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theiauwu · 1 year

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So excited too see more Silco and Viktor stuff could we get some head canons on the boys with a house wife or husband?? I love me some domestic fluff

Pairing: Silco x Gender Neutral! Reader, Viktor x Gender Neutral! Reader

Word Count: 504; 521

Genre: fluff, headcanon

YES YOU CAN! Keep the requests coming, they make me thrive honestly. Sorry for the wait btw. Here you go and I hope you enjoy!

Content Warning: none

Silco:

After a hard day of work and by that I mean unproductive meetings with the ungrateful Chem-Barons, Firelights attempting to destroy a production site and the worst of them all….

Paperwork.

Often his work keeps him confined to his office, he’s not exactly thrilled about it but such is the sacrifices he must make for the sake of Zaun.

But with a few subtle threats from you and some compromising, the both of you settled on a strict curfew for him.

He’s more than relieved to come home to you humming away on the stove, with something amazing coking away inside those pots. He could tell by the scent waving in the air.

It was a sight for sore eyes.

He enjoys the domestic bliss more than anyone expected. The peaceful haven that you created in his home away from the chaotic world outside.

Never a day that goes by where he isn’t grateful for you and the life he built with you because never in a million years had he ever thought he would be able to enjoy such a life.

He had you to thank for that and he tries his best to ensure you knew that. He’s not great with words so he uses other ways to get that message through you.

Sometimes with expensive clothes on top of jewelry, others with fancy dates and lingering touches from time to time. Of course, that sentiment isn’t excluded from the bedroom.

And then there’s your daughter, Jinx.

He knew he wasn’t the most caring father in the world and his busy schedule certainly didn’t help.

But you were there in every step of the way, helping him when he was struggling. He felt reassured that when he couldn’t be present, Jinx had you to be there for her.

Sometimes he even felt jealous that Jinx had loved you more than she loved him but that thought was quickly erased from his mind when the both of you would team up and drown him in random acts of affection.

Speaking of teaming up, given his occupation and Jinx’s eagerness to be part of the cause, the both of them often end up in dangerous situations.

This of course results in plenty of stern lectures from you, often the both of them would be lectured together. If one goes down, they both go down together.

You knew that it couldn’t be helped but sometimes their recklessness/ambition get the better of them and that’s what gets you riled up.

After being lectured, the father daughter pair would do their best to reassure you and comfort you, not wanting to worry you but also secretly worried that you would threaten to stop cooking for them should they not heed your words.

Silco sometimes find your worry unnecessary but most of the time he finds it endearing, to have someone care about him this much and to mourn for him should he ever lost his life.

Overall, he loves you and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Viktor:

Ah, another workaholic who doesn’t know when to stop. But this one is a more stubborn to be dragged away from his work so you had to be slightly more creative when it comes down to convincing him.

Though you understand that all the things he do, his passion for his work and his borderline desperation comes from a place of wanting to do good to the world so you aren’t harsh in your approach to pulling him away from the lab.

Instead, you gently coax him to leave whenever you deem that enough is enough. Sure you’d allow a few sleepovers now and then when the boys are on the verge of another breakthrough or if they have a deadline they need to meet. But those are some of the few exceptions you allow.

You made sure to get your concerns through his thick head before you got married and he understands your worry completely. Being the sweet understanding man that he is, the two of you came to a compromise and set down the boundaries needed.

It was frustrating at first, to love a man who doesn’t seem to care for himself and doesn’t really see the issue in it. Which is why sitting him down and having that talk was extremely important to the both of you and your relationship.

As their house spouse, you make sure to pack him lunch everyday for him to take to the lab. Most of the time you make an extra set to give to Jayce as well and the man loves you for it, sometimes joking that if it weren’t for Viktor, he’d marry you instead.

Viktor is not amused.

And whenever you know that Viktor isn’t going to make it home that night, you pack him a little overnight bag and some dinner that’s easy to consume but equally nutritious as your typical meal.

Of course you don’t forget a thermos filled to the brim with steaming hot coffee, made the way he loves, as you know your husband would most likely not be sleeping that night. Not if he could help it.

Viktor obviously notices all the little things you do to make his life easier, healthier. The way you take care of him when he doesn’t. He appreciates you so much for it and it warms his heart whenever he thinks of it.

Because of you, he’s more eager to finish up his work and go home. More so than ever before he met you.

Wants to reciprocate your love but isn’t quite sure how so he does his best to listen to you when you talk and he’ll take mental notes of all the problems you have. Will try to come up with the best solutions to overcome them or fix it himself if you allow it.

Overall, great listener and problem solver.

Another way of showing you affection is by physical touch. Whenever the two of you are together, his hand will always be on you in some way shape or form.

A hand on your hips, arm wrapped around your waist, his hand holding yours…etc

Is very touch starved and you're more than happy to help with that.

