#whatever you call stuff that isn't backed by science

[helladventurers]

Ughhhh, looks like I'll need to do 10 sessions with a phsychiatrist before i go ahead with the exams that allow me to get a proper autism diagnosis 😑 i hope i don't get another fucking nutjob this time

[earlgraytay]

So, you've probably all seen this post going around, about how The Chuds Want Gentleman's Clubs (but can't afford to go to the things called "gentlemen's clubs" today, so wouldn't have been able to in the past either). And I hate to say it, but that post isn't accurate.

The things we call "gentlemen's clubs" today and the things that were called "gentleman's clubs" in the past are not the same thing; the one is descended from the other, but they used to be a lot more common and served a purpose that they don't really serve anymore.

The modern equivalent of the historical gentleman's club isn't the thing currently called a gentleman's club; it's the premium airport lounge. And by losing the concept for all but the turbo-rich, I think we genuinely have lost something! Let me explain.

(NOTA BENE: This is mostly about England and from about 1880-1930, and most of my experience with this is from fiction written in that era. I know enough to know what I don't know, but I also know menswear guy is wrong about this.)

So- gentlemen's clubs started in *wiggles hands* the late 1700s, and mostly served a particular purpose: they were places you could stay in a city if you mostly lived in the country, instead of staying in lodgings or owning your own place. Finding a place to stay in London was kind of a misery at the best of times, and owning your own house in Town wasn't practical for a lot of people, even rich people. If you were, say, a young man, just starting out in life, and you hadn't inherited your father's wealth but also weren't set up to live on your own? Having a place you were guaranteed to be able to stay was a fucking godsend. And as time went on, even people who lived in London most of the time started joining clubs, because they served another important purpose- they were a place you could go if you didn't particularly want to be at home, for whatever reason.

The way that historical gentlemen's clubs worked is, you got recommended to the club by a friend who was a member, you paid dues to the club, and in exchange, you'd get to use the club's facilities. * Most gentlemen's clubs had, at minimum, a dining room (with waitstaff, natch), a library, a couple of nice places to sit and hang out, a game room, and a bar. Many of them also had rooms you could sleep in overnight, fitness equipment, or stuff related to the club members' interests. Most of them had a room or two where you could invite friends who weren't part of your club and spend time with them. In the era where phones were a thing, a lot of them had a phone. You could write letters there and get your mail sent there.

Here's the thing: in the period I know best, gentlemen's clubs weren't just for the turbo-rich. They were the province of rich guys, yes- you had to be a 'gentleman' and know the right people to get in. But men who were doctor/lawyer/software-developer rich were most likely members of a gentlemen's club. Anyone who was rich enough to travel regularly was part of at least one club, because having somewhere to crash when you were going between (say) London and Delhi and back again was worth the cost.

Most gentlemen's clubs were owned by their members- not an outside corporate body. The club leaders were elected, usually by a small committee.

And a lot of gentlemen's clubs founded around specific interests, as time went on. There were gentlemen's clubs specifically for Guys Who Were Really Into Radio. There were clubs specifically for men who spent a lot of time traveling. There were clubs specifically for dudes who wanted to talk your ear off and clubs for old dudes who mostly wanted to nod off in their chairs and talk about The War and clubs for dudes who did not want to be percieved at all.

There were clubs for men who were really into science, or the arts, or sports. And one perk of being in a club like this is that you had access to equipment that you might not have been able to buy on your own. You didn't have to shell out for an entire library of scientific and medical books; you could go to your club and read in the library there. If your club had, say, an art studio, you could go paint at your club and not have to keep a studio space of your own.

There were gentlemen's clubs specifically oriented around specific political or social views. There were socialist clubs. (And a lot of them admitted women, which was !!!SCANDALOUS!!!) Like, they were still the province of goddamn rich people, there were a lot of trust fund baby socialists and not many working people, but there were socialist social clubs.

...I don't want to pretend that gentlemen's clubs were some kind of idyllic haven. 99% of these clubs were For Men, and For The Right Sort Of Men at that; if you didn't have a friend who was a member, or you weren't "respectable" enough, you didn't get to join. There's a reason that most of these clubs are gone now. Part of the point was excluding the Wrong Sort of People, and that became gauche over time. After a certain point, being part of a club became a thing for stodgy, out-of-touch rich men- not just "men who happened to have enough money to be part of a club"- and so most of the men who could join one didn't, and people stopped forming new ones. Only Old Money assholes (who will continue to do what they've always done, current trends be damned) keep the concept alive.

But like... the thing that replaced gentlemen's clubs for 99% of the people who would have had one a hundred years ago... is the premium airport lounge, and the premium gym membership, and the ~coworking hub~.** Anyone can join, yeah, as long as they're able to pay. You pay a corporation a chunk of money for similar amenities, and the amenities are ... fine? But because the entity is driven by profit, most of the money you're paying them goes into running their other business concerns and paying their CEOs a fat paycheck.

I think... as exclusionary as gentlemen's clubs were back in the day, there's the seed of a good idea there. I think the guys who wish they were still an attainable thing for a middle-class person have a point, and I wish we could inject some fucking nuance into this conversation.

A community-owned space that gives you a place to crash when you need one, has community-owned resources for its members, and isn't beholden to a corporation is a good thing. Third spaces that don't have to turn a profit are a damn good thing.

At the end of the day, my politics are 'everyone should get to have the kind of luxuries that were historically reserved for the rich'. Everyone should get to have the best life has to offer- leisure, beauty, good craftsmanship, and community. And so, you know, if this kind of community space sounds like a thing you'd like to have, maybe it's something you could work towards creating, too.

*TBF, this is still how they work today! But the networks are much smaller.

**I do find it very funny that apparently one of the biggest problems facing the few remaining Actual Gentlemen's Clubs (TM) is that people are trying to use their space to telework-- a lot of them are trying to ban laptops and business talk to "keep the club's character" (read: "we're too rich to have to work here").

[imaredshirt]

Give me a Stan who thinks Fiddleford doesn't know how to throw a punch, much less defend himself in a fight with your average goon, so one morning he takes it upon himself to show the nerd a few basic jabs and hooks and maybe an uppercut or two behind the cabin, because let's face it, there's gonna be a time when Stan can't be there to take a hit for the guy or defend his nerd butt. So he's gonna teach him some stuff for his own peace of mind.

Fiddleford just kind of genially goes along with it, following Stan around the back of the cabin and watching with hands on his hips and a smile as Stan gets into position.

"This is one of the most basic punches in the world, so pay attention, 'cause I'm not gonna show you again," Stan says, knees slightly bent and fists up.

Fidds nods. "You've got my full attention, Stanley."

Stan isn't sure if he's imagining the way Fidds is eyeing him up and down, but he automatically flexes his arms a little more than he needs to. Up ahead, Ford is sitting on a tree stump and taking samples of the air or something (Stan had stopped listening to Ford's explanation once his words went from interesting to Big Science Shit that Stanley Does NOT Care About) and he's watching them with this amused grin, rolling his eyes skyward when Stan won't stop flexing and showing his arms off.

Stan ignores him and rolls his shoulders before jabbing his fists forward in a quick one-two. "There - you catch that?"

Fidds has got his arms crossed now and gives Stan a thumbs up. "Sure did!"

"See, just like this," Stan says, and shows him again despite saying earlier that he wouldn't.

He shows him a few more punches, going over each one a couple times before telling the engineer to mirror him, even getting in close to adjust the guy's scrawny arms and balled fists. He's being real professional about it and everything and doesn't understand why Ford keeps grinning and shaking his head at them, which is making him a little incensed but he stamps it down because Fidds is watching him with this nerdy, dopey smile while letting himself be maneuvered around and he's gotta learn to defend himself 'cause Stan can't stand the thought of some jerkwad wiping that smile off the nerd's face.

"See," he says near the end of the lesson, tapping his fist right against Fidds’s chin. "Do it right and your fist'll hit right here."

Fidds tilts his head a fraction at the touch. "Well alright then, seems easy enough."

"Yeah, like I said, if you do it right. Gimme your hand-" he takes Fidds’s wrist and taps the guy's balled fist against his own stubbly jaw. "Right here. You got that?"

Fidds nods. "Sure do!"

"Good." Stan drops Fidds’s wrist and gets into position again. "Then come on - lay one on me."

Fidds pulls back and blinks at him. "Come again?"

"Hit me!" Stan taps his jaw. "Right here!"

The guy suddenly looks nervous and galnces over at Ford for help. "Hit you? Stanley, I don't think-"

This is what Stan means. Fidds isn't always gonna be able to look to him or Ford to save him. He gets this weird, uncomfortable feeling in his chest at the thought of Fidds facing off against some asshat on his own, and that alone is enough to keep him from letting the guys off easy, if only to get rid of the weird feeling. Maybe a bit selfish but he doesn't care.

"Ah, come on, one little punch ain't gonna hurt ya, Fidds."

"I'm not worried about me," Fidds says, and then frowns when Stan barks a laugh.

"You think you're gonna hurt ME?"

Fidds is still frowning when Ford calls over in an amused, warning tone, "This is not a good idea, Stanely!"

"Just worry about your air test or whatever and leave us alone," Stan calls back. Ford shrugs and scribbles something in his journal, and when Stan turns back to Fidds, Fidds is finally getting into position.

He looks unsure, watching Stan nervously as Stan stands before him with his arms crossed.

"Hey, not bad form - you ready?"

"Well, I suppose so," Fidds says, accent coming in a little thicker than before. "Stan, if you're sure, I should probably warn ya-"

"Don't tell me nothing, just punch me!"

Fidds presses his lips into a line and throws his fist - and jabs Stan on the chin just hard enough to tilt Stan's head half an inch to the side.

"That's it?" Stan guffaws and shakes his head. "That was barely a tap!"

"I don't wanna hurt ya!" Fidds says, sounding so conflicted that Stan gets this urge to pull him into a headlock and ruffle his hair and drive the worry away.

Instead he riles him up.

"Please," he says. "Fidds, look - one of these days I'm not gonna be there to take a hit for you, and then what're you gonna do? Just let some jerk punch ya around?"

Fidds looks slightly perplexed. "Where is this all comin from? No, Stanley, I am NOT gonna just let some jerk punch me around."

"Good! So you gotta learn to defend yourself!" Fidds still looks unsure, so Stan tries a different angle. "Okay, how 'bout this - what if some jerks are beating up on me and Ford, huh? You're just gonna let em?"

Fidds looks up. "What? No, I am not!"

"You're gonna defend us?"

"Dangnabbit, Stan - of course I am!"

"Not gonna let us get our teeth kicked out?"

"What!? No!"

"Then show me!" Stan slaps a hand against his own chin. "Right here, come on! I'm some jerk who just threw your friend Stan to the ground and I'm about to kick him in the gut, what're ya gonna-"

The blow lands hard. Stan's head jerks to the side and he's thrown off balance, and he sees actual stars before his vision clears again and he realizes he's crumpled on the ground. His head swims as hands pull him around onto his back.

"Mother o pearl!" Fidds gasps. He's got his hands on Stan's face, careful touch at complete odds with the punch he'd just landed in the same place. "Are you alright? I am so sorry! I hit ya and you weren't even ready and - you just got me so riled up and I tried to tell ya and I shoulda said earlier instead o just lettin ya show me all those moves, but I just wanted to, well - goddangit, Ford, this ain't funny."

Ford's laughing as he comes up behind them, looking down at where Stan is staring kinda dazedly up at Fidds, who's kneeling by his side in the cool grass. "We did try to tell him, Fiddleford."

"Tell me what?" Stan demands. His jaw is already aching but Fidds’s hands feel kinda good so he doesn't tell him to move.

"Fiddleford was a boxing champion back back in his hometown," Ford says.

Stan blinks. "Bwuh-?"

"Not much of a champion," Fidds says with a wince, but he's blushing a bit as he goes on, "It was never anythin official, but - well, I did win more than a few matches at some backyard parties, see, and - well, people usually don't think I got any hittin power or can defend myself, but my Ma's been all too happy to teach me since I was little, and-"

The guy's rambling, and Stan quits being able to understand what he's saying half way through cause the accent is coming in thick and Ford’s chuckling and standing there looking proud of his best friend and Stan’s a little worried that he's still jarred from the hit, cause when he looks at Fidds kneeling there, one hand one Stan's chest and the other bashfully rubbing his neck while he rambles on - he's still seeing stars.

Later, while Stan sits in the living room with an bag of ice in his jaw and Fiddleford sitting next to him, still rambling about all the times he'd knocked a few guys into the mud in some backcountry hoedown get-together or whatever, Stan can lean back and relax and grin, knowing Fidds is gonna be just fine.

He can't wait to teach him wrestling.

[thefusioncelestial]

Mix 3: One Path, One Us.

Look at me:

You would think I am some teenager still in high school. I am 22, about to graduate university. I am old enough to drink, but I get carded every time. Can't do adult stuff without second looks. Girls won't date me because they think I am a kid, and no one understandably wants to risk that. The short stature & lack of facial or body hair doesn't work either. Puberty is finishing up soon if not already. Constantly going to the gym just kept me cut. What am I going to do? Am I going to be stuck like this like those baby faced actors like Tom Holland?

"Bro, you okay?" A voice loudly echoed. It was my best friend Jason. He was in a similar boat as me but as least he was tall. I am 5'5 and him 6'3. If only I could snatch that from him. A tall baby faced actor who stayed in shape would do gang busters in Hollywood.

"Diego, SNAP OUT OF IT". he boomed. Luckily the dorms were mostly empty during the day, so he alerted no one but me. I quickly rise out of my mental funk. Why did I get into such a negative Nancy mood? Oh yeah, because Jason said he had a solution, like he did every month since the moment we stepped into university. We grew up together, same neighborhood, born in the same year 3 months apart. Our fathers thought we were dating at some point, but were just close like blood brothers. So what is his hair brained idea this time? I hope he isn't going to suggest steroids or something he cooked up in chemistry. He's a top student among the chemistry department, but he decided to not pair that up with a human body science like major like Sports Medicine or Pre Med.

