with the ptsd induced by the Everything upon entering adulthood but uh we don't have to get into that here hehe)

After (attempting) college, Mike and El (who get married at 18 ofc) move to Chicago and Mike gets a boring job as an editor or something just as an attempt to get a career going, but soon quits that as well bc if you're keeping up with the lore you'll remember that El is getting paid restitution by the government so neither of them actually have to work and he really doesn't like working a boring job just to attempt getting a career going. He then spends the next few years working ("working" sometimes) on personal projects, the main one being a sci-fi novel and, eventually, dming at a local game shop, where he becomes a bit of a local geek celebrity for his excellent dming skills and being a generally cool guy. His original campaigns and one-shots are particularly popular, and people keep suggesting that he start distributing them or maybe even sending something to TSR? Hmmm... not something Mike ever thought about doing but he does have the easiest time and most fun coming up with dnd stuff...no way that could be a real career path could it...hmm.....

Seriously tho Mike is like a master dm. You can ask him any obscure question about anything in the game and he can answer instantly with perfect accuracy. And like any passionate gamer he has many Opinions about the editions and a whole set of house rules he runs his games by.

I wasn't originally going to have him and El have kids but then I imagined Mike telling interactive bedtime stories to his 5-year-old daughter and idk man I think that has to exist. Its not until they're like early 30's tho. Also her name is Ava.

[shadowynn]

Four of some of my favorite tropes in one fic!!!! I must be spoiled. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of Vampire!Ateez especially after Deja Vu. And i have such a strange fascination with cults. Seriously the first two chapters are amazing and I can’t wait to see what you have in store. Do you have a yandere type picked out for each of the boys or just a general yandere vibe? And hopefully Felix survives through it all. It’s such a creative idea!!!!

me too! i've probably watched way too many cult documentaries in my life, but i find them so fascinating. for this piece, i think it was going to start out more cult like when the idea first came to me, because that's how it is in 1BR, but then the idea of vampires popped into my head and i just couldn't not include it. it'll still hold cult elements to it, but the emphasis might be a bit more on the vampire side of things.

as for yandere types, i'm not quite sure, but i'll give a run down as how i imagine each one being beneath the cut.

as for felix, i am struggling. i love him, okay, but i'm also fully aware that he is in a very precarious situation here. the last thing i want to do is put him in any harm, but i'm fully aware that making it out unscathed through it all isn't going to happen. what all happens to him though, we'll just have to see. i don't see any physical harm going his way per se, but he might not get to stick around mc forever...

hongjoong is probably the worst out of them and is definitely the most possessive one. very much into showing y/n off and making sure everyone knows just who you belong to. and though he is willing to share with the others, this act of showing off can sometimes extend towards them as well. without giving too much away on how their abilities work, he will happily twist your mind to make sure your focused completely on him and takes absolute pleasure in the attention you'll give him in these moments. (i may or may not have a scene with mc and hongjoong that has been playing nonstop in my head since this idea started and i've been craving to write it but it's pretty far away in the plot line.)

seonghwa comes across as a caring and sweet partner, but can be very manipulative. he will always take care of you and make sure your needs are met, but sometimes his care will come from situations he caused himself. he just wants to be someone you depend on, and if he has to do certain things to make you aware of this fact, he will. and all the while, he will make absolutely certain you're none the wiser for it.

yeosang: while the others might be more forward or manipulative in getting your attention and love, yeosang is much more subtle. he might not go out of his way to gain your attention, but he doesn't need to. he would much rather have you to come to in, thriving in the fact he has you crazy for him without any major tricks or manipulation. but every interaction between you is carefully planned and calculated, the smallest of gestures or actions all but making you crave to get in closer. and once he has you there, good luck getting back out.

san: can be very clingy. wants to spend time with you constantly, and will make certain things happen so that you're forced to go to him. oh, did your washer or dryer suddenly break? guess you'll have to come over to his place and hang out for the next few hours to do your laundry. oh, you have someone over that's not one of them? will find an excuse to squeeze his way in and make sure nothing happens between you and your company.

mingi: the one to quietly control your life, dictating your actions and choices with quiet subtlety. while he does have concerns for your own safety and health, he does influence your decisions on what you do and eat to make sure your blood's quality is at the highest with actions such as bringing you food or asking you to accompany him on certain endeavors. can also be very overprotective, having a hard time letting you do anything by yourself. if you try to do something on your own, he has no shame in ensuring it doesn't end well for you. absolutely relishes in the way you'll come crawling back, telling you once again how he told you it wasn't a good idea and boosting your dependence on each of them.

yunho: may seem normal on the outside, but quietly works his way around so that you come to depend on him. uses your interests as a way to get in close, and is always there as a shoulder to lean on in times of need. can be manipulative, however, in these tactics as he uses them almost as leverage over you. oh, he just spent the day doing one of your favorite activities with you, now why don't you do something that he wants to do next? may seem like he's spending time or helping you as an act of kindness, but it's mostly for his own gain. wanting you to feel as though your indebted to him.

jongho: may seem not as bad as the others at first. he's desperate for your love and attention, but has more qualms than the others in using certain tactics to get it. once you're in close, however, is when his true colors show. extremely clingy and needy, and may whine when you go to leave, begging you to stay with him just a little longer. may get pouty if you choose one of the others over him, like you decided to sit in one of the others' laps, and uses these tactics to make you feel guilty and give him the attention he so desperately wants.

wooyoung: can also be clingy and can get very jealous at times. he's fairly decent with sharing you with the others, but if anyone else were to come too close, he'll be right there, pressing a lingering kiss along your skin and oh, so innocently asking who your friend is. a bit like hongjoong, he'll take his jealousy out on you afterwards. never violently, but almost slightly degrading. asking if that person could ever love you the way he can, if they could ever please you the way he can, etc. but while hongjoong takes more pleasure out of acting on these thoughts and actions in front of said person, wooyoung enjoys privacy. having your full attention on him only.