#arcane #silco x reader #silco headcanon #silco fanfic #arcane netflix #silco x oc #viktor #arcane viktor #viktor arcane #arcane league of legends #viktor x you #viktor lol #viktor x y/n #viktor x oc #viktor x reader #silco x you #arcane silco #viktor headcanons

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inposterumcumgaudio · 8 months

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now it's your turn to talk about Haworth and Verloc >:)

The relationship in my fic that I get the most specific and vehement feedback about!

The foundation of information you're going to need… I'm gonna try and stick to just canon and not my extrapolations so this isn't insurmountably long, all the same, it's gonna get real tl;dr in here.

Let's start with Haworth's patient notes.

From this, we can see Haworth has regular intervals of incidents every four days. We can tell too from Harry Plantagenet's and Gemma Olsen's notes that incidents result in increased dosage of Coconut, but that Haworth (who has been there the longest, four years) has a notably lower dosage than either of them. He still gets this increased dosage after an incident, but given the length of his time there and the regularity of his incidents, it should be much higher than it is. His dose increases are also smaller than theirs.

So based on those notes alone (and that he gets the privilege of the extra tea biscuit) we can see that Haworth is being treated more carefully than any of Verloc's other test subjects. And also that something is happening on a regular enough schedule that causes him to act out every four days.

Still, all that says really is that Verloc has a prized pet in his menagerie. That is how I write Haworth's interpretation this situation. He believes Verloc has imprisoned him in order to commandeer his laboratories and now keeps him well-fed so he can come down and gloat about it. Thus he remains "very aggro, especially in the presence of Dr. Verloc."

But let's go back to what the environment tells us.

You know what there's a notable absence of at Haworth Labs? Self-aggrandizing Verloc bullshit. Compare to Wellington Health, where Verloc has apparently donated multiple large statues of himself. Indeed, the only statue at Haworth Labs is of Haworth (and an unknown female coworker). The only thing telling you Verloc is in charge there is his photo hanging outside his office… next to Haworth's (although Verloc's is a smidge bigger). Typically after a transition of power, you'd replace a photo like that, maybe doodle a mustache and glasses on it if the guy didn't already have both. You wouldn't leave it there and hang your own next to it. That same hallway also contains Haworth's phrenological memorabilia. Verloc is said to have spoken disparagingly of Haworth's phrenological study in a note from Sally to him, so we can assume Verloc didn't put stock in it, but he hasn't taken that stuff down either.

And bear in mind, all of this is what Arthur remembers about Haworth Labs. I think there is some room to assume that things that are not important to the player character may be overlooked in memory, so what they do remember is all the more apparent.

There is also a cut diary entry from Madame Wanda about Verloc that I always thought was interesting in this context.

That she notes that people keep misremembering Verloc as Joy's inventor but that the Labs are named for Haworth is how she remembers correctly… If Verloc only wanted the fame and glory of being in charge of Joy production, it would be so easy to rename the labs and get rid of any mention of Harry Haworth. But instead, Arthur can't help but note the very concerted effort to remind anyone who comes to Haworth Labs who they have to thank for their wonderful Wellie lifestyle… even if that man is currently thought to be on holiday.

So maybe the idea that Verloc put Haworth in the glass cell in a spiteful heir-to-the-throne gambit is not the full shape of it. And with that acknowledgement, you can now read the note "Dr. Haworth" in a more charitable light than the game led you to interpret it at first glance.

Who did we get the idea that Verloc ousted Haworth from exactly?

Gemma.

Let's look at Gemma's notes about Verloc.

Most of the stuff about his personality I think is true. Or true enough. What's more interesting here is Verloc's history. He was born in 1926, making him 14 when he was sent to Wellington Wells in 1940 to escape the Blitz. He lived with an uncle until said uncle dies at age 48 in 1954. Verloc would have been 28. He would have been 21 in 1947, when the children leave on the train. He's unmarried, childless, living with his uncle (who is similarly childless if Verloc inherits his house).

And Verloc doesn't take Joy. That's the important thing. He does not participate in the most important civic activity of Wellington Wells. He's also one of the few people who will not wear a Happy Face mask. He behaves apart of the townspeople. He is not one of them.

And frankly, if you kept your head throughout the town's recent history, you'd probably judge these people very harshly. They let their children be taken, they killed the only people who tried to fight back, attacked anyone who might have had a child after, and they medicate themselves stupid to forget they behaved as cowards and savages. Again, it's easy for Verloc to think that of them. He has no stake in the game and he's not invested in his neighbors.

But he's not wrong either.

And if that's how he feels about them, it only makes sense that he's vain, thinks he's better than everyone else, and doesn't care about anyone unless they can do something for him.

If that's true though, what would make him so invested in Harry Haworth, the very man who enables these awful people to pretend they are not?

You know what there's a noted lack of at Wellington Health? Reverence for the savior of Wellington Wells and inventor of Joy, Harry Haworth. Not even a sculptural fountain piece donated by Haworth himself. He provided the town with its biggest medical breakthrough in living memory and yet there's no acknowledgement of that at Wellington Health.

