#technically some of this is for ‘work’ (PhD stuff)

[waugh-bao]

[look-at-the-stars-tonight]

sorry for diary posting so much on main but this is the last one today prommy

[multi-fandom-imagines8]

Could you do a Steve Rogers x reader where he constantly gets distracted by the reader bc he has a crush on her

A/N: It’s been so long since I’ve written anything for the MCU. Enjoy! I didn’t have much time today, so this is just a quick drabble that can be read before the actual story/one-shot. I haven’t decided on the ending yet, but there will definitely be some angst. I’m still unsure if it’ll have a happy ending or not.

Fictober Challenge

“So Cap, what’s the mission now?” Sam asked, lounging back in his chair.

“I don’t know. I didn't call the meeting” Steve replied, arms crossed.

“Then who did?” Clint chimed in, legs kicked up on the table.

“I did” Tony strolled into the room, a broad smile on his face.

“You seem…unusually happy” Nat remarked, raising an eyebrow.

“I am. We have a special guest today” Tony said, sipping his coffee.

“A guest?” Steve asked, not looking pleased. “When were you going to tell us?”  

“Right now. Surprise!” Tony shrugged nonchalantly.

“And when is this mysterious guest arriving?” Clint asked.

“Any minute now” Tony continued to drink.

Before anyone could react further, you appeared at the door “Hello?” you knocked lightly on the open glass, glancing inside curiously.

“Ah, Y/n! Finally!” Tony exclaimed, standing to greet you and pulling you into a bear hug, lifting you off the ground. 

Everyone else was caught off guard. This was a side of Tony they had never seen.

“Anthony, put me down!” you whispered, embarrassed, swatting him until he released you.

Steve cleared his throat, clearly waiting for an explanation.

“Right, everyone, this is Y/n, my cousin. Y/n, this is everyone” Tony gestured grandly.

“Cousin? You have a cousin?” Sam asked, disbelief in his tone.

Natasha smiled, stepping forward to give you a hug. “Good to see you again, Y/n.”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Clint asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice. 

You and Natasha nodded simultaneously.

“Hold on, how do you know each other?” Sam asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Nat asked “When I used to work for Tony, we once visited her.”

“You technically still work for me” Tony teased. “Y/n’s been in Asia for years, studying. She just got her PhD in biochemistry.”

“Congratulations” Bruce said, looking intrigued. “What was your dissertation on, if I may ask?

You opened your mouth to explain, but Tony cut in, “Let’s get lunch first. You’ll have plenty of time to interrogate her later. Pepper’s expecting us.”

—

“So, you’re Bruce. Scientist and Hulk. Sam, Falcon. Clint,Hawkeye. James- sorry Rhodey, War machine…” you trailed off, naming the Avengers.

Steve nodded as you finally turned to him “And you, Steve Rogers, Captain America” you offered him a smile, and his heart skipped a beat.

“Thor is the only one missing right?” you asked and Tony nodded.

“Actually there’s one more” Steve added, “Bucky Barnes. He’s a friend from back in the day.”

Sam huffed “Yeah, but he’s not an Avenger.”

Steve shot him a glance “He comes to training, doesn’t he? Besides, when we need his help, he’s always there for us.” 

“Always there for you, maybe” Sam replied.

Sensing the tension, Clint steered the conversation away “There’s also a kid that Tony brought for a couple of missions.”

“A kid?” you asked, raising an eyebrow at Tony..

Tony shifted uncomfortably “Oh, come on. Technically, he’s in his senior year.”

“Really? You made a high schooler an Avenger?” you rhetorically asked, crossing your arms.

“Well, yes. But-”

“And what’s his superpower?”

“Well, he’s… Spider-Man.”

You blinked “Spinder…what now?”

“Shoots webs. Does spider stuff.”

Sam chuckled as he lowered his voice “She’s gonna ask where the webs come from.”

You crossed your arms, eyeing​ Tony “Does he shoot webs out of his…?”

“Wrists” Tony interjected quickly “Just the wrists.”

Steve turned to you, his voice calm and soft “So, Y/n, are you staying here for a while or settling in for good?”

You hesitated, unsure “That’s a good question. I haven’t fully decided yet, but for now, Anthony said I could stay at the tower. I just don’t want to intrude.”

Tony opened his mouth to speak, but Steve was quicker “Nonsense. You wouldn’t be intruding. Besides, we have plenty of space, and technically, Tony owns the building.” His gentle smile put you at ease.

“Thank you for your generosity” you said with a smile, and Steve’s heart fluttered.

Taglist: @byepolarneko @littlebabycrab @projectxhapiness @ineedcoolshoe @eleshka-still @blindsunkiss04 @saraneville2015 @im-old-now-i-guess

@i-just-wanna-live-gc @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety @shymagicsworld @mcubuckyandsteve @imdiegohargreeves @bucky-blogs @alwayshave-faith

@markusstraya @whattaweeb @natasha-danvers @iamwarrenspeace @bullet-babe3 @bonjouritsellaa @thisismysecrethappyplace @simonsbluee @marvel-addict-95 @capsheadquarters

[phi8]

Recently rewatched Gravity Falls with its resurgence online, and I was itching to give my take on an older Mabel with an absolute unit of a Waddles (who is a regular farm pig after all). To go along with this, I also wrote some fanfic: a letter from Dipper to Mabel, about his return to Gravity Falls years after the show. Read it on AO3 or below!

Dear Mabel,

I hope everything is going well back home!  I miss you already, but it’s so good to be back in Gravity Falls too. A  lot has changed since our summer here.

The first week of my internship at McGucket Labs has been amazing. McGucket has really transformed Northwest Manor into a fantastic campus (though he still insists everyone call it “the Hootenanny Hut”)! There are so many  brilliant scientists and engineers here, and most of them have a refreshingly open mind about the nature and use of all the weirdness you can find in Gravity Falls. My experience with all that stuff is already paying off big time. Yesterday some PHD dude asked for my opinion on practical applications of necromancy (I told him it was a bad idea)!

Candy says hi by the way! It’s funny, for me this internship is all the way across the country, but for her it’s practically in her back yard, even though we both got that scholarship. Also, she tells me Grenda is more or less officially part of the Austrian aristocracy at this point? Apparently she and that Marius duke guy got engaged, did you hear about that?? Turns out I’m completely out of the loop with your friend group.

Candy and I have been hanging out with, of all people, Pacifica and Gideon. Can you believe it? Pacifica works at Corduroy Lumber these days. Probably in some misguided sense to get back to her roots, but I think it’s doing her some actual good. Working with her hands has been teaching her valuable life lessons I guess. It makes it a bit weird if Wendy also comes hang out, because she’s technically Pacifica’s boss – but you know Wendy’s cool about that.

Gideon is still running the Tent of Telepathy, so, not all winners. But he’s turned into a more lovable kind of swindler I think, like a younger Stan. He’s honestly kinda funny now (except that he’s taller than me). Wendy also told me he has a thing for Pacifica, and once she did, I couldn’t unsee it. He’s all over her! Pacifica hasn’t noticed, even though they spend a lot of time together. Or maybe she just hasn’t deigned it with a reaction... Either way, both of them are a ball to go for a drink with, whoda thunk.

You also have a lot of hugs from Soos, Melody and the baby (Stan Jr is sooo cute). (Yes, I asked. Melody promised to make you godmother of the hypothetical next child. You owe me.) The Shack is as charmingly ramshackle as it was back when we were here, but Soos finally got the old man stink out. I’m staying in Grunkle Ford’s old secret office because our room was converted to baby chamber. I still haven’t gotten the Bill murals completely off the walls and I have no natural light down here, but I spend most of my time at Northwest Manor the Hootenanny Hut anyway.

Or in the woods! Being back here really was a good move for my Youtube channel, there’s so much more supernatural stuff here than in California, and people are loving it. (I saw you liked my last video, thanks!) I’m currently tracking down what I think is the actual Gobblewonker. I analyzed some detritus samples from the lake, and there were feces from a large reptile present. From what we know, none of the dinosaurs in the mine were aquatic, so my current hypothesis is that it’s an unrelated creature. Especially since, according to my research, the Gobblewonker story dates back at least a century. I also gotta show Ford some of my findings. You know they’ve come across some aquatic monsters in the Bermuda Triangle. (Have you also been getting his mails with scans of the fourth journal? Truly fascinating stuff.) Either way, I’ll keep you posted, and you’ll be able to watch the result online.

