#my favorite Scottish scientist

[king-casino]

I made a merc self-insert!!! Yeah i know realistically I wouldn't be able to run around on a battlefield because of the whole....well....disabled situation. But let me live in my fantasy world.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OTHER MERCS:

MEDIC: i feel like at first they would butt heads because they both wanna be the smart science guy, but they become friends after a while. And all the other mercs are like "oh god oh fuck". In the middle of the night you can regularly hear a pair of manic laughter and screams coming from either Medic's or Scientist's labs.

HEAVY: I think that they're friends by association. Since both Scientist and Heavy are friends with Medic, I reckon they hang out a lot. Scientist will rant about chemicals and experiments to Heavy, and Heavy will rant about his guns. And maybe they talk about how hot Medic is O///O

SCOUT: ADHD solidarity. Maybe Scout is kinda scared of Scientist, but they have fun. Maybe they read comics together (Scientist having to read them out loud). They probably talk music together. Scientist prefers garage rock (until the punk scene started), but they're open to listen to Scout's favorite Tom Jones songs.

SPY: Spy probably thought Scientist was just gonna be another insane idiot in the beginning, but was surprised at how intelligent they can be. Scientist will let Spy talk about his butterfly knives to them. I think that Spy probably respects Scientist to a reasonable degree. Scientist thinks that Spy is kinda a narcissistic prick, but so are they so it doesn't matter all that much.

ENGINEER: Southern solidarity. Scientist is from Georgia, more southern than country like Texas. When the both of them hang out, it's like a southern echo chamber. They'll use terms that make no sense to the others, and share family recipes. Engineer probably worries about Scientist, seeing how they're a young adult (even younger than Scout) with mental/physical health issues. Scientist sees this as kinda patronizing, but tries to be civil about it.

PYRO: Pyro IS NOT allowed in Scientist's lab. The last time they went in there, the base exploded. But Pyro and Scientist are friends. Scientist will draw with Pyro and play with them. Scientist also finds Pyro to be an interesting psychological subject to study. But Pyro doesn't liked being asked all those questions, so usually they just hang out and have fun together

DEMOMAN: BEST. BUDS. They love blowing things up together, and they love talking about chemicals together. Scientist's stepsister is Scottish, so they have a bit in common in that department. Scientist isn't actually old enough to drink, so when they hang out, Demo is drinking and Scientist is smoking. Weed, that is. They would never smoke a cigarette as long as they live.

SOLDIER: Soldier doesn't like them all that much because he thinks they're a commie (probably because they are). Scientist has tried explaining to Soldier what communism actually is, but Soldier just yells about Scientist's "commie tricks". Nevertheless, they hang out a lot. Scientist likes to play with Soldier's raccoons, and Soldier just likes having someone to talk to who doesn't treat him like he's crazy or stupid.

SNIPER: Most of the time Scientist is "too much" for Sniper. But he likes to hang out with it when they're chill. They like to sit outside together with their sketchbooks and draw. Sniper's better at animals and Scientist is better at people. They also like to do archery together. Sniper also just might like Scientist because they never, not once, made a comment about him being Australian and looking like he does.

#tf2 heavy #tf2 fanart #tf2 soldier #tf2 #tf2 demo #tf2 demoman #tf2 engie #tf2 engineer #tf2 medic #tf2 oc #tf2 pyro #tf2 scout #tf2 sniper #tf2 spy #team fortress 2 #tf2 self insert #team fortress 2 oc #team fortress 2 self insert

[finniestoncrane]

Hello! , if it is not a bother I was wondering if I could request number 9?

I’m mixed but am white (Italian, German, African American, Scottish). I currently reside in California but I moved around a lot in childhood from Maine to Massachusetts. I am neurodivergent with recognized depression, and anxiety. I play guitar, listen to music, doodle occasionally, play video games, write, study herbology, and love to engage in theoretical discussions about science and/or spirituality. My favorite colors are forest green, black and ice blue. I love all music except for trucks and drugs country music. I’m especially fond of Blondie, Hozier, The Buzzcocks, The Toy Dolls, No Doubt, Colter Wall, and 1950’s crooners. I love action films and noir films (James Stewart, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra..) I enjoy learning about history and where traditions come from, as well as herbology, and quantum mechanics. I love reading comics. I also enjoy watching Rick and Morty, South Park, and The Simpsons. I have both ear lobes pierced but rarely wear earrings, I also have my cartilage pierced. I want to get a tattoo of a horse for someone who was close to me, and a tattoo of Yellowstone National Park because my father would take me nearly every summer when I was a teenager. I am a natural brunette and tend to dye my hair whatever color I feel like, currently it’s “Starry Night.” A blueish black with highlights as it fades out. I have hazel brown eyes (they change color if the light hits them right and makes them a pretty ember.) I have a marking nearish my left kidney from a kidney stone procedure.

I apologize if I added too much, or if it is too much.

🎀 No.9: Ever Fallen In Love With Someone 🎀

tell me a little bit about yourself and i'll give you a rogue pairing a/n: ah i hope this wasn't too obvious of a pick but i truly think this is so right! and don't be sorry, this was perfect 💚 1k milestone info! 🔞minors dni🔞 • kofi • tag: finnie1k

ok so first of all, the three states you've mentioned are all ones, for the most part, that i (as a non-american) associate with nature, especially maine and california for the forests and trees. so you have a connection with plant life

depression and anxiety, i feel ya on that one, and i think ivy would too? she takes on quite a burden and deals with it in a solitary fashion. i think he worries and fears stem from the world being cruel and unforgiving, mostly humanity, and that's true of a lot of people with anxiety or depression

your creative energy is so obvious, and i think that's something ivy would appreciate. gentle music, beautiful art, anything you could gift to her that came from your soul and was made organically. given that she's definitely the kind of girl who sends immense amounts of flowers for every gift, all grown by her of course, it makes sense that she'd love to receive a "home-grown" gift in return

pam is a scientist, and she's deeply spiritual at least in the sense that she's open to feeling nature and healing powers, so she'd be up for a debate on the subject, or even just long nights discussing it with you in depth, especially if you both agree or can offer some information or insights the other hasn't ever considered before

your favourite colours remind me of those precious dark sky spots within deep forests, where nature is untouched and you can see the stars clearly because there's very little civilisation around you. a perfect spot for spending time with pam, and the fact that your hair matches that is so neat!!

the crooners and the noir films are giving off so much romance and lovey-dovey vibes and i can't think of anyone more deserving of some genuine romance than ivy. i think along she'd be interested in older things, from a nostalgic point of view in relation to the aesthetics only, given that gotham is her home

ok so history, herbology and science are all very pam things! it's almost perfect, like you were made for each other! traditions, especially relating to preserving and appreciating nature, are close to her heart. and someone on the same intellectual level with her with regards to science would mean she has someone to talk to about those things, meaning she's not as alone anymore

a tattoo of a park??? are you kidding me? nature tattoos would be an exceptional edition to your already perfect self, and she'd appreciate it to no end. same with the little mark on your body from your procedure, anything that makes you unique and natural and a piece of art. and your eyes changing colour from the hues of the earth and of wood to the sun and the flowers would have her completely enamoured

#finnie1k #finnie writes

[finnleywiththesillys]

IM GONNA INTRODUCE MY 4 NARRATORS

Nate, Hailey, Natalie, and Nick!

Nate is from the 50's 60's. His protagonist Samuel worked for an undisclosed space and physics exploration corporation as a physicist. Given the time around the space race. Both them are Southern and in (well we're) lavender marriages.

Hailey is from the early 2000's Late 90's. Her game is about a man named Simon who has severe schizophrenia. She's a voice in his head that continually tells him not to take his medication. By that he can't tell the difference between reality and hallucinations. She tells him to kill something that's trying to "hurt" him, having him kill a police officer, his own therapist, a doctor, and most of the other patients at the mental hospital he was admitted too. Hailey is also southern but Simon is French. He moved to the US when he was 12. Think of Hailey as like a more aggressive sadistic embodiment of the love bug virus. She loves killing Simon in all sorts of ways and then will make out with him after

Natalie is out favorite Aussie woman. She was a sentient Al made to work a science lab. Once she was put in charge she immediately gassed the facility killing all but her favorite scientist, Sarah. But to keep Sarah safe she copied and uploaded her conciseness to to a virtual world which was completely a ruined city. Sarah is German and Natalie is obviously Australian. Sarah ends up falling in love with Natalie even if she had trapped her in a virtual hell, she had her reasons.