Likely because Haworth is not an alumnus of Wellington Health's medical school. Which means he likely isn't from Wellington Wells itself. Perhaps he's an outsider, like Verloc is. And he's educated and doctorated. Mainland educated and doctorated. I think the evidence leans more to Haworth being a psychologist rather than a chemist, but he must know enough chemistry to have led his team to Joy. Combine all that with Haworth also being roughly the same age as that dead uncle (he and Haworth are only six years apart in age)? Compelling circumstances. A guy could become inappropriately obsessed.

But it's Gemma's notes on Haworth that suggest Verloc double-crossed him.

"Sense of duty."

"Became unsound."

"Gone a bit fuzzy."

"Not daft at all! Verloc backstabbed him."

"Objected to Verloc's methods."

Note that these statements are in quotes whereas Phrenology???? is not. Which means these are things that were said to Gemma. By whom though?

Going to guess that Victoria might be the first one as a sense of duty is a thing she's known to value in a person and she speaks fondly of Haworth in her quest notes. It's separate of the other statements, which makes sense. She'd certainly not be saying anything like the rest of these quotes, even if she thought them.

"Gone a bit fuzzy," is from Verloc in the O' Courant article about Haworth's disappearance. It's the most downplayed statement about Haworth's mental health, but it's also in the O' Courant so it's hard to say how much of that is Verloc playing it off and how much is spin to keep people from worrying.

As to the others, there's no way to tell who said any of them. Sally might have reason to imply Verloc to be two-faced like that, but she also never mentions Haworth in her own act so I find that unlikely. (I do, however, think she's lying to Gemma about Verloc inventing Sunshine). Beatrice Reeve of the Executive Committee has also been known to talk shit about my boy, but to do so to the press? Nnnn.

I do have one Hail Mary theory about this.

Gemma had to get her top secret internal Haworth Lab memos from someone within the company. And there is unrest in the labor pool as comes to a head in We All Fall Down. In the labor strike speech, a guy named Ronnie interrupts to make a snide comment.

Worker: Now listen! This labour action is important! We ain't striking for a nice hot lunch! Ronnie: -- like last time -- Worker: Shut up, Ronnie! No! We are trying to do our job, and we can't, as those who are in charge have gone completely off their trolley. Doctor V's failure to ensure the Joy supply strikes at the very heart of our civilization! These are the times that try men's souls, they are - yes, Edith, also women's souls too, I know - and we have all got to hang together! And if any Doctors are listening in, this is no time for partisan bickering! There's only one person who ever made the trains run on time here at Haworth, and that's Sally Boyle. We want Sally back! We need Sally back! Worker: We want Sally Boyle! We want Sally Boyle! (x2)

And as it so happens, a Ronald Norrish is also the guy who complained about the results of the A-329 formula on Vanessa Tinker-Bell. If the goal is to get Verloc ousted from his position and you're off the record? Well, it doesn't really matter if it's true or not, does it? If you've been in the basement and saw how mad Haworth was about it (which Norrish would have if he's attending to Vanessa), you'd certainly think it was true. Haworth also probably doesn't seem so crazy at the moment either, if he's fooling the staff enough to merit a note about it.

As to the other statements about Haworth's mental state, they similarly cannot be confirmed or denied by these unattributed quotes alone. However, we do have Victoria's secondhand account in her quest notes for "Ill Omens".

Trust him? Ha. We needed someone to get things done. Harry was falling apart... the way Father describes it, it was really quite sad, the way Haworth got. Verloc was just there. He was available. Willing to take on the burden. Eager, even. He gave the impression of a man who could get things done. So we let him.

Victoria's not an entirely informed narrator and she is relaying something General Byng stated, not something she witnessed herself, but given that Haworth did seem quite proud of his invention that rendered five of his assistants mute... I think it tracks that even if he seems sane enough to Ronald Norrish now, he may not have to General Byng back in 1960.

Haworth's patient notes say he was admitted November 10th, 1960, exactly one month after he sends Verloc a copy of a paper he wants to submit to the Executive Committee. And they seem to be on quite friendly terms to judge by the forward:

Dear Anton,

Am enclosing the latest draft of the paper I was telling you about Friday last. Have made much progress, and | greatly anticipate showing it to the Committee. Any input would be most welcome. I really think I am on to something here — really appreciate all your encouragement!

Harry

This would have been six months after Haworth supposedly disappeared if he disappears on April 6th, 1960.

You will note that this article is dated 1964. But that cannot be, if Harry's been in his glass cell since 1960... unless Arthur is assuming its from the current year. We only get to read this article as Arthur and he'd have no reason to assume it was older. He doesn't get any contradicting info until he gets to Haworth Labs and sees Haworth's patient notes. Do note too that this article is also accompanied on Gemma's conspiracy board by a piece about Johnny Bolton before he went insane. How long ago might that have been? She's been digging through the archives, is the point.

To recap, Haworth disappears on his way to a meeting with General Byng on April 6th, Verloc is interviewed for an article asking for his whereabouts on the 9th, but Haworth appears to be on good terms and quite friendly with him six months later in October. A month after that, Verloc imprisons Haworth in the glass cell, but at the same time keeps Haworth's name and contributions to society prominent in the public mind. And Haworth has a very strange and regular experiment schedule compared to his much more erratic cellmates'. Very curious!

