#obviously i need to do my research and be prepared but that's the case for every goddamn country!

[fairuzfan]

"Israel also secretly hires Jewish Americans as spies to work out of its Washington embassy and its consulates around the United States to covertly surveil and monitor fellow Americans, including students. Thoroughly vetted to ensure loyalty to Israel, many of those hired have spent years heavily involved in pro-Israeli activities from the time they were in college and before. Among them was Julia Reifkind, who led a pro-Israel group at the University of California at Davis before moving on to become an activist with AIPAC. After she graduated in 2016, she was hired by Israel and assigned to its embassy in Washington.

Reifkind had good preparation for her assignment. Thinking that Kleinfeld was a fellow pro-Israel activist, over dinner at Washington’s Mari Vanna restaurant she revealed that while at AIPAC she spent much of her time deceiving college students about her covert connection to the organization. “Obviously, I’m an AIPAC-trained campus activist,” she said. “When you’re lobbying on behalf of AIPAC, you don’t say AIPAC, you say, ‘I’m a pro-Israel student from UC Davis.’ And when you’re meeting with students on campus I would never say, ‘I am the AIPAC campus rep.’ I’d say, ‘My name is Julia and I’m a pro-Israel student.’”

At the embassy, Reifkind focused on developing intelligence on fellow Americans, including students on college campuses. “So nobody really knows what we’re doing,” she said. “But mainly it’s been a lot of research like monitoring BDS.”

In a different conversation, Reifkind explained: “It’s mainly gathering intel, reporting back to Israel. That’s a lot of what I do. To report back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, and make sure they have the right information.” Among the ways she spies on pro-Palestinian activists and Palestinian human rights supporters is with phony Facebook accounts. “I have my fake Facebook that I follow all the SJP [Students for Justice in Palestine] accounts. I have some fake names. My name is Jay Bernard or something.”

Once Reifkind collected the intelligence on her targets, she passed it on to her boss at the embassy. Then it was sent to the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and other offices over a secure encrypted system called Cables. It’s “really secure,” she said. “I don’t have access to [it] because I’m an American.… I’ve seen it, it looks really bizarre…. And then they’ll send something back and he’ll translate it and tell me what I need to do.”

Since the brutal Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7 and the Israeli invasion of Gaza, the ICC and its US-based spy networks are no doubt working overtime. But there is little likelihood of interference by the FBI—well trained to look the other way when it comes to Israel. It was a situation that even frustrated a former head of the FBI’s counterintelligence division. When I asked him why no one would talk to me about Israel’s massive espionage in the United States, he simply shook his head.

“You don’t think Israel’s a sensitive topic?” he asked, requesting that his name not be used. “So, Israel has been looked at and is being looked at and that’s all I can tell you,” he said. “But nobody’s doing anything.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“You can imagine,” is all he would say, implying high-level political involvement. I then said that I was planning to write about the topic. “I hope you do. I hope you do,” he said. Sighing, he added, “I’ve been there done that. I know it. I’ve brought cases to the Department of Justice on Israel.” Cases that were never opened."

— Israel’s War on American Student Activists by James Bamford on The Nation

[icannotgetoverbirds]

vent

yet again out here wishing i'd grown up with some semblance of hispanic culture in my family instead of a monolith of mormonism

[roseykat]

hard thought part 2

This is part 2 to a hard thought that a lovely anon sent me not too long ago x

A/N: tagging @lyramundana who’s the usual instigator of my Minsung thoughts. I also have no idea how long this is lol

(if you haven’t read the first one, you don’t need to but for context it might be good)

Reader couldn’t have asked for a better experience when Minsung took her virginity. And although they’ve taken her ‘V card’, she’s still relatively inexperienced yet potently eager to do more. Almost like a puppy with unlimited excitement. That excitement stems from finally understanding that there’s more to sex than just sex with another person (or people in her case). It’s the temporary sting when one of either of their cocks stretch her open, the out of body orgasms they bring her to, the slow, sloppy kisses, the aftercare too. She enjoys every single bit of it and is damn near just about running Minsung dry as they try to keep up with her.

They could never lie about how hot and slightly cute it is to see her wanting to jump on their dicks at every chance she gets. Unintentionally so, they’ve managed to turn her into some cock-dumb slut. But it’s not her fault that she just loves being filled up by her two significant others🩷

However, it could be better, if they let her take them both at the same time, which at this stage, they won’t and for a few good reasons.

She’s been pestering them for a while now about how they should let her do it, but as they keep reminding her, she’s not ready yet. Yes, she might being having a lot of sex with them, but double penetration isn’t your every day sexual activity that people have the pleasure (literally) of doing. But that’s for people who aren’t in a relationship where there’s more than two and don’t always tend to explore.

In saying that, they love her so much and they know it’s a possibility for her at some stage in time. There’s nothing more either of them want other than to just slip their cocks into her holes that are for them to fill, and only them.

So they all decide to sit down and devise some type of plan to help train, prepare, and ease her towards the full experience. Not to mention to ensure that she is as comfortable as possible throughout everything. They first take into consideration that she has never done anal before. On top of that, it would take her some time getting used to the overwhelming sensation that comes with being stretched out by two things at once.

Therefore, Minsung thinks it’s best for her to start with anal training. Both Minho and Jisung are obviously pretty experienced in that realm before they met her so they have the knowledge and research on where, when, and how to start. The pair of them head to a sex shop to purchase a few things. They would’ve brought their girlfriend along but they also want to surprise her with these new items.

They buy her an anal training kit that contains a variety of small to big dildos for beginners, a pink jewelled, stainless steel butt plug, anal beads, a dildo specifically for anal, and even a wireless vibrating butt plug too that can be used outside of the bedroom. Some would probably think it’s all unnecessary or over the top even, but Minsung just wants to go all out for their princess and are as enthusiastic as she is. Not to mention, they want to properly prepare her and give her some experience leading up to it.

Minsung would come back to show her all the new toys they bought for her resulting in her fawning over them immediately. She’s intrigued by everything - the plugs, the beads, and what not. So with some preparation, Minsung suggests that they could probably start soon but take into consideration of everyone’s moods on when to do it.

Jisung, being the horny bastard that he is, is keen whenever and wherever. Minho doesn’t get as horny as him, but when someone else is in the mood, he never misses an opportunity to lay it down in bed with his two lovers. Reader on the other hand, ever since she’s started having sex, all she wants is cock. That’s all.

That’s her not so hidden agenda.

So when the right time arrives, Minsung pulls out the training kit first that contains the smallest dildo out of the lot of toys they purchased. Beforehand, they make sure she is well aroused. Jisung lets her suck him off, but only for a little bit because they want to make it about her since again, this is her first time with anything anal-toy related which isn’t to be confused with the experience of having anal sex with a real person. She would get around to that eventually.

She allows Minho to go down on her, edging her until she’s leaking and wet but doesn’t actually let her cum. His theory is that they need to work her up enough without making her orgasm. To fluster her. Once she’s prepped for the small dildo and fully adjusted, only then will he make her cum to distract her from any discomfort she may feel. In the end, his theory proved right.