"Sorry, so what is failed solution #2312?", I quipped sarcastically.

He frowned at me and then rolled his eyes. He whispered to himself after turning around, "It will be forever if it works, hopefully whatever we become will be a more positive person."

"Stop talking to yourself, how your butter face ass has a better dating life than me is beyond reason."

"It's called confidence & a positive attitude. But before this day is over, you will see my side of things...and I yours."

He went to a small brown box on a dresser and pulled out an bead necklace. "We put this on & let the magic work. If this works, we will be reborn...literally as one."

I was dumbfounded, his answer was a magic item he probably found on clearance at some costume shop? The suggestion of magic from a chemist. Chemistry was born from Alchemy by removing the superstitious & supernatural elements from the field. Now here is one Chemist suggesting going back to magic. Where is he hiding the chemicals, because I am sure he is pulling my chain.

"Are you high?"

"What! No!"

"You are suggesting we rely on something with no concrete evidence, like magic, for its existence for our solutions. You know what, explain and I might go with your voodoo."

"Its not African magic, it's German, call it Zauberei or Greek so maybe Mageía." He said in an upbeat but serious tone.

"I'll call it The Hot Nuts of Alabama if it works. Again, explain."

He pulled out an old brown leather book from within the drawer where the same box was resting on. He turned and walked towards me and gave it to me.

"What is this?," I asked.

"Evidence of what I am going to say, future Nuclear Physicist. Yeah I know the truth, you got an offer from NASA. Guess what, so did I. We are stuck together for life, lets make that for real."

Whatever, I thought, we grow old together nothing new. Though if his offer was like mine, he will have to stay for grad school. They want mastery, not just knowledge, of the subject.

"Go on."

"You know how Royal families around the world tend to inbreed? Cousins to cousins, neice to Uncle, ect.?"

"Yeah."

"Well for all tense & purposes, they should have died out, like the Spanish Haspburgs did. But suddenly, they are everywhere now. Clean mostly of genetic disease, and looking run way ready in some cases. Their solution was fusion."

"Was what?"

"They merged with others. Assimilate a few unknown servants or knights that history didn't record & they slowly repaired themselves."

"So they gobbled other people up and kept it in the family still."

"Yep, in some cases they were incredulous about it like you and refused the procedure. The Spanish Hasburgs said no because they feared it was devilry, the British were mixed, they got back on board after Queen Victoria's generation."

"Where did this "procedure originate from?"

"Greece. Look up the story of Hermaphroditus afterwards if this fails. Pretty boy like us merged with a Naiad named Salmacis. They merged in a pool of water, and that pool became a fountain, reportedly still had the power to merge things. At first they just mixed animals for sport, but soon generals & politicians were merging to create someone more effective. Once Rome conquered Greece, you start to see an uptick in "warrior poets" and military generals who can talk their way out of an 5 v 1."

"What, we got to go to Greece and bath together? Wait, you want to merge with me?," I asked in confusion.

"Yes, and no. Well Yes, I want to merge, and no we do not need to go to Greece, but if we merge, we can go take a trip down there as thanks."

I am dumbfounded at what I am hearing. I open the book and see an listing of royals & nobles who merged with others or proposed mergers that never came to be. I go to the Tudor England section and see that Henry VIII was going to assimilate Charles Brandon, but that failed after Brandon secretly married his sister Mary. There were a host of knights who lined up afterwards, but he never settled on a choice.

I see a section for France, Charles the Mad went mad after doing the procedure with the court fool. There was a slew of witch hunts after that in France. Not tried again until Louis XIV, who used it to extend his lifespan.

"There is one problem."

"What?"

"These mergers were one sided. One person stole traits from the other and walked the earth as themselves. Are you trying to gobble me up?"

"No.

"Admit it, you want my beautiful face."

"And you want my height. "

We both burst out in laughter. Will this work? Am I going mad? He is rich enough to commission a work like this after all.

"So what happened to the magic water?"

"After the fall of Western Rome, the water was drained and placed somehow into these stones and turned into jewelry, hidden beneath the armor & clothing of Europe's elite. Initially, it was used to create stronger leaders. A few rounds of warriors & wise men fusing, and you got a charismatic leader who starts a royal line or two. Many many generations later, its used to fix fertility problems. and then later genetic diseases. It's a factor in how hemophilia has disappeared in the European royal circles."

"Wait, are you royalty? Am I about to get a royal upgrade?

"No."

"No?"

"No."

I frown. "How did you get your hands on this?"

"The spoils of war, WW2 in particular. My grandfather served in the war and found the contents in an German castle. Germany was once so many kingdoms, so I guess there was a high chance of finding one. The only pair found, my guess is that the nobility there had a bad hiding spot. Then again, grandpop was good at finding shit. That is how we got rich: finding gold in exhausted mines, discovering treasure hoards and getting paid by governments to shut up about it."

"Is this what he gave to you as your inheritance after he died?"

"Part of it, if this works, yours is mine and mine is yours. Our merger will be mutual. A true blending. When this is over, a new being will be born. Either this ages us up or form a new babyface."

This was a lot to take in. I closed the book & sat down in an chair near the door. He went outside to the dorm balcony. He stared at the sky, took a deep breath and nodded. He took off his shirt. And turned to me after putting on the necklace.

He smiled, I forgot he still had braces.

"Bro, you still need mouth work?"

He pulled them off. It was a set of fake dentures.

"There's a the jester I know."

He was cut but lanky. My arms were bigger than his while his were longer.

It's like we are two halfs of a whole. Where he falters, I succeed. Vice versa.

"Its either we do this, or I go gobble up Tim."

I got up and walked towards him. "That meathead?"

"Tell me I wouldn't look like a men's health model after taking him in."

"You would be dumber." I was a few inches away from him. He blushes. I take the necklace and stretch it around my head and pull it down to me neck. It's very tight now, like egging us to move closer. I do. I start to float, my chest lining up to his and then pressing up against each other. I blush as well and we both are aroused.

"Ha...."

"if this is a marriage proposal, I say yes. If we are walking the same direction, lets do it officially." We kiss.

As our bodies are mushed together we take our arms and embrace each other. The necklace hums and disappears into our necks. It has begun.

We press harder against each other. My shirt phased through him and came out the other end. The same happened with the pants & underwear. Despite being made of denim, the jeans were able to stretch out and accommodate us both. ~Magic~

We were both naked inside this Frankenstein cocoon of our clothing. We were naked and pressed up against each other. And then it happened.

Where our skin was touching, they just simply gave way and merged and then stretched. This exposed our bloody insides to each other. And as our blood, flesh, and muscles touched, they broke down into a liquid slurry. The sounds started as moans, somehow being broken down to our basic materials & being unraveled felt so good. Those moans turned into wet rattles once our necks touched and went through the same process. Our bones broke down as well & if you had ex-ray vision, it look like a grey slurry. Then that slurry of skeletal matter moved towards the skin & turned our fused skin into an hardened vaguely human shaped cocoon made of skin wrapped in stretched clothing. It didn't matter what it was, brain, eyes, lungs, it was soon goop.

The moment our brains gooped, they swirl around and within each other. This meant that the first aspect of this new person being created was their mind. For Diego & Jason it was like entering a wild lsd trip, and when it was done, someone else would emerge. From their perspective, memories & personality traits were being taken and smashed together like two movie scenes being placed on top of each other, somehow blending perfectly to create new ones. For the personality, it was less of a mix and more of a battle for dominance. Some of Diego's aspects won, while some of Jason's did instead. There were some cases of traits just mixing but it was more of an either or. But by the end the process stopped, and this new self was born.

At the same time their dna mixed & merged. The result was a new traditional helix structure that was built using parts from Diego's & Jason's dna. At this point, there was no going back as the unused parts were broken down as energy, that life spark that would jump start this new person's existence.

With the new genetic instructions, their combined mass began to consolidate. The nervous system was already built and the skeletal system formed almost immediately afterward. The boney shell broke down and gave its contents to build it.

With the bone shell gone and no longer absorbing sound & impeding movement, you could hear the humanoid shaped bloated mass pulsate and almost shake a little.

The broke down organs reformed and moved into place, and the blood that was free floating began to enter the newly formed veins and do their tireless work. And second to last, the muscular system began to take shape almost at the same as the vascular system.

While this was going on, the fused skin started to shrink, with another fire from the newly minted dna, the muscle arranged themselves to their proper place and the skin backed up the placements through tightening.

And while the muscles & and skin were doing their jobs, the new being began to moan. It had no facial features yet, but sound was coming out where the mouth will be. Its arms were stretched at an 45 degree angle, and once the fingers formed, you can see it move its fingers randomly at different speeds as it tried to process the pleasures being felt from its creation, but give way to the sensations. It was a combination of moans and ahs.

These jolts of pleasure also activated it's reproductive organs. Diego had the longer member, while Jason was girthy. But this new being would enjoy both traits. Long & Thick. The skin tightening around that area made it moan even loader, a veiled threat that it would lose its mind with the new sensations. But it didn't.

Its body shape formed and its internals done, there were two more steps to go.

From front it had Diego's skin color, while the back half had Jason's. As if conceding to Diego, the Diego's skin complexion took over. And it was similar with the face. It started off with Diego's facial features, but used Jason's to refine them. Jason felt that Diego was more handsome, and so this reflected on a genetic level. Diego's hair color also took over, but Jason's traits gave them more volume. Diego had a near constant dark bags under his eyes. But that was gone for this being.

Looking at this new being, one would say that Diego gobbled up Jason. But that was not so. Essentially, what they admired in each other, the new being expressed it. There was no hiding things from each other now. They are each other.

The clothing snapped back into place. It had a white shirt & denim jeans, but it would have been a mixture had Jason decided to have something on beyond two layers of underwear.

With its newly formed mouth, this being let out a deep exhale and low sound that indicated that it had calmed down from all the moaning which indicated that the process was over.

It opened its eyes, the pupils shape and size where more from Jason. It didn't care, Jason is the past. These are his eyes. Who was he?

"I am Diego, no Jason, no..."

It walked back into the dorm. There was a large, human sized mirror. About 7 ft. He stood in front of it. He was 6'5 now.

"Christian, I am Christian now."

Diego + Jason = Christian.

Christian lifted up his shirt, place them behind his neck.and checked out his features.

He had Jason's abdominal insertions & shape. His chest too. These nips definitely came from him. His arms & shoulders were bigger than both Diego's & Jason's. Years of gym workouts finally showing up. He unbuttoned his pants to let his family rod breathe, it would shrink down over time, Christian was of the grower variety, he can access its full potential in the future when needed. The neck was a mixture, Diego's thickness with Jason's length. He had Diego's nose. The biggest change was the eyes, he had Jason's but darker and curvier. The ears were a combination of both. He looked older, mature, and yet had perfect skin. They achieved their goals. They merged into a someone who looked like a fully grown man.

More of his new memories flooded in. He was not a purely a chemist or a physicist, he double majored in Materials Science & Chemical Engineering. He had a choice departments at NASA. And soon, he'll have a house full of kids, once he finds the right one. But first the internship at NASA & grad school.

With a new sense of belonging & togetherness, the two best friends continued their life journey, together as one, forever.

Oh, wait, the necklace. Christian grasped at his neck and looked around. It was sitting on his bed. Hmm, I can make a fortune using this. This university is about to see an uptick in nerdy jocks. He thought to himself.

He knows the perfect pair. Shun & Tim. But first that trip the Greece, and then the work of bridging worlds begins. For a select few who can afford it or give me a good enough reason.

[iridesky-the-writer]

i never request so plz dont set me ablaze if i mess up- can you do medicine pocket x gn reader just like idk domestic fluff head cannons??? (even tho theyre mean and would probably beat me)

Yo! No worries, I love me some good domestic fluff, especially with the meanies ;0; Anyways, here ya go!

(Trying to make my headcanons more actually "headcanon set-like" than 4chan greentext storytime form shbsnshdhdhdbd 💀)

☆ Barking at the Moon ☆

|| Domestic Medpocket x G/N Reader: Fluffy Headcanons! ||

|| Contains: Swearing (because Medicine Pocket),, mentions of drugs and medication (but nothing serious like addiction, Just Meddy prescribing things),, slightly suggestive content but nothing serious (just a mention of suggestive things!),, potentially inaccurate brief depictions of the biological sciences, MedPoc-typical malpractice 👍🏽, and MedPoc being a blushy fool ||

☆ MedPoc's that kinda partner that isn't afraid to be kind of grumpy around you. It's not a slight against you; it's an act of love.

☆ When they come back from the foundation each day, when they pass through the doorway, they'd instantly make a beeline towards you. You're basically their medicine. And they act like an excited puppy when they see you.

☆ "Hey, you. How's crap going around here? Hope you didn't miss me. How're you, puppy? How're you?"

☆ And then they'd kiss you on your cheeks.

☆ If they're grumpy, they murmur muffled curses under their breath as they run over, cling to you, and start vaguely muttering something about work and ignorant dumbasses who never understand anything. But you're not a dumbass! Not to them! You're their's!! And that's perfect to them.

☆ Every morning they'd wake up and be curled up next to you. Doesn't matter if they fell asleep on the couch last night or not, whatever position they fell asleep in, they probably won't be in the same place when they wake up and instead near you somehow. Don't ask me how. And when they are near you, they usually flop themselves on top of you, all of their weight at once.

☆ They're just like a reeaaal cuddly dog...that's way too big to be a lapdog yet seems convinced they are one.