Well, those circumstances have to make sense somehow. I know what I think happened here, but this post is already soooo long with just the facts as is.

#harry haworth #anton verloc #we happy few

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shidouryusm · 6 months

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I'm FINALLY back on dash after a whole lot of days baby gorls. How's yall been? I missed y'all like crazy. I landed just a few hours ago and now Im home and resting (baggage claim and calling uber was crazy af shit was even more hectic than the whole flight) . My suitcases are on the doorway and my classes start tomorrow but atleast lab final is postponed, the classes are online cause of some political movement. I showered, did skincare and the room is cold so life is pretty nice.

I'm gonna wrap up all the unfinished fic (+ the new ideas I got) that I intended to do in these free time and schedule them but the last thing I got in this ten days of travel was free time. I was on constant running on destinations, tours and stuff so my body is tired af. But Im very recharged and motivated so I shall be productive with my academics and blogger life lmaaooo. but for today Im bout to sleep cause I'm feeling like the world around me is spinning as we speak. bye babis

Hope yall are having a nice and fun weekend. love u babies.

also can someone tell me is there something wrong with discord or my laptops acting out.

#sams.shit #I did so much I cant even finish telling my travel stories

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blorbologist · 1 year

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Is an engineer not considered a scientist in the realm of science? Why?

Anon, I'm not sure how familiar you are with modern academia, and how science works today! Long gone are the days of lone (+ their wives and uncited apprentices) scientists cooking up discoveries in a lab, appearing to change the world, and shutting themselves back in. Maybe Percy would be considered a scientist in Exandria, by their standards, and he'd be perfectly smug about that distinction, but he absolutely would not vibe with what's required of a scientist today.

It's more like... hrm.

When I'm approaching scientist, I'm meaning someone like my grandfather or I: researchers, academics. People asking questions that take a long time to answer.

Percy is like my father: curious and loves making things, but first and foremost he solves problems first, asks questions second (though! They do have some insane questions! But they're more in the vein of 'what if Bigger, or Better', at risk of oversimplifying). Most engineers are in this camp. It's more immediately practical.

I do not think Percy would like academia.

When all is said and done he doesn't want to hurt people, he wants to make clocks, he just wants to quietly work on making things better. And you need to be constantly running to stay in place in research - I don’t think he would enjoy feeling forced to stay up to date, to find the next big thing, to publish to keep his funding - and, down the line, managing a lab, grad students, teaching. It's not all making things go boom, you know.

My dad is not a scientist: he works in computer engineering but the work environment, schedule and vibes are completely different to a scientist's. It's a complicated, high-stakes desk job. You have projects and deadlines and you solve them and it’s more closely tied to business, if that makes sense? Many, imo *most* engineers end up in similar boats: engineering is a STEM degree, but they don't end up in academia. Like how you wouldn’t call a doctor a scientist - it's got a similar education to start, but a different higher education and application. His job is definitely time consuming and requires skill, but it’s not his life or his personality.

Contrast this with research. You can't quite put deadlines on 'discover a new thing that's helpful in x y z way'. You're not proposing solutions, you're asking questions to which the answers could be solutions (or new problems). You get grants or get paid by a business to Figure Stuff Out, stuff that's ideally of interest/use to the party funding you. For most it's a lot of writing: you publish your findings, you apply for grants and funding. You're a little entity of knowledge production and discovery-finding. Your research history and academic credentials are everything. Going to conferences, often teaching too, having bitter decades-long feuds with someone who dismissed your findings and you’re sure they're fabricating data. There are engineers in academia, but they're a minority compared to those graduating and then going to work, and I don’t hear much about research from them?

Percy very much has a Thing about control: I can't see him working under someone else in their lab for more than a stint (say, while completing his PhD, mayyyybe as a postdoc), but he wants to poke at His ideas and His plans and follow His whims, and most PIs would squint at that given young man thats their funding. On the other hand, you can't be a student or postdoc forever, and he'd absolutely hate how the parts of science he'd enjoy the least would increase tenfold when in charge, with even less time for what he wants. And it never ends. When you are a scientist, You Are a Scientist. The things you're researching are a passion, they're integral to who you are, so everything is just... so personal.

Meanwhile, with an engineering job he can just... fix things. Start a project and see it to the end. Make things Work. Get the satisfaction of things coming out Right and As Expected.

And at the end of the day, he can put it all away and tinker with a clock.

This got rambly, apologies: there's a lot of ideas here and they're hard to formulate coherently.

Tldr: most engineers end up with stable jobs, ones with deadlines and clear things to fix and do, vs the very different, very... idk, throwing your heart and soul into the grinder work environment you see in research/academia. Percy would loathe so much of how academia functions, and the mindset it would require of him, he'd 100% get whatever degrees he thought he needed and get out.