First they’d get her onto all fours before Jisung would assist in lubing up her hole, circling his fingers around the tight muscle just to stimulate it. He’s so badly tempted to sink his finger in but puts a leash on his irrationality. But as Minho gently rubs her clit with his fingers, Jisung has the task of slowly and carefully inserting the small toy. He lets her know when he’s about to start so that there’s no surprise and begins pushing at snails pace.

It’s a new sensation for her. Uncomfortable at first with a tiny bit of a sting, but that’s what she was expecting anyway. It’s almost similar to her first time having sex with them previously. Both of them constantly check up on her, letting her know that she can stop or rest at any time she wants. But with the help of them giving her proper foreplay, she’s aroused and wants to keep going. Jisung would sink the smallest dildo into her ass and slowly pull back out until it reaches the tip, then he would cautiously push back in. He does this a few times just for her to get used to the feeling.

Minho would be filling her up with praise, telling her how much of a good girl she is, how well she’s taking it, how gorgeous she looks all the while gently swiping her hair out of her face, kissing her on the cheek, and what not. Jisung uses his other hand to smooth delicately over her asscheeks and down her back. They do this until they start getting a different sort of reaction out of her. When they see her expression go from contorted and slightly pained to more relaxed and soft, they know that she’s starting to enjoy it.

Jisung would keep her in that position - face down ass up, still carefully and slowly fucking her with the dildo while Minho picks up a vibrator to use on her clit. Having not cum before, her mind was instantly taken off anything uncomfortable that still lingers and made to focus on cumming. Which she does - effortlessly around the small yet highly effective length as her pussy leaks down the vibrator.

Minsung watches her legs tremble as she cums quietly from the pleasure. They’ve never seen her do that. Usually she’s vocal and always announces that she’s going to orgasm. Not this time. She just does it and they both find it so mesmerising and hot to watch her wet pussy clench around nothing. Minho and Jisung can only imagine what the next few sessions in the future are going to look like which arrive in the few days ahead.

The second time around that they’re in the bedroom, they repeat the process. Only this time with a dildo that’s the next size up in width and length. They follow the same steps; foreplay, fuck, prep, and the main act.

The third time around, they use the beads. While they maybe be slightly smaller in girth, the length is noticeable. It also makes it a decent apparatus to use while one of them is fucking her. They take turns using her pussy and working her up even more with the beads. Minho is the first to bust a hot load inside her, giving Jisung the chance to fuck it right back into her. Just a little bit after she starts to cum, like a split second when she tips over the edge, Jisung pulls his cock out first and slowly draws back the beads whilst she’s orgasming.

They both made a note how how much she screamed and shook from how fucking good it felt despite contracting and cumming around nothing, giving a whole other meaning to what an orgasm should always feel like. She quickly adds it to the list of things they’re all going to retry in the future.

The next step in training her are the butt plugs which also quickly become a favourite, main reason being is that they could incorporate it in public. She dared to use the vibrating one first which was a huge mistake, especially when the app resides on the phone of a trigger happy person like Jisung who kept increasing the intensity and speed about three times every minute. It had her clutching onto Minho, warning him that she was going to cum. Minho had to tell him to slow down otherwise she wasn’t going to make it through the rest of their weekly shop at the supermarket.

It doesn’t take her long to wanting to transition into some form of double penetration, like a warmup or taste test as to what she could expect from being fucked by her two partners simultaneously. Just to practice, they use dildos on her. Not too big, but not entirely small either. After a lot of foreplay and prep, Minho takes one dildo and Jisung takes the other. Each of them using her holes like their personal fuck toys.

As time progresses, she’s finally built up a tolerance to the point where she’s more comfortable with anal. Minho’s even caught her trying to finger both her holes at the same time which gave him a bit more of an indication to suggest that she was ready. Although it would still take some getting used to their actual cocks and nothing artificial, she knows what to expect even more.

When the day finally came, Minsung set it out similar to how they did when they first took her virginity. Slow, steady, and again - a lot of foreplay and prepping her. Jisung makes her sit on his face until she’s cumming and dripping down the sides of his cheeks. They needed to give her at least one orgasm to relax her muscles and open her up a bit. Minho would then have the pleasure of prepping and stretching her out for one of them to fuck her, which ends up being himself since Jisung fucked her first last time.

They get her into a position where Jisung is lying back so that she can sit and sink down on his cock before leaning forward over him a bit, presenting her ass for Minho. With a bit more lube for added glide, he presses his tip against her hole. He lets her know when he’ll start pushing before he slowly inserts his dick. Reader would whimper at some of the sting that Minho’s cock brings with it, a reminder to her that he is far from small but wouldn’t have it any other way.

Below her, Jisung would be playing and sucking on her tits as a distraction. The odd sensation of the pain and pleasure would make her dizzy and inevitably make her want more of it.

Minho would still push himself in, getting halfway up his length before he notices that she’s trying to fuck back onto his cock. But he’d still her by the hip with his hand and tell her that as much as she wants to be filled out by him, she needs to take it slow. She’d accompany a response to that with a long whine and sob before burying her face into Jisung’s neck.

They’d also repeatedly instil confidence and praise in her. She needs to know how hot her body looks with two cocks inside it, how they can’t resist fucking her senseless like this - something they have to refrain from doing until she’s fully used to it at some point in time. For now, they go slow.

The pair of them end up burying their cocks to the hilt, garnering as much pleasure as she is when they start thrusting. Despite the fact that it’d be slow and not as brutal as they can be, they make her cum faster than they’ve ever done since she’s started having sex. Not once do they pull out to give her a rest because they want to fuck her through all of her orgasms that they give her and until they themselves start to give out. They want to see both of their loads drip out of her when they’re done.

Her first experience with double penetration has changed the trajectory of their sex lives. Words can’t even come close to how animalistic and ruthless it is once they’ve fully broken their babygirl in. She becomes nothing but two holes for them to use as they please, a personal cum dump for whenever they feel the need to fuck something.

But again, it’s their fault for corrupting her that way. They wouldn’t have suspected that their cocks could turn her from their innocent, unassuming, sweet and kind doll who had never been touched the way they touch her - to a cum hungry slut that needs to be filled up at least once a day to be satisfied.

[ihatecoconut]

*asks about your research*

loudly panicking bc that post got way more response than i was expecting

so! in preparation for my dissertation next year (in theory. i may end up changing my mind completely before then) I have been looking at how child labor has been written about by historians, with a focus on newsboys as the most 'visible' form of this labor.

