#the neurons fire occasionally

[charybdiscreations]

My roommate (a drag queen) was talking about how they usually have their corset laced as tightly as it will go and apparently I was possessed by a Dark Souls NPC because my response was "Do you find divinity in your suffering?"

[dailymanners]

"We all interrupt and know it’s only sometimes okay. But we may not realize how detrimental it can be:

You are more tense, feeling you need to be ready to jump in before even the person finishes.

You deny yourself a moment after they finish to gather your thoughts.

You lose the chance to hear something that could prove your counterpoint wrong.

You appear rude. Consciously or not, most people feel disrespected when not allowed to finish what they’re saying.

You appear egotistical and seem to believe the other person is inferior. Interrupting implies that you deem your words more worthy than the remainder of what the other person has to say.

You appear uncontrolled. People will view you as not having the self-discipline to avoid being rude and egotistical.

You lose power. When people talk, they often worry about what you think. If you wait until they finish, indeed, wait a second after, their anxiety increases, which yields you more perceived power.

Objections

Despite the above, you might think that interrupting yields sufficient benefits to justify it. For example, “I’ll forget what I was going to say.” Solution: Take a note, which is particularly easy in the virtual meetings so common amid the COVID restrictions. Where that’s not feasible, say one word to yourself that will remind you of the point you want to make.

“Interrupting shows that I understand. Romantic couples prize being able to finish each other’s sentences.” The benefit of that is outweighed by the liabilities. You can show that you understand the person by, after s/he finishes, responding thoughtfully. Interrupting isn’t required.

"I’ll seem too passive and disinterested.” Your body language conveys engagement and your responses to your conversation’s partner’s full statement will be better, making clear that you’re engaged. Of course, at times, moderate interrupting is fine. I'm merely issuing a caution against undue interrupting.

“Interrupting increases the conversation’s energy.” The benefits of that are dwarfed by the aforementioned disadvantages. Certainly, with people who you’re confident enjoy the high energy of an interruptive conversation, you can more often interrupt. But even then, the person will likely appreciate your letting him or her talk. Plus, you derive that benefit of being more relaxed and having another second to think about what they’ve said before speaking.

"Some people welcome being interrupted, like when they've gone off track." True but that's an exception. Don't let that rationalize your interrupting often.

"What if they go on a long rant and won't let you get a word in edgewise?" That's another example of a case in which interrupting is often justified. Just decide whether the benefit of interrupting outweighs the liability.

To do

The good news is that interruptus horribilis is curable.

Keep top-of-mind the main benefit you feel you’d derive from interrupting less often: Probably it’s one of the above, although possibly something else. A client today said, “Not interrupting will make me more promotable.”

After the person finishes an utterance, it's sometimes wise to wait a second before speaking: Say “One Mississippi” to yourself. That will ensure that the person doesn’t have more that s/he’s eager to say. Also, your waiting will make clear that you were listening and not just waiting for the person to finish so you could dispense your pearls. Plus, it gives you time to think. In just that one second, countless brain neurons fire.

The takeaway

Except in certain subcultures and work cultures—for example, Supreme Court justices interrupting the litigants—interrupting yields more liability than benefit. Fortunately, there’s no need to be perfect; an occasional interruption, especially a brief interjection without expecting your conversation partner to stop, like: “aha” or “good point," or to stop a chatterbox is fine. And, as mentioned, in some conversations, moderate interruption seems fine. But one of the more realistic ways to up your professional and personal game is to reduce how often you interrupt.

I read this aloud on YouTube."

[superblysubpar]

Happy Friday! Could I request prompt #22 with Steve and shy!reader?

Steve’s mouth trails down your neck, the scent of spearmint on his lips hits your senses as his breath warms your skin. He drags one finger through your folds, a slow and teasing circle on the edge of your clit before he dips lower again. 

“St-Stevie-please, I-” you whine, cut off by a quick kiss as your fingers tug on his collar. 

“Hey.”

Steve smiles against your jaw, fully clothed and eyes roaming over your naked body spread out on your comforter. It should be embarrassing, the way you’re on display for him, but it’s just hot. Your eyes glaze over as you watch his keep devouring you. 

His fingers slip too easily up and down your slit, coating your thighs in more slick as he hums. “She likes it when I take my time with her, huh?”

“Yeah, uh-huh.” Body squirming underneath him as your teeth dig into your bottom lip, nodding frantically - desperate for the burning in your stomach to keep building. You feel crazy, greedy for his fingers to finally give you what you want. 

But not yet - you don’t dare give up this teasing and what it’s doing to you. You need it to last.

“Honey, wake up…”

Your head lolls to the side, eyelids fluttering as you make another sound. Louder, and one that shoots little sparks across his brain, neurons firing and lighting up a very specific spot. 

Jesus fucking christ. 

He knows that sound. Steve Harrington has made other girls make that sound. 

You’re having a sex dream. 

“Steve.” Your hips shift and roll against the couch you’re draped across, his name leaves your lips clearer than the first time he only thought he heard it. Your forehead wrinkles and your lips form a soft pout. 

Steve’s mouth drops open, his grip on the paper sack of greasy take out and the strawberry shake he brought over as a surprise slipping. 

You’re not just having a sex dream. You’re having a sex dream about him. 

Steve’s tongue licks over his bottom lip and he takes a deep, calming breath through his nose, eyes roaming over your figure. Your little cotton sleep shorts and a ratty band tee he’s seen you in hundreds of times seem teasing, cruel, fucking downright sinful now. 

It’s not like looking at you this way is like, uncharted territory, he is a man with eyeballs and a dick who really likes that one top you wear. Sue him for maybe having your face creep into his thoughts a handful of times while he’s jerked himself off. It’s not that weird for your best friend to turn you on occasionally.

His head tilts as you sigh in your sleep, his cock straining in his jeans. 

Okay, maybe a little more than occasionally. 

He curses under his breath when your hips roll again, squeezing his eyes shut. 

What does he do? Keep watching you? No, Harrington, that is so pervy. Think with your brain and not your dick.

 Leave the food and run home and replay this moment in his head forever in the privacy of his bedroom? Yeah, that’s a better idea. 

“Steve?”

Your best friend’s eyes shoot open, a strawberry milkshake in his hand coating it in condensation and you avert your eyes, looking back up at his face quickly. You’re disgusting, thinking about his wet fingers in your dream - pull it together. 

“He-” he clears his throat and looks down, deepening his voice, “Hey. Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Oh, um, that’s okay. You brought me food?” You sit up and pull your legs to your chest, suddenly aware that you definitely got more than a little aroused while sleeping. 

Steve sucks in his breath at the way your shorts reveal the start of the curve of your ass and looks up at the ceiling then the doorway, praying you can’t see his erection. “Uh, yeah. You said you had a bad day yesterday.”

“That’s really sweet, wanna eat with me? We can watch a movie or something?” Dropping your legs back down, you preoccupy yourself with finding the remote, body heating up as his weight makes the couch bounce when he sits next to you.

Right next to you. 

His thigh brushes the bare skin of yours, your shorts ride up slightly and Steve’s eyes track the fabric’s movement slowly, wishing he was wearing only his boxers so he could feel his skin against yours, stupid fucking jeans, why is he wearing-

“Steve?”

Your question derails his thoughts, and he turns his head, almost smacking his nose against yours. “Oh, shit, sorry, I’m…kind of close, huh?”

He doesn’t move away though, and you watch his adams apple bob, watch his eyes move slowly over your face until they meet yours. His voice comes out in a soft murmur, “I can…”

Maybe dream you is still occupying your brain, taken over, you’re not quite fully awake or something, because no way in hell would you normally have the confidence to do what you do next. 