[golbrocklovely]

I know you’re so tired of hearing about drama and negativity lol the fandom gets way too heated. Maybe I’m just an easy going person idk but at the end of the day the world is still gonna turn 🤷‍♀️ I think some people need to just take a breather and realize that we’re all human and we are all going to make some mistakes and questionable choices at times. It’s just not that deep.

that's the thing with all of this drama; all of this should just be fun. like this should be a fun time in the fandom.

for years, and i genuinely want to emphasize years, this fandom has a, wanted boyfriend!colby content and b, has wanted snc to take a break bc they work so hard. and for both of these things to somewhat occur at the same time and instead of being happy a loud minority are pissed at them is really fucking annoying.

bc genuinely outside of those ppl and that bs, i'm having fun in the fandom. i'm enjoying my time seeing snc with their gfs, or seeing whatever they do post. they have so much content from past years that i rewatch, i'm constantly doing some form of creative endeavor related to them. i'm not bored.

not only that, but snc just announced to us on xplrclub a lot of cool things that are coming down the pipeline. and instead of focusing on that, all the bitter bettys on twitter are focusing on snc saying "hey we see your comments and some of them are really mean, which is why we don't go on there anymore" and their response to being called out is to not take it well (which is essentially what they are saying snc are doing). i mean…. at what point do you take accountability for being assholes?

bc reality is, snc don't just cut ppl off in this fandom. they are extremely nice, to a fault, to most of the fandom. there are plenty of fans that should have been put on blast a long time ago by them, blocked by them, seen some form of repercussions and instead snc are nice to them, reply to them, fold to what they say.

but sometimes i just have to remember to sit back and realize that it really is a very small number of fans that feel this way. bc as much as some of them love to believe they speak for a majority of the fandom, they don't. think of it this way, say for argument's sake there is 10k ppl in this fandom that hate what snc are currently doing. and hey, that's a lot of ppl. i'm not saying that's a small number. however, there is 12 million ppl in this fandom (roughly, of course, since not every person subbed to them is in the fandom). do you know what percent of the fandom that would be? eight. 8%. that's not even double digit percentage of the fandom that feels that way !! and it sure as hell isn't a majority.

so sometimes, i think the best bet anyone that doesn't agree with that very loud minority can do is just take a step back and enjoy what is currently happening with snc. as i've said, this should be a fun time. we should be enjoying and kiki-ing about snc with their girls. we should be wondering who they are collabing with and where they're going next. maybe even talking about other fun topics. but instead, twitter is a hellscape, like usual. but i'm not gonna let them ruin my fun anymore. sorry. i'm not here for you guys, i'm here for snc. yall stay mad lol

and like you said, it really isn't that deep.

[theodoradevlin]

Old Habits and All That

SUMMARY: Silly/Random drabble/imagining of what MC x Ominis x Sebastian are up to in their future endeavors, on assignment for an artifact in the Dolomites. Sort of a continuation based off of this old imagining I had dreamed up about Seb being a magical artifact hunter. Using Theo as the MC....cause ya know. we can't be separated at this point.

WOW actually had a brain cell for once. Felt good to write a little again...so this may be more for me than anyone else (lol).Would be nice to turn this into an actual fic if my creativity wants to cooperate...but we'll see.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

OLD HABITS AND ALL THAT

Theo cursed as she dropped what must have been the third thing this week. This time - a mug. A mug…that had previously been holding the glorious caffeine that her body most so desperately needed right now.

At the curse, and the shatter, one of her companions jolted upright on the chaise they had previously been napping on across the room, unseeing eyes already full of alarm none the less. 

“Theo? What is it? What’s wrong?” 

Ominis’ concerns were never tentative, but immediate. For that she was grateful…because what came next was an accusing curse to match hers from the other side of the room as the unshaven man who’s face had previously been buried in his research also shot up to see what the commotion was about... only to immediately be followed by a groan.

“Damn - that was my Montrose Magpies mug wasn’t it? That was my favorite one.” Sebastian’s whine crawled under her skin as she let out her own exasperated sigh. 

 They had all been on the search for weeks, having been funded by a mystery donor for a six month stint in the middle of the Dolomite region in the Cansiglio Plateau. Muggles had always spoken about an ‘energetic boundary’ in the area they believed to be spiritual…but the minute Theo had stepped foot here she knew what it really was. It had called to her instantly, as it always did.

Ancient Magic. 

Sebastian had been researching tales on the region, about another object that could remove essence of magic from individuals, ancient or not, and it was something that needed to be apprehended and locked away as soon as possible.

Theo could only imagine if it got out…one could potentially steal magic from anyone they wished. And….no one deserved that fate. Loosing magic was comparable to loosing one’s part of their soul.

They knew from experience that even Sebastian’s experiments with dark magic had irreversibly altered his own magic trace, to this day. 

And Ominis, having become an expert Curse Breaker in their years after Hogwarts, was also well aware from his own experiences on what risks usually came with an object like that.

They suspected the object was located in an ancient tomb somewhere within the mountains, but ...where exactly this tomb was they could not say...yet.

However….all that to say….Theo knew full well if finding this object wasn’t going to test them all, then her lack of sleep certainly was.

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I’ll…try and replace it.” She growled at Sebastian.

“Now, now Theo. If you want to get into my knickers you needn’t go around terrorizing my mugs to do it.” 

Despite his own lack of sleep, the quick wit was never idle. Ominis let out a scoff as if to remind them he was ALSO in the room, and not currently interested in seeing Seb’s knickers. 

“Try and keep your trousers on for once. I know we’ve all been cooped up in here, but really Sebastian.” He scolded playfully. Not as if he hadn’t seen that part of Sebastian before… the first few weeks here, the three of them had taken too many shots of fire whiskey…and…well. For now, they would have to save that for another time. 

Sebastian shot him a withering look…though in his disheveled state from his corner of the room, tucked behind the table underneath stacks of old texts, some of that glare lost its power. Ominis had still managed to sound and appear as calm, cool, and collected as he always was. 

And yet with Ominis, Theo could always spot the signs when something more feral was flashing beneath the surface. Yes…they had all been cooped up in their hideout for far too long, with all of them needing some form of release. Whether a break-through in the research…or perhaps something else. 

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she bent down to pick up the mug shards, surprised to see that her own fingers were shaking. 

Cautiously, Ominis came over to her as if sensing this, bending down to her level and taking her hands in his own, rubbing a finger along the skin as if in a small attempt to soothe her. 

