#tldr: nobody can read that damn note

[bug-buzzz]

Talking abt Stedes bottle in s2 and how they're gonna read it:

OK so we know Stede wrote his little love letter and all but my question is, who's gonna read it? The only person we know who is confirmed to be able to read is Lucius but he's uh, out if commission at the moment. I'll come back to Lucius later. First of all, its almost certain that Ed cant read. Hes gone his whole life without it and when he signs the Act of Grace, he signs with an "X" - a symbol which means he is illiterate. Theres two possibilities that could mean he can read though, one is that he only signed the X so he wouldn't be bound to the document, or that Stede taught him how to read at some point after this. (Maybe in the military?) But for the sake of this post im assuming Ed cannot read. We don't know if Izzy can read, we see him holding a book but he may just be looking at the picture, but if he can, I don't see him realistically telling Ed about the note unless he lies about it or maybe tells him in hopes it will make him mad? It doesn't make sense for Izzy to read it for Ed. It is possible that Jim can read however. They grew up raised by a nun where reading the Bible was probably important, and we may not know their literacy because they didn't speak for a good chunk of time. We know Lucius can read, so if Lucius is a stowaway like some theories suspect, he could read it. Maybe Jim or Izzy is hiding Lucius and has him read it for them? Another possibility is that nobody on the ship can read and that they take the bottle to someone who can, maybe someone recognizes Stedes style or handwriting, maybe that is why we see Ed with Spanish Jackie (Jackie has signs in her bar so I assume she can read) but Ed seems to have recovered from being The Kraken in this scene so I'm not sure. And just for shits and giggles, maybe they take it to Stede for him to read it just for him to say "uh I wrote that." Anyways those are my ramblings abt the note in the bottle.

[kaitropoli]

The Rhinoceros

By Pietro Longhi

Oil Painting, 1751.

Ca' Rezzonico.

THERE are two slightly different versions of this painting, but for now (and because this will be quick for me), I will detail certain things that stand out to me in this piece.

=== BEFORE READING INFO BELOW: (POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS: ANIMAL ABUSE; POSSIBLE CUCKOLDRY) === TLDR TOPICS (With Skip Marks): Clara, a live exhibited rhinoceros...paragraphs 1-5; Possible cuckold messaging in this painting (going with the story of Clara)...paragraph 5; The Venice Carnival (masks)...paragraphs 6-7. ===

THE Rhinoceros--or known by two different names: (1) Clara the Rhinoceros; (2) Exhibition of a Rhinoceros at Venice--has the very obvious subject of Clara, a rhinoceros who was displayed in Venice during Carnival. Clara had been on tour throughout Europe, now finally making her debut in wonderful Serenissima, the floating city where women and men walk with their identities covered during the time of enlightenment, reformation, and new political thought while the Holy Roman Empire shines down their reign, and the Papal States are near their last century of control.

CLARA has been the subject of a few art pieces throughout her touring days on Earth. She once came from India and spent her last days in Lambeth, England (imagine dying in Britain💀), witnessing history before her very eyes; though, she wouldn't know it, especially being the one making history as one of the first living rhinos to be exhibited in modern Europe since 1515 (and before 1515, it was the og Roman Empire... centuries before 1515!). She was an orphan who was adopted by a dude in Bengal by the name of Jan Albert Sichterman, who worked for the Dutch East India Company, and then, of course, he sold her to a man who would be a permanent father figure for the rest of her life, cpt. Douwe Mout van der Meer (wild ahh name, but he's Dutch, so what do you expect?). I guess it'd be wrong to call him a father figure, considering he also technically "sold" her, as in what you'd do back then if your child had a deformity and you're poor (market crash, dustbowl, Great Depression things) and the freak show was in town, but when you have daddy issues, being made an attraction is still love (and a good kind of attraction) in your eyes. I mean, I'd probably lose all respect for myself if that means I can travel (I'M KIDDING... probably. The opportunity hasn't come knocking at my door just yet).

THERE'S much history to our girl, Clara, like how she had her own personal 8HP-drawn wooden carriage (treated like the damn queen she is), or how she moisturized with fish oil (we don't use Drunk Elephant around these parts👹). They kept her in better, more secure care than Dürer's Rhino (1515, remember? Anyway, he drowned! They weren't gonna do that to our Clara-baby) when traveling to Italy... but this is where something did happen to her..................

UPON arrival in Rome, Clara was discovered to have lost her horn (evidently seen in the artwork above). It is debated how she lost it: either she rubbed it off (which apparently is a common trait among rhinoceroses who are kept in tight confinement), or somebody cut it off (Wikipedia claims for safety reasons, but does not provide a footnote, so keep a close eye on that). ** SIDE NOTE: I tagged this part specifically as animal abuse; though poaching is a serious topic, in a case like this, it can be compared to the *controversial* practice in which rhino workers dehorn to ensure nobody attempts to poach the animal (a way of justifying this is that the horns are made of keratin, which, if you don't know, is the same as our fingernails; rhinos will regrow their horns in ≤ two years; rhino horns are sought out for a good chunk of money due to them being used in medicines, typically that found in Asian cultures, so people will hunt these animals with tranquilizers (not the issue seen in Philly right now, but if you have time, check that out) and leave them to bleed to death due to negligently cutting the horn off).

AS I had briefly mentioned, horns can grow back, so try not to worry too much about our girl. After all, she lived quite longer than expected, so it couldn't be all that bad. Anyway, back to when she was hornless and staying in Venice during the time of Carnival, Italian painter Pietro Longhi, who was notorious for his Venetian everyday life paintings, decided it'd be nice to visit Clara and paint her. In this scene, we see a man in the crowd holding up a horn, which leads many to believe that this is a message. You know how you do those bunny ears when somebody's taking a photo--children to their grandmothers, sisters to their brothers, and so on and so forth? Well, believe it or not, the bunny ears were the original symbol for cuckoldry, besides the obvious metal hand (sad day for the metalheads... or maybe good day if you're a cuck, but that wouldn't make sense because you gotta have taste to be into metal). Horns are used to represent cuckolds because it uses the similarity of stags' mating rituals, compared to how it got the name due to cuckoo birds leaving their eggs in others' nests (kind of like those types of faeries that stole children and left their own to mimic... which this led to an ACTUAL murder... but that's not up for discussion today, sorry). Anyway, because this dude is holding a horn, which appears to seem like it belonged to Clara, and the unattended ladies in the back (we will discuss them in a hot minute), this man may as well be a cuckold, or, unlikely (because I think it's funnier and more apparent), signing somebody else off as one.

FOR the other patrons in the crowd, as I have mentioned a billion times already, this was Carnival time (Fat Thursday to Fat Tuesday, celebrating before Ash Wednesday and Lent; U.S. citizens know Mardi Gras, which is technically the last day of Carnival... if that's an easier explanation, I'm glad to help, because I don't feel like getting into the specifics of it all). Tradition is to wear masks (although this was the main cause for the abrupt ending of Carnival until it was revived in the 1970s), which was originally done to hide identities, which made it easier for social classes to clash. One of these ladies is wearing a mask (can you guess which one?), and it holds a provocative nature.

MORETTA, or also known as servetta muta, is a strapless mask that is usually crafted with black velvet. The wearer would bite down on a bead which keeps the mask in place, however disables them from speaking. Seems impractical, right? Well, women died for it as much as the men they were attracting did. The silence, and the contract of black to their skin, making the mask pop out, just like their breasts when wearing décolleté alla veneziana fashion (clothes which reveal the body; and don't get me started with the shear fabric and what they did to make their nipples more apparent). To take away from the face will bring more attention to other areas, which was the achieved goal. To bring silence is to be the mysterious dark beauty that people still talk about being today! Don't deny that this is feminism, because it is in the end... giving women the choice to keep playing a mysterious game where their intentions are anonymous, or to burrow in the advances of the potential suitor. Whichever they chose, it is ultimately up to the man if he wants to play a round of blind dating/hookup.

LINKS TO SOURCES:

| Wikipedia - Carnival of Venice

| Wikipedia - Clara (Rhinoceros)

| National Gallery - NG1101

| Historians of Netherlandish Art - Exhibition: Clara the Rhinoceros

| Mental Floss - Clara

| Science - Cutting Off Rhino Horns

| Save the Rhino - Poaching

| Italy Mask - History of the Venice Carnival

| Ca' Macana - The Moretta or Muta

YAPPING all done completely by me (@kaitropoli)

[kiranatrix]

I confess that one of the things I like the most about Lawlight is how weirdly believable it is. Considering their dynamic, it’s far from being a crack ship. Ofc it isn’t canon and it wasn’t the intent of the authors, but the basis is there. I don’t think it’s quite the same as saying that, ex, Misa was actually a lesbian and crushing on Rem/Kiyomi/etc, which is a very cool & valid headcanon (especially considering how female characters were portrayed), but obvs ignoring canon!Misa’s obsession with Light. Lawlight is fascinating, imo, because I genuinely could see it happening with both Light and L staying faithful to their canon asshole selves, no shipping goggles. “Imagay” jokes aside, there’s a lot of (unintentional) evidence for gay!Light on the manga itself. I think even casual DN fans who watched the anime felt a bit of sexual tension in their rivalry. I was a kid when I first watched it, and when I discovered that old fan edit of them kissing I almost fell for the bait thinking it was a deleted scene, because it kinda... made sense?? I don’t know if I’m articulating myself well, but tldr; L and Light are canonically obsessed with each other and living rent free in each other’s head. And then the anime and the musical and TV drama made it worse 😂 Ohba & Obata didn’t even see what they were doing, huh. That’s the cherry on top.