(Now Caleb, Caleb I could see returning to academia, to pair with his teaching, though research would be a distant second priority. But it's a very Specific sort of environment that I think Percy would want to distance himself from.)

(Take this all with a grain of salt: I'm a Masters student in Bio who hopes to continue in research, and I haven’t had the hope beat out of me yet... but I did listen to my grandfather, and to my labmates, and mostly going off personal experience and the experiences to those close to me. Thus this has a focus on STEM, not on other facets of academia such as history.)

#critical role #percival de rolo #cr percy #cr meta #i guess???#not sure how well I explained this but look. yall remember Essek committing treason bc his research wasnt approved?#percy + gradschool would be a similar sort of 'oh of course this went badly'#also i cant look at this another minute because SIKE GUESS WHAT. I GOT DATA TO CODE

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scientia-rex · 2 years

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Listen. There are two extremely different types of doctors in my world, which is the United States of America. Some of us get paid based on a salary--I agreed to see 11 patients per half-day (so a total of 22 slots in my schedule per day), and I get paid based on that, and I'm fine with it. I have a 7% no-show rate.

Some docs get paid depending on how much they do. Every surgeon, to the best of my knowledge, is in this category. Productivity units, for some; for others, they're private docs, not part of a bigger clinic system, and they just have to see 21-22 patients a day to keep the lights on.

"What do you mean, they have to?" Money in the medical system has almost nothing to do with how much you pay. If you don't have insurance, odds are you aren't seeing a doctor, and if you are, it's the walk-in clinic when you think you're dying. If you have insurance, you can see a doctor, but the math is deliberately, horrifyingly complicated. You probably have a deductible--an amount you have to pay before insurance kicks in. Your insurance probably costs in the neighborhood of 600-700 bucks a month, so you're sitting there going, what the fuck do you mean I've already paid you two grand this year, it's MARCH, and you STILL won't pay any of my medical bills until I pay 6,500 bucks total out of pocket this calendar year??? (People in other countries with saner medical systems, look away.)

Meanwhile, the amount that doctors can actually charge for our services is extremely hard to change. We cannot raise our rates spontaneously if we depend primarily on insurance for reimbursement. Why? Medicare is the single biggest insurance company in the US. Medicare sets the reimbursement rates it is willing to give for various services. Other insurance companies base their reimbursement rates off Medicare. Every medical system--however small the clinic, even if it's a single doctor--has to negotiate a contract with each fucking insurance company. And because they're so massive, and so wildly profitable, insurance companies have the upper hand. They get to say yes, we'll work with you, but only if you agree to accept this rate for services rendered.

And the services are categorized according to Medicare standards. So I can bill for a 99214 if I meet certain criteria of medical complexity, and if I don't, I can bill for a 99213. Billing for procedures is separate. I have had to learn billing codes, very much against my will, because if I don't bill correctly, my clinic, which is too fucking cheap to pay for an adequate billing staff (yes, you need a whole-ass department for this, because insurance will always start by trying to deny a claim), will get hosed and possibly have to lay people off, potentially including me.

So I'm sitting here making sure I document the complexity of care that justifies a 99214, which usually means there have to be at least two diagnosis codes and at least one order (whether that's a lab test or a prescription or imaging), and I don't even know whether that cost is going to go to the patient or the insurance company. And if I under-bill, I might be helping out the patient, but I might be screwing my clinic. And if I over-bill, that's fraud and I can go to jail.

And I'm not even getting paid directly based on this stuff! I'm just trying to accurately code medical complexity, in part because my clinic gets federal funding based on how complicated our patients are, because I work at an FQHC, a federally qualified healthcare center, which means we can afford to see Medicaid patients, because most places that see Medicaid patients take a loss to do it. Medicaid doesn't reimburse what it costs to keep the lights on. Every provider, every group, has to pay for physical costs of operating--building, power, supplies, staff. So there is a baseline amount doctors have to make in order to keep the clinic open. And most clinics are upsettingly close to the margin at all times.

But FQHCs get reimbursed at higher rates for Medicaid patients specifically for being the kind of clinic Medicaid patients are most likely to benefit from, for having things like mental health services and patient navigators. So we're that. And I'm glad. I love my patients who are living in poverty. Give me that patient population over rich, smug bastards any day. Rich people are godawful. I say this with confidence, having treated many of them.

Anyway!!! The reason wait times at doctor's offices suck is that the whole system around doctors getting paid is fucked to such an extend that if you really want to understand it, I highly recommend Maggie Mahar's book, Money-Driven Medicine, which was written in 2006 but beautifully captures what a fucking clusterfuck modern American medicine is in terms of who gets paid and how.

Your doctor may be evil, and it may be in part for money, but it's rarely personal greed. It's a completely broken system. And the wait times? They're there because if providers see fewer than 22 patients a day, most of those as 15-minute visits, which is not enough time with the vast majority of patients, the clinic starts to be in danger of going broke. I see suicidal patients on a daily basis. I see trans patients. I see patients with active psychosis. I see patients whose family members just died. I see patients with cancer. In 15-minute slots. It's fucking bananas, and however much you hate it, please rest assured that your doctor fucking hates it too. We would do things differently if we could afford to. If we could keep the clinic running and pay off our hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical education debt and pay the staff a living wage. We would do it without making you suffer like this, without making us suffer like this.

