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visceryl · 5 years ago

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HPHM Profile: Konn

Art Credit: @zuulosdovah @angrynar @montdiarts Profile Credt: @hogwartsmysterystory

- IDENTITY -

Name: Konnor Levi Rainwater

Gender: Male

Age: 17 years old

Birth Date: September 21st, 1973.

Species: Metamorphmagus

Blood Status: Pureblood

Sexuality: Bisexual - leans mostly towards males.

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Nationality: English

Residence: Bloomsbury, London

Myer Briggs Personality Type: INTP - The Logician

- THE MAGE -

1st Wand:

Holly Wood

Thunderbird Tail Feather

10 ¾

Reasonably Supple Flexibility

Holly wood is of the more rare variety of wand woods. Often considered protective and attracted to those who need help overcoming anger and imeptiosity. Typically their owners are engaged in a dangerous or spiritual quest. Thunderbird tail feathers are said to be great for transfiguration and are proceedingly difficult to master. They are sometimes said to fire curses when in danger.

2nd Wand: N/A. This boy refuses to lose his wand.

Animagus: An arctic fox

Misc Magical Abilities: Nothing other than being a metamorphmagus.

Boggart Form: His brother, Allston, looking notably dead and enraged (a nod to being afraid of failing his loved ones).

Riddikulus Form: Milk spewing out of Allston’s nose and him busting out into laughter. (This is also a nod to a time

Amortentia: He smells like peppermint, a freshly cracked book, and petrichor.

Amortentia: He smells something distinctly animal, faint smokiness, and lavender.

Patronus: An Occamy.

Patronus Memory: When he becomes an animagus. While the actual process is miserable for him, being able to get to the end and have it work was monumental. It allowed him to feel some semblance of control and was a time he got incredibly close with Talbott.

Mirror of Erised: Himself and his brother side by side with their respective families, happy and laughing, their arms around each other.

Specialized/Favourite Spells:

Specializes in transfiguration spells

Protego (Usually always bailing his friends out of trouble)

Lumos (Who doesn’t need a good light spell)

Expelliarmus (In duelling, he always tries to disarm first)

- APPEARANCE -

Faceclaim:

Game Appearance:

Height: 5′8

Weight: 142 lbs

Physique: Slender, built for speed and stealth rather than strength.

Eye Colour: A stormy blue, though as a metamorphmagus, it changes.

Hair Colour: Platinum blonde, this changes based on his moods but always returns back to its original color.

Skin Tone: A warm ivory.

Body Modifications: Later on, he gets a fox tattooed on his arm.

Scarring: Konn ends up with a few magical burns. One on his shoulder, another in the dead center of his back. He also has a much more notable blade wound across his abdomen and a permanent knick just beneath one of his eyes that is usually concealed by freckles. He conceals everything.

Inventory:

A golden snitch

Fox treats (For his pet fennec)

A casset player/tapes he got from Hal Greywind

A blue goldstone crystal necklace

His journal and quill

His wand

An occamy he keeps hidden in a pouch

His Amaranthine Broom (not always on his person)

- ALLEGIANCES -

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Ilvermorny House: Horned Serpent

Affiliations/Organizations:

The Order of the Phoenix

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Slytherin

Professions:

A spy for The Order of the Phoenix

Professional bailsman for his brother

Sometimes odd jobs for his covers

A tutor during his time at Hogwarts

- HOGWARTS INFORMATION -

Class Proficiencies: (He’s a nerd brain, have mercy)

Astronomy: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Charms: ★★★★★★★☆☆

DADA: ★★★★★★★☆☆

Flying: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Herbology: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

History of Magic: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Potions: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Transfiguration: ★★★★★★★★★★

Electives:

Care of Magical Creatures

Alchemy

Apparition

Study of Ancient Runes

Quidditch: Slytherin Seeker since year 3 all the way through year 7.

Extra Curricular:

Dueling Club

Ethren’s D&D Club (He tried to keep him from joining but Konn kept sneaking in.)

Quidditch

Favourite Professors: McGonagall

Professor McGonagall is someone Konn looks up to immensely. As he specializes in Transfiguration and later begs to undergo the ritual for becoming an Animagus, she is his closest and greatest ally and teacher. She always looks out for him and presents him with more opportunities to further his skill.

Least Favourite Professors:

Rakepick: As far as things go with Rakepick, her entire duration as a professor always rubbed Konn the wrong way. He hated her secrecy and interference with the Vaults. He begrudgingly worked with her to gain information and to find his brother, mostly using her as she used him.

Snape: He is mostly disliked due to the toxic relationship he develops with Konn. Always pushing Konn to higher standards than everyone else in unachievable ways, Konn always felt the need to meet them as Snape showed he cared for him and was his HoH. As someone afraid of failure, this was always something that stressed Konn. (Not to mention Snape always praises Merula.)

- RELATIONSHIPS -

Brother: Allston Rainwater

Pureblood Wizard

Attended Hogwarts as a Slytherin

His Animagus form is a Golden Jackal

Allston acted as Konn’s parental figure for the most part. The two were inseparable. His love for his brother outweighs just about everything else.

He never wanted to get involved with the Vaults, but was given no choice.

Allston abstained from having any relations with anyone, often saying he had too much on his plate between the Vaults and his brother. Though later when Konn gives him a normal life, he’s revealed to be straight and marries a muggle woman, having two kids with her.

Misc Siblings: N/A

Father: Roland Rainwater

44 years old

Works for the Ministry of Magic as a high ranking official

Pureblood Wizard

Attended Hogwarts as a Slytherin

Had little interest in his actual kids, spent most of his time working and out of the house, only coming around with gifts just to disappear again.

Very wealthy.

It was suspected later that he was responsible for working with R and that he had pressured Allston into searching for the Vaults.

Mother: Charlotte Rainwater

42 years old

Pureblood Witch

Works as a journalist and writer, always traveling and hunting her next big thing.

Attended Hogwarts as a Ravenclaw.

She was always a bit of a narccisist. Always obssessed with her own career and luxury earninings. She spends big and lives freely, using her work as an excuse for the neglect she left her children with.

Love Interest: Talbott

Towards the start, Talbott wanted nothing to do with Konn. He found him dangerous and obssessive, his constant trouble-making with the Vaults always causing him to worry.

Konn crushed on him first after seeing how he worked with Transfiguration and learned he was an Animagus.

In attempts to get Talbott to notice him and strike jealousy, Konn asked Tonks to be his fake date to the ball. This rouse failed miserably as Talbott just thought they were dating.

During 5th year, Konn finally confessed how he felt. Talbott had his reserves, but agreed to a first date.

They compliment each other really well. Both specializing in the same areas, Talbott’s cool and collected often soothes Konn’s rampant lack of control, while Konn often convinces Talbott to come out of his shell.

While still chasing Talbott, over a summer, Konn and Hal have a brief fling before realizing they’re more like brothers and wondering what the hell they were thinking.

Best Friends:

Nymphadora Tonks

Rowan Khanna

Rival: Merula

Enemy: R, Rakepick, his father, and later on (I think for everyone) Voldemort, Ben Copper.

Dormmates:

Rowan

Barnaby

Murphy

Orion

Pets: His pet Fennec Fox, Vulcan. Vulcan was gifted to him by Allston right before he vanished. It is speculated Allston went home, left the gift, then went back to Hogwarts where he was finally trapped.

Closest Canon Friends:

Talbott Winger

Nymphadora Tonks

Rowan Khanna

Tulip Karasu

Barnaby Lee

Jae Kim

Charlie Weasley

Closest MC Friends:

Hal Greywind @one-very-angry-hufflepunk

Ethren Whitecross @hogwartsmysterystory

Kaina Malin @zuulosdovah

Uriel Nightclaw @montdiarts

Skylar Morningstar @angrynar

Daisy Withers @ruby-and-opal-withers

BACKGROUND/HISTORY

As an infant, Konnor was nannied by an elderly woman hired through services. She was strict and cold, pushing his incredibly young mind to work before it was ready. This was when he showed signs of being a metamorphmagus, always seeming to scare the living daylights out of the woman who could never keep up with walking into a room and seeing a different baby each time.

By the time Konnor had turned four, Allston was his primary caretaker. The two brothers were inseparable, always learning, exploring. They had great fun teasing all the teachers and incoming caretakers together. It just so happened, they also took more fun in seeing how much they could milk from their parents. Pizzas every night, horror movies on the screen. It was through fun, companionship, and love that Konn shaped and grew into a more controlled state. He was smart, always pushing Allston to teach him more and more. It got quite lonely once Allston began going to Hogwarts and leaving all year save for holidays and summer, but they wrote religiously and Konnor would always be bouncing and ready to beg his brother to share all he’d learned during the year once he returned.

Hogwarts. At this stage in Konnor’s life, it was finally his turn to go to the grand school he’d been itching to attend ever since his brother had… but it came bittersweet. Allston had never come home to celebrate his acceptance letter. Had never come home to prep, to plan, to discuss what happened that year. He’d vanished, and with it he took most of Konn’s excitement and control. As emotions ran rampant in the boy, he started his years at the school a freak. Lonely. They all talked about his brother, the expectations for himself. There was little love or care in what he did save for seeking out his brother. Many may say he grew jaded, untamed, obsessive. There was only one thing that really clung to his heart, the fennec fox his brother had left behind for him as a pet.

Indirectly, his parents taught him many things. Konnor, at heart, grew to be quite frugal, never taking advantage of anything given to him (lest it was another gift from his father that meant nothing at all). He was also taught what family really meant, that it was between those who meant something to you and should be protected at all costs. Though on a much opposite end, he also found he had to work twice as hard for any recognition, always pushing himself above and beyond to be anything great. Especially when he had Allston to impress.

After leaving Hogwarts at the end of his schooling, Konn went on reunited with his brother in full. While Allston never rejoined the wizarding world fully, becoming something of a vigilante to hunt down those that’d wronged him and threatened his family, Konn began avidly seeking out the Order. He was quickly accepted as a spy, doing frequent operation work while maintaining a line on his brother and making sure he stayed out of danger.

At one point, he was approached by a Death Eater, and nearly underwent necessary precaution to become a double agent, but Allston, Hal, and Talbott quickly ushered against the idea of their brother, friend, and lover being marred permanently by a symbol and risking his life more than he already did.

During the heat of the war, Konn asked Talbott to always be his. They then promised each other that once the battle and hardships were over, they’ll consider marriage and having a family together. However, it is quickly discovered it wouldn’t be so simple.

It is found out that in Konn and Allston’s attempts to bring their father to justice that he’s murdered in order to keep whatever secrets he might have had. This is then promptly framed on Allston who it catches up to later alongside much of his vigilante practices. When faced with the hard decision to persecute his own brother, Konn instead begs Talbott to help him remove Allston’s memories and give him a normal life. Removing all of Allston’s memories and replacing them with something much more mundane, they move Allston to America where he’s finally free from the perils of the wizarding world.

Konn never appears to be the same after losing his brother for good, but lives the rest of his life working and watching out for any oncoming threats. He and Talbott eventually do settle down with two adopted children together.

- PERSONALITY -

Protective: Konn is protective of his loved ones to a fault. Deep rooted with paranoia, he is constantly fretful for his loved ones and does everything in his power to keep them safe while still trudging through the hell that is their experience in Hogwarts and beyond. He’s quick to jump at the defense of his friends and family, not afraid to risk his own hide in the process should it be necessary.

Short Tempered: Of his many rampant emotions, anger is the quickest one to flare and show. Anytime he’s frustrated or annoyed, someone is bound to know. Whether it be his shortness or the flaming red hair, you’re welcome to take your pick of context. He’s very quick to annoy and while true anger from him is hard to achieve, petty anger and annoyance is almost constant. Droning noises, interruptions, and blatant stupidity are all quick to grate his nerves.

Stubborn: Konn has never been one to back down from anything, and he never intends to. Driven by a need to prove himself and inability to let something go, he will see something through to the very end. This allows him all the qualities of a hard worker. He gives everything his all without any intention of slowing or stopping. Sometimes this also means doing the work for others if they can’t keep up.

Intelligent/Cunning: While irritating on many levels when he tries to be the smartest person in the room, Konnor truly is smart. He often gets things faster than most and while conventional learning is useless, his hands on learning style allows him to learn on the fly. He almost always has an answer for everything and uses this to aid himself and his friends whenever they’re caught in a bad situation. He also consistently keeps good grades on everything while at Hogwarts.

Ambitious: It’s no surprise as a Slytherin that Konn tends to aim high. Though not in the standard many may think, he doesn’t want glory or fame or money. His ambitions are often geared towards his power and loved ones. Whether it be proving to the world he can take down the Vaults and save his brother, getting all his loved ones out alive, furthering his own power, or even taking down R himself. He’s the kind to look at a challenge and want nothing more than to conquer it.

Loyal: Alongside his protectiveness, Konn would never leave someone he cared for behind. He’s not even the type to leave someone he cared very little for behind. Including Merula on some occasions. As far as Konn is concerned, the only person allowed to bully his people are him. He is quick to rise to any occasion to stick by and protect his friends. Should they need a hand in battle, to get out of detention, or simply a shoulder to cry on, he tries to always be there.

MISC

NOTE: This section may update from time to time.

Konn lives in Bloomsbury, London when not attending Hogwarts in the Rainwater family home and often invites his friends over to stay with him during the summer.

He’s attempted to play many instruments including the violin, flute, and piano but never felt it was for him in the end and lost his touch if he ever acquired it.

Despite never having much room to prove it, he is a huge animal lover and adored his time working with Magical Creatures, often wishing he’d spent more time dedicating to it.

Konn was born with awful vision, but as he learned to control his metamorphmagus abilities, his eyesight also varied and improved.

No one is really sure whether his metamorphmagus abilities were inherited or not.

Konn comes from a small family of only two uncles, an aunt, and three cousins on his dad’s side of the family. His mother was an only child.

He listens to 80′s rock religiously after Hal introduced him to muggle music and what he learned was called a ‘cassette player’. Hal let him use it once and never got it back.

While his family is rich, spending money stresses Konn out.

Much like his mother, he developed a knack for writing, however exclusively keeps it as a hobby

He let Hal try to teach him to shoot a gun once. He bruised his shoulder and after promptly startling himself into a new shape, vowed never to use one again.

Konn has never lost a game of Monopoly in his life.

After Rowan’s death, Konn blames Ben and fosters an incredible hatred for the boy after.

#konn rainwater #konn #hphm #hphm profile #hogwarts mystery #profile #about

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jrzimmerman · 5 years ago

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⌠JUSTICE SMITH, 22, (CIS) MALE, HE/HIM/HIS ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, JEROME ZIMMERMAN! according to their records, they’re a SECOND year, specializing in MEDICAL TRAINING + RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT; and they DID go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (a shirt buttoned up to the top and tucked in perfectly to his khakis, various colored d&d dice rolled on top of a table, and a leather jacket he bought to look "cool"). when it’s the (capricorn)’s birthday on 1/03/1998, they always request their GRILLED CHEESE ON WHEAT BREAD from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. - @gallagherintro

hahaha here with my 5th baby!! i hope you all like him bc he’s a huge nerd and the opposite of our favorite himbo

aesthetics

a shirt buttoned up to the top and tucked in perfectly into his khakis, various colored d&d dice rolled on top of a table, a messenger bag filled with assignments, a first aid kit always on his person, over 40 tabs open of different mangas, cooking mama being played on a grey ds, and a leather jacket that he bought to look “cool”

“Welcome to Gallagher, Mr. Zimmerman. Are you excited to start your second year, here?”

He didn’t answer her at first, his eyes wondering around the halls. He asked for a tour instead of sitting and talking inside of the office. Simply because he wanted to get a good look at what Gallagher had to offer. And as of now, it was a lot better than Blackthorne. “Yeah, I am,” Jerome finally answered, now making eye contact with the older woman. “I’ve always heard that Gallagher was better than Blackthorne, and I believed it, trust me, but to really see it? It’s refreshing.”

“I’m glad that you find it refreshing, Mr. Zimmerman and we do apologize for whatever you experienced back in Blackthorne during your first year.”

Jerome let out a humorless chuckle with the shrug of his shoulders. “I mean, it’s not like any of you forced me to go. And I could’ve left anytime, either dropped out or transferred but I stayed.” Because he believed that things would get better after his first year, or maybe he didn’t want to disappoint his mom by dropping out. And if there was one thing he hated doing, it was disappointing his mother. “But it’s whatever, I’m here now and I’m happy to be here.”

“We’re happy to have you here,” she told him. “I will say that I’m surprised that you wanted a tour instead of having our interview in my office. Did you not want to explore the grounds alone?”