Give my love to mom and dad, and Waddles a tummy rub! Awkward sibling sign off, Dipper

PS. Along with the photo’s in the envelope is that stuff you wanted. Be safe with it! There’s a reason it’s illegal in the parts of the forest controlled by the gnomes. But also have fun, I have it on very good authority it’s the good stuff.

[tiredeg]

What is LaTeX? I’m working so hard on this like… LAnce/Toto/alEX? LANdo/pierre gasly number TEn/maX?

Oh God nooooo LaTeX is a scientific typesetting software, when I said niche I meant niche 😭😭

This is a Max/Daniel fic that I occasionally add to where they're both in academia... People take LaTeX really seriously, like it's cool when you start using it for stuff and then it's so flexible and nice looking that some people use it for everything, like I've received wedding invitations written using TeX (which was so cute)

You can set templates and most people I know use the same template for most things, like I still use the article template I got from someone my first year of undergrad, and the presentation template a girl from the year above me gave me during my masters etc etc

In my au, Daniel is a postdoc in the lab where Max does his undergrad capstone thesis, so they're working together a lot and they really click, like they immediately get on and really enjoy working together. It's a 10 week thing so they get quite close and Max is very obviously into Daniel and Daniel's not technically his Boss™ but he is senior and has like soft power over Max and it would be bad to date an undergrad no matter how weirdly obsessed he is with Max. BUT by the time Daniel realises all of this, they've been flirting for like 2 months and he's accidentally an asshole about it because he just switches it off and flips a switch and starts acting different around Max and it's disorienting and accidentally gaslighting and unpleasant for Max

Max has to write up a dissertation and at the start of this Daniel had shared his own template with Max, so he uses this even though he feels weird now but it reminds him of when it was better

ANYWAY Max is a really good researcher obviously and applies to a PhD in this lab, let's call it the Horner Lab, and gets funding and is excited to start and get to work with Daniel again and maybe they can get back to where they were and it can be good again and he can ask Daniel out now BUT oh no Daniel has been courted away and accepted a position in another university that seems to have a better grant, lets call it the Renault lab

Max is really disappointed at this but he did like the work too so he tries to put it out of his mind, works hard, and generally excels... He definitely bumps into Daniel at a few conferences and they slip back into their same rapport and Max loves those weeks, always tries to drop hints to Horner to send his work to conferences that might overlap with Daniel's topic... They get drunk and kiss one time in the hotel after the conference dinner but Daniel isn't in a great place, has accepted an assistant prof job in a department that he's really not clicking in and doesn't think they'll keep him on past his current contract even though it's tenure track and his work is good, let's call them, um, McLaren. And Max is doing SO WELL, like his research niche has exploded and he's been right at the cusp of some really cutting edge stuff, it's so impressive, and they only ever see each other at these events and Max is always winning poster prizes and talk awards, and Daniel doesn't feel like he can deal with this right now

Max, of course, is using Daniel's template to make every presentation and to draft every paper, and it makes him feel warm every time he creates a new file by making a new copy of the template file called "from_daniel.tex". He still has the original email Daniel sent him with the template, he emails it to his personal email just in case his institutional email ever gets deactivated. He's a bit sick of Daniel going hot and cold on him but he doesn't know why or how to fix it (Max is perhaps a bit blind to other people's career worries, especially because Daniel is still doing good work so it's not obvious from the outside what's going on). Mainly he thinks that if they got to spend more than two weeks a year together and weren't constantly surrounded by their coworkers, they might have a chance to properly talk.

Fast forward a few years, Max is a postdoc now still at the same university (bro go get some experience elsewhere, I know I know but this is for the narrative!) and Daniel comes BACK! He gets hired to fill in for someone really last minute and takes the role and it's tenure track and he's really excited about it but also really nervous about working around Max again... Especially because his last job went so badly for interpersonal reasons, not competency, so he's scared that he fucked things up with Max who is obviously the one in this lab with the clout, so if he acts cold to Daniel the rest will too. And Max is a bit absent for the first while, he also doesn't know how to act, from his perspective they kissed and Daniel ghosted him and it reminds him of their first time around working together, BUT Max fundamentally just likes Daniel so one time Daniel catches him hiding away somewhere making a presentation, and notices Max is using his template still from all those years ago, and he tries to break the ice by asking about it but Max is so tired he just straight up admits to it. They actually talk and realize that they're on the same page and they're both scared for different reasons but they both want the same thing and then they kiss about it and maybe have sex in the bathroom about it, who knows, they're academics, they're both working late

THEN they co-author a paper together and it's a brilliant piece of work that starts a partnership that they keep up forever and they get tenure track positions together at a different university and they write their wedding invitations in LaTeX using Daniel's template and they live happily ever after

[gobbogoo]

How Good Can The TF2 Mercenaries Read?

Heavy: PHD-level reading comprehension! ...in Russian. Knows how to read only basic English, mainly what's relevant to his job. Enjoys writing simple messages to the enemy on the bomb cart. (Dear Red, yer dead!)

Scout: Barely literate. Knows basics necessary for children's comics, but gets caught up on stuff like "ch = sh" in words like "machine," or the extra "b" on the end of "bomb." Mostly relies in guess-work.

Medic: Can read and write both English and German, although his knowledge of the prior stems primarily from medical vocabulary. Has to concentrate when reading more dense English texts.

Spy: Can fluently read English, French, Spanish, Morse Code, and several other languages. The most literate of the team by a long shot.

Engineer: Excellent reading comprehension and vocabulary, as well as an understanding of technical writing. Poetry and metaphor fly right over his head, though. If you're trying to say something, just say it! Sticks strictly to nonfiction.

Sniper: Average reading/writing comprehension. Values books both for information/entertainment and toilet paper/kindling.

Soldier: Has a child's writing/reading comprehension (nothing above a single syllable) UNLESS the text is related to military lingo or legal jargon, both of which he will understand but wildly misinterpret. He often gets bored after the first sentence, so he just guesses what the rest of the text is about and then fully believes that guess with 110% of his soul.

Demoman: Slightly better reading comprehension then Sniper, due to a childhood spent studying chemistry, ballistics, Scottish history, and the Bombinomicon that one time. Nowadays, he isn't often sober enough to make out the words, though. Has memorized the blurry shapes of all the chemicals he uses.

Pyro: A weird case. Pyro-Vision Goggles tells us that Pyro perceives written language as variations of "mmmph," however they seem to derive some meaning from this as they're seen reading a newspaper in the comics. Presumably whatever they "read" is different from what's actually written, though, so it's still inaccurate to say they know how to read English.

BONUS:

Pauling: Has fully mastered speed-reading, and spends a great deal of her time writing/reading documents. She's also a huge fantasy nerd, but hasn't had time to read any in years.

Saxton Hale: Has surprisingly sound reading comprehension, but has Bidwell read everything for him whenever possible. Also authors the official Saxton Hale comics through dictation, but never writes any of it personally to avoid liability.

The Administrator: [Classified]

[owl-it-here]

AU idea - One Piece #1

So I was thinking about this fic I read about a year ago (or re-read it?) -> Luffy was raised as a marine and makes it everyone's problem [An amazing read - I recommend checking it out]

And I really like the idea behind it. Using skills that may have been learned before is always cool, especially if there's a chance that they may be canonical. More than that, I think we should go even further.

So far, we don't know enough about Brook and Jinbe's childhoods to make any assumptions (so I won't touch on them in any depth here - but they are both experienced in diffrent ways), but most of them, to put it mildly, had rather difficult childhoods. And that made them perfectly specialised in the areas they chose to remain safe and survive. Moslty had one mentor or were raised by themselves. All except Luffy and Sanji, if you think about it.

The education system in the OP sucks, just like the real one. But the difference in knowledge and experience should be used as an advantage to make comedy out of this tragedy.

Nami had Bellemere, who probably gave her a basic education. She later self-taught herself out of curiosity and a desire to survive. Her time in the Arlong crew gave her more problems than opportunities to learn (but she may have picked up a few tricks here and there).

Zoro studied in the dojo. He had one sensei, one slightly more experienced rival and one older one to talk to. (Definitely not enough but it sure gave him his rather unique perspective).

Usopp only had his mum. Later, maybe some villagers helped him a bit, or Kaya to thank for the stories - but he is also mostly self-taught.

