Last year, I had a radical idea that would change the way I think about chemistry forever.
What if molecules were a little bit fluffier?
It all started with me looking at the structural formulas in my schoolbooks. I was amused by how every element seemed to fill a different "role" in a molecule - carbon formed the skeleton, oxygen and nitrogen brought flavor, and hydrogen was there to fill all the bonds that weren't "used". They were almost like a bunch of tails attached to a central body.
But I felt that one thing was missing - and that was them being alive.
To describe how my system works, I have to outline the principles I follow.
The specific arrangement of the atoms is generally based on the molecule's 3D structure, though I sometimes make small changes from reality to make it resemble a character with human or animal traits.
One thing I'd like to ensure is the diversity of the molecules' appearances - I don't want their identities to be lost in B&W print or sketches. I also prefer avoiding symbols (chemical or alchemical), because I think they're overused and might also interfere with their facial expressions.
The faces and limbs serve exclusively to give them more character and expressive power - they don't define a molecule's composition or structure, though they may serve to help communicate a compound's "personality".
The reason behind the alternative representations of a molecule is to put emphasis on different aspects of it - e.g. if you want to look at water symmetrically as an oxygen with two hydrogens, it is better to use the representation on the left, but if you want to view it as a product of acid-base reactions, it is better to use the representation on the right.
I wanted a more visible way represent ionic bonding - most models simply show the ions disconnected from each other, and I thought making them more obvious would be a good idea. At first, I tried drawing it as an electron (held by the anion) that produces a rope which the cation is tied to, and then I noticed that it looks like a dog on a leash, which I thought was funny enough to draw like that.
I'm not sure if I will be able to fill out the entire periodic table - I don't think it's really even necessary. Most elements rarely occur in organic chemistry, which is what this system primarily focuses on. In any case, this project continues to evolve as new ideas flow into my head. Feel free to ask me any questions about it!
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Deja Vu (Spiderman! Yunho x reader)
Synopsis: It had been three weeks since you saw him. The masked stranger that seemed to appear out of nowhere, protecting your city from crime. The people of the town call him Spiderman, and he has plagued your mind day and night since he saved you.
Warnings: violence, very brief mention of a near death experience, sort of suggestive but not really, I do not know anything about chemistry so please forgive me
Concepts: best friend yunho x reader, ex choi san, angst, fluff, romance, comfort
A/N: hello beautiful atinys! A lovely friend of mine had this genius idea that I had to bring to life. we were totally not inspired by a tiktok edit. It has very similar plot points to the original spiderman movies. I hope you enjoy! <3
"But...who do you think he is?" you ask your best friend, Yunho. He holds the door open for you as you leave your chemistry class together.
"Who knows...but you worry about Spiderman more than you worry about yourself these days, Y/N."
"What can I do?" you ask, throwing your hands up haphazardly. "I almost died falling off a building. That's kind of traumatic, Yunho. Might as well talk about the guy who save me." He sighs, running a hand through his hair.
"I understand. Stay out of trouble, will you? I worry about you being out and about on your own. Hell, I worry something's happened to you when you don't respond to my texts within a five minute window."
"Clingy much?" you tease, knowing how much of an overthinker your best friend is.
"N-not in like a weird way!" Yunho sputters, dragging a hand down his face in embarrassment. "You're my best friend, Y/N. It's my job to be worried about you. Besides...who else am I going to study chemistry with?" He shoots you his usually goofy grin and you laugh.
"Not me, you know I hate this class!"
"Oh come on, you're the only person that will listen to me talk about it."
"I guess that's my job in this friendship." You shrug. "I will say, it's just so sexy the way you talk about ionic compounds. I can never stop listening." You snort.
"Good to know," he retorts, grabbing your backpack to keep you from running into people on the way to your next class. "Study at the usual spot tonight?" he asks.
You laugh. "I'll be there, sexy."
***
The past few weeks after the incident have been rocky for you, and since you made it halfway through this week without any issue, it gave you a false sense of hope that things could be back to normal.
But no. As if your night couldn't get any worse...
