#we are not very smart but we did have a good time with it

[madwomansapologist]

★彡 synopsis: kento wasn't to blame. it was never his intention to hate you. the blame was completely on you for being the most irritating omega he has ever met. kento's only fault was his inability to ignore your presence. ₊⊹ masterlist

content warnings: no curse au, omegaverse, alpha!kento x omega!reader, co-workers, meet cute, hate at first sight, one sided (delusional) hate, scent blockers.

word count: [1.3K]

First day into elementary school, blonde hair combed to exhaustion and round glasses with thick lenses, Kento wrote down everything that sounded important. Languages are ancient, his meticulous handwriting occupied the very first line of the notebook. Black ink, underlined twice.

Annoyingly meticulous handwriting, since Kento remember being mocked by a taller boy for ripping out one of the pages after a misspell. He also remembers that it was something about words as evidence of how long mankind survived—by the time he didn’t know what mankind meant. His teacher was too old and far too poetic, but learning new words made Kento excited for mondays.

Weeks later, Kento had a secret: he loved studying. He despised school around his friends, but Kento always knew what chapter the teacher finished off last class or what pages to read for the next exam. First week of school meant discovering the semester’s mandatory reading—which Kento would devour in a month.

His family praised him for being smart, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Kento wouldn’t believe them once they started saying words can lose meaning if not used correctly. That’s the opposite of what his literature teacher spent the entire year explaining. Kento has his notebook to prove it.

“If they did”, Kento reasoned with his dad as if he was the adult. “Not a single language would have survived. You yell my name all the time and I still answer. It has the same meaning it ever did.”

“Some words, if used too often, will lose meaning inside of your heart”, his dad sighed. “Hate is one of those words. One you use way too much, puppy.”

That made Kento snarl. “I’m eight and a half!”

“On that we won’t argue”, his father grinned. Messing up the hair Kento combed for ages, he went back to slicing vegetables. Without washing his hand first, Kento quietly judged him. “You’re just like your mom. I bet you’ll be an alpha.”

Kento pretended to agree since he planned on not eating green bell pepper at dinner. His father should be grateful that he isn’t an adult already, because Adult Kento wouldn’t fear disgusting food as punishment for saying the truth. Adult Kento wouldn’t be ashamed for being right.

As if presenting as an omega or beta would stop him from questioning what doesn’t make sense. And that whole story about losing meaning inside his heart? If I forget the meaning of a word, Kento cursed inside his bedroom, I can just read a dictionary.

His father was being unfair and Kento absolutely hates that.

He thought adults didn’t need to agree with illogical arguments, but years later Adult Kento was made aware of his past self’s mistake. The countless times he heard that hate is such a strong word without uttering a word. One that he shouldn’t be so casual about. Otherwise, they always warn, it’ll turn meaningless.

Needless to say, Kento hates illogical arguments. And he hates his neighbor’s predisposition to loud music. Not charging his phone at night, working overtime, stumbling on a stair at night. Green bell pepper, as one does. And you. Recently, Kento hates you the most.

Better wage, same workhours, different boss: it was a good offer. Good enough for Kento to submit his resignation letter and start as an accountant in this firm. Annoying tasks, tense meetings, coffee machine out of order: with that salary, nothing would be a problem for Kento. But you had to ruin it.

After a quick meeting with the manager and being introduced to the financial team, Kento placed his briefcase on the desk designated for him. That is, on what little space was left for him. Kento sighed for the first time that day.

Frames lacking pictures, empty perfume flask, crumpled post its. There was a cup filled with pens and a hairbrush, but most of them were all over the place. Who even needs that many pens nowadays? Who even uses pens nowadays? The pen-hairbrush cup even had lipstick marks on.

Kento sighed for the second time when he looked at the desk besides his.

It’s clear his colleague doesn’t know the basics of a keyboard, considering the bag pressing P onto an open document. Neither do they understand that one shouldn’t pile used plastic cups and folded science magazines on top of a printer. A vase of magnolias was a surprise amidst that mess, forgotten once his right eyelid twitched at the sight of acetone and nail polish.

“Morning.” Trying his best to contain a snarl, a low voice scared Kento off his thoughts. “You’re the new accountant, right?”

He expected you to be embarrassed but turning around all Kento saw was an omega far more interest on her coffee than his face. As if something with that much whipped cream could be considered coffee. Staring at your eyelids, he didn’t notice the third sigh.

What he noticed was your fully exposed throat. No adhesive patch over your glands or collar around your neck. Golden bracelets covered part of your inner wrists but the pendants tinkling only brough more attention to your bare glands.

Thankfully, there was no nauseating scent—a side effect of his suppressants. Your scent wasn’t absent, only hidden by a faint touch of magnolia and acetone on the air. For that he was grateful. It would feel like a bad omen to throw up on his first day at this job.

Kento could never go out like that. His dark blue collar covered the base of his neck, both glands fully concealed as thick bracelets did the same beneath his sleeves. He had spares on his briefcase and a flask of black pepper perfume―the strongest Kento ever found. He would never go out like that.

That doesn’t mean he judges you for not using anything to cover your scent, specially since it’s delicate enough to go unnoticed. Kento uses them because he wants to cover himself, anyone that doesn’t desire the same shouldn’t do the same. Still, he would bet money that you simply forgot to put them. And for that Kento does judge you.

“Yes, I am”, he bent down, trying to remain polite. “Nanami Kento.”

“No need for formalities”, you yawned, gesturing for him to stood up. Posture fixed, Kento watched you unlock the second drawer of your desk. In quick movements, you put all your mess inside the drawer and locked it once more.

Sitting down, you smiled. It reached your eyes, baring your fangs to him. “Welcome.” After telling him your name, you took a sip from the so-called coffee and grabbed your bag. “I’m here if you need any help.”

Kento made a silent promise to never ever come to you if he needed help.

Erasing everything your bag pressed, you searched for something inside it and quickly forgot about Kento’s existence. He grabbed a few ignored crumbled papers and, after finding a trash can, came back to his desk to find you holding a headphone.

Not only you didn’t care about the organization of your workplace, but you were unable of apologizing or even collecting all your things on your own. And as if it wasn’t enough, you offered help just to immediately make sure Kento wouldn’t be able of talking to you.