It's actually a really interesting shift, because the starting historiography, from the early to mid 1900s, is highly focused on the reform efforts of groups like the Children's Aid Society. these take very moralistic tones, focusing on 'saving' the children from their conditions, placing emphasis on harsh working and living conditions, and (notably) do not include first-hand account from any newsies or adults who used to be newsies.

now. this changes in the 1960s (ish) with the rise of social history in academic circles, which encourages research from the 'bottom up' rather than 'top down' narratives, which were common previously and tended to prioritise documents from governments/politicians/reform groups. so we see a shift in scholarship from victim-focused narratives to exploring children as active participants in labor, and a recognition of child labor as a subculture with its own norms and practices.

this is the point at which we start to see accounts from adults who used to be newsies starting to appear - these, however, are not unproblematic. they tend to be autobiographies from adults who have since 'made it' in the world and risen to a certain level of fame - obviously enough to be writing autobiographies, although the sections addressing their lives as newsies can be very small parts of the whole. And they are all written retrospectively, as well as being written for an audience, so their reliability is not necessarily perfect.

more recently, scholarship has begun to address this in more detail, starting to look at how we can tease out the stories of the newsies who did not leave a paper trail. in many cases this is through photographs (jacob riis' in particular) and through records like lodging houses in which we may not be able to see their opinions of their lives, but we can see their movements and how they lived their lives.

as a whole, it's a very underrepresented area of history that is not often studied, however that is beginning to change. The continuing rise of social and cultural histories has introduced intersectional analyses of child labor, emphasizing how gender, race, and ethnicity shaped labor experiences. newsgirls in particular are starting to be studied in more detail, with some scholars finding the differences in their lives to their male counterparts.

but. there is still so much to be studied, so many stones unturned, we could look at the racial and religious dynamics within the newsie workforce and how social anxieties about race and immigration effected them. we could look at a longitudinal study - finding a few case studies and tracing them (as far as is possible) through time, investigating their long-term social and economic trajectories to understand the impact working as children had on their lives.

personally, i think that we also need historians to look at newsies the musical as a legitimate form of public history and how it introduces people to this under-explored area of history. and also why the musical was made in the first place when you consider how neglected this area is. there also needs to be an intersection with media history - after all, up until radio became a thing, there was a very long stretch of time where the only way to receive news was through the newspaper or through hearing other people read the headlines, and where were you likely to get both of these things? from the kids on the streets selling the papers.

in conclusion. newsies are an incredibly important area of history that has not been studied, partially because it is difficult to study the history of people who do not leave paper trails, but also because child labor has only recently started to be seen as a legitimate area for study. thank you for your time.

📰📰📰📰📰

v quick tag of everyone else who asked!! @i-got-poisenality @lalarose216 @blue5rose @make-friends-with-the-rats

thank you all for asking!!!!

[je-lurk]

I'd love it if you elaborated on how Agatha's hair reflects her state of mind! I'm obsessed with that kind of character analysis and I have a vague idea how I think they're connected but I'd love to hear your thoughts! If you want to of course. : )

Hi! It took me a hot second, but since I hadn’t finished yesterday I thought I could add ep 4. Here are my ideas, hairstyle by hairstyle.

The beginning of the reflection comes from the idea that loose hair in ancient Rome or Greece represented madness (can’t actually find sources on this so take the historical accuracy with a grain of salt) and, in a lesser extent, grief.

In episode 1, we see mostly Detective Agnes. Detective Agnes wears her hair in a low, untidy ponytail. This is the easiest way to gather one’s hair to free up the face. It’s not even done properly. Obviously this echoes how this Agnes is neglecting herself, mostly through self-destructive behaviors. Still, her hair is collected, as is her mind. The situation makes sense for her.

Until it doesn’t, and Agatha frees herself of the past iterations of Agnes. It might be worth to note that all of these have at least stylized hairstyles. This is, to me, Wanda’s influence: the Agneses (as well as every other character in Westview) were not allowed to lose their mind. Detective Agnes, bearing alone the full brunt of Wanda’s power, even less.

Once rid of all her layers, Agatha is naked (rebirth) and her hair is loose (madness).

"Madness" in this case as in disorientation. Agatha’s brain is barely catching up with what’s happened and needs answers. She’s constantly off balance, mostly emotionally.

She spends most of episode 2 with loose braids, done on the fly but still slightly researched. She’s scrambling for control: control of her appearance, control of others, control of her mind.

With Lilia she actively changes her appearance, gathering her braids in a somewhat tight bun, secured with a stick. She attempts to look both different and more pulled together than she really is. This, as we all know, did not work.

Then she ends the episode with a classic updo, with hair piled on her head and framed with two strands, obviously elaborate. The very little time she had she used to prepare herself, both physically and mentally. Every last hair is secured (except for the two strands, we’re aiming for class, mystique and confidence, not stuck-up-bitch-efficiency) and every thought is in place. The plan is made. And the strands can act as a curtain. She’s never really without those hair that can get in her face (except when under Wanda’s control because she doesn’t have the wherewithal to do anything, much less hide and scheme).

Episode 3 sees Agatha with the same updo, although it changes once they enter the first trial.

Her hair is — I struggle to find another word for it — schooled. It is still "loose", but the kind of loose that is held together by cans of hairspray, with studied waves. Girl is holding together with dreams and a prayer. She looks like she is holding together at least. There is still this idea of vulnerability. She’ll be more understanding, more in touch with the others. Less good at deception. More vulnerable, more protective, towards her son (whose loss is, if not still raw, rawer because of Wanda), towards Teen. The front bang, if we can call it like that, is always between the ear and the eye. Again, a curtain. Curtain that she completely pushes back during her hallucination.

It is interesting to me how the hallucination only happens as she is plucking a hair. With all the hairspray it’s staying mid-air. This, with the hair carelessly pushed back, is the more disheveled we’ve seen her in this episode (yet). This is also the most open, emotional and raw we see her in the episode. Even when Teen said he would drink the wine in her stead was she more reserved.

She ends the episode in the updo of the beginning, though 3/4 ruined by the water (lot of stress in the preceding sequence, plan barely holding on). And then Sharon dies. There is something to the ruination of the most elegant and researched updo she did by herself. It recalls again the themes of mental vulnerability, loss of footing, loss of confidence, etc.

There is a little time between the end of episode 3 and the beginning of episode 4. They all dried, and Agatha took her hair down (it’s less ridiculous like this. It’s a conscious choice of appearance, too, she could have easily put her hair up with literally anything). I think it’s because she has really registered Sharon’s death (I’m calling bluff, though. First, because I love her, and second, because she looks too dead for having been dead this short). Even if she doesn’t want to show it, she cares about her and about her death. If she didn’t, she would have no issue assuming the responsibility. It’s not the first time she’s killed. But she shifts the blame elsewhere.

Then there’s Rio, and Agatha is feeling too much at the same time.

Second trial, loose hair, secured with a headband. I love how, as soon as Rio is involved, Agatha always has a loose component to her hairstyle (not counting episode 1 because she was Agnes). In this trial, Agatha is (mostly, we don’t forget Exposition Boy in this house, but hey, that’s what the loose part is for) pulled together: she plots, takes swings, and leadership, and support Alice. They finish the trial so much quicker and with minimal loss.

They get out, where Agatha immediately gets back her loose hair "style" and her emotions. She doesn’t even care to look too attached to Teen. She cries. I believe we’ve only seen her cry once before, in the hallucination. She gets careless, opens herself too much, begins to believe again (in Teen, in Rio) and only gets back a punch in the jaw ("What really happened to your son?") and in the plexus ("That boy isn’t yours". Come on Rio, she knows she’s entertaining delusions, leave her alone).

