#you can't DENY his scientific genius

[boldlygoorgohome]

the most delightful part of elon musk buying and then ruining twitter is that, now that everyone on earth is intimately aware of what an incompetent dumbass and all around shitty programmer/engineer/manager he is, people irl have stopped trying to tell me, a professional astronomer, that he’s revolutionizing my field

[imagining-in-the-margins]

Autistic Spencer Reid

Happy Autism Acceptance Month, everyone! By request, my wonderful friends and I have taken on the daunting task of documenting the reasons why Spencer Reid is considered Autistic. Big thank you to you @spencer-reids-adventures and @foxy-eva specifically for their help. We hope everyone enjoys! This is not an exhaustive list.

Stimming/Self-Stimulatory behavior, including rocking/spinning in his chair, twiddling with his fingers, gripping sheets, bouncing his legs, biting his lip/tongue, rubbing his eyes, spinning pens, pacing (e.g., S6E12 "Corazon")

Averse to touch, dislikes hugs (S7E13 "Snake Eyes" & S11E11 "Entropy")

Explains multiple attempts at masking, including "being more conversational," (S2E19 "Ashes and Dust"), scripting conversation (S15E4 "Saturdays"), saying what people want to hear (S6E20 "Hanley Waters")

Verbosity - Difficulty recognizing when he's talking too much/speaking at inappropriate times (e.g., S1E16 "The Tribe" & S10E16 "Lockdown")

Began studying behavioral science to understand behavior that made him frustrated/confused (S11E22 "The Storm")

Averse to hosting/hanging out in his space; didn't invite his friends to his apartment for over 15 years (S15E9 "Face Off")

The only team member capable of proficient communication with other Autistic people (S6E16 "Coda" & S11E22 "The Storm")

He is referred to as Autistic by multiple characters, including a literal profiler, and does not deny or question it (S1E5 "Broken Mirror" & S8E3 "Through the Looking Glass")

Lack of social awareness, such as focusing on a convention while at a workplace shooter crime scene (S7E3 "Dorado Falls")

Various special interests, like Doctor Who (S6E16 "Coda" & S7E23 "Hit")

Literal thinking, such as focusing on scientific accuracy of a star-based fable (S5E13 "Risky Business")

Difficulty recognizing common phrases, such as the "sitting in a tree" song (S3E14 "Damaged") or jokes (S7E9 "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy" & S1E8 "Natural Born Killer")

Makes inappropriate references, such as to Derek's playboy behavior (S1E18 "Somebody's Watching") and Rossi's age (S7E13 "Snake Eyes")

Coordination/Spatial deficits (S1E17 "A Real Rain" & S8E6 "The Apprenticeship")

Hyperfocuses on a task to the point he doesn't notice his surroundings (S5E20 "A Thousand Words")

Unusual/hyper-specific pedantic language (S3E6 "Remembrance of Things Past")

Resistance to change, manifested as a luddite dislike of technology (S6E7 "Middle Man" & S8E4 "God Complex") and struggling with Gideon's death (S10E14 "Hero Worship")

He receives (apparent disability) accommodations to be in the field (S6E10 "What Happens At Home...")

Introverted, difficulty sharing emotions, even with his closest friends (S10E13 "Nelson's Sparrow")

Heavily bullied as a child (S3E16 "Elephant's Memory")

Difficulty making friends (S2E1 "The Fisher King Part 2")

Trouble with eye contact, which persists throughout the series

His mother is schizophrenic, which has a strong genetic link to Autism

Dislikes small talk (S8E3 “Through the Looking Glass”)

Enjoys memorizing lists (S7E11, “True Genius”)

Savant skills - eidetic memory and hyperlexia

Matthew Gray Gubler has also explained that, regardless of the canonical confirmation, he views and portrayed Spencer Reid as Autistic. Specifically, he stated:

"He's an eccentric genius, with hints of schizophrenia and minor autism, Asperger's syndrome. Reid is 24, 25 years old with three Ph.D.'s and one can't usually achieve that without some form of autism." (Note: Asperger's is an outdated term with Nazi origins, which is now referred to as a part of "Autism Spectrum Disorder" by most countries)

DISCLAIMER: I am Autistic, as diagnosed when I was a toddler. These thoughts are my own and shared for fun. If you disagree, please make your own post about it rather than posting them here. This was a labor of love for fans like me and those who love Autistic people and the characters like us. Thank you for respecting and understanding my boundaries!

Looking for more to read? Check out my Autistic headcanon posts for Penelope and Hotch!