And lastly, we have Nick- He is... interesting to say the least. His idea of a game is every time you boot it up you never know what you're playing. One time it could be a fun pixel drawing game the next a gory first-person shooter. So his game is cohesive yet madness. His protagonist is Sage and She really doesn't mind. She finds it all thrilling and that keeps her sanity and entertainment alive. Nick and Sage are besties. Like really good besties. Nick is totally gay and laughs like a schoolgirl. Sage bullies him for it. Nick is Scottish, and Sage is British

Can you tell who's game I haven't worked out yet?

#narrator ocs #my oc stuff #narrator oc #tsp oc #tsp #the stanley parable #related at least

[web-spinning]

kind of piggy-backing off of the other anon, mercs with an s/o who’s a demon ?

A / N- It is done. Hope you like it! I figured out a demon would be a bit badass, yes?

And another thing, my inbox is clean again, and holidays start tomorrow. You all know what that means c:

TW. Ask to tag.

Scout

- he is scared of you at first, 

- but you both grow close as he realizes you're not a blood thirsted abomination like most sources tend to say, 

- he likes to get into trouble, and you're the one to get him out of them, 

- much like with the angel, the fact that a cosmic being fell in love with him makes him special, 

- let's not forget, he will compliment every single demonic feature of yours, to make sure you don't feel bad about yourself around all humans, 

Soldier

- he probably met you trough Merasmus, 

- I imagine you would be Merasmus' roommate before Soldier, and you would sometimes come by to visit him, getting along with Jane in the meantime,

- he will put plastic horns on his raccoons to make you cheer up when you're sad, 

- " Here cupcake, Lieutenant Bites looks just like you!", 

- he wanted to make a necklace of human ears, but he was scared it wouldn't impress you enough, 

- oh also, you do not want to tell him that demons don't come from America...please, 

Pyro

- this firebug doesn't know what a demon is, 

- but nonetheless, they love you! You can tell, because they invite you to tea parties twice a week, 

- in their Pyrovision, they don't exactly see you as you really are, but they can clearly see your demonic features, 

- they love every and each of them, and will make sure you know,

- you're the only person that doesn't seem to be scared when they give you a bucket of candy! Which translating to ours, the bucket is actually full of human organs, 

- you're also not scared of the fire, which makes them love you even more, 

Demoman

- this Scottish lad never been happier than by your side, 

- throwing granades while by his lover's side, that's live for him, 

- he wouldn't be a DeGroot if his mother didn't have to meet you...she likes you a lot, and will teach you how to cook all of Tavish's favorite meals, 

- he's also very jealous of how much alcohol your body is capable of taking, 

- however, he also has bad days...ones when he feels like a true abomination, like a real cyclop, 

- and you're there to remind him he's not a leviathan, every single time, 

- usually ends up with him sleeping in your arms with dried tears on his cheeks, 

Heavy

- he's very impressed by your strength, 

- you remind him of the people back from the cold end of his home country, 

- he loves getting words of reassurance, and he will definitely give you ones too in return, 

- the two of you will spend hours, clumsily laying down and telling each other stories about defeating different creatures, 

- " That's how I killed the bear." 

" Reminds me of that time I was haunting for that one Kikimora...", 

- sometimes, he will tell you those stories while you can't sleep, to make you a bit calmer, 

Engineer

- he doesn't know how to deal with it at first, 

- he must've spent some sleepless nights thinking about what to do with this little problem of his, 

- then he kinda accepted it, 

- he still doesn't understand the whole demon thing, Dell's just happy to have you, 

- you are also often welcome to help him with his projects! Although, don't use the teleporter, 

Medic 

- you probably met him while he was selling his soul to the devil, 

- something just sparked, you were fascinated about this mad scientist, 

- long story short, you decided to take a closer look at his work on Earth, and broop! You both fell for each other, 

- perhaps you're the one that helped him push those 8 extra souls into him, 

- feel free to use the surgery tools if you need them to end some bastards, 

- he would probably get you really deep into the whole mercenary business, 

- at the end of the day, you both are just two evil lovers who like doves, 

Sniper

- someone help this man, he couldn't admit his feelings towards you for months, 

- but he finally manned up enough to do it, and as he was about to confess to you...you confessed to him first, 

- you both still laugh at that, 

- unlike with Scout and Pyro, you're the one who gives compliments, 

- he will tell you a lot about Australia's fauna and flora, and in return will patiently listen to you telling him about the creatures of your kind, 

- taking the opportunity of the fact that you don't need as much sleep as him, he will often stay up with you at the roof of his camper, stargazing together, 

- during those stargazing sessions, he most likely falls asleep in your arms, 

Spy

- one time this snake managed to sneak into a high prestige meeting...of the council of your people over the underworld,

- he was quickly kicked out, but the fact that he was brave enough to do that made you interested in you,

- soon, you met him again in another one of those " high prestige " meetings, and that's how it started,

- he will often invite you to dates, even tho Badlands don't offer much fancy restaurants,

- sometimes just being in his room is enough,

- he uses too much pet names,

- la malfaisance, le fleau, mon mechant prince / ma mechante princesse /ma royaute, and more. 

#all of the pictures come from the comics #team fortress 2 #tf2 #tf2 fanfiction #tf2 x reader #tf2 headcanons #tf2 scout x reader #tf2 soldier x reader #tf2 pyro x reader #tf2 demoman x reader #tf2 heavy x reader #tf2 engineer x reader #tf2 medic x reader #tf2 sniper x reader #tf2 spy x reader #requests open

[holistictimedrfiter]

My Ravenclaw MC’s Lore/introduction

Gideon Theodore Crowther

Born: May 31st, 1875, A Gemini

Height: Approximately 5 feet 10

Patronus: Weasel (Quick-witted,spontaneous, playful, and intuitive. But they can also be a bit chaotic)

Wand: In thirteen inches and three quarters, Dragon Heartstring core with swishy characteristic, Sycamore wood touch

Boggart : Dugbogs(ironically yes)

Favorite Classes: Astronomy, Flying class & DADA. Beasts class is almost on his list.

Favorite Beasts: Niffler, Hippogriff & Jobbernoll.

Best Friends: Amit Thakkar, Samantha Dale, Pearlie Roan (Hufflepuff MC) and Garreth Weasley.

Background

Gideon was born into a family that was half Jewish and half Scottish. He comes from a well-to-do family in Glasgow.

Gideon's parents are both muggles. Nonetheless, they saw this as a gift and sought a way to get their son into Hogwarts at such a late age.

Gideon's father, Luther Edwin Crowther, is a scientist in the British government at the time, while Gideon's mother, Freida Rosemary Crowther (Riverdale), is a well-known violinist who works at a Glasgow theatre. But then they went missing so it was Gideon’s uncle Rowen who took care of him. He hadn’t really heard from and known what happened to his parents.

Professor Fig on the other hand is one of his parents' good friends from a muggles reading/research session, which is why he has been Gideon's mentor and has taught him some rudimentary magic before starting school.

Personality

Gideon includes a exceptionally elevated demeanor and a brilliant intellect. He is exceptionally clever, observant and adaptable with a part of things. Not surprising, he isn’t a much talkative guy, ambivert is his motto and he has no doubt for that. He can be a accomplice in wrongdoing, a solid companion and a better than average men.

In any case, Gideon can be a small bit “cold” in some cases, which doesn’t cruel he doesn’t care around people and what they feel. He is more additive, and it is difficult for him to express his feelings most of the time because of his hidden insecurity; he does not want to exhibit his worry and weakness to the people he loves about and adores.

Some may perceive him as playful and difficult to approach, but Gideon is a very sweet and compassionate person on the inside, also if you know him better he is literally very playful( in a good way)person.The “cool” outside is only armor to keep him safe from harm. He is probably the sweetest Ravenclaw you’ve ever seen, regardless to his strapping appearance.Surprisingly, Gideon can be a troublemaker sometimes. (Shh

Hopefully there will be a part 2 👀 or more in-depth profile with our boi Gideon! Have so many background story for him inside my head but I just need to organize them more ugh

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy mc #ravenclaw #ravenclaw mc #gideon crowther

[starlight-phantom]

How about Hi-Fi Rush?

Thank you for giving me an excuse to talk about this amazing game.