Tl;dr: It all boils down to hairstyle = control

Loose hair could represent a loss of control over her mental and emotional states, over others, and over her environment.

Styled hair/hair done could show her confidence (and/or the confidence she wants people to think she has), mental acuity, and general capability to think, plan, and plot (whether for her own benefit or that of her coven). In other words, her ability to control the situation.

[papayascookie]

So I heard requests are open! Could I possibly have some hcs for madeleine cookie x !gender neutral !age regressor reader x espresso cookie? If you aren't okay with age regression, that's okay!! 🎀🩷

Hi! Sorry this took a bit! I've never written age regression before, but it was interesting to look into! I've, like, read stuff about it before, but writing it was a new experience entirely, especially for two characters I'm not all that into. It was super fun and enlightening, thank you!

... Also got wrapped up in the Sims 4. My bad!

I assume you meant romantic (obviously not specifically for the agere thing, just like in general) so I did write it as such, but it's kept very subtle in case. It's not even the focus, so don't worry. I hope this is okay!

Espresso Cookie x Age Regressor! Reader x Madeleine Cookie

When you started dating Espresso and Madeleine, you’d never even thought about mentioning the whole age regression thing. At least, not at first.

… Maybe you’d just forgotten, until it actually happens, albeit involuntarily. It might happen one day, if you’re overwhelmed or shut down from sensory overload, or as the result of a panic attack.

The two are confused, but still willing to help. It’s not that they’re unaccepting, just a little confused the first time around.

Once everything returns to normal and the dust settles, you realise you’ll likely have to come out about the whole thing. It’s a little scary, and surely they’d…

…. But no! Espresso had already started researching such a thing after the first time. He’s efficient, after all. Madeleine isn’t by any means dumb, but he’s a little bad with social cues I’d like to believe, so Espresso has to clue him in.

So next time it happens, voluntary or involuntary, they’re prepared. When you’re little, Espresso will wrap his cape around you like a blanket. It’s an odd amount of tenderness for him, really. If you’re overwhelmed, he’s likely the one you go to for soothing words and slow hugs.

… Madeleine, on the other hand, is all dramatics and sweeping motions, telling stories and recalling tales. Maybe they’re a bit exaggerated, but with how you laugh and smile and grown visibly warmer at his sweeping motions and funny voices, it’s definitely the right thing.

Like, look at Madeleine and tell me this man wouldn’t be sick at those library things where you read to kids. He’d put on little voices and do huge motions.

If Espresso reads to you, it’s visibly calmer with less dramatics. Like, far less. Probably better for bedtime stories and such, in a way.

Madeleine will spoil you rotten, whether it’s toys or literally anything else you need. Espresso in comparison is a bit more sensitive to your more subtle needs, making sure everything is perfect for you to process your feelings, however big and overwhelming.

For two people with a bit of a ‘rivalry’, albeit a loving one given the nature of your relationship, the two function like a well-oiled machine.

[ultimate-blorbo-collector]

Winter King and a Scientist or Engineer S/O

This semester is so hard, and my way of coping is pretending someone is proud of me./j

Warnings: None!

Writing pure fluff almost never happens, but I have an angsty idea for later. :3

His situation with Betty is weird for sure. He’s not grieving her since he’s put all of that on Bubblegum along with the madness. He can't help but feel a little warmly toward you because of your similarities to Betty though.

At the same time, he can’t place that it’s because you’re similar to Betty. All he knows is that everything you do is just so charming.

The way you come to him for help with problems, and the way you help him. The different perspective you have that is just so great for problem and puzzle solving. The little bit of Simon that’s still in there loves it.

When you ask to use his lab, he’s unbelievably giddy. He gets visitors all the time, but it’s you! He wants nothing more than to dote on, spoil, and impress you, and every time you visit is another opportunity.

Also, while he won’t admit it, he gets a little bored in his perfect little kingdom. A few problems every once in a while is what he needs.

He brushes up on whatever it is you might need, and he finds every relevant book in his library that he can.

The Winter Kingdom has so many resources for you, and he’d love nothing more than to show all of them for you.

When he was Simon, he was purely an artifact researcher, but he’s happy to learn and help you with whatever you need.

Even though he has a lab and is meant to parallel our version of Princess Bubblegum, he is kind of bad at math. Don’t bring him a complicated integral. If you can’t do it, don’t expect him to.

If he gets a different answer than you on anything math-related, he’ll assume you’re right.

He encourages you to use his lab as well. If you needed to test anything, he is right there helping you along with some ice people.

Experiments are so fun for him. He’s awful with data, but he loves setting up experiments, giving you whatever you need, and doing the actual experiment with you.

Please tell him what you found. Even if the data is inconclusive, he’ll say something like, “That just means we have to do more, don’t we?”

And if you have interesting findings, he could hear you talk about it all day long!

He also loves to celebrate if you find something interesting. Everyone in Ooo is going to hear about whatever your experiment was about.

He loves pampering you just for coming to visit, but when you come to visit and you’ve made some kind of discovery or revelation, expect something special.

On the other hand, if you’re frustrated, he’ll do whatever he can to relax you and cheer you up. Everything is on the table: comfort, food, dates, gifts, music, and anything else that could possibly help.

This one is a given, I think, but if he has to carry you away from your work, he will. Coming back to your work later is important . He wants you to go do something fun with him and forget about your work for just a moment.

He obviously wants to spend time with you and do fun stuff with you for sure, but he also doesn’t want you to burn out or get frustrated. You work too hard for that.

He does think you falling asleep in his lab is cute though. He has a cozy bed prepared somewhere in the castle just in case.

[schmergo]

I really enjoy listening to podcast episodes that maybe fall slightly to the side of "true crime" and more into the realm of "dark history" or "scary true stories" (like, it's not really true crime if a lion eats a bunch of people because there are no laws for lions), but every time I start enjoying a podcast, I always feel smacked in the face several episodes in by weird instances of the podcasters' lack of general historical knowledge or context. It makes me trust their interpretation of events much less.

Obviously I do not expect the lady podcasting about wilderness survival stories to have a PhD in history, but a few of the missing bits of knowledge that have shocked me lately have included:

* Thinking Ebenezer Scrooge was a real historical figure (possibly getting him mixed up with Charles Dickens?)

* Not being sure which side of the Civil War Ulysses S. Grant was on, had to look him up

* Knowing Thomas Edison was a famous inventor but not being able to think of any of his inventions (and quit your yapping about how he didn't REALLY invent those things-- you know what I mean)

* Calling 18th century England "Victorian times"

Now, are these the most important things for human beings to know? Not necessarily. But I do think that not having that greater context for a historical or nature-based tale that you're researching is going to limit your insight into what you're talking about. And I think part of what shocks me about these podcasters' confusion is that sure, a lot of people don't pay attention in history class and don't need to know this stuff in daily life, but these people are presumably intellectually curious and enjoy learning if they're researching and writing these detailed episodes every week.

And you can say, "Well, they didn't go to college for history, they have real jobs besides podcasting," but these are all things I was taught in elementary school. I have to wonder about their actual educations. This leads me to my next point...