Adult Kento realized that, to a certain extent, his father was right. Inside his heart, the word hate lost its meaning. You and loud music can’t be described with the same word. Maybe he really shouldn’t have used it so often…

No. Kento realized that wasn’t the problem. This isn’t about a word losing meaning, but simply about it not being the correct choice to describe what Kento feels about you.

Within knowing you for less than two minutes, he knew. Kento loathed you.

What a nice alpha, you put the noise canceling headset so you could finish the presentation for today’s meeting. Making a mental note to search on your folders for the introductory material to send him, you smiled once more. He didn’t even made me feel bad about all this mess. I’ll get him some coffee later.

TAGLIST: @aviesnapkindoodles @starry-eyed--dreamer

want to be tagged? tell me!

all rights reserved to © madwomansapologist

[mi55delulu]

[9:56 p.m.]

pairing: lawyer!jungkook x lawyer!fem reader

cw: fluff, mature language, banter, established relationship, mentions of domestic violence, inaccurate depiction of law bc do i look like a lawyer? 😭 written in lowercase and also, unedited … boo me.

—

“how could you?!” you slammed the newspaper down onto jungkook’s desk. he peered up at you through his glasses, unsurprised at your reaction. the headline of said newspaper read: superstar mingyu suspected of cheating on korea’s sweetheart somi in amidst of domestic violence trial.

“i knew you played dirty, but this is a new low for you, jeon jungkook.” you sneer, pacing back and forth in his office. he watches you, eyes never leaving the way your skirt hugged your figure.

“well, did he not? the pictures on your phone from the paps tell us otherwise.” jungkook leans back in his leather chair. he looks good like this — hair slicked back neatly with a couple of strands framing his forehead, tie loose around his neck, and sleeves rolled up on his forearms to display his tattoos he’d usually cover in the courtroom.

you and jungkook were from the same cohort in law school. the best students in that year, always neck and neck when it came to your coursework. though, jungkook had one thing that you lacked: charm. he was always able to persuade the judge and jury at the very last minute.

in school, you both learned the three simple rules of persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos. you liked sticking with the facts — logos. after all, the law is above all and justice is only proven in the court. jungkook, however, played his cards using tactics that swayed hearts. it frustrated you, but it always gave him the upper hand. things haven’t changed much from school now that you were both associates in the top rival law firms in korea.

you continue, “it doesn’t justify the abuse—” “alleged.” jungkook interjects with a smile.

“—he sustained from your client! for all we know, there was no overlap.” you palm your forehead and rub your temples to ease the forthcoming migraine.

jungkook stands up and comes around his desk, “baby.”

jungkook swayed many hearts in the courtroom, but he only had one heart in mind. you were a tough case to crack, but that’s what he loves about you. so headstrong, so smart.

he chased you down after every mock trial to offer a drink after another one of your losses against him. it’s a common practice for law school students — work hard, play harder. like clockwork, you’d hold up a hand to decline respectfully. but after you’d won in an exceptionally hard trial, you finally accepted his offer to drink. that was the turning point for your relationship in the coming years with him.

he corners you against his desk, arms caging your sides as he leans in to kiss your cheek while making his way down your neck. if you were truly upset with him, you wouldn’t have let him near you, let alone touch you like this.

“i’m sorry.” he means it, doesn’t like upsetting you, but he also hates losing big profile cases. he reckons you’re the same given with how you barged into his office. it’s not the first time and his secretary has given up trying to stop you.

“fuck you,” you scowl, to which jungkook answers with a nod against your neck, “keep this shit up and i’m going to postpone the wedding date. also, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“i’ll make it up to you after the trial, okay?” he kisses up your jaw.

“that’s bribery, jungkook.” you lull your head to the side, too tired to continue this argument with your fiancé.

“all’s fair in love and war.”

—

a/n: hehe was this okay? thought i’d drop off something small to kickoff 2025. lmk if i should continue these lil timestamp drabbles or if you’d prefer longer fics. if you like longer fics … you’ll rarely hear from me since my lil pea brain takes a minimum of 10 business days to write 1k words LOL anyways, have a lovely day

[womenl0verr]

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞! (𝐆𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠... 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠)

|| 𝐂𝐡𝐨 𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐧-𝐣𝐮 𝐱 𝐟!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

|| 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬!: 𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟!

|| 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞! 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝!

|| 𝐀/𝐧: 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫!! 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲! 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐍𝐀𝐖𝐓 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐨... 𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝! 𝐋/𝐧 𝐢𝐬 “𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞“ 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅/𝐧 𝐢𝐬 “𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝’𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞“

You stood in-front of the mirror with shaky hands as you fixed your over-sized gray blazer. You fiddled with the hem of the black mini skirt you wore, soon tying up the laces of black worn-out convers you wore.

Sure, it wasn’t your first time on a date with a woman, but it's your first time asking out a woman. Usually it had been them, with you giving them subtle hints. But after two months of waiting patiently, you did the first move.

And that's how you got here, trying to somewhat fix the poorly tied tie, and your wrinkled white button up. You tried to dress fancy, given that you want this to end up well.

Though you didn't have the right clothes for it, so you stole some from your good ole' brother. The trousers couldn't fit on you so, you went for the black skirt instead.

In other words, you tried your very best. You picked up the bouquet of flowers that sat on your table, picking out your fanciest-looking purse and left your apartment.

The reason you went all out on your outfit was, that was because you had nothing else to impress her with. Your apartment was shit, one kick away from crumbling. You had no car, not even a drivers license. You had nothing, nothing at all.

You just had your crazy-good fashion sense and a smart mind. You fiddled with your glasses, fixing them and your hair. You rang the doorbell to her house, breathing deep but steady breaths before hiding the bouquet behind your back.

You stood there patiently waiting for her to open the gate, or do anything. Nervously mumbling words of praises under your breath. "You can do this.", "you look beautiful and she will love you.".

Then she opened the door, you instantly look up from your feet. Even if she wore something casual—wait, she's wearing something casual.

First wrong of the date: "hey, beautiful." You tried to flirt with her, keyword: tried. But you still desperately failed so bad. And with a wide blush coming up on your cheeks looked down on your feet again. "Sorry." You mumble giving her the hidden bouquet of flowers from behind your back.

"This is really pretty." She smiled and took the flowers on your hands and smelled them. "You look really pretty." She looked up from the flowers and her eyes met yours. "T-thank you, you look beautiful, Hyun-ju." You grin before grabbing her hand in yours.