Hi anon! Ohhh so many good thoughts here (damn I love asks where I get to agree with everything and ramble). It’s an interesting parallel you bring up about Lawlight vs. Remisa and got me thinking about how people interact with canon differently. Sometimes it’s fun to overtly subvert canon like with Remisa— besides Misa’s love/obsession with Light, she makes homophobic comments and Rem explicitly says ‘no homo’ about her feelings for Misa (which she also has for Light). But if you like Misa or Rem, that canon kind of sucks and the character substitute we replace them with in our heads is invariably better. Layering a romance on top of those new characters is what gives you Remisa. Both author intent and the canon material goes in the trash 👋🏻

But, you don’t have to go that far with Lawlight. You can give the Death Note manga or anime a straightforward spin assuming Lawlight is happening in their heads and there’s nothing to prove you wrong. There’s obsession, incredible chemistry, Light being bored without L, L being thrilled about Kira and breaking all his own rules/going to crazy lengths to be around Light. Like you said, their canon personalities lend perfectly to enemies to lovers, right person wrong time, tragic romance, or even unrequited love. Sure somebody dies but *points to Shakespeare.*

It never fails to make me laugh imagining Obha sitting back at the end of Death Note and it suddenly strikes him ‘oh god I made it gay on accident!!. Some fanfiction crosses his desk and now he’s backpedaling, trying to torpedo any relationship in How to Read (‘first friend was a lie’? Bah!) and make L as unappealing as possible in one-shots (human washing machine etc). Doesn’t work of course, the damage is done mwahaha. We only have to throw author intent away like hot garbage, easy enough to do. As for Obata, I don’t get the impression he gives a shit given how gorgeously slutty he draws everyone in official art. I of course don’t know him but I’d be surprised if it bothered him like it seems to bother Obha. Neither have commented officially on ships that I’ve seen but one of them drew Light with pants wide open and the other added a rule so nobody even thinks about shinigami getting it on (another fail). Obata doesn’t strike me as a huge prude or as close-minded as Ohba I guess. That said, they had to sign off on anime (which had a lot more Lawlight subtext) and the even gayer musical and drama. So who knows?

[protectchara201x]

(ignoring all the other juicy Deltarune 2 stuff to shove Chara Talks into it lololol)

I haven’t been super active on this blog because frankly I have like, three? looong analysis/theorycrafting posts I’ve been putting off working on and it fills me with shame to log in and see them waiting in my drafts.

But.

With the release of Deltarune Chapter 2, I wanted to talk kinda in general about how I thought it could impact the fandom’s perception of Everybody’s Favorite Demon Baby, and also point out something in specific about the Weird Route that might connect back to Undertale.

Putting it under the cut to avoid spoilers and long-winded ramblings for the unwilling. Includes spoilers for the Weird Route.

(NOTE: may update later if I notice more things for to put in section II. I’d like to make a full list of parallels if I can tidy them up.)

I. Pre- vs Post-Release Thoughts (you can skip down to II if you don’t care, it is genuinely Long and Pointless)

Okay, so first off. I got SO worried like, the day before the new chapter dropped? It hit me that whatever new stuff we got out of this, people would connect back to Undertale, and. Honestly, I really do hate connecting everything back to Chara, because I do think of Kris as their own character and I really like them and don’t want to ignore everything they got going on. But, I am first and foremost a shameless Chara stan and they’re very important to me, so I kinda... did spend a few minutes reeling from all the new DR stuff as its own stuff, and then immediately started thinking about how this would reflect back on Chara in Undertale lol.

But that’s ok for me to do here because this is my All Chara, Only Chara, All The Time blog, so I am gonna only really talk about Deltarune here to talk about them lol.

So yeah, I started getting anxious beforehand worrying about how everyone would take any and all implications and apply it to mean “aha, Chara IS evil!” The fakeout with the pie reveal in the anniversary stream was a big relief, but I still got worried leading up to the release about what could be in it.

Because part of why I’ve always thought that “Chara was genuinely evil from the start” and even “ok maybe not TOTALLY evil, but Chara was still a kinda bad person” were unlikely was, even if you throw out all the other popular Chara-sympathetic theories. To me, both these takes just seemed too below TF’s talent and the way he wrote all his other characters with depth and love; a Chara like the one these theories propose just doesn’t belong in a world created by TF, and the way the Dreemurrs talk about them overall, the way TF made a point of having Chara say they were guided and repeatedly, correctly blame you the player for the destruction in Kill-All, I was sure that he never intended them to ever be as bad as the fandom sometimes tried to make them out to be.

... Like, mostly sure. Like, 80% sure? Because he never ever talks about them, so it’s impossible say for sure, and it is still theoretically possible that “Chara was and is bad” was the cold-ass take he’d intended all along. So yeah, leading up to the release, I started getting antsy that whatever new lore came out of it, either he’d directly confirm “Chara was a villain?” “*cocks gun* Always has been” or there’d be something that’d at least heavily implicate them, or could be twisted to implicate them, as a negative force. More ammo to be used against them in the Chara Debate Circles would be a drag, and outright confirmation of them as a villain would honestly break my heart and I’d be forced to disown Toby Fox, My Beloved Cool Dad.

And, right now? Tell the truth, I’m SO relieved and I am SO happy. And not just because of how much depth and characterization it seems Kris is getting! (imo, because rn I just headcanon them as an unhappy teen desperately trying to keep their new friends going on adventures with them and trying to fight back against the player’s control)

I love how this chapter seems to be TF doing course-correcting based on fandom interpretations. Because Kris just isn’t evil, even if they are a knife teen, even if they are the Knight, they’re just NOT evil and that’s canon, baybeeee; it’s made clear in this chapter and the previous one that they love their family even outside of the player’s control, they care about their new friends even outside of the player’s control, they’re established as a weird creepy kid but no one sees them as scary or evil, they’re just Kris, and even in the Weird Route, TF made a point of hammering in the differences between Kris and the player in the Weird Route: Susie and Ralsei notice how distressed Kris seemed after you have Noelle ice Berdly, Noelle heard a voice that she said wasn’t Kris telling her to kill, and the FUCKING Spamton fight: “Kris called for help... but nobody came” again and again, and then “You whispered Noelle’s name”... you, not Kris.

I know TF has never commented much on fans’ perceptions of Frisk and Chara, or who exactly is pulling strings in different routes. But after all this, and especially after seeing all the little winks and nods to fandom jokes in this chapter (what comes to mind: pulling everyone’s leg by seeming to have Kris attack Toriel with a knife only to reveal that pie theory was right, Susie not liking Ralsei’s real face as much as his shadowed one, Ralsei with a gun getting referenced with the ad, Kris getting a joke fixation with knives after the fans made Chara and Kris have knife obsessions as a joke), and seeing what looks like him try to correct some things (what stuck out to me was doubling down on showing that Kris is loved and valued in their family: lots of fans came away from Chapter 1 thinking that Kris was not valued as much as Asriel, but here we see that Toriel is supportive of Kris’ friendship with Susie, and it’s stated that Asriel is the one who used the crappy controller, not Kris) -

I think while he hasn’t commented directly, while he admitted to being overwhelmed by Undertale’s success, while he tends to be pretty tight-lipped about the lore (whether that’s because it’ll be addressed by future chapters or because he prefers to let fans sleuth it out), this chapter convinced me that Toby does keep tabs on fan reactions in Deltarune, so he probably does with Undertale too and would know about all The Discourse surrounding Little Mx Pink Cheeks (and in turn, popular theories like Narrator Chara... Toby if you integrate Narrator Chara into Deltarune being a borderline creepypasta and have the narrator start talking directly to the characters or to the player or the characters start talking to the narrator I will lose my damn B E A N S).

(Kris and Chara not being demonized and the narrator interacting directly with the characters were the only two things on my wishlist going in, I was fine with literally anything else happening lmao)

I even kinda think he’s going out of his way to separate Kris and the player because we didn’t get it before with Undertale, we still insisted that Frisk or Chara was the one doing it, and he’s even using Kris to show that even if this kid can be scary, maybe even mean, and maybe they’re even the Knight (with their reasons unknown), they’re still not a bad kid, they’re still funny and likable, and they still genuinely love their family and friends - which falls in line with Undertale’s cast of complex but likable people who can be antagonists and make mistakes but still aren’t truly bad people, and imo is a direct response to some people fixating on the idea that Chara was always evil because they seem scary/complicated.

... Which is a long way to say that I came out of Deltarune with my confidence fully restored about TF’s intentions with Chara and Kris. Even if he never comments on Chara directly, now I really don’t think TF thinks they’re evil or ever intended for them to be. Deltarune convinced me more than ever that Chara is meant to be complex, yes, and able to be influenced to do horrible things, but they were never intended to be as malicious or shallow as some fans insist.

TLDR:

Toby Fox read your mean fanfiction where Chara is a bad abusive serial killer no one likes, and he made Deltarune in revenge.

... Hm? Ah, you’d like me to get to the point! Right this way!

II. Undertale, Deltarune, and The Point

While no doubt some will still take the voice Noelle hears to be Chara influencing her to turn her into a murderer (I haven’t gone looking for it yet, but I’m sure it’s already a thing because I know this fandom), since it’s made too clear by the game that they can’t blame Kris for this one, I think at this point that’s just being too stubborn to consider other ideas.

If you believe in the totally made up idea used in so many fanfics that Chara is an evil spirit trying to whisper in Frisk’s ear to kill everyone, literally (for some reason) the embodiment of raising stats, and gets more control over people who have increased LV to take over their body... sure. Could be them, they did talk about moving on to the next world and all. I mean, that wouldn’t really make sense because it’s literally never implied in the actual game that Chara encourages you to kill outside of the Kill-All Run or even wants you to, certainly not as the narrator and we get no hint of them doing this as an unseen, unheard third-party either.