☆ Oh, forgot to mention! They're always giving you petnames like "puppy" and "fuzzball". Called you bitch at one point for the bit and then never did it again. You decide on whether you're into it or not...

☆ Pocky LOOOVES nuzzling into you. Doesn't matter if it's into your cheek, neck, or stomach. They love hearing you laugh when they rub their nose up against you. After they do it, you can usually hear them chuckle to themselves in sweet satisfaction.

☆ Definitely the type to give you cuddles from behind while you're working and try to distract you with kisses and nuzzles, or by yapping and making you laugh.

☆ "Who ya texting? ...new friend? Do they happen to be interested in investing in a handsome bio researcherrr...?"

☆ Speaking of texts, they'd probably send you pictures of the weird shit that goes on in their lab at work while they're gone, and the ethically questionable shit that they do. Only the funny stuff, though. Like that time they made a whole f1 generation of dogs fluffy puffballs.

☆ Speaking of which, they may or may not try to convince you to let them bring home one of the genetically engineered dogs. Your call on if you're fine with that.

☆ they're awful at sharing like a human being (probably skipped kindergarten (joking)), but they make an exception with you. Usually by sharing bread with you in the morning and tossing you a chunk or two. (They find it hard to express love in a gift giving way, but they do it in their own unique fashion)

☆ Physical is definitely a chief love language of theirs, just next to quality time. Meaning that they really like cuddles, as much as they absolutely loathe admitting it. Then again, when you two are alone together, you're one of the few people that can water them down enough to get some snuggles out of them.

☆ Biting is also a love language of theirs.

☆ Yooouuu'd probably end up coming out of a cuddle session with them with teethmarks on your neck and shoulders. And you're going to have to explain to anyone that happens to spot them that nothing "weird" happened back there. Good luck with that, they'll never stop doing it. It's like it's hardwired into their brain.

☆ Really likes showing you the new medicines and ideas they produce, even if you might not understand them. They adore rambling on about it. They might even try and give you some bio cultures from the lab as souvenirs...uuuh, maybe put those in the closet instead of keeping them out in the open where they can be easily knocked over.

☆ If you get hurt, they'd be the first to suggest something to help or try to care for you, even though they're not a licensed doctor. (Though if you're in your right mind, you probably shouldn't agree if the care involves any physical operation...)

☆ Their favorite place to go out with you is forests and hiking trails. They love running with you, and talking with you, and listening to your ideas. If you're Pocky's partner, then they probably hang on every single word you say. You're brain's an intellectual buffet for them.

☆ They don't look the type, but they love watching sunsets and moonrises with you. It's cheesy, it's dumb. But they like it. And they unashamedly enjoy it.

☆ Sometimes they'd try to make themselves less embarrassed about it by making offhand "cool" comments, though, during those rare occasions when they feel dumb for enjoying those kinda things.

☆ "Man. Moon looks like shit tonight."

☆ Either way, at the end of the day, no matter how much they pull at your cheeks, tease you, make fun of you, or playfully cuff you in the side, they'd send you off to bed with a kiss on the lips--even if they usually can't head to bed with you since they stay up busy with work.

☆ "I love ya, dumbass. Don't get yourself killed when I'm at work tomorrow, 'k?"

Thank you for reading!

Like or reblog if you enjoyed!

[cyborg-squid]

One of the many things that really struck me about Come Catastrophes or Wakes of Vultures is how Cliff's actions... really seemed to parallel those of the Lateran state? Like, he seems to be pretty clearly not affiliated with it and might be disconnected from the Sankta Empathy, but if you look at his actions and intentions, they pretty clearly parallel those of Yvangelista XI with the Summit of Nations. Both Cliff and Laterano aim to, in my eyes, use violence to control violence. Cliff puts it excellently when he says "Because if I can never end war, I have to settle for the next best thing. To hold its on-off switch in my hands." And Yvangelista basically tries to do the same, on a larger scale, trying to bring all the nations of Terra to the table for world peace, but such a meeting is only possible because of all the guns Lateran has. Cliff spent years building this mercenary empire of his, doing what sounds like black ops coup stuff for the American government.

And we see that the violence these two systems enact, in hopes of one day controlling it, isn't limited to physical violence. Wake of Vultures shows us very clearly how the bank is abusing and killing the people of Davistown, backed up by this idea of violence from mercenaries or government, but isn't called upon until the last minute. And in Lateran you have this literal ethnostate, in Guide Ahead you have these armed civil servants tripping over each other looking for this one mixed-race girl. And it's not directly in the Lateran events, but with the Lateran Church and the 'hands-off' approach it takes with regards to it's influence in Iberia, that's part of what ultimately allows for the Church of the Deep to infiltrate it. These systems, the Lateran government and Church, Blacksteel Worldwide and the Columbian government, don't need to be threatening you directly at gunpoint to get what they want, they hold enough power that simply the idea of them is enough to extort and influence people. And this is the type of power that Cliff and Yvangelista, two entirely different Sankta, independent of one another (afaik), spent years cultivating.

And this kind of brings me to something i'd been thinking about with Andoain (who also parallels Woodrow in his role vs the Pope). There's this Dorothy line, "There's no such thing as mad science", and that's a way you could certainly describe her as a good Mad Scientist, and it's in that way that I kinda think of Andoain, as someone who has, with whatever supernatural thing happened with the Lock and Key that drove him to try and kill his squad, gone Mad With Power, but in a way that's... not entirely wrong. Because so many of his critiscisms of Laterano are correct, and the way he's been building his faith and followers is this creation of the 'Sankta' Empathy, of understanding one another, just without the supernatural component. He's right! And even when he sees God in the Basement, when he realizes that his quest to change Laterano is fruitless, that still doesn't stop him from attempting to help and save those he can, with the power he has.

Similarly, you can see some of this with Woodrow, when Cliff hands him the tablet/phone and he sees the nature of Cliff's war and control, he knows he personally can't control this, but says that no one should. "...They shouldn't. There shouldn't be nobody else like you." Then he shoots the communicator. This is one of the moments that shows, despite Cliff's claims to have his hand on the lever of war, he is not the one in control, in this moment, Woodrow is, by choosing to walk away. And earlier, the bank manager demanding Franka and Liskarm disperce the crowd, they refuse, despite the bank and Cliff ostensibly being the ones in 'control', the possibility of violence at the moment didn't depend on them, but on the individuals, with Franka and Liskarm. And Jessica's "My gun will cry for their sorrow"! The system that Cliff is in 'control' does not do anything for the people of Davistown, in fact it is the one hurting them, but it is the individual violence that Jessica and the others commit through their robbery that enables change, for while they're not able to save Davistown as a whole from being consumed, they themselves are 'saved'.

And one last parallel on an already rambly post: the calls. I couldn't help but notice, the calls Cliff mentions getting from governments, from the ones ultimately in control of him, reminded me of the call Malkiewicz gets at the end of Maria Nearl where he's made spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce. Here you have Cliff, the 'old', and the calls he gets and is beholden to, that he never thinks of just "letting ring" until Woodrow suggests that to him, and Malkiewicz as the 'young', not seeking power like Cliff did but having it thrust on him, feeling like he can't escape from it, and bound to pick up and answer the call. This idea of the 'old' feeling that they can change the system from the inside with the power they have, yet not doing so and instead perpetuating it, and this idea of the 'young' being so caught up and entwined in a system that they feel they can't move apart from it, and being unable to affect change with the power that he eventually has. I don't really know, but I just felt like there was something there with these phone calls that control.

[whatwooshkai]

Heyyyy for the writing game!!! Ah- I hope 13 hasn't already been done... otherwise 17?

The "lucky numbers ahahaha

"I have a proposition."

Ah, vocabulary. Boulder leans their helm back to look up at Heatwave, who is perched above them, staring down. He must be really bored.

"Yes?" Boulder asks, laying their book in their lap. Heatwave's head tilts slightly.

"There's something in it for you as well," Heatwave continues, a ghost of a smile on his face. "You in?"

"What is it?" Boulder asks, and the smile disappears, just making theirs grow bigger. "You claim you have a proposition but you have not offered one yet."

Heatwave takes a second to compute the sentence, before he sets his mouth in a hard line, his snaggletooth peeking out. "We should dig a hole."

Boulder can't help the grin their smile grows into. "You realize that's all you had to say, right?"

Heatwave matches their expression, grin so wide it makes his optics squint a little. "That's exactly what I like to hear."

They don't bother to tell anyone they're going out, they just transform and take off.

It gives Boulder a little bit of a rush, reminding them of their academy days when a bored Heatwave would talk them into doing stupid things for fun. Boulder was always afraid of breaking the rules and getting in trouble, but when Heatwave had a plan, he made it work. Hell, he could even talk Chase into anything.

They've both loosened up a lot since them, and this is tame compared to some of the stuff the four of them used to get into, but it's nice. To just leave and drive off and just not care for a bit.

Heatwave takes them to a clearing deep in the woods, so clearly this isn't as much of a spontaneous thing as they originally thought. They transform out of their alt modes and Heatwave immediately starts pacing, scuffing the soft dirt to make a blueprint for their hole.

"My proposition," Heatwave announces, "is we dig a hole, and you get to measure water levels or whatever science stuff. But mostly. Hole."

"That sounds great-" Boulder's comm ringing interrupts their sentence, and they are Heatwave make quick optic contact, before Boulder reaches up and silences the call.

The corner of Heatwave's mouth quirks up. "That could've been an emergency."

"If it was you'd be called too," Boulder points out, and Heatwave gives his head a little shake.

"If you say so."

Dropping to their knees, Heatwave and Boulder start digging a hole.

[concavenator-with-a-keyboard]

What's your favorite dinosaur? (Hawks x OC one shot)

Hi hi! I wanted to make a little one shot of my OC, Serina, and Hawks meeting for the first time. For a bit of context, her quirk is dinosaur. She can turn into a Coelophysis for an extended period of time. Downsides are that the longer she's in that form, the harder it is for her to think on a human level and eventually she will just be reduced to animal noises and much slower thinking. The other downside to her quirk is that she had to learn everything there was to know about Coelophysis, barring integument covering and color, so she thought she didn't have a quirk until she actually got into her degree and career (paleontology). She transferred to a Japanese museum from America and uses her dinosaur form to give kids tours when she isn't working on more important things! That's it about her hope you guys enjoy :)

No one wanted to know Keigo Takami. All anyone ever wanted from him was Hawks, the winged pro hero with the looks and carefree attitude to make anyone swoon. Hawks was what the people wanted and, more importantly, what the Hero Commission wanted.

So he became what the people wanted him to be, even if he didn't really want to be Hawks all the time, even if he just wanted to be Keigo some days.

-

These thoughts really didn't need to be running through his mind while he worked. It was a simple mission, just checking up on the local science museum after an attempted robbery. He really didn't have much to do besides watch as a group of school kids gathered for their museum tour. As long as he could get through this little tour and check back in with the director of the place, he'd be set to grab lunch and fly back to his agency.

"Alrighty kids, are you ready to see some cool stuff?"

The jovial voice cut through the chatter, gasps from the children causing Hawks to turn towards the commotion.

A fluffy... thing jumped up from the counter, landing silently on the ground in front of the students. It was barely taller than the young children, the long neck the fluffy creature sported giving it just a little height over them.

"We'll be starting on our first floor, where you'll be seeing a bunch of space stuff! I'm Serina Deering, but you can just call me Ms. Deering. I'll be your tour guide," oh, it was a woman, not an it. Hawks felt a little embarrassed now.

He could hear the whispers from the little kids, hear the wonder in their voices as Ms. Deering spoke again, her long tail swishing as she did.

"I know I look weird, but that's because I'm using my quirk to give you all the full experience. My quirk allows me to transform into one dinosaur, a Coelophysis, for a certain period of time. Just enough time to give this tour actually! So, why don't we get started?"

Her brown and white tail swayed as she walked, leading the children into the dimly lit space exhibit.

Hawks let his gaze linger until the white stripes of her fluffy tail disappeared in the little sea of children. The director called him over, pulling him away from the wonder and back into the real reason he was here.

Maybe he'll take a look around on his own once he was done. Surely he would have time to kill after it was done and over with.

-

Hawks was right about how quick this mission would be. All he had to do was talk with the director and give the public there a little security that there were heroes around to protect them.

He stared up at the long neck of the dinosaur in front of him. It was massive, the neck and tail circling around the giant room full of other, smaller fossils that were on display.

"How did they even get that big..." Hawks found himself muttering.

"It's actually really cool if you want to know," he turned to face the source of the voice.

The woman was shorter than him, brown hair held back by a claw clip and green eyes shielded by large wire-rimmed glasses. Her voice was the same as the one that emanated from that Coelo-whatever lady from that tour.

"Actually," the pro hero glanced back up at the tiny head at the end of that giant neck, "yeah, I do want to know."

He could see the light in her eyes as she smiled at him.

"They had a system of air sacs that ran through their bodies, making holes in the bones and making their bodies lighter as a whole. Sauropods already have hollow bones, so those air sacs clearing out even more bone made it even easier for their bodies to get as big as they did," she explained, raising a hand to point out the hollows of the vertebrae where those air sacs had apparently ran through.

"Modern dinosaurs, birds, have these air sacs too, though they're used for more than just making birds lighter. They use them as part of their respiratory system too, letting them have a near constant flow of fresh air as they fly."

The woman turned to him, "though I'm sure you know more about flying than me. It's not often I see people with bird-like quirks."

"Uh, yeah. They're not super common," Hawks doesn't think he's ever felt this awkward talking to a civilian.

"I saw you earlier, giving that tour to those kids. You've got a pretty cool quirk yourself," her dangling earrings caught his attention for a moment, the gold catching the light just right.

She flushed, "oh, that? It really isn't useful for much outside of giving those tours and conducting studies on dinosaur locomotion. Really, it's just something I like doing for little kids. Every little kid likes dinosaurs."