Your lips brush his, parting over his top one in a short and over too fast kiss. You barely feel it, you want more. But you’re an idiot who just sort of kissed her best friend. 

Steve’s heart is thumping in his ears, he’s not sure he’s ever been more nervous in his entire life. He’s kissed loads of girls. He knows what he’s doing, he really does. But before his brain can sort out what’s happening, you’re already pulling away. 

“So-sorry,” you stutter, eyes going wide. 

He drops the food and shake on the coffee table, hand reaching towards your jaw, cold fingers cupping it as he pulls you back in. Steve’s mouth moves over yours patiently, like he’s tasting and memorizing. Softer than you expected, plush and warm, and so so so slow. His thumb brushes across your cheek, buzzes of electricity jolt through you, your stomach flips, your arms have goosebumps forming. 

Holy shit you’re kissing your best friend. 

Steve tries to relax, he wants to remember this, this isn’t like kissing other girls. He wants to take his time, but your lips fit with his like no one else's, his stomach is doing this thing that he can’t even explain and he almost busts in his jeans when you make a little gasp into his mouth when his tongue licks over your top lip. 

Holy fuck. 

Your fingers tug around his collar, soft cotton under the pads as you pull him even closer and Steve’s fingers curl around your chin, tugging down with his thumb so you open more for him. His other palm lands on your hip, and he actually can’t keep it still. He wants to map you out with his fingers and tongue, trace every curve and dip. His hand curls around your back, taking the hem of your shirt with a finger and now his skin touches yours. 

You pant against his mouth in an attempt for air but you can’t stay away, lips meeting again as your noses squish harder together. His tongue flicks against yours as his hand moves up your spine. Heated skin that reacts to his touch, your body actually shivers as his hand moves higher and his tongue works over yours a little messy and more than a little dirty.  

When Steve meets nothing the higher and higher he climbs on your skin his eyelids flutter and he gasps, “Are you, you’re not wearing-fuck.”

You laugh into his lips, and it’s like the sound pulls him back like a magnet. He hasn’t made out with someone like this since he was 16. Actually, he’s never made out with someone like this. He falls backwards on the couch, stretched out across it, taking you with him. Lips parting over yours as he squeezes at your sides, not daring to touch your boobs yet, sliding back down to your hips which you roll against him and he sees stars. 

When you breathe his name into his lips, gasping when the denim of his jeans hits you in just the right spot, you remember your dream and this isn’t it. This is real. This is your best friend.

“We, we should slow down,” you pull away, gasping for air. 

Steve squeezes his eyes shut, tongue licking over swollen and tinted red lips as he nods. “Yeah, yeah, okay.”

You hold yourself up, palms flat to the cushion on either side of his head, but your hips remain pressed to his, swearing you feel the bulge beneath you twitch. Both of your chests heave in attempts for deeper breaths and when he opens his eyes, your body heats up under his stare. 

Golden eyes taken over by his blown out pupils and you clear your throat, embarrassed you came onto him so aggressively after years of friendship. You try to ignore the ache in your stomach as he reaches up and tugs on your chin. Steve kisses you once, just a sweet and soft kiss, before his forehead knocks to yours and he wraps his arms around you in a hug with a groan. 

“Okay, I-I know we should slow down. We should talk about this.” He kisses your temple, your jaw, moving to your neck because he really, truly can’t keep his hands or lips off of you. Years of repressed feelings and what if’s bursting out of him. You hum an agreement and your hips roll again and he groans into your neck, his scruff scratching and tickling you as he gasps out, “But, um, I need to, fuck, promise you won’t laugh?”

Steve takes your silence as agreement and he speaks into the sweat kissed skin of your neck, inhaling your perfume he wants to fall inside of the bottle of and drown, squeezing his eyes closed, “I gotta go jerk off or something cause I think I’m gonna be in actual physical pain if I don’t.”

Your laughter shakes over his whole body and he has to ignore how the movement sends another wave of euphoria through him straight to his dick. He squeezes you, fingers digging into your ribs, making you laugh more as he accuses and whines, “You said you wouldn’t laugh!”

You push yourself up again with your palms, eyes sparkling, “I did not! I said literally nothing.”

He narrows his eyes and yours soften as you kiss him again, sighing long and heavy before you pull away. You nod and clear your throat, “Okay, but really, if you need to…”

Steve’s tongue licks out over his lip again, eyes bouncing between yours as he rubs his palm up your spine. You watch his cheeks begin to twinge pink, and then his ears so you ask, “What?”

He clears his throat and looks at your lips instead of your eyes, still rubbing up and down your back. “Were you, uh, having a sex dream earlier? About me?”

You try to fold in on yourself, tucking your chin down, trying to curl and hide away forever. How does he know?

Two of his fingers tap on the bottom of your chin, lifting it, his voice soft, “Hey, come on, talk to me.”

Unable to form words, you only nod, peeking one eye open and his cheeks flush darker. Steve’s hands move from your back to your arms still propping you up, rubbing up and down them as his hips flex, still painfully hard. “Have you, um, thought about…this, that, a lot? Like you and me?”

“Yeah,” the word is quieter than a breath and if your face weren’t right in front of him he may not have heard it. 

He nods and rolls his hips against yours, fighting a smile when your eyes flutter again. You watch his eyes continue to travel over your face, dark pupils still at the forefront as his voice drops into something raspier, gruff, deep from his chest after his neck extends and he clears his throat, “Have you…have you thought about me while touching yourself?”

“Steve,” you’re not sure if it comes out more as a scolding, embarrassed word, or more a plea for him to keep talking like that. 

Your entire body is on fire as he swallows loud enough for you to hear, hand moving up your neck and cupping your jaw again. Both of your bodies slide against one another as each of your breathing picks up again. His lips part over yours, other hand curling around the back of your neck. He breaks the kiss though and speaks against them before returning their movement. 

“Will you touch yourself? Show me how you do it?”

He nips at your bottom lip when you gasp at the question. You never thought Steve would be talking to you like this, not like the dreams you’ve had, not like what you imagine when you do exactly what he’s asking you to. 

His nose skims over your jaw when you don’t move away, when you don’t say no. His stomach flipping as he speaks quietly, “I wanna take my time, but I literally am gonna explode and if you didn’t finish in your dream I was just thinking-”

“Yes.”

[komohine]

How are sheith shippers fetishizing gay men. Are you delusional? Misinformed? Lacking IQ?

Keith is not Asian btw, While we're at it, please prove to me all the damage sheith has done to the gay Asian male community.

Ok considering i have sheith shippers/defenders dni in my intro post and I really dont feel like wasting my time today ill try to keep it short and wont be responding to shit like this down the line. Next time save your breath though. Because idk if you knew this but dni stands for Do Not Interact. You are interacting. Stop that.

1) they’re brothers. Sure it’s revealed much later in the seasons, but the point is they have an incredibly strong familial relationship. If you started off shipping sheith when they weren’t explicitly defined as brothers, fine. But after their familial relationship is revealed the choice to continue shipping those two specifically comes off as strange as hell. Even stranger when you consider the multiple other available male characters that are not only more age appropriate but also dont have a familial relationship with them lmao. Also Shiro canonically gets married to a man. So the choice to continue shipping sheith has to go beyond just wanting to guys to kiss. The next common denominator? They’re both asian, so I must conclude that the need to ship them comes from that. The next next common denominator is that they’re related and some of you just have a thing for incest. But i still have faith in humanity so i wont accuse you of that even though i occasionally feel the urge to. I refuse to take “but but they have the most in show relationship development” as a reason because that just means you’re too fucking lazy to think of your own scenarios. Which is not true, because the amount of devious ass sheith shit I unfortunately stumble across means your collective neurons are actively firing away. Just for the wrong thing. You guys really saw the only real developed relationship (i use this word generally and not strictly romantically) between two guys in the show and decided that it must have romantic undertones. Beyond how its harmful to irl men and deters them from emotional maturity out of fear that any non toxic relationship between two men is automatically seen as romantic by some people, it’s just fundamentally mid yaoi because you guys cant fathom that 1) romance isn’t a core part of the show beyond allurance 2) that two guys can talk to eachother while smiling without wanting to fuck. Yall are in the same league as those guys who are addicted to step sister p0rn.