“Perhaps one too many cups of coffee, hm Theo? When was the last time you slept for longer than twenty minutes?” 

Even as her breath calmed at his touch, her chest immediately turned tight at the fact that she knew her body demanded sleep, but their situation could not allow it. 

“We…we’re so close to finding the relic. So close. I’ll sleep afterwards.” Her voice came out tight, and stubborn, so much so that Ominis sighed. 

“She’s right you know. Ominis - we can’t stop now. That would put off all the progress we’ve made —“ 

The man still had not released her hands, but turned to snap his head in Sebastian’s direction.

 “Neither of you are getting anything done in the state you’re in. Theo can’t even hold something in her hands for two seconds without dropping it, and you…I know you haven’t shaved in forever judging by the feeling of hair that attacks me every time I’m near you, so I can only assume what state you’re in. I can certainly smell you. Now….maybe you both can pause for some food and a bath.”

“But—“ 

Ominis cut off Theo’s protest again.  

“Enough of that. You need to soak up the caffeine, and Sebastian needs to be in a world outside of his textbooks for a night.”

“Hey!” 

Despite the objection from them both, Theo knew he was right. She could see Ominis needed it too in the tense muscle fluttering in his jaw. 

“Alright fine. Agreed. Food…and a break. For a bit. Then…back to work.” She agreed, with a tight and shallow nod. 

Ominis smirked, dipping his own head in a slight nod, pleased clearly that he’d gotten her to agree. “Always so diligent. Alright then. And Sebastian… bath first please.” 

More disgruntled noises from the freckled man, but no more objections as they went to get ready. 

___

Luckily, since they were staying close to the valley…the walk to the nearest tavern was a short and welcome trek from their hideout. As they walked, her eyes skimmed over the pale mountains looming in the distance, forcing her mind to forget the secrets they might hold….at least for a time. 

Theo wasn’t going to deny that the stew placed in front of her had thawed all remaining feelings of tension and warmed her from the inside out. For the first time in days, she felt like more of a human and less of a run over dugbog. She could see it on all of their faces as they sat in the booth of the tavern, no one speaking words, but just enjoying the comfort of the food. 

Even Sebastian was at ease, despite the small tinge of nervousness that still followed him when they were out in public. It was half the reason their work in tracking down artifacts took them around the world, and nowhere near Hogwarts. 

All those years ago after their fifth year, she still remembered when she saw him for the first time after that summer. The unfamiliar look of doubt that had worked its way into his previously unbothered and careless demeanor. He had showed up at the Three Broomsticks, having been taken in by Sirona after the events that had happened in the catacombs. It was the first, and only time, she had seen him frozen in their presence…unsure of what they thought of him.

 Theo hugged him first, rushing over and holding him tightly, not questioning a single thing. Ominis was slower to embrace him, but did all the same. Questions would still come from him, they always would. And that’s why they needed each other. 

Like he had said all those months ago, whatever they were in for…they were in it together. 

And they still were. 

They had eaten stew that day too. 

The thought of how far they’d come welcomed a grin to her face as she looked down into her soup, Sebastian immediately picking up on it. 

“Hm. And what, may I ask, are you smiling about over there?”  His voice was light and teasing, already so much less strained than it had been earlier. Theo made a face at him.

“Just nice to see your face again, Seb that’s all. I had forgotten what you had looked like under all that wolfish facial hair.”

Ominis let out a snort, as Sebastian rolled his eyes, but the smile still remained on his face.  “Always warms my heart when you say you like my face, Theo. You know what….just for that. I’m ordering us a round of drinks.”

Ominis eyebrows immediately raised in curiosity, no doubt remembering the last time they all drank together.  “Oh?” 

“Oh, indeed.” Theo echoed, leaning closer and resting her head in her hands in intent interest.

“Well- we all agreed we deserved a break. Don’t we deserve a little fun too?” 

None of them disagreed as Sebastian came back over, with three shots of fire whiskey. 

“In it together, then?” Ominis said, raising his glass. 

“For better or worse.” Theo concurred. 

“And more of it worse, knowing us. Old habits, and all that..” Seb added his quip, before the three of them clinked and threw it back.

She chuckled, knowing that he was right. Their philosophy seemed to be one of being in trouble or being bored. 

Theo knew a lot had changed, and probably still would. but, perhaps these old habits wouldn't.

[latealzalost]

I know you brought up XG in a previous post with some of the screencaps, but what are your opinions on the hack/mod as a whole? Alnog with Grand Colosseum if you've dabbled with that at all, I'M actually curious to hear your opinions about them!

When I was younger, but old enough to be cynical, I viewed romhacks of Pokemon games as expression of discontent for what the base game provided.

When I learned years ago that, at the time, XG had replaced all the names of the NPCs in the game, I would never look at any post on here featuring stuff from XG as anything but made in bad faith. I hated anything that tried to erase the memory of Orre in any way. It went against everything I stood for. But that was one of the earliest versions of the romhack and the developer reversed the decision of renaming characters, at least, for the major characters like Lovrina and Greevil. Common npcs are still renamed which is alright. I'm over it :T

Years later, after joining his server (the apex of all Orre communities) one fateful invite via twitter later, getting to know the developer Stars, and realizing that romhacks in general are made out of love for the game and not disdain, I've warmed up to it. He and I are very good friends and he's one of the coolest Orre fans there is. A romhacker would take so much time out of their day to edit a game because they love it right? You would have to be a bitter freak if you didn't love the game that you're hacking on some level. Romhacks that offer a different experience while staying true to the game's mission and spirit are the best. (I say, having only played the Earthbound Halloween Hack by tobyfox as my only other romhack experience)

I started a playthrough of XG, but I haven't finished it yet. It might be the burn-out from all these years of Orre self-exposure but as I play I just feel like wanting to play the original real-thing on my gamecube. I'm conditioned to seeing the silly names and in ALL CAPS no less. I still plan on continuing my playthrough, but I have other things to play and creative endeavors I wish to try. I know that he's added Shadow Pokemon I've always wanted to see and readjusted abilities and type match-ups for a modern-esque take on the game. I know I'll enjoy it to the fullest eventually even with the risk of crashing at any moment

Please enjoy XG: NeXt Gen if you'd like. If you're a fan of the original I'm sure you'll like it once you've put enough time into it. I've barely gotten into the meat and potatoes of it myself, but don't let that stop you. There are twists in the Shadow Pokemon themselves and some fun changes to XD's scenario I'm sure you'd appreciate if you played the OG at least once. Just be sure to save often lol

As for Grand Colosseum, I haven't touched that romhack ever, besides contributing to Rui's palette swap, but I'll say the same thing in that please go ahead and play it if you like what Colosseum's base game had. I know Kya too and she hangs out in the same discord server Stars founded and let me join. It's a wonderful thing to see the original Orre games live beyond their time by being remixed and resurfaced by the fans for a new Orrean experience.