The woman turned back to the bones in front of them, observing the pillar-like limbs of the sauropod, "so, what's your name? I'm Serina."

Hawks inhaled, taking a moment before he responded, "Hawks."

Serina seemed surprised, turning to him with a chuckle, "oh, I didn't ask about your favorite hero, but Hawks is a good choice. I asked what your name was!"

There was no way she didn't recognize him.

But still, he decided he'd take that chance.

"My name is Keigo, nice to meet you," he stuck his hand out to her, giving a firm handshake.

She grinned at him, "nice to meet you too! Now I have to ask you another question because I always ask this to every new person I meet, what's your favorite dinosaur?"

Did she really not recognize him?

It didn't look like she did, every word out of her mouth was genuine, down to the way his name rolled off of her tongue.

Keigo couldn't help but feel a warm tingling in his chest.

"Don't know, never really thought about it," was Keigo's reply, his hand reaching back to scratch at his neck.

He watched as Serina took a step back, hip cocked and hand brought to her chin in thought. She hummed and looked him up and down before she replied to him.

"You seem like a ceratopsian kind of guy, but I think we could find you something funner than just triceratops," she finally spoke before pointing behind herself with her thumb, "we have a really nice ceratopsian display if you haven't already looked at it. My favorite is Styracosaurus."

For some reason, Keigo couldn't help the blush that dusted his cheeks, "if you say so, you want to show me?"

Keigo decided he really liked how she lit up as she led him further into the room.

--

I kinda wanted to explore a headcanon someone had made about Hawks having trouble actually knowing who he is outside of being Hawks and I liked the idea of him getting with someone who absolutely does not keep up with anything hero related (me, I do not keep up with celebrities at all. The most famous man on earth can walk into my store and I would be none-the-wiser lmao)

I also feel like he never really had the time to be a kid and have something like a favorite dinosaur, so yeah

I had fun writing this and thank you for reading!

[allwormdiet]

Sentinel 9.3

Y'know, the irony here is that as I'm writing this post I've just started an online course with video lectures.

Solid bit of establishing characterization, an easy display of people's emotional ties and states.

Parahuman science must be so fucking hard to work with, honestly. Your subject matter is made up of a bunch of people with trauma-activated abilities that actively defy physics or other laws of reality, combination of psychology and whatever the hell you call studying outliers in how the fucking universe works.

Also glad people aren't just content to let the matter of parahuman origins end at "they just started happening." I know they haven't cracked the how or why of it in thirty years but I also know they crack it some time in the next two-ish years of canon, which should be interesting.

Also also, the inclination towards combat and conflict is... I know it's not going to be a long time until we talk about the "why" of that one either, but when we do I have notes for the designer(s) on these things

Oh, okay, so trigger events are talked about in a 100-level course, and Taylor straight up didn't know about them. Interesting? She really didn't give that much of a shit about cape stuff before stumbling into the life of a supervillain, huh.

Correlation between physical trauma -> physical powers and psychological trauma -> mental powers is interesting as well, although that leaves plenty of room for the edge cases. Glory Girl is actually the prime example there, too, brute and mover seem like the obvious tags but that doesn't cover the aura, which is I guess master? I'm less and less convinced that it was really just a foul in basketball that made her trigger tbh.

Also: I cannot even fucking imagine what the studies must be like about the New Wave families. Imagine writing your fucking thesis on the Dallon-Pelham Torment Nexus. Imagine being Victoria, Amy, Crystal, or Eric, and your family is being taught about in classes because of how "good" it is at inflicting superpowers on you. No I will not entertain the idea that either family is normal, parahuman psychology has so far shown zero signs of being healthy for anybody and it's not going to start holding back when it comes to child-rearing.

I'm not unsympathetic to what Clockblocker is stewing over, but the PRT can't let these kids dedicate every waking hour to crisis management; there will be a day where they're not dealing with a drowned city, and they might as well get ready for it now, and take time off from trudging through muck and mayhem as they do it.

Narrowing my eyes at the witch burning thing but I'm not going to harp on whatever the hell's going on there.

I think the gender divide makes sense but I don't know if it holds totally consistent in-story; the pre-Leviathan Wards and Protectorate ENE definitely leaned more male than female in its numbers, Merchants and ABB are two men to one woman, Empire is... eight men to seven women I think? I think as of right now the only teams we have that even have more women than men are Undersiders, Travelers, Faultline, and New Wave.

This is probably more math than I should be doing but whatever, don't use math in your story if you don't want someone checking it.

That's the same thing as Circus, right? Interesting that it's a known phenomenon.

He's doing his best, be nice.

Bunch of people are gonna be really annoyed when it turns out where powers come from because there's no way they could predict it from where they're standing.

Hwoof.

Oh, so that's Clockblocker's trigger event and power explained all at once, isn't it? I don't know if it's stated explicitly but "buying time in every way except for the one that matters the most to you" sounds like the kind of monkey's paw shit that powers love to do.

Now see, there's an interesting dilemma, isn't it. Family teams are all well and good (allegedly, given how parahumans work) but the moment one or more members die all of a sudden it's that much more fucked up for everybody. Even if the team persists past losing Manpower and Shielder there's no way they're gonna hold together after Amy & Vicky's Nightmare Extravaganza. One of the most notable independent teams in the setting with over a decade of experience, and in the span of a few months they're going from apex to nonexistence. I don't really have it in me to weep for the adults, see above suspicions about Torment Nexus, but I feel awful for the kids. Crystal is gonna be the last one standing until, what, Ward? That's gotta fuck you up good. Poor fucking girl.

And then the portraits. Hoo boy.

The portraits thing feels. I dunno. Do you have to put them right next to the other members? That feels like a really good way to get your underage parahumans even more fucked up about mortality if I'm being honest.

This is touching. Also fuck cancer.

Exactly what the Wards need, less open communication.

This is a hard conversation to have in a lot of ways. Weld is fumbling but he's trying, and the rest of the team needs to meet him in the middle for things to work out.

And. Ugh. I see an unfortunate side of myself in Clockblocker here. I've got an awful habit of going for low blows in an argument if I'm feeling low enough. I get mean, I say things just to make it hurt. I haven't done it in a long time, but it's still a thing I have done and can do if I don't watch it. With this at least it's an accident, or at least the extent of harm Clockblocker is doing is way beyond what he intended.

Clockblocker has the sense to fear Glory Girl in this moment, and she has the grace to forgive him.

And that's proof of who Clockblocker is when he's not at his worst. When he's not lashing out because of the active fucking wringer he's being shoved through, he's obviously thoughtful and kind; the lashing out is, uhh, understandable, but still a problem.

She's just a kid...

I talked about this with some folks on Discord, it's kind of remarkable to me that a guy with literal empathy powers couldn't hold a steady relationship with a single girl. I'm sure parahuman romance is its own special kind of fraught, but that's a little silly.

That said, it sounds like Gallant was good people.

This is very funny though

Oh hey, we have anger and futility coming back together again, haven't seen that for a minute.

Honestly I feel like the ones who try to be funny are usually the ones who've got so much shit going on in the background, anger is the least surprising thing to come from the team's designated funny one.

Good on Dennis for realizing how easy it is to use anger and how hard it can be to let go of it. Shit sucks.

Wuh oh.

This is gruesome, and a harbinger of things to come. Oh boy.

Fuck were the Travelers even doing here, anyhow?

Also crazy bold of the Wards to try and pick this fight. The Travelers have such outrageous firepower, I don't think there'd be much sense in picking this fight.

Skimming back through the fight, not a whole lot for me to say? I'm not super invested in it, I guess, it feels like there's exceptionally little actually riding on this fight. The Travelers want to fuck off and the Wards want to stop them from fucking off, the gallery fight had more meat than this.

"Oh thank god, a conflict I can throw myself into to feel useful and offset all the negative feelings that not fighting has left me stricken with."

That's not a criticism of Clockblocker by the way, if anything I'm just staring at the thing brought up earlier this chapter where most parahumans are driven into fighting each other and suspecting something of a connection.

Current Thoughts

I see some of my younger self in Clockblocker, which is ironic bc I actually had a superhero OC back in high school named Clockblock (his powers were a lot broader and his thing was more about struggling with overwhelming ennui in the face of his own significance in the grand scale of Time Itself). I hope he manages to get over that anger and hurt, but he's a parahuman, so I kinda doubt it.

Kid Win next, plus further plot developments.

[rubykgrant]

Hi! I'm not sure if somebody asked you this before, but what types of music do you think the Reds are into? Maybe you have some examples of artists you think they like?

Sarge definitely likes a lot of country-western and classic rock/folk rock, but surprisingly loves more soulful music as well, jazz and blues (he wishes it wasn't called that, but oh well), and isn't afraid to give any musical genre a listen, which leads him to liking many songs that are funk/hip-hop/rap (he's also secretly a huge fan of Stevie Nicks and Dolly Parton). Some of his favorite songs are "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "War" by Edwin Starr, "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash, "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring, "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers, "99 Red Balloons" by Nena, "September" by Earth Wind and Fire, "Country Roads" by John Denver, "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band, and "Hit 'em High" by B-Real/Coolio/Method Man/LL Cool J/Busta Rhymes

Simmons tries to play-up being a fan of classical music to seem impressive... and he DOES like it, but he's also a big dork who loves songs that are specifically made for movies (Ghostbusters, everything Will Smith did for his films, etc), and collects soundtracks for whatever he likes (he really digs musical scores, like Jurassic Park and such). He also really likes 80s bops and techno/synth music, but doesn't want to admit he's into "nerd music". He also likes oldies and "soda fountain hits" from the 50s and 60s. Some of his favorite songs are "Take on Me" by A-ha, "Mad World" by Tears for Fears, "Sh-Boom" by the Chords, "Get in Line" by the Bare Naked Ladies, "The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Bosstones, "Rocket Man" by Elton John, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by the Proclaimers, "Yoda" by Weird Al Yankovic, "It's the End of the World as We Know It" by REM, "Carry On" by Kansas, "Weird Science" by Oingo Boingo, "Johnny B Goode" by Chuck Berry

Grif will just say he likes "whatever", because he doesn't focus too much on one genre (and he doesn't want to admit he likes a lot of "oldie" rock, some pop and hippie music), and plays up liking chill zone-out songs more. He does enjoy a few weird/experimental/alt music (grunge and what-not). Some of his favorite songs are "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister, "Baba O'Riley" by the Who, "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics, "Stay Home" by Self, "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys, "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones, "If I Had a Million Dollars" by the Bare Naked Ladies, "Here I go Again" by Whitesnake, "Rock and Roll All Nite" by Kiss, "Headstrong" by Trapt, "But Anyway" by Blues Traveler

Donut does indeed love a lot of pop songs/dance music, but randomly likes more edgy stuff, but usually not too dark (some hip-hop in there, some alt rock, punk, and glam metal). Basically anything really catchy, which he WILL play over and over again when it is his turn to control the radio. Like Grif and Simmons, stuff he enjoys were in the soundtracks for movies he watched, and he has an appreciation for disco. Some of his favorite songs are "Cele-B-R-A-T-E" by Russell Velázquez, "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches and Herb, "Car Wash" by Rose Royce, "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, "Dancing in the Street" by Myra, "Cherry Bomb" by the Runaways, "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves, "Wanna Be" by the Spice Girls, "Foot Loose" by Kenny Loggins, "Changes" by David Bowie, and "Ballroom Blitz" by the Sweet, "Baby One More Time" by Bowling For Soup

Lopez mostly enjoys more serious music, soulful love songs, and the occasional power-ballad... but he is not immune to a catchy tune with fun lyrics, including pop and salsa, and electronic music (though, he'll probably lie and insist somebody ELSE put it on the radio, and he just hasn't bothered to change it). Some of his favorite songs are "I'd Do Anything for Love" by Meat Loaf, "You Sang to Me" by Marc Anthony, "Bailamos" by Enrique Iglesias, "On Melancholy Hill" by Gorillaz, "Harder Better Faster Stronger" by Daft Punk, "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by the Clash, "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons, "Satellite" by Smash Mouth, "No Children" by the Mountain Goats, "The Final Countdown" by Europe, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and "I Love You Too Much" by Diego Luna

[tarotnoob]

JK reading, BTS thoughts, trip to Korea notes

Second attempt 12/20/24: Since JK did a live, I was curious to do a reading for him. I did one the day before, and I had some kind of dark commentary for it. And then I was like well maybe something I read influenced how I'm viewing this. So I'll show you the original spread.

I will try to sum up that reading as ultimately JK having a vibe of being a truth seeker or a truth revealer and maybe even attempting to call somebody out. Not like a group of people, but it actually felt like he was trying to prove a point to somebody or send a message to somebody in particular. But, I'm just going to call that whole reading a wash even though I spent 2 hours writing it out.

This reading is long and you can skip the part about my trip to Korea (I've marked it in brackets) to get to the reading. If you like reading long stuff about JK and BTS, maybe it'll be interesting.

apologies for typos or weird confusing words bc i use voice to text while staring at the cards

tarot isn't a science; don't use it as fact; i'm just reading and interpreting the cards the best i can

opinions on bts, the fandom, and anything related to bts are my own and not especially serious (they're musings at best).