1.5) bcs i know someones gonna ask “why do you think sheith is incest”, its because shiro fulfills the kinship role of “sibling” for keith, or even “parent”. From here-on out simplified as “guardian”. Within anthropology there are numerous kinship systems which determine which family member is called what. Ex. In the hawaiian system, every male family member is called “father” and every female “mother”. No matter if they birthed you or not. In the linear (also known as esk/mo but that’s a word with heavy history) system, your parents are “mom/dad”, siblings are defined as “brother/sister”, and everyone else is “aunt/uncle” or “cousin”. This is the system commonly used in the west. Kinship systems define a lot of things, from inheritance to respect hierarchies. Another key thing they determine is incest taboo. The range of which this taboo applies differs depending on culture, which is why you’ll hear of two people, for example, cousins getting married. In the west that’s considered taboo, but it may not be in another culture. Kinship and its taboos also apply to non blood related relationships. Hence adoptive siblings, etc. And keith quite explicitly refers to shiro as his brother. Given the context of those scenes, it can be deduced that it’s not said in a way that is 1) casual, as the lingo would more likely be “sup bro” or the tone of voice would be significantly more casual, 2) indicative of anything other than a familial relationship, for if keith considered him a brother in arms he would’ve said something more along the lines up “on your feet, brother”. Keith saying “you’re like my brother” AND THEN DOUBLING DOWN TO “You’re my brother,” said in such a sincere tone of voice leaves little to be debated.

Tldr: Shiro fulfills a guardian kinship role for Keith and thus the incest taboo applies to him.

1.6) also like? It’d be weird either way. Going by their canon age diff (season 1, 25-18 = SEVEN YEARS), and considering shiro met keith in middle school, and going by the oldest middle school age (15) bcs im feeling generous, shiro wouldve still been 22. If they just met once and never again till seasom 1, fine. Ship sheith however you want. But the fact is they met and then they formed a bond when shiro was significantly older and in a position of power over keith. Shiro was a mentor and guardian to keith whether you like it or not, and he stayed that way from when keith was young and impressionable until he was an adult. Yk what thats called? Raising a child. Imagine shipping that. Crazy. Imagine a 9 year old being raised by a 17 year old babysitter bcs of his absent parents. Suddenly when the 9 year old turns 18 he starts dating his babysitter. Thats freaky as hell, and i only increased the age gap by 2 years. Literally nothing else changed.

2) now why would they include a non aapi character in the mash up? Also, his source character from the og voltron is named “Keith Akira Kogane”. What non asian person is named that?

3) also the fact you need me to show you damage.. same vibe as “wdym he’s stalking you he’s just being friendly!! Show me how his so called stalking has put your life in danger”. Like imagine needing actual damage before even considering something bad.

[wizardofpalmsprings]

Saint Jude - patron saint of hope and lost causes. Occasionally confused with Judas Iscariot. Patron saint of hospitals as well, which is why a certain sect of children’s hospital is named for him. Also the patron saint of the Chicago PD??

Saint Lawrence - patron saint of “those who work with open fires” (ex: cooks, bakers, brewers), known for giving to the poor. Martyred for saying that the poor were the church’s treasures (at least the way I read it?) and reportedly said “I’m well done on this side. Turn me over!” In the midst of being martyred.

Saint Francis - patron saint of the animals and the environment. His feast day is also world animal day

I was curious to see if the different saints used as code names by the Santo Patron folks might have any significance and well, I can kind of see it.

Lawrence/Stocks is this Everyman used by an organization, if he dies in the field he dies in the field and someone else will take up that name in his place. It’s very fitting for someone who is out doing dangerous work.

St Jude I think could read a couple of ways. If he’s the one who brings people into the organization, he might be the patron of those who were down on their luck but molded by the organization to be something more. On the other hand, it could be that what they’re doing as an organization is bringing hope to people in lost cause situations.

Unclear on St Francis but I have a feeling it may come up later in the season EDIT: the neurons shook hands. This doesn’t relate to the name specifically but St Francis fell off a train and hasn’t been found - a la Bucky Barnes. He’d 100% been Winter Solider’d and Barsimmeon is running around in his body (see the super soldier Jennifer/Russell encountered)

[torn-by-dreams]

I navigate this website kind of like a jellyfish navigates the ocean, thoughtlessly squoching along through hundreds of posts from fandoms I am not in a do not comprehend, until I accidentally encounter something relevant to my interests. No, I won't unfollow anyone. Occasionally a neuron fires and I remember how to block a tag and the odds tilt in my favor by .2 percent

[randomfoggytiger]

Collector's Edition: Cars and Conversations (Part II)

Here we go again!

Loose chronological order below~

@o6666666’s (Ao3)

2 6 17 msr

In the rearview mirror she saw a forehead meant for a bullet. There was a full moon.

“Hi,” Scully whispered, like Melissa could hear her. “I’m so sorry.”

Post Paper Clip Scully drives to Mulder's apartment, unable to bear the loss of her sister alone.

like imagine scully pulling up in that fat car...

like imagine scully pulling up in that fat car they were driving, tires kicking dust everywhere, she thinks this is the address, this is where the intel said to go, this must be it but suddenly she’s nervous, she hasn’t seen mulder in so long, he must Know but what can she say to him....

AU-- S9 Scully drives out to New Mexico where she reunites with Mulder... and Will.

@sarie-fairy/Sarie_Fairy's

Since

“How ya doin’?” he coaxed, gently.

“I just, I’m having trouble believing that she’s truly gone.” She focused beyond the window and took a steadying breath. “That I won’t get to feel how Missy loves me. Not ever again. How she sees me...."

Post Paper Clip Scully and Mulder have a sister and father dead.

Eos

He got a speeding ticket on the I-95 getting to her; couldn’t wait around in an airport. Crazed, his neurons firing too slow for the terror in his heart compelling him forward, to catch up. Several near misses on his journey, though he somehow made it to the hospital before she was out of surgery—beating her mother, who flew. 

AU-- Tithonus Mulder drives the entire way, walks in, and drops the love bomb.

COLLECTION - One Shots - Chapter 10

She had been there less than two minutes and the passenger door opened. Time slowed down as a dark clothed figure began to lower down into the seat beside her. It only occurred to her then, with William slumbering in the back, that it could be a trap. She couldn’t see his face. She put her hand to the glove box, ready to reach for her gun, and then … a familiar voice.

“Hi, Scully.” 

AU-- "Dearest Dana" was a code for Scully and William to hit the road.

@silhouetteofacedar/SilhouetteOfACedar's

When We Drive, Ch. 2: Early Flights, Used Tissues, and a Swan (Ao3)

Mulder pauses with his key in the ignition. “If - when- this happens again,” he stammers, “You… you don’t have to hide it from me. I hope you know that.”

Pre-DPO Scully cries after hearing Melissa's favorite song.