Chopper studied only under two doctors, and neither of them was sane. Maybe some reindeer instincts from his herd passed on to him before he ate the devil's fruit (but he was young, and later under stress so).

Robin grew up on an island full of scholars, but is still mostly self-taught. And apart from her special interests, everything she learned was from survivalism (so a PhD in history (and related stuff) and random knowledge, if I had to guess - well she's clever enough to learn/teach herself more if need be).

Franky, as far as we know, studied technical fields. We don't know enough about him before he came under Tom's wing, but we can assume that most of his knowledge comes from those years. (He created his own little mafia family, but we don't really know if he learned from anyone how to manage it or not).

And then we have Luffy and Sanji.

Luffy had a grandfather who tried to teach him to be a marine and to fight. Makino taught him the basics (and attempted manners). Dadan and her gang showed him by their example how to be a good bandit. Shanks and his crew taught him the basics of being a good pirate. And of course his brothers, taught him how to be a real jungle kid and a few tricks. And all this probably gave him quite mixed signals - especially with his logic.

And finally Sanji. As a prince born to a scientist (an evil sperm donor, but still the person responsible for his education, who probably with his big ego believed that his children even without modification should be as brilliant as he was) Sanji certainly had some sort of super special royal education (which he tried to perfect because it was probably easier than a physical test and he wanted to fit in somehow). He learned manners, politeness and most of all kindness from his mum. How to cook, fight and be a pirate from Zeff. And probably a few other cooking and odd skills from the various chefs he met over the years on both the Orbit and the Bartie. Working in the kitchen is conducive to conversation.

So I've come to the conclusion that I want to read a fic where both Luffy's and Sanji's upbringing has a greater impact on the strawhats' journey. Yes, I want Luffy to occasionally use his random nautical knowledge to help them escape or get something. (Like the author used it to save Ace, but also to help Robin faster etc.). Someone should also note that the style in which he manages his crew is similar to the bandits. Or they should meet some on the way and only Luffy should know how to behave to be respected. I also want Sanji to talk more about things that pirates should know. Or even about political stuff. (Robin could add more too, but Sanji has a slightly different perspective on it than she does.) Even if he doesn't want to talk about his past, the excuse that he knows everything from Zeff works and is practically undeniable, because no one on the crew knows what he went through as a pirate.

It would have been fun to see Luffy explain to his crew why this marine is bad news, but the other one isn't so bad because his grandfather likes him or something. Or if Sanji, after fighting for Nami's freedom, had stopped and asked the crew if any of them knew a bit of hooks (and Luffy realised that Garp was trying to teach him that - but, as standard, he didn't explain just went on to practice-torture).

Bonus if the only person who can immediately use this random information is Zoro. Who on everything just says: it sounds just about right. Because it perfectly balances the Monster Trio in this way.

This could also be a good idea for a larger crew fic. After the whole situation with Nami, the crew starts talking about heading to the Grand Line and a dialogue like this ensues between them: Sanji: so where are we looking for the other members? The others: We are not looking? Sanji: And what about the watch? Grand Line is very unpredictable. Since you knew some pirates Luffy, I'm sure they talked about it…. Luffy: They told super cool stories! Sanji: Then how do you think we'll be able to have a night shift with just five of us? With such a small number of people, especially with no medic on board, it will affect my cooking….

And let's not kid ourselves but the food argument has a pretty good chance of working.

Luffy: Setting out I thought having 10 members would be ideal! Sanji: For influencing the Grand Line - sure - to just look for them there with the unpredictability and adventures waiting for us there - there aren't enough of us now. We need a few more hands and a pair of eyes.

And honestly this conversation probably doesn't affect Luffy that much, he continues to be as picky about selecting his nakamas as he was in canon, but maybe enough that they select perhaps 3 more people for the lineup. Which allows us to stay fairly ok with the storyline and right away adds diversity and some power. Which may have made some of the arks funnier because we have more room to play. (This Bites! makes it look like a good idea).

I call this idea: Luffy was brought up as he was, and that makes it everyone's problem, but it is Sanji's existence that makes everyone else question it - Zoro you should have a bigger problem with that!

In a nutshell: The gray cells are working!

If anyone ever uses it, PLEASE tag me - I want to devour it in every form. I probably could have outlined it better, but well it's just an idea.

[eponymous-rose]

Monday!

It's been a while since I've done one of these week-in-the-life posts (and I LOVE reading them from others), and it's a particularly stressful week where I'm trying to stay off social media for Reasons, so hey, let's do this again!

It's a busy day, but it starts relatively late - I don't have to leave for the office until 10AM. So, you may ask, why on earth do I set my alarm for 8:30? Is it because I have an elaborate morning routine? Is it so I can hit the gym and go for a jog? No, no, no, it's because I have a little cat who takes the alarm as her cue to cuddle and I don't want to disappoint her, so I inevitably spend half an hour hugging her like a purring teddy bear first thing in the morning before I get up.

I respond to some e-mails as I get ready and on the bus ride over - mostly prep for our department's holiday party (I'm in the band and we're trying to get as much practice in as possible), but also a little work getting supercomputer access restored for an undergrad research assistant, offering to write a letter of recommendation so my colleague doesn't have to (we both know the student well and said colleague is traveling across the country for a funeral on a redeye flight tonight...), reworking some elements of the rubric for the faculty search committee I'm on, and confirming a meeting with my grad student.

10:45 - I get to the office and go to make my usual mug of tea... and realize in the moment I close my office door that the keys are still inside. I get the hot water from the lounge and meander by the office, but nobody's there. Just as I'm about to work up the nerve to go interrupt a more senior professor's meeting to borrow his keys, one of the office staff walks by and is happy to open the door for me, phew.

11:00 - My most senior grad student is doing an internship in Colorado this quarter (it's the location he most wants to do a postdoc at as well!), and we've set up a call to catch up after a few weeks without chatting. It's a bit of an awkward chat because he wants to go to his second conference in two months, and I had to bring out the "well, um, this is a side project you're doing with someone else's research group and you may want to check with them about where the $2000+ for conference costs is coming from". I possibly have an avenue - I might ask him to just attend for a couple of days instead of the whole time, so I can use some funding from a different grant, but I'm hoping we can get some cost-sharing going here, or possibly the other professor he's working with can present his poster for him if need be. Still, his work's going great and I'm hoping we can get him to this conference! He finishes his PhD this year, and I can attest to how helpful conferences are for landing postdocs.

12:00 - Speaking of grants, I had a successful grant come through late last summer to study wildfire smoke dynamics with novel instrumentation (something new to me!), and the whole team is meeting up for the first time to talk logistics! I also have to teach real soon, so I'm only on for the first chunk of the call, but we get some of the plan set up. Looks like we'll be meeting at a NASA facility early next year to do some siting stuff prior to the first controlled burn. I genuinely have no idea what I'm doing on this project, apart from being willing to write a big chunk of the proposal, but it's a good time!

12:30 - Class time! This is my domain-specific intro-to-python class that I developed 5 years ago and have been iterating on ever since. It's going a lot smoother this week than last, and the students are pretty responsive to my jokes (priority #1, lbr) and seem to be following along quite well, judging by the handful of questions I get after class. Not a ton of technical issues today, either, which is a HUGE win over last week.

1:30 - Forecasting time! I'm once again part of our university team in a giant forecasting contest. While I'm decidedly average at it (usually around 250th out of 1000 participants), my grad student was #1 for a while there. We chat in broad terms about the next week of weather in our targeted forecasting region.

2:30 - Meeting with another graduate student! We talk about some of the researchers he reached out to after his first conference a couple weeks ago, and we're starting to narrow down a possible author list for his first paper. He's working on writing up the methods and data for that paper while he incorporates a few new datasets into his preestablished workflow. He's been doing really well! Being a dual-major in CS means his code is a heckuva lot more organized than most second-year grad students I've had.

3:30 - ...nothing??? I've decided to skip my usual seminar and postpone one undergraduate student research meeting this afternoon (the one currently locked out of the supercomputer he needs for his project) since I have a couple of grant proposals due very shortly. I head out to grab some teriyaki to bring back to my office for lunch/dinner, but the restaurant just has a big sign out front saying "closed for FIRE" so I opt to go across the street for some chicken katsu and boba tea instead. I approve the final budget (coming up on a million dollars, no pressure) and keep plugging away at the statement of work (which is basically "what are you going to do, in detail, with one million dollars over the next three years? please tell us in exactly 15 pages, not counting your 3-page bibliography and 6 appendices"). I even find a perfect paper to reference to discuss one of our theories! We've made it through one round of reviews with our pre-proposal, and man, we'd love to do this project - it would be myself, a colleague, and a postdoc looking at some really novel stuff in severe storm predictability over the next three years. I also get a little work done on the invited talk I'm giving to a student journal club tomorrow, and work on some more e-mails (trying to set up a meeting with a friend's graduate student to help her out with some methods she's using from an older paper of mine).