“And get lost? No thank you.” When first moving into Gallagher, he could already tell that he was going to wind up lost. His curiosity would’ve gotten the best of him and lead him somewhere that was not his final destination. “Do you guys have a map of the campus? If not, you should make one. This place isn’t huge but it looks like there’s a lot, ya’ know? I’m sure that incoming freshmen and the Blackthorne students would appreciate it. I know that I would. I like using maps, well, Google Maps but it’s still the same. I feel like paper maps would confuse me.” He paused, thinking about what he said. “Which basically contradicts me saying that you all should make a map. You know what, forget everything that I just said, okay?”

“Alright then, Mr. Zimmerman,” was her only reply, not even batting an eye at his rambling. “During this time we ask the students to tell us about themselves. Why don’t you do that.”

“Yeah, that sounds easy.” He cleared his throat and fixed the tie that he was wearing, as if he was going to give a presentation. “Hi, I’m Jerome Zimmerman, an incoming second year and I already love this place better than Blackthorne.” Was he really Jerome if he didn’t constantly shit talk Blackthorne? “Studying medical training and research and development. I’m more of the behind the scenes and eat chips in the van while the main character kicks ass type of guy. And then patch him up later after he opens the door all banged up.” He could basically see that as his future and he was into it. “I’m a hardcore gamer. Cooking Mama and Pokemon Platinum are where it’s at. You know, people used to judge me a lot for playing Cooking Mama but I never understood why. Like, think about it, she has taught many people how to cook while making it fun. How could someone ever bully someone over this game? We all played it growing up..”

The boy just kept talking as they continued the tour. And the poor office worker was already done with his constant rambling but said nothing. She just nodded her head and hummed as a reply, hoping that all of this would end soon.

random shitu

MEET ELLA’S COUSIN Y’ALL / they used to be best buds but had a falling out rip / lives with his mother who’s legit his best friend / a fucking nerd who plays d&d and likes anime, fucking weeb / shit talks blackthorne a lot (just gonna say that both him and emmett DO NOT get along and that emmett for sure punched him in the face) / can’t fight for shit so uh he better stop shit talking / our pan king (srry harpoon, you’re the only straight child) / “uh yeah, of course i’m a true gamer” *shows him playing cooking mama on his ds* / rambles a lot and like not in a cute way like sunny or naomi / book smart but not streets smart

wanted connections

a blackthorne boy he could call his friend: you know, he could never bring himself to trust anyone because it’s blackthorne. but this guy? was someone that he hung out with a lot and could just be normal around. he felt safe with this person.

someone who he went to spy prep school with: ya know, just someone that he could’ve been like “oh my god, you’re here too? what’s up.” as if they were close. i’m sure they weren’t because he’s awkward and doesn’t know how to hang onto friends.

a fellow weeb who becomes a close friend: the two came to found out that they like anime and have dedicated two hours once a week to watch anime together. before they know it, the two went from just meeting once a week, to hanging out after class, getting lunch, and sharing personal information. it’s kinda cute, ya’ know?

ex-blackthorne students who HATES him: he talked a lot shit, for sure about the school and about some of the students. emmett already hates him, give me more people!

someone who’s helping train him fighting wise: he can’t fight so of course he needs someone to help him. GIVE ME PEOPLE WHO PITY HIM AND TRY TO HELP OUT THIS LOSER.

idk homies, throw any and everything at me

#gallagher:intro #muse ✸ i stand before you and I’m like a puzzle piece #this sucks but i don't care

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jonkakes · 6 years ago

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I was going to add some stuff in the tags but I ended up having just a little bit too much.

-You always want to try to prepare as many things as humanly possible but it is impossible to prepare everything. Instead of trying to handcraft every possibility, go over your core rules until you have as many basics down as possible. For example I've never known a campaign to not need to how much damage you take from falling and what the exact rules for grappling are.

-Further to the above, when creating characters stick to the basic, baseline rules as much as possible. I don't mean you shouldn't let people use prestige classes or expansion books or anything like that, I mean to say that when players are first generating their six initial core statistics try and take the method of generation straight out of the book. Everything else in the books, the manuals, cards, everything depends on these numbers being chosen in the most true-to-the-rules manner as possible. While it may seem fun at the time, you will be doing yourself and your players a huge service by giving them overpowered or underpowered core numbers.

-Use either the DM's best friend (+/-2) for the 5th edition advantage/disadvantage rules to help fudge your way through pretty much anything. Combined with the numbers for how difficult a check should be (10 for easy, 15 for difficult, etc), you could run an entire campaign without prepping a thing.

-Don't let combat drag on until the very last hit point has expired. Just like calculating the specific weight of all of the gear you're carrying or how many platinum, gold, silver, and copper pieces you specifically have at any point in time, if there's one monster left standing and he has enough hit points that it takes three attacks to bring him down, bring him down in one.

-In a similar fashion, when creating an encounter for combat or otherwise OR even if you're creating one creature you want to introduce an element to make them more volatile as the encounter goes on. It's something that stuck with me ever since I did monster creation in 4th edition (yeah I know, calm down) and they talk about making different "types" of creature like tank, bruiser, caster. There's always some caveat involved that makes the creature more than just a static encounter throughout. A bruiser has high health but is easy to hit (and probably enrages to deal/take more damage when below half health). A tank has high armor but not as many hit points and is very vulnerable if you can get his armor away from him. A caster deals massive damage but is essentially a glass cannon.

-The secret to creating a memorable NPC quickly is contradiction: a physical characteristic that interrupts the overall motif of the NPCs look, a personal want or need they strive to achieve but there's something in the way, and then (contradicting this list) a character trait that really really leans into the stereotype of what they are, such as a scientist with nerd glasses or a police officer with aviators

-This last point applies mostly to the preppers: You can't create an encounter for everything, as was mentioned earlier, but feel free to go absolutely nuts on backstory. Just go bonkers you absolute madman. If you're sending the party into the ruins of an old castle, the party may never find out but you yourself will feel better if you write an entire backstory for that castle and everyone who ever lived in it up to an including how it was built and the type of sheep that grazed the pasture before they even broke ground. Then, when you're building the rooms and encounters within these ruins, you will have a deep well from which to draw environment details, flavour, and potentially even the type of monsters involved in every encounter not to mention loot. I know I literally just said that the party may never find out all the backstory you made for this place, but I promise you it will make your ruins, dungeon, cave, whatever feel more rich and more alive and bring you that much more satisfaction.

some notes i’ve been taking on DMing, culled from various sources

Plot & Campaign:

Don’t think of yourself as being “against” the players. They aren’t playing “against” you. They are playing against the world and situations you pose to them, but you should be on their side.

Similarly, don’t think of the campaign as “your” story that you are telling to the players. It is a story that you are telling together. They affect the outcome of it as much (or more) than you do. If the players find a way to ruin your carefully crafted plot, let it go. You have to accept not getting your own way all the time the same way that the players do.

That said, have contingency plans in case the PCs kill or ignore your plot hook, find a way to bypass your carefully created puzzle, or successfully charm your final boss into not attacking them.

Use up your most fantastic ideas - don’t hoard them for later. You never know how long a campaign will last, and you might never get to those cool scenes and setpieces you were saving.

Utilize recurring NPCs. It’s less work for you and gives the players someone familiar to look forward to seeing (or resent intensely.)

Give the players a nemesis - someone or something working against their efforts, even if that is not a “villain” per se.

Have descriptions ready for locations and NPCs, but don’t over-describe. Give them enough details to build a sense of atmosphere without requiring them to draw the scene.

Have a set of possible random events ready to go, and periodically roll to see if any of them happen, to keep your players (and you!) on your toes.

Rules & Rolls:

Like in improv theatre, go for the “yes and” (or “yes but”) response to a player’s idea rather than a “no.” If the rules don’t specifically ban a player from doing something, let them do it. If it’s especially game-breaking and stupid, this is a great time to say “yes, but” and come up with a fun consequence.

Don’t stop everything to look up a rule. If you can’t find or figure out the answer within a minute, tell the players how you’ll do it this time based on your best guess and look it up for the future. Alternatively, if you aren’t sure what the rule would be for what a player proposes, just let them roll a d20 and add a relevant modifier to it versus your best estimate of difficulty level.

Don’t assume that a failed check means “nothing happens.” Failures can be as eventful, interesting, and story-driving as successes.

Calculating small currency amounts, weight encumbrances, and rations is incredibly boring for everyone. Decide ahead of time whether you want to just ditch those elements (within reason - if you are being kind to the players by not making them weigh out every item in their inventory, they should be kind to you by not claiming they are carrying a whole refrigerator.)

Rewards:

Pay attention to what motivates your players most (treasure, money, challenging fights, puzzles, stories) and use that to guide your campaign ideas. Let them tell you what carrot will lead them through the plot.

Make a note of what your players mention wanting out of the game experience (a certain kind of adventure or scene, an item) and find an opportunity to reward them with it.

Come up with a set of treasure/advanced weapons/other loot-ish rewards specific to each player. Whenever they are dungeoncrawling or getting rewards, roll to see which items they receive at that time.

Players:

Provide opportunities every session, if possible, for each character to use their skillset and playstyle, so that they don’t feel like the sidekick in someone else’s adventure.

Encourage the players to make themselves a “battle sheet” in addition to their standard character sheet that lists all their skills and spells (in their own words) and how it works, so that they understand their own potential and remember to use them! You are there to help them out if they aren’t sure of a mechanic, but encourage them to take ownership of their own character’s abilities.

Cliffhangers aren’t actually great ways to end a session (in case the campaign stalls out there, or a player drops out), but you can end with a new situation arising or a hard question to ponder, giving the players something to think about and look forward to returning to for the next session.

Pay attention to the players’ welfare and condition as much (or more) than to their characters. If they are stressed, unhappy, or angry about something in the adventure (or something another player is doing), you should be ready to moderate that as much as you would moderate an in-game rule.

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thelittleredheadedmusician · 8 years ago

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Titans Academy

The prompt for cassiestephkara week day 1 was High School AU and I definitely got carried away. I’m going to post it here but rather than reading it on my blog I highly suggest reading it here on ao3. PG rating; 9,632 words cassiestephkara, background dickbabs, Please feel free to reblog and leave comments!

To say that their school was a bit odd was… an over-simplified under-statement. Their weird gymnastic/cheerleading cross boasted the best acrobat in the world, students could take actual college courses (not just AP but actual professors from ivy league schools), the track, archery, swimming, and fencing teams all had world class athletes and quite a few teenaged Olympians. Their theater and music departments regularly produced award winners and art students often received gallery openings before graduation. Students participated in actual scientific research and published papers and interned at places like the UN and Catco Media, all as high schoolers.

Yet the student body was just as perplexing as their accomplishments. Sure there was the Wayne family and the Queen gang, all the (mostly) adopted children of multi-millionaires. Most were there on full scholarships though, some thanks to influential family members or friends but for most it was due to talent and a desire to learn. For nine months out of the year, teenagers from all walks of life and all over the country with all kinds of interests and talents lived and went to school at the huge mountain turned prep school not far from Gotham City.

Cassie Sandsmark had known that she would be attending the prestigious Titans Academy, her older sister Donna was a student and her cousin Diana was an alumnus and a diplomat meaning Cassie would most assuredly be attending. Move in day was odd, a group of kids, mainly boys, had been directing traffic and yelling insults at each other across the parking lots. Donna had ended up stopped behind a large pickup truck, the driver of which was jovially chatting with one of the teenaged boys helping with traffic. She rolled down her window and waved when he turned towards them. Cassie caught sight of dark black hair, blue eyes, and an easy smile. The boy turned back to the truck and tapped his palm on the door before waving as they pulled away.

Donna inched her car forward, “That’s Dick. He spent the weekend with us this summer?”

Cassie vaguely remembered the group of teenagers who had visited Donna though she couldn’t remember what all of their names had been. There was just too many redheads and too large of a crowd of loud noisy teenagers at the time. Now Cassie wouldn’t consider herself a shy person but Donna’s friends were just overwhelming so she spent most of the time they were there at the museum with her mom.

“Troia!” Dick called as they pulled up beside him. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing your car with!”

Donna laughed, “It’s a surprise! Plus we both know that had I told anyone before getting here Wally would’ve called dibs on shotgun.” Dick laughed and nodded. “Dick, you remember my little sister Cassie? I need to help her move in to the freshmen dorm.”

“A little, you weren’t around much when I visited.”

Cassie shrugged, leaning forward to better speak with the boy who had stuck his head into the car. “I was helping my mom with her exhibits. Also, the house was a little full.”

Dick laughed again, Cassie was starting to get the feeling that he laughed a lot. “Yeah well, I don’t think any of us thought that we’d all be able to make it. Wally, Garth, Roy, and I are rarely ever not busy at the same time during the summer. Not to mention Kori with her modeling, Vic with sports, Raven with her strict parents, and Gar is just Gar,” he ended with a chuckle.

Cassie raised an eyebrow at her older sister, “You didn’t tell me you were actually popular.”

“Rude!” Donna scolded but her smile betrayed her true feelings.

Dick turned back to look at the line of cars. “Well we’ll have to talk more later. Did you see where the truck in front of you went?” Donna nodded. “It was Clark Kent, he’s dropping off his little brother and cousin, they’re freshman too, so you’ll be heading the same place. Oh! And keep an eye out for Tim and Steph, since we don’t live on campus they’re helping with the move in.”

Donna gave him a thumbs up and headed onward towards the parking lot nearest the dorm. Finding a spot in the first row she parked and tapped Cassie on the knee, “C’mon girlie. You’ve got a lot of crap to get out of my car.” Donna smiled over at her as she opened the door. Cassie climbed out and took the huge suitcase from Donna’s arms. The older girl pulled a canvas grocery bag and a plastic tote box from the trunk. “Would you look at that, I’m the one with all the crap,” Donna laughed as she pushed the trunk closed.

Cassie pulled her backpack from the backseat and slung it over her shoulders before pulling the handle out on her rolling suitcase and following after Donna. The dorm was a long, two story building set between the athletic fields and the large mountain that somehow had been hollowed out and made into the main academic building. At the door stood a perky blonde girl with a face full of freckles and a pale boy with longish dark hair and a clipboard. A tall man held a small stack of crates and was bookended by a blonde girl and another dark-haired boy, both with backpacks and large duffle bags.

Clipboard boy drew what looked like check marks and pulled two small envelops out of a box by his feet. Cassie caught him saying “And Steph here will show you to your rooms. Oh, uh and my name’s Tim. I’m also a freshman so I’ll probably see you around.” The boy smiled a little awkwardly before handing them the envelopes and the blonde girl bounced off down the hall.

It was Cassie and Donna’s turn to talk to the boy with the clipboard. “Tim? Like Dick and Jason’s little brother?” Donna asked with her best smile.

Tim smiled a bit sheepishly, “Yeah. That’s me. You’re Donna, right? Dick talks about you a lot and I think you came to the Manor once.”

“You’d be right on both accounts!” Donna then elbowed Cassie. The blonde glared at her older sister before turning to Tim.

“Hi, I’m Cassie. Sandsmark. Cassie Sandsmark, cause there’s always a lot of Cassandra’s.”

Tim smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling with laughter. “Yeah, my sister is actually named Cassandra too but she goes by Cass and I met a Cissie earlier today too.”

Cassie blinked, “Whoa. That could potentially get confusing.”

Tim nodded, “She’s blonde too.”

“That’s… weird.”

Donna laughed a bit, “You know that isn’t the strangest thing I’ve heard at this school.”

Tim smiled and turned back to his clipboard, “So uh, you’re going to be in room 205 with Kara Danvers. That was actually the girl just in front of you,” he said looking up at her. He bent down and pulled an envelope out of the box, double checking the number before handing it to her. “Steph should be back… here she is. I’ll see you around then?”

Cassie smiled at Tim as the blonde girl who must have been Steph skipped down the hallway. “Sure. Nice meeting you.”

“Bye Tim! I’m sure I’ll see you around!” Donna grinned and marched into the hall. Cassie sighed before following her, Tim shot her a wry smile and Cassie instantly knew that the two of them would get along brilliantly.

“Hiya! I’m Stephanie ‘Spoiler Alert’ Brown! But you can call me Steph.” The blonde said with a voice that matched her sunny disposition.

“I’m Cassie Sandsmark. This is my sister Donna Troy, she’s a junior.” Donna grinned and wiggled her elbow in greeting.

“You seem very familiar. You’re one of the older boys’ gang aren’t you?”

“Does Jason have a ‘gang’? He likes to deny he has friends, even though Roy, Kori, Kyle, and I regularly hang out with the grouchy nerd.” Donna raised her eyebrow at Steph who cackled in return.