#the attending dr. kristophine

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sociallyawkwardsailor · 2 years

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I’m about half done with this course, and we’re finally moving on to more hands-on stuff instead of Packet Tracer and grumbling about the shitty “how to” the Army put together to teach us nerd shit.

The Army being the Army, only 2 classrooms have working equipment for our first lab, both of which are in use by classes that are not mine. So it’s been decided that, until the equipment is working in all classrooms it’s in, we’re shifting to the mid-day schedule so we can do our labs.

I still have to do morning PT, but now class starts at noon, vice 0815. I get my mornings to myself (mostly), which means I get to eat a proper breakfast, have some covfefe, and take my time luxuriating in the enjoyment of shaving like Sea Duke. Maybe even do errands if I’m feeling particularly productive. Also, MOAR CUDDLES WITH BAE.

I don’t have hard orders to Bahrain yet, but hopefully those will come soon so I can get my overseas screening done, and maybe start sending some of my stuff back home that I can’t/don’t want to take with me.

#adventures in SATCOM school

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lunarrhapsody · 11 months

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What the Heck Is This Thing??? A Manifesto of Unnecessary Length

Introduction to the Snow

FELLAS. If you already stumbled across this blog somehow despite being a blog dedicated to a comic that does not yet exist that is also currently fresh from the womb by a person who has basically never used Tumblr before and also barely uses the internet in general, congratulations, I guess? This post is meant as a newcomer guide which will mostly be useful for when this blog actually has stuff in it, so I guess you're in the right place.

The Good Stuff

This is a blog for the (currently) upcoming webcomic I call Lunar Rhapsody, which sounds pretty chill, maybe you should go like read it or something when it comes out.

As for the comic itself, it's a modern-day-ish fantasy/sci-fi story about this 22-year-old who just graduated high school, Alice Weaver, who's also a magnet for fun descriptors like "high profile thief", "quote-unquote vampire", and "annoying". She gets involved in an incident with a piece of experimental technology trying to steal from a mysterious company called Knight Biochemical that's run by her former therapist. She is then forced to work for him both in the lab and in the summer camp he runs as a front. Wacky hijinks ensue as she gets caught between corporate ambition, domestic terrorism, vigilantes of questionable moral standing, extradimensional horrors and the unhinged antics demanded by the voices inside her head.

This blog will serve as a sort of companion to the comic, detailing its production process, additional information about its characters and world, Q and A, and bonus art, as well as any other stray thoughts that go unrepressed in my brain. I will have a bunch of other social medias carrying this same content (as of right now I have a Twitter with nothing of substance and an Instagram with some miscellaneous art. A YouTube channel about writing in general I'm making with a friend will be existing soon as well.) Now I said I'm new to Tumblr, but out of all the popular social media platforms available this one seems best as a "home base" due to its personalized, text-based nature, so that's what it is now. Whoops.

Content Warnings

This is, believe it or not, a thing not for kids, as it will contain mild gore, drug use, strong language, sexual themes, and revealing clothing but never full nudity. As the main characters are fresh out of high school, I want them to talk and act like people their age in the real world and address the kinds of issues they would be expected to confront (in addition to the more fantastical problems). However, I also intend to leverage these elements to generate appeal, but never more than what I (keyword: I) would consider the line where it becomes shock value or genuine porn. But unless you work at a really cool place, it will (to use a turn of phrase) probably not be safe for your workplace. Use your own discretion with regards to that.

The Immediate Future

This blog's gonna get slowly populated with content over the next few months as production is in full swing. So stay tuned if you're interested.

The comic's first update is expected to be released by August of this year (hopefully earlier), and I'll post details about where it can be read. I'll also post the first few pages to my various platoforms. It will be in the format of a somewhat but not completely self-contained chapter, which will be roughly a third of the first self-contained story or "episode". Each update will be another chapter, constructing each episode piece by piece. I'm deliberately not going to give the traditional page-by-page updates because that makes my schedule less flexible and, in my opinion, ruins the experience. As the comic is gonna be written and drawn more or less exclusively by me, a college student working on a Physics Bachelor's who's self-taught in writing and art, we'll have to see how things go in terms of production speed and quality.

Feel free to ask questions in the question asky box over on my page if you feel inclined for... some reason. I'll answer them probably within a day of receiving them, not because of any sense of urgency or importance, but because I (evidently) like making words happen a lot and frequently.

Legal Stuff

Oh. Also. Not that it's important now, but the whole thing's gonna be under some form of Creative Commons license, so if something I make tickles your fancy for some unholy reason I will never take legal action against anything you do with my creations. And that includes stuff that makes you money without me getting any of it. Hope the power doesn't go to your heads.

Peace,

Willy Tombstone (pseudonym) aka The Author Guy

#original comic #webcomic #sci fi #fantasy

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ink-fireplace-coffee · 1 year

Note

Hi Carmen!!