5:15 - One of my colleagues has retired this year and has a farewell song he wants to sing at our holiday party, which happens to be mostly voice & piano, so we agree to meet up before the main practice and go over it a couple times before the rest of the band shows up and he has to head out to dinner. I'm really sorry to see him leaving (although I know he's delighted to get to spend more time with his kids and grandkids) - he and his wife were extremely welcoming when I started here, and were so kind and supportive when Mom died. Just very touched that he reached out to me to play piano on this one. Tragically, though, whoever was supposed to bring in the keyboard hasn't left it in the practice room, so we'll have to wait and run through it with the rest of the band on Thursday. Instead, it's back to the office to get caught up on e-mail and try to slog through more of the grant application (all today's research and work has netted me... 1 page of writing, blah).

6:00 - The rest of the band shows up! We run three songs of our eight-song setlist, and I'm somehow now playing on 4/8 of them, despite there being five people signed up for keys. It's a good time, though!

8:00 - I make it home and give Clara a bunch of new toys that have arrived with her prescription food (one of which she licks for 15 minutes straight). Luckily, tomorrow's work schedule is much more chill!

[sychik]

hello guys! this will be an unusual post, as I don't share much about my personal life here. earlier this month, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I'll spare the details, but I'm only 26 and this was as out of the blue as it could have possibly been. so please, listen to your bodies and take care of your health, whatever your sex, age, etc etc. to those who happen to deal with similar things - I wish you strength. I am not writing this to ask for financial or emotional support, I've got both covered (surprise, it still sucks! but anyway). I'm also not on hiatus, technically, but I'm continuing my studies and doing a lil bit of work for the university. basically, this can prove too much at any moment. I can't predict my own power levels, and I am still learning to manage this new life. I get moodswings and tire easily, so one day I'll be having a blast meshing while watching some series and the next I feel like it is the worst chore. maybe it'll get better. maybe it'll get worse. I'll try to balance it and deal with any possible requests as they come. the priority for me right now is porting my Ancient Roman stuff to ts4; if I can do it, I'll pick up the new requests. sorry, this is just how my mind works, I like to do things in order; it is also easier than making a whole ass mesh from scratch. overall, I feel sad, because I was looking forward to combining the less structured nature of the PhD studies with creating CC more regularly, and here we are. but yeah. I like the sims and I'm glad to be a part of this community.

[cerislabnotes]

Research Note 15- Disbelief

Day 1: It's conference week. General share with the world what you're doing kind of conference. And I'm used to conferences that are managed with security and secrecy. (Aka, everyone bullshits their way through them, without any real meat of what they're doing being shared.) So, this has been a very hard adjustment for me.

There are labs and non-profits of all types of disciplines! I do technical stuff; I don't know how to talk to these people. (Can you tell I'm intimidated?) Oh well, the setup went well. We brought the beam head to show progress in the general proton therapy field. I've stayed at the table, and a few people have come up to talk, but I've barely seen the genetics team since we set up. They are out roaming the floor, talking to anyone and everyone who has anything remotely helpful with our research. It's quite odd to me, but I guess how these things go.

Day 2: One of the girls from the genetics team was picking up scientific papers from everyone and dropped them at the table to go to lunch. "Keep these safe, lots of good stuff here to take back." On the top was 'Discussion of Bonding Energy in reference to Current Human Removal Therapies' by P. Leh'Ber. Sounds scientific enough, right? Except, open the cover, and you get the rest of the story: 'Discussion of Bonding Energy in reference to Current Human Removal Therapies: Use of Alchemy for tearing and stitching DNA.' Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's magic. That's not even science fiction; that's absolute fantasy. What kind of crock is this? And why would someone with a PHD even pay attention to this?

Day 3: So that girl turned out to be the lead of the alternatives team. Essentially, it is a small group that looks for fringe connections to our work. Stuff that may enhance it, or cause conflict. When I asked about the pamphlet, she suggested I follow her to the group where the paper was made. The research team that published it works in "The Fantasy of Science." They didn't explain much I could understand, just that "we are doing the same work as you, just with the power of the universe" and "with the right need and sight, it becomes very clear how it works." "So, magic?" They all just shrugged. "Excuse me, I need to stop wasting company time." and moved on to another attendee who was excited to talk with them. Is magic really even being discussed here? The rest of the day was of no note.

Day 4: Conference ended today. But, one of the doctors from the alchemy group came by. "Ceri, was it? I just wanted you to know, 30 years ago, what you're doing with molecules and particles was fantasy and magic." "I understand, but at least it's still based in science." With a big smile, he said: "Ceri, I believe Thor said it best, "Magic is just science you don't understand yet." I paused, and stared into the void as that statement echoed in my head. About 10 seconds passed before I smiled back at the doctor. "Fair point. Good luck with your work; hopefully, we both can work some magic." I'll stick with the magic I understand. Tomorrow, back to the lab.

-Ceri

[Ideas of alchemy and magic came from @brothrbear]

[supercantaloupe]

champagne problems here i know but i keep having second thoughts about what to apply for. not because i think i'll dislike music librarianship (i don't, i think it'll be both interesting and at least semi-useful) but because my school also offers a program in theater history and criticism which also sounds very up my alley. and like. i can't do three masters at once so it's gotta be one or the other

girl help i keep reconsidering my grad program

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Can you talk a little bit about how you became a paleontologist? (like school and stuff).

I went to college wanting to major in paleontology and everybody told me I could major in geology but that being a paleontologist just really wasn't possible.

I did major in geology/archaeology combo major (offered at my college, it's actually a BA, not a BS, which was disappointing), but it's not paleontology and i've been out of school for a awhile and i'm just really discouraged.

ugh welcome to my life. the reason my story is complicated is because of crap like that.

so, I'm going to get very, very, very real here. that means I'm going to reveal some personal details about myself. I'm okay with it. I want to share this. Content Warnings for Parental Abuse, Mental Illness, Physical Disability, and Trauma. Phew. Here we go.

first thing we have to acknowledge: I grew up poor. my mom was a stay at home mom because of mental illness (majorly agoraphobic and huge social anxiety, plus largely untreated OCD). my dad rarely held on a job for very long because of severe untreated ADHD. my parents' primary concern, at all times, was that their six kids (my mom loves kids) would have gainful, steady employment. they are communists, and it was always about how we can't help others effectively if we're not secure in the rest of our lives.

I wanted to be a paleontologist from the moment I could have such a want. But my parents never, never, thought that was a good idea. They wanted me to be a scientist, because they could see my potential, but they didn't think being a paleontologist was a safe career. And, to be fair, they had a point. But I didn't want to be anything else. In fact, the very idea would make me start sobbing. So while I was little, they didn't really do anything about it. Occasionally they planted seeds of "you might not be a paleontologist", but it never went well.

fast forward to me going to college. now they were serious. we were constantly fighting over whether I should be a paleontologist or a medical researcher (MDPhD. you know, the insane degree that insane people get.) (I'm insane, but not that way). because they were paying for, well, some of it (I got a lot of scholarships, b''h), and I was in general dependant on them like most college students are, they picked my classes. I was forced to major in biology (though I probably would have picked that anyway), and I never took any geology classes (well, I took half of one, but had to drop it because of my stupid premed classes).

I got to do paleontology research, but it was kind of in secret - I technically had two different research jobs, one in evolutionary biology, one in paleontology. I took tons of medical related classes, and was forced to take the MCAT twice. I wasn't good at it. Memorizing things isn't my forte, I'm much better at problem solving and finding/evaluating information. I also just wasn't interested in it - I can remember countless dinosaur genera, but ask me to remember really specific medical details and my mind draws a blank.

I did not do well on the MCAT, but I was still forced to apply to MDPhD programs. I also applied to evolutionary biology and paleontology PhD programs on my own. But paleontology is extremely competitive, and I didn't hear back from any of those. I also didn't get anywhere with any of those medical programs. In fact, I ended up getting accepted to a grad program for evolutionary developmental biology, because that was the only thing that had an opening. Rather than go home and be forced to apply to medical school again, I took the out.