“Now I see why he actually likes you. What’s your room number?” She asked Cassie.

“Um, 205.”

“Oh! Sweet! You’re gonna be Kara’s roomie! I was just there! She’s a sweetie pie, you’ll love her.” Steph’s smile somehow got even brighter as she punched the elevator button with her index finger. The doors slid open and the three girls immediately filed in. Steph pressed the button for the second floor before leaning against the wall. “So where’re ya from?”

“Gateway City originally, but my mom got a new job in D.C. last spring so we’ve been living with our cousin there until we finally found a house in Alexandria,” Cassie told her, fiddling with the handle on her suitcase.

“Cool. What does your mom do? Sorry, I’m nosy.” Steph said sheepishly.

Donna chuckled and Cassie turned to shoot her a look, Donn just shook her head at her younger sister. “She’s an archeologist originally but she’s worked as a museum curator the last few years now.”

“That’s awesome!” Steph grinned as she somehow hopped backwards out of the elevator. “My mom’s a nurse, which is exciting only in Gotham, being an archeologist is so cool!”

“Yeah,” Cassie replied. “I actually want to be one too.”

“You and I practically grew up in ancient Greece, you’re definitely going to be an archeologist.” Donna told her confidently.

Cassie blushed at that as Steph lead them down the hall. Her room was on the far end from the elevator and she could see other students setting up their own rooms through the open doors she passed. She could hear rock music blaring from one room and when she passed she saw a redheaded girl looking at a platinum blonde with concern, the redhead seemed to be gesturing to the music and asking to have it turned down but the other was simply staring back with a raised eyebrow. Another held a pair of boys, one with blonde hair and what looked like snake tattoos on his arms and another who had a lightning bolt shaved into his hair, who were trying to set up a large fish tank on top of their pushed together dressers.

Steph came to a stop in front of the window at the end of the hall, “Ta-da!” She trilled throwing her arms out into jazz hands. Cassie giggled at her as she passed. Taking a glance into the room across the hall, the boy from outside was there and Cassie noticed that in addition to an undercut he also had a gold hoop in one of his ears, she smirked a bit at that, his roommate was a scrawny hyper-active boy who could be heard chattering from the hall as he bustled around the room constantly pushing his auburn hair out of his eyes.

Cassie turned to her own room and peeked her head in. “Um, hi? I’m Cassie,” she smiled and slowly stepped through the door.

“Oh! Hi! I’m Kara! I hope you don’t mind that I took the left side of the room?” The girl gave her a warm grin as she turned to face Cassie. The other girl’s bed was half-made and there was knick-knacks, posters, and school supplies scattered across the desk.

“That’s fine. Uh, this is Donna, my sister.”

Donna smiled and placed the stuff she had been carrying down next to the bed. “Hi Kara. I’d love to chat but I need to go move in myself. I’ll text you and we can meet up for dinner?” Cassie nodded and Donna pulled her into a hug before waving to the other two girls and heading back down the hall.

“She seems really nice. You know she’s like super popular?” Steph asked from where she leaned on the door frame.

“She never really mentioned it but I’m starting to get those vibes,” Cassie replied honestly as she started opening drawers to sort clothes into.

Kara gave the other two girls a small smile. “I’m just hoping to make friends,” she told them softly.

“What do you mean, ‘hoping’?” Steph practically screeched with exaggerated air quotes.

“Well, I’m from Midvale and it’s this little town in Kansas and everyone there thinks I’m really weird cause I really like movies and books and writing, like really, really like them. But I’m also really good at soccer, that’s why I’m here, but I don’t act like the other girls and people don’t like that. Plus here everyone is from the city and what not so I’m an outlier and yeah…” Kara trailed off and peered at the other girls through the strands of blonde hair that had fallen in front of her sky blue eyes.

“One: I thought I talked fast, wow,” Steph gave a quick shake of her head. “Two: you’re from Kansas, not the planet Krypton or something like that! I met a girl from Blue Valley, Nebraska earlier! She seemed super cool btw, name’s Courtney. So, there’s not going to be any problems in that department. Three: being weird is kinda everyone’s thing around here. Trust me. I’ve been practically a Wayne for years now and they all go here so I know what kind of weird people get accepted. I mean, I’m here!”

Cassie laughed at Steph’s statements before turning to Kara. “Look, I know we just met but you seem really nice so I’ll be your friend. I’m mildly obsessed with mythology and I fence so if being a soccer super star and lit nerd is what you’ve got going on then I’m not one to judge.”

Kara beamed at that, “Thanks. So um, what’re you into Steph?”

“I’m a junior detective and gymnast,” she said proudly. “How I got into this place I’ve got no idea. Probs cause Bruce has all but adopted me, I’m still holding out hope though.”

“Hope for what?” Cassie asked, partially confused by Steph’s words to begin with. From talking to Steph the past few minutes Cassie gathered that she knew much more than either Cassie or Kara and didn’t realize or didn’t want to explain it all.

“Oh, that Bruce will adopt me too. But I guess having my mom and I move in is close enough.” She shrugged as her phone dinged. Cassie glanced over at Kara who was definitely equally confused. “Timbo needs assistance. Well I shall return! Oh! First phone numbers.” Steph pulled a sparkly purple gel pen from what appeared to be thin air and scrawled her number on the back of each girl’s hand. “Text me!” She called before skipping out their door.

“She seems like a-”

“Tornado?” Kara suggested.

“I was gonna say handful but that works much better,” Cassie grinned.

The two laughed before turning back to their unpacking. Soon they were chatting and laughing, Cassie knew that they were going to be great roommates and even better friends. She learned that the boy with the earring across the hall was Kara’s cousin Conner but everyone just called him Kon and figured out that Kara’s cousin Clark and Cassie’s cousin Diana were really good friends and met up once a month with some other guy for coffee.

They had ended up rolling out a rug that Kara had brought with and just sitting there on the floor getting to know each other. A knock on the half open door drew their attention to the boys standing there. “Kon!” Kara cried with a smile. “This is Cassie, Cassie my cousin Kon.”

Cassie raised a hand to wave and smiled. “Hiya,” he said in return. “D’you guys want to come to dinner with Bart and I? Oh, this is Bart by the way.” Bart-by-the-way peered out from just behind Kon and waved.

“I’m supposed to grab dinner with my sister but I’m sure she won’t mind. We can always get dinner another night,” Cassie smiled and got up to look for her converse.

She was just pulling them on when another silhouette filled the doorway. “It’s a regular party up here!” Steph said brightly. “Are you all heading for food? Can Tim and I sit with you? I’m one of the few non-related people he knows and so we need to find more people to sit with so we have an excuse to avoid the related people.”

“You make it sound like I have no friends and hate my family Steph,” Tim gave her an exaggerated eyeroll and Cassie couldn’t help but smile.

“Well you don’t and you do,” Steph shot back smugly.

“None of us have friends! We just got here! And Jason and Damian hate me, I have no problems with them and Dick, Cass, Babs, Duke, Harper, and Cullen love me.” Tim quickly replied.

“Ok, well only two and half of them are related to you so…” Steph’s sass, if possible, rose to another level. Cassie looked around at the others and they seemed just as interested and confused as she was. Cassie got the feeling that Steph and Tim would always be mentioning people only they knew and that she was just going to learn to live with it because she had already decided she wanted to be friends with the bubbly girl and clipboard boy. Kon was smiling broadly at the soon to be snark off while Bart seemed to be shaking with silent laughter.

“C’mon Steph, don’t act like the only person from my family that you’re on speaking terms with is Cass right now. Because if Harper and Cullen don’t count for me then they don’t count for you either.” Tim’s smirk had a victorious edge to it and Steph narrowed her eyes.

“At least Damian tolerates me. That’s more than you can say.”

“Am I the one who set off a glitter bomb in the game room last week? No. Who was that again? Oh yeah, you.”

“You know that was an accident! Babs vouched for me!” Steph’s blue eyes glowed with rage and her fists were balled.

Tim raised his chin a few centimeters higher as the smirk grew. “I know. That doesn’t mean they believe you.”

The two Gothamites stood like that while the other four glanced between each other, no longer amused and now thoroughly unsure of what to do. Suddenly someone’s stomach growled and Bart cleared his throat, “So food?”

This seemed to bring them around as Steph pushed a breath out of her nose and Tim smiled before flinging his arm around her shoulders and giving her a quick squeeze. “C’mon, dining hall is this way,” he said and the two started walking off back down the hall.

As they walked Cassie felt her phone buzz and pulled it out of her back pocket. The screen was lit with a text from Donna, “On my way to dh. See you in a few.” She slid it back into her pocket without responding, figuring she’d just tell her sister when she got there and that Donna would understand. She tuned into the conversation around her as she walked with her new friends to the large, cave-like door set into the side of the mountain.

Bart was trying to explain that he had two second cousins and they both had the same name and were both going to school here but the one was the same age as him and the other was two years older. Cassie’s head swirled but Tim seemed to be keeping up with the other boy perfectly. “Wait, the older one is he a ginger?” Bart nodded quickly at that. “Yeah, he’s my oldest brother Dick’s best friend,” Tim said with a smile.

“Is your brother friends with everyone’s family members?” Cassie asked, only half sarcastically.

“Well, kinda? I mean he’s pretty much friends with everyone but there’s a lot of people in our grade whose siblings or whatever are his good friends,” Tim’s cheeks started to flush and Cassie gathered it was a touchy subject for him.

Steph bumped her hip against his as they walked, “Cheer up Timmy-boy! That just gives you, and by extension me, a slight advantage in the social hierarchy!” Tim simply raised an incredulous eyebrow before shaking his head at her in disbelief.

Inside the dining hall Cassie found Donna sitting at a large table which was already half full. She waved before making her way over to where Cassie stood with her group of new friends. “Hey! All moved in?”

“Yep. Everything’s good. Do you mind if I eat with my friends? We can grab dinner together another night.”

Donna smiled at Cassie and then the group of teenagers waiting for her, “You guys can all join us if you want.” She used her thumb to point over her shoulder at the table. A boy with black hair and a white streak in it appeared to flip Cassie and the others off but when Steph stuck her tongue out at him and Tim rolled his eyes they realized it was not directed at the group at large. The boy from earlier, Dick, lightly whacked him upside the head before waving to the group. A redheaded guy on Dick’s other side gave them a quick jerk of the chin greeting. Bart raised his hand in a half-hearted wave.

“Um… I think we’re good finding our own table,” Cassie replied as she turned back to Donna.

Donna frowned at her friends but nodded, “That seems best. I’ll talk to the boys, see what’s up. I swear my friends are normally nice.” Cassie just smiled and shrugged before following after Tim as he lead the way through the crowded tables.

One table started waving at him and Steph as they neared it. Steph eagerly waved back and called, “Hi Cass! Hi Harper! Hi Duke! Hi Cullen! Tim doesn’t feel like dealing with family today.”

The girl with blue and purple hair laughed and called back, “Then what are you?” Steph responded with an exaggerated shrug before she kept walking.

A kid with bright green hair bumped into Cassie and then started profusely apologizing. She kept telling him it was fine but he just kept talking. The others had stopped to see what was happening and when the green boy saw Tim and Steph his face split into a grin. “Hey guys! Are you avoiding the others cause they’re all over there with us. Well, not all, but Dick, Jason, and Babs are. I had to come get a vegetarian option. Oh! I get it now! You’re trying to make friends! Ok, wow, sorry. And sorry for bumping into you again. Peace out!”

Cassie looked at Tim and Steph for explanation. Steph had already started walking toward an empty table while Tim stood with an amused expression on his face. Cassie noticed that Kon and Bart were waiting for Tim to explain too, when he didn’t Kon took things into his own hands. “So do you just know everybody?”

“What? No. Just most people. That was Gar, he’s a friend of my brothers and they have a lot of friends so…” Tim trailed off with a shrug and turned to follow Steph. Kara, Kon, and Bart all exchanged glances with each other and Cassie before moving on themselves.

Cassie put her jacket on a seat at the table Steph had claimed before heading back the way she came to get food. The group of freshmen reconvened at the table almost simultaneously. Cassie suddenly felt awkward sitting between Tim and Kon, Steph directly across the table from her with Bart on the left and Kara on the right. Steph and Bart were laughing, swapping stories about pranks they did or wanted to do. Kara caught her eye and smiled, Cassie smiled back. Kon raised an eyebrow at Steph and Bart and before joining in on the tales of pranks. As Cassie twiddled her fork in her pasta she began to feel more settled with these people. The conversation swirled around her as topics changed and the meal wore on.

Kara checked the time on her phone and grimaced slightly. “I hate to sound like a party pooper but we’ve got class in the morning and it’s getting late.”

“You’re right. Steph, we should probably find Dick and find out who’s riding with him and who’s going with Alfred.” Tim said, gathering up his dishes. They soon parted ways with Tim and Steph, after promises of meeting up again were made. Cassie enjoyed joking with Bart and Kon on the walk pack to the dorms, Kara laughing at the three of them.

Cassie woke the next morning promptly at 6 am thanks to an alarm blaring. Kara groaned from the bed next to her before violently kicking off her covers. The other girl slid out of bed and shuffled to the small bathroom, a few minutes later she returned wrapped in a fluffy pink robe with her hair piled in a towel on top of her head. “Sorry ‘bout the alarm,” Kara murmured from behind a yawn.

Cassie forced herself out of bed and shrugged. “No biggie, mine was going to go off soon anyway.” Cassie showered and got ready for the day. In the main room she was surprised to find herself effortlessly orbiting Kara as they each went through their morning routines.

They walked to breakfast together and chatted over cereal and eggs. Cassie pulled the folded piece of paper with her schedule printed on it from her backpack. She brushed a stray curl from her face as she smoothed the paper out on the table.

“Oh! I totally spaced on asking about your classes!” Kara gave her a small frown and Cassie waved her off.

“I literally did the same to you. Here let’s look now.” They bowed their heads over the sheets and began smiling. They had 4 out of nine periods the same, one of which was lunch. “Well we have second period together so I guess I’ll see you soon!” Cassie told her as she began gathering things up to go find her 8 am.

Kara nodded and grinned, “I’ll try and sit with you.” Cassie beamed as she walked away.

Cassie wasn’t late getting to class, but she was one of the last to arrive. Kara had saved her a seat and Cassie was pleasantly surprised to see Stephanie was sitting on her other side. “Hey there Cassie!” Steph called.

Cassie smiled and sat down. “Hey guys.”

“How was your last class?” Kara asked, genuinely curious.

“Good. Boring. How about you guys?”

Kara shrugged. “Oh you know, average first day of school stuff. Paperwork, expectations, how they know you’re going to disappoint them by the end of the month.”

Steph laughed loudly, causing the other students to shoot the three blondes looks. “You’re not as sweet as you look Kara Danvers. In first aid they gave us a supply list.” Steph reached down into the purple backpack at her feet and procured a sheet a paper which she smacked onto her desk. “Look at this! Tape, gauze, shock blankets. You’d think we’d be learning to survive the apocalypse or something? But no, this is just a first aid and CPR course to get us our certifications.”

Cassie leaned over Kara to pull the page closer to her. The list was long and detailed, giving preferred brands and even websites to purchase the items form. “This school is weird,” Cassie shook her head as she leaned back into her seat.

“You can say that again,” Steph said with a scoff-like laugh.

“What do you mean by that?” Kara asked, a slight tilt to her head.

“Besides the obvious?” Steph smirked and gestured to the subterranean classroom they sat in.

Cassie rolled her eyes, “We wouldn’t be asking if we already had guessed.”

Steph quirked an eyebrow at that. “Wait. You don’t know either?” The other girls shook their heads and Steph let out a low whistle. “I’m surprised. Well, for one, people here are like freakishly talented. I mean, why else would they be here? But the cliques aren’t… they’re… it’s hard to explain.” Steph made a bit of a frustrated face, her eyebrows furrowing and nose and lip scrunching up in distaste. She grinned suddenly and pointed a finger, tipped with sparkly nail polish, just under Kara’s nose. The other girl was forced to go cross-eyed to ensure she wasn’t poked.

“Ok Cassie, you know how your sister is part of that huge gaggle of Juniors, and a couple sophomores?” Cassie nodded, unsure where this conversation was going. “Well they definitely wouldn’t be friends outside of Titans Academy. See Dick is a rich pretty boy and a cheerleader, yet he’s the leader of their little pack. Wally and Roy are his right-hand men, but Wally comes from the Nowheresville of Nebraska and is the track team’s golden boy while Roy is as much a rich white boy as Dick (even though Dick isn’t actually white and Roy actually grew up on a Navajo reservation but semantics) cause he’s the adopted son of that billionaire from Star City, Oliver Queen. Now as much as Wally is a goody two shoes Roy is a hell-raiser. The archery team’s bad boy he can be found beating up bullies with Jason just as often as holding court with Dick.” Steph sucked in a breath while Cassie tried to process the rapid fire word vomit.

