#wow that microscope is doing wonders

[imblocking-you]

Katou and Oda are really interesting. Something something statement about false normalcy and contentment and conformity idk

[yourfavoritehouseplant]

Love researching defunct early evolutionary theories because Ernst Haeckel is always there. Even when it's not his theory. 'Oh I wonder who drew this hypothetical map of Sclater's lemuria' its Haeckel. 'What's up with these early microscopic illustrations' Haeckel. Wow why did this theory take such a huge Eugenics turn? Do you need to ask. Haeckel.

[cosmererambles]

WoW Dragons: Why They are (In My Opinion) The best dragons.

So this is entirely based on opinion. One of the things I dislike about Dragonflight is Blizzard seemed to forget their design principles on their dragons. I remember watching a little video about their Wrath cinematic, and they deliberately based SIndragosa (And to an extent all of their other dragons.) on cats for their animations and walk cycles.

This is because lizards walk with splayed legs, and look goofy. If you've ever seen a lizard haul ass, it's hysterical. They don't run often if they can help it. Cats, in contrast, have a smooth gait, owing to the fact their joints are directly beneath their body.

The original bones (not the model, the bones.) for the drakes and wyrms is felid based. Notice Nozdormu here, sitting with his tail curled around him. If you've ever paid attention to their animations, the dragons will "bat" at their opponents, stretch out, breathe fire, and overall, act "cat-like".

The "new" bones seem to be based on the fox bones, but I may be completely off base here. This is simply based on my observations, I have no opened these models up and compared their joints or animations under a microscope. The legs are too far to the side of the body, instead of being directly underneath, and the animations are too stiff. I think they were going for a more traditional European style dragon here, still wanting to give it a fluid, more mammalian body structure but also completely forgetting what makes their dragons so wonderful in the first place.

Do not ever update Wrathion's model to the new shitty bones, Blizz. You have been warned. I love him just the way he is, alligator noises and all.

[thedepthsoffandomminds]

Maze runner chapter nineteen

Previous chapter

Masterlist

Newt walked with you to the med tent where Thomas was sitting inside. The doctor was talking him through the immunity process having taken some of his blood, processed it and administered it to Brenda.

“Sorry Doc, we were just wondering if you check y/n’s arm.” Newt said sheepishly, concern filled Thomas's eyes.

“Sure, come here.” She patted a stool for you to sit on.

“She was…bitten about four days ago.” Newt said. The doctor looked at him and then you, suddenly very worried. Having removed your coats you hold your arm out to her and she gawks at it. She takes hold of your arm and twists it a little really taking in what she was seeing.

“You were bit by a crank?” She asks and you nod, “and nothing, no symptoms of turning?” You shake your head. “This is remarkable. You're healing wonderfully. Even with other immunes I've never seen this.” She uses some medical equipment to clean up the wound a little and ensure no other infections could get in before wrapping it in a clean white bandage.

“Usually, with immune kids we see them turn to some degree, they get the anger but after a few days it subsides. Do you mind if I take some of your blood? Just to take a look?”

You agree and she draws the smallest amount before putting on a glass slide to check below a microscope.

“Fascinating. Your blood is actually killing the virus.” She laughs, “wow no wonder she wanted you.”

“In the maze, well the control room I saw a list of the kids. Me, Newt, Minho and Thomas were highlighted. I'm not sure why.” You say.

The doctor thinks for a moment, then darts from the tent, leaving you all alone.

“Why didn't you tell us, y/n?” Thomas asks.

“I was scared, after Winston I just…” meets hands rubbed your shoulders and he kissed the top of your head. It seemed like now he had done it once there was no way he would stop kissing you, any part of you.

The doctor came back in with a folder of things in her hands.

“Here, look, the four of you scored the highest on all the tests, Minho a little lower but you three, you were her hopes. She put you two in early to try the breeding experiment.”

“The what?” You gawked, “what are those?”

“Thomas sent them to me, it's a copy of Ava's notes. Ava was convinced if immune kids had children together it would yield more immunes and better results. A master race of guinea pigs.”

“That's why they did the pregnancy test.” Thomas interjected.

“The what?” Newt looked between you all.

“At the facility.” You say quietly. Newt thought for a moment and then said, “I need to go.” He turned on his heel and left. You weren't sure what to do so you just sat there awkwardly.

“Come on, let's get you some food.” The doctor led you out.

The rest of the day seemed almost uneventful as you all settled into this new life. You ate and talked with other immunes and finally started to feel like you might be safe. The boys and you all take a seat on top of a small rock formation. Mai Mai sat beside you and Newt on the other side. The sun setting over the idyllic setting.

“I wish Alby could've seen all this.” Newt said.

“And Winston.” Frypan agreed

“And Chuck.” Thomas played with the small figure Chuck had made.

“He'd be proud of you, you know, Tommy.” Newt said to him.

“Yeah.”

“And Gally.” You sigh. Newt pulls you closer to him, wrapping his arm around his face. Thomas looked at you with his eyebrows drawn in.

“He was my friend, all he wanted was peace and safety for all of us.” You try to sniff away the tears.

“Yeah, yeah he did.” Minho agreed with a sigh.

“Hey, Aris!” Frypan called down to him

“Hey, guys!” Aris waved back, he was sitting between Harriet and Sonya. In a way it felt like he should've been sitting with you.

“I kinda like that kid.” Frypan laughed.

“Yeah. I still don't trust him, though.” Minho joked. You all laughed for a moment. Newt removed his arm from you and blew onto his gloves hands. He shuffled himself slightly away from you so you weren't touching anymore.

“Hey, where's Teresa?” Thomas asked.

“She went up there.” Newt pointed to a higher Rockford where Teresa was standing looking out to the horizon. As he walks away you turn to Mai Mai and stroke her. The tiger puts her large head on your lap and the warmth of her seeps into your skin.

“Guys, I'm really glad we all made it.” You say to them.

“Yeah, us too, y/n” Minho reached across and patted the tiger. You look at him but are distracted by two lights in the distance.

“What is that?” You ask standing up. The others turn and look. Several burgs were flying in and the noise that had been creeping up, now deafening.

“Run!” Frypan shouted as he grabbed your hand.

The chaos was instant, with people running around in every direction you got separated from the group. You trip on a rock and hurtle to the floor. Before you could stop him a man was kneeling above you. You struggle against him and manage to kick him off but as you scramble to your feet an explosion goes off beside you. It sends you flying into a pile of boxes. Your head smacks against the floor.

“It's the girl, get her in the burg.” you hear a voice you recognise commands a soldier.

You're too weak to fight back. In the distance you see Mai Mai defending Newt before being stunned by an electric shot.

The next thing you feel is cold metal against your face. Your hands are bound and then Teresa is standing above you but you can't hear what she is saying. A sharp scratch in the side of your neck has your eyes dropping and then, nothing, darkness

Next chapter

@fandomfan-102 @deanstolemydragon @afalls14universe @akilaporu001

[merakiui]

Idia? 👀👀👀

Idia… AAAAAA IDIAAAAAAA OTL I love him. It took time for me to like him, but omg he’s great. He’s so unironically funny. It makes sense that he would be a babygirl because Hades was also very babygirl in my eyes. <3 Idia being a fan of idols and manga and anime feels so real. The way he gets so hyped over his favorite things is fun to see. He’s clearly very passionate. <3 I want to play video games with him hehe!!

Also, book 6 Idia… he hits different. Something about Styx Idia is so appealing to me (it’s the uniform. Men in uniform are always so lovely). Even though I know he doesn’t want that job, it’s so hot of him to work at Styx as Acting Director being so articulate and scientific and WOW I NEED HIM. When he kidnapped the NRC students WOOOOOOO Idia, do me next please!!! I am not normal about it. orz

Sometimes I like the idea of Styx Idia more than regular Idia, but that’s just because medical horror stories are always so fun to think about. And the way Styx can be so brute-force at times. And the way they function on their own outside of the government (I think)??????? AAAAAAAAAAA book 6 has given me so many things I didn’t think I needed.

But regular Idia is just as wonderful. I love how he can be such a brat at times. The masquerade event made me want to kiss and kick him at the same time aaaaaaa!!! And when he gets so proud of his work!!! I love seeing that because he deserves to be proud and flex his big science brain hehe!! It’s always disheartening to see him put himself down, but then maybe I’m down bad because I’d sit in his room and be so engaged while listening to him ramble about anything. I’d like to study him under a microscope. He’s so interesting to me.