[squigglysquidd]

Apple of Eden Update

So I'm not sure if my followers here on Tumblr are interested in status updates of the next Pieces of Eden book (Neon Utopia's sequel) but here's what's going on now:

I'm currently on my fourth draft of edits and I just finished the 22nd chapter out of 29.

I plan on having at least two more runs through it before deciding to release. Because of that, I don't have a set date yet. Sorry. I just have a way of looking at it without deadlines because it'll only cause stress I don't technically need because I'm self-publishing anyways.

I'm really liking this book. I think it'll be better than the one before. I have my Alpha and Beta readers to thank for all their help and input. That's not to say that I get a little boost every time I hear from readers who enjoyed Neon Utopia. Ultimately, I wish that everyone reading Apple of Eden will love it and agree that I've improved too. Not for a confidence boost, but just because I want my writing to be more clear and precise for readers.

Aside from my writing, I also do other creative endeavors. One of which is making OOAK dolls by repainting and rerooting hair on the kinds of dolls we see out in the stores now. Concerning that, I actually have plans of making the characters from PoE into dolls! Rainbow/Shadow High to be exact, so they'll have a bit of a cartoonish look to them. They'll be for fun and I think it'll help me connect with them more for my writing. If anyone's interested in seeing them as I make them, let me know!

Fibonacci status: I have not forgotten about Fibonacci! I plan to pick it up again after the release of Apple of Eden so as to give myself some time in between books to breath and relax. I might actually be able to finish it and I can't wait to see what's in store.

[brainshock-alpha]

For the fanfic writing asks: 7, 18, 26, 29, 78

7. Post a snippet from a wip.

so here's a short one that i haven't shown you before; after the readmore i'll add a longer one that you've already seen but i still wanna post lol

"Nice outfit." [Raihan turns and sees Piers coming around the corner.] "I didn't fool you for a second, did I?" [they say, grinning.] "You kiddin'? I'd clock those mako eyes of yours anywhere." [The reference gets a good chortle out of them.] "Hahaha! I'm a first-class SOLDIER, don't you know? Macro Cosmos enhanced me with Eternatus cells." "Oh my god, can you imagine?" [They share a good laugh together.]

(the brackets are supposed to indicate like, placeholder text or stage directions that i wanna edit later but in practice i end up bracketing most non-dialogue text on the first pass LOL,,,, it's fine,)

18. Do you enjoy research?  Which fic of yours required the most research?

most of the time i do! it's fun to learn new things, of course. but sometimes, man, i feel like i'm trying to roll a boulder up a mountain (labeled "executive dysfunction" like in a freaking political cartoon) and just not getting anywhere with it. as for which fics need the most research, uh, probably any of the ones where i have to write in a language i don't speak ^-^;;; which so far is just Merlin's Bairns and The Day To End All Days. and really the former was entirely in scots whereas the latter just has scots dialogue, so you might think the former unequivocally needed more research. but here's the thing... end all days has a single line of scottish gaelic... and having to come up with that seriously tipped the scales the other way i think. lmao

26. What’s your least favorite part of the writing process?

proooobably coming up with the first draft of anything... the process of putting ideas down on paper for the first time is always so strenuous for me. for some people, being able to just stream-of-conscious that shit into the text editor is a legitimate skill that needs to be developed, and i'm one of them 😔 not that doing the editing afterwards is always a breeze either... ahhhh

29. What’s something about your writing that you’re proud of?

i've gotten this question a couple times in the past, and let's see, i've already talked about my dialogue writing... and i think i've mentioned my fluff fics too... so how about something else? i like what i can come up with when i put a word limit on myself! i feel like i can convey a fair bit even when i don't have a lot of words to work with.

78. What motivates you during the writing process?

........... divine providence mostly LMAO. uhhh in general i have trouble staying motivated throughout a personal project, or any protracted endeavor. when it comes to creative works, though, i can usually get some fuel out of wanting to see something fairly-to-extremely specific come to life. if i wait for someone else to make things that cater to my niche interests i'll be waiting basically forever, so it's up to me to write about leon trapped in a time loop, or hop trying charcuterie with his new brother raihan, or an autistic grad student falling in love with an autistic himbo jock in a surreal post-post-apocalyptic world... well, you get the point! not to mention it's fun to see people's reactions to my fairly-to-extremely specific ideas :)

the longer wip excerpt that i said i'd post:

[context: gloria and victor just got their gym challenge uniforms, before the motostoke opening ceremony]

"Glo! Get a load'a this. Did you know that numbers with leading zeroes count as different to numbers without?" [he informs her, holding up the top to show off what's printed on the back: Victor 001.] "What!" is her first, honest reaction. But she recovers quick enough to jab at him, "That just makes you a discount Leon, y'know." "Shut up," Victor retorts cheerfully, taking the locker next to hers. "You're just mad you didn't think of it first." [It's a funny move, so she is a little jealous. But she's also pretty happy with her own number, 102, even if no one but Victor and Hop is allowed to know why she picked it.] "Positively fuming, aye. So is it pronounced 'zero-zero-one' or 'oh-oh-one'?" "Uhhh, it's just, 'one'. The zeroes are, uh, silent." He can't even finish his sentence without laughing. "Okay, sure. Whatever. You gonna catch a foongus and start saying 'let's have a champignon time' too?" [cackling] "No, you git! Hop's gonna think I'm a freak!!"

[cookinguptales]

hi! can i have a serious reading with uhhh deck 6? 🍓🍓

Sure can!