Also to anyone who hasn't already: Please check out this game, it's half the price that all other new releases but it has an engaging story, fun and unique gameplay, entertaining characters, awesome artstyle, and a kickass soundtrack, not to mention a whole load of post game content. If nothing else, at least check out a playthrough of it online.

3 male characters I love:

Chai, I mean look at him. Peak Babygirl material. Plus, Robbie Daymond's performance was just so damn good.

Macaron, love his design and his soft spoken nature.

Zanzo, I love me a good ol' mad scientist. And I mean... Making him a walking JoJo reference and Todd Haberkorn's performance just makes him ten times better.

3 female characters I love:

Korsica, just... M-Ma'am... A tall, strong lady with a Scottish accent who could easily crush my spine???? Yes, please.

Peppermint, just how many cheeky hacker girls is Erica Lindbeck gonna voice? Either way, I'm not complaing because they're all amazing.

808, She counts, let me have this! Because c'mon... Robo kitty who tags along on your adventure, plays air guitar and does martial arts. I don't need to say anymore.

3 romantic ships I love:

Ehhhhh, I don't really have any ships, I like the group as a bunch of friends. Although, I saw Peppermint trying to slide up closer to Korsica in that ending cutscene and honestly, I don't blame her.

3 platonic dynamics I love:

Chai and Peppermint, I mean they are literally just bickering siblings and even though Chai is two years older than Peppermint, he still gives off such annoying little brother vibes

Macaron and CNMN, the fact that Macaron built CNMN as an psychology advice robot because he was lonely is so sweet, and then so funny when CNMN is so blunt and nonchalant about everything.

Chai and Korsica, I just love their relationship because it starts with him annoying the hell outta her and then it ends up as her desperately trying to make sense of what goes on in his head when he doesn't plan for anything.

3 favorite moments in canon:

I'm a little cautious of spoilers since this game is still quite new so I'll be vague:

Literally every boss battle because the music slaps, they're so much fun and most of all, the banter between them and Chai is hilarious.

CNMN's big moment, I just love how even during the action, they're still drawing their changing expressions onto their face.

Chai's Grand Plan

3 favorite headcanons:

After listening to him complaing about it, Peppermint finds a way to download new music on Chai's MP3 player despite it being in his chest.

808 does all the regular cat stuff, including stuff like sitting at the door and meowing but then walking away when someone opens the door for her, etc.

Peppermint teases Korsica about her password literally just being 'password' when she's, y'know, the head of security.

3 least favorite things about it:

I honestly can't think of a single thing I disliked about the game.

[ear-worthy]

TIL Climate Podcast Latest Season: Answering Climate Critics

What would you say if I told you that science geeks from the science geek capital of the world, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently launched season six of its highly entertaining climate podcast called TIL Climate?

You're probably saying, "Season six? Where was I for seasons one through five?" You can check out their archives and then strap in for season six.

 TIL Climate positions itself perfectly: "Climate change is confusing. This award-winning MIT podcast breaks down the science, technologies, and policies behind climate change, how it’s impacting us, and what we can do about it. Each quick episode gives you the what, why, and how on climate change -- from real scientists -- to help us make informed decisions for our future."

In each 10-minute episode, host Laur Hesse Fisher speaks to an expert from the MIT community to break down a clear, focused question related to climate change. 

The podcast is part of a broader ESI project called MIT Climate, a community-building effort built around a common web portal where users can share climate change-related projects, news stories, and learning resources at MIT and beyond. MIT Climate is intended to draw individuals and groups working on climate issues at MIT closer together, and eventually become a platform for worldwide, science-based learning and engagement on climate change. You can see a prototype of the portal at climate.mit.edu.

“We named the podcast TIL Climate after the popular Reddit hashtag TIL, which stands for Today I Learned,” says host Laur Hesse Fisher. “We hope to signify that these episodes are accessible. Even if you have no prior knowledge of climate science or policy, after 10 minutes you know enough to start being a part of the conversation.”

“There’s a lot of information out there about why climate change is happening, how it will affect human life, and the solutions that are on the table. But it’s hard to find sources that you trust,” says Fisher, who is also program director for ESI. "There are still a lot of jargon and technicalities that you have to wade through. We’re trying to solve that problem."

 Season six began in late March with a trailer that announced, "this time we’re doing something a little different. People all around the world write into our team with questions about climate change. So this season, we’re working with scientists and experts at MIT and beyond, to answer those questions in language we can all understand."

What MIT doesn't say is that the questions seems to be posed by climate deniers, who live in their own bubble, where climate change is a hoax to force them to buy LED bulbs, electric cars, and stop eating red meat. They listen to the Congressman who, a few years ago, brought a snowball into Congress to "debunk" climate change.

In my initial review of TIL Climate I lauded the hosting skills of Laur Hesse Fisher. She's an incredible host. In season six, Fisher is at the top of her game. I don't know if there's a spring training for podcast hosts like in major league baseball, but I believe Fisher must have been practicing because she has hit hosting home runs in every episode in this season.

My favorite episode is "Do wind turbines kill birds?" because this is a constant refrain from Trump supporters who listen to Trump complain about wind power because the Scottish government built a wind farm next to his golf course there. 

In the beginning, Fisher asks that question about killing birds and answers it by saying that wind turbines kill about 100,000 to 700,000 birds a year. Then, taking a breath, she says, "But don't stop the episode here because that's not the whole story."

"The whole story" includes a solution to reduce bird deaths by painting one fan blade black, which has reduced bird deaths from wind turbines by 70 percent.

Fisher and Howland explain that birds are killed by the millions by high-rise buildings with birds smashing into them. The biggest threat to birds? It's cats, who, by one estimate, kill over a billion cats each year.

In the episode preceding that one, the MIT scientists debunk the misinformation spread by Texas Governor Greg Abbott that wind turbines freeze up in cold weather in 2021. As MIT professor Michael Howland explained, wind turbines operate efficiently in places as far north as Norway and Alaska. They simply need to be winterized, which the Texas government failed to do.

The episodes on hydrogen energy is especially eye-opening because the understanding of how it works is low, comparing "green" hydrogen to hydrogen from natural gas.

What I enjoyed in the last season and still today, even more so, is the treatment of climate change in the podcast by experts on each episode.  These smart people offer information cleanly and without proselytizing. These experts often explain the tradeoffs and ambiguity inherent in climate change initiatives. 

Some people will never be persuaded. Facts don't matter because climate denialism is woven into their worldview. For those people who heard Texas Senator Ted Cruz earlier this year cast doubt on climate change because "It was cold in the winter," and thought that made sense, TIL Climate is not for you. Yet. 

For those who trust what their senses tell them about a hotter, more unstable world, listen to the TIL Climate podcast. 

#podcast #podcasting #climate science #climate change

[parasitescholar]

Weekly Recommendation: The Soulless Series

So listen. When I first looked into Rem's past career I found some stuff. Most of it I was not really interested in. However Soulless grabbed my attention and didn't let it go. I read the graphic novels and shortly after I read the books they were based on. And the sequel series. And then I read the graphic novels several more times until I decided to buy them on Ebay. These books were out of print before I discovered them, and the copies I have are from libraries, you can see the crossed out bar codes.

If you want to read them you can find them on Libby, the app that gives you access to so so many books. (Literally the library but in your phone fuck audible this shit is free and has waaaay more selection) or on free manga site of your choice. The art is just fantastic. Rem really knows how to do black and white. The balance of tones makes it feel rich, deep blacks and grays contrasting in a way that brings real depth. As a manga style adaptation there is a little aside at the end of the books and my favorite is the one where they make Biffy all spiffy (listen its technically spoilers but it's so cute looook)

Okay I have made my feral admiration clear. What is this actually about? Victorian London except vampires and werewolves are real, and have adapted to the delicate play of manners that is so important to British society. The world building on this point is honestly fantastic. Our main character has the ability to nullify any supernatural abilities with her touch, and she is over everyone's nonsense. Pragmatism rules her every move, but she keeps getting caught up in nonsense anyway. Okay I'm not selling this. Woman in fancy dresses solves the disputes of: foppish vampires, frequently naked werewolves, scheming steampunk scientists, a lesbian in a suit who keeps flirting with her (which she is arguably down for), her truly awful family, the most badass Scottish woman who leads a pack of werewolves despite being human and also old, and the vampires living along the Nile.