I stumbled across some internet threads recently where teachers talk about how they no longer teach history or social studies at the elementary school level because they don't have time in the day while trying to get kids caught up on language arts and math and science. There's no standardized testing for history and many schools seem to have done away with it or made it optional.

That certainly wasn't the case for my educational experience-- many of my strongest memories of elementary school include history projects and units and even performing historical-based musicals! But going into high school and later adulthood without any elementary basis in history is actually going to really affect reading comprehension and critical thinking in shocking ways. Imagine having to read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school without having ever learned about segregation or Jim Crow laws. No matter how many hours your class spent on preparing for standardized testing in reading comprehension, you will NEVER fully understand that text without understanding the context.

Knowing that these podcasters that I listen to are adults who are presumably interested in history (albeit mainly history where someone dies, but to be fair, that is a good chunk of history because most of the people who have ever lived are in fact dead), I can't help but wonder and worry about what it will look like when the next generation of entertainment in this vein is taken over by people who NEVER took history classes in school, or at least no history classes in elementary school. What important context will be missing from these tales, and who will even notice that it's missing?

Have you noticed any instances of this in your own life that made your jaw drop a bit? Have you personally encountered schools no longer teaching history?

[starry--eye-s]

Unend early access spoilers ahead!

Spoilers for S1E10, be careful!

I just finished listening to Zoron, and man I have THOUGHTS.

First of all, Merlin is going to be the doom of this expedition. He's acting like the captain, making dangerous decisions potentially endangering everyone without any of the responsibilities, and even after almost dying from it in the Un, continues to do it here. Like he could talk to Zoron through the ship, he didn't have to let him in. Not that it was a bad idea in the end, he just didn't know and didn't consult with anyone before unilaterally deciding it was fine (well, actually Felix consulted with him and said no, but he didn't even care). This ship doesn't have at its head a captain worried about its safety, but a guy who will risk everyone's safety for the slightest chance at discovery, and I can't wait to watch it burn XD

Which brings me to point 2, Merlin is not going to find what he needs here. Pom back in the Un asked Merlin how he would react to world-view changing knowledge, and he said he would handle it with grace. Well we've seen in Hollow that's not really the case, and he doesn't seem to be taking too well to the Un-leviathan revelation either. The thing is, he thought after spending so much time, effort and money on this expedition, they would come back with answers.

But they won't, so far they will only come back with even more questions then they left with. And he's clearly not prepared to stomach that. I think that's why he can't really answer Zoron, he dedicated his whole life to research because he likes it and is obviously good at it, but he never went down the rabbit hole as to WHY he wants to do this. He claims it's to bring new knowledge to the cosmos, but he did not reveal the fold stuff that happened with the Un creature, so that's a lie too. Merlin is going to have some serious life-crisis XD

I'll stop my rambling on our tortured scientist here.

Also, I changed my mind on Felix. Felix is great. I love Felix. I don't think I need to explain that.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Kinou Nani tabeta. aka My Heart is Full aka I suck at titles

Let me just say before anything else. This is not a recap or a review. This is me feeling the need to write down my feelings because they are pouring out of me. This is more a personal note than anything else so skip it if that's not your thing.

I always watch this show on saturday mornings, with my coffee and breakfast, because it gives me a boost for the weekend. And I wanted to postpone the final episode as much as possible but I just couldn't. I gave in.

Second FYI. This will probably be incoherent and a mess because that's how I feel. Also, this fucking menopause (surgical, don't give me too many extra years) is really making a mess of my emotional state this week, so I'm all over the place. Also I might've had some wine. Also this may be a bit long. I think that's it.

How I got here

So, I've loved cinema since I was like 7. (yeah I'm going really back in time) Because my mom like films, she dragged to the cinema even when I was way too young for whatever was on. [ Fun Side note- The first film that I saw in the cinema was Bram Stoker's Dracula, when I was like 6, and my mum got into an argument with the cinema employee because" I am her mother, and I'll decide what she can or can't watch"and so I did watch it.]

So I always loved watching films, talking about them and eventually went to uni to learn how to make them. During that time, I went through a phase (which happened to a couple other people in my school) where I kinda got emotionally detached from the stories. I could only see the camera angles, the lighting, the editing, etc.

When I was done with uni, and had decided that editing was my favourite thing I started doing a bit of work in editing, mostly online stuff and a couple of ads in London, and 3 years later I was done. Obviously there were life factors and health factors that contributed to this, but still I left it all behind.

Then, I quickly went back to being able to watch stories with all the emotions.

Let's skip forward to present day.

Kinou Nani Tabeta? feel in my lap by way of my very first BL. Seven Days. I watched those films and went through all the emotions and needed more. More of that serotonin please.

So I got in research mode and that's when I found this wonderful world of BL and eventually this show.

Now, a little bit more about me, just in case you aren't sick of me talking about myself. I'm not a jolly person. If you asked anyone that knows me irl, they would describe me as someone who always thinks the sky is falling. However, I also love a lot of things deeply, and when it comes to things that I can't find a word big enough for it I call it magic. So I'll use it here.

Kinou Nani Tabeta? is magic.

If this show was a meal then the absolutely right ingredients were found, they were put in the hands of the best cooks and everything was prepared with love and care. This show that I love, was put together by people who love it, and couldn't not make it. This is what I believe. It's my kind of faith.

I've seen so many shows, I've loved so many of them, a lot of them touched me deeply. But only a few touched me this way.

When there is love in something, real care and empathy in the making of something, you can feel it, I believe. And I feel it so much watching this show. I get emotional just writing this.

I wish I could thank every single person that made this show possible. And we could argue all day about the quality of a show, its actors, writers or directors. I could argue why my favourite show is better than your favourite show, and why your show is more important than my show, and why that show failed and another succeeded. I will not argue about the importance of this show and my faith is unshakable.

Maybe because I love food so much and in my life my love filled moments were always around food, I connected at first with Kenji, because his reactions to food resemble mine. But this season Shiro stole my heart and soul. His quiet but profound way of loving Kenji made cry more than any sad scene ever could. And onions and chicken thighs will forever have deeper meaning in my kitchen. These two characters are so well written and so well acted, the words are so layered and so meaningful, that it's a miracle to me that it exists and that I got to watch it.

I'm sure other people will write much better posts about this show, and will probably be better (at a hell of a lot more on point) at writing about all the amazing things that this show has done. But I'm an emotional wreck and I could only write from a personal place today.

I'll be rewatching this show in it's entirety soon, because the evolution of these characters, Shiro specially, was such a joy to witness.

If you read this far, thank you. 💜

[psychologicalwarclaire]

Hello. Anon from earlier.

Since you've already uncovered my plan (that I obviously tried very hard to hide), I figured I'd try to save myself some research (aka hours and hours of rereading).

And so, questions.

Of course, I do not want you to go to too much trouble, but I am wondering if you have a list or something of what injuries Donnie and Leo sustained at what points, and uh...bandages and other medical stuff, as well as the state of their masks and armour and stuff, that would be super helpful.