I'm glad you requested it, too. The Insect Tarot is one of my favorites. The artwork is just so unique and visually arresting.

You know, it's funny. I kind of talk to the decks a little bit sometimes when I do this. It's a little superstitious and a little silly and a little "blorbo from my bookshelf"y but I do like to do it. And as I was shuffling this deck, I was like, "y'know, I'm familiar with this person, I know they've gone through some rough stuff recently, let's give them something nice, maybe?"

And I drew the King of Pentacles and went oh! very nice!

And I drew the Eight of Wands and went! yes!! nice!!

And then I drew the Ten of Swords and I was like. hm.

So anyway.

The King of Pentacles, as I've noted before (and huh, feels like we're getting a lot of repeats this time?) is a card that's usually the culmination of long, hard work. You've put in the time and now you're reaping the rewards. This is typically an indication of financial reward, but not necessarily. This can be a work project, a creative endeavor, something personal -- the point here is that all that effort is coming together and you're getting to reap what you've sown. It's a card of success, and a success that's hard-earned.

Next, we have the Eight of Wands. This is a card of movement. Imagine a river that's all stopped up with debris, and then that debris is cleaned out and the river is free to rush as much as it wants. That's sort of the vibe this card has. A struggle has been surmounted, and now there's a sense of freedom. This card also goes with literal physical movement, like traveling or moving, but tonight I feel that it's mainly a metaphorical thing. You are now able to spread your wings and fly, so to speak.

But then... hm. Then we have the Ten of Swords. This is another repeat offender, and one that I was hoping not to see again. This is a card of calamity. It speaks to pain and betrayal and something bad. That said, it's also one of those darkest before dawn cards, at times, and perhaps that's what's going on here.

See, I would usually expect to see these cards in the opposite order. The Eight of Wands is usually a progress card; it indicates that something bad has happened, but now good things have happened. The King of Pentacles is usually a card about culmination. It's not usually one to have at the beginning.

But in this order... hmm. I think perhaps it's best to take them all as happening at the same time rather than a progression. Bad things have happened, but they're over now. This is the side of the Ten of Swords that indicates that there has been a betrayal of sorts, either from someone else or within you, but that this thing can no longer hurt you. There's a sense of finality to this card. The calamity has come, but it has also ended. Things can only go up from here.

So a great boon has come to you, a reward for your efforts, and now there is a sense of freedom. You've been hurt and might still be hurting, but there is an end in sight. It's not quite a reading that indicates a new dawn, but... it's crepuscular, shall we say. Things are just starting to get light.

[the-ragingenby]

Guess who actually finished the first chapter of that fic they said they were gonna write?

And guess who still doesn’t have a beta reader :,)

Anyway, here’s the AO3 cross post:

Dear Fellow Traveler

Chapter 1: Beginnings

“Morgan, hey. Are you okay?” Morgan was startled out of his thoughts by Garcia, who had gingerly poked her head into his office. He quickly pulled on his usual lazy smile.

“Hey, baby girl.” Morgan replied, waving her in. “You can come in, y’know. No need to lurk outside.” Garcia nervously fiddled with her hands as she stepped inside, carefully inching towards his desk.

“You, uh, didn’t answer my question.” Garcia stated, wincing at her own blunt tone. “Sorry, I’m just…I’m worried. About you, I mean. I know that this case was kind of…heavy. And you took it especially hard.” She paused when Morgan didn’t reply right away. “I know I wasn’t there and I wouldn’t understand, blah blah. Whatever run of the mill excuses you’ll give to wave me off. But I’ll say this, take the rest of today to catch up with some friends. Or even go out and meet someone. Just anything to get you out of this office.”

At that, Morgan let out a sigh. “And I thought I was being so good about hiding it too.” He laughed dryly. Garcia covered her mouth to conceal a laugh.

“Listen, hot stuff, you may think you’re so great at hiding your emotions in the same way you're amazing at reading people, but it doesn’t work that way.” Garcia teased. “So, are you going to do what I suggested? Unless you want to sit down and have a long chat about what’s bothering you with Hotch.”

At that, Morgan winced. He loved Hotch, as his boss. He was a great guy. But he didn’t want to bother him with his own issues. And he most likely had his own things to attend to, probably with Jack. “If I’m being honest, Garcia, most of the friends I did have around here either moved on or left. I haven’t made the effort to make any new ones, and I’m not in a clubbing mood.”

Surprisingly, Garcia didn’t seem at all surprised, instead digging in her pocket for a crumpled piece of paper and flinging it at him. While he was distracted, she snatched his phone off his desk and started fiddling with it. “Since I didn’t want you to be mopey for the next week, I’ve decided to set you up with a friend of mine. Well, online friend. But I’ve run so many security checks on him that I may as well know him in person. Which I do. Sort of.”

“Garcia.” Morgan began, reaching for his phone as Garcia stepped back just out of reach. “Listen, I don’t really need to be set up for any romantic endeavors. I’m pretty good at that on my own.” Garcia smiled devilishly.

“I never intended to set you up romantically, but now you’re giving me ideas.” She snickered, dodging neatly as Morgan flung the paper right back at her. After a few moments, she handed him back his phone, now with a newly installed application specifically for chatting. “His name is Spencer Reid, and he works and studies at a relatively nearby university. I’ve already sent a friend request for you. Now, be nice to him and have fun!”

Garcia bowed and pranced back out of the office, looking much more like her usual self. Morgan sighed, looking down at his phone to see just what Garcia had put him up to. After a few minutes of looking through the different settings on the app, he eventually spotted the username of who he assumed to be this Spencer Reid guy. It was pretty obvious, considering what he chose. Come on, throughthe_Reids? Seriously? Morgan could almost guarantee he could come up with something more creative than that.

After a few minutes of hesitation, he quickly typed out a text, but hesitated to send it. Maybe he should wait until he gets home. Or maybe he just shouldn’t send it at all. But, Garcia did encourage it, after all. Maybe it would be good for him. But on the other hand, stranger danger and all that.

Feeling conflicted, Morgan decided to head home first and figure things out later. He said his usual goodbyes to the team and left before Garcia could bully him into sending this one text before he was ready.