The world building in this series is just wonderful. Why does every British building have a coat room? Because werewolves are coming in and out, and they need a place to change! My favorite is the vampires. Vampires come in hives, centered around a queen, and with humans acting as drones. Only the queen can make new vampires, and her and her small group of turned are surrounded by hopefuls, who provide blood in exchange for the social clout being associated with the vampires gives and the possibility to one day become immortal. Also they swarm when in distress!! And it is great! The way all the supernatural stuff works is just so fun and well thought out. I haven't even mentioned the second series really, which is all about Alexia's daughter, who not only nullifies the powers of supernaturals but takes them for herself. Sorry dad, shouldn't have touched me I am now a baby wolf running around causing havoc. I love the Custard Protocol books as well (with that name you've gotta), though I've never gotten through the last one. I guess after the high of a comphet lesbian getting together with her lioness (she turns into a lion!!! And then is just so cool and casual about the fact her tits are out when she turns back) love, I couldn't bring myself to care about the affairs of awkward heterosexuals. But it does take place in Japan so you might like it. This is too long, but I could talk about this series for days. If you read it please please tell me so we can chat about our favorite parts. In summary: Soulless is a series full of humor, romance, Victorian London and supernatural creatures. The graphic novels are exquisite and the series continues past them in increasingly inventive and fascinating ways. Go read both!! In either order tbh. Okay byeeeee.

#weekly recommendation

[the-peregrins-trove]

Mathematical modeling

This was an essay I have written for a math course in college. It wasn’t supposed to get this way too personal, but the essay’s rubrics led me to it. I still wondered what my teacher thought of this one when he read this. I reckon it was second-hand embarrassment. However, reading this after seven years was an advice from a sophomore college student to an adult in her mid-20s.

Martha, my little sister, would usually chug her favorite drink from her cherry pink liquid container. It resembled a towering plastic mug with a straw of the similar shade and material sticking out of it. It was a post-birthday gift from her godparents just recently. She admired it real well – cleaning it even without me doing it for her. Then, she would constantly tell me about how astonishing it was. “It’s so cool, Ate. The cold water that I just put in would not easily go warm even when I place it outside the refrigerator,” she said with pure hype. Then I wondered why. I asked her to hand it over to me and I observed it intently. It was a familiar structure – a design of two flasks positioned one within the other and a gap between them. It was actually a vacuum flask commonly known to most households as the thermos.

“How does it do that?” She asked. She’s quite the inquisitive mind – asking questions about how certain contraptions like this worked – probably the reason why she aced her sciences at school. The thing is, her question of how reminded me that the world is full of phenomena. The phenomena that attracted many astounding inventors and scientists alike to model these situations and finding explanations to such. These scientists would also model these situations, modify it, and answer the problems in their line of work – eventually answering the problems of society too. Like this vacuum flask for instance: to answer for those who wanted cold lemonade on a summer’s day and warm brewed one-hundred percent Arabica coffee on a winter solstice for lengthened periods of time.  

“Your mug tries to stop heat outside from going into it. That is why your water stays cold,” I answered my little 4th grade sister’s question the simplest way possible from what I’ve learned about insulators and heat transfer from previous knowledge. The gap between the two flasks that is moderately evacuated of air (or near-vacuum) actually serves as an insulator to prevent heat transfer by conduction and convection. At least that was what I knew of. I then wanted to research more about this contraption. And boy was it getting a little bit more interesting.  The thermos spoken of was actually an invention of someone by name Sir James Dewar. He was a Scottish chemist and physicist. His study in the field of cryogenics (one field in physics in the study and behavior of certain materials at low temperatures) greatly influenced the invention of this device. Side track to other of his discoveries was also the invention of liquid hydrogen – the coldest substance ever made during his time. Cooling gas like hydrogen to a point wherein it would liquefy was actually pricey during his time and he needed to find a way to prevent it from evaporating. One news article about the history of his invention stated that he built boxes insulated with cork, hay, and newspaper to keep the liquid hydrogen cold but none of these kept it cool enough. It eventually led him to designing a double-walled brass chamber, removing the air from the gap between the two walls to create a near-vacuum void. As he placed liquid inside the flask, the temperature stayed the same because air molecules cannot serve any longer to transfer heat from the surroundings to the liquid inside the chamber. This idea by Dewar led to greater inventions. His idea was modified and modernized to be used as storage for super-cooled gases to gear up space rockets. These modern Dewar chambers can actually keep cooled gases cold for three years! This was one of the greatest innovations and applications of Dewar’s idea.  

From this simple idea, many applications served its purpose today – including Martha’s mug. Now, I’ve been thinking: What could have been done by Sir Dewar to be able to engineer this vessel for keeping gases cooled? My hypothesis: he could’ve modeled it. He was a physicist and a chemist after all (close to being a chemical engineer when both fields are combined), so he could’ve quantified the amount of heat loss and gain and used ways to modify this chamber so that the amount of heat loss and heat gain would equate to zero. This kind of reminded me of the modeling exercises we had in class about energy balances. I’ve read more about his vacuum flask contraption and was aghast (in a seemingly good way) by the way heat transfer by convection, conduction, and radiation in the flask could be analyzed by math and physics through thermodynamics. Generally, everything in the flask – from the heat capacity of the material to the temperature of the liquid stored to the specific heat – is quantified and modeled!  

I then sat down on my chair and contemplated. I declared, “Math is a language too.” Epiphany capsized my sentiments on mathematics knowing that it can actually be used to translate a lot of phenomena. Mathematical modeling and mathematics in general changes the development of the society and the world. And in fact is a great impact in our lives.

Contrary to the previous paragraph, I’d be honest. I hate math, actually. And you’d be wondering now why I took up engineering. It’s normal for me anyway. I took up engineering, specifically Chemical Engineering, for the purpose of trying to appreciate the mathematics more. Many people actually think illogically of me after notifying them that I took it up because of my hatred for mathematics and my love for Chemistry. If you’d see my grades right now on my record, I barely had passing grades for all my math courses. So I couldn’t say I excel in my mathematical ability but am just good enough. Ever since I encountered the subject and idea of it, I’d shun it.

Even answered the portion that says “Least favorite subject” in the slam books of my friends when I was younger – Math. Probably this loathing attitude on the subject led me to failure in most of my exams to date. To evaluate my mathematical ability now, I can’t make up the standards of a good engineer – one who has the passion to solve problems quantitatively.  One afternoon at a mall, along a stand of the Famous Belgian Waffles, sat me and my dad. It was the 2nd of April, a Saturday. We ordered two waffles for each and talked about some of the things I’ve been struggling in my life as a chemical engineering student. One of which is my struggle in this differential equations course. My dad’s a wise guy. And practically one of my life coaches. As I opened up my problem in the math course, he retorted, “Why do you have to force yourself into it when you don’t have the passion to do it at all?” I then took note of the word passion. Many people would scare me that the practice of chemical engineering is the hardest among all disciplines. But in my case, I guess not. It’s not that it isn’t difficult for me; it’s just that, I lack the passion to get myself to appreciate it.  

He then elaborated one of two things: first about the Seven Basic Habits of Highly Effective

People by Stephen Covey and emphasized on the second habit which was: “Begin with the end in mind.” I remembered my instructor mentioning about this during the first week of classes but I didn’t practically mind it at all. Now that all has come to pass, I regretted not putting into heart this essential habit. I didn’t have an end to this in mind at all and allowed myself to just roll with it. And go with the flow. “You did not begin with the end in mind,” were the words my dad said. I was in on a sermon this time after having thoughts of shifting to another discipline that is more appropriate for me. Flashback to the time that this didn’t happen yet, I had several drawbacks. When it comes to improving in my mathematical ability, I failed. Though I had garnered some skills from the past courses in the field of engineering mathematics, one thing I failed doing is this – task management. This course was a breeze to some because they managed their tasks properly. As for myself, I never did spend time in doing the most important thing in this course – practice. I do practice at some points in this semester but once I can’t answer a certain problem in the Succeeding with Differential Equations textbook, I tend to withdraw from doing more practice. I had my mind set on doing what needs to be done but when there is a hurdle along my way, I retreat. I surrender. I easily gave up on certain circumstances and my dad evaluated that the attitude of surrender wouldn’t make me become successful one day.  