@p34chi's 22 and 27 together from the prompt list perhaps 👀

“Hey, Scully,” Mulder said, turning the radio down. “You ever play an instrument?”

Scully’s head lulled against the headrest of the passenger seat as she turned her attention to her partner. She was quietly humming along to the radio before he cut her performance short, and had been gazing out upon the forest beside them, marvelling at the stillness of the trees and admiring the occasional wildlife that would step out into their moonlit spotlight.

Mulder and Scully share childhood memories, puns, and a blanket.

@mappingthexfiles/Apostrophic's The Patron Saint of Doomed Stakeouts

Mulder was twanging the tab on his empty soda, the can propped on his knees. He shifted uncomfortably.

“You can’t pee in that thing,” Scully said, knowing where this was headed.

“Define can’t,” Mulder said.

“Not in this car, you can’t.”

Mulder and Scully spend Valentine's Day on a beautifully snarky stakeout.

@amazalina's msr headcanons : Scully and long car rides

He’s always the one who drives, and she’d like to be better at pretending she doesn’t like it. It feels too safe for her not to. It’s not that he drives any better than she does. It just feels good to be driven across the country through strange places, to dangerous situations, by the one person she trusts the most. Tucked in the passenger seat, she’s completely safe to watch him as he looks straight ahead. She observes him, notices his thoughts go through his mind.

@nowwhateinstein's (Ao3) The Absence of Light

Scully awoke to a hand on her shoulder and Mulder’s voice speaking softly into her ear. “Hey, Scully, wake up.”

She sat up. “Mulder, where are we?”

“Just outside Harrisonburg, off of I-81. A slight detour.”

Mulder stops their car so he and Scully can watch the early-evening fireflies.

@skylandmountain1013/SkylandMountain1013's

42 msr, go!/Prompt- I swear it was an accident

“Mulder..”

“I swear it was an accident,” he offers. 

“An accident?” She rubs her temples to keep her voice from getting too shrill- the shrill he sometimes makes fun of when they’re arguing reincarnation, flesh eating parasites, or when he insists on ordering 2 desserts off the Chinese Star take out menu.

Mulder and Scully weather the heat after their car breaks down.

@syntax6’s (Gossamer, FFN, Omni)

20 Chapter 3: Three

They have a combined forty-three years of schooling between them, but there is little they can do in the face of a smoking black engine. Scully is half tempted to pull out her gun and shoot it, just for the satisfaction.

After the rental breaks down, Scully insists she and Mulder walk around until they find a signal.

20 Chapter 6: Six

He does not slow down. Neither does he answer her for a long moment. "Patrick Crump," he says finally, and she waits for him to continue. He maneuvers neatly around a slower car in front of them. "I can't shake that feeling. I feel that same desperation, Scully; I understand his intense need to keep moving in the face of inevitable doom."

She frowns and reaches for his head. "You have pressure in your ears?"

He ducks her touch. "Not there," he says. "Here." He touches his chest, and then looks quickly at her to see her reaction.

Post Drive Scully helps Mulder to realign his thinking.

@gaycrouton/OnlyTheInevitable's In the Dark of the Night

They walked as fast as they could towards the car, and, upon reaching it, she dug into his pockets until she found the keys. She unlocked it as quickly as she could before easing Mulder into the passenger seat. With the overhead yellow glow of the car lights, she could assess just how bad the damage was. His entire torso was stained crimson and his pale skin was covered in a sheen of sweat.

S3 Scully drives like mad to get her heroic but injured partner help.

@lotsoforangesoutside/@lotzzoforangezoutside‘s (Ao3)

A Waste of a Nose

Staring at him, she finds that Mulder no longer look as confident as he did earlier.

“I… so I called Hertz.” He begins, “it’s called Blackberry Clove. It’s the air freshener they used. I… I got a kick out of it. My favorite perfume is an air freshener. I just… wanna to share that.”

Post Syzygy Scully wonders what her father would have thought of Mulder.

Impromptu

“Hey Scully,” he says from the passenger seat, with the back of his head resting on the headrest and chair reclined.

That’s his sixth hey Scully since they’ve left Tallahassee. Mulder has refused the EMT’s advice to visit the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, claiming that he’s got his personal doctor traveling with him. 

Post Detour Mulder wants to see America from the backseat with Scully.

Fireworks

“No talking later, Mulder.”

Out of the blue, she announces.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to be shouting back and forth. My throat’s been…hurting a little since this morning.” She rubs her eyes with one hand, looking like a child getting out of bed, “I might be coming down with somethin’.”

He bites his tongue so he won’t say, how come you didn’t say anything to me?

AU-- Post FTF Mulder drives Scully to see fireworks.

The Straightest Road in Texas

There is so, so much more to life, he now knows. And it’s right next to him, riding in this car, laughing at his memories. Well, laughing with him at his memories.

They have taken a lot of casualties last summer, but like the hero in the movies, he walks away with the girl.

Dating-- Mulder and Scully bond over a car guessing game.

ㄌ

He continues to drive, it’s so hot today that the asphalt could melt. There’s nearly no pedestrians around, and the sun is blaring so brightly that looking at it makes him dizzy.

Dating-- Mulder distracts Scully from fuming over the heat.

Barnes Corners

“Does a sailor’s daughter want to live at the same place as the fisherman’s daughter?” He keeps asking.

“That depends on which daughter you ask.” Scully admits that she has been thinking about Missy tonight as well. Both Pendrell and Max remind her of Charlie, who she hasn’t seen for a while....

“I’m asking the one that’s sitting in the car with me.” Mulder simply replies. “Would you like to live close to the water?”

Post Max Mulder fishes for future plans from Scully.

A Mother’s Choice

Scully did not put her baby down for the next five day. She felt like even William thought he had enough cuddling, as he began to look at her with slight concern, something so identical to his daddy when he worried.

“How ‘bout a trip, buddy?” She said to her baby, wondering how much an eleven-month-old could understand, and how crazy it was to travel with a baby, one who still needed his bottle at night, goes through diapers like they were bathroom tissues, and wouldn’t sleep unless she sang him a lullaby.

AU-- S9 Scully regrets the adoption; and TLG help her put her life back together.

The Old Man’s Choice

He went with the raspy-voice old man without telling anyone. He was a smart boy and knew he wasn’t supposed to talk to strangers, let alone getting into a car with him, but something told him that this old man, grandpa or not, really knew his birth parents.

AU-- S9 CSM takes William from his adopted family and hands him over to Mulder.

vanessadingle's Like A Switch Has Been Flicked Somewhere - Chapter 1

“Scully I always give you a ride, my cars right here see? A taxi will take a while to come, I can’t leave you standing here by yourself it’s getting late”

“I can look after myself Mulder, I’m a grown woman”

“And that’s why as a gentleman I have to offer you a ride. Get in, don’t be difficult, lemme make it up to you”

He was overly polite and it bothered her, but she could see he was remorseful even if he didn’t fully understand why he’d irritated her and she couldn’t turn him down no matter how hard she tried.

Post Syzygy Scully fumes to the airport, on the plane, and while Mulder drives her home.

Amy Schatz’s Syzygy, Once Removed...

"What's wrong, Scully?"

She didn't answer for a few seconds, as she slowed the car down even more. "I don't know. I'm shaking all over."

AU-- Syzygy Scully and Mulder's feud ends with their fear over her health and past abduction.

@atths–twice​/ATTHS_TWICE’s (Alt. Ao3, FFN) 

A Quiet Love - Chapter 11

They drove home in silence, though he could hear the questions she was not asking. Not having the right words, he stayed silent, his fingers gripping the steering wheel. 

Dropping her off, he only nodded when she said goodbye.