After the short drive home, Morgan collapsed on his bed, contemplating what to do for the rest of the evening when he suddenly remembered Garcia and the whole online friend thing. Ah, what the hell? What’s the worst that could happen? Despite his reservations, Morgan sent the text and promptly flung his phone away, embarrassed at how stupid he sounded.

[9:43 pm]

De-reel_Morgan: Hey. You must be Spencer Reid, right? A friend of mine said I should introduce myself and maybe get to know you? Sorry, I’m not good at introductions.

It had hardly been thirty seconds when his phone chimed. Carefully, as though his phone was suddenly radioactive or something, Morgan picked it up and read over the response he got.

[9:43 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Haha, no worries. It’s nice to meet you, Derek Morgan. Penelope has told me a lot about you. And honestly? You seem to be as amusingly charming as she says you are.

To his surprise, Morgan felt himself growing embarrassed over a single text from this guy. But that didn’t make any sense at all. He was usually the one sending the alluring messages, not the other way around. If only he knew this guy as much as he seemed to know Morgan.

[9:44 pm]

De-reel_Morgan: Well I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.

[9:44 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Mmm. Consider it a half-compliment, half-teasing insult.

Ah, so the guy’s a jokester, huh? Morgan would bet on his life that Garcia had everything to do with this opening Spencer pulled out. He made a mental note to text her later.

[9:45 pm]

throughthe_Reids: In any case, considering everything Penelope’s told me, I suppose I should introduce myself properly. Since I know you won’t ask, you chicken.

Morgan could barely keep himself from laughing, even though he knew the guy was right. At this point, he didn’t want to ask too many questions. He might start accidentally profiling him or something. And he didn’t want to scare Spencer off. Garcia would not let him live it down.

[9:45 pm]

throughthe_Reids: My name is Spencer Reid and I am currently both a student and teacher’s aide. I enjoy reading, chess, and Doctor Who.

[9:45 pm]

throughthe_Reids: I occasionally write for myself in my free time, which is pretty scarce these days. But I’m glad I’ve made time to talk to you. You seem nice, if not overly cautious not to say something wrong. But I hear you’re normally like that, so I won’t take it too personally.

[9:46 pm]

De-reel_Morgan: Oh, so you’re the studious type? That’s interesting. What have you read recently?

[9:46 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Well, I read War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy this morning at breakfast.

[9:46 pm]

De-reel_Morgan: Like, started it?

[9:47 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Nope. Finished it. Start to finish.

[9:47 pm]

throughthe_Reids: I know, you’re probably shocked, but please hold the applause.

[9:48 pm]

De-reel_Morgan: So now you’re messing with me for real now.

Morgan couldn’t believe this guy. Did he really think Morgan was that stupid? He and Garcia will be having a serious chat tomorrow.

[9:49 pm]

throughthe_Reids: I’m really, truly not. I have an eidetic memory, and quite a fast reading speed on top of that.

[9:49 pm]

throughthe_Reids: I’ve already read it a few times before anyway. I just wanted to re-read it for the fun of it.

[9:50 pm]

De-reel_Morgan: I think ‘quite fast’ is an understatement. And don’t you mean re-Reid?

[9:50 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Hah! That’s a good one. I think we’re going to get along just fine.

Morgan couldn’t help his smile. He took back every bad thing he’s thought about this guy. Surprising himself, he was actually excited to keep talking to Spencer.

[9:51 pm]

throughthe_Reids: As much as I’d love to keep talking all evening, I think you should get some rest. From what Penelope told me, you and your team have just solved a case and your hours are both ridiculous and unpredictable.

[9:51 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Knowing this, I want you to get some rest. While I’m not sure who this ‘team’ is, I can only assume you hold a government job. I don’t want to hinder your performance at all, so go to bed!

[9:52 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Make sure you eat something and take care of yourself. We’ll talk again tomorrow.

[9:53 pm]

De-reel_Morgan: You seem to know a lot for just being a college student.

[9:53 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Well, I do have a friend, or mentor rather, that kind of gave me some insight into some government agencies, specifically with law enforcement. But he never gives me many details.

[9:54 pm]

throughthe_Reids: I’ve been trying to pry just one complete story out of him, but he won’t budge. So I’ve only got bits and pieces of information.

[9:54 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Anywho, good night! Sleep well, Derek :p

De-reel_Morgan: Goodnight, Spence.

Morgan heaved a sigh, feeling conflicted. The guy seemed nice enough. Though this mentor of his caused some concern. What if this guy was a spy or something who’s come to extract government secrets? No, that can’t be it. Garcia wouldn’t let that happen. And speaking of Garcia, Morgan decided to shoot her a text.

[10:03 pm]

Morgan: Hey mama, tell me more about this Spencer guy.

[10:05 pm]

Garcia: Morgan the whole point of putting you up to this is for you to get to know him on your own

[10:06 pm]

Garcia: If I give you the answers thats CHEATING

[10:06 pm]

Morgan: Come on, Penelope. He was being cryptic about his mentor telling him about government secrets and stuff.

[10:07 pm]

Garcia: I can almost guarantee that is not what he said

[10:08 pm]

Garcia: And if you really need to know the mentor is a teacher at the university

[10:08 pm]

Garcia: A former federal agent

[10:09 pm]

Garcia: But I cant tell you their name or anything like that

[10:09 pm]

Garcia: So youre going to have to trust me here

Morgan frowned, fears not being appeased at all. But he decided to let it go, for now. He’ll get answers out of her eventually.

Taking Spencer’s advice, even if he wasn’t physically there to make sure, Morgan decided to call it a night. As he drifted off the sleep, his thoughts floated towards the comedic student. Despite his reservations, he was really growing to like the guy. And he was actually excited to talk to him tomorrow.

~

The next morning, Morgan started getting ready for work when he took a moment to check his phone. Spencer had texted him pretty early in the morning. The hypocrite, telling Morgan to go to bed just to be up late himself.

[3:48 am]

throughthe_Reids: You’re probably sleeping, which is good. But I just couldn’t get this out of my head. So when you get a chance, you should totally start watching Doctor Who.

[3:49 am]

throughthe_Reids: But not because I’m up late watching it. No way. No sir. That’s not the reason in the slightest.