“Ok, so you’ve got all that? Well there’s also Garth who’s an international student and like a completely insanely awesome swimmer. And your sister, Donna, she’s the president of the yearbook committee and the lead photographer as well as the photo editor for the newspaper. Now, yuppie teenage cheerleader plus cornhusking track star plus rebel without a cause archer plus exchange student swimmer plus miss congeniality photographer? Error. Error. Error. Does not compute. But wait! There’s more!” Steph threw her arms up and did her best impression of an infomercial.

Cassie glanced at the door, the teacher was nowhere in sight. Glancing over at Kara the other girl just shrugged and mouthed “We asked for it.” Cassie sighed before resting her chin in her hand, giving Steph her undivided attention.

“So then you’ve got Vic, the next all-American with his football and basketball and lacrosse and just sportsball in general plus the guy’s a genius and VP of the Coding Club. Babs is the president, she’s part of the Gotham gang with me, and she’s currently dating Dick plus she’s an actual genius and a ballerina. A ballerina! And Kori, Dick’s ex-girlfriend and still bestie, who is an heiress to some crazy tech company and she’s like always the lead in drama club productions. Lemme tell you, that gal can sing.” Steph nodded seriously before charging on. “Then we have the sophomores: Gar with his green hair and greener thought process with his animal rights activism and eco-friendly everything. Even the hair dye! And there’s Kyle, he’s an artist and somehow got roped into being friends with Jason. Connor came with Kyle, he’s Roy’s little brother, also an archer and is in charge of the philosophy club. Raven, quiet, a little goth, super sweet. She’s also an artist and does some super cool fashion design. And wrapping up the young’ens is Jason! The second oldest of the Wayne boys he’s what your mothers would warn you away from. ‘Cept he’s a giant nerd, like loves classic lit and writes angsty poetry nerd, and a social justice warrior. Between him and Gar you could go to an on-campus protest once a week!” Steph grinned and started giggly madly before finally getting out the words “And that’s what you missed on GLEE!”

Cassie exchanged a look with Kara, neither truly knew what to say. Steph had spit a lot, A LOT, of information at them. Cassie knew she had met most of the people mentioned over the summer thanks to Donna but she was struggling to attach names and personalities to faces. Kara looked even more lost. With her blue eyes wide Cassie was struck by how well she mimicked a deer in headlights.

“I don’t know a single one of those people… How? Steph? Are you some internet stalker or something?”

Cassie waved a hand in Kara’s direction. “Yes. What she said.”

Steph rolled her eyes. “I’m not a creep. Wayne Manor is not even ten miles away, it’s like a 15-minute drive and since my dad decided to get himself arrested and my mom decided to get clean and I was already besties with Cass and Timbo, Bruce had the two of us move in. Now I live there and pretty much so do all of they, they’re around enough. See, I’m just observant.”

Cassie’s head continued to swirl, she was coming to the conclusion that this was just how Steph talked and if she hung around her enough Cassie was sure she would get used to it eventually. Until then, she had to pick out and rearrange the relevant pieces of information. From what Cassie worked out, Steph and her mother had been invited to live at Wayne Manor which, due to its proximity to school, was were Dick Grayson and his incessantly large group of friends chose to hang out in their free time. This was how Steph came to know so much about Cassie’s sister and her friends.

“Ok…” Kara began slowly. “So, what you’re saying is, the lines between cool and not don’t exist?”

Steph pursed her lips and tilted her head from side to side. “Eh. No, not exactly. It’s just that no one really acknowledges them. You don’t have to be ‘cool’, just yourself.” Steph shrugged and faced forward just as the teacher walked in, nearly 20 minutes late. He muttered out some apology before shuffling papers. Cassie still wasn’t sure what to think of this school but it definitely wasn’t what she expected.

She made it through the first week unscathed, even earning an impressed compliment out of her strict fencing coach. The English class she shared with Steph and Kara had proved thoroughly entertaining. Their first unit was on mythology and between her knowledge, Kara’s impressive command of the English language, and Steph’s argumentative spirit they made quite the trio. Cassie wasn’t sure if the teacher hated or adored them.

Cassie ate dinner with Donna on Friday. Her sister was happy to hear how well she had settled in, especially how well Cassie and Kara were getting along. Donna scooped up a spoonful of applesauce that she quickly popped into her mouth. Cassie could see her sister studying her, weighing options. Finally, Donna spoke, “Bruce is going out of town this weekend and Jay and Dick are hosting a party. Steph is going to be there, why don’t you and Kara come? I can take you in my car.”

Cassie blinked before stuttering out “Yeah. Uh, sure. I’ll- I’ll talk to her?”

Donna beamed. “Great! I’ll meet you in the student lot at eight.”

Cassie had left dinner with an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something between butterflies and a lead balloon. When Cassie told Kara about the party invite she had gotten as excited as a golden retriever puppy that was asked if it wanted to go for a walk. With her golden blonde hair and the bouncing she sort of looked like it too.

They blasted music as they threw clothes at each other, neither really knew what the dress code was. Cassie settled on a leather jacket with a flowing dress and combat boots while Kara borrowed her galaxy leggings with a long black sweater and vans. They were fixing each other’s makeup when there was a knock on the door.

They checked the time – they weren’t running late – and exchanged confused glances. Cassie pulled herself from the desk chair and went to answer the door. Kon and Bart stood on the other side, “Are you aware that you’re blasting techno-pop?” Kon asked with a raised brow.

“It’s like you have super hearing or something,” Cassie shot back sarcastically.

Bart snickered. “You getting ready for a shindig or something?” He asked with a sweeping motion to her outfit.

Kara joined her at the door, “As a matter of fact we are! Cassie’s sister invited us to a party at Wayne Manor.”

“What a coinky-dink cuz, so are we! Tim said that his brother encouraged him to invite friends and he invited us.” Kon shrugged and an easy-grin spread across his face.

“That explains the outfits,” Cassie replied with a raised brow of her own. She eyed the boys up and down from Bart’s grey beanie, yellow and red flannel, to his scuffed up red high tops. Like her, Kon wore a leather jacket and a pair of doc martens but his was accompanied by a pair of criminally tight red skinny jeans and round sunglasses. The gold hoop in his ear winked at her as Kon laughed.

Cassie smirked and turned back to Kara, “I need more glitter and so do you. Boys? Would you like to be glittered before we go?” Cassie quirked her lips, daring them to back down.

“Cassie, glitter is my middle name,” Kon said seriously as he swept past her into the room.

The four were standing in the student lot at ten of eight when they heard voices coming towards them and growing louder. A group of teens could be seen laughing and shoving one another as they neared the lot. One of the girls let out a yell and waved an arm above her head. Cassie recognized her sister’s fringe suede jacket and waved back. A slick black SUV and a beat up 60’s VW Bug pulled up to the curb behind the small huddle of freshmen and Cassie turned in time to see Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon climb out of the vehicles.

“Hey guys. Glad you could come! Tim and Steph are back at the house, we’re trying to conserve seats.” Dick told them. His blue eyes sparkled in the lights from the parking lot as he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and leaned against his SUV.

Babs leaned next to him and bumped his upper thigh lightly with her hip. “As you can see, we don’t have a heckva lot of those.” She grinned and started fiddling with her bright red hair, watching the group draw near.

“What’s the head count?” A guy yelled from near the front of the group.

“You plus four in your jeep, Donna has her sister and Kara and two more in her car, I can take seven and Babs can take four. The others are already there,” Dick yelled back.

“I can take my bike!” A different guy shouted. They were still too far away with the sparse pools of light for Cassie to see who was speaking.

“Wally don’t be an idiot!” Cassie smiled as she recognized her sister’s voice. The group finally got to them and Cassie breathed a sigh of relief, comfortably avant garde seemed to be the dress code. Donna was indeed wearing her fringed suede jacket and sparkly leggings with a plain black t-shirt and sandals. She rushed Cassie and gathered her into her arms. “Hiya sis,” Donna breathed into her ear and Cassie laughed, struggling to free herself.

The group cooed around them. “Why aren’t you guys like that?” someone asked someone Cassie couldn’t see thanks to her sister’s fluffy hair. When she finally pulled away she saw most of Donna’s friends and her own laughing at the two of them, causing Cassie to blush.

“Alright,” Dick said, taking command of the seating arrangements. “Cassie, Kara you go stand by Donna. You want to take Kon and Bart too?”

Donna shrugged, “Not a problem.”

Dick waved the boys over to her and the five stood off to the side. “Alright, with Roy how about Kori, Kyle, and Connor?” The teens in question murmured their assent before also standing to the side. “I’ll take Wally, Garth, Vic, Gar, and Ray. Roy, Connor, where’s your sister and her friends?”

“She texted they’re on the way now,” Roy fixed his baseball cap as he looked at his phone. Sure enough, a group of girls could be seen making their way towards them, boasting three blondes and a pretty African American girl that Cassie recognized from her math class.

“Sorry we’re late!” The blonde in the lead called out. “We were trying to convince Megan to come but she was hiding from Rose in Wally and Jackson’s room and they all decided to be lame!”

“Wow Mia. Way to be blunt!” Roy called back.

“Bite me!” and an extremely audible raspberry could be heard as they neared. Roy completely cracked up while Connor did an honest to god face palm. Cassie almost felt bad for the guy.

“The girls will be riding with you,” Dick informed Babs who shrugged and climbed back into her bug to try and get the beat-up car started again.

Donna taped on Cassie’s shoulder and she automatically tilted her head to hear what her sister said. “Do you know them?” she whispered.

Cassie turned and whispered back, “Not really. I have a class with Anita and I know Mia and one of the other blondes are both on the archery team but other than that.”

Donna shrugged and turned back to the group. “We good?” Dick asked as he looked around at their little squadrons. Everyone nodded and Dick clapped his hands together once. “Alright then, time to move out!”

“Shotgun!” Wally called before barreling towards the SUV. With that they all broke off towards the cars to reconvene at the house in a few minutes.

Cassie’s mouth gaped open and her eyes widen as they rounded the final bend of the manor’s long drive. “It’s huge,” slipped out of her mouth as she took in sprawling grounds and ever impressive mansion that reeked of old money.

From the backseat Kon snorted. “That’s what she said.” Bart snickered as Cassie turned around to glare at the boys. Wedged directly behind her, Kara held a hand to her mouth in a poor attempt to contain her giggles. Cassie huffed as she turned back around. Donna glanced at her and smirked too.

Cassie’s mouth knotted as she crossed her arms and stared stubbornly at the large house that continued to grow larger. Donna pulled around the extravagant fountain that sat in the center of the gravel drive and parked just past the front door between Roy’s red jeep and Barbara’s beat-up bug.

The group of teenagers all clambered out of the cars and towards the front door. Cassie could already hear the bass thumping as the door was flung open. A boy in artfully ripped black jeans and a red hoodie had thrown open the doors and flung his arms into the air. The lights that lit up the porch’s giant, decorative columns gave his face eerie shadows and made the white streak in his black hair glow. The knife-blade smile he gave them glowed too and Cassie was suddenly having bad feelings about coming along. Jason cackled and called out, “Welcome! Come one, come all! To the Lost Boys soiree!” He then abruptly turned on his heel and marched back into the house.

Cassie glanced over at Kara who had appeared at her shoulder, the other girl stared back and shrugged. “And I thought Kon was dramatic,” Bart muttered from where he appeared on Cassie’s other side. She laughed and let her anxiety melt away.

The older kids were racing up the steps and Cassie linked arms with Kara excitedly and Bart did the same to her before marching onward, pulling them with her. Kon could be heard laughing as he jogged to catch up and linked on Kara’s other side as they made their way to the imposing double front doors.

Inside the house Cassie was struck first by the smoke. Somewhere in the one of the uncountable rooms and hallways there was a fog machine pumping out the swirling white matter around their calves. Next was the music, loud and thumping and coming from everywhere at once. Cassie didn’t know where to look as her eyes caught on priceless paintings, antiques, and original woodwork in the weird half-light.

“There’s food and drinks in the kitchen!” Someone half-shouted from behind them, making Cassie and everyone else jump. Steph grinned as they turned, pleased by the entrance she made. “Tim’s there too. Also, when I saw drink I mean soda and good old water. If anyone got drunk and ruined anything Alfred would have all our heads.”

“And where exactly is the kitchen?” Kara yelled back. The music seemed to be getting louder, the bass pounding through Cassie’s ribcage.

“This way!” Steph waved and began weaving her way through the house. The four of them followed her deeper into the halls where the music, if possible, got even louder and then began to dim as they ended in a sleek, modern kitchen with a huge island and even bigger wood table and chairs.

The counter was lined with bottles of every non-alcoholic carbonated beverage imaginable. The table overflowing with everything from burgers and chips to chocolate cake and apple pie. Tim was found at the coffee pot, chatting with Mia and the three girls she had brought with.

“Timmy boy!” Steph launched herself onto his back. He laughed and elbowed her sharply in the ribs. She easily rolled off and bumped their hips together. “I found your friends.”

He turned to them and smiled. “You made it! Excellent! Coffee?”

“I cannot believe you’re drinking coffee right now,” One of the blondes said with an incredulous eyebrow.

“Look Cissie, I drink coffee like some people drink water.” Tim finished pouring it into his mug and turned to the others. “I don’t think you guys all know each other. Mia,” he pointed to the blonde on the far end, her hair was long and held in a tight ponytail. “Cissie,” the girl standing next to him, her hair came to her shoulders and swished as she waved. “Courtney,” the last blonde smiled and Cassie saw braces wink at her in the kitchen’s bright light. “And Anita,” the African American girl smiled and inclined her head. He then moved on to group that Steph had just brought in, pointing to each in turn. “Kon, Kara, Cassie, and Bart.”

“Now that we’ve all met get your snacks and let’s go!” Steph bounced towards the table and filled a plate before pouring herself a cup root beer and rushing out a door Cassie hadn’t noticed earlier.

“Should we?” Cassie asked, gesturing after the other girl.

“Yes. Most definitely yes,” Tim said, grabbing his mug and an entire bag of chips and following Steph.

The eight teens still standing in the kitchen did the only thing they could, filled plates and cups and followed their hosts. The door lead to a backyard that was completely lit by floodlights. She could just make out trees at the edges of where the light no longer reached. In the yard in front of her was… Well Cassie wasn’t exactly sure what it was. There was a halfpipe but also trapeze swings like you’d see at a circus and a stage bookended by speakers. Like everything else about the house Cassie was struck speechless.

Steph and Tim were seated on a large blanket next to a dark-haired girl. When Steph waved them all over the girl turned and Cassie saw that is was Tim’s sister Cass. They made their way over and Cassie sat on the blanket to Steph’s left, as the one she was currently on was filled thanks to Harper, Duke, Cullen, and another boy that Cassie didn’t recognize laying in front of the other three. The boy snarled at something Tim said and Cass shot him a look, making his mouth snap shut and Steph ruffle his hair. The others laughed and Tim excused himself to go sit with Kon, Bart, Mia, Anita, Cissie, and Courtney on another blanket that was devoid of the younger boy.

Steph gathered her things and moved too, coming to sit with Cassie and Kara. “What was that?” Cassie asked and gestured to the neighboring blanket that Steph had just left.

“What? Damian? Kid’s just a little demon brat is all. No worries, he loves me,” Steph waved them off and wiggled her way so that she was squeezed between them.

“Ok. So, what’s all this?” Kara asked and spread her hands at the set-up in front of them.

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll see. One thing the Waynes all have in common is a flare for the dramatic. That is what this is.” Steph held her plate out to Kara. “Pretzel?”

Suddenly, there was a loud tone from the speakers before it morphed into a flurry of notes. A whoop came from the small crowd around them as a figure appeared on the platform of the trapeze. The figure bowed and waved in time to the music as it crescendoed. At the peak the figured jumped and Cassie gasped as they plummeted through the air but the momentum caught the swing and soon they were soaring through the air to the next swing. Back and forth they flew and flipped, spun and soared. The music and performance came to a close as they landed on the opposite platform, perfectly in synch. The crowd cheered and the figure bowed again before climbing down and walking to the middle of the stage.

“Hello and welcome to the first Neverland party of the year!” Dick crowed to the crowd. They all gave up another cheer and Cassie gasped.

“That was Dick? With all the flippy stuff?” She whispered in Steph’s ear.

“Yup. He’s the best acrobat in the world,” Steph said midchew on a chocolate chip cookie. “That’s why he’s captain of the cheer/gymnastic/flippy stuff team.”