Second thing he elaborated about was the nature of result. “Intention plus mechanism is equal to result,” he said. I then thought about it: What was my intention? What was the thing that I did to add up to my intention? Or did I have any intention at all? Did I do something about it? I did have my intentions, yes and that was to be able to model and solve problems and use the mathematical tools to be able to do such. However, I stumbled upon a block when I did not do anything about it at all. If I did, only a minimal amount of it. After roughly four months of compromise, I reap no good result. I failed miserably in the formative assessment of my understanding and modeling with problems.

My dad delivered a long sermon about the things I failed to do this semester and particularly this course but these were what remained in memory after finishing the last of my snack. The last thing he said to me was, “Read a lot of books. I regretted doing this when I was younger but I believe I’m not too old for reading. It would really enhance your knowledge and guiding principles…” This was one thing I also regretted doing – reading books. I recalled reading in the syllabus Read Zill and Wright pp. so-on-and-so-forth. But I disregarded it. I guess if I have read more, I would understand better.

But I think he didn’t only mean supplementary books for studying but also inspirational books like some of John C. Maxwell’s, Stephen Covey’s, and Harold Sala’s. And above all the daily guiding principle found in God’s word, the Bible.  

“…and don’t forget to apply what you have read in your life.” Not only did he mean the inspirational books but even the textbooks found in the library. So far, I believe this is the best concept of modeling – translating what you have read into practice.

Regrets and realizations. I did have a heavy load of both. Though this would probably be the end of this semester, the heavy load that I have right now would be a continuing schema to this lifelong learning experience. And Stephen Covey calls it the seventh habit: “Sharpening the saw”.

#math #modeling #realizations #regrets #engineering #practice #reallife #thermos #james dewar #differential #equations

[bearsuitrecords]

Eamon the Destroyer – "A Small Blue Car – Re-made/Re-modelled". Review from DMME.NET

A fresh approach to a Scottish pastiche master’s vehicle finds him on the road to obscure raptures. If you invite friends over for a playdate and tell them to bring along some toys, rest assured: quite a lot of your own things may get ruined yet combining of everyone’s favorite trinkets can produce interesting results. That’s exactly what happened when Eamon The Destroyer asked kindred spirits to have a field day with his "A Small Blue Car" album soon after its issue, which led not only to the record’s Eno-esque postmodernism in sonic terms but also to wondrous deconstruction of the source material. On the one hand, this was not a positive turn of events because, even though the original recordings’ complex collages allowed creative input from his fellow artists, their remixes removed the elemental intimacy Eamon’s aural mosaics exuded; on the other hand, there’s fresh conceptuality in the reshuffled order of tracks, where a few were approached more than once to shine a light on different, mutually incomparable facets of those cuts. However, when juxtaposed with prototype pieces, new numbers reveal a lot of alluring details. Still, it’s not the outsiders’ sophistication that must impress the most here – a spectral operatic voice brought into the sinister whoosh of “Slow Motion Fade” by The Moth Poet nails the album’s intent in less than 90 seconds – but The Destroyer’s guests’ unique ability to retain the composer’s persona in various settings. Set aside the sweet schizophrenia of “The Conjuring Stops” as Andrei Rikichi, who embosses this cosmic throb with melodic strands, is simply an alter ego of the musician hidden behind the Eamon moniker, yet take, for instance, “Silver Shadow” where Yponeko replaces his strum ‘n’ shimmer with washes of musique concrète and Ryota Mikami shrouds his vocals in psychedelic swirl, while Société Cantine locates chamber grandeur in “Tomahawk Den” to expand the piece’s electric adventure. And while Stricknice searches the story of “Humanity Is Coming” to find the number’s groove, John 3:16 discovers spacey drama in there – all unlike the probes into “My Drive” performed by three sound-scientists which see House Of Tapes add haze and heavy riffs to acid folk, Michael Valentine West pour dynamic ambience into the raw pastorale, and Hanali unleash a tribal rhythm. More so, the soft, if effervescent, reframing of the fabulous “Nothing Like Anything” by Like This Parade caresses the listener’s ears, its pseudo-orchestral treatment by Senji Niban will stress how impeccably the coherence of “A Small Blue Car” is preserved here. Here’s a vehicle that’s able to run in every make, in every guise and with every trim: an all-terrain type of transport to carry passengers beyond the pale. Dmitry M. Epstein DMME.NET https://dmme.net/eamon-the-destroyer-a-small-blue-car-re-made-re-modelled/

[flusteredbard]

Do I main horizon because I’m good at playing her? Absolutely not.

Do I main horizon because I like hearing her funny little voice lines? Yes, yes I do.

#I CARE HER #my favorite Scottish scientist #imagine actually drawing her suit #couldn’t be me #I am so sorry to all my control mutuals who scrolled past this and thought it was Jesse for a brief moment #i just like drawing the red heads #apex legends #apex #apex horizon #horizon #apex fanart #apex legends fanart #apex season 8 #mary somers #newt

[scalproie]

Pick a favorite TF2 merc? Or do all 9, if you're feeling it.

Oh Im gonna do all 9 lets fucking go.

Scout:

So this guy. Not to accidentaly Meet The Scout but i dont even know where to start with him. Dont let the fact that hes the youngest of the mercs distract you that he is Just Some Guy and I mean this with the most affection I can. That one post wasnt lying, he CAN be any white guy you want him to be. I think Ive met at least 5 scouts in my life. Anyway the best thing about scout is how people draw him in their respective style because this little boston man has the range, babey. 5/10. I know in my heart it should be a 4 but he gets an additional point from me because I like him and he has daddy issues.

Soldier:

Funniest character ever and also really wholesome somehow if you read the comics, has a yell as iconic at the tom one from tom and jerry. doesnt really look that bad either tbh. 7/10 He Makes Me Laugh.

Pyro:

So the suit on itself is cool af and I like how in the... tf2 timeline [citation needed] everyone else goes from "oOooOOOh the Pyro is SO scary" to "This is everyone's little sibling now". 5/10. Schrödinger's attractiveness. But dont get me wrong the Pyro is so fucking cool.

Heavy:

8/10. I love heavy. REALLY love how actually wholesome he is with his friends and family in the comics. He has the looks yeah sure but he most importantly has the SMARTS

Demoman:

Okay objectively. Demo is the handsomest of the mercs. Like you know that one scene in the mann vs machine trailer where the camera focus on his face for a second while hes preparing to aim at the oncoming robots? Yeah. Also he's scottish and that add an additional point. 9/10

Engineer:

So first you look at engineer you're like "oh this is a fun little texan guy who sounds nice in both sense of the word, he's polite and everything. How silly looking he is with that hardhat and those googles :)" and then BAM he takes THOSE off and you're like "oh this is a pretty little texan man😳 AND he's polite."

(Note that he also get a beard at one point but I cant show it because ive already reached the picture limit)

anyway 8/10, short king babey.

Medic:

It is with a heavy (heh) heart that I must say that Im immune to this man😔. I know he mightve kickstart the whole "evil scientist" business in terms of general vibes and batshit insanity but I cant get into it. He IS cool but im blaming overexposure. Still extremely fun when played off with others, but alas not for me. 6/10

Sniper:

What he lost in attractiveness he made up in relatability when I found out he was 26 (and not 28 like I thought he was). He's not pretty, he's my friend sniper :) I could play smash bros with him during a party. He wouldnt go at parties tho and I respect that. Incredible voice tho👌. 6/10, additional point because the way he's drawn in the comics gives him A Vibe.

Spy:

This mf. Listen do I think he's pretty? No I dont. But in typical spy fashion he tricked his way into being my fav because I am physically incapable to resist a good father & son drama and a solid chuck of his character resolves around that. We've all had whiplash during the sudden serious "I've always been proud of you" moment in those usually silly af comics don't lie. Expiration Date was about spy being a dad to scout for 2/3 of it. I like that he's an asshole who cares. I like his character and his role of one straight man of the team. Unfortunately, out of my trio of dilfs, this is the One Certified Deadbeat(tm). 8/10, petite pute💖

#THERE WE GO #somethingwittyandweird #long post #thanks for asking!!! #tf2

[helenarlett-rex]

Helen Arlet’s Favorite Cryptids

#7 The Fresno Nightcrawlers

This is a new one for me that I only just recently learned about. I don’t even know how I missed these guys before now... But I’m instantly fascinated with them. They are just so weird and cute. And we have multiple cases of them caught on video?! I love this already!

Do I believe in them?