Oh! Also. I feel like my brain is making stuff up, because I felt like the part where Big Mama threw Leo in the cell with Viper was like, a full scene, but I can't find it, just the summary in the next chapter. But, that's just a little side tangent. Uh...Leo's other marking. What exactly did she do to them?

Continuing the little tangent, I absolutely loved the detail of Leo hearing Donnie calling out to him. When I read it, I was still kind of in denial, but at the same time, Donnie had been calling Leo's name when Viper hurt him the first time, so it makes sense that he'd imagine it. So I rationalized that in my mind, and then broke when it was revealed that Donnie was actually calling him. Very well played. The details like that are my favourite part of this fic~

Hello again, Anon! Absolutely wonderful timing on the ask, as getting to talk about Spiders Web always cheers me up.

I have been WAITING for this day! MONTHS ago I made a table of physical and emotional damage as well as treatments in order to attempt to keep track of the violence. FINALLY I GET TO USE IT!

Be prepared for kinda blurry pictures and long (medically inaccurate) rants below! HAHAHAHAAA!

Not proper grammar and not in chronological order, but the info should be there. I may have missed some stuff because sometimes I improvise, but I think that should be all.

I am also not a medical professional in any way, shape, or form, so I have no clue how accurate any of this stuff is.

ALSO, I know this whole list can be overwhelming so it's totally okay if you don't want to show every scratch and scrape. But if you want to, go right ahead!

Bandages/medical stuff - Just assume that in any point in time either of the twins have at least one red bandage on them at any given time from chapter seven to fourteen. I think. I think Big Mama just kinda stopped giving Astros bandages, and Tyrian didn't fight at all from when we died until the Labyrinth Lollapalooza.

Armor (what it looks like can be found HERE) - hooo boyyy.... I didn't keep track of the armor quite as much. Up until chapter fourteen, Donnie's battleshell kept getting more and more beat up. I think at some point some of the panels came out. Leo's blue scarf would get bloodstained and dirty after fights, but he'd rinse it out in the shower so it was relativly clean? Just torn and ragged as time went on. I think the kneepads would be scuffed up, but other than that their armor would look fine. I never found a place to mention it, but bellhops would come around and collect their armor for cleaning/replacing between fights. The fighters may have been damaged but Big Mama wanted their armor to be nice and shiny under the spotlights.

As for masks, Leo lost his to Viper. Donnie's was taken after Heinous Green bashed his head in (Big Mama thought it best that her champions matched. And also in case she needed some of Donnie's DNA for nefarious purposes). I am also now realizing that @drsmer and I never showed you guys what their masks for the final fight looked like... hmm....

Big Mama threw Leo in a cell with Viper near the end of chapter 16. I didn't actually describe the time in there with Viper, and only detailed the aftermath. I thought it best to let y'all's imagination take over for that one.

Leo's other markings (the ones on his arms and legs) just had the top part sliced into. I think.

OOO fun behind the scenes time! I decided that their cells were next to each other and that they could hear each other by complete accident. I was writing near two friends who read the fic but didn't know Donnie was alive (love ya dear, @rocky-again and @danger-noodle4 ), and one friend who has not watched Rise but DID know that Donnie was alive because I talk a lot.

This piece of writing below is a LIVE REACTION of me mapping out the chapter in a notes document and then realizing that in the layout of the Nexus, their cells would be next to each other and they could hear each other.

Because even I am not immune to angst, I started silently freaking out but couldn't tell the two turtle fan friends about it, so I had to write it out to Kate to make her UNDERSTAND how ANGSTY it was.

It must have been quite the scene. Sorry for the long story, but thought you should know the fun origins of the very angsty detail.

Alrighty, I hope I answered all of your questions! If you need anything else, don't hesitate to send me another ask. I wish you well on your endeavors, whatever they may be 👀

[phlurrii]

Hihi there!!!! I Hope You don’t mind me sending in an ask, but I’m planning on doing the glitch that allows you to transfer the glitch Mew from Red & Blue to Pokémon HOME that you talked about in this post;

https://www.tumblr.com/phlurrii/715585175997825024/okay-were-2-day-late-but

And I was wondering if you could elaborate on what you meant by them loosing their nicknames??? Do all transferred Pokémon from Red/Blue loose their nicknames, or is it just Mew???? And how did you change it back??

Again I really really hope you don’t mind this ask!!!!! I know it’s a really random one but I came across your post when researching for this glitch to make sure I had everything prepared and I’m pretty Attatched to the name I gave my Mew!!!!

Nah I don’t mind at all! Lowkey I thrive off talking about glitches, if you let me I’ll ramble for hours and refuse to let you leave. So I am much more than happy to help ;D

Okay! So regarding the nickname, sadly yes, bank will auto remove all nicknames from any Pokémon off virtual consoles. Whether it’s RBGY or SGC, that shit gets dunked upon transfer. I did not know that initially and was devastated when I found out. However, there ARE solutions to fixing it!

1) Hacked 3DS console, if you know or can find someone with a hacked 3DS you can trade them your lil guy and they can change the name. Obviously the cons of this is the person could scam you, take the mew, and dip. So I highly suggest cloning your mew through any means necessary before handing over a copy. This is what I did, I have a handful of backups of my goobers in general as well.

1.5) if you want to clone your goobers, you can buy a Power Save Pro for 3DS games and clone them there, or you can clone your mew in Pokémon Red… however this is SUPER risky and can corrupt and erase your entire save file. This happened to me once, but if you have no other choice… then I wish you luck solider.

2) transfer your goober up to switch and locate someone with a modded switch, they can do the same thing. Nickname it, send it back. Again I suggest cloning before hand, if you have a cloning egg in SWSH or know someone who does, that’s your best bet. If you don’t, you may have to risk it. However there are people on Reddit who charge like 2-3 bucks to nickname pokemon. I’ve done it before, but frankly I’m looking into just getting a modded switch lol

3) Poke Hex, this is the most complicated way, as it requires a computer, an extra device, dumping your 3DS file onto it, and going into your games code to re-nickname the mew via this lovely program called pokehex. This was originally the method I planned on, but had a nice bloke offer to help me. The good part about this method is it’s entirely just you, no trading or 3rd parties. They have a dedicated forum for assisting too ^^

In summary, there is not an easy way to do it, but if your a nut case like me you’ll find a way or hell will freeze over X3

I’ll also offer my own SWSH cloning egg to help if you can find someone with a modded switch, cuz frankly I need that hook up as well lol, anywho I wish you luck on the gameboy mew adventures ;3

[differenteagletragedy]

ol boys with an mcthat is like the girls from h20 but instead of a mermaid they turn into a siren. More monster like features like gills, claws, maybe fangs. I love monsters (i am the ghost mc anon you will see me quite frequently.)

Hi yes hello, welcome welcome!

-- Imagine, if you will, you go to Hawaii when you're like 16 to visit Ma's family. You go out to the beach alone one night, magic happens, and now you are a siren whenever you come into contact with water.

(I felt the need for a prologue because I wasn't super familiar with h20 lol so now the scene is set)

-- Cove. Is. Obsessed. This is the coolest thing he's ever seen in his whole entire life.