Not to mention they’re NOT literally possessing you because of increased LV; they don’t control you even with high LV in any Undertale route other than arguably the Kill-All, and if you fail the Kill-All and it turns into a high-body count Neutral, Chara suddenly stops using first-person narration and showing up in mirrors entirely even though they were showing themself before, the LV remains the same or even can get raised as high as LV 19, nor do they suddenly take over in any other Neutral runs. We can speculate on why (personally, I’d place this either on Chara’s mindset, such as them sinking into shock from the trauma or becoming more assertive as the player feeds their megalomania, or as a sign of Frisk’s withdrawal, leaving Chara alone in the body to take the reins and act out the player’s orders), but canonically, no, Chara does not take over due to high stats.

In fact, there’s even more evidence against this. First-person narration also exists for fleeing your battles in Undertale, even on Pacifist runs with base stats, 0 EXP, and an LV of 1. Since Chara is established to use first-person narration to refer to themself, is the only one who canonically does so, and is confirmed to be present even in all runs through their name and memories always showing up, it seems pretty likely that Chara can take control to flee battle. That means an increase in stats is not a sign of their presence or control, in Undertale or Deltarune.

The most damning blow to the idea that Chara is the voice corrupting Noelle are the lines in the fight with Spamton I mentioned. Kris called for help, but nobody came. You whispered Noelle’s name. Well hold on. If that’s Chara, shouldn’t it be “I whispered Noelle’s name”? As soon as you’ve officially started the Kill-All in Undertale, Chara starts up their “It’s me, Chara” schtick right away, right there in Toriel’s home in the first area, and if they weren’t the narrator before, they’re beginning to speak through the narration now. If the voice was Chara, surely Toby Fox knows it’d be a way bigger “oh shit” moment if the creepy scary hidden route once again switched into first-person, scaring us the same way he did before when we first saw “It’s me, Chara” and knew something was wrong; unfairly or not, their reputation as a villain is still well established and hinting to Chara’s presence with a simple “I” would drive the menace even further, if he intended for them to simply be a demon that possesses player characters when you grind enough. But it’s still just you. The player.

The Weird Route does even more to help Chara’s case than that. Not only is it made pretty clear that Kris and the player are separate, and the player is the one responsible for corrupting Noelle and making her kill... consider how similar Noelle and Chara are, in the Weird Route and the Kill-All Route.

This “voice” that “guides” them in growing strong, compelling them to kill everyone in order to fight for them, eventually driving them to murder people they know. Chara calls themself “the demon that comes when people call its name”, and you whisper Noelle’s name to have her appear to kill Spamton. Noelle’s conflicting emotions towards Kris and the voice as she is manipulated, as she becomes more violent and sadistic, as she goes into shock; does that not sound like Chara, who flipflops between holding you dear as their partner and wanting to move on to the next world together, to be together forever, and them being disgusted by your refusal to accept consequences and the perverse enjoyment you get in killing everyone again and again? Chara, who clings to their quirky narration for much of the Kill-All, but keeps slipping up, who becomes terrifyingly cold, aggressive, power-hungry, and even sadistic, yet still calls Undyne “the heroine”, still seems to still care about their locket, still has moments where they seem to falter?

Noelle does put up significantly more resistance to the voice’s commands than Chara does, and at least much more visibly shows distress and trauma. I don’t think this is a black mark on Chara’s chara-cter either, or an indication of them being more violent or cruel.

For one, while Noelle is still herself with her own soul, it is heavily implied by Chara, Flowey, and Undertale’s lore that Chara was reincarnated without their own soul, at best perhaps attached to Frisk’s (or yours): as I speculate in one of my currently unfinished theories, while monster souls are made up of love, compassion, and hope and thus Asriel was reincarnated without these qualities, it could well be that human souls are correspondingly made up of their own multiple traits, namely determination, patience, bravery, integrity, perseverance, kindness, and justice; if true, a soulless Chara would be lacking these qualities, which would make them less equipped to resist the player’s commands or to feel as torn up about it.

Also, the player has a hold on them both as “party members” to the player’s vessels, but it is also possible that the player naming Chara and having them directly attached to Frisk also gives them a stronger connection to Chara they can abuse, similar to how Kris and Frisk (as the player’s direct vessels) have much less autonomy than Kris’ party members.

(Fun observation: We know that when the thing controlling Kris forced Noelle into becoming a killer and using her to kill Berdly, Kris was horrified and shaken-up according to Susie and Ralsei. How do you think Frisk felt watching Chara be used to slaughter the Underground and then erasing the world when they’re totally corrupted?)

And lastly... look, Noelle and Chara are both minors, but Chara is significantly younger - a small child compared to Noelle’s teen. I know it’s fiction and strong wills and determination and anime is real and all, but a traumatized young child who died two violent and awful deaths back-to-back, may have literally experienced being a corpse in their own coffin/grave for who knows how long, and then came back ”confused” only to immediately start hearing a voice relentlessly commanding them to kill everyone?? I can absolutely see a traumatized kid shutting down and just going with it out of fear at first, before the LV sets in.

TLDR:

What you do to Noelle in the Weird Route is the same fucking thing you do to Chara in the Kill-All Route.

[lunartearrose]

Still have to name my agents. Pepper or paprika for my comander 3 is still a solid for me but damn like. My 4 and 8 have some fuzz idk how to plan them

Like quick oc talk for rn:

Pepper/paprika: ex-star that started young and due to unfortunately being exposed to toxic practices in industries and having an even more toxic manager, eventually "has a breakdown" and goes into hiding, aka following cuttlefish to the squidbeak splatoon/ octo valley and immediately sinking their teeth into their job with a bit of ferocity, especially scaring the hell out of dj octavio and having a sort of "I'm a big bad villain nobody can stop" mindset that gets somewhat worsened by the sanitization moment. Despite this sort of front hiding the fragility they feel, they do act genuinely heroic when push comes to shove and their actions do not match their words one bit. One time while they napped, cuttlefish took their agent headphones off for them only to find they were missing a large portion of their left ear, and noted the closer he looked that the design cut into their tentacles on the same side as the injury looked more like they had been pulled to tear. He replaced the headphones and no longer questioned why Paprika always stays at squidbeak, relaying to the other agents they should not question their decision either.

Agent 4: a Boy that likes to dress rather androgynously! He keeps his hair long and often favors the pigtail style when doing his missions. Though he seems as floaty as flow is, his instincts in battle are quick and the more he plays with weapons, the more he breaks his speed records in completion. Though not all that popular on the turf scene, Pepper thinks he would be a fan favorite if he got into posting his clips more! After all, many squids and octos alike do find him rather pretty. He even got Paprika to step out if their shell and come to a solo pb! They had a loooot to say about the stages, and even snuck into some closed, defunct splat 1 stages to tell stories that may or may not be true. Paprika and 4 become some pretty close pals. The two also keep octavio company and pepper maaaaaybe lets him out when he promises them a fully functional fix for their wounded ear (they show it off with such excitement, cuttlefish can't even be mad!)

Agent 8: since she lost her memories at the beginning of his journey, she doesn't really have much at the beginning. But as time goes on, not only does he collect thangs and mem cakes, but ends up finding pages to someone's scattered journal as well. As time goes on and she gets his memories back whilst learning of this mystery person through their journals, she begins to not only value his freedom but justice that should be brought to the one that dropped their journal. Heee also ends up feeling bad that he read through it all, especially when she finds out it's Paprika's, who just went through the whole ordeal of being sanitized and such. For some reason, 8 genuinely telling pepper they are a hero, brave, and didn't deserve any of their hurt makes them cry, and 8 is worried for a time she made a wrong step in talking to them - but 4 assures him they were just the words paprika needed to hear, and pepper isn't upset at all. Paprika does confirm this to 8 later and as they talk its learned that pepper really does want to turf on the surface with 8 and 4, but is afraid of being found or ridiculed or even hurt again. 8 promises them justice aaaaand ultimately finds the creature that hurt pepper and lures him into the underground, facing the metro one last time to get this true villain trapped and sanitized. She comes back to find pepper with a cool nifty fixed ear! And of course eventually craig lets them all know they'll be taking a trip to tackle a big mission soon...

New agent 3: welp i really gotta figure this one out! Later tho i do my best lore thinking post hero modes, but i definitely am thinking a sorta yeha kinda thing for now

Tldr for each:

Pepper/paprika: actions speak louder than their evil words. Who gave them so much trauma??? Why?

4: flowy feminine inkling boy that has shrimp punch reflexes. Overall very good very chill will share lunches w u if ur feeling sad

8: strong sense of justice and strong longing for freedom! Too curious for her own good and he can go almost overboard with that justice if it wasnt, well, 100% justified. Wants to take her friends turfing and see the wonders the surface has to offer with them. Also she/he pronouns like a boss

New agent 3: see ya later space cowboy...

Anyways damn i need names. Accepting suggestions btw!!! I dont have their designs attatched but i did make some

[adzuki-ren]

Wish Upon a Twilight

Title: Wish Upon a Twilight [Read on AO3] Series: Haikyuu!! Characters: Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou (mentioned), Kozume Kenma (mentioned) Pairing(s): BoKuroo, KenHina (mentioned) Rating: Teens (mild swearing) Word Count: 2320 Additional Notes: Fantasy AU, Romeo x Juliet AU, Soulmates, but not necessarily a Soulmates AU, it’s just being discussed, Pre-Relationship, kuroo has it bad, just to be clear bokuroo aren't Romeo and Juliet, but this is still about them, sorry for the big disappoint Summary: Kuroo had never really thought about soulmates, what they were, and what it meant to have one, least of all if he had one. There were more pressing matters, like trying to make it out of the war alive, or at the very least, protect his liege till his very last breath.