I was miserable. But I tried to convince myself it was better this way. That I would have gainful employment, and be able to do science. Meanwhile, I was running this blog, building a community, and constantly thinking about paleontology instead of my actual thesis. Even though paleontology doesn't require field work, I'd convinced myself I could never do it because field work is inaccessible to me - I have had chronically dislocated knees since I was 16, and a few different physical conditions that make me exceptionally heat sensitive. I couldn't do field work, so I couldn't be a paleontologist. I also am fat, because of those disabilities, and there just aren't a lot of fat AFAB paleontologists, so I thought I wouldn't be able to get far for that reason.

But I couldn't finish that PhD. I didn't care enough about it, and I was constantly hitting roadblocks. I wanted the focus to be more evolution based, my advisor told me no. I wanted to pursue a specific question, my advisor advised against it. My wasps kept dying, and I didn't know why. I couldn't get my assays to work. My advisor was always focused on his other students and never me. It was a nightmare. All the while, my blog was exploding in popularity, and I was even going to paleontology conferences on my own dollar and networking there, presenting research about using the internet as an educational tool. And I felt at home. I was with *my people*.

Then the pandemic happened. I was already estranged from my parents for other reasons, that I'd rather not get into (no, it's not cause I'm queer). Everyone was frustrated with my lack of progress at my first program. My spouse, the infinite well of support that he is (url @plokool), gave me the push I needed to drop out with a master's degree (which I had earned at that point). I then was seriously considering becoming a rabbi, because I didn't think I could hack being a scientist at all after that experience.

But, everything felt wrong when I wasn't engaged with paleo. ADAD had gone on hiatus because my artists were persuing other opportunities (and I'm so proud of them!). I just felt empty and lost without paleontology in my life. So I went to the virtual SVP that was being held in 2020, since it was cheaper than usual and online.

And I met my current advisor. We clicked *right* away. We had the same questions about bird evolution and talked for hours. He encouraged me to apply, so I did - just for paleontology programs. I knew if I didn't do paleo, there wasn't a point. Nothing else would hold my interest enough for me to get a doctoral degree. I also talked to the wonderful friends I had made here on Palaeoblr, ones who were also actually pursuing paleo, and they promised me I could do it - that they believed in me. The one thing no one but my spouse had ever really indicated to me. It gave me the push I needed, and when I was accepted to this program, I took it. It also helped that I finally had working ADHD medication, for the first time in my life.

Even though it meant moving from Chicago - nice, at least sometimes chilly Chicago, my home for my whole life - to fucking southern new mexico. I am so hot. All the time now. My feet never return to their proper color. But it was worth the risk.

But I'm not doing field work! I've had to take a lot of remedial geology classes, but all my work has been computer and lab based. And I've done so much already! I've published a new bird, I've done excellent in my classes and teaching, and I'm currently compiling my own database of Paleogene bird fossils. Last year was a little rough because of trauma things, and the gd-damned adderall shortage, but I'm moving forward. I am hoping to go into museum work, because I love museums, and I believe in them and their ability to educate people (I also want to help the museum field decolonize itself, but that's a different discussion.) I've even made a design for an evolution of dinosaurs exhibit that my professor wants me to make into a real thing someday.

So... yeah. I became a paleontologist by being the world's most stubborn mother fucker alive. I decided I wanted to be as a kid, and I never could let it go, even when it would have been better for me to. But I'm glad I didn't, because now I'm here, and I'm doing well. When i can focus, at any rate. Because I'm only at peace when I'm around dinosaurs.

(P.S. I've even repaired my relationship with my parents, and they support me as a paleontologist now! just took 30 years for them to realize they couldn't fight me on this, I guess... or they're old and tired of fighting. one of the two.)

[profchamomile]

Hello everyone!

Hi Rotomblr; I'm one of your newest members! I'm not much the blogging type, so sorry if this intro seems a bit awkward, haha!

You can call me Chamomile (they/them). I'm a newly certified Pokémon Professor, I grew up in the Orre region and very recently moved to Paldea for work. Someone recommended I try blogging about some of my research and observations on this website, but based on what I've been seeing so far since making my account, I'm... A *little* skeptical. But I'm going in with an open mind and giving it a chance, nonetheless!

I specialize in Pokemon Biology, Pokemon Behavior, and Ecology. My research is centered around finding easier ways to care for Pokemon while still giving them the best quality of life possible. In short, I aim to find more accessible ways to care for Pokemon, for people who may find themselves in situations that make it harder to care for Pokemon the way they used to (or at all for that matter).

I do have a pokemon team; though they're not really for battle. My team is:

1. Belle (Banette - my first Pokemon)

2. Queenie (Slowking - service pokemon #1)

3. Ignis (Arcanine - service pokenon #2)

4. Putty (Ditto - my #1 field research assistant)

5. Nurse (Blissey - I didn't name her that but it makes for a good pun when I got my PhD)

6. Circuit (Rotom - The silliest little ball of energy!)

Aside from Ignis (and technically Belle), all of my pokemon are rescues, and I love them to bits! They help me a lot in many aspects of my life and they're absolutely wonderful!

Furthermore, I am currently raising a Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly, so that I can get an understanding of their care and find the best ways for students at the local academy to care for their starter Pokemon! Their names are Spearmint, Chai, and Cress!

I believe that's all I've got to say for now. So I'll leave you with a picture of Belle! (She's still adjusting to the timezone change; hence why she's outside in the daytime).

// OOC note: Chamamomile's story starts post-core game story of SV, and pre-DLCs. In my version of canon they're basically the new regional professor after Turo and Sada was confirmed to be dead. Regarding boundaries: I'm pretty chill with anything, just no NSFW stuff. Never done tumblr RP though so like... that might change as I get a feel for this.

//everything is on; magic anons are on but lightweight only

//Canon's a mix of games, the anime, and some personal headcanons. Also orre region is based on where I live irl so headcanons on that are based on personal experiences.

//Little bit of ic hate is fine. But don't be too much of a dick yeah? No slurs or discrimination. Also, like... I'm trying my best with the science and pokemon care headcanon stuff, but I'm not the best at that kinda thing; if it sounds off, that's on me, not a reflection of the character's competence

//this blog is low stakes for the time being; may become drama stakes down the road, but I portray all the characters involved in the plots that may fit under that category. If you WANT to be involved, though, feel free to ask!

//I also run @porygon-supremacy , @anomaly-sanctum , and @kidresearcherindigo , and lores are all connected

//I also run @paradox-destroyer but that one is not connected lore-wise

[bigcheesevik]

I think people generally overstate the difference humanities and STEM students – at least in the English speaking world. In other places, it's far less stark. For example, in Russian a sociologist and a physicist are both учонные, in German a philosopher and a chemist are both wissenschaftlern in their respective fields. (forgive my spellings)

Generally people say that STEM people have the sort of 'problem solving' mindset – you know the whole schtick of basically every quantitative/technical programme being like "hey do you like PROBLEM SOLVING? PUZZLES? WELL BOY DO WE HAVE THE JOB FOR YOU–"? And Humanities people have...people skills. Soft skills. You know, "you do english lit? you. you must really enjoy people. talking, and stuff. you have all these nice soft skills – like schmoozing, and charm, I bet, because you like people so much. how. would you like a career in HR"

And i think that's a completely misguided dichotomy, because...have you met a humanities student? Like someone who is really into their degree the same way a mathematician, a chemist, a biologist, etc. is? There is NO guarantee an interest in people gives you people skills.

I think the main dichotomy between your literature and your history students versus your hard sciences / mathematics students is that the latter 'solve problems' whereas the former 'investigate problems'.

Think about it. A historian is not necessarily interested in solving the theological disputes between the Reformed, Lutheran, and Catholic churches in the 16th and 17th centuries. The historian is actually interested in:

(1) finding out what those disputes were

(2) finding out where they came from

(3) figuring out why they were important to people

(4) seeing what people tried, and why it did / didn't work

Sociologists and anthropologists do similar things, but with questions relevant to their fields.