"Sorry, i thought we were going for something casual." She said looking down at her casual outfit. "No, it's alright. I should've asked you beforehand. You still look really beautiful."

The walk to the restaurant was near but there was still a distance. "Sorry, i don't have a car. And plus the restaurant's parking is shitty." You tell her with a small smile, which she just let smiles at.

"It's fine. This is actually the best date ever." She chuckles, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Don't worry too much about this date, i want you to enjoy." She said as she subtly intertwines her fingers with hers.

Second wrong of the date: "Uhm, hi. Reservation for L/n, please." You smile. "Oh, uhm. I'm sorry, i can't find your name in here." She scrolls through the book. "Uhm, what?" You nervously chuckle, though you just send an already worried Hyun-ju a smile.

"Can i talk to F/n, please?" You say with an irritated smile as your friend walks over to you. "So...?" She trails off. "What the hell!" You whisper shout at her as she pulls you behind a car. "Look, i'm sorry. I didn't have time to put you on the reservation list. I'm really busy, and we're filled with people."

"What am i gonna do now?" You huff in annoyance as you rub your temples. "Uhm, there's this other really nice restaurant. It's just a couple blocks from here." Your friend suggests. "Fine, but i'll never let you live down this moment ever again."

And with that you walk away. You force a smile as you walk on over to her, but it seems she already knows it. "So, we search for other restaurants?" She smiles as she intertwines her fingers with yours once again.

"Are you sure? You can go back home, i'll just reschedule this date." You look up at her with sad eyes. "No, i want this date to continue." She smiled looking at your eyes, before hesitantly pressing a kiss to your forehead.

Fireworks. You felt fireworks erupting inside of you as she pressed her soft lips on your forehead. "Sorry, am i moving too fast?" She asks with worried eyes, but you shake your head with a wide smile and a blush on your cheeks. "No."

Third wrong of the date: as the both of you talk and walk towards the restaurant, people who walks by, stare at the both of you with disgust planted on their face. The way they would walk slowly just to whisper something, then walk away like nothing happened.

It made you sick to your stomach. You would never except people to be like this. You hated that. You hated how they would stare at the both of you with such disgust, as if they're perfect people.

Your hands ball up into a fist as you tried your best not to glare at them. You snap out of your thoughts as Hyun-ju stopped walking. You looked at her with confusion. "I'm sorry." She apologized turning to look at you. "I'm sorry, you're getting all these looks because of me."

"It's okay. I-i'm used to it." You grab her cold hands and try to warm it with yours. "I don't mind." You smile. "Do you want me to cook for you instead?" You offer, brushing your thumb over her knuckles. "I promise, i make decent food."

"I would love that." She smiles. "Your apartment closer, right? Let's go there instead." She says, you and Hyun-ju walk to your apartment, talking and laughing once again. This time with no one to interrupt the two of you.

Since it was night, the streets near your apartment are usually quiet. So all the sounds that you could only hear was the sounds of her giggles and laugh at your stupid jokes.

Stupid jokes that at least made her laugh.

Once the both of you reach your apartment, you turn on the dim lights, preparing dinner whilst she sat on the very uncomfortable couch. "Sorry, i'm not the richest." You spoke up from the kitchen. "Don't worry. I'm touring myself instead."

She looked at the portraits and family pictures you had set up on the shelf, it was clear that you loved your family. The shelves were filled with books, occupying most of the shelves. You loved to read. She kept that in mind.

And, you also loved to cook. She guessed that from the row of cook books you had. "You're not gonna find any gold in there, that's for sure." And she chuckled at that as you set up your dinner and hers.

After eating dinner, the both of you decided to sit on the couch and watch tv instead. After a few minutes, despite your desperate fighting, sleep won over you. Your head slowly leaning towards her shoulder, she didn't mind. In fact, she liked it.

She admired you whilst you slept, the moon light seeping through the windows as you slept, lighting up your face perfectly. "Best date ever." She whispered under her breath before pressing a kiss on your forehead.

"Best date ever." You whisper back, waking up from her kiss. "So, let's do this again?" You asked with eyes full of hope. "I would love that. Now go to sleep."

The next morning, you woke up with a goddess laying next to you, admiring your features. And it was truly the best date ever despite all the things that happened.

[klilyr]

Jegulus raising Harry microfic: 640 words

“Um… dad?”

Regulus looked up from his paper to see a very nervous looking Harry fidgeting with his pajama sleeves, looking down at his slippers. He glanced over to James who was magically washing up their breakfast dishes.

“Which one of us are you talking to there, Haz?”

“Both. Or, uh, either, I guess…” Harry mumbled, still not meeting his eye.

Regulus was struck with how much the boy had grown over the past year. He would be heading back to Hogwarts in a few days, the Christmas break was rapidly coming to an end, and Regulus could hardly believe how fast the time had flown. He was dreading Harry’s upcoming departure, if he was being honest with himself, he loved having him home so much.

He would be fifteen before they both knew it.

James set the last of the plates back in the cupboard and came to sit beside Regulus, both looking at Harry with curiosity, wondering what it is that has him so nervous.

“We’re all ears, hamster,” James said, warmly.

“I think…” Harry started but trailed off quickly, his cheeks burning red and the two men exchanged another glance with each other, anxiety spiking.

“IthinkIlikeaboy,” Harry blurted out, so quickly, that it took a second for the actual words to register in Regulus’ brain.

“You think you like a boy?” James clarified, a smirk appearing on his handsome face.

“Yes.”

“Which boy?” Regulus asked, “Ron?”

“Merlin no! I mean, yes, obviously I like Ron, but not like that!” The shock of the question had, finally, made Harry raise his head to look at his dads in disbelief.

“Dean? Neville? Seamus?” James started listing off names, face twisted in thought and Regulus laughed. It was just like James to immediately name every single boy he could think of until he hit the right one.

“No! It’s none of them! It doesn’t matter who it is, I just wanted you to know,” Harry said exasperatedly, face still a deep shade of crimson.

“Thank you for telling us, mon cheri, we love you and we will be here if you have any questions, at any time,” Regulus said, pointedly looking at James.

“Cedric Diggory!” James yelled, triumphantly, “I knew he was distracting you during that Quidditch match we came to see! You can’t let cute boys take your mind off the game, kid.”