How are you doing?? Is the post concert sadness gone?

I realise I never got back to you about my lab stuff so I’m here to do a little ramble!! I’ve finally got back into the rhythm of lab work and the research assistant is happy to let me do stuff unsupervised which is very exciting but also kinda scary because that means no one will be standing over my shoulder to give gentle warnings when I’m doing something wrong 😅😅

Here is a little look inside my lab plus a diagram by me on the protocol I’m going to be doing tomorrow, it’s not too complicated but it has very strict time limits per step (about 15 seconds) so you have to be very quick with it 🥲

Hi Anmol Darling!

Doing stuff unsupervised sounds really cool!!! It might seem daunting but I'm sure you will not make mistakes and if you do, honestly we are all human so don't worry too much about it

your lab is like straight out of a movie!! (←has never been to a lab so movies are all the references I have haha) there's so much cool stuff I'm sure my mother might now what it is (she's a pathologist)

and your handwriting is so beautiful!!! I love how you say the protocol is not too difficult when I look at it and find it daunting... I'm sure you are going to be really really fast and do it all perfectly 🥰🥰🥰

my post concert sadness really went away and has been replaced by midterm season stress 🥲 i had one yesterday, one today and probably the most difficult one on Friday... Hopefully it goes well

I've also had a stupid dance session with my sister today, which was good for releasing a bit of the tension from today's test haha I'll send you the three second video she manages to capture of me lmaoo

aside from that i have scheduled to bake some baklava after my midterms cause i have a friend who's lactose intolerant and they don't need any dairy product sooo it's perfect! I can make a big batch and bring them to class so that my classmates love me

are you feeling better from your pain? i know it's chronic but if it comes by waves.... Also how is the weather there? Cause here tomorrow's gonna be 20°C and I don't even know if I should change my wardrobe or not hahahaha

#anmol friend🧡

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ros3ybabe · 5 months

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Weekly Check In - November 12th, 2023 🎀

ugh I feel like I’ve been neglecting my blogs, and that’s not what I want to be doing!!!

I have finals coming up so soon, including exams and final papers (looking at you, psychology research paper). Not to mention I’m still working 5 days a week, classes 4 days a week, working out 3-5 days a week on top of all my adulting duties. It’s safe to safe I have been a little stressed lately, no doubt about that. It really got me bad because it was impacting my relationship with my boyfriend and the last thing I want to do is cause unnecessary stress and anxiety for him. I know I let my stress and anxieties get the best of me when I realized I was the one causing 98% of all of our arguments and issues this last few weeks. Luckily I was able to come to the realization that it had been my fault, so him and I talked it through and worked it out and I missed him that I would work both on myself more as well as work with my therapist and develop better coping strategies for times of high stress.

🩷 let’s recap this last week with some highlights! And then I will tal about my goals for the upcoming week!

I had to go talk to my PSYC TA about how far I’d fallen behind in the class and she was able to give me some encouragement and a lot of help and really set me on the path in the right direction, so I definitely have hope that I’ll pass this class with a B at worst, which is still an awesome grade!

I finally made it back to my cooking class and the professor was so kind, he told me it always upset his days when I’d miss class for the week and he asked me if was doing okay and how things were going. I think he’s in his 50s or 60s, and he’s just a very kind man, reminds me of my own dad. Has that typical old man dad humor and his cooking class has actually help me become more comfortable with my own cooking skills as of this semester. Definitely one of my favorite classes, and my classmates were the best too.

I registered for the next semester and I am sooo looking forward to the course load. Well, for the most part anyways. I have to retake Chemistry 2 as well as the lab but luckily the college offers a supplemental type of course to help with the actual class so that’s gonna be awesome. I’m also taking a sports medicine focused medical terminology course online, another once a week food focused course about food production, a psychology of emotion course (super super excited for this class), and I registered for a yoga class for the semester! I feel like having yoga twice a week will definitely help with stress and relaxation and just overall keep me on the right track health wise for the semester! I think I’m taking a total of almost 18 credit hours but other yoga class itself is 2 credits so it’s definitely gonna be an easier semester at least schedule and course load wise.

My work bestie had her baby shower! I can’t believe she’s 8 months pregnant with a little boy, he’s already so lucky to have her and her man as parents. She was absolutely glowing at her baby shower and I’m so happy that I got to go and support her. I’ve known her for going on three years already so it made my day to both be invited and get to see how excited she got when I went.

I bought matcha powder! (Amongst other health stuff, including some new gym gear for my lower body days) I have a mini traditional matcha set so I thought I’d finally use it no bought some matcha powder online! I’m super excited to try my hand at making myself matcha lattes. I even bought a milk frother so I’m a little excited.

I changed up my fitness goals and routine a bit. I’m still going to the gym 3 days a week for weight lifting, but now two of those are lower body days and the other is an upper body day. I’m also going to continue with my two days of cardio but on those two days I am also going to do some at home mat Pilates to help with my overall fitness, appearance, and health goals. I’ve heard that some lower intensity workouts are pretty good for women with PCOS so I thought incorporating that would be a good idea.