It’s only from a simple conversation with his partner and comrade, coming out of seemingly nowhere, that gets him to wonder…

For BoKuroo Week 2020 on Twitter (Day 2 Prompt: Soulmates)

A/N: Apologizing in advance because this short fic is probably gonna make sense to absolutely nobody, but in case you’re interested, you can check out my notes about this sloppily put-together AU. The TLDR of it is that Kenma and Hinata are Romeo and Juliet, and they are Kuroo’s and Bokuto’s lieges respectively. Kuroo and Kenma are still childhood friends.

I haven’t written in a while, and I’m still trying to figure out what my writing style is, so sorry if it’s a janky read.

Bokuto was quiet. Bokuto was never, if not almost always, ever this quiet. He had been for nearly the entire day now, ever since…

Kuroo should have been making good use of his time; Time: a luxury they most certainly could not afford, not when they were finally able to rally enough support to launch the rebellion against the Nekoma clan, not when they were constantly fleeing from enemy troops and always needed to be prepared to defend and strike within a moment’s notice, not when Shouyou had finally taken up the banner in the name of Karasuno, taken up the fight he never wanted, riding on nothing but his convictions and hopes of a swift end to the war with the fewest possible casualties.

What he should be doing at the moment was sharpen his blades, on any chance that they were confronted by a surprise assault. If he was to best serve his liege (his friend, his family), he must always have the proper means to do it; ensuring that his tools were at the utmost optimal condition was a crucial part of fulfilling that role.

So then, why was something so trivial, like his usually loud-mouthed comrade-in-arms suddenly becoming quieter than a still midsummer’s night, such a distraction?

Even if he hadn’t looked over at the corner of his eye, Kuroo knew that he and said companion were doing the same. Their sights had never left Kenma and Shouyou, not once since they had fled the capital together that stormy night and had seen many skirmishes since, had seen to it that they got out of them alive.

And that remained true even as they discovered this small, quiet town, far, far away from the capital, and the lush clearing lying just a little way up north. Only, instead of vassals, at that moment, they were more of mere onlookers, watching their charges wade through tall blades of grass dyed in the warm oranges of the softly setting sun.

It should have been fitting for the moment. Amidst all the fighting, they had finally found for themselves a moment of respite. He, Bokuto, and their allies could use this time to treat their wounds, brace themselves physically and mentally for the many battles that awaited. Kuroo’s eyes followed his liege and he wasn’t sure if the smile that formed in his mind had ever reached his lips. Kenma had taken his dragon steed along with him, and he hadn’t let go of Shouyou’s hand even once.

At least someone was finding peace in these times, Kuroo mused; because even when he was supposed to take this moment to rest, he found that couldn’t, at least not until he figured out what the hell was going on in his partner’s head.

And as if the timing couldn’t have been any better, any words he had prepared were abruptly cut off by one simple question.

“Do you believe in soulmates?”

Bokuto blurted the words in one breath, even gasping out a little, all as if to push the words out of his mouth before his brain had the chance to take them back. Kuroo blinked twice. He was taken aback, to say the least, though whether it was from the question itself or the fact that this was what Bokuto mulled over, he didn’t know.

But it seemed that he wouldn’t even be given the chance to ruminate over it, because as quickly as Bokuto had asked, he threw in a hurried but mumbled, “Never mind, it’s a dumb question.”

Kuroo sighed. Shaking his head, he gently placed a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder. “Hey, I haven’t even said anything yet. And no one’s saying anything about it being dumb.” He hoped Bokuto understood from his tone and comforting gesture that he was willing to listen. (In truth, he would always be ready to lend his ear to his most trusted partner if it meant putting him at ease and returning that radiant smile to his face.)

Bokuto deflated somewhat but decided he’d rather pout instead. It was this contrast of Bokuto as the strong, courageous warrior that he was in one second, only to transform into a big, sulking child the next that would never fail to amuse Kuroo. And it was moments like these, small and insignificant they may be, that he could feel in his chest that familiar tickle of mirth and affection that came from just being around Bokuto.

Seeing that Bokuto had lost some spirit in him and was less than likely to interrupt him again, Kuroo hummed, “I haven’t ever really given it any thought.” Whatever thoughts that began to take shape in his mind were quickly brushed aside as Kuroo’s eyes trailed back to Kenma and Shouyou. The pair had wandered further towards the cliff overlooking the sea and its crashing waves, but could still be made out within their line of sight. He could see that their hands were still linked, and then all at once, it struck him; when Bokuto had started to grow quiet, why he asked about soulmates—Kuroo might just have stumbled upon their roots.

He turned back to Bokuto to give him his long-awaited answer. “I don’t not believe they exist.”

One glance and Kuroo could tell he’d already lost him. He continued, “If being soulmates just means that there might be some otherworldly or spiritual force out there, someway or somehow connecting them, then yeah, I don’t think it’s that far-fetched. Okay, maybe not the otherworldly stuff. But,” he paused briefly, tapping his chin in mild contemplation, “Kenma and I have been together for before I can even remember. For all I know, he could’ve been my soulmate this entire time. Who said bonds couldn’t be formed between souls as close as family?”

Kuroo didn’t think his rambling would earn him much of a reaction, but he was able to catch the subtle widening of Bokuto’s eyes. And because he was such an open book, Kuroo could already tell from his furrowed brows that Bokuto had something he wanted to say, but it would be Kuroo who got to cut him off before getting to say his piece this time.

“But,” and he looked back to Bokuto, only to be met with those striking golds, bright and clear with a curious mixture of bewilderment and expectation, “That’s not what you wanted to hear, was it?”

Bokuto jerked back visibly, which meant he’d hit a bull’s-eye. Kuroo chuckled lightly, this time inviting Bokuto’s gaze to join his own with a simple nod towards the general direction of their lieges. More often than not, Bokuto was dumb as a sack of potatoes, but he decided to put a little faith in his dearest comrade, letting him know that they were on the same page with the knowing looks they’d just exchanged.

Bokuto let out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding in, with the dejected look of someone who had just admitted defeat. He was being so dramatic, as always. He finally spoke up again, though his voice was still quiet with uncertainty, “It’s just that when I look at them, I can’t help but think…”

(And Kuroo wanted so badly to make a quick jab at that (“You? Think?”), but thought better of it and refrained.)

Bokuto’s last words were left hanging, but it was fine. Even if neither of them finished those thoughts, they didn’t need to when it was the same, now just hanging heavily in the chilly air around them. Can a love like that truly exist?

The conversation was already strewn with gaps of acknowledged silence, and it wasn’t as though either was trying to fill them in. Their words flowed and ebbed with the push-and-pull of the exchange, and just as natural as the tides, some things were best left to the course of that flow. So the somewhat-confession that followed surprised Kuroo and didn’t all at once.

“I wonder if I’ll ever be lucky enough to find mine...” Bokuto uttered in a bit of a pensive daze, and then added a bit more optimistically, turning to Kuroo expectantly, “I’m a lucky guy, right? I mean, I escaped death more times than I can count!”

Peace and harmony and all things good and natural between them be damned, that still didn’t excuse these instances where he was asking for the life to be wrung from his neck for saying crap like this. The bastard had the gall to even laugh about it?

Instead, Kuroo did the less merciless thing and gave him a hard shove, intending for it to come off playfully, but still gaining some sort of petty satisfaction, snickering inwardly from seeing Bokuto catch himself from nearly toppling over.

“Psh, yeah, because I was there to save your ass, dumbass.”

And what does he do? He laughs it off. Again.

Kuroo’s hand was two centimeters away from making impact on his friend’s dense skull. Bokuto needed to learn how to look a little more ashamed, or at least pretend to look embarrassed.

He let out a loud sigh of exasperation but decided to backpedal to their focus, his tone taking a sudden solemn turn. “You and I both know full well that it wasn’t good fortune that brought them together.” Not with all the suffering they both had to endure, just to see each other again.

The last trickles of Bokuto’s laughter ran dry and he was quiet again, thankfully only for a fraction of the time he’d been all day. Bokuto faced him again, and any trace of annoyance Kuroo may have had left instantly melted.

For the short time they’ve spent together, Kuroo thought he knew Bokuto like someone he’d known his whole life, someone he’d fought with for what felt like ages. But it was times like these that he learned Bokuto was still so full of surprises.

“Lucky or not, I’m just really happy you’re here.”

His smile was just as blinding as the first time. Not their first meeting ending with the two shaking on a truce thrust upon them (one that should never have been possible); lips were drawn in taught lines, courteous on the surface, but thinly veiled the wariness, bordering distrust. (Though neither of them imagined they would eventually come to embrace that truce as an oath inherited from their lieges.)

No, it wasn’t until the first time, gathered by the crackling campfire to fight the night’s biting winds, Kuroo made a witty retort and Bokuto excitedly interjected with an idiotic remark of his own, sending them both into loud, raging fits of laughter with seemingly no end to obnoxious cackles, desperate gasps for air, and clutched stomachs. And when Kuroo caught his breath and looked back to Bokuto wiping away a single tear, the first thought his brain should have supplied him with was that he knew they’d get along just fine. It should have only been something that simple.

But all Kuroo could think about were the tiny crinkles around his eyes, specks of gold peeking through thin slits, cheeks dusted in the blush of dawn (and looked just as warm to touch), and those lips (oh, those lips) stretched out in the widest smile he had ever remembered seeing. And all were accompanied by light, airy jingles of laughter; as if everything else wasn’t already enough to send him spiraling into an existential crisis. He simply glowed.