AND FUNNY!!!! I already wrote it once, but I’m writing it again because no twst character has made me laugh as much as Idia has. His dorm vignette had me crying with laughter. It was so funny to me. I can’t believe I had laughed too much that my ribs were hurting and then I didn’t want to laugh anymore, but he kept being himself and omg,,,, real tears were shed. I was not expecting his dorm vignette to be anything like that, but it certainly didn’t disappoint.

[lunarsilkscreen]

Evangelism of the unknown

Quite frequently when we talk about new science or technology it gets turned into this meta-physical, magical, maybe even *Divinely Inspired* thing...

"We must stop ourselves from succumbing to these understandings because they are beneficial to nobody." - Anon

Very often evangelical scientists try to equate our new unknown understanding to locating to the origin of God and the universe. Despite the story of Babbel explicitly saying that we cannot reach God.

This isn't Unique to religion either as the way Quantum physics is often described; due to varying languages translation differences in the field between speaking language and the technical scientific languages--which often leads to magical thinking.

WOW. QUANTA IS ENTIRELY RANDOM, AND IF WE FIGURE IT OUT WE CAN HARNESS IT TO TELL THE FUTURE... In a way that is more than where to be in order to catch a ball thrown in your direction.

We analyze things one Quantum level the same way we do on the microscopic. And if you were to look at a Rock at such a level, it'd be entirely intuitive what you're looking at.

It is less obvious on the fluid level, like with air since we can't see it. But we can see water, which is a near equivalent approximation.

The only thing not as intuitive is the flow of electricity through a wire. Electrons are the bits that move, while the rest is stationary.

Still, a close approximation is fluid dynamics as water or air in a pipe.

The problem arises when you try to separate the macro view; let's say a Rock, and the microscopic view; the atoms in a rock.

And then we move the rock and wonder why the atoms of that rock moved... Must be random.

Imagine Neil DeGrasse Tyson looking at this rock under a microscope, and his partner-in-crime Chuck Nice keeps moving the Rock.

Tyson: wow the Atom disappeared.

*Chuck puts Rock back*

Tyson: wow, amazing. It's back. How do we quantify this randomness?

*Chuck looks at the camera smiling.*

[ozonecologne]

Hey ozone, what have you been doing all day? :)

Wow, I'm so glad you asked, and without any prompting or anything :) Some non-SPN fandom insanity below, beware.

Ok, so. I have a kind of morbid fascination with One Direction? I watched them on the X-Factor way back when and I think it's really interesting to watch artists who are essentially my age grow up and find themselves artistically in real time. It's like a rare privilege to have a bunch of little bugs under my personal microscope like that. So I pay attention to their projects and follow criticism about them pretty closely.

Recently, I've been getting frustrated with [most of] their career trajectories, and I had a lot of questions for myself especially about the misogyny inherent in their work. Sure, Harry Styles claims to be a feminist, but how many women does he actually work with behind the scenes? Sure, he parades a mostly-female band out on stage at his shows, but has he ever hired a female producer? How do his choices compare to the other 4 members of the band, for example?

So I made a spreadsheet. I went on Genius and took out all of the individual records in my collection and I looked through the credits, counting up the number of writers, producers, instrumentalists, vocalists, etc. in each of the One Direction boys' solo projects and tallying how many were women (or not men, in a GNC sense).

Once I had all those data, I analyzed some general trends and compared them to one another. Who is the most misogynistic member of One Direction, purely by the numbers? (Hint: it's probably who you think it is.)

My spreadsheet is color-coded. It is many, many tabs long. It's definitely a little insane. Some screenshots to prove it:

But THEN, once I had all this information about One Direction, I had to wonder: are they unique? Do they conform to industry standards, or are they below/above the standard in terms of working with women these days? Is it unusual to never credit a woman producer on your albums?

So THEN I started doing this same thing with the top 20 artists on the Billboard chart right now. I am also doing this for all the One Direction albums, just to compare how much each member has "grown" since dissolving the band. I am also curious to know how many personnel have been with them since the beginning, like Julian Bunetta.

Honestly, the whole project has me feeling like this:

[mitchelljoni]

hi i wanted to say i am absolutely loving your rhaenicent fic! your writing style is SO good and literally everything is just perfect - the tension, the pacing, the atmosphere - i'm very much looking forward to the final installment (hopefully that's not too much pressure!) also i want to read august blue now since you mentioned it in your author's note - do you happen to have any more book recs for enjoyers of your fic? thank you for writing and sharing!

hi!!! wow this is such a generous and kind message, thank you so much!!! i'm so glad you're enjoying it and hopefully the final part will be up to scratch :))

i hope you enjoy august blue! it's a lovely book! it's probably one of the bigger influences on this specific thing bc of the subject matter , but some recs that i am always happy to give and which probably influence my writing massively/are generally apparent in this are:

The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst (and anything by Alan Hollinghurst, but this work on memory/writing in this is indelible I think!)

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (/the Neopolitan Quartet more generally) - I am just always thinking about this quartet I think! It has such a visceral beautiful quality to it, such an urgency of feeling - probably my favourite series in the world (and I'm aware I'm not unique for saying this lol)

The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy - another Levy lol sorry but this is non-fiction, it's the middle one of her "living autobiography" and I think so truly moving and interesting, the microscope she takes to her own life, the prose is remarkable. I will never ever forget reading the last line of this book I think

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, which is objectively so far removed from the subject matter I have taken lol but the way she writes about union, connection, loss - it's so wonderful to me. And I take a lot of interest in twins more generally, this concept of being a half of a whole (which obviously in my fic is more romantic leaning but still) - so it's definitely somewhere in there. On that, Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream were big influences on me not in terms of plot lol but the connections between the characters and how they're expressed - Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream in particular is a fucking freak, I love going back to her speeches because they are truly devastatingly insane

Possession by A.S. Byatt, my favourite book ever probably, the idea of obsession/possession/love for a thing or a person and what that does to you is so perfectly explored in this book and honestly I would just press it into the hands of everyone I ever met if I could so yea

also poetry: Stag's Leap by Sharon Olds, anything by Emily Dickinson probably, Let the World Have You by Mikko Harvey, literally everything by Frank O'Hara, Love and Other Poems by Alex Dmitrov - just what's been on my mind as of late :)

anyway this got super long, forgive me - thank you so much again for such a kind and thoughtful message and i hope you continue to enjoy!!!

[spoodlebat]

OC-tober day 3/4: Old OC/Redesign

This one took me a few days so I'm combining the two prompts ^^ It would have been the same oc regardless anyway so it makes sense to given the tasks. I very rarely draw mechs so I hope you'll excuse the identical style to Zerrinth's post; symmetry is just so much easier when it comes to designing and basic posing.

His name is Delta, and he's an OC who I've had for a very long time.

Extremely long ramblings, timelapse and original art under the cut

I'll frontload this with the character lore and timelapse; if anyone cares for my breakdown of the oc itself, that'll be the huge ramble at the bottom ^^

D-17, going these days by Delta, is an autonomous multi-function guard unit. Originally from a world shrouded in eternal night, he and his charge Amyss fled its destruction in their ship, the ArchWing, to the planet of Soniterra. Spending their time amongst my other ocs, they now live amongst its denizens in secrecy, studying the world of light and sound through void-borne awe and wonder.

Powered by a zynal core, Delta is mechanically minded and quiet most of the time; tweaks to his functionality by Amyss have given him something of a sassy streak, however, and he's not afraid to giving a gentle ribbing to (or occasionally completely devastate) a poor friend with sharp remarks every once in a while.

Able to rearrange panels and parts of his body, as well as altering the shape and location of the hardlight parts of his form, Delta is capable of minor shapeshifting. He can also very precisicly manipulate tools and objects, capable of working on engineering projects at microscopic levels without any form of magnification or complex set ups with ease. Combining these skills means he is a very capable engineer, and has even rebuilt a living body into a partial cyborg to save someone's life. Though the world he now lives on seems primitive and inefficient by his standards, he does not usually feel arrogant about it; the mechanics of its tech are so different and new to him that he is ever interested in studying it.