Post Pusher Mulder drops Scully home, breaks down in his car, and drives back.

Without an Umbrella

“Scully, we are on a highway where a car has not driven past us for at least 15 minutes. Neither of our cell phones are working, it’s pouring rain outside, and we are at least a mile away from the motel. Please tell me how lightening the mood would make any of this any better?” 

She stared at him, her eyes now as angry as his appeared. 

Mulder stews over Kersh's case until Scully gets out, stands in the rain, and definitively changes his mood.

Shared Treasures

“I’m gonna need an explanation,” she said and he nodded.

“So the doll wasn’t the only thing I found.”

“Obviously,” she laughed as he looked at the car in his hand.

Post Empedocles Scully teases Mulder with the pizza man while he vroom-vrooms a little car over their soon-to-be baby.

A Patchwork Heart

He filled the silence in the car, chatting about everything. It was very different from any other man she had traveled with in the past. Jack usually had a topic planned ahead of time, thus the car ride was spent wisely, as he used to say. Ethan liked listening to classical music and for the short time they were together, she heard more Bach and Beethoven than she ever wanted to hear again. 

But Mulder, though not her boyfriend, thus not an entirely accurate comparison, loved to discuss anything and everything.

Post Revival Scully ruminates over past driving excursions.

30xf's Wetwired

Once Dana is in the passenger seat, Mrs. Scully grasps my forearm and assures me, "I'll call you when we know something." It was only a momentary touch, but it somehow makes me feel completely at ease. All at once I understand without a doubt where Scully gets all her strength from.

Wetwired Mulder reassures Scully.

Macspooky's

Home from the Hospital

She smiled when she saw him. It lit her tired looking face.

"I'm free. Let's go." Dana picked up her small bag and they headed for his car. The ride to her home was silent. When they pulled up in front of her building, she turned to look at him.

"Would you come in for a little while, Mulder? I'll make you some of my gourmet coffee, and I know my mother left one of her chocolate cakes."

Post Wetwired Scully wants Mulder to drive her home.

The Reprimand

Dana felt herself being moved or thought she did. Her face was no longer pressed against glass but rather against a familiar and comforting warmth. She felt something brush the top of her head, gentle lips. The words "I'm sorry," were whispered quietly. She was somewhere half between being awake and asleep in a twighlight world of incredibly pleasant dreams. It didn't feel like a dream though. The words were so distinct and the touch so real.

Post Paper Hearts Scully gets flak from all sides after Mulder's foolhardy decision.

A Long Drive Home from Rhode Island

She might know he needed sleep, but she would never convince Fox Mulder.

"Not a word, Mulder," she warned. "I'm tired, but you are exhausted. I'm driving."

Talitha Cumi Scully drives Mulder while Tena is being transferred.

Breaking the News

As much as he didn't like the idea of the older woman driving alone to Pennsylvania, he could see by the set of her mouth that she was determined. He had learned about that expression from her daughter. Unlike his mother, Maggie Scully was capable and sensible. And, though he hated to admit it, Margaret was right.

Memento Mori Mulder tells Maggie in person.

Anonymous's (mulderscreek, annex-files) Lament

He held his throbbing ankle off the ground. All that driving hadn't been good for it. Scully would kill him if he couldn't walk tomorrow. He closed the car door and limped rather slowly towards the house. He looked at it with trepidation but the house failed to loom menacingly. It was as pleasant as could be, not the malicious building it should have been.

Post Herrenvolk Mulder and his mother surprise each other at the summer house, then spend the rest of his birthday bonding.

@scullydubois/scully_dubois's

Bridge - Chapter 1

…As their rental car rumbles along toward the airport, Mulder keeps himself awake at the wheel by trying to read his partner’s mind. Stubborn skeptic that she is, he figures he’d need cold hard proof to convince her. And what better way to harmlessly yet accurately read someone’s mind than with a game of I Spy?

AU-- Post Unruhe Mulder admits he heard Scully's German and pleas, somehow, in his mind.

story_monger's Searching Souls - Chapter 1

Scully takes a deep inhale. “You know you shouldn’t have said that Cancer Man was the Gestapo officer,” she says.

Mulder shifts; she can feel him looking at her. He probably has that slightly resigned, slightly defiant expression that always rings with a touch of kicked puppy. Scully hates that expression; it makes her feel like the bad guy.

Post TFWID Mulder convinces Scully to believe his theory, even if only for one night.

EPurSeMouve's Joining You

Reach him, make contact, get him back...

"Mulder, Samantha *is* the X-Files. Nothing else matters, right?" She hated saying it, hated the rainy-night memory that flashed through her mind, full of innocence and closeness.

He took his eyes off the road for a few dangerous seconds, met hers. "Not anymore," was his oh-so-quiet reply.

S4 Mulder tries to run off on a possible suicide quest-- Scully, however, won't let him go alone.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[i3utterflyeffect]

The Pearl Problem

a new perspective

The Chosen One has waited for a long time for the right opportunity, and finally, All That Beckons makes a fatal mistake. He underestimates how clever a slugcat can be, and certainly doesn't realize how far they will go for revenge. - YAYYYYYY NEW CHAPTER!!! WOOOO (AO3)

Waiting was something that Chosen had become deeply familiar with since their creation.

Eat. Walk around. Hibernate. Repeat. The occasional interruption would come, sure; usually in the form of the removal of the bone embedded in their chest-- occasionally it was allowed to hunt down a stray lizard who had snuck its way inside, and that was thoroughly enjoyable-- but it wasn't what they wanted. They wanted to be free.

And to be free, they had to be patient.

They hated every second that they were here. It felt cold. The incisions kept scabbing over, and they itched, and they hurt, but if they picked at the scars, they'd bleed out what little warmth they had left and be stuck shivering on the floor.

(Unfortunately, they had to discover that the hard way.)

So they conserved their heat the best they could.

They had a vague idea of what was causing it, but they couldn't remove it without being punished. It was better to wait.

They were so sick of waiting.

A light shone in their eyes, and they grumbled, broken from their thoughts as they swatted at the culprit in annoyance, before opening their eyes to see a purple eye (overseers, that was what Beckons called them) staring at them.

(They imagined setting it on fire. They liked imagining this place burning to a crisp.)

The overseer seemed to study them as they got to their feet sluggishly, and they glared at it return. 

Well? Get on with it. Stupid thing.

After a moment, it seemed to nod slowly, before projecting a hologram, pointing it to the pipe in the wall.

Okay. Not entirely new, but it usually meant something good was about to happen. A lizard, most of the time-- a way to heat up and get a good meal-- and furthermore, a chance to study this place. A way to find an escape. A chance they'd never give up, not in a thousand years.

Today, however, didn't seem like much of a chance to explore. Inspectors were at their back, herding it into a certain place.

Except... It hadn't seen the place that they were going. They were going somewhere new. The electronic noise around them was growing louder, almost chaotically harmonic. The rooms became larger and larger.

Finally, they emerged into a room filled with holograms and lights, rainbow neurons swirling around nerves and steel rebar. The humming in their ears made their head buzz in a way that oddly wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it was wonderfully noisy compared to the quiet and annoying background whirring of their usual room. It was thrilling; the world around them felt alive rather than being a sterile metal cage, empty and unforgiving.

But they weren't allowed to appreciate it for long. The inspectors were nipping at their feet, and when they hesitated, that familiar cold rushed through their blood, causing them to hiss in annoyance.

They made sure to kick off of the inspector nagging at them extra hard, and smirked as it made an annoyed tone. 