-- He really wanted to go to the beach with you when you first got back, you tried to get out if it but he knew something was up so you finally explained that now you have a little issue you need to deal with when it comes to water. He thinks you're just teasing, so you go with him and get in, then boom, old (old old) school siren -- bird legs, human torso, bird wings, claws on your hands, gills on your neck, but your same old head and face so you can be like "I told you, dummy."

-- He has questions. Can you fly? Can you breathe underwater? Can you show him how to do this too?

-- Yeah, he's gonna have to feel them feathers.

-- Basically Cove is just as attached to you as ever, but you're even cooler now. Is he secretly hoping for another sunshower? Yup. If you get an apartment together, does he "accidentally" spray water on you when he's doing the dishes?

You, suddenly standing in the kitchen with your wings knocking stuff off the counter: Could you just not?

Cove: I didn't do anything. *pet pet*

-- Derek doesn't see you nearly as often as Cove, of course, so it takes him longer to see it firsthand. But you do talk on the phone a lot, so after it happened he could tell something was up when you were talking and you felt comfortable enough to tell him.

-- He's there if you want to talk about this new challenge, or if you need to brainstorm workarounds because water is a lot of places.

-- The first time he sees it is when he comes over to visit you and Cove. You're hanging out at Cove's house and Cove is like "show him show him!"

-- Derek doesn't want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with ever, and if you don't want him to see then that's fine, but Cove just won't shut up about it or eventually slings some water at you (I said he was obsessed!) and boom, there it is.

-- He's taken aback, but obviously very polite about it. He has questions too, but he wants to know more about if you're ok than about your new abilities.

-- If you end up with Derek, he is prepared. It doesn't rain much in SoCal, but he's got an umbrella in his car just in case. If rain is in the forecast, stay put, he can get you anything you need. If you're even at a restaurant, he's got his eye on the water pitcher like it's his job.

-- Baxter does find out by accident -- it's when you go hiking together at the lodge. You weren't going to tell him, it was just going to be a summer fling and turning into a siren is like a lot for a casual relationship, but when you go over the stream, he's in such a good mood that he gives you a little splash. Whoops.

-- OP I know you didn't ask how they found out, but we are in too deep now.

-- Just you and Baxter standing in the woods looking at each other wide-eyed for like 10 minutes.

-- Baxter isn't obsessed like Cove is, but he does think it's very interesting. He's a little weirdo (I love him so much), so being with someone so unique is going to be something he likes.

-- Maybe you have the power to control water (the H20 girls had powers, according to my thorough research) -- guess who's actually going to feel safe enough to go into the ocean a little now!

-- He's also protective. He can pull little pranks for fun in some cases (see other headcannons lol) but when it's important, he's going to treat it as such.

You looking at Baxter drinking water when you're out to dinner: You're not going to pull a fast one on me, are you?

Baxter, surprised and a little hurt: I wouldn't dream of it.

-- Baxter giving you a siren bath, so tender.

[softpine]

the amount of knowledge in guns you need to have to weave that into the story is fascinating to me. I don’t even know what racking a gun is (I do however know a whole bunch about obscure physics theorems) anyway I just think it’s neat how far we go into research to write things that make sense

i'm still not sure if i got everything correct, but no one has told me otherwise fjkjsd you've definitely heard the sound of a shotgun racking if you've watched any movie with guns in it, it's that "ch-chuck" kinda sound. what i didn't know is that there's apparently a huge debate in the home defense gun community over whether you should keep your gun loaded and racked or just loaded (don't bother mentioning safeties, they'll call you slurs...). the true benefit of not racking the gun would be if a little kid gets a hold of it, they're not going to know how to rack it therefore even if they pulled the trigger they hopefully wouldn't be able to shoot anything (in MY opinion this is idiotic; the chance that the gun would go off anyway is never zero, especially if they've ever seen their parents shooting and decide to copy their movements, as kids love to do). then some people think you should wait to rack it until you know there's an intruder in your house because the mere sound of it will make them go "oh shit" and just leave. people on the other side of the argument think this is pointless and only serves to reveal your position (but uhhh fyi, in some states you're supposed to give them a verbal warning and/or try to escape before using deadly force anyway). and they say you shouldn't be owning a gun if you're not prepared to use it as anything other than a sound effect. plus i saw some people say that you need that 1 extra round in the chamber or you might run out, which.... most pump shotguns hold 3 - 5 rounds so.. it just seems excessive to me, i can't imagine shooting up to 5 times and missing all of them?? in that case dude i think you're just fucked and 1 extra try is not going to help you lmao

the time factor is the most compelling argument to me, obviously if you're asleep and you hear someone break in and enter your bedroom, your gun is useless unless it's ready to shoot right this second. but the chances of this happening are just so slim and you know what would be even more effective?? a home alarm system so no one can possibly make it to your bedroom without you knowing about it. i saw a lot of people say they keep a loaded shotgun under their bed for this scenario. i'm a paranoid fuck and i've always lived in areas with high crime rates so i get it, but that's why i keep a maglite next to me while i sleep so in the incredibly unlikely event that someone breaks in without me hearing it, i can you know. whack them. do i ever think i'll need to do that? no but it makes me feel safer than having a loaded and chambered gun with no safety on lmao that would make me feel incredibly UNsafe... also i don't want to make this too dark but while i was in high school i knew FIVE kids who died because of their parents guns, one way or another. that is just unacceptable to me. we also had a gun go off at school and even though no one was hurt, that was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life because obviously in the moment we all heard a gunshot and thought it was an intentional school shooting. so anyway, me and guns do not get along but it's fascinating to research

but yeah as you can see i fell down the rabbit hole!! the things you do for writing jfksjds i did not need to go that far with it, but it was interesting!

[nightshade-clown]

Okay I just want to dump my Magoranza headcanons because of another post I saw, even though I should definitely sleeping right now (￣ヘ￣;)

Okay, so my headcanons are more pre-relationship based but I still want to share them so badly ( ꈍᴗꈍ)

Additional note: I repeat a lot "Magolor" and "Taranza" instead of using stuff like "the mage" and "the spider" and other stuff, so yeah, I apologize for the repetitions, I might edit it later to fix that.

☬ I kinda imagine they have a "A fell first and B fell harder" kind of situation lmao.

☬ Magolor first seeing Taranza around, and noticing he always looked miserable in a way (it would happen not long after the events of triple deluxe). So he decides to approach him and go "Hey, wanna hang out ? (^-^)" which Taranza accepts because Magolor gives him an excuse to occupy his mind.

☬ Magolor only asked Taranza to spent time together out of pity for him, but soon come to appreciate his company because not only is Taranza pretty smart and helpful, but he can be pretty mischievous despite his seemingly calm attitude. So obviously Magolor keeps him around because he could always use some help with his shoppe and with his research on the Lor.

☬ And sure, they both share similar interests, and they get along pretty well, and Magolor even allows Taranza to sit on the roof of his shoppe and only him, but that doesn't mean they're close ! And the fact that he is impressed by Taranza's knowledge doesn't mean anything either, and neither the fact that Magolor wants to spend more time with him, or that he thinks it's cute how clumsy Taranza can be, or when he re-do his hair from time to time, and sure, Taranza definitely looks so fine with that new scarf-

☬ And before he knows it, Magolor fell in love with the spider.