A highly capable combatant, D-17's original purpose was to protect the outpost he and Amyss lived within from creatures of void. Energy beams firing from his hands and sharp blades forming from his body kept him and his charges safe, but the planet's end signalled an end to his guarding duties.

Ok, rambling time ;w;

I don't know exactly when I made this guy, but I remember writing about him all the way back in primary school, in blue pen on lined paper that I kept in my little organiser tray. That would be about age 6 or 7, making this guy almost twenty years old in real time ;-;

This OC is old enough to drink and vote in the uk, good fuckin lord

His origins start even earlier, in fact; he's an amalgamation of a couple of simple characters I made as a small child, including one of those 'running along the side of the road' guys you'd imagine on long car trips. Timelines and memories are fuzzy after 2 decades, but I'd imagine those guys are from at least a year or so before I squished all those ideas under one single name. So a solid 19 years, and a potential 20-21 easily :') wow.

Delta is actually old enough that I hadn't done much drawing by this point in my life, and so I mostly wrote things instead. Those old papers are around here somewhere, but design-wise he's never been truly nailed down; just a basic mental image and the odd description or two. The one exception is an old pixel art piece I made of him in mspaint, back on the Family Computer (remember those? ^^). I was a huge fan of pokémon fusions at the time, and I'd spend ages mixing up their sprites to see what I could do. Eventually I moved onto making things from scratch (scratch spriting, what a fun term), and that lead to the one and only time I've ever drawn this guy. It took way too long, it's very clunky, and I no longer have the original file :c Lost long ago in the move between computer to laptop I imagine. Instead, I managed to find it in a gloriously 240p youtube upload set to a Linkin Park song ^^ ah child me, you never left.

All the way from 2010, here's the best surviving version I could find. And yes, the youtube bar at the bottom is in the shot; you want to fight me over it, go find and screenshot it yourself :)

It's weirdly posed, has literally only 1 shade of grey + shading for colour, the design makes very little sense, especially for the chest and torso, and he looks a lot more evil than I intended. Despite a few efforts that went nowhere later in life though, I just never managed to redraw or redesign him in a way I was happy with. So for a long time, this grey pointy spriteart has been all I ever saw of Delta. Figured he was long, long, LONG overdue an update, and so here we are :)

Though he might look very different now and have actual anatomy knowledge informing his structure now, who'd have thunk? I tried very hard to keep intact the core design features that 13 year old me added in. It's the same fella after all! Here's a quick list of basic ones, since most of them are subtle but intentional after all:

-Glass/screen face with digital expression; I think taking the top off frees him up to look cleaner, but underneath was always a smooth screen. This way he can see above himself too ^^ -'Bunny ears'; little antenna/paddles that originate from the endless runner character, who was originally something of a rabbit -Shoulder-mounted boosters. Pretty self explanatory. -Upper arm loops; this one was actually a coincidence! I guess 2010 me and 2023 me both thought the upper arm needed something ^^ -Elbow plates; these were like. A big thing. Originally able to shapeshift into blades and other tools, I had to keep them in. It wouldn't be delta without them. They're just less... accidentally lethal now ^^ old design was POINTY -Split shins; the original shins have a pair of plates on them that form a sort of 'cuff' above the foot. I honoured this by making the feet the same way, the ankle connecting between the two sides. -Spikes! His hips were feeling a little.. empty? So I gave him some electromagnetic spikey blade things he can use as tools, as well as some hardlight claw hands.

[ahnsael]

I'm surprised to realize that I have not mentioned this here.

I left my job at the casino. I was under a microscope from somebody above my boss. I don't know who, but that doesn't really matter.

I have health issues. I was in the emergency room twice in a week. Then I went home early a few times after throwing up into trash cans at work because it would come on too suddenly for me to make it to the restroom. As a result, I was put on probation.

The writing was on the wall, so instead of getting fired I terminated my own employment. Everybody has been nice about it (at least those I have spoken with). And I hold no anger towards the casino or anyone there. Not even whoever it was who decided that I was on very thin ice, and tap dancing. Depending on what comes next, they may have done me a favor.

For now I am resting after over seven years of working on my feet, and adjusting back to a more "normal" sleep schedule. I used to wake up at 9pm for my graveyard shift. Today I got up at 6pm. It's a process.

I still wake up for moments to roll over and think "Who am I wrking with tonight? What specific things do I need to get done tonight?" And then I realize that neither question applies anymore.

I know I burned the bridge with the company. I only gave 18 hours notice. But I am honestly thanking everyone I speak to with whom I worked. Until receently, it was overall a wonderful experience. I even enjoyed it recently, but had added stress because of the situation. But I generally like (almost) everyone I worked with (and those I wasn't a fan of are gone -- I even get along with employees who almost everyone else does not like; it's all about how you approach them). I had over seven good years there. But it was time to move on.

There are a LOT of times throughout my career, and different jobs, where I ask an employee to do something they would rather no do and they respond "If any other manager had asked me to do that, I would refuse. But since it is you, I'll do it." When I was new at the casino, I told a porter (read: custodian) that my first rule of being a manager is to never ask someone to do something that I would not do. One night, someone vomited on the restroom floor. I couldn't just walk away from it, so I grabbed a handful of towels and started cleaning it up. My porter just happened to walk in as I was doing it. I did not advertise that I would be doing it. He walked in, saw me on my hands and knees (back when my hands and knees worked right) and said "Wow, you really did mean it when you said you wouldn't ask us to do anything you would not do!" From that point on, he never complained when I asked him to do something.

Iam really going to miss both my coworkers and my guests. I went in last night just to collect a few personal things. I forgot about my umbrella, but it felt awkward being there so soon after resigning. I refused to go into the office. That wouldn't feel right. The office is employees only. So the other manager grabbed a few things, then we spoke for a bit and shook hands. This is the manager with whom I did not get along for months. They we had it out and understood each other better and then we got along. We shook hands. I got to wish my security guard the best and shake his hand. I got to say goodbye to a bartender with whom I generally only worked with once per week, but we had good conversations on that one night per week. I got emotional enough that I had to let it pass before I drove home. Driving home with blurred vision from crying would probably be about as dangerous as drunk driving.

I still get emotional over it. I had been there since mid-July 2016. This is the end of a long chapter in my life. I am still a little surprised I went through with it. But I was going to be pushed out if I didn't walk out on my own. And I know this was not what my boss wanted. He did not want to suspend me Friday morning. It was onlytwo days, but it also came with 90 days probation, like when I first hired in, but more strict suspension. If I even left work early, I was likely going to be fired from the sounds of it, even if I am sick.

I woke up to a message from the assistant property manager (he was part of the disciplinary meeting when I was suspended) telling me he thinks I did the best thing for my physical and mental health.

There is only one sour taste that I have in my mouth.

We were robbed at gunpoint in July of this year. Our county has an app where I can make sure they are still in jail. But one of our employees has severe PTSD after having a gun aimed at them. I was in a break area when the robbery happened and didn't know it had happened until the robbers had left. I called 911, not knowing that another employee was already on the phone with them. AFTER I called 911, the employees said that the gunmen had said they would come back to shoot and kill us all if we called law enforcement. I may not have been out there, but I have been robbed at gunpoint. This was mid-2000s. I still have flashbacks.

So if they said they didn't feel safe and wanted to go home, I would let them. I have a heart. Sure, it left us short staffed, but my most recent boss would agree that part of being a manger is running the business, but we also have to care for our staff.

Then it came down from HR that if this person called off or went home early, we had to give very specific reasons.

First, they already know the specific reasons. They are just being picky. They have a note from this person's psychiatrist detailing how deeply her PTSD goes. One other time she had fallenwhile getting out of bed and felt like she may fall again during her shift, and I put that down as the reason. But I was being askedd to go deeper into asking about and announcing her private medical information. That rubbed me very much the wrong way.

This is not the bartender I saw last night, but they are one of the first people I told after I made it official and we spoke on the phone and wished each other well. We do have each other's phone numbers so it was not necessarily goodbye. But she is this sweet ld lady who can party. Emloyees are entitled to one free "after shift" drink whether they are gambling or not (if not gambling they have to pay for any further drinks but the casino's drinks cost less than any other bar nearby). She ordered a shot of Fireball and a manager who is thinking of leaving early next year (one of two planning to leave -- I don't know that they will be able to maintain a 24-hours-a-day operation with as many of us as they are losing) decided, as a joke, to fulll a "bucket glass" with Fireball (if you aren't familiar with "bucket glass," think rum & Coke sized, but not the tall 12 or 16 oz glass). He figured he was just wasting booze but that it would be funny.