Bathed in a pool of twilight like this now, Kuroo realized Bokuto had never stopped glowing.

“Thank you for always having my back.”

And with those honeyed words dripping with the sweetest sincerity, Kuroo’s entire heart leapt into his throat, choking him speechless. In terms of looks, he must have rivaled a gaping fish with the way he kept opening and shutting his mouth, too.

Kuroo returned his gaze towards the sun dipping into the horizon, now just glossing over the lovers in the distance. “Yeah, sure,” he mumbled with as much indifference he could muster, not that it would do anything to hide the telltale signs of the blush creeping up his cheeks.

Bokuto just chuckled, the sound ringing pleasantly into the warm dusk air. It somehow managed to once again invade Kuroo’s thoughts, along with the very seed Bokuto had sown earlier. Unless he entertained it, it might just fester.

What about me? Would I ever…?

But as quickly as the thought formed, he quashed it. The more he dwelled on it, the more trifling it seemed.

(Because when Bokuto was standing right by his side like this, so close within his reach, he only had one selfish wish.)

The sun had just set, though whether it was a few minutes or hours ago, Kuroo had lost track. Time was lost on him, and sometime during it all, the space between them had vanished and Kuroo felt the weight of Bokuto’s head on his shoulder; or rather, he would have if his partner had been notably shorter. The sight was ridiculous, no doubt, with Bokuto’s head propped at an angle against the side of Kuroo’s.

They looked silly and he should feel silly, yet, all he could feel was the stir in his heart. The gesture was incredibly endearing, and Kuroo had given up trying to recall when he’d first yielded his heart to Bokuto. They most definitely looked ridiculous, but he could care less, so he laid his own head atop Bokuto’s. Standing in a familiar and comfortable silence, Kuroo really should have been more surprised by the less familiar, but equally comfortable, faint beating of hearts.

He longed for many, many more of these days to come. When all of this, all the fighting was over, maybe one day they could have that peaceful life.

And when he felt Bokuto’s hand quietly slip into his, he squeezed back gently and didn’t need to wish for anything else.

Thank you for reading! Again, sorry for the lack of context. I’m not super happy with how it came out but I just love Bokuroo so much and if it wasn’t sappy enough, then clearly I have failed in my mission. Please come scream Bokuroo, KenHina, or Haikyuu (anime-only tho) to me here or Twitter! The To the Top-shaped hole in my heart needs to be filled. ;-;

[youreamonocoque]

Uh oh I'm rambling about tennis. Idk how to summarise this here because it's a bit all over the place but the basic TLDR is number 1 and number 2 in the world were much closer in terms of tennis/performance in 2012 than they are this year.

I love reading comments under posts saying that Pablo's into the semi final because some of them are like 'oh damn!' and others are just a sad 'well now no one can stop Djokovic' like hello? Did you think if somehow Daniil had won today that he would've been able to beat Novak? 'But he's number 2 in the world' Novak has already qualified for the tour finals. He is 3k points ahead of Stefanos despite having played just over half the tournaments that Stef has.

The way Novak is playing, unless he has an off day I think he's winning the Gold no matter who is on the other side of the net. I think he'll face a challenge in Zverev but nobody can touch Novak, he's playing so well.

I get that they're going 'oh but Daniil is number 2 he could at least challenge Novak' as if the 3 guys left can't.

Zverev took a set off of Novak at the Australian Open this year.

Khachanov has not beaten Novak since 2018 but he still has a win over Novak.

In their previous meeting Pablo took a set off of Novak. In the meeting before that Pablo broke Djokovic and was about to serve for the first set, Novak got defaulted. (It counts as a win soooo)

The 3 left aren't shit. Daniil isn't shit. It's just that Novak is that good. It's not like when the top of the rankings were dominated by Roger, Rafa and Novak where they were basically unbeatable except to each other.

Let's go back to 2012 say. Imagine that the Olympics that year are the same as they are this year in terms of rankings.

Novak(1+), Rafa(2*), Tsonga(5), Almagro(11), Cilic(25), Bennetau (28), Lacko(58) and Dodig(69).

If we match them up like the 2020 last 8 was then you've got

Novak against Dodig Tsonga against Lacko Cilic against Benneteau Rafa against Almagro

Rafa would not be beaten by Almagro. Cilic would beat Benneteau. Tsonga would beat Lacko and Novak would beat Dodig. Which gives us semi finals of

Novak against Tsonga Rafa against Cilic

Every meeting in 2012 against Tsonga, Novak won (even beat him at the Olympics). Rafa would beat Cilic. This gives you a final of Novak against Rafa, who wins?

Compare that to this year where you've got a last 8 of

Novak(1), Daniil(2), Zverev(5),Pablo(11), Khachanov(25), Humbert(28), Chardy(58) and Nishikori(69)

Novak is not being troubled by any of those. If you got a final of Novak against Daniil with the form Novak is in you're not really guessing? You're going "Well maybe Daniil has a chance???"

My point is that in 2012 you would not be seeing Rafa be beaten by the world number 11. Rafa was too good. (Fun fact want to know where Almagro's last title was before he retired? Estoril. Who did he beat in the final? Pablo)

1 and 2 in the world in 2012 is not the same as 1 and 2 in 2021. This year the gap in terms of tennis is way larger, Novak is just on another level. In 2012 both Rafa and Novak were on that level.

(Obviously ranking doesn't mean everything as in 2012 we didn't get a final of world number 1 against number 2 but when people are saying Daniil had the best chance of beating Novak because Daniil is number 2 in the world (and a very good tennis player idk if he's better than Tsitispas or Zverev, I'd say they're all very equal around 2 to 8?? whereas in 2012 there was a smaller gap between the top 3 (Andy was sort of on his own at number 4) and then there was a bigger gap to 5 from there. In 2012 Novak wasn't out on his own, whereas this year he is.). People saying that Daniil has the best chance because he's number 2 are ignoring the performance gap between Novak and him and also forgetting that rankings don't mean everything. E.g Thiem is currently at 6 in the world but missed Wimbledon and therefore a huge chunk of points due to injury and people have different amount of points to defend etc. Rankings don't mean everything. Daniil being world number 2 does not mean he has the best chance of beating Novak because there are other factors that need to be considered)

(Interestingly in 2012 the final 8 was world number 1 Novak, 3 Roger, 4 Andy, 5 Tsonga, 9 del Potro, 10 Isner, 11 Almagro and 18 Nishikori. - Way less range than this year. )

+(Note: Novak was world number 1 at the time of the Olympics but was not the number 1 seed. In this theoretical, seeding does not matter and the draw is done by ranking- No I have no idea how Roger was number 1 seed I imagine it's because it was at Wimbledon and until this year Wimbledon did it's seeding differently. For the purpose of this theoretical we're also ignoring the surface lmao (I should've used 2016....sigh....Welp i've written the post now and I'm too lazy to change it!)

*(Note: At the time of the Olympics Rafa was ranked number 2 in the world but did not compete. But he is still present in this theoretical)

(I have not proofread this lmao and there is no real conclusion because I am lazy :D)

[littlemissagrafina]

Fics That Give Me Feels

(Angst, whump, hurt/comfort etc.) Regularly adding new fics

Please note that some of these can and will be TRIGGERING for some so please be careful.

Depression, self-harm, mental health, death, etc. Sorry if I missed anything else that might trigger anyone (I haven't read through these properly in a while) if someone spots any triggers will you please let me know?

Stay safe babes, Agrafina out.

After the Storm Passed

Sometimes, Peter felt like he wasn't quite... real. Like maybe he wasn’t really himself but a bad copy of himself. Like maybe he’d come back wrong.

Lost boy's lullaby

"Goodnight my angel, now it's time to sleep

And still so many things I want to say."

- Lullaby, Billy Joel

Peter was surely tired and exhausted.

He has been exhausted since five... years ago? Right? He has been fighting Thanos since that time and he had been beaten up pretty badly. And of course, who would have forget the time that he actually died--disintegrating second by second on an unfamiliar planet, fighting the inevitable of fading away... fading into nothingness. He has been fighting since that time and now, he just couldn't get any break, could he?

i love you 3000, peter parker. whether you believe it or not.

what if, after seeing morgan, tony gets another visitor in the soul realm?

teach me to be comfortable in my own skin

"Mr. Stark?"

Mr. Stark hummed but did not lift his eyes from his work. "Yeah, kid?"

"Does it bother you that I'm not normal?”

Will I Ever Make A Sound?

Mental illness does not discriminate. It doesn't give a damn if Peter Parker is Spider-Man. It takes and it takes and it takes.

But there is hope. There is always hope.

By @losingmymindtonight

Being Alive (is different than living)

The lines between life and death become blurred for Peter Parker and his family and friends when Thanos snaps his fingers. But living again when you were once dead? Well, that's the hardest part. Peter finds that surviving and living are two very different things. It's a cruel and unfortunate thing to discover.

does it ever get better? (a journey through self-harm)

By @imstrandedonthemoon

the courage of stars

Peter falls silent again, exhausted, and Tony takes the time to study the kid carefully. Peter is sullen in a way he’s never seen before, shoulders hunched and weighed down by some unseen force.

He’s just not… Peter.

“Come on, Pete. Talk to me,” Tony prompts. “If you want to see the stars, I can take you. I’ll take you wherever you’d like.”

or

Sometimes, Peter can't breathe. Tony does his best to help.

+

mosaic thoughts

Tony watches, face tight with concern, as Peter swallows thickly. The kid’s hands twitch irritably where they rest on his thighs, and Tony’s eyebrows fly up at the increasingly open display of anxiety.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Tony prompts gently.