So okay, humanities students have an investigative mindset, whereas STEM students are generally 'problem solvers'. Now I'm going to turn around and say that those two mindsets are actually quite close to each other. You still need to solve some problems in the humanities – there's some level of 'computational thinking' (ie break things up into step by step chunks, see what tools you can use to solve your problem, or how you can come up with an alternative solution), it's just not really the emphasis. You still need to be investigative in STEM (just ask anybody in a biology-adjacent discipline what it's like to write and read academic papers), it's just not all you're doing.

My rant here is basically coming from the still-pervasive discourse I see at uni about humanities versus STEM, which I'm increasingly getting fed up with. This was mostly prompted by a talk i went to by someone who studies Religion&Science – a PhD physicist that got really into theology. I didn't really agree with him much, but he very compellingly demonstrated that basically any academic discipline past the graduate level will require rigour, evidence, and careful thinking, and will generally provide niche-but-useful-when-put-together-with-other-things discoveries.

[lutrainman]

Been wanting to create some quick profile pics, but I haven’t really fleshed out all main and supporting and chatizens. For now, I’ll give you the main. Still haven’t gotten all the other chatizen profiles done. Nor do I plan to in the future.

warning lots of profiles to skim through. Not all of them are fleshed out.

Terrence E. Coyote (middle name Egnacio)

ChibiRoom handle: Techy-mancer2772

Age: 25

Species: Anthro Coyote? (his dad hasn’t confirmed if he’s part wolf)

Close colleagues call him Terry. His friend Rev will call him Ter (pronounced Tear, as in “tear it all up”). Youngest prodigy in science and engineering. Already 2 PhD and current researching scientist at Acme Technical University. Has been going through a shut-in gremlin phase about 4~6 months ago.

He just finished up his last contract deal that has freed him from college debt, especially after the debacle involving an undergraduate intern. So he’s gone into a pseudo-gremlin mode by indulging in all of the nerdy stuff he’s deprived himself of; including anime, cartoons, shows, movies and video games, personal sci-fi prop making, reading books, comics, graphic novels, and going to sci-fi or comic conventions.

Terrence is an introvert by choice and isn’t very social. So he’s socially awkward, and tries to hide it behind a professional facade. Unfortunately, he comes off as standoffish, aloof, and a bit arrogant. Only because he holds himself to a high standard in the pursuit of science and using science for good things. Has a few inventions and breakthroughs tied to him. But he’s best known to be a collaborator, despite how obsessive he is with research and the details.

Joined “Retro-tech” chibiroom since he has grown up retro-fitting or making old tech work.

Creon Gilead

Age: 24 (going on 25 eventually)

Species:Publicly Human. Latent Mutant status hidden for now

Sous-chef and assistant manager to the Leghorn building cafe that she started when she first worked as a barista at the coffee bar. Also overworks a lot with side hustles, her main job, and community/volunteer work. Loves motorsports, hover-board racing, roller skating.

Adrenaline junkie and adventurous. Quite reckless and has a YOLO mentality. She tries to keep an open mind to new experiences. She’s multi-lingual due to her life experience and time in the military, and living in the Crater. Her life hasn’t been kind, and she is both lucky and unlucky with whatever wild scenarios that happen near her. Creon is a glass-half-full type of girl who always strives to be the best version of herself. Which means doing her best to be kind in a cruel world.

Despite trying to be honest and true, she’s a bit cagey about her past. Nearly abstained from dating/romance for 2 years. Until Terry literally fell into her lap one night on the train. She’s unaware that the chatizens of the Retro-tech Chibiroom refer to her as “Snow White.”

Revel R. Runner (middle name Reginald)

Age: 24

Species: Anthro Roadrunner

One of the undergrad students who got lucky with interning under Terrence, despite Terrence’s vehemence against taking on another intern. Goes by Rev most of the time. He prefers it. Rev was the only one to pull Terrence out of his shell, most of the times. Rev is the only one who can keep up with Terrence, or at least understand him when they work together. And Terrence is able to keep up with Rev’s speed-talking. Rev has made it his mission to keep Terrence from becoming a cyborg in the possible future. Rev thinks Terrence needs to live a little and not let science be the sole reason for existence. Also works as a researching scientist and engineer alongside Terry.

Alex Bunny

ChibiRoom handle: Black-Ace-Kazma

Age: 24

Species: Anthro Bunny

Works as one of the personal trainers and instructors at the Acme Tech campus gym and recreation center. Later on, Alex will become Terrence’s personal fitness coach. Also someone who likes to watch really old school movies or films.  He’s a martial arts nut so he has an old collection of Kung-fu film dvd/blu-ray sets. These were passed down from either an old relative or grandfather. Some even on VHS cassettes. So Alex also knows how to use antique projectors, VHS, DVD & Blu-ray players. Later on, Alex will figure out Techy-mancer and Terry are the same, but won’t reveal this at all. He silently enjoys the shitshow and continues to encourage Terrence with the pursuit of personal and physical growth. Alex sometimes does some stunt work for films or tv.

Lexi Bunny

ChibiRoom handle: Loola_Honey55

Age: 23

Species: Anthro Bunny (distant cousin to Alex Bunny)

One of Creon’s besties. Met Creon when they were both auditioning for TV extras. Marketing Research specialist for a fashion company that caters to anthros. Lexi is gregarious, ambitious, and quite bubbly. But Lexi can also be ambitious, hard-working, and introspective when she needs to be. On spare time she takes care of her plants, tiny garden, and streams playing video games. She’s also a fashionista who likes to take thrift-store clothes and fix/spruce them up for herself. Lexi joined chibiroom asking for advice on integrating old consoles, emulators, or stream setup. But mostly the video games, since she likes to explore old-school games ranging from late 90s, and early 2000s. Plus, she likes some of the older consoles and games.

Ripley R Runner (middle name Roland)

ChibiRoom handle: RippingW!r3z226

Age: 22

Species: Anthro Roadrunner

Rev’s younger brother. Moderator of the Retro-Tech Chibiroom. Actually working on his own apps and software in spare time. Secretly wants to get approval from dad and take over family business. Due to a lot of time in the Retro-tech chibiroom, he’s made a few programs, mods, and even inventions to help the group. Has tested them out. Lexi was the first guinea pig to test out programs or plugins for her stream and video game setup. Rip may seem slow-speaking, quiet, and aloof, but he’s just as smart as his big brother. Maybe even smarter, especially in certain departments. Rip has that perfect balance of being business savvy, entrepreneur, and software engineer and inventor.

Tina Russo

Age: 26

Species: Anthro Duck

Another one of Creon’s besties. Met Lexi through Creon. They too are besties. Tina is down-to-earth, blunt, feisty, and street-smart. Tina can be brutally honest, especially during the early days of befriending Creon. It’s thanks to Tina that Creon started developing a no-nonsense attitude and was able to set boundaries for herself. Family came from Italian immigrants. Does construction work in modular housing. Has always liked building stuff as a kid. Helped her dad out a lot in his plumbing and handyman work. Has a degree in architecture. Transferred to Acmetropolis from home in New Jersey to work with a real estate company that is undertaking a city renovation project.

Daniel Duck

ChibiRoom Handle: Duck_Dodgers_livedangerous

Age: 24

Species: Anthro Duck

Is kind of a pessimist and a conspiracy nut. He’s really paranoid about how the government is using current technology as surveillance. A bit short-tempered and comes off as delusional or egotistical. Deep down he’s just a lonely, insecure guy who got done dirty by the child foster system. So he’s had to grow up a bit street-smart and cynical. The “Retro-tech” chibiroom is the only place he sometimes finds solace in and the first place he consults in regards to retrofitting some old gadgets to work. That and he’s kind of a lonely duck trying to cope with his unfulfilling mundane life.

Samuel D Tazman (middle name Denver)

ChibiRoom handle: Slam-Taztic-devil

Age: 28

Species: Anthro Tazmanian Devil

A local wrestler who works in construction work and welding during the day. Sam is actually chill and respectfully polite in real life, which tends to clash with other people’s perception of Tasmanian Devils. Sam is very fond of good food and happens to know which local food venues are best. Joined “Retro-tech” chibiroom for adapting some tech for his big hands.

Oberon_Maestro67 (chatizen)

Species: Human

A music enthusiast, musician, and loves performing or going to music concerts. Absolutely hates the idea of AI music overtaking normal organic music. Has offered a lot of audio tech integration advice and music recommendations.

T!meSk!pper136 (chatizen)

Species: Human

About high-school senior who’s kind of lonely but loves making models and gunpla or making robots for bot-fighting. Lives with grandpa, who is an acclaimed professor and expert on theoretical physics and time. For now, he takes solace in the Retro-tech chibiroom.