Then this sweet old black lady, always demure and quiet, picked up the glass and slowly downed the entire thing in one go. The rest of the graveyard crew and the manager just stared and dropped our jaws. It really was impressive. The manager asked if she wanted another one and she wisely said no.

This same guy once made me a Jack and Coke in a tall glass and filled it up about 7/8 of the way (after icing the glass) with Jack Danieals, then just added a splash of Pepsi (they are a Pepsi company). I nursed that thing for about an hour and a half. I wasn't going to down it like a bucket glass of Fireball and then drive home. The other crew member who had a drink with us had a wine glass ful of tequila. And the company wonders why the cost of goods for the bar is so high. That bar will never in the history of the casino make a profit. It's their loss leader. Most drinks are complimentary. But it keeps people at the slot machines, which is where the profit comes from. Even when someone wins a huge (and my huge, at this casino that is as high as $15,750), it is actually good for the bottom line. Because they tell their friends, who then come in thinking they will win. And paying jackpots was my favorite part of the job. There is just something about laying out thanksands of dollars in front of someone while counting it out to them. I always loved when people win.

After all, I also watched people go completely broke chasing the big win. I saw one once (well, I didn't actually see it, but I saw the afttermath) run out of money, drain their bank account, run out of money again, then beg people for $3 in gas money to be able to get home (if I would have seen that, I would have had to ask her to leave, but I found out after the fact). When someone (another sweet old lady who I haven't seen since COVID hit so I have a feeling she is no longer...capable of visiting, let's put it that way) told me, I saw the one who had asked for $3 -- you guessed it, gambling that $3 to try to turn it into more.

But people do not seem to understand how slot machines work. Sure, they pay back generally close to 90% of what they take in. That is mandated by the state. But that is an OVERALL percentage. The machines will take and they will take. Then one person will get lucky, and the machine stays in compliance. There is never a guarantee that a guest will win at all. I once put $60 in a machine, bet the minimum of 75¢, and ran out of money without a SINGLE winning spin. Not even a win that paid less than my bet. Not even a one penny win. I never played that game again. But I have paid jackpots on that machine. I was just the unlucky one that time.

Another time, before I started spending more for better health insurance (and thank goodness I did that), I had a game that I liked to play. Most machines have higner payout percentages if you bet more. I would take $200 of each paycheck and use it in that game and either play until that money was gone or until I hit something good. And even if I lost, I had the means to make it until the next paycheck. After upping my health insurance, I was gambling maybe $20 per month at most.

But this one day I was betting $8.80 (it has a Chinese theme and the way the number 7 is considered lucky by many here, there it's the number 8 that is considered lucky). I got a reel combination that resulted in a win of $4,320. On that day, I was the lucky one. For that matter, every employee working at the time (other than the manager -- graveyard is supposedly the only shift where managers can accept tips because we are wearing more hats as far as job duties), some other managers do, but I figure that is between them and the company) -- but every employee other than the manager was handed a $100 bill by me. Tips/tokes/gratuities are NEVER required. I've had to have this conversation many times over the years when employees help with a jackpot and there is no tip. I have to tell them "Yes, they just won $4,000, that does not mean they have not lost a lot more than that." And I could look at their stats if they were using a player's card and see that even after a jackpot like that, they have still lost a lot of money.

It was a very interesting business to work in. I do not at all regret my time with the company. And my boss was very kind when I called him at 5am to tell him I would not be working there anymore, effective immediately. SSo yeah, I deefinitely burned the bridge with the company. But I am staying positive about the people I worked with and the overall experience. Behind Disneyland, this was the second favorite job I have ever had. I may be sad about how it went down at the end, but overall it was a fantastic experience and I will remember the good years I had. I met good people. I worked with good people. I served guests who were awesome to have in the casino.

Granted, there was the guy who tried to jump through a window trying to escape deputies. There was the robbery. There was the guy (who thankfully moved to the other side of the country) who would come in hammered off his rear and want drinks. He once offered me $10,000 for one beer. I said that even if he pulled out $10,000 on the spot, I would still say no. I doubt he had $10,000 on him. I would show him the door, then he would come back even druner, and with no memory of having been there earlier. There were fights. We had a guy break one of our doors (not the window thing -- he actually slit the wood slamming it open because he was upset that I asked to check his ID to make sure he was old enough to be there).

There was some workplace drama between people, but I did my best to stay out of it. If I could understand where both were coming from, I would sit with them and help them hash things out. But if one person came to me complaining about an issue they have with someone else but I'm not seeing what they were (I wrote "are" -- I have to get used to past tense with this job), I just tell them I don't want to hear the complaints. I heard it already, made a decision not to act because I don't see the thing they are complaining about, or it does not involve my shift at all,but people tend to just harp on it (sort of like me with this post).

There was once (quite a few years ago) we had an emplyee ask to go home sick. Their request was granted. Then they sat at a slot machine gambline for hours. We had a manager have too much to drink and cause a HUGE scene. Because of them, a rule was made that managers could not have more than two drinks in a day at the casino (just the one Jack and Coke I had that one day broke that rule). But that rule went away when that manager left. It was a specific rule to keep them in line.

But the good FAR outweighs the challenges. Iam curious to see how things go now that I am gone. But it would probably have to be through the grapevine. When I went in to pick up a few personal items, it felt strange even though I refused to go into the office (after all, the office is "employees only" and I no longer qualify). Just just being there, at least this soon after my employment ending, felt odd.

But I will find something new. It is a new chapter. A fresh start. A chance to maybe sleep normal hours (not sure I will get there; depends on what the nex step in employment is). And two fellow managers have offered to write me glowing recommendations, so that is good. I have definitely burned the bridge with the company. I have not burned any bridges with those with whom I worked. And Ihave no reason to burn any bridges. I worked with a good group of people. This boss was up there with the best bosses I've ever had. And I know everything coming down on me was not his decision (trust me, I've worked for him for over seven years; he is not a liar so if he says he is being told to do something by above him in the company, I believe him). He has proven over the years that he genuinely cares. He once LITERALLY saved my life by sending me to the hospital. Nurses, after doing blood work, were shocked I was still even alive. I had told my boss that the next day was my Friday, so I would go then to not miss work if I was kept overnight. Nurses said that if I would have ignored my boss and waited, I would have definitely died that day. Three days and two blood transfusions later, I was back on my feet and back at work.

So again, despite the fact that it came down to "leave on your own terms, or their terms?" I will always look back at my years there as a good experience. I learned a lot. Not just about the casino business, but how to be a more effective manager. As inconvenient as the times of training classes can be (great, let's go to a noon two hour training class when I have to be up at 9pm for work), the training program is good. And ongoing. You don't just go through initial training and then you're on your own. Classes are even repeated to keep it fresh. There is a binder of shift manager operating procedures in the office that we are told to read four times a year. Most of it is mundane and simple and there were pages that I skipped because I was there for so long I knew them. But there are also some special circumstances covered that it was helpful to re-read. Tehnically I was breaking a rule when I gave CPR at the casino one night. But if a 911 operator is telling me to do it, I am not going to argue. It's like the casino attendant who saw the robbery starting and was not seen, and immediately went outside to call 911, and told them -- when the robbers left -- which way they went, he could have gotten fired for that even though he did EXACTLY the right thing; not per policy, but as a person. All of the managers, including me, GANGED UP on HR to make sure he would not lose his job for having his cell phone on him or not having a manager be the one to make the call (I was uot back, and the other manager was a little busy being held at gunpoint and being threatened with death if he so much as touched his cell phone).

There are things about the company I will never understand. Like, I have an Apple Watch, and a new policy was emailed from HR a few days ago saying they are not allowed. And yet when I was part of drop night until this past monday, whoever was counting money would call me on my personal number (even not carrying my phone, even though I did start carrying it against the rules), I could answer on my watch. If I am not supposed to have it, why did my bosses call me on it?