Tonight, I just pulled some cards. Both times I at least put the live on as I shuffled

I mean I find this just a little bit more bleak than a couple of days ago in terms of what cards came out. But let's kind of walk through what we have now. The tower I saw earlier as I was shuffling, so I'm not really surprised it came out. I should probably look and see what planets are doing what

When I get a serious card like the tower, my brain usually goes more to okay is Mars doing something. So Mars is actually Leo, retrograde right now and since we have Leo at the back of the deck with the strength card, I am obviously going to share the lesson of that moment

Asserting yourself also makes sense with this Knight of wands and Knight of swords kind of acting like they are swooping into save people from disaster, granted they could also be the cause of it because if they are from two different houses or two different countries and they're causing kind of disaster while fighting or trying to assert themselves or whatever. Especially when you have one who is about fire and one who is about air and then when you combine them it should be stronger. But let's not read into that too much yet because basically we have what it seems to me in both cases if you pair them up and look at them one is heading toward a burning building and the other one is swooping in to save people who are out in the snow

What I also get is a sense of isolation and loneliness. This could just be from literally being isolated in the military. I'm not saying that he's particularly lonely, but given the action of coming live and saying I miss you a thousand times, I think there was a feeling that I keep wanting to call a gap. So I feel a lot of anxiousness behind wanting to do this live and to not just do that but to to assert something, when you have a sword court card, you might say it's about communication and being blunt and honest, when you have a fire Court card, there's a passion or desire to say something

And to me this could be somebody who is either putting out a fire or a disaster in some way through words and having an eagerness to like do something about it but maybe feeling kind of helpless about it. Or someone who in doing that causes some type of tower experience. And honestly it could probably be a combination of both. Like when you rush in to save somebody and then you cause some other accident along the way

But that's not the intention so I'm not going to read it that way. I just see somebody rushing in very bravely to assert themselves and having a desire to say something with the intention of trying to help or trying to I keep wanting to say disaster, but it's only because I'm looking at the tower card.

And really I had similar things to say about his previous reading in that this is somebody who was trying to create some healing, who wanted to or has the energy of a wise teacher.

I don't know if I want to say that he's rushing into something without a lot of thought but that is literally what it feels like. But there's no kind of like doubt. But whether that doubt is in himself or if he needs to do something about the situation. Actually I don't feel any doubt about wanting to do something about the situation. But I feel like an awkwardness because of that gap I mentioned earlier. I guess I would kind of equate it to let's say there's this famous soldier let's say it's Hercules or something. And everybody loved him in the village and he had done a lot of good things and a lot of people liked him but then he went on this trip for a long time for like a couple of years or something. So he hasn't particularly changed if anything maybe he's gained new experiences

But when he comes back to the village there's a sense of awkwardness about how he will be received. He's not like confident or doubtful in himself, he's just anticipating some weirdness.

Also I'm coughing a lot which is weird because when I did his first reading, I got a really bad stomach ache. And I haven't been coughing all day although I live in the desert so there's sand everywhere and you cough a lot here. So I wonder if he's in an area where the air pollution is worse than what he's used to. Which would make sense if he's back in the city. Which by the way do you mind if I take a brief moment to talk about something? I wrote about in another post that I was going to accompany the cards with or maybe I started talking about it and then did the cards and it just became too long.

[trip anecdote and BTS musings starts here]

Recently, I went to Korea. It was after I had been in Japan for like a week and a half and then I flew to Busan around jimin's birthday. If I haven't mentioned this before he's my bias. I have mentioned that and it should be obvious. Originally JK was my bias and then I just gradually started to relate more to jimin but I find both of them interesting especially their senses of humor.

We will call it a pilgrimage and I'll spare you all the details I tried to share in the other post. But basically I had been really sick before my vacation and almost didn't go because I came down with this crazy serious infection because of an antibiotic that I had been given. But I managed to go and being away from work actually helped regardless of if I was recovering. I went to Busan and I won't tell you that people were friendly there in Korea in general. In Japan, yes. That's besides the point. I think it was the second day I arrived, I went to jimin's Dad's Cafe. I had a horrible experience on the bus ride there because the bus driver was not very nice. And so I got off at a stop and I walked the rest of the way. So I was a little upset and it was rainy and I didn't have an umbrella. And I went into the cafe and I had the typical fangirl experience you would expect to have

There were flowers outside and then there were a lot of flowers and gifts inside since it had just been his birthday. It was a lot larger than I expected and it had a parking lot. I don't know why that surprises me. And I got a really good latte and piece of cake. There was younger staff working at the register. And they had a lot of merchandise. I'm not going to lie to you the merchandise is kind of ugly because it has this mascot of a calico cat. And even if JM drew it himself, I'm not going to lie. That didn't stop me from buying a lot of it. A lot of the clothing is either purple and yellow or black and white. And it has his tattoos on it. Like spells them out or has the number 13. And it was such a nice experience because I sat by one of the windows facing a parking lot and I was like oh I wonder if his dad is here because there was a super nice car in the parking lot.

And I will say that I am pretty sure I saw him because I was out in the parking lot waiting for a taxi that I wasn't able to get to and he had parked and was walking in and there were people taking photos and he kind of waved like they were taking photos of him and I mean he looked like how pictures of his dad looks. And then since I missed my taxi I had to go back in so by the time I came out again and was waiting for an Uber, he was coming out to get into his car and leave again. And I won't tell you the model but it was nice

And it was such a nice experience. Did I cry? Yes. Because it was so meaningful to me and I had gone through so much in being sick and then to be able to get this far. And I had already traveled a lot by myself so I was getting tired and again people were not very nice there. My Korean is very limited which didn't matter much in Japan as in not knowing tons of Japanese although I knew far more than I know my Korean.

So anyway it was healing. And so I want to say you know that family you could expect maybe that are they exploiting their kids Fame or something but it wasn't like that. It was more like creating a safe space for important people. What made me understand this even more I think was when I went to Seoul I had a tattoo appointment with polyc

And I'd like to share more details about that than I'm going to, so I will just say. His English is not fluent by any means. I thought a manager would be there to translate. It was early in the morning and by fate the address ended up being close to the hotel I'd already booked. So I could just walk there. But I was very confused once I got to the building because it's a residential area. So I was like okay which way do I go from here. I waited since he messaged and said he was on his way. And I had been turned away so when he said hi I turned to him and I thought oh my God. The man is absolutely beautiful in real life. Like he had celebrity vibes which I wasn't expecting or had even thought about. Just a stunning guy with a lot of presence.

And keep in mind, in the communications like my emails to reserve the appointment and photos or drawings, I never mentioned BTS. I'm pretty sure my little avatar for my email is actually Naruto. And my tattoo was in no way BTS related. And I didn't want to make him feel like I was going there just to talk about BTS or get information about BTS from him. It was a spiritual thing plus I guess I just wanted him to do this tattoo

But no I wouldn't have gone if I hadn't heard about him through BTS and since he's jimin's tattoo artist I mean yeah put two and two together. I'm not trying to be slick. But, when we sat down and we couldn't really communicate exactly, he was trying to say that I had a lot of ideas because I'd sent a lot of photos for inspiration although I had also done the drawing for it and even put it on my body and taken a photo. So I knew what I wanted but I was sending him stuff to inspire him but that was also when I thought it would work like he would do a design and send it to me and then I would say fix this or this. But what ended up happening is you go there and discuss it with him in person and then he designs it on the spot

So I was trying not to be offended the way that he worded it but then he was like after he had already asked me if I liked BTS and I was like yes of course I like BTS. I was wearing a BTS hoodie but you wouldn't know that from looking at it it just says tour on the back and very tiny writing on the front. I'm sure he just knew because he said he had a lot of BTS fans there since j-hope was getting out of the military. So I had said yes of course. Then he asked me my favorite and I was like well you can't really ask a true fan that question. But I was like well I would say jimin and I also like JK and then I like all of them of course. But right away he said well I'm closest to jimin and Jungkook only. And I didn't really say anything I was just like yes I know LOL. I guess I was trying to play it cool. But later on, you know after telling me that it was obvious it was my first tattoo

He was like you know jimin's tattoos are all simple and just those words, except the tattoo on his back. Which his words not mine. But then with JK I have to tell him stop stop you know it's too much hold back. And I was like you actually told JK to hold back good luck with that. I don't think he's managed to hold him back. But basically he was going into this conversation about trying to talk me out of the placement of it because he thought what if I didn't like it later or if I got tired of it because he said he was tired of his first tattoo and didn't like it. And I was like I didn't come all this way to get a tattoo from you and pay this much to hide it. And I tried to express that but I mean it was lost in translation for sure. He's a very serious guy as an artist and I think very particular and very defensive of his art. Which there's nothing wrong with that. Since he doesn't speak that much English, I would put him at equivalent with maybe jk's language ability. But maybe JK is actually a bit better

And so you know I tried not to take offense in the way that he worded things because it came across really blunt. Also this was almost 3 weeks into my trip by myself and having multiple negative experiences in Korea so I was like not going to really fight anything. I was tired. And I never really nosed about in his studio to look at all the BTS paraphernalia but what I wanted to say in relation to the cafe space is that he seemed completely open and expecting to talk about BTS. It made me feel like he expected and had no problem with talking about that without feeling as though you were taking advantage of him because he has a close relationship with them. I honestly think that if you spoke Korean or were just interested as long as your questions were respectful, he would give you that space to appreciate them and had no problem with it. So what this has to do with a cafe is if it's cultural or just people who know BTS and how those relationships have formed

Those two places had no problem sharing that space knowing that it was a connection for a lot of people to BTS. You would kind of think in the west especially with Western celebrities, they really appreciate their privacy, they would probably be more wary of people close to them taking advantage of a relationship. We've seen that happen with Western artists taking advantage of BTS or the Grammys or whatever. But I can say for sure in the particular instances of the cafe and polyc, these have been curated as safe spaces. Made with respect to fans. Is this a lecture about events happening in the fandom right now? Possibly. but a lot of care has gone into acknowledging what a fan base has done to elevate the group and there's genuine affection there. So it does make me wonder if being careful not to hurt anybody ever is part of something the group has agreed with for the most part

I don't want to get too into that because that's making assumptions. Because to me the safe space concept was something I wouldn't have really known about until I visited. And that's just my analysis of those experiences. I mean that doesn't mean you can go to their private homes or stalk their family members or disrupt anybody's social media or send nasty messages. That's something completely separate from willfully creating these neutral spaces. That I think are mostly made out of genuine love and affection and appreciation and just a desire to do it.

But I have often wondered what the group has said in terms of how much they want to say when they are unhappy with a situation involving our fandom. Is it out of respect and I guess what's the word I want to use, not patience but no desire to cause a controversy. Maybe it's perplexing to think a member might not speak out directly about something, but maybe they're also speaking out in a way that's not as direct as you would expect. Or that they see conflict differently now.

And are you sure, there's a conversation they have at one of the restaurants where jimin talks about how he and the group used to get angry very easily over things and now they've pretty much emptied out so they don't really fight or get as upset about things anymore. I imagine that meant more than fighting with each other but just about things in general and I'm sure that includes stuff that happens in the industry and stuff that happens in fandom. I think it's probably very difficult sometimes for them to not speak out or defend each other, but it's clearly something that they've agreed on that it would stir the pot more. And you have to respect that that is something that they have decided. JK has clearly come out and been a little bit more vocal than usual about some things, even almost political. But I mean several of the members have come out and said negative things either jabs at people in the industry or alluding to things. Namjoon has done that, suga has done it, Tae has done it.

They all have spoke their mind at some point but I just think there's agreement among the group to handle certain situations in a certain way unless it's absolutely called for to make some type of public statement. And if you are a fan you can look back and see the situations in which that happened. And maybe you can wonder why a public comment was necessary for that but whatever.

My point being that these are very smart individuals who know how the industry works and have probably seen the worst and best of people. And they continue to see the worst of people, and maybe they have their own ways of dealing with it. It's not a shock or new to them I'm sure. I would be genuinely surprised at this point if that were true. But I think maybe some of them itch to do something about it. I feel like JK is the youngest one probably and the most rebellious...

It's probably very difficult for him to stand by and see anything happen, so I do think he intentionally does certain things like if it's an Instagram post or doing a live at a certain time, is there the possibility of an ulterior motive or I shouldn't say it like ulterior motive but there's a point to it. And sometimes I think that point is not for the general viewership and maybe that's because he's thinking not everybody is aware or not everybody cares, but that doesn't mean that showing up and saying certain things isn't at least symbolic which seems to be good enough for him.

He doesn't have to be cryptic on purpose I think. I think he chooses to be. But at the same time I find him very straightforward because even though I haven't watched the full thing yet, I noticed that he said don't come to my house and don't send packages. These words were very intentional and obvious. And I think that the actual message here was respect us and our privacy and know when not to cross those lines but without scolding. Because he is apparently expecting people to grow and to learn and to respect what he says even though a lot of people don't.