Thank you everyone! 🌈♾️❤️

[solradguy]

GG2OMC (ENGLISH): THAT MAN - ISOTOPE & ISOLATION

Word Count: 1645 Warnings: None Chapter Index & Credits Page・ Mobile Friendly Version Archive.org download page (.PDF + uncompressed art scans)

2024 Oct. 30: This is an old version of this translation and isn’t as good as the one on my Neocities: https://solradguy.neocities.org/GG2OMC%20Stories/gg2omc-index

Having completed the basic theory of the force of law, humanity began researching applications of that theory in various fields without a break. Each country, in pursuit of their own interests, invested heavily in this research and recruited top scientists in rapid succession. These scientists, too, were striving to develop new technologies in this new field in a favorable environment. At the forefront of applied legal research was a semi-state-run research institute in the United States of America where three up-and-coming young minds were gathered.

“Oh my god! He’s smoking in the lab again!”

Aria, who had shoulder-length red hair and a folder tucked under her arm, opened the door and slid into the lab. She was the only woman in the group and was undeniably talented, having obtained a doctorate in information engineering in her teens. Her mature behavior made her seem older than her actual age, but the occasional gesture or mannerism still showed the face of an innocent young woman. 

“Zip it. This ain’t a cigarette.” 

A man who was sitting by a window, looking listless, responded. Frederick was a tall man with a toned physique more like an athlete than a researcher. Two years older than Aria, he held a degree in particle physics and was a leading researcher in the recently established field of force of law energy physics. 

“...Oh! You noticed then?”

“...No, not really… Sure, I noticed.”

“Aw, come on! Aren’t you usually like, “You look good today, man,” or whatever? Ah, as expected. It gives me chills imagining you saying something sensible…” 

With a sniff, Frederick looked away.

“Haha, that’s quite dramatic…” 

A slender man who served as the head of the laboratory appeared quietly, holding a steaming cup of coffee in both hands. He was also a young genius scientist who studied life science at a young age and played a role in the completion of the basic theory of the force of law and its mechanics. He had since shifted his major to bioinformatics, and as the head of the laboratory, he was leading the research on applied forensic mechanics.

“Oh, good morning! It's getting warmer, and the long hours are getting in the way of my work..."

"Mm, you're looking a lot brighter today.”

"Wow! Really?”

"Hmph, looks like you're finally getting out of your schoolboy mood…” Frederick said, bitterly. 

"Haha... Here, Frederick. Be careful, it's hot.”

He handed him the cup of freshly brewed black coffee. Frederick took the cup silently and sipped it.

“...So, were you two up all night again?”

“Yeah, well, I must admit I wasn’t working. We got into a little bit of a conversation…”

“I wouldn't call five hours ‘little’…"

Frederick looked disinterested, and then he said venomously, "Ugh, five hours. I don’t know how you two don’t get bored… So, what were you talking about?”

“We were talking about events that still remain controversial in our time.”

"What a disappointment. That’s not much different than talking about your job…”

Aria sighed. Frederick, ignoring her, continued, “We and science are not all-powerful. There are things we can't understand or solve.”

“I don't deny that, of course. What I am saying is that there is a difference between ‘events we cannot unravel due to our lack of understanding’ and ‘events we cannot perceive in the first place.’”

“What do you mean by ‘imperceptible events?’"

“For example... Yes, the existence of God. Let's put aside religious belief for the moment, but we can understand the concept of God. But we have not scientifically proven the actual existence of God.”

“God is God, and that’s it. Apparently whoever believes in Him will be saved.”

“I used a bad metaphor. Let's talk about something more familiar. Our bodies are composed of about 60 trillion cells, whose roles are determined by DNA. In the 20th century, we finally figured out how this worked.”

“You're the one with the expertise..."

Frederick nodded arrogantly then sipped his coffee.

“But we don’t truly know by whom or even how this mechanism was constructed.”

“Who said that..? It was the result of trial and error woven by nature, wasn't it? If you fail, you start over. If you succeed, you move on to the next step. Of course, there must have been mutations.”

"Aria... Do you think that all of this, including the mutations, is an accident of nature?"

“I don't see how it could be any other way…”

“That's far too stochastic. Though, probability theory is your area of expertise.”

"Probabilistically, you're right. But what else is there?”

An impatient Frederick urged him on.

“Sorry, Frederick. Let's jump to a conclusion. What kind of being has the power to direct the course of events in a single direction? A being that defines in detail the course of every event in the world.”

“Alright, so that would be a god, then?”