Sylphair375 (chatizen)

Species: Human

A bitter, pessimist who seems to like being a naysayer and bringing up the worst case scenario. Is actually a recovering athlete who is bitter about how his athlete career barely started after a bad accident and injury.

Cloudy-chance-185 (chatizen)

Species: human

Currently a news anchor intern working under Misty DeBreeze. Actually went to school to study weather and meteorology. Part of a small collective of volunteer weather watchers collecting local weather data for climate change studies.

Massivechad305 (chatizen)

Species: human

Just a guy trying to go straight while living on parole. Had been jailed for some time for burglary. Participating in a new parole rehab program which was experimental and difficult. Joined chibiroom to get help and resources for retro-fitting tech that accommodated his size. Doing odd-end jobs here and there. Training to get a welding license.

Wac-gran20K (chatizen)

Species: human

Creon’s next-door neighbor, enjoying her well-earned retirement with her pet canary, Tweety. She’s already aware that Creon is “Snow White” that everyone in the Retro-tech Chibiroom chat likes to talk about. She just chooses to not reveal this secret and just watch the drama unfold. Granny is the definition of “sweet little old lady.”

Yeah there are other side characters, like Zadavia and others who are also chatizens or just regular citizens living normal lives. But I don’t think I’ll get into them now.

[darksigns-exe]

Sweet Like Honey - The Night Is Vivid

Warnings: None Word Count: 3,6k

Read On AO3

Her head is too full with dates and facts and names and information and and and — Maybe it’s not worth it after all. Maybe she’s not good enough for this kind of position after all. It’s a PhD programme. It’s big and they need people that know their stuff and right now Bee doesn’t think that she knows anything about the stuff she needs to know. 

But this is what she has always wanted, this is where she wants to be. This programme is the opportunity she’s been waiting for. This is the slightly ajar door that she can’t wait to get her foot in to show them all what she is capable of. Her field is small enough as it is, especially over here, away from all the spots they could actually work on. America isn’t exactly known for its mediaeval Latin inscriptions and manuscripts. So finding a PhD programme here where’s built a life for herself is big. For a while, Bee had considered the option of leaving L.A. again. Of course, that would have been the least ideal way for things to go, but for the sake of her career, it was something she had to consider. 

And so she’s bunkered down to get this application done. It has to be right -- perfect. Bee has one chance to get this committee to remember her name and her ideas. She knows that she has the knowledge for it. She's got all the degrees and technicalities that she needs, but it's so easy to doubt it all. There are so many people that probably know more than her and have more intricate approaches to these topics than her and there always will be. But she also knows that her ideas about this all could change things for the better. The accolades that she had collected for her master's thesis alone should be enough to bolster her ego, but academia is never that comfortable for women, especially not for those who question the old and rigid and very male systems. 

It gives her a headache. Makes her feel a little nauseous even. 

She's been at this for days already. The committee wants a motivational essay, a preliminary proposal for her thesis, research, a paper and whatnot. She's already spent hours upon hours filing through various libraries and making orders from others. It was a hassle to get all of it together. The deadlines are still a couple of weeks away, but she'd rather be early than miss it. 

She continues to ignore the occasional buzzing of her phone. It's been going off for a while now, but she's got to get this part done by tomorrow otherwise it'll throw her off her schedule. Bee feels a little bad for putting her friends on the back burner like this. She has explained it, of course. Told them all that she'd be hard at work for a bit and while Tasha had initially tried to argue that she would need to take breaks at some point, Bee knew that she'd let her be for the most part. Noah had been an entirely different story. He'd been more than understanding and surprisingly quiet since then. She'd gotten used to his frequent texts and now that he'd gone somewhat quiet she finds herself missing his little updates. There'd been no pictures of his lunch, no pictures of the stray cat that occasionally visits the boys' backyard and most importantly no goofy selfies to lighten her mood. Once in a while, he'd message her with little updates but he kept them light and short. 

They had agreed to take things slow, but Bee had once again underestimated the magnetism of his personality. She feels like the moth to his proverbial flame and there is precious little that she could do to fight the hold he already had on her. They're moving in baby steps, but they are moving and that gives her hope. She likes learning all the little things that make up his whole, the small parts of his personality only those he keeps close get to see. It's still delicate. Sometimes she can still see the parts of him that doubt all of this. She knows that he's been looking into therapists, but it's slow going. Bee hadn't expected him to find something immediately, but she's happy to see him put in the effort regardless. 

The sound of the doorbell shakes her out of her thoughts. She hadn't ordered anything and the people that needed to know knew that she was busy. Whoever this was better had a good reason to disrupt her work. She trudges over to the door and picks up the speaker. 

"Hello?"

"So you are still with us." Noah's voice comes from the crackling speaker system "Let me up, I brought dinner." 

Of course, he'd be the one to show up like this. Bee wants to be upset, she'd specifically asked him to let her work in peace today, but in her heart of hearts, she's glad that he's here. She needs the break, as much as she doesn't want to admit it. 

"What did you bring?"

"What? Not gonna let me up if you don't like it?" even though she can't see him, she knows that he's holding back laughter "I went to that Mexican place we all went to once...the one that has the vegan tacos you liked. And--" from the sound of it sifts through a few bags "Bottle of red, sweet as I could find, some dessert stuff. You want it. I probably got it in here somewhere. Gonna let me up now or do I have to start begging?"

Oh. 

She files that information for later consideration. They haven't even kissed, that is so far down the line that she really does not want to think about it right now. 

"S-sure." her finger is on the button that unlocks the door before she really gets the word out. 

She leaves the door ajar and goes to find Barn so that he can't escape into the hallway. She hears Noah bounding up the stairs in no time. With his height, he conquers the three flights up to her apartment before she has even located the damned cat. 

By the time she has found Barnabas and has made her way back into the main room of the apartment, Noah has already stripped off his jacket and begun to locate the various mugs and glasses she had strewn across the space in the past few days. "You don't have to do-"

"Nope." he interrupts her with a hand against her shoulder "Take those over into the living room. We'll eat and then you can get back to work." he motions towards two flimsy plastic bags on the dining room table. 

He waits, with his arms crossed in front of his chest, until she does as he asks. When he hesitates, Noah gently, but firmly grips her by the shoulders and turns her around. Bee is barely able to stifle the shiver that runs down her spine. She’s noticed it more often recently, even when the touch is purely platonic like it is now. 

Bee trudges over into the living room to unpack the buffet Noah brought with him. He hadn’t lied when he said that there was a bit of everything in these bags. She had just breached the second bag when he joins her and sinks down on the carpet in front of her sofa. It’s become a strange habit. Whenever they meet here they congregate on the floor rather than the sofa. Bee likes to think that it’s a remnant of the first time he came to her apartment. 

“Put something fun on?” He asks as he pours them each a glass of wine. 

Bee briefly thinks about questioning it, but Noah takes the words straight out of her mouth “It’s not a problem, Bee. I know what that looked it, but I promise you that it’s not a problem.” 

“You’d tell me if it was, right?”

“Of course.” He holds out his right hand, pinkie pointed towards her “Promise.” 

She hooks her finger around his “I’ll hold you to it.” 

“Please do.” 

Noah pulls her closer and quickly wraps his hand around hers so that he can press a kiss to her knuckles. He lets her hand go before Bee has the time to think about how soft his lips felt against her skin. 

Her breath feels stuck in her throat when she looks at him. He looks as caught as she feels. There’s so much she could say at that moment, but none of it feels important enough to say out loud. Bee fears that if she moves the moment will disappear into thin air again. They’ve been here a few times already, locked in a stare-off, tied together by an invisible thread that always snaps just moments before one of them makes the final move. 

“We should eat.” He says quickly, turning towards the TV again “Shit’s halfway to cold anyway.” 

She nods halfheartedly, trying to shake the way he had looked at her from her head. The time would come. 

The film she has picked out quickly fades into the background as he tells her about the progress they’ve made with the album. He still hasn’t shown her any of the songs, not that he has to, but he keeps telling her about how good they are. Bee doesn’t doubt him, she has watched him writing plenty of times to know that he has enough talent for both of them. Really, she can’t wait to hear what they’ve come up with. 

They’re done eating by the time the film finishes. 

“Alright. You’re done for the day.” Noah says firmly when they begin to stack the empty containers together. 