But they have decided that a knee-jerk reaction or an emotional reaction or plea isn't what they want to do or what is required. I think it's like a gentle scolding or parenting technique. Where you hint at it and give the person a chance to think about what they're doing. In reality, do I think that works? I don't know. Probably not really. And I do kind of wonder if maybe it's a cultural way of handling conflict. You don't say don't do this it's bad. I think I was just reading a post today about the Korean language and how how the way Jimin speaks in particular has a lot of words to soften the blow if he says something harsh or a different opinion right. So you have to consider maybe this is a cultural way of handling conflict. They aren't going to be direct about it. But anyway that's an assumption on my part

I guess I kind of feel the same way. I'm not a BTS blog but BTS is a big part of my life not as much as maybe a few years before but still very significant. And when I first started doing tarot, I would mostly practice on the members. Because I enjoy it and I think they have cool energy and I'm curious about them as people

[back to the reading]

In saying all that, let's get back to the reading

Since I already forgot about the cards

And having shared all that I think the cards make sense now. You have somebody who has a passion desire to communicate the truth and is moving swiftly to take that kind of action. The other cards clearly represent trouble or disaster or like a foundation crumbling and then the five of pentacles is also discard about looking for help but not really being able to find it, a sense of hopelessness or loneliness, it can even be an issue with literal financial loss or grievances

And it could be that whatever this disaster is that's happened, could have some type of financial backlash or loss and so an element he has of trying to come into help could have to do with somebody else feeling left out, somebody losing money, somebody being put out of their home. Basically there could literally be some financial repercussions involved in whatever bad news happened. But mostly I just feel like it's somebody who who feels as strong desire to be a hero. But without lempty bravado. It's more like somebody who reacts very quickly to it without a lot of thought. And I do think an element of it has to do with clear communication, principles, facts, somebody acting in their truth or wanting to reveal the truth or speak the truth and speak the truth passionately and with courage

I'm going to clarify before I move on to the articles not articles oracles whatever. I write articles for my job so slip of the tongue. So first I want to clarify the tower card obviously

Well that just tells us yeah. Five of cups. So definitely something that has feelings of disappointment and sadness, I would say it's a past event. It could also go back to what happens during this time with the Mars retrograde and somebody looking back and reflecting on things that didn't work out in the past as well but with the knight energy coming through it makes me feel like okay definitely this energy of what are you going to do to change it

Let's keep clarifying. Knight of wands gets the Knight of pentacles. Maybe I'm being cheeky but just for a second when I said the word night and my autocorrect always says night as an evening instead of the actual knight so I have to correct it... Bam's name, bahm, means night and that's a black horse so I'm just going to throw that in there as well. This could be that he's actually going to see bam. I'm also aware that people got on that Instagram and said not nice things so this could just be another part of the story. Five of pentacles, I got three of swords and six of pentacles. This is exactly what six of pentacles means right. There's disappointment about not receiving help from somewhere, especially in regard to physical things like finances or I mean it could be all kinds of stuff like health or a contract or something. It doesn't really matter but there's a sense of not receiving or disappointment or sadness around something that was it physical experience.

For me, the three of swords is often a retrograde card as well so I think it's validating that the retrograde has played a large part in this particular event or jk's feelings on the event or lately and even maybe like what has led parts of society lately to be kind of unhinged. Whether it's somebody shooting a CEO or a fandom going to attack people's social media or in your own life feeling like things are falling apart to the extreme or being really angry or having severe mental health issues right now. Especially revolving around things in which you have felt helpless or powerless. So when you are feeling powerless, the lesson you have to learn is how to assert yourself. And maybe during the retrograde people are asserting themselves in all kinds of crazy ways

So I think JK also influenced by this energy rather than do anything negative in particular like some people are, resolved to assert himself in a healthy way by showing up in a live and being present and whatever message he wanted to convey, it's subtle or maybe to others it's not subtle. But everything indicates to me that he had a desire to do something and in doing this, he felt like he was making a point or helping a situation or other people by quickly doing something and it being from a place of Truth or principal or passion

And I do think like he said at some point right that he thought that he could heal people. And in my original reading for him I talked a lot about how this is somebody who is in the cycle of healing people because he has his own wounds and people who have wounds know how to help other people thanks. Even though I think sometimes those people he tries to heal are a little bit a part of the wounds. I don't think he really sees it that way. I think when he hurts, his instinct is to help. And in helping why would he be scolding anybody because his actual motive is to heal. His answer to when people do bad things to him or the people he cares about, seems to be to love harder. And that includes the fandom. It's very jesus-like LOL

Let me clarify that last card and we will laugh if we get the last knight card

I did not, I got the Justice card which makes sense as a clarification card for a knight of swords right. This is another point we can read everything that's been clarifying the cards has been the exact meaning of the cards so no room for misinterpretation. Very straightforward. Justice card is about balance and truth and doing the right thing and principles, it's the Libra card. I think he has a Venus and Libra but I can't remember for sure so don't quote me. That would definitely make me think of somebody who shows they care by being fair and doing the right thing for them in the sense of like what's good and right. Could a Libra also be a person that he is standing up for in this moment? Well yeah.

Could there be something in Libra right now sure probably maybe I don't know.

I wonder too if literally there's an issue with a building. Like disappointment with the new house or if this is a predictor for the future that there might be something that happens to his home or somebody's home. Home could be like the cafe or something but as far as I know the only thing that happened had to do with social media. My vibe is actually something happening to a physical space. This should be in the past though given that the five of cups came out. Maybe something recently happened that his last home like if somebody did something to that house. It could be that moving is just a little bit sad. It could be that in the near future, something happens to his new house or the cafe like physically somebody doing something to it whether it's like breaking a window or graffiti. But the more I look at it, the more I just feel strongly this is in the past. I'm not saying this is going to happen in the future but it is like this did just happen to a physical space and it was disappointing and hurtful and whatever. Even the five of pentacles kind of backs that up because those are people that don't have a place to go or a safety place

I mean it could have been something that happens in the military too. I don't know. It's just a feeling like somebody was physically displaced from a space that you would consider a home or somewhere they go or has meaning but it's a physical building or room or something. And I feel like people were displaced for a while. I don't really know what that is though. But there is a feeling of being left out in the cold. This could be a legal thing that maybe like a contract with a house fell through or legal action needs to be taken. Like almost like okay let's say if it was his new house or his old house or whoever's house, like the electrical wasn't done right or a contract wasn't done right or the financing wasn't done right and then legal action has to be taken and something has to be fixed. It doesn't feel like a big thing, that feels kind of minor. I hope. And it's feeling like it's related to electrical or the things that go into construction you know. But like I said I don't see that as a future thing, I feel like that happened and is somehow related to this as well? But why does it still feel like it could happen. I don't know

Let's talk about the oracle cards. So we have North node life's purpose and 41, which is a five so five tends to mean changes and challenges. It kind of reminds me of the Knight of wands. I don't know why but I'm also being reminded of NeverEnding story looking at the art on it. And in that movie, there's kind of like a kid sort of finding his purpose and this other character finding their purpose and then writing on this weird long dragon dog. Again dog is coming up. I wonder if like there was an issue at bam's kennel or something wherever he stays. Anyway. So I think this is somebody who their life purpose is about passion and kind of going forward without a lot of thought in their head okay which is something JK has said before so I can say that

And jm also said he kind of just lives by his instincts which is something that makes sense but even in doing that the thing is he does still have purpose to them.

And given the other cards it's somebody who understands or recognizes that their life purpose will involve helping people in some way. I think it is clear to him that it's helping people who feel like they don't belong or they feel excluded or isolated. Basically the black sheep which is something if you look at the fandom you can kind of tell that a lot of us don't always fit in and BTS was a way to fit in and I think JK recognizes that and understands that's part of his purpose so when he feels maybe like the fandom is down, he swoops in to try to save us or kind of vice versa as well when he is feeling down, he comes to us to feel better but maybe he just feels better through helping others.

It also reminds me of the Three of swords card as well. I'm getting a lot of fire. I don't think he has that much fire in his chart. I don't remember. I thought it was a lot of water and then maybe a fire Moon I also get the impression that this is somebody who wears their heart on their sleeve. Also don't take this the wrong way and it's very random but somebody who likes to really go around being shirtless and I'm not going to say naked cuz I can't see the bottom half of this figure but somebody who really enjoys being shirtless. And I also wonder if he'll start to grow out his hair as soon as he gets out of the military. I wonder if he sees himself a little bit like I don't want to say a dragon slayer because I don't think he would even hurt a dragon, maybe I should see this as a demon. It's just the thing in the back of the card but I don't feel animosity here I kind of feel like the thing is helping him. But I guess I strongly feel some bam stuff coming through. So I really think that he probably spent time with Bam lately

Let's clarify it though because why not

Nine of swords and technically six of swords reversed. This is somebody who has anxiety or worries around an incident in the past that they haven't quite moved on from. But that's sort of the point of this retrograde energy is to learn how to move on from situations like that so I think that's just telling us the plot. Somebody who learns to move on and handle those situations. Especially with like bravery and even becoming somebody who's like I don't give a f***. But that doesn't mean he can't still get sad or upset internally or whatever. That's all valid and he will always have moments like that but I think he's learning how to handle those situations and like I said it might not even affect him as much as you think because he's found this way to cope with it which is to help others. I'm not going to say all his coping mechanisms are healthy because I don't know the guy. And I don't know if it's healthy to focus on others when you hurt because it temporarily makes you feel better. But that's the solution he has come to I think.

The next card is Jupiter return benefits which is the 13 card or four reduced. This has a very sexy energy to it. It kind of goes with what I was saying about being shirtless. Because the person in the card actually there are two people and they seem to be in a very intimate situation well I guess it's Jupiter and well is it his wife or anyway I should probably look that up cuz it might be important to know hold on

Okay so his wife was Juno who also was his sister but anyway. And she was kind of a protector of wives I guess. So we again have a message about being a protector. Also the children or one of them between Juno and Jupiter was Mars. So again we have this Mars energy coming through. The card is sensual and it says the word benefits so put two and two together there kids this is a family blog

Homeboy has returned and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets lucky while on vacation. That's not like a secret or nosing into anything, zoom in on the card and you can see and you can read the word benefits and you can read the word return. But putting that aside because I say what I see, the Moon is about emotions and intuition. It'll be fun to clarify this card I'll tell you that. So what I get from this card before clarifying is... Wait is Jupiter just the Roman term for Zeus. So like the big guy. Also apparently Jupiter was unfaithful or they had an open marriage that wasn't really like open it was like a one-sided openness. I'm not bringing that into this conversation. Because all I see here are Jupiter and probably Juno under the moon and in bed and naked

I want to talk about the number a little bit. I won't talk about the number 13 but I will talk about four being a number of stability and nine to me is always somebody who has a spiritual purpose or is following a spiritual path. This could be kind of like a soulmate's card for him. I don't really know who he's with because I don't know him right. We shouldn't make assumptions or even if we make assumptions, we respect their privacy. But let's clarify and if we get the lovers then that would just be funny so that probably won't happen

I got the king of pentacles, interesting because we're talking about Jupiter, pretty powerful God. Back of the deck is Knight of cups and the Moon also interesting. The clarifying cards and stuff just have not straight very far from the original cards.

Oh but since I got off track talking about sexy times, Jupiter is also the planet of good luck and good fortune so this could also be something to do with financial benefits or physical benefits like property or what have you. I think it probably just means he's got a lot of money, he's getting returns on his investments and stuff like that. But what actually just feel like is okay so let's say we don't know who JK is with if he has a significant other whatever right. So I'm just going to talk ambiguously if he has a partner now or if it's long-term or short-term or whatever, what I get from these cards coming out somebody who spoils them. Spoils them with all kinds of different gifts, like literal go shopping nice gifts but also like physical objects, particularly like a house. You know if you were like you know I've always dreamed of this particular style of house with these things and this color and a cute little picket fence in back. He would go start drawing it himself and then he would go find an architect to make exactly those things. This is just an example

And it's not just like oh you want that Gucci watch. For me it's coming across as somebody who wants to have a hand in the gift, like in the making of the gift. This could be yes cooking we know he likes to do that, but like yeah it would be very Hands-On in terms of designing the house for you based on things that you said that you wanted. I mean he would still want his own things but I just see this king of pentacles being somebody who's holding out this coin and it's clarifying a very sensual card about a partner and there are very strong feelings and there's a castle behind this King so it's like you know building you your Castle. Which is kind of interesting since he just got a new house. I wonder he probably will never show us the bedroom but I have a feeling that well it doesn't matter. I don't really like when people talk about their sex lives or their sexuality so I'm avoiding talking about those things. But when I see something in the card like clearly this is a situation. I will talk about the situation but I'm not going to make any guesses about specifics. Could I? I don't know maybe but I don't want to and I don't see specifics here. I just see a couple of scenarios but not a person

And I can tell you that his way of affection toward a person he would be intimate with or dating or serious with or whatever seems to be through spoiling and giving gifts that have value. You know like when you have a card that somebody makes instead of just buys that it just has that little extra feeling to it. So he might do a piece of artwork and give it to you or what I'm seeing is like taking a piece of clay and making it into a shape or something and then you put it in the oven and then it turns into like some little figure. Doing a lot of stuff like that he's very Hands-On with these gifts but only for partners. It's not like he would do this for his 97 friends. This is how he shows his lover or significant other affection

And there's a lot of protector vibe going on but I mean that won't be news to people who know him

He's kind of like got a guardian energy I guess where not only is he going to protect you in terms of your safety but he is going to provide for you. And in a very conscientious way. Like we know that he records details about the BTS members so he probably knows all their likes in terms of food and weird little things like what kind of smells they might like, what kind of candles they would buy, the shampoo that they use. These weird like I shouldn't say weird because I shouldn't judge but it's weird because it's so specific and coming through specifically as in things that are physical but pertain to someone's identity. So definitely like soap and shampoo and candles and diffusers like he would know the certain kind of oils that people prefer. Like why would I buy you peppermint when I know you like lavender? And yet he might not pay attention to other small things like that. Like I don't know what RMs shoe size is but notice how in are you sure he knew which cologne fit RM. So it's like these sensory things he attaches to people. It's very interesting. Maybe that's where the dog energy is also coming from because dogs are very loyal and protective and they know your smell and he's all about acting on instinct, which can include sexy times. I'm sorry that card is so obviously sexual

And then just to kind of wrap that part up the Knight of cups being at the back of the deck of course could have to do with feelings of romance or just emotions or even creativity I suppose but with the moon behind it, and the Moon in the Jupiter card, I'm just getting like intense feelings of love or deep emotions and putting the relationship angle I gave it I also think this validates again this idea of somebody who cares a lot about giving to people. He gives to his lover in that kind of way and I think even though army is not like his real girlfriend or anything, that way of showing love extends to the fan base. You know he is still going to be protective of us and he is still going to want to give us the things that he can give us with his own hands like singing to you. Like doing this video for you, showing you or giving you art or something. It has to be this tangible thing that he can do himself and that's part of a gift and that's how he shows his love and that's how he can express that love and also I think it's a form of self-expression as well. Obviously self-expression can conclude how you show your love but I mean I guess I should say he's also expressing that love in a self-expressing way. Like how does he express himself well through music and through cooking while also these just happen to be his love language as well. His gifts are the things that are also his way of expressing himself. Isn't that interesting?