“It is close to that concept. Let's call it ‘God’. And if ‘God’ is something we cannot perceive fundamentally..."

“Even if it did exist, what’s there to be worried about..?“

“Do you know what a 'missing link’ is? It’s a term used to describe a significant gap in the expected continuity of an event when a discontinuity is observed. To use a simple biological analogy, it’s a situation in which the existence of Species B, which should have occurred during the evolutionary process from Species A to Species C, is completely missing. So, how does the missing link occur? I believe that this phenomenon is a control error by ‘God’. In other words, ‘God's’ definition of events does not always work as it should. So… why then does a control error occur? Is the mechanism itself flawed, or is it encouraged to mutate by a third party..? I believe it is the latter. That is to say, a "third party" intervenes in the evolution from Species A to Species B, which was determined by ‘God’ as the natural course of events, and suggests evolution to Species C... or eliminates the possibility of evolution to Species B. In any case, the original evolution was to evolve to Species C via Species B, but the "third party" rewrites the program to evolve directly to Species C. I call this third party ‘divine revelation.’”

“W-wait a minute! That’s not easy to understand at all…”

Aria pouted. Frederick saw this and followed by folding his arms.

“It isn’t necessary to increase the length of a 1-meter giraffe's neck from 2 meters to 3 meters to 4 meters to make it 10 meters long. Make it 10 meters all at once. Rewrite its DNA. However, he's saying that this rewriting of DNA is not the work of a god but some kind of ‘revelation.’”

“I get the logic, but it's a bit far-fetched. Besides, if it's a being that encourages successful evolution, then what's the problem?”

“No, that's not always the case. There are a small number of extinct species among those for which the missing link has been identified. The ultimate goal of biological evolution is the perpetuation of a species. Therefore, extinct species cannot be considered an evolutionary success story. This is also true for us humans. If ‘divine revelation’ intervenes and forces us to evolve in the wrong direction while we are trying to evolve properly, we are doomed.”

The tone grew more serious and the color drained from Aria’s face.

"...Aria, it’s all bullshit. Don’t take it seriously.”

“Haha, that’s a heartless thing to say, Frederick. Call it a hypothesis.”

“Ok, so what do you really think, Fred?”

"It's best if you find your own way. I couldn't stand it being decided for me... That's all." 

“I’m glad. We’re on the same page, then…”

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Beep. Be-beep. Beep. Be-beep. Beep. Be-beep.

An electronic warning alarm echoed in the darkened room.

"Oh my, I've exceeded the overflow limit again..."

A tall man dressed all in black clicked his tongue loathsomely. He tapped the console to stop the device. Then the man walked to the end of a terminal, a huge coffin-like structure, solemnly as if he was approaching an altar. 

With a flick of a switch, the lid of the device was removed without a sound. A few moments later, a pale, slender boy rose from inside the device. The structure’s interior was filled with a colorless liquid, blocking interference from the outside world. This highly viscous liquid clung to the boy's naked body.

The boy's brain plasma was connected to over hundreds of tiny metallic threads. The procedure involved reattaching memory data to the hippocampus. More specifically, it was the process of receiving backups of stored memories from the HPC server and restoring lost memories.

The procedure to rejuvenate the body had the fatal flaw of causing a high rate of memory clouding and loss. For that reason, the boy temporarily stored his memories in advance in preparation for permanent memory loss.

“How are you feeling?”

“My senses feel fresh and finely honed. The restoration was completed without any problems.”

“Though, rejection of juvenile hormones is troublesome..."

“It is not originally a human bioactive substance. In the meantime, these memory data will continue to be backed up in advance.”

“...Hm”

The man in the black cloak with the word “raven” written on it, bowed his head reverently.

“Incidentally, how are you doing? You seemed to have had subtle brainwave disturbances during the session..."

“...Indeed, I was reminded of a memory from long ago. Perhaps my emotions got the better of me.”

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Chapter Index & Credits Page・ Mobile Friendly Version

[sirbonesly]

Your nemesis, the first hero to challenge your scientific genius with debates, is dying. Or at least it seems like he is, with blood covering his clothes and eyes that won't stay open. He's not in uniform, that stupid 3 piece suit that he got only so he could match you. The idea coming to him after an embarrasing moment in a tailor shop. You had both recognised each other out of costume.

"Look! We have to be arch enemies, we have similar looks!"

Your heart had warmed at the thought of someone caring enough to do that, but the media saw it differently. They claimed him to be a false hero, hired by you to boost your villain rating. As if your rating wasn't already high. The two of you, known for your quick witted verbal fights, had a lot to say about the media's take on your raltionship.