[4:19 am]

throughthe_Reids: Actually, I just realized you’ll probably be at work by the time you see these, so I hope you have a good day! Talk to you later :p

Morgan stared, trying to decide just how to reply when he received a text from Garcia.

[7:30 pm]

Garcia: ROUND TABLE IN 30

Damn it all. Hesitantly, Morgan decides to quickly reply, not wanting to leave Spencer hanging.

[7:33 am]

De-reel_Morgan: Since you’re recommending it, maybe I’ll give it a look. Just let me know where to start.

[7:33 am]

De-reel_Morgan: And you have a good day too, Spence.

Morgan sighed, annoyed at his boring response. He wanted to tease the guy, he really did, but he didn’t know how much Spencer could handle. He really, really, didn’t want to scare him off.

Morgan made it to the office with ten minutes to spare. The second he stepped out of the elevator, Garcia practically ambushed him, bombarding him with question upon question. “So what do you think of him? Do you like him? We’re, I mean, I’m anxious to know.” At the last one, he raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean ‘we’?” Morgan asked, starting to head towards the conference room. Garcia fiddled with her hands, looking a bit conflicted.

“Well…I may or may not have been asking Spencer for updates. And…stuff.” Garcia mumbled, sneaking past him to dart into the conference room so she wouldn’t have to elaborate.

“You aren’t getting away that easily, baby girl.” Morgan chuckled, sliding into the room after her and settling at his usual chair.

As she begins to present the case to the rest of the team, Morgan fights hard to keep himself focused. Garcia’s admission made his head spin, just a little bit. Was Spencer really that worried about what he thought about him? The thought made him feel a little better about all the messages he’s been sending. If he feels a little anxious, he can only imagine what Spencer was feeling.

And considering everything, Morgan could probably drop his suspicions of Spencer being some sort of evil entity. For now. One can never be too careful.

“Morgan?” JJ was staring at him, head slightly tilted in concern. “You okay? You’re acting kind of spacey this morning, more so than when you’ve had a long night out on the town.”

“And without us, might I add.” Prentiss added, an amused smirk on her lips. “Someone running you ragged?”

“Man, y’all are really ganging up on me this morning.” Morgan laughed, expertly dodging their playful questioning as Hotch interrupted.

“Alright, guys. We have two missing women to find, and its already been a few hours. Wheels up in ten.” Hotch announced, nodding to dismiss them, then disappeared from the room.

Morgan quickly followed suit, grabbing his go-bag from his office and followed the team to the elevator.

~

Thankfully, this case went significantly better than their last one. They managed to find both women alive and take the unsub into custody in one piece. Morgan was grateful for the reprieve.

He decided to call it quits early and start heading home. Morgan felt like he could sleep for a thousand years, but still be tired. Maybe I should check out that Doctor Who thing Spencer was mentioning. It would give me something else to talk about with him.

Just as he was starting to gather his things, his phone buzzed. He dug around in his pocket and glanced at it, raising an eyebrow when he realized it was Garcia.

[11:58 pm]

Garcia: Hey

[11:58 pm]

Garcia: Text Spencer if you need someone to talk to

[11:59 pm]

Garcia: I promise hes willing to listen and wont judge you too harshly

[11:59 pm]

Garcia: And wont harass you for deets at work the next morning

Despite himself, he let out a huffing laugh. Ah, Garcia. She was right, because of course she was. But he couldn’t help but feel like he would be bothering him. Spencer was a student first and foremost, then a teacher’s aide on top of that at a university. Morgan wasn’t even sure of which one. Why would he be wasting his time on—

You know what, screw it. Morgan steeled himself and sent Spencer a text. After all, he did promise they’d talk later.

[12:01 am]

De-reel_Morgan: Hey, sorry I couldn’t talk sooner. We had a pretty rough case.

Morgan swiftly shoved his phone back into his pocket, not wanting to read Spencer’s reply right away, whenever it came in. He headed to the elevator, near which JJ was standing.

“Oh, I see you're heading out earlier than usual.” She noted, eyeing him. “I guess Prentiss was right?” Morgan shook his head.

“You guys are just jumping to conclusions. I haven’t really found anyone, yet.” Morgan stated, shrugging slightly. JJ blinked, clearly doubtful, but didn’t voice it.

“He’s a liar!” Garcia called as she sped past in her heels, a few files held in her hands. Morgan shot her a look, but she just smiled and disappeared into the cave she called an office.

JJ raised her eyebrows and turned to question Morgan, but he slipped into the elevator and left with a teasing grin and wave. “See ya.”

By the time he got home, he had almost managed to forget about his impromptu text to Spencer, when his phone suddenly buzzed. He took a glance and felt his heart melt a little at the response he received.

[12:18 am]

throughthe_Reids: Oh, hey. I heard vaguely from Penelope, hence my lack of messages throughout the day. I didn’t want to interrupt your train of thought.

[12:18 am]

throughthe_Reids: But I’m glad it seems to have gone well. At least you’re back in one piece. I’m assuming. You aren’t hurt, are you?

Morgan felt a smile pulling at his lips. Aw, Spence was worried about me.

[12:19 am]

De-reel_Morgan: I’m fine, and so is the rest of my team, thankfully. Things went better than expected this time around.

[12:19 am]

throughthe_Reids: That’s good. I’m glad.

[12:19 am]

throughthe_Reids: I’m not sure what I would’ve done if you said otherwise. I mean, to like visit and stuff. Because yeah.

[12:20 am]

throughthe_Reids: But I’m sure you meant that physically, not necessarily emotionally. If you want to talk, just say the word.

Why is everyone and their mom bombarding me about my feelings? Morgan couldn’t help but laugh a little. But with Spencer worrying, he found that the feeling wasn’t too bad or overwhelming. Though, I don’t want to make him worry too much.

[12:21 am]

De-reel_Morgan: I could be better, but it's nothing serious. So don’t worry your pretty little head, alright?

Ah, maybe he shouldn’t have said that. He was trying hard not to be as forward as he usually is, and he didn’t even know what the guy looked like. As he sat there in tense silence, his phone eventually buzzed again.

[12:25 am]

throughthe_Reids: I don’t know about pretty, but alright.