Peter shakes his head fiercely again, face beginning to crumple as tears start to spill down his cheeks. Tony quickly gets up and kneels in front of him.

“Easy, kid. It’s okay, it’s okay. Just take some deep breaths and you can tell me what’s wrong.”

Peter makes another sound before finally choking out, “I can’t - I can’t!”

or

Anxiety steals Peter's colors, but Tony's there to bring them back.

+

to build a home

After the snap, Peter comes back, but nothing is the same. He's now faced with near-crippling anxiety, depression, and PTSD. But thankfully, he's got a Tony and amazing friends and family to help rebuild everything he'd lost. Recovery isn't easy, but it's worth it.

+

teach me how to say goodbye

Tony curls Peter into him protectively. “Don’t hurt him!” Tony warns, and the man laughs.

“Oh, I’m not going to do anything. You are,” he says, placing the gun down on the floor. “Well, technically you have a choice. Either you can kill your boy, or you,” he says, pointing at Peter, “can shoot Iron Man. I’ll leave it for you to decide. The survivor will be free to go, never to hear from me again.”

(In which Peter and Tony face the hardest decision they've ever had to make.)

By @tonystarkstan

I can't find a title for this

By @justme--emily

This hit really close to home and had me sobbing.

Tell Me You'll Be Fine

"Tony." A voice, gentle and warm, spoke from behind him. Tony frowned slightly, that sounded very familiar but..

Tony turned around to look at the boy- no, the young man. Tony balked slightly.

He was taller now, definitely taller than Tony was. He filled into his body well, his muscles thicker and shoulders broader, still lean though. His hair was a little shorter, too, but it was still the same brown curls. The same doe eyes. The same trusting smile.

"You're-" Tony tilted his head, taking a step forward and huffing in disbelief. The boy- no, man, walked up to meet him, smiling softly. "Pete?" Tony asked quietly, hesitantly.

"Hey, Mr. Stark."

You should be here

Since coming back from the snap May and Peter had been moved into the tower, easing the separation anxiety between everyone.

Aunt May had become Pepper’s personal assistant which meant she could see more of Peter.

Not long after the rest of the Avengers were pardoned and moved in as well. It was a little tense to start with but soon everyone was building their broken relationships back up, a lot of crying and apologising involved.

Peter soon found himself with an extended family that he loved very much.

Now it was his Eighteenth birthday, and he’s happy. He is…

by @marvels-blue-phoenix

Through Your Tattered Window Pane

While fighting a battle he wasn't supposed to be in, Tony loses his memory. He slowly regains it, seeming to remember everyone... except Peter.

+

Am I Just a Shadow You Drew?

Tony has been distant lately. Peter learns why. [AU: No powers]

By @emeraldmoon

broken by my own hand (put back together by yours)

"For the first time he realizes how perfectly the kid fits into his life. In his arms, against his chest, under his chin, in his entire world."

What Do I Need?

He's not coming. If I wasn't such a burden to him before maybe he would have helped me now. Maybe he would come pick me up and everything would be okay. But everything's not okay because I ruined everything. I should have lied more. I shouldn't have talked to my counselor. This. Shouldn't. Be. Happening.

By @scooter3scooter

Diamond of the Day

Peter couldn't let Mr. Stark die. He wouldn't let him die. He had lost Ben, he wouldn't stand by and not do anything.

Or

The Avengers Endgame/Merlin crossover that no one asked for and made me sad

+

Tumblr Drabble/One Shots

+

Whumptober 2019

By the stunning @itsreallylaterightnow

Resetting the Bone

"Morgan was being sweet, he knew that. She didn’t understand how Peter was sick. She had heard somewhere- how nobody could guess- that he was hurt on his left arm. She knew he had done it. Not a bad guy.

She’d come up with the idea that he needed a Band-Aid to keep on his wrist. Pride glowing on her face, she made sure he had one every morning. Peter wore it all day for her.

Morgan kept giving him Band Aids every visit. She didn’t give up. She was being sweet. She was trying to take care of him. But he really wished she would stop!"

these christmas lights keep shining on (without you here)

With Christmas right around the corner, Peter doesn’t know how he can move on without Tony. Thankfully, he has his family to help him through it.

By @marvelous-writer

Just gonna let em hate

It’s not like anything changed much.

Peter is usually great brushing off all the shit everyone gives him for being himself. It usually doesn’t matter what they think; what anyone thinks really.

So why is it getting so hard for him to do that recently?

By @starrykitty013

cracks in my glass house

Since adopting Harley, the adjustment period had been... hard.

Harley didn’t seem to think Tony cared about where he went or what he did or when he did it. He’d had to bail Harley out of jail more than once already. Harley had brought home girls and boys alike on various nights, only to send them home in the morning and never speak to them again (not that Tony could judge, but by this point he’d passed out more NDAs than he could keep track of).

But it was fine. Everything was fine. Tony loved Harley. He’d do anything for him.

Except let Peter become one of those nameless faces he spent the night with.

TLDR; Harley is a ~bad boy~ and Tony doesn’t want him to hurt Peter.

New Dream

“You ever tried to escape?”

Peter chuckled. “Yeah. Lots of times I end up back here, brink of death. Though, twice Tennison was so impressed he let me have extra dinner and no experiments the next day.”

“Wow, kiddo, living the luxurious life, huh?” it was astounding how quickly they’d fallen into a comfortable companionship.

“There was a guard who helped me once,” Peter’s smile dropped with his volume. “But he had to leave. They never found out he helped me. I was hoping…”

He trailed off and shook his head. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to hitch a ride with you when Captain America comes to bust you out, huh?”

Tony’s heart jumped. Oh, kid, if you knew just how much I wished for that. “Yeah, I guess I’ll let you come along. Only one stowaway allowed, though, you hear me? No weird mutated turtles or rats or something.”

Peter laughed again, and for a moment the cold cell felt warm.

[luvkirby4ever]

Of birds and morons:  a look into Mother 3′s most intricate unspoken running joke/motif

Shoutout to @amphibizzy for convincing me to talk about this.  There’s so much Mother 3 meta that I want to talk about- maybe next time I’ll make a video essay to spare you all from reading so much >o<

Tldr; Duster and Wess have bird motifs that don’t quite translate over well, making Wess’s mannerisms slightly less harsh in context but outs him as surprisingly superstitious.  May be a nod to Japanese mythology, too.

So, a starting point.  Did you know that at beginning of chapter 7 after Ionia joins you (still tied up at this point) that if you go back and talk to Wess he says something rather strange?

For clarity, the entire original conversation reads "Washi no inemuri uranai ni yoreba kyou wa TRIPLE LUCKY da yo.  Jishin o motte daikatsuyaku shinasai."  which translates as “According to my sleep divinations, today is triple lucky.  Go forth with great confidence.”

Weird, right?  Since when has Wess believed in something like fortune telling through dreams?  Is that why he believed Alec’s dream of Hinawa?  And what does this have to do with birds?

Be sure to remember this.

Part 1:  Cleaning crew bird boys

So now let’s take a step back and look at the easiest part of all this.  In all of Mother 3, there’s only 1 bandana that Flint can equip (the manly bandana that Lighter gave him), otherwise the only characters than can equip bandanas are Duster and Salsa.  The bandanas (except the manly one) all have a bird names, with the types being the chick, sparrow, rail (the kana used refers to the water rail, a type of bird), swallow (also a bird), crow, kite (also a bird), and Horus (the Egyptian god whose head resembles a falcon).

Now that’s all well and good, but let’s say that’s not good enough.  Wess and Duster’s connection with watching over the Hummingbird Egg seems pretty solid with Duster’s bird bandanas but let’s go deeper.

When Wess snaps, he consistently refers to Duster as “aho” (moron) and “anoaho” (that moron).  Which is needlessly cruel, but... also a pun.  Yes, that’s right.  The game totters around the joke that Duster is bird-brained, through which Wess is the main spark and Duster is the conduit.  And for the record’s sake this isn’t me excusing Wess’s actions- I’m making an intricate webcomic about his relationship with Duster and him learning how to be a better person for a reason, after all- but I’ve literally heard nobody else talk about this so I honestly think people don’t know about it.

In Japan, “aho” means “moron”, but it is also the onomatopoeia for a crow’s cawing.  There’s a trope known as the “idiot crow” in Japanese media based on this.  What will happen is that something dumb will happen and a crow will fly by and caw “aho aho!”.  Which means “caw caw” but also means “moron moron”.  Thus the joke.  So Wess’s “aho aho!”-ing and using “anoaho” makes him sound like an old crow, commentating on Duster’s mistakes.

Will I get banned from the fandom for making a Homestuck “caw caw motherfucker joke with Wess or-?”

This also feeds into Duster being a bird- “aho” (”moron”) is also used in the word “ahoudori” (”albatross”).  Which is a bird, of course.  And it’s no coincidence either- albatross are known as “idiot birds” in Japan- that’s what “ahoudori” literally translates to.

One more thing that I’ll add to the “Duster’s a bird” pool aside from making a “HEY GUYS LOOK HE’S A FEATHER DUSTER” joke is that his “aho” bird-ness lends him to more “you are ____ type of bird” jokes, which is actually extrapolated by Lighter in game.

In the Japanese version Lighter says “Sugoshi CONDOR?  Iya sakatta.  Sugoshi hagetaka?  Gaahaahaaha.”  This translates as “[You’re] a bit condor-ish?  No, that’s not it.  [You’re] a bit vulture-ish?  Gahaha.”