☬ His first reaction is to hit his head against the table upon realization. How did that happen ?! WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN ?

☬ After a few minutes, he calms down, and just moves on. It's not the end of the world, right ? No need to act weirdly about it.

☬ Though, after he realizes his feelings, Magolor will act a bit differently with Taranza. No big changes, it's pretty subtle actually. Offers discount at his shoppe and on some days even offer some items "because it wouldn't sell"; taking an interest in some of Taranza's hobbies he didn't share with him previously "because seems interesting"; and even studying some of Floralia's culture "in case one day I want to visit so I can be prepared".

☬ He would sometimes flirt a bit but quickly brush it off as a joke, and with his prankster personality, Taranza just rolls with it.

☬ As for Taranza, he doesn't see Magolor as anything other than a friend for a while. Like I said earlier, he would just see Magolor as a way too think about something other than Sectonia's death. But quickly comes to appreciate Magolor as a friend, despite his tendancies to make off putting jokes and being a bit apathetic.

☬ He sees Magolor as a smart person, not only for all the researches he does, but for his projects too like the attraction park he made for Kirby, and his business with the shoppe. And he's fun too, always knows what to do when they hangs out, which Taranza appreciate a lot. It's like a breath of fresh air compared to the strict ambiance in the castle of Floralia. And he finds fascinating all of the tales Magolor has about other dimensions, or about Halcandra.

☬ For a while, he doesn't really notices Magolor's flirting, mainly because he only sees him as a friend, but also because he still feel like he can't completely moves on from Sectonia. When he thinks of love, the first thing he thinks about is her, his dear Queen.

☬ It's not until someone else points it out (either Susie or Marx) that Magolor acts differently with him compared to everyone else (Marx would probably complains about the free stuff Taranza gets, while Susie would points out how Magolor took a sudden interests on things related to him) that Taranza starts noticing this too. And he also notice how Magolor only "jokingly" flirt only with him.

☬ Boi does that spider gets flustered.

☬ Taranza spends the following few days questioning if Magolor really likes him like that, and how he feels about it.

☬ And for the first time, he start thinking of romantic love without thinking about Sectonia, but about Magolor instead. And he likes it (even if a part of him feels guilty about it).

☬ After a few more days after he realizes that he might be in love with Magolor, Taranza starts making moves on him too, a bit less subtly though.

☬ If he gets the occasion, he buys and gift him all kinds of stuff, be it something Magolor took an interest of while walking in around in the waddle Dee's town, or something related to his interests, or it could even be something related to his research (or something Taranza at least thinks is related to his interests). Most of the time, the gifts are pretty spontaneous.

☬ Magolor would joke about how Taranza is spoiling him, and Taranza would laugh it off, albeit extremely flustered.

☬ He would also do all kinds of favours to Magolor, helping more around the shoppe more than usual, and proposing more help with his researches.

☬ Magolor does notice the sudden change of behavior in Taranza, how he suddenly seems more nervous and flustered easily, and how he seems more clumsy while helping sometimes. He decides not to question it, though. It's kinda endearing to see, after all.

☬ It kinda goes on like that for a while, the two just flirting with each other without much else going on after, and it's this kind of awkward phase between friendship and romance where the both don't know where they stand at this point.

☬ Until one day, Kirby asks them if they are a couple. Magolor starts chuckling while Taranza starts choking on air.

☬ Magolor teasingly asks Taranza "Well, wouldn't we make a cute couple ?" which flusters Taranza A LOT.

☬ After a few seconds of trying to calm down enough to talk, Taranza reply "Maybe we would, don't you think so too ?" which ends up flustering Magolor back.

☬ And all the while Kirby is looking at them like "What the heck is going on ? (◍•ᴗ•◍)"

Anyway, that's also how they ended up together. BYE-

[lipshits-continuous]

I know your degree isn’t all maths, but do you have any tips/tools for studying maths at uni?

Hello, sorry this is a few days late, I wanted to give you a proper answer /lh

These are in no particular order of importance:

If you are having trouble with a particular concept or area, talk to someone. A fellow student, the lecturer, your academic advisor, your tutor (if you uni has stuff like tutorials), are even someone from mathblr. In one-to-one conversations, it's often easier to to ask specific questions and for the person helping you to try to frame things in a way you understand

The flip side of this is try helping other people that are stuck. Explaining things to other people helps make sure you understand them. There have been occasions where a certain proof or concept has clicked for a second time when I've explained it to someone else

Practice problems and exercises are invaluable. Not only are they great for building understanding and strengthening memory (as well as developing general mathematical rigour), they're also a pretty effecient way of identifying things you don't understand as well for you to work on. I think I've talked about this before but my revision strategy is to do problems to identify what I'm weak on, and then go over the notes of the weak points and do problems on that specific area until I'm comfortable answering questions in that area again, then repeat.

Remember to take breaks! When you're trying to tackle a particularly hard problem and you're getting nowhere, take a break and focus on something else (probably not other problems). Sometimes inspiration will hit whilst you're not actively thinking about the problem (this has happened to me many times, especially whilst I'm showering haha). Or when you then go to return to the problem, you'll get back into it and realise that the answer was actually no that hard after all, you were just fatigued by spending so long on it. Obviously this won't always be the case, there will be problems that you will need to ask for help on and that's okay too. Learning is about admitting you don't know things

Remember to have fun. University can get really intense and draining and it is good to find some balance outside of that. You might not always find that balance during term time (I'm still working on it myself but my terms are short(ish) but very dense with no reading week so it's quite intense) but even little things like setting aside an hour or two just to listen to music or play a video game can help.

Sort of related to the last point but also read about maths outside of the modules you are taking, especially if they are starting to feel like a slog. Try to find things that remind yourself why you enjoy maths and why you wanted to study it. Sometimes that won't work and it might be a sign you aren't enjoying your degree as much as you thought you would (this happened to me with physics and is part of the reason I switched to doing more maths). Something that I like to do is look at module options for later years in my degree and see what things look exciting.

Get used to self-study because it's a really helpful skill. If you're lecturer didn't explain something well or you missed a lecture because of illness or whatever, you're gonna have to catch up and the lecture notes/textbook are the first port of call (as well as a friend who did attend the lecture, but they might be busy). But developing the skill before you have to do revision for exams is quite handy and independent learning skills come in very useful when you go on later to do research projects. This also includes being able to find other resources that help you understand things, like other textbooks or YouTube videos and finding out what works before for you.

A small sidenote for studying in the UK, especially if you're starting in September/October is to expect lecturer strikes. As it currently stands, it doesn't look like universities are budging so be prepared for disruption. I can't really speak for how this affects specific universities other than my own so I don't want to make general claims.

All that said, these are what I've personally found useful so some people might disagree with me or have other things they'd also suggest (if that's the case please add onto this post).

If you're starting after summer then I sincerely hope your A Level results are what you hope for and that you get into your first choice!