“Aren’t you a gymnast?” Kara asked, looking over at Steph.

“Yup. And lemme tell you, I ain’t nowhere near as bendy as that boy.” Steph shook her head, making her hair brush against Cassie and Kara’s cheeks.

“Wait… Does that mean you’re a cheerleader?” Cassie asked as a grin spread across her face.

Steph did her nose/mouth scrunch of annoyance and sighed. “Yes. I am.”

Kara gasped and clapped her hands together. “I have got to see you in that little outfit!” Her cheeks reddened and eyes went wide before she gulped and stared diligently at the stage that was now clear of the trapeze equipment.

Steph didn’t seem to notice though as she let out a rough sigh. “That outfit is a torture device I swear to god. The only good thing about it is the sparkly bows.”

Cassie decided to ignore what she thought Kara was implying and refocused on the stage. Cass and Barbara stood there, still in their party clothes – fishnet stockings and jean shorts with a quirky t-shirt and fluffy cardigan for Babs, black leggings and an oversized maroon sweater for Cass – that were now paired with pale pink pointe shoes.

Cassie recognized the upbeat song as soon as it began, she may or may not have a minor obsession with Les Miserable and she knew Master of the House when she heard it. She was captivated as the two girls twirled and leapt, spinning into and between each other to the drinking song. They’re faces would go from passive to sneering along almost instantaneously, making the crowd laugh as the girls didn’t just dance but entertained. The song ended and the two rose on tip-toes to high kick perfectly in time to the final cord. The crowd whooped and hollered as Cass and Babs took their bows before leaving the stage.

The blanket next to them all leapt to their feet to start pulling apart the stage. “I should probably go help.” Steph said, as she leaned her head onto Cassie’s shoulder and slung her legs overtop of Kara’s. “But I’m comfy and they’ve got it so…”

Cassie glanced over the top of Steph’s head to look at Kara. The other girl was slowly going pink that then darkened to red. Cassie had to admit that she had gotten butterflies in the pit of her stomach the moment Steph’s head touched her shoulder. Her head started to swirl and Cassie was forced to ask herself if you could really start crushing on someone after only knowing them a week. If she was asking herself this question then realistically she should also be asking herself how it was possible that she got these same feelings every time Kara brushed up against her too. Was it possible to have a crush on two people at once?

Cassie was forced to focus back on the festivities though as another song started up. She recognized it as some Green Day song that Donna would blast whenever they drove to the beach but trying to identify it was tossed aside as soon as she saw Tim at the top of the half pipe with a skateboard. On the other side was Jason on a bike. The boys nodded at each other before dropping down on their respective wheels. Cassie was stunned as they wove back and forth, doing more impressive and dangerous tricks each time. Like the others, the performance ended when the song did. Cassie’s heart was racing, she may not know Tim overly well but she thought of him as a friend and the entire time she was having visions of him falling and getting hurt.

Next to her Steph chuckled. “You were worried about Tim. Don’t. He’s much more of a little punk than people realize.”

“Are your parties always like this?” Kara asked as around them the crowd began to break up and disperse back into the house where the bass once again boomed.

“With this?” Steph asked and flopped her hand out in front of them.

“Yeah. The Waynes and all putting on a show.” Kara clarified.

“Yeah. Well it’s not just them. Pretty much everyone goes and does something. Last year Kori performed opera, Gar put on a juggling act, Roy and Connor did William Tell.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Kara’s eyebrows had shot skyward and she had turned to look at Steph head on.

“You know. The guy who shot apples off people’s heads? It’s an archery stunt. They did it to each other, simultaneously. Really cool. Impossible to top,” Steph said the last part a little stubbornly.

Kara was stunned into silence and Cassie really couldn’t blame her for it. The yard had completely emptied and it was just the three of them on their blanket in the quiet, early fall evening. “So what’s your act?” Cassie finally asked Steph.

She felt more than saw the other girl shrug. “You can’t perform until you attend Titans Academy. Otherwise Damian would’ve been doing real life fruit ninja for us years ago.”

Kara snorted and Cassie giggled. After not even meeting the boy she could tell that he’d definitely do so with confidence. “Does everyone have to go?” Kara asked.

“Nah. It’s only if you want to. You can come and watch and eat and dance and hang regardless.” Steph pushed herself off of Cassie and removed her legs from on top of Kara’s. She maneuvered herself so that she was laying down and looking up at the sky. Immediately Cassie and Kara both mirrored her until they were all staring up at the nonexistent stars. Steph dug her phone out of her back pocket and tapped out a quick text. A few minutes later the floodlights switched off until the yard was only lit by the squares of light from the windows, none of which reached their blankets. As their eyes adjusted they could see the stars winking down at them.

After a few more minutes Cassie raised her arm and began pointing out different constellations, relaying the ancient stories that were written in the stars. She fell silent and soon Kara raised her arm and told them what the different stars were named, what type of star they were, and where in the universe they called home. When she fell silent Steph grabbed each of their hands in each of her own and entwined their fingers.

“I-” she started and then cleared her throat and tried again. “I wanted to say thanks, for coming tonight. I know you guys didn’t know what you were getting into and I know that the others aren’t exactly forthcoming with information but thanks. Donna- Donna said that she’d ask you since I was too nervous to and I’m- I’m really glad. So thanks.” Steph sucked in a deep breath and held it. Cassie squeezed her hand and somehow she knew that Kara was doing the same on Steph’s other side. Steph let out the shuddering breath.

The three girls laid there under the stars holding hands as the music began to turn slow and quiet down. Lights began flickering off until only the kitchen spilled light onto the backyard and yet they laid there. The air became chillier and dew began to gather on the surrounding grass. Finally, Steph spoke into the darkness. “Everyone just spends the night then. You can stay in my room, I have spare pjs.”

Cassie nodded and pushed herself off the ground, never letting go of Steph. Kara mirrored her and still linked they made their way into the house. Kara let go to allow Steph to take the lead, grabbing onto Cassie’s free hand instead. They didn’t even take their shoes off before they collapsed onto Steph’s bed and fell asleep in a pile of limbs, blankets, and long blonde hair.

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smartphone-science · 5 years ago

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When people think of scientists, they typically think of – white men in lab coats. However, LOTS of us do not look like this. When I first entered graduate school, I didn’t feel comfortable expressing my fancier side because I didn’t think people would take me seriously. I didn’t feel like myself though. Over the years, I finally decided to be me and embrace my fancy side. Ever since I embraced “Fancy Scientist” as my social media handles, I have noticed there are a lot of other people out there!

Let’s take the time to meet them! Every Friday, I feature a scientist who has a fancy side on my Instagram. There are no limitations to age, gender, or level of education. They are listed in the order that they were posted on my account. Here is the gigantic and ongoing list of fancy scientists out there!

From field to fancy! Me collecting elephant dung for research (bottom left) and me going out to dinner (right). I decided to embrace my fancy side and use it to counter stereotypes of people in science. Did you know that kids usually draw old, white men in lab coats when they are asked to draw a scientist (upper left)?

90. Anna Zakrisson

Today’s #FancyScientist is another fashion chameleon. Her photos showcase a spectrum of lewks and a range of styles. @annazakrisson she studied marine ecology, specifically nutrient cycles and cyanobacteria for her Ph.D. Now she promotes scientific literacy and skeptical thinking. Anna wants people to “re-learn their childish awe of the world” and does this by working with artists and musicians as a performance lecture. She describes her place in the world as between systems; “to act as a link between scientists and non-scientists; academia and business; high school dropouts and professors.” She also has her own consulting and macerating business and is a scientrepreneur (a term I came up with for people like me: scientist + entrepreneur) like me. I especially love this quote from her “You can be both creative and science-minded. You don’t have to pick a side.”

89. Elizabeth Mendes

Today’s #FancyScientist is a scientist and a patent writer: @thepatentscientist. Elizabeth studies biomolecular sciences, does research on Rheumatoid arthritis, and works with dopamine signaling in C. Elegans (a nematode that’s a model system). Outside of school and the lab (as if that is not enough), she also work as a technical Patent writer! She helps her attorney draft and put together patents for novel inventions in the biotech and cannabis industries. Her long-term goal is to work in the patent industry and be heavily involved in technology transfer and innovation. I love seeing all of the applications of science through this weekly feature. I am constantly surprised!

88. Tahlia Perry

Today’s #FancyScientist is another one that I met in real life – at the Citizen Science Conference. @Tahliajperry studies echidnas, one of only 2 egg-laying mammals in the world, and is using molecular tools (like DNA sequencing) to help with echidna conservation. Because echidnas are very hard to study in the wild, Tahlia created a citizen science project called #EchidnaCSI where thousands of people have submitted echidna sightings from across Australia and even collected their poo! There’s an abundance of DNA and hormones in the poo, which can tell you all about an animals’ lifestyle and health. Tahlia is super passionate about wildlife conservation, women in STEM and science communication – talking about her science anytime she can. When she’s not science-ing you’ll catch her with a glass of wine (or 3), she loves to travel and is a major music theatre nerd. Me too!

87. Ceri Brenner

Today’s #FancyScientist is @ceribrenner! She is a senior scientist who specializes in high power (PW-class) laser-plasma interaction physics and laser-based acceleration of electrons and ions for generation of laser-driven sources of MeV x-rays and neutrons (um, wow!). She has particular interest in nuclear and aerospace applications. For example, using high-power lasers for scanning nuclear waste containers to give 3D visualizations of the hazardous material inside. As acting group leader, she develops and implements the innovation and impact strategy of the Central Laser Facility, by leading a cross-facility team consisting of scientists and engagement officers working alongside industry partners for innovation projects. Again, WOW. And check out her laser manicure!

86. Rowan Collins

Today’s #FancyScientist caught my eye from their amazing makeup looks! @queermoth is an entomologist and is particularly interested in the evolution of and interactions between insect hosts and parasitoids. Projects Rowan is currently working on includes the transmission of fire blight (a bacterial disease that can kill plants) by Anthomyiid flies, the influence of pest insects such as tarnished plant bug on low-tunnel-enclosed strawberries, and the invasion of Drosophila suzukii (a fruit fly). They hope to eventually become a professor and a mentor to young LGBTQ people in science. Their favorite bug is the rusty tussock moth (Orgyia antiqua), and they share their home with their fiancée, a mouthy cat, and too many hissing roaches.

85. Dr. Von P

Today’s #fancyscientist has so much style that she even looks like a different person on different photos of her feed! She is @dr.dvonp, a social psychologist and sexual and mental health advocate. She’s dedicated the majority of her work in examining psychological mechanism’s impact in health decision-making and applying these findings to real-world interventions. More specifically, she investigates both explicit and implicit psychological factors impacting HIV prevention strategies, such as HIV testing and PrEP initiation. I have so much respect for @dr.vonp’s fashion game AND her attitude. I especially love this statement on her post where she is wearing the pastel rainbow-colored wig: “Did your professors ever look like this? Yeah mind didn’t either honestly a motivating factor for me at work is the ability to look any way I want on any given day and not care one bit what anyone thinks because my CV speaks for itself. I hate feeling limited in my self-expression because I’m supposed to be an academic 24/7, and academics definitely aren’t supposed to be giving you thirst traps on the weekend. I go back and forth with these feelings a lot but I have decided to just let you all see every aspect of me as a person beyond my title. Hopefully soon it won’t be so weird to have a professor that wears unicorn wigs in her down time and also can slay a data analysis the next day.”

84. Holly O’Donnell

It’s #FancyFriday! This week’s #FancyScientist may not look so fancy because she posts a lot of photos of her in the field – but don’t let that fool you! @hollyodonnell_conservationist is a conservation biologist who studies mammals large and small. She’s worked in Paraguay and Peru extensively, studying how mammal abundance varies across different land use types such as reserves, ecotourism lodges, and extractive industries. She now works as a research assistant studying spotted hyenas for the Trans Kalahari Predator Program at WildCRU Wildlife Conservation Research Unit). She still returns to Peru every summer as an expedition guide, where her speciality (besides mammals) is frogs! She hopes to begin a PhD shortly.

83. Ashley Hall

Today’s #FancyScientist is one of the nicest people on Instagram and has tons of biodiverse style! @lady_naturalist is a multi-faceted scientist: a zooarchaeologist by degree and a paleontologist by training, but has spent her career focusing on informal education in zoos and natural history museums. Her love for educating the public especially through social media has led her to her current role as the Marketing Coordinator for the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes. Ashley’s describes her style as “creepy cute” (LOL). Black is her favorite color, but she mixes in fun pops of science-themed jewelry and lots of pink. And you can always know it’s her from her signature platinum blonde hair and cat eye eyeliner. She loves science fashion so much, that she has a second account dedicated completely to it: @dresslikeascientist. She and other scientists curate photos of science-inspired fashion and home accents.

82. Caileen Brison

Today’s #FancyScientist, @caimarison, is an enologist at Big Basin Vineyards and PhD student in at UC Santa Cruz. I had to look up the first word myself. An enologist is someone who studies the science of wine. How fun (and fancy)! Caileen works with the winemaking team to ensure the fidelity and stability of aging wines from harvest to bottle. This includes methods such as chemosensory analysis, microbiological plating, and cellar management. In Caileen’s Ph.D. research, she focuses on researching the mechanisms behind cell cycle regulation. She is specifically interested in on how post-translational modifications regulate the activity and interactions of a central transcription factor. Fun fact – like me, Caileen had a theater major in college, but decided to switch to science because she felt like she could better society as a whole and pursue her other passion in life – curiosity. I personally hope she stays curious about wine.

81. Shani at the Grad Perspective

We have our first chemical engineer! Today’s #FancyScientist, @gradperspective, works on improving the delivery of drugs using polymers. She does this by creating tiny microscopic plastic capsules called polymer nanoparticles. Inside these capsules, she can insert one or multiple drugs. The nanoparticles protect the body from any negative effects of the drugs and target the drug to specific areas. Her research is focused on understanding the effect of delivering multiple drugs in different sequences. She relates this to pizzaa! (I love this) “When we make pizza we have a specific order for how we make it to make it taste good: make a dough, add sauce, then cheese! So my idea is that we can find an optimal sequence of delivering drugs that can interact in a specific way with our cells to produce the most beneficial effects.” Outside of the lab, she enjoys fashion, crafts, and blogging. Check out her blog!

80. Niba Nirmal

Today’s #FancyScientist is ANOTHER model and again, a fancy scientist with too many photos to choose from. You absolutely have to visit her account to see all of her amazing fashion and photos. @notesbyniba studies genes, specifically how plants adjust their genes for growing properly. Her research focuses on the creation, manipulation, and fine-tuning of genetic networks in synthetic biology. She studies the positive feedback loop in the root gene regulatory network within Arabidopsis (a specific plant), which controls cell differentiation. She believes that by discovering more about the biology of plant genes, we can learn more about our own genes as well!

79. Elizabeth Delery

Today’s #FancyScientist is a medical researcher passionate about science: @PhDelery. Elizabeth Delery is a postdoctoral researcher interested in the neurobiology of pain and addiction, and the subsequent neuroinflammation, to discover therapeutics to increase quality of life. Her research examines the effects of HIV, alcoholism, and opioid addiction on neuroinflammation, and vice versa, using a simian (monkey) model of HIV. Elizabeth is also passionate about celebrating women in STEM and has pinned stories about some amazing female scientists on Instagram.

78. Courtney McGeachy

Today’s #FancyScientist does amazing work for our oceans! @peachmcgeach is a Senior Associate with the Pew Marine Fellows Program where she oversees the management and administration of Pew fellowships and works to support and enhance social science connections to the program. Courtney has also worked for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation where she managed The Fishing for Energy program, Emergency Prescott/Marine Mammal Stranding, and the Killer Whale Research and Conservation Fund. She studied marine and environmental science her current passion is Incorporating social and citizen science in global marine conservation.

77. Melissa Cristina Marquez

Today’s #fancyscientist is not only a fancy scientist, but a fancy artist and podcaster as well. @melissacristinamarquez is a marine biologist who studies the habitat use of sharks, trying to figure out why sharks are where they are, and investigates how people feel about these predators and if there have been changes over time due to social media and films. Melissa has her own Etsy shop where she uses digital water color art to bring the beautiful skins of sharks and their relatives to life and is highly engaged in outreach. She created “The Fins United Initiative” to provide scientifically accurate and free materials for teachers worldwide. In her podcast, ConCiencia Azul, she addresses marine conservation to the Hispanic public in Spanish. She talks about many issues related to marine conservation and issues that affect Latin American countries in particular.