A bit “vulture-ish”?  Why does he say that?  And why did Mato translate it as going bald?  Because it’s another wordplay pun!  Much like how “ahoudori” (”albatross”) is literally “idiot-bird”, “hagetaka” (”vulture”) is literally “bald-hawk”.  But even more than that, “hagetaka” (a noun) is similar to “hageru”, the verb for “to bald”.  Since “hageru” is an ichidan verb, you can conjugate it as “hageta” to say “balded”.  And then you tack on “ka” at the end to make the statement a question.  So, in short:

Hagetaka=vulture

Hage=bald

Taka=hawk

Hageru=to bald

Hageta=balded

“Hagetaka?”=“Have you balded?”

Hagetaakaa=the “balding eagle” enemy on Mr. Oriander

Damn, Lighter!  That’s a choice pun.  Now, whether or not he was mostly doing it to make a bird joke, to note that Duster looks balder without an afro, or genuinely comment on Duster’s hairline is anyone’s guess.  But hey thanks for the bird fodder Lighter!

Part 2:  Idiots don’t catch colds

If there’s one Japanese idiom you’ve heard, it’s probably that one.  It’s a funny little superstition- the idea that you’re so dumb that your brain lacks to capacity to get a cold- but surprisingly it may be a belief by which Wess operates.  And yes, this still has to do with birds!  In a roundabout way!

Wess being the type of person to believe in magical dreaming and superstition was a very hard concept for me to process at first after I read that “triple lucky” bit during a Mother 3 playthrough.  With the exception of Duster-related things, Wess seems like a fairly understanding and reasonable person:  he tells Flint to be careful and consider his family before rushing off to confront the Mecha-Drago, he wants to help search for Hinawa, he’s adamantly opposed to Fassad’s BS and is one of the only villagers to actively oppose him, and he even tells Duster (upon inputting “no” during a dialogue tree in early chapter 2) that Duster can target any hatred or resentment he may have towards him, since by Wess’s logic that doesn’t matter as long as their mission succeeds.

So if anything he’s a bit crass and willing to sacrifice his own pride/comfort/personal relationships for the greater good, but his convictions are strong and seemingly grounded in his own sense of justice and logic.  Which is why I always took him as someone who wouldn’t believe in PSI, magic, or anything supernatural like that.  But since he *does* seem to believe in that sort of thing, let’s break down what we know:

Wess refers to Duster as a moron

Duster’s IQ is often tied with Boney’s for lowest party member IQ

Wess tells Kumatora in chapter 3 that “morons like that don’t get hurt or sick”

Duster canonically doesn’t catch fevers while Kumatora and Lucas do

In Japan, there’s the idiom “idiots don’t catch colds”

Wess claims to have dreams with fortune telling powers

Says Lucas will have a “triple lucky” day

Lucas proceeds to successfully pull 3 out of the 7 needles before the chapter is over

It’s almost as if Wess wants Duster to be a moron, because superstitiously Duster would be safer that way.  Hm.  It’s also strange that Wess almost seems magical, which may have legitimately been viable at some point since Wess was planned as a playable character for a long while (Therefore he could have been a PSI user with thunder attacks to replace his bombs).  There’s an Earthbound 64 screenshot of Wess being alive while Duster is fainted and even all the way up through Mother 3 you can still access data suggesting Wess was a normal party member from the debug room (I could make a whole post on that- you can use a glitch to pull up all of his stats except HP and PP).

So Duster may be a bird and Wess an old, superstitious crow with maybe some sort of ambiguous connection to magic... but so what?  Well,

Part 3:  It’s Yo-kai time!  (Yatagarasu, Kotengu, and Karasutengu)

This is a much more speculative section, though I try to be reasonable.

You know, I skimmed over the fact that Duster’s final and best bandana is the Horus Bandana, named after the Egyptian deity with a falcon head.  Horus’s right and left eyes represent the sun and moon, respectively.  His left eye (the moon one) was injured in a fight, explaining the moon’s phases.  Funny, considering that Duster also has a left side injury.

But perhaps Horus isn’t the only ancient deity that we can talk about.  I propose the most compelling case, Yatagarasu:

(He’s the bird sitting atop the bow)

Yatagarasu is the Japanese name of a myth that originated in China.  He’s a 3-legged crow that is representative of the sun.  Specifically in Japan, he represents the will of heaven and divine intervention.  He symbolizes guidance, as well as rebirth after tragic stuff like battle/war.

Yatagarasu is prominent enough that there’s a Yu-gi-oh card and a Persona based on him too, which is pretty cool.  But even cooler is that he sounds a lot like what the Egg of Light, Wess, and Duster were responsible for.  The Egg was responsible for the rebirth of their lives for the citizens of Tazmily.  And Wess and Duster’s task to protect the Egg for reasons they don’t understand for the sake of a village that doesn’t appreciate their work seems like they’re doing god’s work, so to speak.

An important thing about Yatagarasu too is that it defies the normal Japanese superstition that crows are bad luck.  Yatagarasu is a harbinger of good.  I’m not sure if any of this was intentional or not, but I think comparing Duster, Wess, and the Egg of Light to it is a pretty solid theory.

So let’s briefly skim over Kotengu and Karasutengu, which are lesser Tengu with bird-like faces.  (For my own reference there’s really good write ups here and here about them.)  For the most part the important thing is that they are bird/crow yokai, but one intriguing thing I found is that Kotengu is that they tend to live like hermits (like Wess and Duster), carry items/weapons stolen from humans (the thief aspect), and collect magical items (the thief tools).

Conclusion:

So do I think Wess and Duster are supposed to represent bird tengu?  I don’t know!  Maybe not completely deliberately, but I definitely believe in the strength of the bird motifs (especially crow Wess).  I had drawn a silly little picture about it 2 years ago for Inktober, in fact...

Whatever the case, I hope someone out there appreciates the info dump.  There’s a lot of Mother 3 stuff I’ve examined meticulously so that my Mother 3 webcomic, DutyBound, can be the best it can be.  Sometimes there’s so much info I want to share but nobody who will listen, though!

So if anyone ever wants to hear some more crazy in-depth Mother 3 meta, I’m your guy >.<

[sorrymomandcat]

Wed. November 6 2019

12:21AM I need a new lighters 

8:09AM 

I woke up with that feeling. 

Surprisingly not tired. 

I might be after I cry. 

Goodbye past.

4:33PM I'm starting this in my car on my anxious pressured 'break' at the ever busy Budapest. I'm gonna not. Brb.

4:55PM Okkkk, I’m going to be real with you.

I had a lot of clever ways to open this conversation but I have forgotten them since sitting in my Ferrari having not 1, but 2 smokes. You ever feel like you’re chewing on your own teeth? No? Good, that means you haven’t smoked meth for the past 255 days. To be clear- Cobain, Lampwick & The Joke are all synonyms for a former co-worker. Although the same person, they’re sort of not #mentalhealthawareness. TLDR; the more evolved part of me really hopes this guy is just a mean, jaded fucking asshole because the alternative is that they’re deeply psychotic and likely the permanent kind. Both leave little hope for improvement but the former at least KNOWS that. KNOWS I know. I could do a whole bullet-point slideshow fucking presentation on the red flags I had been seductively blindfolded to through exploitation of deepest nature and a stubborn unwillingness to accept pain and anger & I just might. I might. I might need to! I processed most of it as it was happening, denial was a bitch though. If you come from a place of; neglect, abuse and chaos but decided to assess your damages rather than project them on to innocent and typically pretty wonderful people.. then you need to equip yourself. Even if you took the more outward approach, leaving everyone in your path as empty useless collateral damage.. you could benefit as well. Tell yourself 'I’m only self-improving to gain further access and a tighter hold of my victims’ It doesn’t matter. Educate yourself on the impact of trauma/abuse/upbringing. See what happens to you. @ me. 

5:53PM There’s a lot of Construction Boyz here tonight. They hit on me and I’m all like ‘omg I smoke crystal meth and I’m in an over-sized hoodie at work with obviously contrasting roots growing in.. you have no idea how much I needed this’ hahah. Still, it’s nothing quite like the validation I get from making humble jokes to myself in my neurotic head! Where was I? Oh yeah. The Joke; Lampdick. This motherfucker fucking pulls out a REAL LIFE meth pipe, Chief Leaf right there. Of course CL is through-n-through up to date and real time a best friend without judgement, so it doesn’t reflect on me, but I’ve been fighting tooth (lol) and nail against obvious (but not blatant) disapproval toward this endeavor with Joke.. (of course gaslit with remarks like ‘fuck the haters’ ‘you’re really going to care what they say’ ‘it isn’t their relationship’ .. you’re the hater.. they treat me with consistent respect so duh.. you’re absolutely fucking right-it’s ours-and it fucking sucks because you’re an abusive psychopath.. shove that isolation groundwork technique up your) ? No respect. To pull out a fucking meth pipe after:

Day 1 appreciating we had a different DOC (drug of choice) and agreeing that use needs to be controlled in the best harm reduction sense possible & I firmly disclosed that I am 100% in no fucking way ever going to be okay with anyone-ever smoking meth near/with me. I still barely forgive the fuckers that ever let me do it - and I know full God damn well it was my choice/fault/willing action. I barely forgave myself! For letting them let me! Or that I even let me let them do it! So. No. It was immediately made clear. Day 1.  

Throughout this treachery The Joke made here-and-there comments about like “pass it this way” and “why don’t you save me any” and other repulsively ignorant and juvenile comments and my stance toward the matter remained firm. Which he always met with “yeah I know! I’m obviously joking! I agree! I would never do that to you” Like I was crazy for hardening my responses. Fucker, fucking fucker.