Well I’m new to the whole Fresno Nightcrawler scene, but for now I’m going to have to say no... I’ve watched the videos of these guys and I’m trying to figure out what they actually are, but weird alien creatures isn’t at the top of my list. The first video could very easily just be a guy in a sheet. I could see how that could be done. The second video that was captured of them almost looks more like puppets to me, but I just can’t figure out how the puppeteering would have been done... Either way I’m fascinated by it. Who knows... Maybe I’ll change my mind as I delve deeper into it.

#6 Snallygaster

I honestly don’t don’t know a ton about Snallygaster. I know it’s the signature cryptid of Maryland and I lived in Maryland for a short time... so I guess I have some attachment to it that way... I know he’s a big tentacle dragon and he looks pretty cool... But that’s about the extent of what I know. I haven’t taken the time to do research on him yet. I think honestly, I just really like the name. Snallygaster... That’s just fun to say. Say it with me... Snallygaster...

Do I believe in him?

Not at the moment, but then I haven’t really looked into this guy yet so I haven’t seen what kind of evidence is out there to support the belief of such a creature. I just look at the pictures of him and I feel like if such a thing existed, we’d probably be hearing about it... a lot... like every time he swooped out of the sky and snatched someone off the street...

#5 The Wampus Cat

It’s a big cat with 6 legs. And it might possibly be a shape shifting woman. That’s pretty cool. Plus she’s also the signature cryptid of my home state of Tennessee. I may not exactly like certain things about Tennessee, but I’ve still got to show some loyalty to our state cryptid. Funny thing is, despite the fact that I moved to Florida when I was very little and grew up there, even then I knew about this thing and heard about it all the time. We actually believed there was a Wampus Cat living in the woods there in the town I grew up in. I even knew an old man who had claimed to have been attacked by it. So the Wampus Cat has always been a part of my childhood.

Do I believe in her?

Debatable... Do I believe in a shape shifting cat woman with six legs? Probably not... But Tennessee has a lot of panther sightings. People see panthers, especially black panthers, around here all the time. And the thing is... officially there are no black panthers (or any other kind of panthers) in Tennessee. Officially, Tennessee doesn’t have any kind of cat larger than a bobcat. Black panthers, which are just a variant of jaguars, are extinct in the United States. But people still see them here all the time. It’s just kind of a known fact they are here regardless of what anyone else says. So hey... Maybe that’s just the Wampus Cat? *Shrugs*

#4 The Van Meter Visitor

The Van Meter Visitor is super interesting because it’s one of the few cryptids that is really hard to disprove, and yet, hardly anyone ever talks about it. It’s one of the more obscure cryptids out there to the point where I’d bet nine out of ten people reading this list have never even heard of it before. And you may be thinking, it’s a big pterodactyl with a horn on its head that shoots light... How is that hard to disprove? But when you think about it, this isn’t just some random cryptid with a few isolated sightings by a couple random people who may or may not be trustworthy. An entire town saw this thing. In 1903 the Van Meter Visitor terrorized the entire town of Van Meter, Iowa for days before they tracked down its nesting place and then the whole town showed up to shoot it and it’s mate(?), which they in fact did. Yeah, the creatures vanished into the mines after being shot at and were never seen again... so there’s no body... But it doesn’t change the fact that an entire town saw these things multiple times, lived in fear of them, and then finally shot them. So regardless if you believe it was a pterodactyl that could shoot light from its horn, there was obviously some kind of creature terrorizing the town of Van Meter that October in 1903. And the fact that it was so widely sighted just makes it really interesting to me.

Do I believe in it?

Like I said. Something terrorized that town that week. I believe that much. Was it a spotlight pterodactyl? I’m open enough to consider the possibility... But I’m also open enough to consider the possibility that it was something more on the normal side and it being 1903 people just didn’t know what they were looking at. We can’t really rule out mass hysteria as a possibility.

#3 The Jackalope

I simply love Jackalopes. I’ve thought they were awesome ever since I was a kid. I even used to love those creepy Jackalope videos they used to run on America’s Funniest People (Remember that show? Don’t feel bad if you don’t...) There’s just something weirdly captivating about the idea of a vicious rabbit with antlers.

Do I believe it in?

Well, despite the fact that I have an “I believe in Jackalopes” patch on my jacket, no, I don’t actually believe they exist. I’m a reasonable enough person to understand the history of Jackalopes and know where it came from. I wish they were real, but I know they aren’t.

#2 The Flatwoods Monster

The Flatwoods Monster is equal parts cute and creepy, which is really cool. She’s nowhere near as popular as Mothman, despite the fact that they are both West Virginia cryptids, and that’s kind of a shame. She certainly has one of the coolest designs of any cryptid. And her story is pretty interesting too. It’s one of those cryptid stories I still sit and ponder over.

Do I believe in her?

Not exactly...? I’m highly skeptical of aliens. Now did something happen in Flatwoods, West Virginia on September 12, 1952? Yeah. Something clearly happened. And the reports are strange enough that I can’t quite figure out what exactly happened... But as for the monster herself, as cool as she is, it’s more likely that she was just an owl in a tree that a group of people panicking in the dark mistook for a giant alien.

#1 Nessie

Of course Nessie has to be my favorite. She’s my home girl. Okay... Nessie is Scottish and I’m Scots-Irish, with more Irish than Scottish, but it’s close enough. I’ve still got some Scottish in me. Plus she’s like, a big dinosaur, so we have that in common as well. And Nessie was the first cryptid I ever truly believed in so how could she not be number one on my list? I love this girl.

Do I believe in her?

I’m going to say yes. There is totally something down there. There’s enough evidence at this point that it would be harder to convince me there isn’t something down there. We’ve got scientists who are now saying she’s a big turtle, and I guess that’s possible... probably more possible than an actual plesiosauria... Although I haven’t seen a ton of evidence to support the turtle idea yet... But whatever you want to think she is, I certainly think there’s something down there.

[katagawajr]

did you have any other headcanons for Gladstone in your Atlas au? It's so nice seeing new art of him, he was my favorite character from bltps (づ ◕‿◕ )づ!!

aa sorry for the late response!! i got so excited to answer and then i forgot LMAO 😳 but yes!!! i absolutely adored him in bltps too :’) i have a few headcanons for him, and a lot are in collaboration with @ewbie (who’s putting out a fic soon that you might wanna check out *wink wink*)

this might be long, so HCs under the cut! (art here).

-so for starters, i hc him as mixed polynesian! i think i said this in the tags, but “gladstone” is a scottish name, and “katoa” is a polynesian surname (from wallis and futuna specifically). he also has a sort of australian/new zealand accent so it fits in my eyes lmao :)

-i also hc him as autistic (the way he calls the constructor prototype his “life’s work” or special interest, and clearly he’s extremely talented in that field. also his demeanor in general read that way to me), and trans (that one bltps line where jack goes “all brains, no balls, doctor?” and he goes “hah… something like that.” LMAO)

-i hc him as around rhys and vaughn’s age (so during atlas AU he’d be around 32)- this would also make him 25 in bltps, but he already has a doctorate so basically he’s just one of those smart gifted kids :’) often leads to him being a lil defensive or very sure of himself

-he doesn’t die in bltps (obviously). jack sticks him in the airlock as well, but gladstone manages to find a little something to hang on to while pleading with jack, and survives- probably dislocates his shoulders or something, poor guy. but jack takes note of his crazy intelligence as well as his apparent will to live

-so that being said, jack basically forces gladstone to work on the Angel Project and be his little personal scientist, under threat of death torture etc etc…. gladstone hates it more than anything, especially having to see another innocent woman (who should have been protected) be used and killed by jack. but gladstone sees himself as a coward, so he does what he’s told.

-during the helios battle, gladstone managed to copy felicity’s (broken) code onto a flashdrive. so then during the time when jack was overseeing timothy’s departure to the Casino, gladstone snuck the flashdrive to timothy in hopes that one day timothy would be able to find a way to rescue her, since gladstone couldn’t.

-eventually jack dies, gladstone falls with helios, and he ends up being hired to Atlas by rhys (just like a lot of helios employees). rhys knows nothing about gladstone since all his files were top secret and basically didn’t exist.

-he works in Bioengineering, since mechanical engineering is still a point of trauma for him. he does it occasionally, but he carries a lot of guilt for what happened to felicity, which he still sees as his fault.

-he lives by himself in the city, and he has a kitty! a fluffy white cat named Moonpie :)

-because of everything that happened, he definitely has a lot of anxiety and trauma (between felicity, the airlock, working on the angel project under jack, etc.) so he definitely sees a therapist. he also stims a lot and prefers to work by himself

-i hc him as mlm, and also he’s a virgo. idk.