[12:26 am]

throughthe_Reids: In any case, if you don’t want to talk, may I offer a distraction? I find they help a little when you don’t feel like confronting your emotions and such.

[12:26 am]

De-reel_Morgan: Yes. Please. Anything.

[12:27 am]

throughthe_Reids: You might regret saying ‘anything’. But you need to watch Doctor Who. I’d say start with the 2005 version of Doctor Who, since we both know you don’t have the time (or motivation most likely) to watch the 1963 version.

[12:28 am]

De-reel_Morgan: And you think I’ll like it?

[12:28 am]

throughthe_Reids: Well, I’d hope so. And if you don’t, then consider it a way of getting to know me.

[12:29 am]

De-reel_Morgan: Then it sounds like it’s worth it. Thanks, Spence.

[12:32 am]

throughthe_Reids: Yeah, no problem.

[12:33 am]

throughthe_Reids: Also, if you ever get stuck on any of your cases, I’m often a consultant for the local police department, so maybe I can be of some help.

[12:34 am]

throughthe_Reids: Just something to keep in mind. Don’t feel pressured to mention anything about the cases to me if you don’t want to.

[12:35 am]

De-reel_Morgan: Don’t worry, Spence. And I’ll keep it in mind, thanks.

[12:36 am]

De-reel_Morgan: Anyway, I’m gonna go start watching this show. I think you should get some rest. I’m sure you had a busy day. And you were up late watching Doctor Who.

[12:37 am]

throughthe_Reids: Aw, you caught me.

[12:38 am]

throughthe_Reids: Fine. I’ll go to bed, just for you.

[12:39 am]

throughthe_Reids: I hope you enjoy it! Good night, Derek. Don’t follow my example and go to sleep sooner rather than later.

[12:40 am]

De-reel_Morgan: I make no promises. Night, Spence.

Morgan laid back on his bed, quickly finding and watching the first few episodes of Doctor Who (the 2005 version because he did not have the patience for 1963). Even though he read the description, it wasn’t what he was expecting, but he can say he enjoyed it.

Before he knew it, it was almost four in the morning, and Morgan decided to call it for the night. As he slowly slipped into sleep, he realized that maybe he was interested in Spencer. Just a little. But he wouldn’t admit it to Garcia. Not yet.

[merciful-aceso]

Bone Saws and Blind Cuts

The saw ground away at bone and the smell of slightly burnt flesh emanated from the widening incision. Burnt bone has a distinct scent from that of soft flesh being cauterized that I had experienced in a surgical clinic. We were issued cast saws with special blades for this, which wasn’t exactly ideal. These cast saws are shaped like overgrown Dremel drills with an oscillating blade instead of a rotating one. The muscles in my arms and shoulders trembled a little as I applied more force to the saw to get through the skull. It was awkward and heavy work to circumscribe the head of a supine cadaver with such an unwieldy tool.

 The anatomy fellow teaching assistant admonished me and exclaimed that I was cutting too deep and that I would damage the tissue beneath the bone, but I ignored him. This was the same brand and model of saw we used to cut casts in the ER and I was quite familiar with the sensation of breaking through a barrier. There was more bone left that I needed to get through. I can see why he was insistent that I withdraw. The saw was already more than a centimeter deep, and while the frontal bone is thick, it’s usually not that thick. Still, I was thirteen millimeters deep and still hadn’t broken through. The anatomy fellow and my tankmates tittered and made half-hearted motions in my direction telling me to stop, but the slightly burnt bone dust still wafted out of the deepening crevice.

 Eventually, finally, thankfully, after my shoulders burnt from the effort of the force required, the saw broke through. I let out a vindicated cheer intoned with no small amount of triumph and a hint of spite. I finished the circumscription, set the saw aside, and popped the top of the skull off with the chisel with an intensely satisfying crack. Once I lifted it away, I showed the surprisingly thick frontal bone to the fellow with a slightly self-righteous “See?!”. He conceded that it was one of the thickest frontal bones he had seen in the lab that day. To my further delight and pride, there was not a single incision or speck of damage on the brain beneath. Ours was one of the only groups to extract the brain without damage from the saw. The fellow took the saw to give to the next group, and we proceeded with extracting the brain the rest of the way out of the inferior portion of its vessel.

 The lab instructions and demonstrative video provided before class insisted that we were going to have to cut blindly in some places and hope for the best that our scalpels didn’t slice anything delicate in the process. I had a way around this though. We made it a team effort instead of an individual endeavor. The flashlight I keep in my pocket was of immense use in this instance, and I’m glad I remembered to bring it to lab that day. My hands trembling just a little too much from the exertion of handling the saw, I handed off the scalpel to one of my tankmates for him to make the incisions. Here, I was able to apply other expertise learned from the ER to the procedure.

 As an ER tech, one of my most frequent duties was finding new and creative ways to position and hold patients still for the nurses and physicians to perform various procedures, and the most skillful part of it was figuring out how to do so without being in the way. For our cadaver’s brain, I lifted and pulled the cerebrum to the side with one hand and shined the light into the cavity while contorting myself to be out of the way of the scalpel wielder. It was successful, and what was supposed to be a blind cut turned into an easy maneuver with perfect visualization. We did this for all the various cuts at various angles, me changing my position and flashlight angle each time to give my tankmates the best chance at success. And it worked quite well.

 With the exception of the left abducens and facial nerves being cut a little closer to the brain than was ideal, we extracted the brain in near perfect condition…one of the only groups to do so that day. The professors were delighted with our pristine cerebellum, medulla, and pons with a neatly cut brain stem. It was no minor point of pride.

 I’ve come a long way since that first encounter in a medical cadaver lab, and my last lab session of the semester illustrates the extent of the change in my perspective. For reference, this lab session was titled “Optional Brain Removal” on our class schedule. In the first semester, we dissected all the muscles of the back and limbs, and the contents of the thoracic cavity. The brain removal was to prepare for next semester when we’ll be dissecting the brain in detail. To make this possible, the brains needed to come out of their respective skulls and be placed in a special formaldehyde solution so that we wouldn’t be trying to dissect brains with the consistency of jelly. It was certainly an interesting and entertaining way to finish out the semester in the anatomy lab.