About thirty minutes ago, your boyfriend, Choi San, told you that he wants to take a break from the relationship. You know your relationship has been strained recently, but you thought that it would just pass with time. Maybe it's for the better, but for now, your emotions are still high. Oh, and you found out that you bombed your chem test earlier today. And as if that wasn't terrible enough, the icing on the cake was that it had started pouring on your walk home.
At least no one can see my tears in the rain, you think to yourself, head down as you walk to your dorm.
"Y/N?"
You sniff, quickly wiping at your face on instinct. When you look up, you come face to face with Jeong Yunho. You muster up the best smile you can to greet him, praying he doesn't ask any questions. If you have to answer anything about your miserable day, you'll surely crack and start crying even harder. "Hey Yuyu." His eyebrows crease with worry, and you think he might have caught on to something.
"You're going to get sick out here," he comments.
You breathe a small sigh of relief. "No worries. I'm almost home, anyways. No use in calling for a taxi. But...what are you doing out, Yunho?"
"Oh, well I...um...I accidentally fell asleep at the library."
"Again?" you ask.
"Again," he confirms, hands in his pockets and eyes on his feet.
"Well, let's get home quickly. God, I can't wait to be out of these clothes," you groan, the wet fabric sticking to every part of you and making you uncomfortable. You just barely catch the soft pink of Yunho's cheeks in the low light of the street lamps. "Look, you're already getting sick. Go, hurry home," you push, shooing him away.
"I'm going, I'm going. Goodnight, Y/N."
"Night, Yuyu."
You continue on in the direction of your dorm, eyes on the ground as you make a sad attempt not to splash in deep puddles. The walk seems to drag on longer than usual as you're left alone again with your thoughts.
"Hey!" A voice rings immediately after you turn the corner. It sounded like it came from across the street. You don't stop, just turn to glance at what's going on. That's when you see about four men, dressed in black, walking towards you. You quicken your pace, heart beating rapidly in your chest as you hear the men moving closer. You turn down an alley in hopes of losing them, but they're too fast.
"Hey sweetheart, give us your bag and we'll leave you alone."
"Wait!" you call out. Your thoughts run at a million miles per hour, trying to process the entire situation that occurred in what felt like seconds.
"Or not." Another one chimes in, laughing. You barely have time to process anything as one of them pushes you, shoving the side of your body into the wall. You cry out, closing your eyes and bracing yourself for another hit.
But after a moment, nothing comes.
You hear some shuffling and some shouts in front of you. Lowering your hands from their protective position in front of your face, you open your eyes, seeing one of the men running away. What is happening? As he runs, a force pulls him back quickly. He's pulled by...a rope? No, a web. Spiderman appears right before your eyes, kicking the man to the ground. The criminal scoots back, turning and running away in the direction he and the others came. Spiderman then quickly disappears around the corner.
When you turn to leave, he's right in front of you, hanging upside down from a web. A small gasp escapes your lips.
"You seem to be a danger magnet," he comments.
"It seems so. I suppose you're dangerous, then?"
"No, quite the opposite." You smile.
"There must be some way to thank you," you wonder aloud, taking a step closer. You bring your hands to his face, hesitating as your fingertips touch the hem of his mask.
"Wait," he starts. But he doesn't say anything more. You gently pull the mask up until it stops just over his nose.
"Thank you." You gently bring your lips to his. The kiss is slow and passionate, so lovely that you don't want it to end. But that would be against your better judgement. It's getting late, and he must have other things to attend to. You pull away just slightly, slowly pulling the mask back over his face. And with that, he shoots a web and swings up into the air, gone as quickly as he came.
***
"Y/N."
"Mm."
"Y/N," Yunho repeats, waving a hand in front of your face. "Are you okay?"
"I had possibly the worst night ever last night. So, no, not really," you reply curtly.
"What happened?"
"Where do I even begin? Oh, for starters, San and I are taking a break," you huff, continuing before he can insert his words of pity. "Which is basically inescapable relationship purgatory. Then I found out I bombed our chem test, got poured on, and after running into you, I almost got jumped." You choose to withhold the information about Spiderman, still trying to wrap your head around your interaction with him.