“Oh like you’re one to talk,” Regulus muttered under his breath, which earned him a playful slap to his shoulder.

“It’s not my fault you know how to handle a broom so well,” James muttered back which caused the teenager in front of them to groan loudly.

“It’s not Cedric! Merlin!” Harry’s head fell into his hands, “It’sdracomalfoy.”

“Dra… did I hear you right?” James gaped at his son before turning to Regulus, “did he just say Draco Malfoy?”

Regulus couldn’t respond, he was biting the inside of his cheek trying not to laugh and embarrass their son any further.

“Yes. I know he’s mean but I can’t stop thinking about him. He’s smart and he’s really good at flying and even when he calls me names, my heart starts beating really fast and he has lovely hair and when he’s thinking in class, he gets this little frown line between his eyebrows and…” Harry trails off again, very aware he’s just said too much, “anyway… I just thought you should know. Okay, I’m going to go over to Ron’s now.”

Harry rushed out of the room before either man could say anything and James turned to Regulus in disbelief.

“Draco Malfoy?” James stammered, horror painting his face, “that little ferret is horrible to him!”

Regulus just turned back to his paper, lifting it high enough to cover his grin.

“Ah Jamie, it seems history really does repeat itself, hmm?”

(written for @shoopsthereitis as part of a Xmas ss exchange. I adore you sar, I'm so pleased to be your friend xxx)

[thy-lovelylionheart]

Mike is the party’s problem creator, and that is why he is so vital to the party's success.

Let me explain.

I’m not talking about him creating real problems. I’m talking about D&D.

Mike is the dungeon-master. He creates plot. He creates opponents. He creates problems and snares and tricks for the other players to face. We even see in one of the tie-in comics that he plotted out a campaign specifically with the intention to give Will the chance to feel like a hero instead of a victim (the Thessalhydra campaign) after his trauma in the UD, which mean he had to consider skills, inventories, weaponry, opponent strengths and weaknesses, and more, all to funnel toward a scene where Will gets to kill the Thessalhydra without making it obvious and patronizing.

So when it comes to making plans regarding the UD, Mike is brilliant and he is necessary. He’s the one who figures out El is taking about an alternate dimension because he thinks outside the box and isn’t hindered by conventional logic. He considers all sides. He’s the only one to view Will’s True Sight as a power that allows him to become a superspy—a change in perspective that helps Will save Hopper and in turn saves Hop, Joyce, Mike, and Owens at the lab. Only Mike knew Will was a spy and needed to be sedated, and if he hadn’t been there, Spy!Will would have known where they were at all times and the demodogs would have killed them all. Not only that, but he came up with the shed plan and was the first time bring up that closing the gate would kill Will.

Dustin is the one who proposes they distract the demodogs for El and Hop, but here’s the problem. His plan to lure Dart to the junkyard and Steve’s input on this plan—inspired by what he’d seen Nancy and Jonathan do in s1 with the gasoline trail—took forever. It was a smart plan, but it left them incredibly vulnerable and trapped in a small space, and in the end required Steve to go out into the open. It didn’t account for the possibility that there might be more demodogs, and it left part of the bus (the top hatch) exposed. It also doesn't account for an escape plan.

It’s very similar to what they do in s4 with Eddie’s trailer in the UD: fortify, lure, hide. Except they forgot to account for the vents (like the top hatch) and in the end, Eddie ran out into the open and was overwhelmed by the sheer number of the demobats. The main difference is that they did have an escape route (the trailergate) except they don't have the ability to close the trailergate, so they're still vulnerable.

So while we don’t know what Dustin’s plan would have been to distract the demodogs if Mike hadn’t been there, we still know that they needed Mike’s knowledge of the hive mind and the tunnels and the weakness to fire (beyond just a general “oh fire is a good weapon” knowledge like Nancy and Jonathan stumbled into in s1 and that Steve tried to replicate in s2, but a for-sure “fire is its weakness” knowledge that Mike gains at the lab) in order to pull off this plan successfully. Dustin’s idea to distract and his emotional connection to Dart in particular protects them, but Mike’s knowledge and outside-the-box thinking is vital. It’s likely that he’s even the one to make them all wear goggles and bandanas because he probably saw Hopper coughing and wheezing after prolonged exposure to the toxic air and knew that he’d needed to be hosed down at the lab. His plan is also a get-in-get-out plan, meaning he intended for them to get in, wreak havoc, and then immediately get tf out safely. Mike plans for after the attack as well.

In s3, Mike knows they need to act as fast as possible in regards to Billy because he has experience with a Flayed individual—the only one out of the kids’ party other than Will who actually experienced Will being Flayed. All the other kids only showed after he’d already been sedated, and only Mike was in the shed with Hop and the Byers once he woke up (and then and to be sedated again). Everyone else doubts, everyone else hesitates, but Mike and Will know they need to act now—they can’t sit and wait for information, they need to create a scenario to give them information. So Mike creates one: The Sauna Plan.

This isn't to say that Dustin isn't smart! He's incredibly intelligent! But Dustin is more science-minded and doesn't think outside of the box as naturally as Mike does. And this is why they're most successful when they work together.

Dustin has a ton of D&D knowledge, but he doesn’t really apply it until prompted. I can think of at least 2 instances where Mike describes a supernatural occurrence in detail and then Dustin names it with a D&D reference. Mike explains what he thinks El means by flipping the board over and he suggests/describes an alternate dimension, and then Dustin says, “like the Vale of Shadows.” In s2, Mike describes in detail the hive mind and how it works, and then Dustin says, “like the Mind Flayer.” Dustin is able to label but he doesn’t understand before being able to label it like Mike does. In fact, Dustin doesn't question why Vecna is creating the gates until Erica prompts it – if Mike had been there, this question would've undoubtedly been prompted much sooner because Mike asks a billion questions all the time (for example, "Why would he give me a pen that doesn't work?")

Dustin and Nancy actually approach problems in a very similar way. When Nancy encountered the Demogorgon in the UD, she started looking through a science book to rationalize it in terms she understood. Dustin did the exact same thing when he found Dart – he went to the library and did research on amphibians and pollywogs. Both times, they found valuable information! Nancy was able to figure out that the Demogorgon was attracted to blood and Dustin figured out that Dart would continue to molt and is heat-sensitive. But in s2, Mike is the one who took Will's knowledge and experience seriously and accepts right away that Dart is from the UD, and treats Dart as a serious potential danger even before they know he's a demodog.