They could see where they were being directed, anyway, so as they hurtled towards the pipe, they quickly grabbed onto the rebar, and quickly dove down into the pipe--

Only to clatter to the floor. It hurt worse when they were stiff from the cold. However, the mechanical whirring of some sort of hydraulics distracted them from the pain briefly.

...Oh.

Above them was a metal creature propped up on a robotic arm, wires spilling from its back and head, and all winding into what looked like a long spinal cord, spilling into the floor. It towered over Chosen, looking haughty and like it thought it was better than them.

They already hated it, even before it began to speak.

But when it began to speak, they realized just who it was.

"Hello."

...you.

All That Beckons looked down at The Chosen One, and drew back slightly as they began to snarl.

"I-- please behave. I didn't bring you here with the intention of fighting."

Oh, it was too late for him to negotiate like this. They would rip every single wire from that head of his.

They prepared to lunge at him, and--

Cold. 

They collapsed to the ground as they felt their blood turn into ice, and, seemingly unbothered, he just shrugged and sighed.

"I was hoping we could cooperate on this one. That's a shame. Just know that's what happens when you try to threaten me. I'm your creator; it's the least you can do to, you know... Not try to attack me."

He made that happen. He was the one making this happen.

(They already knew that. But what they didn't know was that the source was so, so much smaller than they thought it was.)

All they had to do was destroy the source. They wouldn't let him control them any more.

They looked into his eyes as they dug their claws into the shoulders, and tore into their skin.

They wouldn't let him stop them anymore. They would make sure he would never force them to stay here ever again.

[sevenrs]

its ocposting time

SLUGCATS

the arsonist (she/her)

a small slugcat, a bit larger than a pup but smaller than usual adult size. through her first encounter with an iterator, she learned how to set the ends of spears on fire. this fire can then be thrown at enemies to deal a lot of damage over time. but she needs to be careful not to hold the spears for too long, lest she burns her paws.

a very energetic and playful slugcat, she likes to rough house and wrestle with others of her kind. sometimes she may go too far and accidentally hurt her playmate, but she is quick to back off and apologize

-

the scholar (they/them)

a slugcat with painted patterns, reminiscent of old ancient graffiti on their cities. they have a sling made of salvaged fabric to collect their favorite thing in the world: colored pearls! they are faster then average, but are weighed down the more pearls they carry around.

they are a very far traveller, searching the land for still remaining superstructures to have interesting bits and bobbles of their information read out. they cannot write, but they have pretty good memory and often store similar pearls with each other to strengthen said memory.

-

the neuron pups (any) designed by @/ambadsador-blip

modified neuron flies to model the nimble slugcat. they are a modified species of individuals. though they vary in size, on average, they are slightly smaller than an actual slugpup. their bodies are multi-colored and can often shift between hues. they are highly adaptable to navigating in zero gravity, and struggle to move when taken outside of an iterator. they do not need to eat, as they are supplied nutrients by their iterator. they quickly starve if removed from the vicinity of an iterator.

they like to swarm together, but have a scatter instinct when attacked. they were synthesized by paradox of creation in order to give their neurons a better chance to flee and survive their rouge inspectors.

-

ITERATORS

brass lining (they/them)

im sorry you have a nearly year old ref

a structure barely standing on three legs, they are placed in a darker corner of the world only illuminated by the occasional flickering spotlight. it is as abandoned as they are with water levels decreasing every few cycles.

they most a vast majority of their memories-- most of their neuron flies flew out of their structure when an old, corroding battery within exploded. in part it was due to their increasing frustration of the great problem. the extra anger heated their systems to unsustainable levels, and being an older model, there weren't many checks to override them and prevent damage. all they have left are the three trapped in their puppet and a distant sense of self.

-

chains by summer (he/him)

lives in a large oasis centered in a desert reigon. it has been surprisingly stable, but in recent years, consistent water is beginning to become questionable. nontheless, summer still stands with few complications compared to other iterators (well, aside from the usual decay of equipment and communication senders and recievers)

for the most part, summer has stopped iterating. it is pointless to him. there are simply too many things that can be iterated-- it will take time much longer than anyone has to find the solution. so he hangs around, bothering his local group and letting the local slugcat, the arsonist, take refuge away from the brutal environment.

-

three star songs (she/they/it)

placed high where mountain break the sky, song's structure looks fine... externally. internally, it is full of the contagion, the rot. a sign that something went wrong, that someone messed up. it is a slow and painful consequence for anyone who wasn't careful

she loved to frequent anonymous group chats back when all iterators were more connected. these chats were about creating new organisms through modifying their genetics. song had an immense passion for coming up with instructions to make anything-- even if it was not a good life for the creature with that adaptation. a small slugcat wandered into her can one cycle, and she had an idea of swapping some of her own microbes with that of the slugcat's. it did not go well-- the foreign cells mutated beyond her control, and now they aim to eat them from the inside out.

-

paradox of creation (any) designed by @/meatcatt

set in an open, grassy field that is relatively flat with a few weaving rivers, this area is surprisingly clean (in comparison to the rest of the world) of ancient influence, save for the massive structure in the middle of the tall grasses. it's a relatively peaceful spot. if only it were the same inside as it was outside

a series of unlucky events leaves paradox in a state of disarray and constant pain. a small white bug, shaped similarly to the neuron flies within them, began to see the flies as a source of easy food. paradox's inspectors rightfully protected the neurons, but due to the bug's similarities, they began to see every neuron fly as an enemy. in order to remedy this, she got advice from an old friend, none of the above, to make neurons that could better avoid the angry inspectors. he takes great interest in the stars, positioning most of their overseers on the highest points of their abandoned cities to observe their movements and patterns. their constant pain leaves them quite tired and drained most cycles, but they still try to find joy in their existence and wish to share it with others.

[fellasleepinbaltimore]

What do you think gay men are attracted to in men that they can’t be attracted to in women?

It can’t be anything about femininity or masculinity obviously. That’s both sexist, and cultural so can’t be what drives men-only attraction.

It can’t be anything about stated identity because someone could lie just as easily as they could tell the truth in such a statement, and it makes no sense because homosexuality and heterosexuality exists in other species with no stated identities. It’s not like other animals without gender are all pan.

Saying idk it’s the vibes or some indescribable trait men have that women can’t but “I can’t explain” is a nonanswer.

Soooooooo what is it? Or do you think any sexuality but bi/pan is just cultural performance or an identity rather than an inborn orientation?

- [ ]

[p.s. upon rereading this, the tone is a little combative at times but im honestly assuming this was sent in good faith so please don't think I'm like being condescending, it's something many have wondered at one point or another, love u bae]

baby, what are you on about? what is it about strawberry ice cream that makes it someone's exclusive favorite? what is it about chocolate that someone just is not interested in? why is vanilla something someone craves only occasionally but never exclusively? the mysteries of human sexuality are as profound and evernuanced, with even the most minute and obviously glaring of factors playing their part, as human desire for anything.

I can agree there's an argument to be made attraction to femininity/masculinity is sexist (ig? is it sexist to not be sexually attracted to someone bc they don't perform a cultural identity in a way that gets your neurons firing?) but pretending it doesn't play into attraction is willfully ignorant; it does. there are aspects of it that play into attraction and while it doesn't drive it solely, it is part of it so like idk if being dismissive of it is like helpful to understand the picture that's been painted.