“Noah I have to get this stuff done.” 

“Tomorrow.” He takes the boxes from her hands “You’ve been at this for days. Hardly got to see you this week.” 

Bee knows that trying to argue with him is pointless. Especially, when she can’t exactly bring herself to her up right now. 

“How about this? I need to take a break from the album anyway. I’ll get a bag from home and hang around here for a bit. Take the stuff you don’t need to be doing off of you.” He offers a little less firm this time. 

She lets out a sigh “Noah.” 

“What?” He squats down on the other side of the coffee table so that they’re somewhat eye to eye “I can’t help you with your work, but I can do this. I want to help, Bee. I’m trying to help.” He reaches across the table for her “Let me help you. You wanted me to talk and be open. I don’t want to watch you work yourself into the ground. Trust me, I know what that’s like and you’re too smart for that.” Bee lets him take her hands into his “I’m not gonna let you argue with me.” 

He refuses to let her help with the cleaning effort, instead, he parks her in the living room with a steaming cup of her favourite tea while he gets busy cleaning up after her. It feels a little odd to let a guest do all the work, but Bee is willing to let it slide, just for tonight. She knows what he’s trying to do and she admires it. He doesn’t have to prove anything to her, but the fact that he is doing all of this has her feeling all warm inside. 

He returns after some time, seemingly done with cleaning up after her. The dish towel he’s thrown over his shoulder makes him look so awfully domestic that wants to keep him right here in this little bubble where everything is just right. 

“Your bath should be about ready If you wanna get to that.” It’s almost as if he senses her trying to protest “No arguments. I’ve seen how you hunch over that table when you work.” 

She isn’t sure when he’s thought of all of us, but he’s gone the full nine yards. The bathroom is heated to a comfortable temperature, he’s dimmed the lights down to a minimum and she even spots one of her scented candles over by the sink. It’s conveniently out of the place so that she can’t burn herself while she’s in the bath. The tub isn’t even close to full yet, but the heady scent of lavender already lures her in. Bee takes her time undressing and taking off her make-up before she climbs into the tub. She has to fight a substantial mountain of suds, but when she sinks into the water it makes her bones sigh with relief. He’d managed to hit a good temperature right on the edge of being too hot. 

She allows herself to sink into the heat of the bath. She’s never had anyone care for her like this. For the longest time, she had been the only person that had tended to her needs. To have someone else pick up on these little things made her insides feel like jelly. He did it so effortlessly too. He’d never asked her what her favourite tea or dessert was, he’d picked up on it at some point and kept it in the back of his mind for when he would need it. 

A quick rap on the door pulls her out of her thoughts. The door opens just an inch before she has time to say anything “Where do you keep the cat food?”

“Cabinet over the fridge.” He extends a thumbs up through the gap in the door “Noah he won’t eat unless-“

He’s quick to shush her “I know what I’m doing. You just do whatever it is you need to do. Let me know if I need to turn up the music.” 

Bee feels the blood rise in her cheeks. The fistful of suds she tries to launch at him barely makes it halfway across the room, but it makes him laugh nevertheless. 

Noah disappears behind the door once again. Through the walls, she can faintly hear him talking to Barnabas. The cat is surprisingly talkative considering that he doesn’t know Noah all that well. 

Bee lets herself soak in the tub for a little while longer. And when the water begins to cool too much for her taste she towels her body off, only to realise that she’ll have to cross the apartment in just a towel. 

She tries to listen for him, but the soft music sounding from the living obscures most of the other goings on in the apartment. She’s almost in her bedroom when Noah appears from the living room. 

Bee can practically feel his eyes dancing across every inch of her bare skin. He takes a few steps closer, still silent but ever watching. There’s something warm between them. It’s visible in the air like heat waves on a summer day. That thread she had felt earlier tries to pull her towards him once again. And this time she lets herself be pulled until she is right in front of him. Noah looks down at her with a softness that she has rarely seen from him. There’s an anxious anticipation about him. In the corners of her vision, she can see his fingers twitch with it. 

She reaches for his hand to stop him from drifting away again. Everything feels thick like tar and she doesn’t fully realise that his hand is at her back until a few seconds later. The lag between his touch and the actual sensation makes her head swim. It’s all warm and fuzzy and her vision feels too blurry. He’s close enough for her to feel his breath against her still-damp skin. Bee tries to brace herself for it, tries to ground her feet against the wooden floor, but she finally feels his lips against hers everything collapses in on itself. His arms are suddenly all around her, engulfing her in his warmth. The embrace is crushing, desperate in the way he’s holding onto her as if he’s drowning in the middle of an ocean. Bee’s hands find their home in the fabric of his shirt, digging into it and against the skin beneath it. 

She’s never been kissed like this. Never felt this urgent need to have someone this close before. She thinks that if he lets go of her now, she’ll crumble into a little pile of dust. From the way he holds onto her, he has to feel the same way. 

Her back makes contact with the wall when he pulls away from her lips. His forehead remains firm against hers, drowning out anything else from her vision. And by god, the smile on his face could light the word and it makes her body feel light as air. Noah’s chest heaves with every breath. Her own breath comes quick and staggered, but it matters so very little. 

He’s right there and Bee never wants anyone else this close very again. 

“Can you-“The rest of her words are silenced when he kisses her again, softer this time. 

“Don’t have to ask, Bee. Never ask me for this.” He shifts back so that he can look at her properly “You’ve had me from the day we met. You don’t have to ask for what’s already yours.” 

All of his cards are on the table. He doesn’t have to say more than that for her to know that he’s baring everything to her, just like he did on that morning before she left. it’s that same calm expression that comes with being so incredibly sure of how he feels. 

They said that they would take things slow. Hearing him say all of this now after he had spent the afternoon and evening making sure that she felt loved before he had never said it, however, settled something in her mind. It was useless to push it away for much longer. She had tried to run away from this choked-up feeling of being so loved by someone that she loved herself. The more she tried to ignore it the more she found herself craving him. She’d been here before, thought that someone cared for her this much. The fear grips at her for a moment and then she looks at him again and it drifts away with the draft. 

“I’m sorry that I made you wait for so long.” 

“Don’t apologise. You did what you thought was the right thing. We’ll do it right this time.” His hand is warm and comforting against her waist. 

“Can you stay?” She asks, despite his earlier offer. 

He nods “Of course. I’ll be here for as long as you need me. Can’t wait to hear whatever shit Jolly will have to say, but-“ the tips of her fingers drift across his cheek and he goes silent of a moment “I’ve waited long enough for this. Fuck whatever he has to say.” 

She twirls a strand of his hair around her fingers “It’s not been that long.” 

He lets out a little laugh “Bee I meant what I said. After we talked that first night I couldn’t stop thinking about how pretty you looked when you talked about that paper you were working on. And I fucking hated myself for not asking for your number. I had to beg Tash for your number because I didn’t know when I’d see you again. And I knew that I had to see you again.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” 

“Because you said that you were happy on your own.” There’s a sting of sadness to his voice, that fades almost instantly “And that matters more. You could have told me that you didn’t want us to be more than friends and that would have been fine. But if you’ll have me…”

“Is that even a question?”

He sighs “I just- please say it. Bee I need to hear it from you.” 

The desperation returns to him then. She can see it clawing at him from beneath his skin. Even if he doesn’t want to admit it, this is the one thing that he needs. And right now, he doesn’t actually have to say it out loud because it is written all over his face, clear as day. She’d noticed it in the morning after they’d brought him back here from the bar. He’d never told her the full expanse of what he’d seen before they met, but Bee had heard enough to know that he’d been left in the dust by one person too many and even though he already had her, he still seemed so unsure of it. He still questions if she’ll stay at his side or if she will leave at the next convenient moment. 

And it hurts. 

Not because she feels as if he doesn’t trust her. It hurts because someone had hurt him enough to make him doubt every deeper connection that came into view. Seeing the man she had seen command a stage as if it was nothing just a few weeks ago, searching her face for reassurance like this broke a little piece of her. This wasn’t something she could fix, but she could help him get there. 

“I’m all yours.” 

He sinks against her, face buried into her shoulder. Bee wraps her arms around him. Noah remains slumped over her until his breathing calms, but she can still feel his heart pounding through his ribs. 

“Noah.” She keeps her voice soft so that it doesn’t spook him. She brings her hand to the side of his face, to coax him up from her shoulder “Look at me. I’m yours and now kiss me again.”