But I did like when people would see me talking to another manager on my watch. I felt like Inspector Gadget. The difference is that his calls with Penny or Brain (did he have video calls with Brain? I forget) were video calls. Mine were audio calls.

Anyway, I need to shut up. I just have a lot of emotions in me right now. But the fact that my boss did not try to convince me to stay (he can be VERY pursuasive) and my other casino-level boss is telling me that he thinks it was the right thing makes me feel better about the decision. They know I got out before I was forced out. I was not sure about the "forced out" option but I had a feeling. Their reactions tell me that my intuition was correct. I do not know what is next, but I needed to turn that page. I just happen to be on a blank page right now. But the text will continue. I am going to miss the heck out of that job. Not as much as I miss Disneyland, but they were good to me for a long time. It's just a shame that I fell under the microscope because of health issues that they have documentation from doctors about. But I will not let that spoin my memories. A few people say I should sue them for holding medical issues against me, but I do not want that hassle. When I went down in January, I called my boss to tell him that I was ready to return to work, but told him that I would be using a walked. He said "absolutely not in a walker." Then he got chewed out about reasonable accomodation, and he let me back. And the funny thing is that whoever enforced reasonable accomodation is likely the same person who now wanted me out. I do not know that for sure.

So, yeah. That happened. I will see what the next chapter entails. All I know is that she won't discover that it's him 'til chapter three (Beauty and the Beast reference unrelated to my situation). As emotional as this time is, I have to find those moments of humor and happiness. It is a huge change in my life, but I have to remain myself, even under stress. And the encouraging words of even my bosses tell me that not only do they accept my decision, but they want what is best for me in the long run.

It's almost like the last time I was at Disneyland in 2019. I saw one of my old managers on the parade route irecting the sales of glow merchandise (it was always his thing) and I walked up to say hello. I look a LOT different than I did as a cast member. I'm much older and balder and more wrinkly. He recognized me as soon as he saw me. And right before the Main Street Electrical Parade (I think -- maybe it was Paint the Night by then; speaking with a former colleague who was maybe my best boss ever was more important to me than the parade). I remember "shooting out the lights on Main Street." I would take two glow swords and recreat the 1992 opening ceremony to the Barceloa Olympics (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmRf41SVHS4). Except opposite. That guy used a bow and flaming arrow to light the Olympic torch (and it really was an impressive shot). I used my (fake) bow and arrow to turn the lights off for the parade. I always got at least some applause directed at me, not just the parade. I used to walk down Main Street U.S.A. and get cheered. Even during other parades, I would (badly) dance (I am not much of a danceer). But people recognized that I was trying and they would applaud.

I will not remember the casino QUITE as well as I do Disneyland. But I wil remember it fondly.

There will come a time when I will make another appearance at the casino. After I am employed again, I may even gamble some. But it is too soon, other than picking up some personal items yesterday.

[taylortruther]

Hi, its Shakespearean anon. Thanks for responding so thoughtfully (and it did not come across as argumentative at all!!!) Okay, so a couple thoughts:

I don't criticize Taylor for being a romantic/romanticizing her life. I wouldn't change that about her because its one of things that makes her such a brilliant and compelling songwriter. It is also just a nice quality to have, and I think she brings a lot of light and passion and love to the world because of it. Hell, I bet Shakespeare himself had these qualities!!

I agree, if it wasn't her creating her own narrative then it would be the media. Historically it has been the media creating the image we saw of most pop stars and essentially telling their story for them.

For most of Taylor's career she has had to combat that, which I would agree is certainly an external issue. It is an issue I would argue Taylor has for the most part overcome/made peace with. I think she accepts that there will be prying eyes in her life. I don't think Joe ever accepted that and I don't think he ever wanted it. To commit to a relationship with Taylor he had to compromise that he would, to some degree, have prying eyes on his life. I wouldn't really classify that as the world going against their relationship though because that's not anything to do with the relationship but the nature of Taylor's life.

I don't fault Joe for not wanting his relationship or private life put under a microscope. That's a hell of a trade off to make for the person you love. What he was risking was his comfort, his lifestyle, his normal; none of those are small things but (in my mind) a Shakespearean sacrifice needs to be drastic.

Now this is just my amature literary analysis of what makes something Shakespearean and I by no means expect or want Taylor (or any other artist) to adhere to it lol. I think if the resulting situation is just living in limbo, working to preserve the compromises you made to get together, it just isn't drastic enough to be Shakespearean. If Joe gave up his need for privacy or Taylor gave up her drive for fame, then it would certainly be Shakespearean. But that didn't happen, and the result was akin to a city person and a country person just agreeing to live in the suburbs where neither liked the result but hey at least it could be worse!

Anyway, my original point in the original post was wondering why as a storyteller, Taylor kept revisiting the beginning of the relationship. I think in a lot of ways the beginning saga was Shakespearean and romantic and a hero's journey of sort for Taylor, and I understood why she wrote about it the way she did and focused on it the way she did during rep. It really is a good narrative from a storytelling perspective and I think rep being disguised as a love album is why it is one of her best albums narratively. Even on Lover I can see the argument for it, because it ties into the theme of the album. BUT when you look at where they ended up, even just three years in, I think a lot of the romantic/heroic narrative falls apart. Years in, I think it was hard for her to put that Shakespearean shine over their current (at the time) relationship. Almost every song about them was her relationship anxiety or how they got together. It almost feels like Taylor could write about the struggles they faced and eventually overcame together, but not the actual growth. Although that may be reflective of the fact that it appears there was a lot of stagnation and then backtracking and then reconciliation in the relationship, so maybe there were not very many periods of just contentment. Also, I can fully admit that maybe narratively Taylor just prefers the more conflict oriented stories.

Wow I cannot believe I just wrote that much - thanks for always pushing for some interesting discussions. (and I've never used the word Shakespearean so much before lol)

i see where you're coming from. i don't agree with some of this but it was interesting to chew on nonetheless!

tbh i just think humans create stories and narratives - we all do it - so i don't know if i'd ever try to determine if taylor's life "warranted" a specific narrative, because... those narratives don't have strict rules. they're devices she uses to tell us the story of what happened. so i don't think i'd ever think "well, WAS the world really against her? this doesn't fit an us vs them narrative" because it's more satisfying to think, "taylor felt the world was against her, how does she describe that in her art?"

however i agree with you that part of the reason she focused on the early days might have been because she wasn't sure how to process what was going on later on. which is partly why ttpd is going to be such a ride. it feels like she kind of circled around the last few years... but ttpd sounds like it will be catching us up.

thanks for writing so much bestie, i had fun reading it.

[odysseywritings]

Weird Science

@flashfictionfridayofficial

Lightning crackled in the sky overhead a once abandoned lab facility. Howling wind and rain swirled the building, yet the inside held a controlled activity of manmade wonders, from bubbling beakers to chirping computers. Within the basement depths, an experiment most foul occurred, led by a wild scientist and her eager assistant.

"The age of progress is upon us, Billy!" the frizzy red haired scientist shouted. "I'm one step closer to cracking the DNA code. Foods will become bigger. Christmas trees will become smaller. But I need your skin sample, Billy, because only you have the right genetics ever since I Hulk'd the town last week."

"You got it, Dr. Myeyes!"

Billy yelled as he tumbled down the stairs before jumping and spinning in the air, sticking the landing with a bow. Dr. Myeyes clapped and presented a paper labeled with a giant "10."

"Excellent, Billy! This experience may be life altering, but I promise you won't be mortally wounded. I used up all the corpses in the graveyard, and the robot just doesn't do it for me anymore."

A boxy robot stares at the two with a blaring red light before walking away.

The scientist's voice softens as she says, "You never cared about any of this..."

Billy walked over to the lab table with the array of syringes and microscopes.

"Don't sweat it Doctor M! I've been through so many experiments, I'm pretty sure I just can't die. Kind of a bummer existentially, but them's the breaks!"

"Thank you, Billy. But you might be an inch tall. Or the size of an elephant. I still don't know which one is better for science."

"I'm good either way. Science has given me so many joys; vaccines, locomotives, mind-numbing social media. I owe it to every scientist to be a guinea pig. A very sexy guinea pig!"

"Excellent! We don't even have to wait for a waiver on this stuff! Let the shrinking / growing BEGIN!"