I didn't expect to go that deep on his personality because actually that answers questions that I kind of had about him and his love language. Even though we have seen it in different ways. I mean you could see it a lot in are you sure, especially when they go to Japan but I mean throughout the whole series right. Even when they were in Jeju, and he made the crew food right. This is just how he knows to show that he cares. His thing is to take action but besides just taking action the action that involves something physical that he can do but also happens to be a way that he enjoys expressing himself anyway

It kind of makes me understand why he's definitely a romantic right. There's something very romantic about the idea of somebody who shares their passion with you. And not just shares it with you in terms of you can go to a concert and hear him seeing which is a thing you know he likes, literally those are also his gifts to you because it's all he can offer you in terms of this is where he places the most value. He's probably not going to give you like expensive gifts because he thinks that impresses you unless you like really nag at him. He wants to give you things that come from his heart. A piece of clothing doesn't come from his heart unless he made it. Unless he like helped pick out the features of your car and maybe like had a hand in detailing it, he's probably not going to gift you a car. But he could definitely gift you a house. He could gift you a song or a video. Like look at what he did for j-hope's birthday that one time, he drew that really cool drawing right. He would record you a song. He would do a cover for you. I mean it should be obvious to people because he's done these things for a long time right and he's done them for members or the fan. I'm sure he does it in his personal life to other people. I'm sure if you asked his parents what he used to give them when he was little it would be like macaroni art or like trying to make some kind of meal as a kid that wasn't really a meal but he tried

this is probably pretty long. And keep in mind even when I read about the boys I don't ever try to push an agenda or align it with my personal takes. I mean in tarot you're always going to be limited by your biases which is why I redid it again because I felt like something I read influenced my first take but the stuff is still coming up the same where this is a person who wants to help heal people and his love language is helping people and his way of coping I think with his own wounds is to help others and through that that makes him feel better or heals him I should say. I don't want you to think that I'm saying that it's some kind of shallow gratification.

I think he actually heals himself by being with army. Not just because he's helping you but because something and being with army heals him as well probably because he can be himself. And then he's found a space to do that and also use his self-expression so he can express himself while also giving that gift of his talents to people.

[purple-link]

I can appreciate Douglas Adams being interested in science to the point where he's respected by respectable scientists when reading his books, and I'm just like...not that? If I'm writing a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fan-fiction, science takes a backseat to relationships, drama, and the consequences of the two clashing.

Not that I'm not interested in science, mind, but I want to make it clear why Eoin Colfer didn't hit as hard as people may have liked. Douglas called himself a wordsmith, he had a certain way, which I will not be explaining at present, and when other people "write like Douglas Adams" and trust me, I'm guilty of this, it becomes increasingly clear why his writing stands out so well.

Now, I like me some "And Another Thing..." and that means that I have to fall back on the series, not the writing style, for me to enjoy it the most (plus, I really don't like Earth blowing up for real, so it's a nice little bit of extra). Eoin Colfer writes a bit differently, but he's got a bouncier style than I think Douglas Adams had. Not bad, just different.

In my experience, I also add quite a little bit of extra information in my writing. My problem with writing thus far is that I can't stop thinking and explaining. I'm not trying to handhold the reader, but if the very act of typing is tacitly pleasant, then you can understand why this post is already so long, lol.

My favorite part of Science Fiction and Fantasy is that you don't have to hit the bullseye every time. Even Douglas was guilty of this, as most of the stuff he wrote have since passed in time as inaccurate (I'm still not really sure about that whole "30 seconds of air" bit). After a certain point, you just start writing fluff, and fluff is fun to write, but it's not exactly reader friendly.

What's great about Douglas Adams is that he isn't afraid to explain to the readers, but doesn't talk them down, either. I've yet to master this.

[Context: FIFTH BOOK IN LA]

"[Arthur] gazed out at the Pacific as well. There were little sandpipers running along the margin of the shore which seemed to have this problem: they needed to find their food in the sand which a wave had just washed over, but they couldn't bear to get their feet wet. To deal with this problem they ran with an odd kind of movement as if they'd been constructed by somebody very clever in Switzerland."

(Btw, watch videos of sandpipers, they're funky little critters.)

Short, concise, fun to read, while also making the reader interested in nature, Earth, science, or whatever. He doesn't need whole messy paragraphs to point that out.

He can also test the reader's understanding, as when he went the extra mile and compared the whole magnificent "creation of Earth" thing to the rather mundane almost tedious atmosphere of one big creative output, with help from a guy who had nothing better that he wanted to do than make fjords. Almost like an office job. That's how far he can push that sort of line of thinking.

It makes sense when you think about it, and it's very clever, but if you're not invested fully into science, like me, it can go nearly over your head. I quite like thinking about alternate realities, and how far I can push that, but I'm not like "string theory" and "quantum mechanics." I can just about understand that R17 joke and leave it at that. Still, it's always worth a shot.

Science is something to respect, not throw away. I think people tend to forget that, sadly.

Eoin Colfer isn't an over-explainer, but he did put in a little bit of work with relationships and trying to get characters from point A to point B. At this point in the story, I'm well invested in the series, and will follow it to the end. But I can kind of get why people are a bit peeved with Colfer for his entry.

As for me, I'm nowhere near Douglas Adams, and right now, that's not my main goal. I do eventually want to work toward that goal, but until then, I'd really rather like to hear him talk, or have Martin Freeman read it to me.

If I ever get to write a science fiction series that gets insanely popular, I want to make it clear that, while I am in fact inspired by Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I am by no means trying to write like it.

And I don't need to. And that's fine.

[ca-suffit]

i agree when it comes to female characters whatever their origins, I think the showrunners did the best they could. I did find weird that anne rice never wrote any queer female characters, it's all subtext. the books are really filled with sexism and while anne rice wrote the mayfair's witches, with a main female characters it's still full of incestuous rape and I couldn't believe amc took the decision to make an adaptation of those books. Just the whole stuff with 13 years old mona mayfair... I really never understand why anne rice wasn't comfortable with her female characters. anyway we could still have merrick in iwtv. they could change some elements of her plot.

tw csa

Anne Rice included a lot of themes that are popular and common still in modern stories and ppl tend to not understand the main difference of why ppl take offense to Anne's writing and not others. Case in point, this thread I responded to the other day on twt:

Here is the source (from her official website) for what OwlsGoldberg was referencing (thnx to them for sharing this link in the thread too) "O.K. I just read a book I recommend. It's called THE DEADLY FEAST by Richard Rhodes. The book centers around a man named Carleton Gajdusek. Carleton Gajdusek is a Nobel Prize winner and he's in prison--apparently for fondling a 14 year old in a shower. I have not seen the court record and I'm not in any way qualified to judge what goes on. All I want to say is that I highly recommend that you get the book. That the contribution of Carleton Gajdusek to medicine and to science has been fantastic and that I personally am looking into the whole question of child molestation, children's rights, because it concerns me. I remember being a young adult, and I remember being real angry that I wasn't allowed to do things that other adults were doing. I was working full time and I was living in a rooming house and I didn't like being classified as a teenager, because somebody wanted to sell me something expensive. I know I sound angry--I am. I am angry. But we've got to revise our concept of teenagers in this country. If we want to stop the crime in this country we've just got to realize that 14 and 15 year old people are adults, they are not children. And leading them to believe that there is a fundamental difference between play killing and real killing."

That's not even all of it for that twt thread, but u get the point. Nobody can ever criticize anything with Anne Rice without ppl saying it's just misogyny or ....whatever that accusation of queerphobia for a cast member is about (there was no clarification who that's referencing but I'm guessing it's Sam Reid bcuz this fandom rides hard for white queerness in him / Lestat at any chance, especially in order to silence other issues). It's always easy for these ppl to erase everything about anything else except "victimization" of a rich white woman. This only happens within the fandom too, as most ppl outside it don't respect Anne Rice at all for her behavior or writing....and that's without even knowing the depths of this kind of stuff. U couldn't pull this crap on any person on the street, they'd rightfully think ur terminally online and fucking weird.

Anyway, back to the point about themes. Anne Rice had repetitive themes that ppl will argue are for "the genre." The thing is tho....it has to still serve a purpose to the story to be any good. Most of the time (at least for my knowledge of TVC books), there isn't a reason to have these things present. She simply has a fixation on them and a lot of them are things that hurt women just for the sake of doing it. The reader is also uncomfortably made to feel like this is all supposed to be ok too, which is the main issue ppl have. It's not critical or intentionally envoking horror and dread....it's just saying "this is what being a girl/woman is" and giving the message to love ur abuser (most often a very old white man in TVC), which many survivors of a lot of things find triggering af.

Mentioning Merrick too, that's a character I rly liked and yet was wasted all over. The book with her name is narrated by David Talbot, this elderly, white, British pedophile, and we spend more time hearing his gross thoughts about her as a child and other similar shit in his life (always with underage poc) instead of spending time with her in her own head as an adult. Or Louis, for that matter, who is also more who the book is about than David, yet Davis is our narrator.

There's a lot more I could write but I'd never stop tbh. It's clear to most everyone who isn't finding excuses that Anne Rice just wasn't a good writer and had so many issues with misogyny and a lot of other things. I've never seen any other author excused so much from criticism, especially one who was so obviously known in life as being a rly unlikeable person, particularly to her own fanbase. If it weren't for other ppl, there wouldn't even be a fandom for her work. She v much almost destroyed it by herself.....but she's dead now, so ppl have been quick to start rewriting history and accusing others of anything they can think of to avoid criticism. Just like she always did.

[thereareeyesinsidethetrees]

stan: you can seriously get scientific names like that? "Spongiforma squarepantsii" is an actual fucking scientific name?

ford: they did have to fight a bit to get the name approved, but yes. they argued that they could name it whatever they liked, regardless of the science involved, and i have to agree. the best names in science are always the more fun ones. one of my personal favorites is "Gelae baen".

stan: right, yeah, isn't there a protein or some shit called "pikachurin", too?

ford: yes, yes there is

stan: i wonder how they get away with stuff like that

ford: it's not the worst case out there!

stan: really?

ford: really! after all, i'm cursed with the knowledge that i have to tell people i have six fingers because of a mutation in my sonic hedgehog gene :D

stan: your...soni-

ford: polydactyl has existed as far as back as human history can show. and i have to tell people that i have it because of a FUCKING SEGA CHARACTER-

[hkthatgffan]

Hey this isn't an ask or important/relevant, but I just want to tell you I really hope life has been going okay for you, just stranger to stranger. The world is really scary right now, I myself as a trans person in the US have been feeling a ton of anxiety and burnout since the election I wish I could go back to Toronto where it might be a little safer for me for a while.

Maybe you don't have to deal with a lot of that stuff directly but it's also true that you never know what someone is going through and I hope that whatever issues you've been putting up with in your life as a late is at least bearable. I just really hope you have a good day and you can push through any hardships you might not feel the need to open up about.

I've been getting really tired and exhausted of having to try to fight for basic human rights or even just donate to charities or raise awareness for the things I shouldn't *have* to fight for, and I'm hoping something even a small as building up my karma by wishing you well will at least put a little good back in the world. I've been a fan of your content for a few years now and have always thought about messaging you but didn't really have much on my mind to bring up.

So I'm hoping at least telling you to have a good day is a small start. Stay safe, man fr.

Appreciate that and I truly hope you're doing okay too and will be. These past few months have been really horrific to watch and each day it seems like things get crazier and crazier in the worst ways.

Of course, being in Canada, I am grateful we don't have many of the same worries to deal with here but all the more reason to ensure it stays that way and why I hope people like you and others in fear because of this crapfest administration are safe and will be part of the voices that will eventually see it fall. I of course only know what I know from people who tell me and what I see shared and reported, but I know even from that little bit that it's really scary.

And we too have a real essentially referendum here on that same thing coming up with the Federal elections (there's a reason they call the conservative leader here PP and not just cause it's his initials). Canadian politics are a whole other crapfest but we too have our worries related to how the election will play out. That orange buffoon has hijacked it away from the many issues we really need to address in Canada and made it into an election where we now have to also deal with him around too. I mean, thanks to that in part, fucking Doug Ford got re-elected and if you know even a bit about what that idiot has done, you'll feel the same rage and anger I have about it. Murdering the Ontario Science Centre is like his least evil offence but even that really boiled my blood and if you look into that story, you'll get it.

But anyways, I'm kinda rambling now. Overall, I am thankful to be in a position where I am okay, but I also know full well that it can change in a heart beat. The world is a scary place, and as over said as it may be to say, it does ring true; we all have a place in it and deserve to live without fear of who we are and what we believe.

You shouldn't live in fear that one day your government can just sign a law making you not valid, take away your rights and along with that domestically...also internationally destroy the relationship built over years between countries that have been not only friends, but helped push in many ways things for the better for us all through free trade, good relations and friendly and safe travel.

I joke but deep down, I love America. I love the beauty of the country's land, its people (the good ones) and the rich history it has (both good and bad). Every time I visit I feel both excited and also eager to get back home. I mean, you guys put a man on the moon, gave us the gift of flight, have advanced the fields of science and engineering in so many ways. There is so much good in America and its people. Hell, NASA alone is probably the greatest thing to come out of the US government. Yes, I grew up watching Space Shuttle launches on TV, lol.

And to see the state of it now with a small group of racist idiots in charge that are destroying it over fearful and dangerous beliefs cemented in hatred for one or more group of people instead of the betterment of all, is depressing even as a non-American to see.

Optimism is a hard belief to often have, but in difficult times, it often is the best source of hope. Even in the darkest of storms, sunlight will find a way through and that storm will soon lose and make way for better days.