I agree that stated identity has little to do with same sex attraction. it probably has a small role to play but I do think that words are mostly fleeting in the case of sexual attraction.

it is true that same sex activities have been seen in a lot of species, but before that, speaking to your next supposition, "the vibes" is a valid answer. the "vibes" is quite literally every small little thing that together 'feels right' but when itemized aren't really things we consciously pick up on. the way someone carries themselves, dresses, speaks, acts, treats you, themselves and those around them, body type, body parts, etc., are all definitely factors in sexual attraction.

what I mean to say is: I think trying to simplify human same sex attraction into a pseudo-common-base-animal-sexual-attraction theory is unhelpful. we are not any other species(not said with arrogance). I think involving the whole of the animal kingdom is unnecessarily complicating things bc while we are related and referencing the occurrence of sex acts between members of the same sex in other species can potentially provide insight, ultimately it is not the cherry on top that will, imo, unlock "the special thing" gay men find attractive about men. why did that boy beaver fuck that other boy beaver and do you think it has anything to do with why boy humans fuck other boy humans? idk! probably cos he liked it, and maybe. probably because boy humans sometimes like that.

why does anyone like anything? why does any animal like anything?

what is it that gay men find attractive in men that they can't find in women?

what is gay, what is a man, what is attraction and what is a woman?

these are, in part, cultural identities and subjective, at least from my perspective.

but I see what you mean remove that, the societal bullshit, the lies we tell ourselves, at its base and most diluted, unnuanced and general, what does one biological male find attractive in another biological male that cannot be found in a biological female?

my answer is that I couldn't tell you! I would think the biological male that can remove everything from a person beside their biological sex would probably say 'sex characteristics.' which ones? idk maybe genitalia, fat deposits, muscle build, skeletal build? maybe they are sexually attracted to narrow pelvises! but I think if they were honest with themselves, they'd also say their sexual attraction to someone probably has more depth to it than that bc I think you'd be hard pressed to find a biological male attracted to any and every other biological male regardless of extenuating factors. what I mean is: sexuality is inherently, for us, not simple and unnuanced and I don't think you will find a single defining reason or answer.

for the record I think there are probably things that exist in both men and women that gay men find "attractive" but what does that even mean, effectively?

when you ask,"what do gay men find in men they don't find in women?" the answer is: they find men they like, whatever that means. the next question is,"why do they find men attractive?" and that's a question people have been asking for a very long time babe!! or maybe it's,"what is a man really?" and that's a question I think many take for granted but is being asked more and more. or perhaps "what about men do they like?" for which you'll get a thousand answers.

I think the thing gay men find attractive in men that they can't find in women is that men are men and women are not. that statement has miles and pounds worth of nuance and subjectivity bc in that way it would be an accurate answer. I think you would have to ask every gay man what they find in men they can't find in women to get the full truth of it.

I think human sexuality is culturally influenced and plays into identity and is inherent as well as transient in nature, probably a bit biological, likewise a bit psychological. it's all these things and in my very humble, humble opinion, I really am just some cunt on the internet, cannot be further reduced to a singularity that is both honest and also all-encompassing or overarching. In other words, the vibes.

[milqueandsugar]

Do you do scenarios or headcanons? If so, how many characters can we request for scenarios or headcanons? Would you do the same prompt with different characters? Can we request for male reader, female reader, gender neutral reader, etc? Can we request characters from different fandoms in a request? Are there any topics you won't do like rape, suicide, etc? Do you do poly ships x reader? Would you mind if we request for Alternate Universes or Aus like AU where the character lives happily? Would you mind if the request is suggestive, implied sex, or mentioned sex but no explicit sex? Would you do NSFW requests? For Baldur's Gate 3 requests, would you mind if we don't specify the race/class to leave it ambiguous or if we ask specify the race/class like human/healer? What kinks would you accept for requests? Would you age up characters? Can anons request smut? Can we check with you if you received our requests? Thank you in advance!

Going to try to answer these in order but if I miss any please send another ask with questions!

I do both!

I don't have a particular limit but I'll occasionally cut some characters if I'm having a hard time writing them in that scenario/ask or if I feel like I'm taking too long on a post

Yes I would! Sometimes I come back to an ask on my own if it's really firing some neurons for me but I'll absolutely do it if asked as well! I also do continuations to scenarios/drabbles/fics

Yeah! Be as specific as you want with the gender or race or age of your ask for the reader! I do pretty vague stuff most of the time so I have no problem writing oc/Cannon requests or very specific reader requests

I'd like to keep fandoms separate only cause it's easier for me to organise! If yoy do send them in one ask I'll just separate it into two posts on my end so no stress

Honestly depends? Rape is a hard no, having to write anything non con makes me really uncomfortable and gross feeling, suicide purely depends on my mood and how it's encorporated in the ask, same with other sensitive topics

Yeah no problem with poly requests! I just find they take me longer to get too

Aus or fix it fics are my bread and butter send them in!

Nsfw is cool in all regards! I go as far as the ask specifies

There are so many kinks and also depends on my mood, I'd say it's request to request

Yup! Be as descriptive as you want with your reader or be as vague!

Tumblr is so so bad for eating my asks if you notice they're not getting posted and Im not on hiatus you can absolutely check in to see if I've got it!

Anons can request smut!

I've answered your riddles thirteen anon, now I may ask my own, do you mind if I link this under my rules tab? :3

[bojackhorsemanobviously]

(REDDIT) ana assualting BJ

It's hard for the audience to treat it with the seriousness it deserves when the characters don't treat it with the seriousness it deserves. But it's also entirely in character for Bojack not to treat it with the seriousness it deserves, and nobody else knows enough about what happened to say or do anything about it. I think the show does its best to impart how serious it is to the audience-- it plays the scene dead straight, there's no punch line to undermine it and the music is very ominous-- and trusts that at least some folks will pick up on it.

To Bojack, every relationship he ever has with a woman goes back to his mother. Princess Carolyn wasn't wrong when she said he wanted a mommy he could stick his dick in. Bojack treats most women as disposable sex objects. He can't respect them because they give him love and approval so easily and he doesn't feel he deserves those things, so he uses them for some quick cheap semblance of affection and comfort but discards them.

Occasionally he keeps one around long enough (PC herself, Diane, Sarah Lynn) to see her as something else, but even then, he tends to want them around mostly for sex and comfort, or in Sarah Lynn's case, she became this weird Freudian daughter figure (that he of course also has sex with).

But every rare once in a while, he meets a woman who is just the right combination of cold, domineering, and in a position of authority that to him, this woman IS his mother, and then it's like a switch flips, and he reverts to a child desperate to please his mommy. You can see it with Kelsey Jannings, and it's telling that the only time we see him cry in the show is when she casually reveals that she always knew he had the ability to be a good actor. He just got exactly the approval he always wanted from a cold and domineering maternal figure, AND he knows that he deserved it, because he knows that Kelsey does not give empty praise. (Aww i never thought about this way thats kinda sweet no wonder he felt awful she got fired)

Which brings us back to Ana. She comes into his life as that cold, domineering mother figure. And then he stands up to her. This is not something we have ever seen him do. And when she assaults him, she is giving him praise and affection and sexual pleasure but also pain and punishment, all at once. Every neuron in his brain must be firing at that moment, trying to make sense of the contradictory emotional and sexual stimuli it's receiving.

No wonder he never told anyone about it. No wonder he became addicted to her, constantly testing his boundaries with her, breaking boundaries, stalking her. And no wonder when she abandoned him, his first thought wasn't, "thank God, I'm finally free of that terrible rapist," but, "what did I do to make her abandon me?"

[rodimissliveblogs]

Oh, I just remembered that I had a dream last night where I was playing Tears of the Kingdom, and I was up on top of Mt Lanayru and the Light Dragon was there, circling around the peak of the mountain. She kept flying low enough that I could shoot her with arrows to get more scales/claws/etc, so I did that for a little bit.