76. Annora Thoeng

@NoraFinds is another #fancyscientist with incredible fashion sense! Again, I had the hardest time choosing photos. Her expertise is in vintage fashion as she is obsessed with bygone eras. She studied medical science and specialized in molecular biology and protein work. Her research in various labs consisted of cancer and Drosophila (fruit fly) studies and studying the C9orf72 mutation in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The C9orf72 gene is a common cause of both FTD and ALS. As a vintage fashionista and scientist, she likes to use her instagram feed to break stereotypes about both.

75. Louise Bullen

I am so in love with @Louisebullen03’s style! She is a #fancyscientist who really knows how to to work some biodiverse fashion including snakeskin, leopard, and zebra prints. Louise Bullen is studying stem cell biology for her Ph.D. She’s especially interested in the mechanisms that cause a cell to reprogram from and adult stage cells to an embryonic-like state called induced pluripotency. She’s especially interested in this can give researchers insight into disease mechanisms, particularly neurodegenerative diseases. Louise not only does super important work, but her insta makes me really want to step up my fashion game!

74. Alyson Brokaw

@alyb_batgirl is a #fancyscientist who loves to embrace #biodiversefashion. I first noticed her when she participated in my biodiverse fashion challenge and you can see some of my favorite pieces that she wears here. Alyson Brokaw is a doctoral student who studies – you guessed it – bats! She’s broadly interested in animal behavior, physiology, communication and sensory ecology. With over 1200 different species located around the world, bats are an amazing group of animals to investigate these topics. Bats make up ~25% of all mammal species! You can find tons of amazing bat photos and facts on her insta.

73. Susan Finkbeiner

@scientificmodel is a true #fancyscientist! Susan Finkbeiner (@fink_about_it on Twitter) has two jobs: an international model and scientist. In her TEDx talk, she discusses living a “dual life,” and challenges the stereotypes of both professions. As a scientist, her research involves understanding the variation (in color and patterns) across a rapidly diversifying lineage of butterflies. The central goal is to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes that shaped the temporal and spatial patterns of biodiversity. I had a very hard choosing the photos for this one too, but I HAD to include a photo of her in a beetle elytra (modified, hardened forewing) headdress by designer @sigrun_vikingart.

72. Nika Larian

I had such a hard time choosing photos for today’s #FancyScientist! Make sure you go to her feed at @nikalarian to check out all of her amazing outfits. Nika Larian is a Ph.D. candidate in pharmacology and nutritional sciences studying nutritional interventions for cachexia. This is the weight loss and wasting away of fat and lean mass associated with chronic critical illnesses such as sepsis and cancer. She is particularly interested in the role of pyocyanin, a blue-pigmented virulence factor released by sepsis-causing Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a bacterium). Nika is also passionate about community outreach and received a grant to provide nutrition education and cooking classes to local youth! So cool! Outside of the lab, Nika is an advocate for science policy and serves as the Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students. You can see photos of her at Capitol Hill on her feed!

71. Rhiannon Morris

Today’s #FancyScientist got her start on Instagram by posting a of something sciencey every day for a year and has had quite the following since then (17K followers!)! @sci.with.rhi is a biochemist and crystallographer studying signaling in blood cancers. Her research looks at the JAK-STAT pathway, which is a series of interactions between proteins within a cell that play a role in immunity, cell division and death, and the formation of tumors. Outside of the lab, Rhiannon is passionate about communicating science (as you can see from her insta account) and is especially interested in advocating for women in STEM. She also loves coffee, cheese, and dogs (not necessarily in that order).

70. Naomi Koh Belic

Today’s #fancyscientist loves to break stereotypes about what women in science are supposed to look like. Like me, @naomikohbelic used shy away from looking too “girly” at science events thinking people wouldn’t take her seriously. And also like me, she stopped caring and started being herself! Naomi Koh Belic is a stem cell researcher, science communicator and university educator. Her research involves stem cells that are harvested from adipose tissue (fat!) which can be extracted from liposuctioB. These stem cells can differentiate into neurons, the building blocks of your brain and spinal cord. Your body however has a limited capacity to regenerate neurons on its own in response to trauma or neurodegenerative diseases. Her research focuses on using adipose stem cells to better understand Multiple sclerosis, the most common cause of chronic neurological disability in young adults. I’m addition to being an amazing scientist, she is also heavily involved in science communication and gives lots of talks and posts videos on her website.

69. Daisy Shu

Today’s #FancyScientist is @eyedaisyshu! Daisy studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in ocular (relating to the eye) wound healing. The aim of her research is to explore how excessive wound healing results in scar formation, which drives the formation of fibrotic eye diseases. Using molecular biology techniques analysing protein and gene expression, her research seeks to eavesdrop on the cellular conversation mediating the wound healing response (I LOVE how she phrases this!). This can help with treatments. For example, she worked on a project exploring the wound healing mechanisms following glaucoma filtration surgery. The most critical determinant of the success of glaucoma surgery is scar formation and by understanding the signaling pathways involved in scarring, novel anti-fibrotic agents can be developed to maximize the surgical success. Finally, I am totally obsessed with her dress on the right!

68. Rukia Henry

Today’s #FancyScientist is @lifewithrukia! Rukia is an international, first-year Molecular Biosciences Ph.D. student studying cancer biology. She created the blog “Life with Rukia,” to share how she is navigating through graduate school. She delayed her decision to get a Ph.D. because at first she didn’t consider it a suitable career option. Growing up in Guyana, she never saw scientists who looked like her or were from the Caribbean. Her goal is to create content that not only showcases the amazing world of science and her pursuit of a Ph.D., but also features her love for God, fashion, beauty, and health. She hopes that young women of color can be empowered to know that they can be scientists too!

67. Debbie Gale Mitchell

I learned of today’s #fancyscientist because she had some amazing chemistry-inspired makeup that someone tweeted to me: carbon as diamond and graphite (bottom left). @heydebigale (on Twitter) is a biophyisical/inorganic chemist interested in using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to monitor fast biochemical reactions including redox and free radical chemistry. EPR is a a technique used to study chemical species with unpaired electrons. She is working to apply EPR imaging to monitor these reactions spatially and in real time. Bringing EPR to a broad audience is an interest of hers. She tweets about it and is developing labs for undergraduates on EPR. She believes chemistry is central to all aspects of science and medicine and therefore is always looking for better ways to help my students learn and apply chemistry. As you can tell, her science outreach is not just limited to her students and she goes above and beyond with social media and fun makeup.

66. Georgia Atkins-Smith

Today’s #fancyscientist is @someblondescientist. Georgia Atkins-Smith studied biochemistry and Immunology, investigating how key white blood cells in the immune system undergo a dramatic dance of death to generate small fragments. She uncovered key regulators of this process, its role in homeostasis and infectious disease, and developed novel methods researchers can use to study the disassembly process. Now, in her postdoc, she is further dissecting our understanding of cell death during the progression and treatments of blood cancer. In addition to research, she is also a passionate science communicator and advocate of women in STEM. She believes all scientists have a responsibility to communicate what we do, and communicate it honestly.

65. Samantha Ballard

Today’s #FancyScientist is usually in a bikini, but I could still tell she was fancy! @air.sea.sam studies the coastal air-sea environment and uses spaceborne Synthetic Aperature Radar (SAR) images for wind and wave retrievals to explore surface roughness patterns in the coastal zone. Her goal is to improve SAR wind retrieval algorithms, which are developed for the open ocean, in coastal areas, where the relationship between surface roughness, wind and waves is more complex and less understood. She is a master coder and knows R, Matlab, Python, IDL and Fortran. I’m sure she spends a lot of time with her computer, but you can’t tell by her insta – she’s always on the beach or by the water!!

64. Lila Higgins

In honor of the Citizen Science Association’s conference, this week’s #fancyscientist is an expert in citizen science (AKA community science): @colilaoptera. Lila Higgins is an entomologist and museum educator and can usually be spotted in her signature black hat and red lipstick. At the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, she oversees the Community Science office, focusing on bringing urban nature and community science to the public in new ways. She co-founded the City Nature Challenge, a global effort to document biodiversity in the world’s cities. To date 150+ cities have taken part, with over 18,000 people collecting almost 600,000 wildlife observations!! These data help us understand urban nature and work towards making our cities better for humans and wildlife. @colilaoptera‘a insta is full of so many amazing finds in nature!

63. Lauren Callender

Today’s #fancyscientist is immunologist @lozcallender_ ! Lauren studies the effects of ageing and age-related diseases on the human immune system. She is passionate about science communication and an amazing artist. This is reflected in her YouTube channel called “ScienceScribbles” where she teaches about scientific concepts by drawing along. If you look through her feed you’ll see she has a strong selfie game too.

62. Julia Ravey

Today’s #fancyscientist is next level fancy! I mean, look at those photos! Julia (@me_mycells_andi) is a PhD student researching Alzheimer’s disease neurobiology. She is an amazing science communicator on Instagram and also writes a blog on all things neuroscience in relation to normal life – for example, the neuroscience of exercise. Her hope is to help others engage in science by making her content accessible to everyone. She would love for more people to understand the ins and outs of the neurodegenerative diseases that affect people so deeply. She also is quite the artist and has fun drawings, including a dendritic Christmas tree!

61. Kristin

Today’s #fancyscientist has such a fun insta feed – so much natural history information, a hiking kitty, and so many funny lab stories. @kaydubsthehikingscientist is a plant pathologist that studies Ascomycotan fungi and how they cause diseases to forest trees. She gets to spend half of her time in the forest looking for specific plants, fungi, and insects, while the other half of her time is spent in the lab. She really enjoys hiking in the remote wilderness and learning about the ecosystem she is in and you can certainly tell by her Instagram feed!

60. Megan Prescott

Who says that art and science don’t mix? Today’s #fancyscientist’s account is at the intersection of science, art, and popular culture. @designingscience interprets scientific concepts through fashion design, explores the science in our everyday lives, and shows the real side of grad school through the “occasional melt down in her stories” (haha, her words, not mine!). Megan Prescott is a PhD candidate in microbiology studying the bacteria that causes tuberculosis to find new candidates for vaccines. She even has pants inspired by bacteria! She is also committed to active changes that will improve the lives of scientists, and even created a grant for childcare support for women scientists attending conferences!

59. Sara Ruane

When I posted about my love for the online consignment store the Real Real, this #fancyscientist, tweeted right back with a photo of her closet full of Chanel (swipe right to see it #closetgoals). @Sara_and_snakes (on Twitter) is an assistant professor at Rutgers University-Newark interested in reptile systematics, especially of – you guessed it – snakes. Her research focuses on the phylogenetics of a family of snakes in Madagascar. She uses molecular data and traditional Sanger-sequencing approaches, as well as ecological and morphological data to aid in understanding what factors promote speciation in these snakes. Sara’s love of snakes come through in her fashion. Check out her snake tights!

58. Sam Zwicker

I found today’s #fancyscientist because she had a post about being in a fashion show to support conservation! How cool is that? I had to reach out! @sjzwicker is a scientist AND executive director. Her Ph.D. research involves assessing the effects of land use change on felids and their prey in the Amazon, estimating densities of jaguar populations, and research on the reintroduction of threatened species. She founded @HojaNueva, a nonprofit center for research, conservation, and education in Peru and cofounded @FashionforConservation, an organization which aims to reverse fashion’s impact on the planet by putting a media spotlight on critical environmental topics while raising funds to support on the ground conservation efforts. This woman is seriously speaking my language!

57. Amanda Hipps

I KNEW today’s #FancyScientist was fancy even though she mostly posts photos from the field (hint: I saw her nails). I love @biophiliamanda‘s instagram! Not only because it is filled up with SUPER cute photos and videos of gopher tortoises, but she also has fantastic conservation messages. Although Amanda’s feed is full of tortoises, she actually studies the animals that depend on their burrows (outside of the tortoises themselves) and how they help the tortoises. Some insects feed only on gopher tortoise dung (ew), but these insects provide important dung removal services within the burrow. They may benefit the tortoises by reducing pest flies and parasite loads. Amanda is studying their range and habitat requirements to determine which species can be found in Southeast Florida and where. These insects are found nowhere else in the world, but these burrows! Amanda also showcases a lot of other Florida critters found in or near the borrows such as snakes, frogs, lizards, and even my favorite – manatees! Her feed is super fun.

56. Colby Ford

Today’s #FancyScientist is Dr. Colby Ford AKA @c01.by. His handle is perfect for what he does. Colby is a computational biomathematician and data scientist with a passion for mathematics and genomics research. He uses machine learning and visual analytics to help with the research. He currently works as a researcher in the Department of Bioinformatics an Genomics at UNCC and as a data scientist for BlueGranite, a Microsoft partner consulting firm focused on delivering data and AI solutions. His resume is seriously amazing; it spans multiple programing languages, advanced statistics, web design and even music. And he is stylish. I have a hard time with just one programming language.

55. Teresa

Today’s #FancyScientist does medical research for some of our most special friends (if you’re me): cats and dogs! @tluci88 is a doctor of veterinary medicine with interests in endocrinology, immune mediated disease, and minimally invasive procedures using endoscopy. Teresa’s research includes understanding a serum biochemical marker to facilitate diagnosing pancreatitis in cats and dogs. Her favorite part of being a vet is the problem-solving aspect of obtaining a diagnosis. She spends her free time listening to heavy metal, watching horror movies, and loves all things spooky.

54. Nicholas Montoni

Today’s #FancyScientist is @nickmontoni, a Physical Chemist studying light-matter interactions at the nanometer scale. He is another scientist I found from @500queerscientists, and as a graduate student, Nick was an advocate for LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented students in STEM. Nick now works as a freelance science policy consultant and is pursuing a career in science policy and public service. After hearing some inspiring talks from Science and Technology Policy Fellows in the American Association for the Advancement of Science program, Nick had a career change. His goal is to ensure that science can be done by and used for the benefit of everyone. Finally, he wears amazing biodiverse shirts.

53. Cristian Sandoval

I found today’s #FancyScientist through the amazing account @500queerscientists. Cristian Sandoval, @keepingupwithmycamera, is a medical technologist and Ph.D. candidate at the University of La Frontera in Chile. His research is in molecular biology within the medical field and is very vast. His publications range from burn treatments to alcohol consumption effects on cancer to the effects of stress on livers, spleens, and adrenal glands. Cristian first discovered his love for science in college and “found the best way to shine and to do amazing things” was through science. He is currently looking for a postdoctoral position and a new place to do research and improve his scientific skills. “I know the power is in our hands and we can change the world.” YES, we can!

52. Vanessa Cesário

I am super excited about today’s #FancyScientist because I work in a museum! @thestylishphd is working on a degree in Digital Media in Portugal. Vanessa is investigating the experiences of teenage visitors inside natural history and science museums. Specifically, she is trying to understand how combining digital storytelling and gamification can enhance their experiences. Vanessa believes that digital and interactive content for children and teens has immense potential to be uncovered and further developed inside museums! I agree and can’t wait to see her results.

51. Montgomery Spillane

Today’s #FancyScientist, @garb.by.gumbo, is part scientist, part fashion designer. She uses her love of geology to inspire fashion, specifically textile designs. Her designs are based on micropetrographs, which are thin sections of rock used to determine the mineralogy of the rock in question. She puts them on scarves, bags, leggings, and even phone cases. I am definitely a print girl and I am in love with these kaleidoscope-esque looks! By day, @Garb.by.gumbo has a very important job that affects us directly in our daily lives. She is a consulting geologist whose work involves monitoring important environmental protections (AKA regulations) for us. She conducts assessments and remediation of properties that are affected by hazardous substance or pollutants, and more recently, she started working on coal combustion residual rule monitoring. Aren’t these fancy scientists so surprising?

50. Lisa Buckley

Today’s #FancyScientist is all about makeup, especially eyes – my favorite! @LisaVipes does #BirdGlamour, where makes up her face to look as glamorous as different birds. While I am biased towards mammals, they are some of the least fancy animals. Birds on the other hand, can be super fancy with lots of color and shimmer. Lisa recreates these looks and even poses in their habitat! Lisa is a vertebrate paleontologist that studies the tracks and traces of of Cretaceous-age dinosaurs and extinct birds. Part of her research involves remote field work where she observes birds interacting with the environment in their natural habitats. She documents and collects replicas of their traces and tracks and uses that information to better understand the fossil tracks of ancient birds. In addition to #BirdGlamour, she also runs #NameThatTrack on Twitter, a fun game to help people use and refine their tracking skills.