She carefully prepares the syringe filled with orange fluid. Billy's vein had been located and prepared with a little X from a marker. Sweat drips from her head as Billy smiles blankly. In a flash, she jabbed him, and he giggled as though he was tickled.

"Oh, wow, I'm glowing!" Billy glows an orange aura that turns saturated like bright ooze. "So am I turning small? Or does this mean big? Man, I'm so excit-"

Billy's body grew three times that day as he burst through the basement. A moment of surprise passed as he looked at his massive limbs with joy.

"This is great," his voice boomed. "What should I do next?"

"Go, Billy! Use your size and strength to take another graveyard! And get a new research facility! This one has a huge hole in it!"

"Can do!"

Billy waved and sprinted as his childlike laughter echoed in the harrowing stormy night looking for unlikely things to steal. Dr. Myeyes rubbed her hands together and laughed maniacally as her plan grew closer to completion. Truly this was the darkest and stormiest night.

[canyouhearme83]

How are you so salty over the fact that you could barely get three kids out before your dick stopped working. Like get the fuck over it dude.

It's not like anyone would want to fuck you anyway, gross ass son of a cuck. I bet those coders only called you an 'it' because your dick is so fucked up. They saw it and didn't even bother looking at the rest of you.

Like seriously bro that shit probably looks like every Tetris block at the same time. God damn corkscrew cock having MF.

Just because your wife had to play twister in bed just for you to even have the possibility of continuing your pathetic fucking bloodline doesn't mean you have to end like, 30 other peoples.

There's one thing about you that definitely ISN'T a monster, and that's your fucking penis. That shit is the size of a pepperoni slice. How you even got it into your wife in the first place is a goddamn enigma.

Your dick is so short your wife asked you if it was in yet 30 minutes after you finished. You send dick pics and people have to put their phone under a microscope to see it.

When you were born the doctors put F on your birth certificate because they couldn't see it and thought you were AFAB. They looked at you and said "oh wow, congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!" And then you had to get it legally changed.

All of your friends talked about boners and you didn't know what they meant because yours didn't do that. Sex-ed didn't make any sense to you because you didn't think anything that size could even make it close.

The unrecognizable lump of flesh you have now that used to be your penis is probably more appealing to any woman than the sad toothpick dick you had back when you weren't parading around in a discount aisle moldy easter bunny halloween costume.

When you fucking died I bet that was the most blood flow you got anywhere NEAR your crotch in years.

After it stopped working, your wife probably sighed in relief because she didn't have to act like she could feel anything in bed. But it's not like she had to do it for long, One Pump Willy, you could only get 30 seconds out of it and then it was over.

You probably felt it and rushed to the bedroom before it went away.

When you asked your wife if she wanted to have some fun, she replied with 'Yeah sure I have a few minutes.'

You were known as the One Pump Wonder, mostly because it was almost magical the way that you even had ONE kid, let alone THREE. If you didn't do well at that restaurant, you probably would've had to be an attraction at the circus.

"Come one, come all!" They'd say, "Come and see the man who can't!" Then they'd throw water balloons at you. You'd have turned out to be a clown either way, just one of them your ego wouldn't be inflated larger than one of those balloons from that fucking robot that killed your daughter.

The size of that knife you used is just you compensating. You probably picked it out and went "Wow! That's the biggest I've ever seen!" And it was 4 inches.

In high school, your wife's friends probably went "What do you even see in him? What's the appeal?" And she'd say, "He has a wonderful personality." Then, they'd say "and?" And she would have nothing to add.

Were those kids even yours? Or did she just go to a sperm bank so you wouldn't feel bad. Your pullout game was probably incredible, because there was nothing to even pull out. You can't take something out if it can't even go in in the first place.

Your wife was pretty wrong about that personality thing, anyway. You're bland as fuck. Basic ass white boy. Pack it up, Willy, don't you have some fishing to do? A car to repair? Football to watch?

You think you're all that, when you're literally nothing. You're just some jealous, boring wannabe Jeff the Killer fanboy 1-inch-dick having unemployed cunt in a flea-ridden antique Saw trap fursuit.

Put that ruler away, and stop sulking over your sorry below average deflated shriveled up raisin excuse of a dick, and grow up. Because this 'Murderous Grieving Father' look you've been going for doesn't suit you, honey. Never did. A select few people look hot with a knife in hand, and you are NOT one of them.

I’m not reading all that.

[foxgirlchorix]

thinking about “ok actually what fursonae/[x]girlsonae do i want to have”

this will probably end up mostly being ‘basic bitch’-y. i admit to mostly only looking as deep as single species in, like, reptiles and mammals, and i expect a lot of this will revolve around “what if was humen shaped”

my first basic bitch move: im probably not gonna have anything microscopic. no disrespect to bacteria archaea and most eukaryotes but im sorry i dont have the power

this is going to be long!

okay. first

ediacaran biota: there is absolutely no way i can do them justice. but i love them so dearly and need to be them

slime molds: slime molds are really cool but i dont know if i can do them justice. thing to keep in mind though!!

lichens: lichens are the fucking best. the only problem here is this character is probably some sort of rockgirl with lichen growing on her... which i suppose isn’t a BAD problem to have

ferns: ferns can be fun and weird. they’re a big group with a lot of variety so i think a ferngirl is feasible! considering arborescent ferns like the cyatheales.

conifers: FUCK YOU THERE ARE THERE ARE DECIDUOUS CONIFERS. i could be an amazing larch

water lilies: water lilies are kind of gender and wow that looks utterly meaningless as a phrase. but like. they are!

cassytha: i like parasitic vines! cassytha are a good example but i’d be open to other parasitic vinegirls

triuridaceae: i really like flowering achlorophyllous plants. and you say they get their food by digesting intracellular fungi? delightful. also they look SO WEIRD

bromeliads: core problem- there are carnivorous and myrmecophyte bromeliads but they aren’t in the groups of bromeliad i find cutest. otherwise like come on who doesnt want a bromeliadsona

plane trees: i love those awful hell achenes

venus flytraps: i mean there’s SO much fun stuff to be had with a dionaeasona! they’re what a lot of people think of when they hear “carnivorous plant” for a reason.

ivy: ivy are wonderful!

violets: violets are among my favorite flowers especially when they’re really really tiny and especially when clustered

pomegranates: pomegranates are my absolute favorite fruit and they’re very pretty and have very pretty flowers and did i mention they’re very pretty

fungi: the core problem with fungi is the part one’s interested in is the fruiting body, and unlike with (at least some) plants the aboveground part is mostly inconsequential. however i’m thinking of bracket fungi, earthstars, and chanterelles. it is downright criminal of me to go into as much detail as i did with plants and will be doing with animals but not as much as with fungi so it’s going to have the longest description thing

sponges: i can’t do sponges because the concept of a spongesona has been monopolized by the paramount corporation with the character “bob”

comb jellies: comb jellies are so cool and the extremely underrepresented field of “jelly sonas” (DO NOT CONFUSE WITH SLIMEGIRLS) deserves my mark. theyre so good

hydrozoans and jellyfish: there is so much cool variety here. you’ve got tons of bioluminescent stuff, colonial porpitas and siphonophores, some freshwater stuff, a few that have photosynthetic symbiotes, and even some active predators. the life cycle of larva -> asexual polyp -> medusa -> sexual polyp is so cool, though there’s stuff missing various of those phases obvi

vampire squid: the joined arms are really cool and i like them, so i think vampire squids are my preferred cephalopods for sona purposes. you know ursula?

chitons: there isnt enough respect for chitons. i like them and i hope i will be able to make a girl

bryozoans: i love bryozoans if i had a brain i would study them!! people don’t think about them enough. i love the whole lots of specialized zooids thing and i love that some can ‘walk’

tardigrades: overplayed and overhyped, but i do like them. eight legys

dinocaridids: i LOVE THEM SO MUCH. i need at least one dinocaridsona. maybe an anomalocaris but there are SO MANY GOOD OPTIONS

trilobites: i’m not as interested in trilobites, but it’s kind of obligatory don’t you think?

sea spiders: i must confess a fondness for sea spiders. they’re probably too stick-y to be a good girlbasis

horseshoe crabs: beloved beasties. i think about as hard to girl as a turtle

spiders: everyone’s spidergirls are pretty much always kinda modeled off of tarantulas, with a big wide opisthosoma. that’s all well and good, who doesn’t love fat asses, but a more elongated form like orb weavers could be fun for a spidertaur! a weirdly shaped one (like triangular ones!) might be fun too. also i love when spidertaurs have the human legs be pedipalps

centipedes: everyone loves disturbingly large centipedes!