Nancy is also incredibly intelligent, and she's a fighter through-and-through. I adore her! But here's the thing about Nancy: she hates feeling powerless. She hates being emotionally vulnerable in a way that makes her look weak. She can be emotionally vulnerable in an affectionate way and be okay with that! But she hates being vulnerable in a way where she feels hurt and scared and grieving, and when she feels this way, she feels the intense need to Immediately act and stomp out what’s making her feel that way. We see it in s1 where after she learns about Barb’s death, she wants to immediately go back and kill the Demogorgon.

Nancy prefers the direct approach, even when that's not the best choice. Her choosing the direct approach against Vecna required a lot of time they didn't have trekking across the UD, and it didn't account for what would happen if they got snagged in the vines. In fact, her approach is very similar to Hopper's in s2 when he goes to the tunnels for the first time! He chooses to be direct and it nearly kills him because he didn't plan for backup and can't free himself from the vines without external aid.

And the more I think about it, the more I suspect that Vecna gave Nancy the vision of his plan and her family dying specifically to make her emotionally vulnerable and therefore impulsive and brash and direct.

And in s4, we see what happens when Mike isn’t there to challenge Dustin's logical, science-based thinking and Nancy's direct, brash attack style – when Mike isn't there to present outside-the-box thinking and see the problem from all angles:

The demobats get into the "fortified" trailer, Eddie goes out into the open and dies, Nancy & Co. get immobilized by vines, they only prepared one music source for Max and so when her Walkman is destroyed, she's wholly and utterly vulnerable, and if it weren't for El piggybacking from the other side of the country, she would've died permanently.

The one time Mike isn't in Hawkins, they fail.

Mike, the dungeon-master, is a problem creator, so he is vital to the party's ability to solve problems.

[nico-sees-dead-people]

*deeep breathe*

Dear Will I don’t even know why I’m doing this again. It’s not going to do anything. It’s just…. I miss you.

Aria doesn’t understand you don’t remember her. She keeps calling you daddy and you keep denying it. It breaks my heart little little more every time but you’re smart at me today at lunch. A real smile not your “I’m fine because I have to be trust me I’m a doctor” smile. I smiled back or at least I hope i did. I’m not very good at facial expressions. I’d say you know me but you don’t not really. Not anymore but you will I’ll make sure of it tomorrow. I’m going to make pasta my mum’s old recipe and I’ll tell you that and I’ll explain exactly how not to make it and you’ll learn a little more about me and I’ll pretend everything is normal and for awhile, maybe it will feel like it. And then I’ll ask your favourite colour I already know what it is but it’s always nice to see you smile and talk about things you like especially since you don’t remember telling me already it’ll be like the first time for you again. You’re smile is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen. And I think that maybe because you can still smile at me maybe we will end up okay in the end. And everything will work out just fine.

Right well, that’s enough emotion for today .

Love, nico

[in the morning]

*nico wakes before @dr-flipflops and sighs looking at him on the sofa so gently uses some shadows to move him into the bed, tucking him in and smoothing his hair back and scribbling a note reading “morning sleepyhead, here’s your reminder to drink some fucking water and eat more than a muffin and also to let your mother know that you have a cough or so help me hades solace ill do it myself, ill probably be gone when you read this because i have to pick aria up from sally’s but ill be back at somepoint because your mom made me promise, love you dont die see you soon” before whispering “love you” and leaving the room to speak to naomi*

nico: good morning mrs solace uhm.. sorry for intruding i didnt exactly plan to come it was more accidental shadowtravelling episode

naomi: nonsense, you know youre always welcome here, even after everythin’

nico (watery smile): yeah i know, how is he, will i mean, he doesnt seem.. happy

naomi: hes as well as he can be in this situation, he’d be doin’ better if he found it easier t’ let people in, if he let you properly communicate with him but… i also can’t blame him for his reaction

nico: neither can i, and i know i messed up, im trying to fix it i just- i don’t know how and.. *his voice breaks* i miss him and so does ari

naomi: *smiles gently at him* he does care about you nico, hes just hurtin’, he misses you too *she pulls him into a hug* it’ll be alright in the end

Nico: *fully crying now* thanks mrs solace

naomi: *pats him on the back softly* anytime sweetheart, now, you said you had somethin’ t’give me?

nico: ah, yes, *he pulls a thick bundle of letters out of his aviator jacket* its a collection of letters ive written to will throughout his amnesia, explaining.. well just about everything, when he says hes ready and wants to know then he can read all of them regardless if he wants to see me or not

naomi *smiling*: thats a lovely idea hon, very thoughtful of you, ill give them to him once you’ve gone back though, the topic is sensitive enough without…

nico *nodding*: without the added stress of my presence, i was just about to say that, besides i have to pick up aria from her aunt sally’s, she had a sleepover the past couple of nights

naomi: you should bring her, next time you come, i know will don’t remember but i do, an’ i miss my granddaughter

nico *smiling*: i will mrs solace dont worry, she misses you too, and thank you, for everything

naomi: dont thank me sweetheart its been my pleasure

*nico begins to wave goodbye before noticing will standing in the doorway*

[whereispearlescentmoon]

I am really loving your deep, philosophical look at the characters in the life series, such as the one you did for Cleo and here loyalty and love for her allies. Could you perhaps do one for Mumbo?

So I actually hadn’t watched Mumbo’s pov of anything but Secret Life and a bit of Wild Life but I’m sick and you asked very nicely so I decided to watch some of his Last Life to answer this lol.

The thing about Mumbo that I love is that he is so afraid all the time. And I’m not saying as an insult, it’s just the truth. Of everyone in the series he (and Lizzie) feels the most like a person who was dropped into a death game that, and this is crucial, he knows he won’t win. Not to bash Mumbo’s skill, but he’s not good at PVP, and he’s not great at keeping himself alive. Neither of those things bode well for his survival and he knows that. So he spends the whole time afraid. But what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in smarts.