49. Hilary Nicholson

Today’s #FancyScientist is Hilary Nicholson who is a member of the Science Cheerleaders! I saw the Science Cheerleaders perform at @usasciencefest. They are a non-profit comprised of 300+ current and former NFL, NBA and college cheerleaders pursuing STEM careers. The goal of the Science Cheerleaders is to challenge stereotypes about scientists, engineers and cheerleaders and engage people in citizen science and inspire young women to consider careers in STEM. Hilary is a Medical Oncology Research Fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institue/Harvard Medical School. She works on research to increase the specificity of chemotherapy through synthetic lethality, which is an interaction between two genes where when either gene is perturbed alone it is viable, but when both genes are perturbed simultaneously, it results in the loss of viability. These interactions with tumour-specific mutations can be used to develop anticancer treatments. Hilary cheered for the Colgate Raiders in college and faced stereotypes about being a scientist and cheerleader. She now works hard to try to break them in both fields!

48. Faviola Dadis

Guys, today’s #FancyScientist is so fancy she used to be a model! @neurosciencebarbie spent her first career as a an international model for 15 years and three running a PR firm in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Faviola decided to make a drastic change though, and returned to university full-time to become a clinical neuroscientist studying cognitive deficits in stroke patients. Faviola is now a doctoral candidate and her research focuses on traditional and virtual reality neurorehabilitation with stroke patients. She is also an entrepreneur like last week’s fancy scientist! She funded her research through a medtech startup company called NeuroReality, which specializes in the development of medical software using virtual reality to create an immersive and gamified neurorehabilitation program for individuals who experience cognitive deficits following a stroke. What can’t this girl do?

47. W. Shawn Carbonell

His Instagram name says it all – he dropped out from his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon. But that wasn’t because @brainsurgerydropout didn’t have passion, it’s because he wanted to be a bigger part of the solution! #FancyScientist Dr. Shawn Carbonell saw too many people die from brain cancer and started his own biopharma company. Along with his wife @fashionsurgeon, he is now researching and creating new classes of drug therapies for patients! His vision is for his drugs to be one of the go-to tools for oncologists to treat virtually any cancer. Not only do he and his wife run a company together, but they also dress up together. But my favorite part of @brainsurgerydropout’s style is his cat pocket square. Obsessed!

46. Christy Lane

Today’s #FancyScientist is not only a scientist, but also an entrepreneur as you can tell by her handle: @thetravelingmompreneur. Christy has a PhD in Rehabilitation Medicine and studies exercise as medicine for clinical populations. She is especially interested in the abilities of wearable technology to promote behavioral changes. This is where the entrepreneur side kicks in: She founded and is the Co-CEO of Vivametrica, an insuretech company that uses data from wearable devices to predict mortality and disease risks, and engage customers in wellness. It’s also clear from Christy’s instagram that she is a very good mom and loves Disney (like me!).

45. Katelynn Perrault

Today’s #FancyScientist is @kateprofesses! Katelynn is an Assistant Professor of Forensic Science and Chemistry at Chaminade University in Hawaii (jealous!). Check out how cool her research is – she has done extensive work profiling the volatile organic compounds that form the odor from decomposing remains! Why would we need to study such gross smells? Well it turns out her research is essential in understanding the sensory mechanisms behind scent-detection in canines. In other words, this helps us understand how dogs can detect decomposing bodies. How cool is that? In addition to posting photos of her in the lab, it’s clear that Katelynn also loves the outdoors. You’ll find photos of her hiking, surfing, and doing yoga on the beach in Hawaii. Did I mention that I am jealous?

44. Kristina Poljak

Today’s #FancyScientist is a scientist by day and blogger/fashionista by night! Kristina AKA @beneaththecoat describes herself as “a scientist who, in daily laboratory work, beneath her lab coat hides a wonderful world of colours, textiles and designs.” I can relate! (except I don’t wear a lab coat). Kristina works at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK. She is currently investigating the role of distinct cargo receptors in protein trafficking through and out of the cells. In other words, how the cell makes sure that every protein, once it has been made new, makes it to its destination. Kristina has an amazing blog full of fashion and travel posts. Her blog is dedicated to “all of you who like to play fashion and are not afraid to show it.” Can I get amen?

43. Helen: Makeup with Chemistry

Today’s #FancyScientist is very fancy on the face. @makeupwithchemistry is a – you guessed it – chemist! Helen’s Instagram started with her research, but she’s expanded into posting about beauty from a chemist’s perspective. Her research focuses on the energy exchange at the gas liquid interface, which has applications to liquid aerosol particles in the atmosphere. Her beauty posts include a #thursdaystheory where she shares infographics about beauty products or ingredients. My favorite posts are her eyeshadow posts. Not only is she an amazing makeup artist, but she also uses them to explain scientific concepts. If you want more from Helen, she just launched a YouTube channel delving into these concepts more as well as results she gathers from testing make up in her lab.

42. Daniel Toker

Today’s #FancyScientist is @the_brain_scientist. Daniel’s research is SUPER cool. He breaks down brains! (The science of that is.) He studies the neural underpinning of consciousness using insights from graph theory and information theory. In other words, his goal is to better understand what the brain is doing when it’s conscious, and what changes when it’s not. He is an avid fan of using social media for science communication. His Instagram account is amazing obviously, he blogs about brains, and he has at least TWO brain ties! Image of rainbow brain from Jack Gallant.

41. Friderike Möller

Today’s #FancyScientist is not on Instagram, but you can find her on Twitter under @DrMoon. Dr. Friderike Möller is another neuroscientist, but she left the bench to share her passion for science with young minds (something I love to do too!) at @scienceworldca in Vancouver. She is the Program Specialist for the “Scientist and Innovators in the Schools” program and the curator of the Body Works gallery. I found Friderike through @500queerscientists, a campaign to bring attention to the LGBTQ+ STEM community. Follow @DrMoon and give @500queerscientists a follow too to see other amazing queer scientists!

40. Vanesa Stojanovska

Today’s #FancyScientist is @neurosciencewithness! Dr. Vanesa Stojanovska is a recent PhD grad that studied neuroscience and immunology. She is now conducting research that will help premature babies breathe at birth. Her research focuses on how inflammation during pregnancy affects the nerves that control our breathing, and whether anti-inflammatory treatments can restore breathing functions. Follow her for the coolest lab and microscope photos with easy-to-understand explanations for non-neuroscientists like me. You know you are a fancy scientist when your nails are on point in the lab and you have sparkly shoes in the background.

39. Kelsie Putman Hughes

Today’s #FancyScientist is our first geologist! @CorvidBlue studied how sea water temperatures fluctuated across time over 400 million years ago. She did this using stable isotope mass spectrometry on conodonts, which are extinct, eel-like animals that leave fossils. It blows my mind that we can find things out from that long ago. She found that there was an inland sea in North America sea during this time. She spends her spare time working on a photography project called “Our Land,” which focuses on the land use and issues facing public lands. Her friends call her the “lipstick geologist.”

38. Susanna L. Harris

Today’s #FancyScientist is someone I greatly respect, @susannalharris. Susanna is a PhD Candidate studying bacteria communities in plants. She believes that bacterial interactions might affect the ability of a plant to colonize and also change the health of the plant. Understanding these processes could inform agricultural practices and potentially replace chemical pesticides with bacterial probiotics! Not only is her researche super cool, but I admire her for her work in supporting the academic community and their struggles with mental health (which is huge!). She founded The PhDepression LLC to increase visibility and provide resources to those dealing with mental illness in Higher Education. In addition to her account, you follow @ph_d_epression. I love the tie-dyed lab coat!

37. Priyamvada Natarajan

I found today’s #FancyScientist by watching a NOVA episode on black holes and was so impressed by her! Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan is a theoretical astrophysicist and professor at Yale University whose interests span cosmology, gravitational lensing, and black hole physics. Her research involves mapping dark matter in the universe, especially within clusters of galaxies, which are the largest known repositories of dark matter. Not only is she an accomplished scientist, but incredibly prolific in her public speaking and writing with published articles on CNN, The Huffington Post, and The Washington Post. You can also watch her on PBS. Also, how amazing is that necklace?

36. Tyrone Hayes

Today’s #FancyScientist is not on Instagram, but is one that definitely has style (he is wearing !). Much of Dr. Hayes’ work revolves on the effects of the herbicide atrazine in the environment. He studied frogs, which are often a good indicator of environmental health. Because of their amphibious lifestyle, their skin is permeable to water, and they can therefore absorb and feel the effects of things we put in the water more readily. Hayes’ research found that atrazine was an endocrine-disrupter for frogs; it made male frogs more feminine. While continuing his scientific research, he advocated against the use of atrazine and even came up with an anti-atrazine rap. Sygenta, the company that makes atrazine, was not amused and has attacked Hayes’ scientific credibility. The thing is, that the studies that show that atrazine doesn’t impact frogs are all funded by Sygenta. Hayes is bold in two ways: not only is he taking on a large company, he also is an advocate for public health. Scientists are expected to be completely unbiased in their research, which he claims to be, however, some scientists worry that when one takes on an advocacy role, they can appear to lose scientific credibility. Hayes is a professor with hundreds of papers in peer-reviewed journals, so he is legit, but he still gets criticized.

35. Farah S.

Today’s #FancyScientist is a doctor and may even be a Dr. doctor. @dresmerelda is an Infectious Diseases and Microbiology doctor in the UK undertaking a National Institute for Health Research project in the hopes of doing a PhD in the near future. She studies the gut microbiome, a community of microbes (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that naturally lives inside us. Her research looks at the effect of antibiotics on the gut microbiome and human breath and her methods include extracting DNA from stool and running chromatography on breath samples. Her style is vintage, hippy/boho, and a mix of the two, and keeping up with dying her hair is pretty essential.

34. Katy Wimberly

I love working on #FancyFriday #FancyScientist because I get to meet so many fancy scientists outside of my field! Today’s is @astronomouse, a PhD student studying the evolution of galaxies! How cool does her work sound? She studies “quenched” (suppressed) star formations on a galactic scale using optical observations and cosmological simulations. She also loves outreach and focuses her efforts on underrepresented minorities and on special needs children (including those on the Autism Spectrum and with Down Syndrome). You can tell from her insta that this scientist has some major style and of course I love her star-and-moon-studded jumpsuit.

33. Teresa Ambrosio

Today’s #FancyScientist is chemist and blogger @teresa_ambrosio_com. Teresa’s research focuses on C-H activations, which means she is trying to find new chemical methods to activate this strong and stable bond. Because it is so stable, the only way to transform the C-H bond is to use nasty and toxic reagents. The aim of her PhD is therefore to find more sustainable reactions to activate the bond. She uses inspiration from nature and tries to recreate them in the lab. Teresa is the only female in her lab and is passionate about the #stillascientist movement. She says ‘It is always forgotten that female scientists are female before being anything else. We want to feel female too, we want to look attractive too and this does not mean we aren’t good at doing research. It’s just our nature!”

32. Casey Ah-Cann

It’s #FancyScientist time! Today it’s @scientistcase, a PhD student working on in utero lung development in Australia. Casey is interested in how processes work within in the womb to see if they can be translated into an understanding of disease later in life. She explains that “because development in utero happens so quickly and precisely many of the same mechanisms that regulate normal development can become unregulated by mutations later in life and causes disease (like cancer).” Casey is also very passionate about science communication and doesn’t like how scientists are often portrayed as “stuffy old white men who can’t speak to other humans” (LOL, totally agree!), so she gives tours of her institute to the public and mentors high school students. I also love the photo of her combining fancy with a lab coat. Oh, and she also dressed up as a jellyfish with GFP (green fluorescent protein)! Outside of science, she knows how to turn “off” and spends time with friends and family, gardening, learning how to surf on the Australian coast (jealous).

31. Meriame Berboucha

Today’s #FancyScientist is no Sheldon Cooper! @girl_in_a_physics_world is a super fancy physicist. She loves high power lasers and her research focuses on using these lasers for better particle accelerators and imaging. She’s a very prolific science communicator with her own blog, writes for Forbes , and started a science club at a local school. She also has fantastic and empowering messages on her instagram about the discrimination that women face concerning what women should look like in the sciences. Make sure to give her a follow!

30. Sanae Ferreira

Today’s #FancyScientist is @bluebootsgo AKA Sanae Ferreira! I would describe Sanae’s insta feed in one word – FUN! Sanae is finishing her PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism, specializing in nutritional epidemiology and preventive medicine. Her research objectives focuses on adverse exposures and causes of obesity in children, and she wants to develop interventions to counter such adverse exposures.She has worked in the health and beauty industries for over 10 years as a researcher (! she looks so young). She also is a VERY prolific blogger, written, and artist. Check out her blog “Where the Blue Boots Go” at https://bluebootsgo.com.

29. Treva Brown

Last week I featured an aspiring NASA scientist, and today’s #FancyScientist is one! Dr. Treva Brown (@diva_treva) is a materials scientist who works at the @nasa Stennis Space Center. Her PhD focused on inorganic chemistry, with an emphasis on nanomechanical investigations and characterizations using atomic force and transmission electron microscopy. In other words, she uses techniques in atomic force microscopy to investigate the surface of materials at the nanometer scale. She has a passion for STEM outreach, dance, zumba, the color pink, and organizes a “Party in Pink Zumbathon” benefit for breast cancer awareness. On top of all of that, she has a book coming out soon! Look for “Fit and Fabulous PhDiva.”

28. Anya Tassy

I am so excited about today’s #FancyScientist. When I reached out to @anyatassy, I had no idea how young she was. She is ONLY 17!!! She is dual enrolled in university and high school and has already finished the first two years of her bachelor’s degree! Astrophysics is her passion, but her university does not offer astronomy classes, which is why physics is her major. But don’t worry – she plans to get her PhD in physics and astronomy! On top of that, she also works for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base conducting research for aircraft electrical systems. It is her dream to work for NASA and I’ll say she is well on her way!

27. Meridith Bartley

Today’s #FancyScientist has major style! @alwaysscientist is a PhD student in Statistics working on modeling animal movement and interactions. She made her way into stats through her love of wildlife science and I am very sure she will have no problem getting a job when she graduates because every scientist/university wants to work with statisticians! She requested that I include one of her wedding photos (bottom center) because she felt “maximum fancy” that day. I agree. Now that she’s moved to stats and doesn’t have lab or field work anymore, she can more freely express her fanciness and expand her style. When she isn’t researching or teaching, she loves tending to her ever-growing apartment garden and traveling with her husband.

26. Imogene Cancellare

When I met @biologistimogene last year I knew right off the bat she was a #fancyscientist – presenting on science communication in a pencil skirt and high heels! Imogene is a PhD student studying the genetic structure of snow leopards across Asia. She has an AMAZING instagram feed (if you aren’t following her you should) and a few weeks ago she brought attention to the negative stereotypes fancy scientists face. Someone told her she watered down her message simply through the WAY SHE LOOKED. In response, she started the hashtag #StillAScientist- “to show that regardless of what you look like, what you like, the quality of your science isn’t impacted.” Yass girl! Use this hashtag whenever you post a photo of yourself breaking the rules of what a scientist should look like.

25. Albert Welch Jr.

Being fancy is not limited to females! I love featuring our males (I know you’re out there!) and other genders. Today’s #FancyScientist, @black_scientist_585, has a diverse background in biotechnology, biology, chemistry, and forensic science. He currently works for Ortho Clinical Dianostics in the research and development section for infectious diseases. This company works in in vitro diagnostics, testing platforms and clinical assay tests to monitor disease progression. He’s married and a father of three. The goal of his instagram account is to reach out specially to black and latino communities to show them the amazing world of science! He also likes to feature current and historical African American scientists on his account.

24. Patricia Edem

I’m excited to feature the first chemist for today’s #FancyScientist! Patricia, AKA @PhDfitclub_, works at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen and her research focuses on developing radiopharmaceutical agents to help detect cancer using PET imaging. PET (Positron emission tomography) is a type of nuclear imaging technology that allows researchers to evaluate organ and tissue functions by seeing metabolic processes in the body. The radiopharmaceutical agents she develops emit radiation so you can visualize tumor localization with specialized cameras. This helps detect cancer by providing a picture of the disease process non-invasively. Her insta shows a balance of science and fitness, but even when she’s in workout clothes, she still looks pretty fancy to me.

23. Marina the Marine Biologist

Today’s #FancyScientist @marina.the.marine.biologist found her love for the ocean despite being landlocked in the Midwest. After college, she moved to Oahu to study biological oceanography at the University of Hawaii. While there, she discovered a love of teaching and has been instructing marine science, biology, and chemistry courses, in addition to advising undergraduate research projects. She’s incredibly passionate about increasing awareness about ocean and marine conservation. When she first started teaching, many of her students were older and often mistook her for a student. She started dressing up to set herself apart. Now she loves it and does it to feel her best! Her students and colleagues joke that they can always hear her coming in her heels! I love it!