"Y/N, that's awful," he replies, concern etched on every inch of his face.
"Yeah, it was, Yunho."
"Are you sure you're alright enough to be at school right now?"
"Yep. I pay for this school, so it makes me feel better when I come to class, even if I don't pay attention. Plus, it's Friday. I can push through until the weekend." He looks like he has more to say, but he just nods.
"Do you want to stay at my place tonight?" he asks suddenly. You look at him curiously. Sure, you've been to your best friend's apartment, but only to study or to pick up something before heading out somewhere. You've never stayed the night. "N-not like, I mean...we can just hang. Maybe it will help you take your mind off things. And you'll be safe," he adds.
"A sleepover? With my bestie? How could I say no?" Yunho smiles his adorable smile in response, and you can't help but think about how sweet he is. You haven't exactly returned his kindness lately with everything going on, and maybe you can talk to him about it at his place...at least give him some sort of apology.
***
"That's so you!" says Yunho, pointing at a character in the movie he put on.
"Absolutely not!" you exclaim, throwing a piece of popcorn at him.
"Ah, not nice!" he laughs, grabbing your wrist. Your smile falters and he lets go as soon as he notices. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he asks worriedly.
"No, no, it's okay. I just...I remembered I needed to talk to you about something." He tilts his head, looking at you like an innocent puppy.
"Oh, what is it?" His tone is soft, with maybe a hint of nervousness.
"I just...I've been so in my head recently that I feel like I haven't been involved with you. All the time, you check on my wellbeing, and I forget to check on yours. I mean, when was the last time I asked how your life was going? You offer me nothing but kindness, and I have not returned it to you. And I'm really sorry, Yunho."
"Y/N, it's not like that," he assures gently. "I understand that you've been through a lot of stressful things recently. It's only human that you would react negatively to these stressors. I just want you to know that I'm here for you. No one is perfect, and no one's life is absent of hardships. People need guidance; they need care. People need stability in a time when their life is thrown off balance. Just know that I will be that stability for you, Y/N."
"Yunho—" you choke out, the all-too-familiar burning sensation in your throat as you fight back tears.
"Oh, don't cry." He glances around nervously, not really sure how to comfort you.
You laugh through your tears. "I just...what did I do to deserve you?" You practically knock him over as you crash your lips onto his, relaxing into his arms. Your kiss slow and passionate; warm and comforting. It's blissful, and it seems...oddly familiar. But you've never kissed your best friend before. Maybe in a dream? Your ex surely didn't kiss like this. You gently pull away from him, eyebrows scrunched.
"What?" Yunho asks, scanning your face.
"I just...got deja vu," you mumble.
"Strange." Yunho shrugs, pulling you back into a kiss. You push away again and giggle as he tries to chase your lips. The familiar feeling is still present. The only person you've kissed like this is....
The thought that pops into your head seems so unbelievable, so embarrassing that you don't dare give too much away in fear of being wrong.
"You're...him?" you whisper.
"Who?" he asks with big eyes, a smile tugging at his lips.
"You know who!"
"No, I don't know what you're talking about, Y/N." It feels as if he's teasing you. You groan out of frustration, not wanting to be wrong about such an outlandish idea. Yunho suddenly tenses a bit, setting you gently on the couch as he gets up.
"Well...perfect timing. Something's going on downtown," he says, disappearing into his room. You watch with a confused look until he emerges, clad in the familiar blue and red suit, mask in hand. Even though you had just made the connection...it didn't seem real. Your breath catches in your throat as you watch him.
"You just told me you knew. Why are you all shocked?" he asks.
"I didn't know I was right," you manage. Your nerdy best friend? A superhero that fights crime? Unbelievable. Yunho slides a window open before he looks back to you.
"I'll be back in a few, okay?" You nod, coming over to him.
"Okay. Be safe." You peck his lips before he puts on his mask, climbing out the window. He leaps off the balcony and your heart practically stops, only to start back up again as you see him swinging on his webs from building to building. "Oh my god," you mutter to yourself, running a hand down your face.
You have a lot of things to say when he gets back. Starting with the fact that this was way sexier than ionic compounds.
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