-his favorite color is green :)

-in atlas au he tends to be a bit more pessimistic, and he definitely keeps a distance with rhys (unlike almost everyone else), but it’s really just a response to everything awful that happened to him when he used to be an optimist. there’s still a sweet young guy underneath…

-when felicity makes it to atlas, he’s so happy and they quickly become basically inseparable LMAO- i don’t think i personally see their relationship as romantic, especially because of felicity’s past and the fact that she’s an AI, but they are the closest friends that two people could possibly be. he is the first man felicity’s ever trusted, and she loves to sit and watch him do work and ramble :)

-that metal plate on his forehead was something that got installed at hyperion, when the company had a long history of implants and body modification to employees. it helps keep his goggles in place while he’s working, and also it’s able to do random little scientific functions like give temperature and misc. readings on things he touches to it lmao

-his favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate chip cookie dough.

-he doesn’t go out very much because of his anxiety, but he does like to play video games! he likes to speedrun games for fun :)

#borderlands #bltps #atlas au #gladstone katoa #thank you for this ask!!! :’) he’s so fun i love him #i thought of a lot of these on the spot so sorry they’re just kinda random LMAO #i might be missing stuff but ewbie and i just recently added him to atlas au hehe #bltps enjoyers rise up #asks

[thebibliosphere]

My Heart’s In The Highlands by Amy Hoff (Book Review)

Hey fam, we ready to talk about a Scottish lesbian time traveling romance? 

Also, just an upfront disclaimer on this one: I received an ARC (advance review copy) copy of this book from the Publisher and am writing this review voluntarily.

A Quick Summary:

My Heart’s in the Highlands by Amy Hoff is a sapphic time travel romance set in Scotland, starting in the late 1880s.  Lady Jane Crichton is a learned woman of science (based on the historic ‘Edinburgh Seven’), who has spent her lifetime railing against the restraints of Scottish Victorian life and the expectations placed upon her. Fortunately for Jane, she finds herself in a marriage of convenience (he’s gay and needed a beard to protect his political career, and she needed the financial freedom and support of a wealthy patron. They’re buds about it.) and with the help of her husband, Jane is able to fund her own research and builds a functioning time machine. 

Unfortunately for Jane her time machine malfunctions during one of its voyages, and she finds herself thrown back in time, crash landing into the 13th century. And also into Ainslie nic Dòmhnaill, who is next in line to inherit the great Clan Donald. Which is one hell of a way to find out your a lesbian, but also 10/10 would willingly fall back in time and into the arms of a buff Scottish warrior woman. But Jane also holds a secret. She knows what will become of these lands, and to the people that live on them, and she must choose between her fairy tale romance, or the harsh reality of history that lies ahead. Can her and  Ainslie’s love survive? Or will they be torn apart by time? 

Review:

Okay, so for some perspective going into this review, I am a Scottish editor, and I have worked extensively in the realms of Scottish Historical Romance. Most of you have probably heard of the term ‘Britpacker,’ so if it helps, think of me as a ‘Scots Sifter’—I catch chunks of inaccuracy and gently nudge the phonetic (mis)spellings toward the realms of the accurate. And as a Scottish person who reads romance for both fun and work, it’s a breath of fresh air to read someone who knows what they are doing in this regard. The historical details many readers crave are there in spades, lovingly rendered through beautiful and flowing prose. The (accurate!!!) use of Scots and Gaelic are also masterfully included in the dialect without feeling contrived, and overall enriches the narrative. Hoff is someone who loves Scottish culture and knows it well, and it shows.

(A note for history foodie buffs: I caught one slip-up in the form of potatoes being mentioned in the 13th century when they didn’t arrive in Scotland until 1739. I am, however, willing to concede that perhaps our heroine Lady Jane is perhaps not the first time traveler to have crash-landed into the Highlands. The others were merely better supplied. EDIT: I’ve been informed this error will be corrected in the next print.) As a heroine, Lady Jane is charmingly out of time and place even before she sets foot in her time machine. A woman in her later thirties (a novelty I’ll never tire of in Romance), she holds many convictions and beliefs, both about history and herself. All of which are proven wrong the moment she is flung back in time and meets the charming (and I cannot stress this enough) incredibly buff warrior woman, Ainslie nic Dòmhnaill. Setting aside my more analytical interests in this text, allow me to just say, I would die for Ainslie; something which I feel secure in saying would not happen, as Ainslie would murder anyone that tried. (And I would hold her golden torque and flower all starry-eyed while she did it.) However, there were one or two things that jumped out at me, both as a reader and an editor. While some scenes are concisely eloquent, there are a areas where pacing (and grammar) fall down, and the book feels like it could use with tightening up with another pass at editing. There was very little build up to the romance itself, which is fine, the instant true love trope is a well-loved trope for a reason. But it felt out of character for Jane, who presents initially as either on the demi or ace spectrum, but then falls immediately, if not in love, then certainly in lust with Ainslie. If this was intentional, I cannot say, but her sudden switch in dynamic is jarring and could have used a little gentler development.

Once the romance begins, it is sweet and enjoyable for the most part, but also again not without issue. There’s a distinct lack of verbal consent which modern readers might find discomfiting, especially in the LGBTQ+ spheres which paved the way for better consent and relationship dynamics in modern romance, and if I were asked to tag this book, I’d likely opt to tag it as “dubious consent” just to cover any potential triggers for people who would be unsettled by that sort of thing. (“Tell me no” being met with silence is not the same as consent. It might have worked 20 years ago in publishing, but it wouldn’t/shouldn’t fly now.) I like the characters dearly. Ainslie is smitten with Jane the moment she sets eyes on her, even if Jane is initially very awkward and prickly. Jane is also taken with her glorious redheaded warrior, and frankly, who could blame her? The book also has several of my favorite romantic tropes in it, including the all-time favorite “There’s Only One Bed”, though I wish more had been made of them. The sex scenes are hot and also sweetly endearing at times, though again I would like to see more explicit consent. Overall, it’s not a bad debut novel into the forays of Romance for a first-time Romance author. It’s enjoyable, but I am left with nagging the feeling that it could have been so much more. To my mind, where this book truly excels is Hoff’s love affair with history and Scotland itself. Their narrative shines in moments of reflection, and the subtle and nuanced injections of historical detail, which in my experience, are rarely done so well in this genre. But this is however a Romance novel, and the time-traveling scientist lesbian and her buff redhead warrior girlfriend felt second fiddle to the history at times, which was disappointing because how often do you get to say those words together? Not enough, in my opinion. Overall, I’d rate this as 3.5 out of 5, though it would have been a solid four were it not for the issues surrounding pacing and consent. If Hoff chose to continue the series, however, I’d absolutely be down for more of it. I want to see the characters grow and thrive. I just think a little more experience with the genre (and better editing) is needed first. My Heart’s In the Highlands is available now on Kindle, Paperback, and most other online retail stores. You can also buy directly from the Publisher.

#my heart's in the highlands #amy hoff #book review #arc copy #links #sapphic romance #lesbian romance #time travel romance #highland romance

[ka-writes]

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Notes: I had already started on the second chapter before I posted the first one, so don’t expect updates every day... I also had to do a lot of googling for this chapter.

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Chapter 1 in case you missed it:

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Inspired by:

Humans are Space Velociraptors

By:FreshRoses_InMyGarden_NeedTheRain

Some kids come from storks, others come from crashed spaceships

By: mmmajora

Home Again, Home Again

By: teeth_eater

All works can be found on Ao3

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Warnings: Cussing, needles, character conflicts, intentional poisoning, poisoning, Jaws reference

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“Humans are [and text here]”

Chapter 2: What is this, an interview?

Tommy was now restrained to a chair six feet away from the weird scientist alien. He had a dark brown lab coat with a fuzzy yellow sweater underneath, matched with black pants and black leather boots. His gold rimmed Harry Potter glasses slipped down his nose bridge a bit before he pushed it up and shuffled through papers. He wore a red beanie with a big whiff of his curly chocolate hair. His skin was a weird translucent grayish color with blue speckles decorating it. He had deep brown eyes with an odd electric blue circle outlining the pupil.

His tongue licked his finger as he turned the page. This was a habit that most of the weird teachers and counselors did. It always annoyed Tommy. This time fear was also mixed into that annoyance. His saliva was tinted blue and he had sharp teeth which immediately reminded him of a shark.