One of the first things he says in Last Life is that he’s A) Completely terrified and B) Bad at surviving in Minecraft. He’s determined to survive on the merit of his redstone skills, but unfortunately, brains can only get you so far when when you’re being chased down by someone. He looses two lives in his second episode, one right after very triumphantly killing Joel with only a stone axe, because even when he does something cool we must be reminded that he’s kind of pathetic. Every time the boogeyman was chosen, he would hide in fear for a little bit, unsure if he could trust anyone. He’s extremely jumpy. In episode two he gets genuinely startled by items coming up after he places a block on them. And like, he can’t really because for his first season he teamed up with people who actually took the whole “red names cant have alliances unless the other people are red and boogeymen lose all alliances” seriously. Hence the whole “join me” thing with Grian. If paranoia was a person, it would be Last Life Mumbo.

His secret life series is probably the best example of him driven by fear and the knowledge that he probably won’t win. Like, he was paranoid in Last Life, but there was almost a resignation to the fact that he wouldn’t win. In Secret Life, he’s really really trying. But no one else believes him, which only makes him more frantic to prove that he can be good at this. For example, Pearl, despite being his ally, dedicates herself to Bdubs and Joel (and later Scar) winning, but not him. And the second he goes red, when things start going really wrong, he falls apart completely. He panics, like he always does, and flails. And most importantly, he still holds true to the old Last Life rule that reds don’t have allies anymore, hence why he tries to kill Pearl. He can’t get any kills, he’s running around like a chicken without its head. And he dies to a stupid joke he set up himself.

And then the best way to prove that he ends up taking himself out by panicking is Wild Life. First, yes, he does die to a failed trap he himself set up which is funny for the guy who relies on his redstone to succeed in the series. But then when he comes back as a zombie and has no fear of dying, he actually gets a decent number of kills? Like, if he would just take Natasha Bedingfield’s advice and release his inhibitions, he could feel the rain (victory) on his skin.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Rose Recaps 2024 - Rose-Tinted Glasses

Post your most popular and/or favourite edit/gifset/analysis for each month (it’s okay to skip months!) @troubled-mind made her own year summary, and I wanted to play to. I want to look back and see what I did and kinda give myself a pat on the back. I've been feeling not that inspired about giffing lately so this might help.

January

Most Popular: Myungha is all of us

Favourite: The Glitch

This one took me a long time to make but I had so much fun. It was a request and I immediately knew what I wanted it to look like, adding the red flare, but then I actually had to make it, which is when I get in trouble, because there are only so many hours in the day and I'm never happy. But I'm really happy with this one.

February

Most Popular: Is the magic gone? - Cherry Magic Thailand, EP 11

Favourite: The End

Yes, it's Love for Love's Sake again. I adore this set. I just love how it turned out. I had a good time trying to get the look I wanted. And of course, them. I love them.

March

Most Popular: S01E06 | S02E06 | S03E06 - Young Royals

Favourite: "So, I've been searching all this time…for someone who would polish off that dish with me."

This show changed me and healed me and it all started here. I love this show too much for words, but I did try to explain my love for it in my second favourite post from this month. It's magic.

April

Most Popular: Silent Screaming - Unknown, EP 9

Favourite: Ok this isn't exactly my post or just one but all the answers from #Rose's Day of Asks, April 2nd. It was just so much fun to go on a ask spree, and get to know some people better and get show recs and just generally interact more. It broke my brain a little but it was such a fun day for me. Also it was a fun excuse to just ask questions, because sometimes I feel awkward dropping by someone's inbox to ask some random question. May

Most Popular: Domesticity - Unknown, EP 12

Favourite: "The ocean is for contemplating things bigger than we are..."

This is such a special set to me. I did it as a gift to the always kind @twig-tea and I love it a lot. She loves the sea and so do I, so to work with it in different shows and just look at it while I was making this set was such a treat for me as well. This was the post that started it.

June

Most Popular: Oyei & Cher - Wandee Goodday, EP 6

Favourite: The 25:00 in Akasaka running.

This show got me so bad. This post basically started because of @lurkingshan tags on another post and then because @colourme-feral asked me about who would do the running in the inevitable running to the beloved moment. And it was fun discussion with great additions from @lurkingshan here and @emotionallychargedtowel take here.

July

Most Popular: Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko, EP1

Favourite: Zettai BL is back!!!

I had a blast giffing this show. It was just great seeing my faves again and getting a new fave in Hatano. Many thanks to @ikeoji-subs for making it possible for us to watch it.

August

Most Popular: 'Friendship is nice, isn't it?' - I Hear the Sunspot, EP 8

Favourite: Rose Watches OJBL - The Novelist: Playback (2021)

Never was I happier to have started the ojbl project that when I finished this series. I love it so much. And this project is dying down because I've seen most of the good ones, and will make my way through others more slowly that I had before. But this project was definitely one of my personal highlights from last year.

September

Most Popular: THE Kiss - The Time of Fever, EP 4

Favourite: 'You've grown up well, Go Hotae.'

I am so critical of my work but damn do I love this set so much. The colours just make me so happy. And them of course. No secret that I absolutely lost my mind with them.

October

Most Popular: The amazing Nam Yoon Su - Love In The Big City, EP 1

Favourite: So I've been thinking about time.

The day I was so smart. I was very proud of myself for figuring this out. It seems silly now, but it was driving me crazy and I felt really good when I finally cracked it. This show also occupied so much of my brain.

November

Most Popular: Parallels LITA - Love in the Air Koi, EP 1

Favourite: Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park | PART THREE

This show gave me so much pain, but it got me doing something different. I really loved making these. And this one was the best of one. I am so rusty using photoshop that it was a challenge at first, and it took ages but it was also really fun. I love these edits a lot.

December

Most Popular: Panther Eyes - Caged Again, EP 6

Favourite: Miseinen parallels - Episode 1 | Episodes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6

I had been paying attention to the places Jin was visiting in the first episode to spot them when they appeared again, so i was very happy when I was finally able to collect them all.

Well that's it for yearly recaps I guess. I feel like I'm getting better at this giffing thing and also writing some thoughts down, even if I still feel intimidated by some people. I had fun here last year and I hope this one continues to be great. I just need to find some inspiration and start giffing again properly. Have a wonderful year everybody! 💜

Also, if anyone wants to do this consider yourself tagged! and you can use this site where you can look for your top posts of each month.