Never lose hope. That's how they win. So long as there are good people to fight back through it all and of course, with their vote, there is a sun waiting at the end.

Stay safe, bro. You and all the other amazing people stuck enduring this hell deserve better and I truly hope you get that moment in the Sun at the end of this literal shitstorm.

[nickyrothfan]

Discussions(DID+SP AU)

The next day, after lunch. Inventors' Club Room.

"Who... who even are you?" Maritza stared at Gwen, who silently stood by the wall, arms crossed, eyeing everyone sharply.

"That's Gwen... she's with me," Nicky said quickly and uncertainly, leaning against a desk like he was trying to hide behind it.

"With you? Since when do you have... uh..." Enzo struggled to find the words.

"Friends besides the other weirdos?" Delroy offered with a smirk, getting death stares from the others.

"A girlfriend?" Maritza added, her eyes flashing with pain and shock.

"No labels. I'm just... here because Bales invited me. Something about my little stone, which, by the way, disappeared," Gwen shrugged casually.

"Okay. Great. Fantastic. Just another stranger in a closed club where everyone's been through hell and back, and half of us don't even know why we're still here," Maritza pointed to herself and Nicky.

"Anyone even care why a guy — or a girl — or whatever — in a crow costume came after Trinity? Maybe it was just a giant crow," Delroy tilted his head.

"Those feathers looked handmade. It was definitely a costume," Bales confirmed.

"But it doesn't change the fact he... poofed. Along with the other crows around him. Just gone. Like a cheap magic show trick at a county fair," Delroy mimicked a fireworks explosion with his hands.

"That doesn't sound like normal crow behavior... just poof?" Ivan clicked his fingers skeptically. He was always more of a science guy — this spooky stuff made him twitchy.

"Dude, he disappeared," Delroy shrugged and sipped his lemonade.

"Uh... are we just gonna pretend you've been here the whole time?" Maritza pointed at Delroy.

"Yeah. He's not even officially in the club," Nicky muttered in annoyance.

"Uh... the only reason you're even here is because you got detention," Maritza shot at Nicky, reminding him.

"Boom! Crispy roast! Nice one, Crispy!" Delroy laughed seeing Nicky get shut down.

"You guys are so friendly... loving the vibe here," Gwen said dryly. She hadn't seen Nicky this miserable in a while.

"Aren't you part of the art club?" Ivan raised an eyebrow.

"I'm here right now for two reasons. First: Narf. Second: Bales dragged me here. This isn't permanent," Gwen answered firmly.

"Well... nice seeing you again. And I'm glad Nicky's still talking to you," Torre grinned.

"You too, Ivan," Gwen nodded back.

"Since when do you guys even know each other?" Enzo looked confused. How did two of his best friends suddenly start hanging out with her?

"Uh... I barely know her. Saw her once when chasing Nicky. That's it," Ivan said.

"I hang out with her after the club meetings. That's why you haven't seen her," Nicky explained.

"Oh... alright," Enzo nodded.

"So Ivan, did you study the stone?" Bales asked, turning to the inventor.

"Oh, the stone? Yeah, it's amazing. It's got a weird kind of energy I've never seen before. Totally chaotic. And it reacts to emotions. Like, when I got mad because of... let's call it a microwave incident—"

"Another one of your very safe experiments blowing up?" Maritza said sarcastically.

"Ahem... anyway, my scanner picked up something strange. Normally the energy's clear — looks like water. But when I got angry, it turned red. And then, when I was calm — you know, eating a sandwich, delicious by the way — it shifted to yellow," Ivan explained, pulling out the stone carefully using gloves.

"Wait, wait... that stone? I found something like it in my bag during class. Didn't touch it though," Maritza shook her backpack, dropping a red-colored stone onto the table.

"Same here," Enzo added, showing a blue stone.

"Found mine in a closet yesterday. Touched it — poof! It vanished. It was white," Delroy said.

"So... purple for Trinity, white for Delroy, yellow for me, red for Maritza, blue for Enzo, black for Gwen. Nicky?" Torre looked at his friend.

"I didn't find anything," Nicky shrugged.

"So... when you guys touched them, what did you feel?" Enzo asked.

"A surge of energy," Bales replied, Delroy and Gwen nodding.

"And looks like we all got a boost... enough to smash someone into metal bars," Gwen shot a look at Delroy.

"Or slam someone into a tree," Delroy smirked back.

"Enough! Both of you," Trinity rolled her eyes, with Nicky joining her.

"Should we... do the same thing?" Maritza asked.

A heavy pause.

"...are you serious? Touch an unknown stone—" Ivan started, horrified.

"Honestly, looking at them now, they look more like emeralds," Enzo corrected.

"Touch an unknown emerald?! We have no idea what side effects there could be! We could end up mutating or something!" Ivan protested.

"They didn't," Maritza pointed at Bales, Delroy, and Gwen.

"...maybe the effects kick in later?" Torre guessed.

"You tested them all day..." Nicky mumbled.

"Exactly. And the problem is, the energy is chaotic. It reacts to emotions, but it weakens over time. It's uncontrollable — like pure water," Ivan insisted.

"But at the same time, you said it reacts to emotions, right? So... as long as we don't turn into emotionless monsters, we should be fine?" Enzo thought aloud.

"But there's still a risk... I doubt this 'Pure Chaos' thing is that simple. Maybe there's even a creature made out of it," Nicky finally turned toward them.

"Then it'd be like a water monster..." Maritza joked.

"Real funny, Mari..." Nicky said dryly.

"My brother hangs out with a bunch of nerds... not that he's any better," Maritza rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" Enzo protested.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going for it," Maritza ignored them and grabbed her stone bare-handed — instantly blinding everyone with a flash.

"Maritza, what the hell?!" Ivan shouted.

Finally, everyone opened their eyes again.

"...wow," Maritza said, amazed, feeling incredible.

"Whoo-hoo!" She casually lifted a desk with one hand.

"My little sister, the hot-headed teenager..." Enzo sighed.

"We're all teenagers here, genius..." Delroy snorted.

"Maritza, put the desk down," Bales ordered, but Maritza didn't listen.

"Mmm... nope!" She started spinning it in her hand like a basketball.

"I said... drop it!" Suddenly, purple chains shot out of Bales' hands, wrapping around Maritza's arm.

"Hey! What the—" Maritza didn't finish because Bales yanked the chain and slammed her to the floor. Delroy caught the desk and set it down.

"...so apparently I'm a witch," Bales relaxed as the chains faded.

"You! You... okay, that was kinda cool, but don't do it again!" Maritza rubbed her arm.

"Fine, fine. Just stop showing off," Trinity huffed.

"So... we're like, superheroes now?" Gwen exhaled.

"More like super-problems. Those stones are chaotic! If you people had any brains, you wouldn't have touched random alien artifacts!" Ivan grumbled, glaring at Gwen, Maritza, Delroy, and Trinity, while pulling off his gloves.

"I still think we should call them emeralds..." Enzo whispered.

"Like Chaos Emeralds? From Sonic?" Nicky looked at him like he had lost it.

"Why 'chaos'?" Delroy raised a brow.

"Because the energy is chaotic," Gwen pointed out, high-fiving Nicky.

"...looks like Nicky's got a girlfriend now, huh?" Maritza teased Enzo in a whisper, earning annoyed looks from Nicky, Gwen, and Trinity.

"She's just a friend... just like you all are," Nicky said tiredly.

"Sure," Gwen nodded casually.

"And Enzo, Ivan — you better hide those sto—" Bales started.

"Chaos Emeralds!" Delroy corrected loudly.

"Whatever! Just put them away. We shouldn't leave them out in the open," Bales said.

"No prob—" Ivan touched the stone, realizing too late that he wasn't wearing gloves.

"Aw, crap—" A burst of yellow light engulfed Ivan, making him straighten up, eyes wide.

"Agh, agh, agh!" He stumbled backward, crashing into Enzo, who fell against another desk — where his stone happened to be lying.

"Ack..." Ivan groaned on the floor while Delroy helped him up.

"I-Ivan!" Enzo panicked, grabbing the desk — and accidentally touching his stone too.

"What are you doing?!" Bales and Maritza yelled together.

"I didn't mean to! It just—" A blue flash exploded across the room.

"Freaking hell! Great team! Just hand over the doomsday devices to these guys!" Gwen sarcastically said, covering her face.

"I'm just... used to this by now," Nicky muttered, shielding his eyes.

"Why is everyone so clumsy?!" Delroy turned away, accidentally letting Ivan flop back onto the floor.

Finally, the flash faded and they opened their eyes.

"...I'm just gonna stay silent," Nicky muttered while Ivan and Enzo looked absolutely mortified.

"Listen up! This is our business!" Trinity pulled everyone's attention back. "Right now, we have no idea who Crowface is. But isn't it obvious? He's connected to these stones somehow. We only found them after he showed up! I say... we need to bring back the rescue squad!"

"That name doesn't make sense anymore..." Maritza muttered.

"Anyway, I'm out. Catching one creep was enough for me," she said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, catching Peterson was good enough, but I'm still ready to help you with anything!" Enzo leaned toward Trinity.

"..." Maritza, without thinking, threw a ball weakly at him.

At that moment, something strange happened to Enzo...

A voice inside him — not his voice — screamed, Jump!

He instinctively pushed off the ground, but instead of just jumping, he flipped backward — a full backflip — landing on his feet perfectly, while the ball ricocheted off the wall... and smacked Nicky right in the forehead.

"Ow!" Nicky yelped and crashed to the floor.

Meanwhile, Enzo landed clean like a gymnast.

"I actually meant helping with homework or something... but damn, that was awesome!" Enzo grinned.

"Was he always like this?" Gwen asked as she and Trinity helped Nicky up.

"No/Noooo..." came the simultaneous answers from the others.

"Not bad... no wonder you almost made the basketball team," Delroy smirked, and Nicky groaned.

"Ugh, this generation! Always hurting each other! Back in my day, kids respected their siblings!"

Suddenly, "Nicky" straightened his back, closed one eye, and pointed at Maritza and Enzo like a scolding grandpa.

"Uhh... is he having a seizure?" Maritza raised an eyebrow.

"Narf, you good?" Gwen, still holding onto him, asked carefully.

"Narf? I'm Chester, girlie! And by the way, what's up with your style? Back in my day, women, girls, even kids dressed properly! None of this black and blue and green hair nonsense — disgraceful!" Chester harrumphed.

"What... the hell?" Gwen froze.

"Is he seriously talking like an old man right now?" Delroy stopped sipping his lemonade.

"Not just an old man — Chester, you brat! Respect your elders! You just loaf around, teasing people! Back then we put punks like you straight to the factory! One hat smack across the backside and boom!" Chester jabbed a finger at Delroy.

"...okay, this is getting weird," Enzo said nervously.

"Guys... does he need help? This is freaking me out," Maritza said, worried.

"He does this sometimes... After the basement incident, he started acting differently once in a while. Like, pretending he's playing roles. It's... a thing," Trinity rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She had spent a lot of time with Nicky — she knew some of his habits.

"This isn't an act! His posture, his voice, his tension — they're all different," Ivan muttered, frozen.

"Narf, is this... some kind of roleplay?" Gwen asked, still not believing her eyes.

"Roleplay? Girl, you need a real hobby! Like knitting! Or farming! Not this goth, emo, TikTok trash..." Chester hobbled away from Trinity and Gwen.

"Does he even know TikTok is just an app?" Delroy whispered to Ivan, but Ivan didn't answer.

Chester let out a heavy sigh...

And suddenly, Nicky's posture snapped back to normal.

"What... what happened?" Nicky blinked and looked around.

"You were talking like a grumpy old man!" Trinity poked him in the chest.

"Uh... um..." He struggled to find words.

"And saying crazy stuff," Gwen added, watching him closely.

"Well... I kinda... um... act sometimes," Nicky smiled nervously.

"Like... you're an actor?" Enzo now seemed more curious than worried.

"Y-yeah. It's one of the jobs I'm thinking about. I made up some characters. The grumpy old man — Chester — is one of them," Nicky hunched his back for demonstration.

"...you got any other characters?" Maritza asked, intrigued.

"Uh... a magician never reveals all his cards," Nicky chuckled weakly.

"Pfft... dork," Enzo said, hopping up onto a desk.

"Ivan! Are you brave?" Trinity suddenly switched gears and got close to Ivan.

"Me?" Ivan looked startled.

"Do you like adventure?"

"I... I guess?" he said, now a little excited.

"Then you're in!" Trinity smiled brightly at him.

"I'm in?! I'm in!" Ivan shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

"Wow... that's how you recruit someone?" Gwen said dryly.

"Last time, every one of us was needed. You really gonna quit halfway?" Trinity asked Maritza directly, ignoring Gwen.

Maritza looked around the room — Enzo, Ivan, Delroy were already in.

"Agh... losers quit, winners stay. I'm in," she smirked and bumped fists with Trinity.

"I'm not sure this is the right move..." Nicky muttered.

"Only right moves," Trinity replied confidently.

"More like left turns..." Gwen mumbled.

"Gwen... you're not joining?" Ivan glanced at her.

"Sorry. I may have my own emerald, but I'm sticking with Narf and staying out of this madness," Gwen said calmly, turning to Nicky — who honestly looked relieved.

"Alright... new mission for the Inventors' Club on three! One, two... THREE!"

Trinity, Delroy, Enzo, Ivan, and Maritza stacked their hands and threw them up in the air.

Just then...

the fire alarm blared.

"Enzo Errenzo Esposito! Please report to the principal's office!" the loudspeaker blared.

"My inventions are doomed!" Ivan started running around in panic.

"...guys," Nicky pointed to the window —

a black crow was sitting right on the windowsill.

"Uh... was that part of the plan?" Delroy asked.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm out," Gwen said casually and walked out of the room.