“You have shark teeth.” Tommy stated absentmindedly. Clearly, this caught the scientist alien off guard.

“I have what?” The alien asked, confused.

“Shark teeth.. ya know like the weird fish creatures that eat people.” Tommy started rambling causing the shark-alien to become even more confused and slightly alarmed. “I mean I think they eat people. That’s what the shark movie showed… what was its name, Jaws I think? I dunno, my foster mom freaked out in the middle of it and we went home. That lady was weird.. She made us wear itchy clothes and take weird photos before she sent me back to the group home.”

“What?..” The shark-alien asked. Tommy jumped a bit. He forgot he was rambling to a stranger. Alien stranger at that.

“Doesn’t matter.. What's the first question bitch-boy?” Tommy liked the way the alien jumped at the randomly timed insults.

“Er- right.. First off, what’s your name?” The shark-alien asked after collecting himself.

“Tommy Innit. Yours bitch-boy?” Tommy replied.

“Wilbur Soot. Stop calling me bitch-boy!” Wilbur huffed.

“Next question, bitch-boy!” Tommy emphasized the name, getting an even angrier expression in return. Wilbur’s weird blue circle flashed red for a second which caught Tommy off guard.

Wilbur took a shaky breath before asking the next question. “How old are you?”

“Old enough! I am a big man!” Tommy stated. Yet another thing that pissed him off.

“Age?” Wilbur asked, clearly irritated.

“18.” Wilbur raised a brow, “14.” Tommy huffed. His age should only be his business not some alien-bitch who didn’t even have his file.

“If you keep lying, I may have to get the truth serum from the back.” Wilbur half-heartedly threatened. Tommy, the big man that he is, did not get scared at that statement, only slightly unsettled which clearly showed on his face.

“Now, do you have a family?” Tommy tensed at the question. It was a touchy question and was not one that was asked often especially with his reputation.

“I am a big man. I don’t need a family to be great.” Tommy stated, happy with the answer. The alien-bitch shifted awkwardly.

“Right… What is your diet?”

“Umm.. I dunno, whatever I can find. I am allergic to nuts though..” Wilbur nodded in understanding and wrote things down in his notepad.

“What plants are poisonous to you?” Wilbur asked without looking up from his notes.

“Ermm, poison Ivy, poison oak… uh I think parts of rhubarb, and most wild berries. I am not sure other than that.” Wilbur nodded while adding bits to his notes.

“What was the place you lived like?” This time Wilbur glanced up to look at Tommy. This was again another touchy subject… How many times would this alien bitch get into the sad background?

“Shitty.” Tommy snapped. That was the only response the bitch was gonna get.

“Right.. Do you have music on Earth?”

Tommy scoffed, “Of course we have music, dumbass!”

“Can you tell me about the animals there?” Wilbur asked, almost hopeful.. which was weird. What was he hoping for?

“Erm I guess..” Tommy mumbled, trying to figure out where to start, “There’s a bunch of animals. Mainly on land. My favorite would be the cow.”

“What’s that?” Curiosity stained Wilbur’s face. This got Tommy excited; he was practically beaming as he started talking.

“Well they are these big ruminants that make milk and have horns. There are a bunch of types too like the highland cow, which obviously is the most poggers one. They are a Scottish breed with really long hair. I met one once, on a field trip his name was Henry.” Tommy rambled on for the next two and a half hours, jumping from topic to topic and explaining anything that wasn’t personal. He usually ended those paths with short insults.

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Wilbur hated to stop the kids' detailed story, but two and a half celestial hours had already passed, and Dream would be coming to check soon. Luckily, he had a couple new poisons that could pass off as a research development. He had even managed to send the distressed signal and no doubt Phil would already be there with the SBI craft ready to fly at any given moment.

“Alright Tommy.” His voice dropped to a serious tone causing the kid to stop his story of how he got poisoned by mushrooms on a camping trip. “You’re gonna have to trust me just for a bit. I am going to get you off the ship at the next stop but in the meantime I need you to tell me how allergic you’re to nuts.” The kid immediately tensed at the question.

“I am mainly allergic to tree nuts.. almonds being the worst. After a few minutes I can’t breathe properly and I usually pass out. The doctor said if I don’t get it treated within 15 minutes, death is most likely.” He took a moment to go through the information. The kid most likely has an anaphylaxis reaction to tree nuts. Meaning either he would have to know the exact time of landing and exactly where Phil was or he needed another poison that was less severe.

“Alright, here is what we’re gonna do. I have a chemical mixture that is similar to that of rattlesnake venom. I also have a chemical substance that numbs any pain you may feel. Side effects would include being very very tired and delirious over the next few days. Along with being knocked out for a good ten hours. To put it simply I am gonna fake poison you, in order to get you off the ship. It’s your choice if you’re willing to do it.” Wilbur paused to study the kid still restrained in front of him. It was odd how relaxed the kid seemed to be in a situation like this. He had no urge as far as Wilbur was aware, to fight against anything that happened. His complaints only being those that touched on personal matters. It was unsettling to say the least, and intrigued Wilbur. He really wanted to unravel the life the kid had lived before this and how he was actually dealing with the situation.

There was a long pause before the kid spoke, “I wouldn’t mind getting away from the weird smiley bitch.. plus you seem nice and to know what you’re doing so sure. Poison me bitch.” He said the last sentence with an enthusiasm Wilbur wasn’t expecting. He took a moment to rethink his plan, which was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Dream says you better have advanced in your stupid testing. Otherwise he’s gonna kick you off the ship at the next stop.” Stated the rather rude blazeling, Sapnap. The blazeling never liked Wilbur and made a point to argue against any advancements at meals. That led to Dream installing a new system of emails and Wilbur eating meals alone.

“Yea yea, it’s going!” He yelled through the metal door.

“Better be.” The blazeling snapped before making a non quiet track back to his quarters.

“Stupid blazeling.” Wilbur grumbled as he sorted through vials and picked up new needles and measured out the substances. “We are going to start with the anesthetic then move onto the poison.” He softly addressed Tommy.

Wilbur swiftly disinfected Tommy’s shoulder and gave the needle. He then gave the second needle. Immediately Tommy slumped over. Wilbur swiftly took off Tommy’s restraints and moved him on to the patient bed in the back corner of the room. After the transfer was done he clipped the body restraints around Tommy and waited for the alert signaling landing.

After about five minutes the light next to the door turned blue. He moved over to his seat and clipped on the safety belts. The light turned green and the ship shook momentarily before a thud could be felt. Quickly as Wilbur could, he emptied the needles into the waste bin and waited for his soon-to-be-ex-boss to arrive.

Dream stepped through the door and glanced around the room before heading to Wilbur for his report.

“Report.” The dreamon commanded.

“The subject's body would have gone through a painfully slow death and have multiple organ failures if I did not intervene. The chemical mixes used created a conflict in the patient’s body which resulted in the patient falling into exhaustion as they recovered.” He responded in a monotone tone. Dream looked over Tommy. He flinched back in disgust as Tommy grunted in his sleep.

“Is that all?” The dreamon questioned.

“No.” Wilbur swallowed down his panic, “This is the last testing I will be doing with this crew.” The dreamon scoffed.

“I am assuming you’re getting off at this planet?” Dream spit. Wilbur knew he absolutely hated when people left his crew as he saw it as a direct violation of his loyalty.

“Yes.” The phantom stated, keeping his even tone apparent. With that Dream stormed out cursing in Siestian. Somewhere in the mess of words he told Wilbur to get his things.

Without hesitation he grabbed his bag from his quarters, which was held in a small room that branches off the lab. He half sprinted down the short hallway and straight to the bed Tommy was on. He swiftly unrestrained the human and sat him up. He slipped on boots and gloves then tied a cloak around the kid. He pulled the hood up and carried him off of the closest exit. There were faint yells from Dream down the hallway and reassurances from the only two beings that put up with him. And with that Wilbur was off to find the only craft he had ever called home. The SBI ship.

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Chapter 2- End

Words~ 1774

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End Notes: ‘‘twas to lazy to reread... sorry for minor mistakes. Also suggestions are always appreciated!! Please reblog...

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Chapter 3:

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Wilbur:

#my writing #my fanfic tag #wilbur soot #sapnap #dream mcyt #tommy mcyt #dream smp fanfiction #space au