dragonflies: idk why but i like dragonflies a lot. hell if i know how to girl them though

wasps and bees: both of these deserve a sona. maaaybe ants too. the point is i like the eusociality and theyre more aesthetic to me than termites

rays: rays are kind of perfect for ‘you call this a mermaid, but it’s actually just a really big [animal] with a small human torso on top??’. i love this idea and want to use it

sharks: the possibilities are endless. you could have a typical sharkgirl with a nice fat tail, an angel shark like my ray girl concept, or also i like whale sharks i should do a whale shark

ichthyosaurs: you may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like. the IDEAL choice for a girl who doesn’t want a dolphinsona but also wants something a bit spicier than a sharkgirl. definitely thinking a mermaid-like setup here. she would be incredibly annoying about ‘well i’m a reptile and a mammal and i look like a fish so you have to guess my pronouns now’. what the hell does that mean

mosasaurs: mosasaurs are a bit overplayed in the ‘omg big animal so scary’ field, but it might be worth playing into that? maybe skew things a little whale-ways

snakes: snakes are a classic for a reason! maybe go with a marine snake, or else just commit to the largest snake ever for a worldserpentsona (beloved)

crocodiles: many people have said what i’m about to say- crocodiles are worth it. i can and should commit to a crocodilesona. for fat tails around the world

pterosaurs: a pterosaur sona is downright needed. and there are SO MANY CHOICES!! definitely something in clade caeliadracones if only because that’s a great name

tyrannosaurs: i have to admit it- tyrannosaurs are iconic for a reason. these reasons dovetail pretty well into having a tyrannosaurgirlsona! plus because shes not a normal tyrannosaur i can give her as many feathers as i want

microraptorines: i think they’re so cute and i want “four” wings

enantiornithes: i love them so so so so so much. like i know at least part of it is ‘grass is greener on the other side’ but they’re fucking great. there are so many of them and i love them all

pigeons: i already have a pigeonsona. i have like 10 because angels. but i love pigeons

swifts: i like swifts a lot i think itd be fun to have a sona thats just a whole fucking bunch of swifts

shrikes: i may not have the stomach to be a shrikegirl. but i should try

corvids: MESS WITH THE BEST, DIE LIKE THE REST. magpie angel swoop on you one million times forever

bats: bats are cool and underrated. a bat sona would be fun- maybe a megabat like a flying fox?

cats: i actually already have a couple cat sonas but they’re about as well deifned as ‘hehe... 8′3″ looks like cat face and is a height”. considering perhaps a bigcat-sona and maaaybe a lynxsona

bears: bears <3 i could do it and there will could be more

foxes: my 4d foxgirl is all the fox sona i will ever need <- girl who will create 10 more fox sonas in the next 15 seconds

dolphins: my hatred of dolphins is played up for comedic effect. even so... its orca time

lemurs: every once in a while i think ‘what if lemur sona’ but i get so so scared

[silverott-chevalier]

💡🧲

-@thatoneguy031

(ooc) I'll just answer for Guy for the time being. Lemme know if you want me to answer for Mx. Suicune and Cherry later on!

💡microscopic

ROTT! Actual Samurott! Real Samurott! And like, a natural born one, too! Okay, okay, keep it cool, keep it cool, he asked you a question, just answer it like you would normally... Chevalier's immediate care for this man doesn't seem to be very ill-founded. Perhaps with some careful words and the right guidance, the two could become something on the level of equals...what a clash that might end up being. Oh fuck, he got noticed by an actual Samurott!! What are the odds?! He seems like a pretty nice guy...wait, his name is Guy? He IS a nice Guy! Oh he's just kinda silly and fucked up isn't he? I wanna talk to him. This Guy is cool.

🧲puny

...man, if he wasn't, like, years in the past for me and also averse to becoming a Trainer's Pokemon, I totally would've asked if he wanted to join my team. I still wanna help him train and get better, and support him more, but I'm so afraid of getting smacked with divine censorship... I should be careful what I wish for--how foolish I was to think that he could become Chevalier's equal without an equally-harrowing journey. I'll have to do my best to keep an eye on him and watch for when he may need my advice--it's good that he's found companions, but how long will it be until he doubts his own strength too harshly for them to save him? ...have fun, Neku! This Guy's in for a wild ride...hopefully he doesn't bite it or come out of this adventure too broken--I NEED to see these two Samurotts meet someday, and you're definitely not doing that six feet under! I wonder how we can actually send help without stepping over the line...is this what it feels to actually have an active part in someone's destiny? Wow...

[amysterywrappedinanenigma]

Mysterious Benedict Society Episode 7 Liveblog - A Joyful Lens

I wrote this and then completely forgot to come back to it, but here we are, the day before the final episode is dropping. 

Wow, immediate new record for how fast I’ve wanted to punch Curtain. Usually it takes at least a couple minutes but this time it was just. literally the first line. may your tea always be too bitter and scald your fucking tongue. 

HmmmmMMMMMMM MA’AM ARE YOU FAKING YOU’D BETTER BE FAKING

I am staring at Number Two under a microscope rn, ma’am are you okay. 

“Big day tomorrow” pls no that sounded so wrong. I’ve been saying big day today for the past year, and big day tomorrow made me v uncomfortable. 

Tbh I wouldn’t be shocked if Curtain picked up on the fact that there was something in the tea. Not that I think he’s smart enough to pick up on it, but he just seems paranoid enough as a person to notice that something’s off. 

UH OH UH OH UH OH OH NO 

Ughhhhh having such conflicting feelings on number two getting whammied because yes it’s bad but also the things she’s saying are things that Mr. Benedict really needs to hearrrrrrr and things she should have been saying all season but ehhh. Mixed feelings. 

Love Kate and Milligan’s farm system. All of the moments that show how much they’ve built their lives and relationship with one another over the past year really warm my heart. It’s a nice other side to the moments where they’re struggling with their relationship 

RUN SILENT RUN DEEP!!! Thank you for the actual episode title bc I’m still uncomfy over big day tomorrow

But also yeah Milligan, running silent running deep really worked out well for you last time, uh huh, I’m sure it’ll go off without a hitch this time 

Reynie did you really think Kate was going to stay put, I love your confidence in people 

Hey disney I can’t take Reynie and Kate getting whammied too, so keep that in mind pls 

AHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA CRYIJG I’M LAUGHING EO HARD 

THE STRAIGHTJACKETS 

THEIR FACES

THE WAY EVERYONE IS JUST🧍‍♂️

CONSTANCE’S TERRIFYING SMILE 

STICKY IS SO DONE HE LOOKS LIKE HE COULD SET CURTAIN ON FIRE WITH HIS EYES

I’m LAUGHING SO HARD 

Oh my god this feels like a fever dream

J e f f e r s, he’s so proud of himself, you pathetic pathetic man 

Where the fuck did you get straightjackets, Jeffers? Did you go to a store after grabbing them? HAVE YOU BEEN CARRYING THOSE AROUND FOR WEEKS??? 

The way unwhammied Constance would just be biting him. Someone get her some acid for whenever they bring her out of it 

Jeffers of course you don’t know how to take off a straightjacket, can’t you see you’re undercutting Curtain’s reunion with two of his child nemeses? 

CONSTANCE THROWING OFF THE STRAIGHTJACKET LMAOOOOO absolutely iconic 

Shedding it like she’s shedding all the negativity in her life rn. She was in that straightjacket because she chose to be 

Yeah Sticky!!! Get him!! Call him evil!! 

Ew no Curtain you’re not allowed to refer to people as ‘friend’ anymore, I thought we left that behind last season. 

Slightly disappointed we didn’t get Curtain expecting Constance to straight up murder him, but that’s okay 

Wait no. Don’t you fucking dare. 

FIGHT IT STICKY FIGHT IT

DO NOT TAKE STICKY TOO PLEEEEASE 

It’s so much worse because Curtain knows all of Sticky’s insecurities from last season and just. AGHHHH. 