And then I noticed a small tunnel in the side of the peak face, and I noticed it at that time because the Light Dragon started flying into that tunnel, and it was barely big enough for her. I followed her in and realized it wasn't so much a tunnel as it was a hole, leading straight down into the Depths. So I kept going down, because I wasn't about to let her go into the Depths alone, and we eventually drifted down to a large cavern, and a health bar/boss title popped up informing me that we were now fighting a King Gleeok, which is not an enemy I have ever actually seen in-game but I have been informed by friends that such a creature exists.

I did not want to fight this thing, so I clung to a ledge and occasionally fired an arrow at it, and Tulin fired a couple arrows at it, and the Light Dragon fought it and chipped it down to about half health, at which point she left, abruptly, leaving me alone with the gleeok. I dropped down from the ledge to try to swing a sword at the gleeok - it was sitting on the ground - and I landed behind its legs, at which point I was immediately set on fire (as if it was a fire gleeok, or as if I was below Death Mountain). I switched to the one piece of fireproof armor I had, and I tried to chug a heat-resistance elixir, but the game kept unpausing and not letting me use the elixir, and between the heat and the gleeok getting me when the game should have been paused, I died pretty quick.

The game's autosave took me back to before I had collected any of the Light Dragon crafting materials, which I was mad about, and then I went off to Goron City to get more fireproof armor.

I think the amount of video games I play has permanently rewritten the neuron pathways in my brain, in a bad way.

[sometimes-dinosaurs-are-gay]

I really think this hinges on whether or not we have "souls." A thing that is greater than your neurons firing, a thing that observes them firing and is the thing which says "I am me," if that exists then I don't believe transporting means death. The soul, which is not broken down because it is not physical, follows the matter wherever it goes. And so the body being deconstructed and reconstructed doesn't matter. Theoretically, you could attach your soul to something other than your body and you still have not died.

This makes the occasional cloning issue have a bigger philosophical meaning. If you were cloned by transporter, then which one has the soul? Figure that out, and you've solved that issue. I don't think there would be a way to do that though since I imagine a collection of cells and atoms with the personality of your friend and that same collection of cells and atoms that is also being observed and operated by your friend would be very difficult to distinguish from each other.

This leads me to my next point: uhm. I don't think souls exist. So when there is a break in consciousness, there is death. I'm not worried about it though cause that already happens pretty frequently. Like, every night when you're sleeping but not dreaming, that is a kind of death. If you go into a coma, if you're brain dead and you're revived by a doctor, death death death. It's ok. We are always dying and being born.

Which might mean that life is an illusion and really all that's happening at any given moment is remembering what the previous moment was. Like a computer that powers down completely and opens the applications you were working on when it powers up. Every moment, forever. And "life" is what we call a long enough series of those moments without *significant* breaks. And when they stop and will not start again, that's what we understand death to be.

So transporting might mean you die, but no more than usual.

Also Data is definitely a living creature as much as any bacteria, ant, human, vulcan, or computer and everyone needs to shut up about that shit!

In Star Trek, the transporter works by converting you as a complete copy from matter to energy containing all information necessary to reassemble you, sends that information wirelessly over a distance to a location where you are then reassembled, molecule by molecule. Since the copy is so perfect you do not perceive any interruption between conversions and everything about you is physically in tact at the end of the procedure (assuming nothing goes wrong, which canonically very rarely happens).

[fronzennews]

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Revolutionizes Depression Treatment Aiding Mental Health

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is revolutionizing the way depression is treated worldwide. As a safe, non-invasive, FDA-approved treatment, TMS offers new hope to patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) who have not responded well to standard therapies. By targeting specific areas in the brain using magnetic pulses, TMS opens the door to potential recovery and improved mental health.

What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation?

TMS stands out as a major breakthrough for individuals suffering from MDD that has been unresponsive to medications and psychotherapy. This technique focuses on stimulating nerve cells in the brain regions that govern mood, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. It serves as a beacon of hope, offering possibilities where traditional methods have faltered.

How Does TMS Work?

During a typical TMS session, an electromagnetic coil is delicately placed against the patient's scalp. This coil delivers magnetic pulses that create tiny electric currents in the brain, altering neuron firing patterns and aiming to correct dysfunctional brain activity associated with depression. The precision of this treatment is achieved by individualized coil positioning, ensuring effective targeting of the brain. Clinical Outcomes and Effectiveness TMS has shown notable results in combating depression that doesn't respond to other treatments. Traditional protocols involve six weeks of daily sessions, with about 50% of patients reporting significant improvement and a third achieving remission. Recent innovations, including Stanford’s accelerated neuromodulation therapy (SAINT), have pushed these figures even higher, demonstrating remission in nearly 80% of cases in mere days, with lasting benefits. Safety and Side Effects TMS is acknowledged as a safe treatment with manageable side effects. Most commonly reported are mild headaches, brief fatigue, and slight discomfort at the application site, all of which usually resolve within a day. There is a minimal risk of seizures, occurring in about one in 30,000 patients. Who Can Benefit From TMS? This treatment is tailored for adults over the age of 18 who have not benefited from traditional depression therapies. Certain individuals, such as those with epilepsy, seizure disorders, or metal implants in the skull, are typically not candidates for TMS.

New Techniques and Accelerated Treatments

Exciting advancements in TMS include accelerated treatment protocols like UCLA's "five-by-five" approach. This method compresses treatment into five daily sessions over five days, offering significant improvement for many patients within a week. Such innovations mark a pivotal shift towards more rapid and effective mental health recovery strategies.

Insurance Coverage

TMS treatments for major depression are covered by most insurance plans, though coverage might be limited for other conditions or newer protocols. It's advisable for patients to verify specific coverage details with their insurers to facilitate access to this groundbreaking therapy.

Additional Uses of TMS

Beyond treating depression, TMS shows promise in addressing other conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain, tinnitus, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This extends the potential impact of TMS well beyond its primary application, making it a versatile tool in the mental health field. Patient Experience and Long-Term Benefits Patients frequently report improvements in mood, increased energy, and reduced anxiety following TMS treatment. The positive effects can last up to a year, with some patients benefiting from occasional booster sessions to maintain relief. In summary, TMS is an effective, non-invasive option for treating depression, particularly for those who have not found success with conventional treatments. Its ongoing innovations and personalized strategies could significantly alter the landscape of mental health treatment. Keep following FROZENLEAVES NEWS for more captivating insights and updates on breakthroughs like TMS in mental health. ``` Read the full article

[liliallowed]

you know it makes me wonder. from an outsiders perspective I'm not doing anything magical. I'm just claiming I saw them die in a car crash.

and it never happened.

why? because chaos theory.

I mean if you roll the dice with a different velocity hypothetically it can land on a different side. to do so your neurons would have to fire slightly differently to your muscles and your brain to make a SLIGHTLY different decision based on information it has. to add to that the chemicals and metabolism in your cells also have a say in how much pressure you apply or the angle you throw it.

and THAT can be changed with a single huff of my breath because I'd be changing the orientation of the oxygen molecules that would bounce around just by choosing to hold my breath.

not only that I'M NOT THE ONLY FACTOR.

I can rewind time right now and suddenly things go waaaaay differently than before despite be doing the exact same things because I'M NOT THE ONLY VARIABLE. all the atoms and alectrons are variables.

NOTHING IS PREDICABLE.

AAaaaany ways what I'm saying is having future vision is wild because you're just a normal person claiming outrageous things and being OCCASIONALLY right (until you start actually consistently predicting your own predictions then you can get a closer estimate)

from your pov you are G O D

from other you're just a funky person shitposting on Tumblr