22. Louise Dutton

The #FancyScientist of the week is the @redheaded.scientist! Louise is a Ph.D. student at the Queen’s University Belfast researching the role of a protein inhibitor called Gremlin-1 in bowel cancer. Gremlin-1 is involved in regulating many important processes during early development in embryos. However, in a variety of disease and cancers, including bowel cancer, it has been shown to be upregulated (increased activity). How this happens is unknown, so Louise’s whole Ph.D. is devoted to solving this mystery. Louise posts lots of cool photos of her research in the lab and provides captions explaining exactly what she is doing. My favorite post though refers to her namesake red. She has been told she will never be taken seriously with such vibrant red hair, but rather than change, she is trying to break the scientist stereotype. YES! And I of course support this.

21. Megan McSherry

Today’s #FancyScientist is my good rafiki Megan McSherry. Can you believe we met in Kenya 13 years ago?!?! Megan is an ecologist who conducts conservation research within coupled human-natural systems. One thing that stood out about Megan working at the School for Field Studies in Kenya was how much she loved and embraced Kenyan culture (I was there for a year and Megan learned more Kiswahili than me in four months). Her love of people shows in her research; she strives to find conservation solutions that are win-wins for people and wildlife. She has studied the effects of grazing management strategies on grassland vegetation and soils in Argentina, Tanzania, and Kenya. She doesn’t think of herself as a fancy scientist, yet there are too many photos of her in fancy dresses to choose from. Nonsense!

20. Bertha Hidalgo

I cannot believe it took me this long to find @chic_in_academia! She is the definition of a #FancyScientist! Bertha Hidalgo is an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she studies cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and Type-2 diabetes. She focuses on Latino populations and is trying to understand if there are genetic and epigenetic differences exist between subgroups of people. In her spare time, she maintains an awesome blog, chicinacademia.com, where blogs about outfits, shopping, and lifestyle tips. Because life in academia especially as a professor is high stress, It’s her way to decompress and have fun, so you will find no academic posts there. I just subscribed.

19. Lebaron Agostini

I came across @lee_the_scientist‘s profile and was completely taken aback to see such style under a lab coat! #FancyScientist Lebaron Agostini is a PhD student at Thomas Jefferson University studying genetics and cancer biology. He originally wanted to become a pharmacist, but changed his career trajectory after spending a summer doing population genetics research. He then started working in a lab that discovered novel antibiotics from soil bacteria, and later to the University of Miami Diabetes Research Institute. Here he narrowed his interests and decided to pursue chromatin biology (DNA, RNA, protein) and cancer initiation as his research topics. Lebaron is also passionate about and amazing at science education and outreach. He is a founder and contributor to Bio is Life Media (http://bioislifemedia.com). Here, he and others break down topics relating to cancer, fitness, diets, among other things. My favorite sections is Fact Check Friday. Lebaron uses Bio Is Life Media “to transcend the current fake news, click-bait, woo quackery media content, that plagues science information on the web.

18. Lea Shell

The #FancyScientist of the day is entomologist (insect biologist) and my friend Lea Shell. @Veganbuglady of has a multitude of interests and projects – ants, microbes, and slime molds are a few. She is fundamental to the Students Discover project that I work on – where scientists collaborate with teachers to integrate real science into their classrooms. The scientists then use the data for real research questions. She is incredibly passionate about getting educators and students excited about insects and bacteria, which was a focus of her masters’ work. She is also passionate about the challenging the perceptions of women in science and wants more women in science to be featured with kids. Not only does she travel with her kids, but she has given two hour-long workshops and presentations while wearing her babies.

17. Rebecca Johnson

I’m so excited for today’s #FancyScientist and am super jealous of her job. Dr. Rebecca Johnson (@drrebeccaj) is the first female director of the Australian Museum Research Institute (in over 190 yrs!). She is a wildlife forensic scientist, conservation geneticist, and is the co-chief investigator of the Koala Genome Consortium, a group sequencing the koala genome for conservation applications (such as diseases). As a forensic scientist, she solves wildlife crimes. Wildlife trafficking of live or dead animals, or their parts is an illegal business worth billions of dollars that seriously threatens the survival of many species. Rebecca’s genetic research can identify endangered species (if it’s animal parts) or where the confiscated item comes from, which provides information on which ports/countries are lacking in adequate protections. Rebecca gets to dress up a lot (jealous!) as she attends lots of galas. All of her clothes are from @cueclothingco, an Australian clothing company where the clothes are all made in Australia. Finally, she was named a Superstar of STEM by the Science and Technology Australia Initiative and was featured in Vogue Australia!

16. DeAnna Beasley

It’s #FancyScientist #FancyFriday and today I’m excited to feature my Students Discover buddy DeAnna Beasley! @flyingscientist is now a professor at the University of Tennessee, and conducts research on how humans, through urbanization and climate change, affect the behavior, development, and physiology of insects. Insects serve as an excellent model system for this because they are often more sensitive to environmental change due to their small body sizes, dependence on external conditions for regulating body functions, and shorter generation times, which can allow scientists to observe changes more rapidly than larger organisms. Like me, DeAnna worked on the Students Discover project and worked alongside teachers to co-develop lesson plans that they use in their classrooms for students to conduct real scientific research. My favorite fun fact about DeAnna is that she hang glides, hence the name @flyingscientist.

15. Stephanie O’Donnell

It’s TGIFF – Thank God it’s #FancyFriday! I met @steph_odonnell at the Society for Conservation Biology conference this past summer and knew she was a #FancyScientist at first site. She not only loves fashion, but loves biodiverse fashion as exemplified by this amazing bird dress she MADE! We met because we both work with tech in wildlife. In her role at Flora and Fauna International she brings together conservationists, engineers, and other techies into a community to collaboratively make conservation efforts state-of-the-art and likely more successful. Her organization Wildlabs.net runs the #Tech4Wildlife challenge, so if you are doing amazing things with tech for wildlife, be sure to tweet out your photos. She is also an amazing artist.

14. Kaberi Kar Gupta

Today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist is slender loris expert Dr. Kaberi Kar Gupta!. @lorisesoftheforest is wildlife biologist, social scientist, and founder of the Urban Slender Loris project. She studied the wild slender loris in the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve for about a decade for her Ph.D. research. Now she is combining her degrees in wildlife biology and anthropology to study the ecology of the still wild, but urban-living slender lorises of large cities in India. Because these cute little primates live in cities of 12+ million, you cannot ignore people when trying to plan for their conservation. Her organization carries out nocturnal surveys of the primate to understand current distributions, but also conducts oral history surveys to seek knowledge about past ranges and create awareness. Her project is also citizen science based, meaning that regular citizens can participate in real science. You can tell Kaberi’s home country is an influence in her style – she is frequently seen wearing bright, beautiful colorsand of course can be seen in amazing saris (so jealous). Check our her project here.

13. Kellie Ann

I don’t know where to start with today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist. Harvard PhD graduate. Postdoc at Yale. 1st in her undergraduate class. And not only is the @latina_scientist fancy herself, but she has a hella fancy grant. She is one of FIVE recipients of the prestigious Women in Science fellowship from the beauty company L’Oreal. Kellie Ann studies how our immune systems interact with infections from viruses and her fellowship money is applied towards understanding the impacts of the Zika virus within the brain. Not only are her posts super stylish, but they also carry an important message. She shares stories of what people have said about her not “earning” her place due to being a woman and Latina, despite the amazing accomplishments mentioned above and the hard work and effort she had to devote to get them. And that Latina women only make $0.54 cents per every dollar made by a man – the largest gender gap in the US. I hope her posts not only inspire young Latina girls to be ambitious in STEMand non-STEM careers alike, but also bring attention to this important issue for women as a whole.

12. Rachel Smith

At first glance, today’s #FancyScientist may not seem super fancy because she’s frequently rocking bikinis, but when I saw her graduation pic of her red ribbon-tied heels, I knew she was perfect for #FancyFriday! I love following the @theblondebiologist on insta because she often posts strong conservation messages, sometimes reflecting the real-life difficulty of living a fun, fancy life while still making ecofriendly choices. Rachel now lives in Hawaii (so jealous!) as an environmental health specialist and is therefore passionate about conservation, but also marine biology and advocating for women in STEM. Living on an island really makes her think about the purchases she makes because trash can easily go into the ocean. I loved her post on a pool float; it was a fun purchase, but how long will it last? And where does it end up? Is it worth it? These are the types of questions I think we all need to ask ourselves!

11. Iásón Mac Gabhann

In all my years working in the lab, I have NEVER seen a tie! Today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist @the_irish_scientist breaks the lab coat stereotype – not by ditching it, but by making it vey dapper! His insta name does not lie – Iásón Mac Gabhann has dual citizenship in Ireland and the US and has conducted research in Dublin and Ireland. His background is in biochemistry and his research interests include the innate immune system of autoimmune diseases (I actually have an autoimmune disease – Hashimoto’s). I love his feed because he shows a lot of cool behind-the-scenes in photos in the lab with great captions explaining what he is doing such as growing bacteria colonies, western blots, and performing ELISAs (nzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).

10. Andrea H: PhD Fashionista

Today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist is all about fashion, it’s even in her insta name! Andrea AKA @phd_fashionista is a biochemist and blogger all about defying the stereotypes of women in science (and scientists in general). She originally started her blog to keep track of her outfits that were practical enough to work in while obeying the strict lab safety rules and still being fashionable (a challenge). She loves to blog about lab fashion and has written advice on what to wear for professional conferences, every day work, and weekend fashion. Her PhD research focused on methyl groups on arginine residues of proteins, which is important for the regulation of certain proteins on genes, and can even turn genes on or off, depending on other factors. She is also interested in cancer epigenetics (modification of gene expression, but not the DNA itself) and disease models.

9. Chris Parsons

Who says that #FancyFriday is only for women? Not me. #Fancy is for all! Today I am excited to present marine mammal expert and one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter, Dr. Chris Parsons (@Craken_MacCraic). Chris has studied dolphins and whales for over TWO DECADES. I first met Chris at a the Society for Conservation Biology and I was super impressed by the number of ribbons he had (nearly 5 times the size of his name tag) reflecting his dedication to the society and conservation of the oceans as a whole. Chis has worked on marine mammals in all 7 continents (jealous!) and is EXTREMELY prolific in writing – 140 scientific papers, book chapters, and a textbook on marine mammal biology and conservation. It’s easy to see why Chris is a #FancyScientist. I can’t express how much I love these outfits. Not only do I value fanciness, but it increases value in theme. He holds an annual costume party, so some are from there, but also from presentations at conferences and pilgrimages to #JaneAustin sites.

8. Christine Hawn

Today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist is a former postdoc in our lab at @naturalsciences. I don’t think there was ever a day that I didn’t see Christine Hawn dress up! Some days even I felt sloppy. Christine studies animals in corridors, areas of habitat that can serve as a bridge between two larger areas for animals/plants to move and disperse. When I think of corridors, I think of ones in India to connect tigers to reserves, but Christine works on much smaller species that most people don’t think about when it comes to conservation – spiders! Spiders are small, but important predators in ecosystems and Christine has studied how corridors affect their food resources. For their research, Christine painted spiders with nail polish or used stable isotopes as a way to mark them, making them individually identifiable for research (and incidentally fancy). I am deliberately using the pronouns they/their for Christine because they identify as transgender. Christine is also interested in the impacts that pharmaceuticals and personal care products can have on spiders living alongside streams, which can serve as an indicator for human health.

7. Mareike Dornhege

I met today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist only once at a Society for Conservation Biology conference years ago, but we became Facebook friends ever since! Mareike Dornhege is a marine ecologist for the @saveourseasfoundation. Growing up in Northern Germany, she learned to love the ocean from an early age, and especially sharks from a book her grandmother gave her. She learned to dive at age 14 and over many years and dives was saddened and confused by how few sharks she saw. She now works in Japan asking fisherman questions about sharks for science. By talking to people and using data collected from catches today, she can evaluate the “shifting baselines.” In other words, what may seem like normal catch now may be dramatically different than years ago. She also uses their information to understand the ecology of sharks. Mareike came to Japan to work as a model(!) so she naturally always loved fashion. Living in Tokyo has changed her style and she has abandoned the greys and blacks that dominated fashion in Berlin for bold colors. She loves classic feminine elements like floral patterns and lace and draws inspiration from both traditional Japanese fabric patterns and modern Japanese street fashion. As a marine ecologist her preferred work attire is bikinis with shorts and rash guards on top.

6. Tatiana Arias

Today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist is my good friend Tatiana Arias! Tatiana and I were PhD students together at Mizzou. Now, Tatiana heads her own lab at a private research institution in Medellin, Colombia, where she is from studying the evolution and ecology of tropical plants especially orchids. She works to find solutions to agricultural challenges in Colombia such as using genetic diversity to broaden crop diversity, and preserving and even restoring lost the native biodiversity of plants emblematic to Colombia. She was recently the recipient of the Colombian Young Scientist Award from The World Academy of Sciences and The Colombian Academy of Sciences. She has the cutest kitty Oda, hence her Insta name @odasmama and has literally traveled the world.

5. Sophie: The Scientific Beauty

I am so excited to introduce you to @sciencebeaut for #FancyFriday! I thought I was one of the rare fancy scientists, but Sophie’s feed makes me feel like a #FancyScientist slacker! Sophie’s science is fancy in itself – she has a PhD in bochemistry and writes about the science of beauty, breaking down ingredients in your favorite products, helping you make sense of the scientific claims the industry makes, and explaining science behind red lipstick. She loves fashion obviously, but favors classic couture that lasts a lifetime over fast fashion trends (which is also more ecofriendly). She adores Coco Chanel and Chanel in general and is obsessed with Louboutins .

4. Sarah Jandricic

Today’s #Fancyfriday #fancyscientist is the @theclosetmoth. Sarah has a science job that is fancy too – She works on flowers! Specifically, she works with the Canadian government to help growers manage insect pests and plant diseases sustainability so your flowers look perfect! She loves working with farmers and putting the things scientist develop into real world practice. You can tell her study subject influences her outfits. Sarah has a VERY fashionable Insta feed to prove you can be science-y and a fashionista. Besides fashion, she also loves her Bernese mountain dog Velika, and is obsessed with alpacas.

3. Summer Higdon

Today’s #FancyFriday’s #FancyScientist is @summerhigdon! Summer studies the super cool and super elusive spotted skunk at my alma mater Mizzou. The eastern spotted skunk is a once-common mesocarnivore that is now petitioned for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. They are difficult to detect, even on camera traps, so she has to bait her camera traps to try to attract them. She studies everything spotted skunk – their home ranges, what habitats they live in, activity patterns and uses their scat (poop) to understand their diet. Summer posts amazing photos of her outside adventures with her sidekick, Peanut, the rat terrier. Her fancy hobbies include drinking craft beer and red wine, and cooking good food. Her not-so-fancy, but badass hobby is learning krav maga (I had to look this up). Summer was also an intern of mine and worked A LOT on our deer vigilance project. I like to think I had a strong influence in her fancy habits.

2. Rae Wynn Grant

Today’s #fancyscientist and fashionista is @raewynngrant at my favorite museum, the American Museum of Natural History. Rae and I met YEARS ago (12 to be exact) in Kenya. She was a student, while I was an intern at the School for Field Studies. She now works as a Conservation Science Research and Teaching Fellow exploring the influence of human activity on large carnivores. She’s another bear biologist and studies how human’s influence black bears’ landscape use, habitat suitability, and connectivity in the Western Great Basin. Rae also helps to coordinate the Education Department’s Science Research Mentoring Program, offering high school students the opportunity to join ongoing research projects lead by AMNH scientists like herself. Rae is also super fun to follow. She is world traveller, a new mom, and posts lots of fun animal pics.

1. Emily Puckett

Today’s #fancyscientist is one of my besties: former labmate and fellow blogger at Widllife SNPits (also founder, wildlifesnpits.wordpress.com), evolutionary biologist @emilyepuckett. Emily studies the distribution of genetic diversity across a species’ range and uses this information to identify where in the genome differences exist and if they are tied to adaptations. Most of her research is on #blackbears, but she has also worked on rats, and soon chipmunks! She is mostly in a lab or at the computer, but has gone to the field a few times for #bear research. Her fancy hobbies include going to the #ballet, #opera, watching indy movies and drinking bubbly beverages (Cava, Champagne, or Chandon). I also love her shirt on the right – from Anthropologie.

Are you a fancy scientist? Or do you know a fancy scientist? Send me a message to nominate them!

The post 90 Fancy Scientists that Challenge the Scientist Stereotype appeared first on Dr. Stephanie Schuttler.

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