Seeing/hearing what I have vulnerably shared and experienced since the first day I made this choice (and I know not everyone who has/will make that choice is going to have MY experience. I’m not claiming that. I’m claiming ‘I don’t give a fuck what another person’s experience may be - I am not fucking here for it’ - ‘it’s a no from me dawg’ 

Knowing how desperately I am trying AND want AND try to want (some days it really do be like that) to stop smoking crystal. To end-all repair the damage it has done to myself, my relationships and my life. To prevent the inevitable damage that waits if I don’t. 

Not to mention all the attempts at ‘crazy making’ by exploiting my guilt and fear of potential harm: caused by crystal meth. ie; “you’re definitely sleep-stealing my keys and/or moving things because YOU’RE smoking crystal meth, and that shit is BAD bad + your traumatic childhood,’ (that he doesn’t give a fuck about unless using it against me in similar scenarios) ‘so come on. You can’t deny engaging in these behaviors, that I refuse tell you about. You meth-trauma black events out.. you’re not conscious of it because of YOUR big bad drug.” (which it is and I don’t intend to downplay it)

Seriously. These are real events & that’s just scratching the fucking surface. Note: this blog intentionally has NO followers and is ran anonymously. My intention is only to self-vindicate the man made madness I've enabled. Yet STILL it manages to drag into a month and a half of my God damn precious and OBVIOUSLY seriously fucking sensitive time. I feel NO shame for that; for struggling right now. For falling the fuck on my ass/face/faceassfuckhands onto a SERIOUSLY cemented floor! that manages to also be falling upwards into my fucking face! So instead of ceasing upon impact; continuously bashing my fucking FACE in. It fucking happens man. I fucking know that and I fucking own it as shamelessly as is safe to. Not as a way to justify where I am right now - but to foster a belief that I am worth the insidiously meticulous effort that's required to be better. In a better position to improve the quality of how I serve myself and thus actually beginning to serve those around me. Jesus shit what a Joke. I can’t believe I let myself: be treated this way, be ignorant to it, be willing to entertain the idea that maybe it was OK (even warranted).. but between you and me: I find it even harder to believe that another human being - one who has clearly been deeply wounded as well - can see the genuine sincerity of another human being’s soul and heart.. compulsively bleeding from a profundity raw enough to captivate a nihilist.. and humbly exposes it.. with nothing but purity in the regard of inherit human good.. and could intentionally stick their dirty fucking arms vigorously inside and tear at the exposed gauge made faithfully available. I’m not innocent here. But there’s no blood on my hands. I won’t point my fingers but my eyes are staring right at you. I know what you did to me. I did not agree to it. I agreed to taking the risk. Do you know what you did to me? Educate yourself. Wash your fucking hands. 

I didn’t bring any crystal to Budapest today. I didn’t know I was going to begin opening this, or I would have.

= I’ve got to go for a smokes. 

That’s enough for now. 

7:55PM I don’t know wtf but Doug offered me to get stoned and so I did outside but the guys who needed to switch rooms came back and then outside too because they insisted on my break.. Golf was looking for tape and offered me a Tim Horton’s, I said hot chocolate. Then Striped Vest guy also forever chatted and offered me a Tim Horton’s; I said hot chocolate. Still no tape and I tell him about Striped Vest and hot chocolate. He says ok. Meanwhile, Doug and his friend Chevy Lover are shooting the shit too and Doug asked for my number. Well first he asked if I was single. He asked if I was dating anybody LOL first of all I’m stoned and second of all the literal words out of my mouth were ‘everybody’ sincerely believing it as a reflection of my innocent love for life and immediately realizing that was a stupid answer so on reflex I said “no, myself. ha ha no. nobody. nope. that’s a. this guy who was my boyfriend died once. like a long time ago. no. weird. yeah it was wicked. wait what? why? but no. I don’t. not.” and I’ll never forget that or this hot chocolate. 

8:03PM Golf asked me to put his poppy on (dude you’re 51, you’ve definitely done this more than me and I HATE war) so I asked him like, when the war was and what it was called - “Oh no, I don’t know a lot about history” meanwhile a second ago he was like “I guess I should put one on because my Grandpa fought in the war” no that was you. anyways so I’m learning about WW1. You say you remember so much, name 5 of our veterans? #therealneverforget 

Disclaimer: I still haven’t read anything about it, I’m sorry to all relatives of dead soldiers I deeply condolence and RIP. No disrespect. We out here.

8:07PM Damn I really wish I had another hot chocolate.

8:39PM How is it not midnight?

[thousandmaths]

Southeastern International Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Computing 2017

So I took a long spring break this year to go to a conference. 

TLDR: It was pretty damn good.

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The Basics

When I first heard about this combinatorics conference in Florida from a friend at the Joint Meetings, I figured that it would be kind of like ACSB or GSTGC. You know: a fairly casual weekend-long affair with a lot of break time for networking and eating.

What I was not expecting was the Southeastern International Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Computing (SEICCGTC): a five-day event with four parallel sessions, nine hour-long invited talks, a $100-top-prize student poster session (!)*, a banquet, a large-group excursion, and an official meeting of the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications.

To be fair, there was still a lot of time for networking and eating: we had 20 minute breaks after each invited address and each lunch break was 2 hours long (yikes). I don’t know if it was just the sheer amount of downtime given, or if I’m actually getting better at this networking thing, but I actually met a lot of new people :)  One thing I was surprised by is how many of them were “regulars”, returning to this conference for the 10th time or more. But in hindsight, it makes a lot of sense: the topics covered were quite diverse, the invited addresses were top quality, it’s a manageable size in terms of number of people (maybe 150 on any given day, I’d guess), the administrivia didn’t get in the way much, and there was plenty of time to chat with old friends while still catching up in the field.

If I sound like a little bit of a shill right now, it’s only because I’m still trying to sort out what distinguished this conference in particular for me. I had a great time, but a week— especially the week before spring break— is a really heavy investment that I’m not sure I am willing to make regularly. 

(The issue with break is about teaching, mostly. Being gone for that week cuts dramatically into the “free” time between the first two midterms, and we lose a little bit of ‘momentum’ with the classroom culture-building when I don’t see them for two entire weeks. On the other hand, I will say that having the break to recover was a godsend.)

------

My Two Talks

Unlike most of the conferences I go to, I actually gave a talk this time. It was a 20 minute timeslot (including setup/Q&A) on the first day, so I had to come prepared.... But in return I got to ignore it for the rest of the week, which was a pretty good deal. I thought it went pretty well, but there was someone who came up afterward and said I was talking too fast “for us old folks”. I don’t think I said much of anything at the time, but in hindsight I really appreciate the comment. It’s not often you get honest criticism about presentation style (last page #1 sums up my thoughts on the matter).

I also gave a more impromptu presentation at a “Problem Solving Session”. I figured was going to be competition-style problem sets just for brain exercise, but actually it was more of a fast-paced way for people to shotgun research problems out to a crowd. Presumably people find collaborators in this way, but it could also be used to generate some interest in a particutlar area, or to talk about undergraduate research opportunities.

The problem I presented was considerably smaller than things most people were proposing; it was the question I picked up at the Joint Meetings. I made a mess of the presentation, but apparently got some people interested: an anonymous person came up afterwards and took a picture of my slide, Bernd Schröder came up and asked me to email him a copy, and Richard Low (who also presented a problem) had a longer conversation with me about math and grad school.

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Bernd Schröder

Bernd actually ended up solving the problem; the idea he got to was something I was coming close to myself but (I can see now that) I fixated on a certain technical issue which he was able to circumvent entirely. As I suspected, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but the construction is fairly cute; it could very well be worth a Note in the Monthly**. He sent me a follow-up in an email, which I haven’t had time to read amidst my recovery process, but suggests a more substantial continuation on the problem.

Afterwards we sat down for a longer conversation, which turned out to be rather insightful. We talked about quite a few things, but the big conversation was about career trajectory.

His thesis was in harmonic analysis and probability (a topic that he initially hated when he took it in his first year of grad school). But by the time he graduated, “harmonic analysis felt like work” and so he switched over to thinking about posets. In case you’re not aware of the academic job market, Bernd describes this as a "tremendously stupid move”. I probably wouldn’t say so if he hadn’t said it himself, but yeah, I’m inclined to agree: changing research fields without even having a stable job is probably one of those things that an advice column would warn against. 

If you’ve been reading the blog a while, it probably comes as no surprise that my mathematical interests are very broad. Problematically so, I think. So I asked him how he was able to make these transitions. After some heartfelt but probably-ignorable follow-your-dreams advice***, he said this: 

I was very lucky to get interested in things, and then quickly get good results. There really is nothing as good [for establishing yourself] as getting good results.

which is equally impossible to put into action... but at least feels true. On the more actionable side, he advised to put a lot of energy into learning to teach well: maybe nobody needs an order theorist in their department, but everyone needs good teachers, so in that way you open up many more doors for yourself.

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The footnotes :P

[ * which actually had criminally low participation; if I had realized there were going to be so few posters I might have given a poster instead XD ]

[ ** On the other hand, maybe I should not publish it. I also heard at this conference that your first couple of papers should be really high-quality. I don’t know if this is useful advice (and in particular, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard it), but it seems sensible: it’s by no means expected to have a publication by the time you leave grad school (but this varies by field), so you can really take the time to showcase your full strengths and break into “the scene” on a strong foot forward. ]

[ *** In particular: he wrote a book when he was rather young. This is widely considered a bad move, because book-writing takes an incredible amount of time, and often no distinction is made by a tenure committee between different types of “publications”, so this doesn’t count for any more than a paper. And indeed, because some mathematical work is valued higher than others, and a lot of the latter type goes into book-writing, it may count even less. His advisor wisely told him this was a bad idea, but in the end he went with his gut and wrote the book. ]