"I see you've put the shields up already. So eager to fight? Or shall we talk once more."

"Oh come now, Orion, we both know the statements that have been made about us. Surely we can address that properly?"

The fight, though they were turning more into a conversation each time, had only taken place 8 days ago. Your hero, who had been inactive since then and was wearing civilian clothing as of right now, was seemingly happy with not having to fight you.

But none of this would matter if he died in your arms. You cradled him close to you, calling your medical bots to come as quick as they could, had them contact any doctor who would ask questions. Your hero couldn't die tonight, couldn't leave you once again alone in this world without someone to challenge you. He's your light, your relief.

"Thomas, promise me something."

His words were faint, holding the emotions of someone on the edge of the life. You pleaded silently for him to stay alive and shut up you idiot you can't stay alive if you keep wasting your breath.

"Promise me, give me your word that you'll tear them down."

Your shock must've been evident because the sound of his laughter, riddled with wheezing breath and harsh coughs, echoed slightly in the foyer. You knew who he meant, the two of you had joked about the idea plenty. Joked that if the Hero Federation knew that the two of you were friends (because there's no denying it) then Orion would be declared Killed In Action less that a week later. You both had joked about it, but now it was happening.

"Thomas! You have to kill them. You know which ones are good, who will be on your side, use that. Please, before I die, just promise me."

His breath stopped before his eyes stopped moving. The last puff of air hitting your face as the words slipped out. Covered in his blood and boiling in your anger, you rose.

"I will. I promise you."

You, a supervillain, answer a knock at your door, only to find your superhero nemesis shivering, bleeding, scared, and slightly dazed (as if drugged). They appear to have been assaulted. The hero mumbles “…didn’t know where else to go…” before collapsing into your arms.

[calamari-chaos]

As far as I know people don’t usually bring up hg wells but instead Hp lovecraft... whose absolutely vile and INTENSE EVEN FOR HIS TIME racism is a reason to really side eye people able to be like “omg what a genius” about him if they know that. I do agree he’s dead and as far as I know(???) doesn’t have an estate. But anyone celebrating him? Nah. Fucked up. The living people I would personally like to also see fully shunned by all include Alan Ginsburg for his unironic, not at all about free speech but literally loving the idea of pedastry NAMBLA support and all like him. Which, there’s way too many. Rapists like Woody Allen (also alive, also still making money) too

Truthfully his intensity was not that violent by the standards of his time, considering (to my knowledge) he never actually participated in organizations like the KKK or any of their contemporaneous knock-offs.

Problem is that dude was kind of an awkward obsessive nerd. About everything, really. Like, it's one of his major criticisms, that his stories drag because he gets caught up describing whatever so intensely.

But like, his racism is reactionary. He's Autistic/ADHD/whatever, and overstimulated and freaking out because of his environment, or the fact that he's living with his Jewish wife in a city where Jewish establishments and neighborhoods are regularly targeted for extreme acts of violence. Lovecraft is loudly racist, stupidly inexplicably racist; Performative even. IMO He's either venting potentially-autistic rage about his kind of shitty life in what was at the time a socially acceptable way; or, as I would like to believe, he's trying to be like: "GOLLY GEE IT SURE IS A SWELL DAY TO BE ANGLO SAXON AS ALL HELL. HAVE I MENTIONED I AM FROM NEW ENGLAND AND GOOD STOCK AND THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE CONSEQUENCES IF ME OR MY WIFE ARE RANDOMLY HARMED AHAHA HOLY FU-"

I also really cannot over-stress how tightly the American concept of masculinity was tied with racism. His era was defined by popularity of the actual KKK. During his life Manly Men™ were racist. Science was going on and on about the scientific differences between races and how inherent they were. I have read titles from that era and it really does exist everywhere from a modern perspective. Eugenic ideas permeate just like, every text and even advertising from that era. I'm not saying it makes it ok, but like; ones' environment is always an influence. Even just because he would have been going along with what was at the time "in vogue". IIRC he also had a job editing some now-pseudoscience work about race.

Either way, you can't deny he deserves a place in Scifi/gothic horror history at least equal to that of Poe*(drunk who frequently cheated on his teenage cousin-wife) Dunsany, and others. Like him or not his work was extremely influential and defined our ideas of horror by introducing existential concepts and (at the time) fringe scientific concepts.

Also I agree about Woody Allen. Fuck Alan Ginsberg too.

* (Of course the only thing worse than cheating on your teenage cousin-wife is having a teenage cousin-wife.)