[hotasfahrenheit]

my top 10 ql shows of 2024

we're a week into the new year already so i guess i should finally get this list posted 👀👀👀

to make this list, i kept an ongoing note in my phone all year of all the ql shows i watched, and then i sat down a couple days ago (*cough*a week ago*cough) and rearranged them to figure out which ones were my favourites. i didn't have any kind of ranking system going through the year (besides being very sure by the beginning of february what was going to be my absolute favourite of the year- and i was right) so this was all based on the vibes i was feeling about all these shows as i made the list, thinking back on them over the year.

i had JUST finished one of these shows so that's part of why i wanted to let it sit for a few days- make sure my ranking wasn't skewed by the feeling of having finished a show then immediately making the list right after while it was fresher than anything else. a week on, i'm still solid on these. i think. i keep looking at this list and being like "wait, did i really love that show more than this other one? did i? how is that one not in the top 10? wait but the ones above it are also just so good" and if i don't just post a list then i'll never stop fidgeting with it, so here we go!

10 - 4Minutes

was 4Minutes perfect? no, but i enjoyed the twisting layers of narrative and the speculation and discussion around this show so much. there were multiple times i thought i had things about the story figured out, and i kept being close to correct, but it kept finding ways to surprise me anyway.

9 - Love Is A Poison

this show was an unexpected delight in so many ways. it was funny, it was smart, it was wild, it was bonkers, i hope they get to make more of it.

8 - Jack & Joker

the longing, the heists, the shenanigans, the friendships, the everything about this show. it got a lil shaky towards the end but on the whole it was such a fun time, and it's still so incredible and such a triumph that they even got this show made, and i love it forever.

7 - Meet You At The Blossom

ANOTHER TRIUMPH OF A SHOW. so pretty. so splendid. so many long sleeves being waved around. so much nonsense and adventure. a fantastic pairing of characters, a fun side couple, just all around perfection.

6 - Love Sea

does this show get a biased boost in the ranking because i love Fort and Peat so much and even an imperfect show with them in it was going to be something i loved? maybe. possibly. probably. Peat spent the whole time looking expensive and pretty, and Fort spent the whole time looking like he was going to devour him, and they're just so good together. sorry not sorry.

5 - 1000 Years Old

this show gets two gifs, because they're my gifs, and i loved it SO MUCH. definitely a weird little show, but it had so much heart, and the way the story built was incredible, and it was just such a warm, beautiful show about found family and embracing your weirdness and being yourself and also love. all about love. the deepest love, and patience, and being willing to try again no matter how many times it takes. also soup, and so many umbrellas.

4 - My Stand-In

(this gif is from this set i made)

this show. THIS SHOW. the acting, the story, everything about it was absolutely insane and was all-consuming especially towards the ending of it. i love stories with complex, nuanced characters, and i love actors who can make you angry with how good they are at playing terrible people. this show had me shouting in the group chat all the time and it was just such a wild ride. an EXPERIENCE from start to finish.

3 - Love In The Big City

an absolutely stunning work of art. i watched the first two episodes with @poetry-protest-pornography when it first released then we both got busy with life for a bit; i listened to the audiobook at work the last week of December and immediately slammed through the rest of the episodes compulsively. i couldn't stay away. i had to inject it into my being. i'm aware that i interacted with and experienced this story differently than a lot of people i've seen talk about it on here because it didn't resonate with me in all the exact same ways as i am a straight person, and i saw a lot of people talking about how deeply it spoke to them about the queer experience, but the themes of loss and loneliness and searching for purpose and meaning and love were universal enough that this show did a number on my heart and soul and still is echoing in me now.

2 - Let Free The Curse of Taekwondo

another stunning, emotional show. this story had me in its GRIP from the first episode and has still not let me go. it was a rollercoaster and was such a deep tale about forgiveness and finding ways to just live life and how it's never too late for a new beginning. about how sometimes you can't let go of people, and you shouldn't. about being able to find and keep love and joy even through the darkest times and places.

1 - Love For Love's Sake

aslkdfjhalsfkdjhafd obviously. obviously this was my number one. an absolute powerhouse of a story about love and acceptance and being willing to not only help other people take second chances on life, but allowing yourself to as well. about being willing and open to loving and caring for others, and loving and caring for yourself. about taking control of your situation and writing your own future. about love, for love's sake.

THAT'S THE LIST.

everything here is obviously my opinion, if there's a show you're curious about that you loved that you don't see here, comment and i'll tell you where it ended up in my longer list (unless it's something i didn't get to this year!) and let me know how my list compares to your faves!

-------------------------------------

Bonus round: honorouble mention - Knock, Knock, Boys!

listen, as much as i loved all the other shows here, i considered making this a top 15 list instead of 10 because i loved this show so much and it didn't feel fair that it wasn't included. it was goofy, it was heartfelt, it was fun the whole way through and i really loved it a whole lot. 15 would have been too many tho, so this just gets an honourable mention at the end instead.

-------------------------------------

any gifs in this post that don't have credit under them are ones i made! i don't have the time or energy to make new gifs for every show so i just pulled from things i'd already made and had on my hard drive, or used ones made by others where needed. thanks to the other gif makers whose stuff i used!

[trippinsorrows]

so, it's some type of family themed retreat marked as a great opportunity for bonding, strengthening relationships and just fun for kids.

so attending, we have roman, samantha, jey, nicki, they bad ass kids, jimmy, naomi, and r-truth (nicki's brother in this au and a friend to the bloodline).

we also have solana, mira, marcus, bayely, alex, trick (alex husband), wes, wes wife (still gotta name her), and their kids.

so yes.....a lot of people.

and a large part of all these people going is mira's smart lil self using her tablet to call several of these family members and ask them attend this retreat. we're going to assume it's a few weeks ahead of time, thus giving people time to accommodate their schedule. because no one can say not to mira.

but also, it's very much "roman is going? well, i have to go too to make sure everything is okay" and "shit, marcus gon' be there? well, you know we gotta go to make sure big dog don't kill that man."

i also need ya'll to know it's very much gon be r-truth and/or jimmy saying stuff ahead of time like, "man, fuck him. what he do anyway? a doctor? boring. you got this, uce. go get back your woman" still not telling roman about this plan baby girl done came up with. only to meet marcus and be like, "man, you know what, he alright in my book. i like that dude! he smart as hell. roman, you need to stop tripping." 😭😭😭

and good lord, don't get me started on the lil activities and exercises during the retreat. exercises that the adults in on this lil reconciliation plan somehow always make sure roman and solana get paired up for. except, there's tension, and not the good kind, between roso that only keeps building/getting worse. so you can bet there some scene where it's roman, solana, and maybe jimmy in the middle of an exercises, but solana and roman are acting like damn children.