WHY MUST WE ALWAYS CUT OFF BEFORE WE SEE IF THE HYPNOSIS WORKED. I’M TOO STRESSED FOR THIS. 

The Mabel Pines voice is really jumping out now that Number Two is whammied 

Ohhhhhh is number two getting whammied what’s going to knock Mr. Benedict out of the hypnosis??? He’s so worried 

YEAH, KICK!

It’s really interesting that Mr Benedict has been able to have analytical thought about the hypnosis while he’s in it, like “why am i feeling this way, i feel like i should be fighting this” but other people don’t seem to be able to do that. It might just be for story purposes from the writers, but I wonder if there’s an in-universe reason? 

H W A T 

WHY ARE YOU SINGING

OH NOW IT’S BOTH OF THEM 

WHY ARE WE GETTING THIWHQTTHEFUCJ 

This episode is making me question my grasp on reality like none of the other episodes have 

WOLVES CBSHFBSHB absolutely roasted

Hugs! Hugs! Hugs! Mr Benedict finally gets a hug~

“Dressed in the faded rags of a hostage” has the same energy as “the clothes of someone who has given up”. Unintentional jillsoncore

She! Requested! Yellow! 

Kate not knowing what an alpaca is is really good content, thank you disney 

“I know I tease you, Sticky, but the truth is, I enjoy your scientific facts.” Cuteeeeee, I kind of hope once she’s unwhammied she says she meant that even though she was under the happy influence, but she’ll probably just go back to her friendly bullying, which is okay too 

Kate and Constance hug Kate and Constance huggggg <3 <3 <3 

“She’s an absolute pleasure to be around” Sticky nooo, like I totally get it but nooooo 

Oh thank god Sticky didn’t get whammied, I couldn’t have taken that. 

Him doing long division in his head to avoid it is precious, he’s so good. 

Ahhh it is once again cult leader time. Great.  

WAIT IS THAT MISS PERUMAL IN THE BACK 

FEAR FEAR FEAR 

Uh oh Enzo

Oh that was REALLY fast since we saw him get hypnotized by Auguste like 2 episodes ago. I wonder why it seems to happen at different speeds for different people 

Ohhh Curtain seems very shaken by someone else freezing 

Lmaooooo J&J’s little super awkward backwards shuffle with the wheelie chair 

N I C K Y

N I C K Y 

N I C K Y 

RED ALERT 

OOF. 

I’m just buffering over not now nicky 

Okay okay back on track 

The track I’m back on is adoring Miss Perumal

But also no thanks I cannot take the kids realizing their parents have been whammied 

Milligan hugging kate but her expression just stays blank like she’s realizing what has happened uhhhhhh I’m in pain 

Constance is just. vibing. 

Idk if this is intentional but I love the framing of almost never having Constance and the other three in the same frame in this scene, and the only times they’re in the same frame there’s both a lot of distance between them and a tree splitting the frame between them 

No, you DO need Dr. Garrison, because I need the show to bring her back

WAIT YES 

I CALLED IT TWO EPISODES AGO, SOMEONE STOLE THE NOTEBOOK 

I was wrong on who did it, since I had guessed it would be Constance, but I’m still excited 

“Garrison’s proven she can’t be trusted with technology.” HEY. LEAVE MY FAVORITE WOMAN IN STEM ALONE. Haven’t you ever heard of intellectual property?

Uh oh he’s MAD mad 

Lmao at Mr. B poking his head up over the window

But also oof now he knows about the people freezing

Jackson and Jillson I’m so sorry you guys cannot catch a singular break 

Two people I love with all of my soul but also occasionally fear on deep a primal level 

Excuse me Curtain you do NOT get to yell at them 

Add J&J to the list of people who deserve post-Curtain therapy (and also to commit physical violence against him, but that’s a given) 

LMAO the side eye towards frozen Marlon on “current personnel situation” 

I hope Marlon can hear them vagueing him. Get wrecked.

Still going for that promotion, good for you guys 

Curtain put your psych 101 “correlation does not equal causation” away, we all know you don’t have a degree. 

✨Don’t fucking patronize my blorbos✨

Nooooo the way they both kind of just deflated the second he walked out of the room. Every time we see how scared they are of him I get sad™️. 

It’s hard for me not to feel sympathetic for them because it’s framed in a way like they’ve invested so much in him and his methods, and then he’s very threatening and dismissive. 

Someone made a comment last season that was something along the lines of “the girls are fightingggggg” and that’s what I think every time they snipe at each other <3 

MR BENEDICT AND CONSTANCE HUG!!!

Thank god it’s actually him, I got so scared from the post-trailer discussion 

But them them them <3 I’m so glad we got a proper little reunion even though I wish it was longer 

“I’ve successfully stolen several items recently” yeah you have! You’re doing great! 

I really love scenes where we see the talents of the kids being highlighted, I’ve really been missing that this season

The multitool!!!!!! I still think about Milligan saying “I whittled it. :) for the bucket :) 

ASDFGHJKL THE DANCING 

Once again feeling like I’m in a fever dream

We’ve got the dorky dancing and then Miss Perumal still looking absolutely STUNNING no matter what

“Where’s my dad? Let’s start with him” <3 <3 <3 <3 

Still wondering why Mr. Benedict is capable of rational thought about the happiness but other people don’t seem to be. Maybe just a plot hole but hmmm. 

This conversation happening during dancing feels pretty on point for this season

Katie kat! 

Constantly torn between how wholesome the interactions are and being horrified that everyone is hypnotized, but I love Milligan and Kate as always

Kate’s lil smile when Milligan gets mad!!!!!!!

Miss Perumal looking STUNNING as ever, I want to dance with her. If she told me to stay and get whammied I would listen to her

Curtain imposing his fashion crimes on everyone else this season can’t touch her, she’s too perfect

SHE’S. VIBING. 

“Trust me.” “And I do, with my life.” 🥰🥰🥰

J&J y’all need to run, I fear for your safety once number two gets unwhammied 

I’M 

WHAT

THEY JUST

HELP THEY STRAIGHT UP TACKLED HIM 

HELP 

When I said run that is NOT what I meant, but go off I guess uhhhhh

They’ve really been through it this season and I guess this was how those feelings manifested themselves 

Rip Jillson’s shoulder 

It’s all haha funny until I start thinking about the way he was immediately SO concerned for her

“That was an odd impulse!” WEUHFWIUVBS sir you just got tackled 

“She gets a vote now?” Yes she does because she’s perfection personified and everyone needs to respect her more

c o m a e 

Mr B looks :( :( so upset :( and it makes me upset 

Number two definitely meant removing Curtain from his followers when she said the best way to stop a snake is to chop off its head, and totally doesn’t want to physically start removing Curtain’s limbs 

“US” 🥰🥰🥰🥰🎉🎉🎉🎉

Curtain I’m begging you not to look into the camera while doing the hypnosis thing, it’s terrifying 

The facade is once again cracking!!

Gotta have one scene every season where Curtain is losing it in front of a mirror 

FLOWER DELIVERY

Good, get him 

Mr B patting Curtain’s leg when they’re about to drive away is giving me feelings 

I love all of the background interactions between the kids and adults 

YEAH GOOD DESTRUCTION GOOD JOB MILLIGAN 

Tell me why I half expected Jackson and Jillson to both have a sling just to continue the identical vibes 

ALL OF THEM SLEEPING IN THE BACK OF THE TRUCK OHHH FOUND FAMILY FOUND FAMILY FOUND FAMILY 

Wait no no NO NO NO 

Like we knew it was gonna happen but FUCK 

Okay final thoughts: 

Overall, I loved this episode too! I’m finding I’m really liking the later episodes as the plot ramps up and character beats come to a head, but I’ve been enjoying it all. I’m really interested to see how they close things out next episode, and how the hypnosis side effects end up being resolved, especially now that I don’t know if the main group is going to be going back to the compound at all. (J&J call in Garrison please, she can fix this.) And excited to see more character moments especially when people come out of the hypnosis. 

Where we’re at right now has me kind of worried for next episode, but I’m trying to stay optimistic. I feel like there are so many loose threads that need tying up, but with the much shorter episodes this season I’m a little worried things are going to feel really rushed next episode and not have very satisfying closures, or some things are just going to get dropped altogether.

But yes very good episode and I’m both excited for the next episode and already sad the season will be over.