"jimmy, tell him i'm not the one acting like a child."

"roman, solana said---"

"big jim, tell her that me not agreeing with whatever she fucking wants doesn't make me a child."

"soso, roman said---"

"jimmy, tell roman that just because everyone else bends over for him doesn't mean that i will---"

"ayo, big dog, she said---"

"she didn't mind bending over when we made mira."

a mess.

and don't get me started on r-truth ass.

"ayo, ya'll. i'll be back. i gotta interview here for a job as a counselor."

"a counselor? you? how the hell did that happen?"

"man, idk, they said they liked me, and i told them i have my ph.d---"

"wait, you told them what?"

"that i got my ph.d"

"truth, you have a ged!"

"ain't that the same thing?"

"no!"

"forreal? that's---that's on me. that's my bad."

wait. hear me out.

instead of the kidnapping plot......

solana is with marcus, roman gets a girlfriend finally (don't hate me), and mira asks if they can go on a family vacation, cause maybe one of her lil friends told her about them, and lil ms. mira is scheming, thinking her mommy and daddy will fall in love again on the trip, and they can be a big, happy family.

not realizing daddy's new girlfriend, sam, and mommy's boyfriend, marcus, are also tagging along, because roso are trying to see how this "blended family" thing works. let's say roman is now at the point where the elders are pressuring him to settle down and produce a male heir, sam isn't awful in this, and she's available, so he's trying.

but also jimmy, jey, naomi, and bayley are there, so there's already going to be shenanigans, cause these four are also in cahoots with mirabel to reunite roso. well, not jey, he said keep me out that shit 😂😂😂 meanwhile jimmy holding up his phone playing careless whisper in front of the room roso are sharing for sake of mira (separate beds).

and by the end of the two week trip, roman and solana realize something just might still be there.....along with a ton of drama, angst, hilarious ass moments along the way.

[the-last-butter]

HC they first met a year or two after Yelan got her vision; post fighting the in abyss but when Kaeya was still navigating his identity from Kaeya, Brother and Right hand of Diluc Ragnvindr to Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain and Quarter master of the Knights of Favonius.

[lady-raziel]

hilarious that with each new day that passes a new bit of dirt from JD Vance's past gets discovered and plastered over the internet...it's almost as if this is why presidential campaigns have always announced their running mates well before the convention...so that if glaring issues with a candidate came to light quickly there would be time to replace them on the ticket before they were officially locked in...it's almost as if certain things in political campaigns were done for a reason, donald...because the very same critical failures had happened before...but no i'm sure you and your guys attempt to recreate a fantasy version of history while ignoring all the reasons that history was a disaster will work this time...because you are built different and the 10000th time trying fascism will work like a charm...

[crossbackpoke-check]

yOu'Re gOiNg fOr a LiTeR? | "Habs react to Quebec Maple facts", 10.22.24

[hotsugarbyglassanimals]

it's probably the sunnier weather that's doing stuff to my brain to make me more optimistic but it's so interesting having a brain that craves a lot of self-fulfillment to the point where I can move past some hang-ups around perfection by going "oh I really wanna do that though" and then I do it well because researching how to do it right is also a rewarding part of the process

[clouds-of-wings]

Well, Sheldon has already learned one thing from his trip to Heidelberg before he has even left: unlike Sam, he doesn't actually need to make an effort to advance his career because he's already got the most important job skill: being personal friends with a well-connected older person in his field. With whom he became close mainly because the friend used to date his grandma. This show is too realistic occasionally.

To go off on a tangent from this, it makes me want to tear my hair out sometimes how Sheldon's development into a well-rounded individual is constantly sabotaged, sometimes by good intentions or "coddling" as he put it recently, sometimes by bullying or - most often - by lack of effort and interest from those around him. It would be VERY good for him if he had problems he couldn't solve with just his intellect (like having to actually apply for stuff like a peasant without being treated like a celebrity) and hobbies that he can't get good at by thinking really hard. He should have stuck with the violin. Or the acting club. He shouldn't have been fired from his museum "job" for making some rather harmless mistakes. He should have continued to take non-science college classes. I can't blame him for this, he's a child who's responding to what his environment rewards. The adults around him should encourage his development more. Sheldon is curious about the world, even outside of science, even the areas of life he's bad at. He could learn and develop so much if he weren't locked in this "nerd box" the whole time.

At least Mary tries to get him to have a social life, but things just never go well and the people he's around are too easy to look down on. Except for Paige, and with her he can't handle the fact that she's on the same level as him precisely because he thinks his intelligence is all that makes him special, it's what makes him him, it's the only part of him that's valued. I often feel like the writers actually undo his character development once an episode ends because they need him to be this one-sidedly intellectual person for comedic value. But I would love for him to develop other sides of himself.

I mean, come on. Child Sheldon has religious visions! He has perfect pitch and a talent for dancing! He has the craziest synaesthesia! He remembers his time in his mom's womb! Adult Sheldon is wicked funny, casually saves Lennard's life at one point, and gets positively psychedelic even on rather mild drugs. I still remember the time he dressed up as the Doppler Effect. Which, yes, is nerdy, but it also shows a sense of humor and outside-the-box thinking that isn't limited to his work. He's actually a super interesting person regardless of his IQ, and if only the development of any part of him except his intellect had been consistently encouraged when he was a child, he'd probably have a much easier time in the world. I haven't watched the later seasons of TBBT except for some clips and it seems like he actually catches up a bit thanks to Amy and his friends, but things could have been much easier and more fun for him and everyone else.

[in-tua-deep]

wait i just remembered. on friday we has a "awesome committee" staff meeting which is apparently just a meeting for staff to like. bring food. play games. and bond with each other? and this week we played two truths and a lie

mine were i have only broken one bone and it wasn't even my fault (lie), i'm the youngest of five children (true), and i dislocated my arm six times before the age of seven (also true)

so many people picked the youngest of five children as the lie. one person commented that they thought i might have four sibling but i don't give off youngest child energy or something

what does that mean

what. what energy do i give off. what birth order vibe do i have. i just remember this happened and it has been haunting me ever since