I’m Vitamin D deficient and I had no idea! I used to take vitamin D supplements at my old doctors request when I was a teenager but I stopped when I can rot college because I was no longer being advised to take it nor were my blood levels being check regularly so I figured ehh not a big deal but I recently got lab work done and yep, I am semi severely vitamin d deficient. So now I gotta look into different foods I can incorporate as well as a vitamin d supplement and more time in the sun!

I’ve been keeping up a decent skincare routine with a bunch of new products I bought and can I just say, the Anua Heartleaf Oil Cleanser is an absolute god send. I’m obsessed with Asian/Korean skincare. It’s done so much for my skin, I can’t recommend it enough!

overall, not a bad week this last week. this recap is for only (mainly) November 4th through yesterday, November 11th.

🩷 my upcoming goals and things for this week! (November 12th thru 18th)

Keep up with all my homework and turning assignments in completed and on time. I’m trying to finish the semester off strong, or at least as strong as I can. That just means it’s grind time and I gotta buckle down and get my school stuff done.

Insurance. I need to purchase insurance because the state I live in says I make too much to qualify for full coverage insurance which is an issue with the meds I take and the doctors I currently see, as well as my therapist. Adulting, yay!

Complete at least a draft and/or reel for my dietetics mentor by Saturday/next Sunday as the deadline was to have something sent to her by Monday at noon. So my goal is to have some drafts of content for her as soon as possible.

Work out at least three days this week. I’ve been consistent with going every week for the last four weeks but I haven’t been as consistent with how many days within the week that I’ve been going. So that’s definitely a goal of mine.

Look into a Pilates class/studio I can join by the beginning of next semester. I definitely want to take some classes to help with form and proper technique, but I think I want to give myself some time to build more confidence so that way I can give it my all in the future classes I take. Plus, my finances don’t exactly permit me taking Pilates classes at the moment. So my goal is to do some research now and then make a decision by mid January.

My boyfriend and I are hitting a year and a half together this week! Ahh I love him so much, I’m so excited for yet another milestone. Pretty soon we’ll be coming up on two years and I just couldn’t be happier. My man is my best friend, I’m so lucky and grateful that I have him in my life, especially as my partner <3

Attempt to make a matcha latte! My matcha powder comes in this week so I’m gonna try my hand at making my own matcha now!

Keep consistent with my skin care and self care. Also pick up journaling again this week as I think it’ll help me sort out my stressors and anxieties without harming my relationship with my man or my relationship with myself. Self care and working on my own well being benefit me in so many ways, I just need to keep consistent with it.

Restart my Duolingo and Busuu streaks as an attempt to get back into learning the Japanese language! Also begin to pick up Spanish again! Spanish is not too difficult for me to understand as a lot of people I’m around speak the language and I also took classes in high school and some in college. So I think splitting my time between Spanish and Japanese will be good and keep me from being bored and dropping my language studies altogether. I’m going to start with Spanish Duolingo and just go from there with it! once I get more comfortable with the languages I will start making small posts in those languages! Spanish will definitely come easier than Japanese tho, that’s for sure.

that’s all for this upcoming week! It feels like it’s going to be busy but next week is our break for thanksgiving so that’s one week of rest and relaxation and recovery for me. I won’t be spending the holiday with anyone but I don’t mind, it gives me a day to be mindful and grateful and just give me some time to myself that day, and for the whole week. Everyone who knows me in person knows I definitely need the time for myself. I think it’ll be very restorative for sure.

for those of you who follow my side blogs for my fitness, I’ll be posting to it here soon as well! I think I might update you on my current split and routine more in depth then what I mentioned here. And I’m going to drop a review of some of the new skincare products I’ve recently bought and tried as well! I’ll try to do a mid week update this week on this blog too!

til next time, lovelies 🩷🤍

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opens-up-4-nobody · 3 years

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...

#i am posting this as motivation: tomorrow i will be more focused #i will figure out how to run my stupid fucking nested correlation heatmaps #i will watch videos related to my research as i work in R #and ya know what. fuck it. i will email a couple ppl at different nasa facilites in seach of an internship #maybe ill even look at emailing some national laboratory ppl #idk i was looking at jobs for environmental microbiologists and they're all like water and food related #but id prob qualify for them #i just dont really wanna do that so im prob better off to look at a lab tech job #idk i just feel like i really cant go streight into phd but ill prob send out a letter of intent anyway :-P #ugh im just feeling like a failure of a human being this week. idk what's wrong #im out of focus and hungry and unhappy and tired #so i scheduled some stuff so that i have to be productive in the lab thurs and fri #so we'll see what happens #oh god and i just remembered i need to check on my car which i have been putting off for way too long #in a way thats like it actively stresses me out that i havent done it but i sit on the floor and cry abt it and then get up and dont do it #so thats fun #why cant things just be easy?#unrelated

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until2022 · 4 years

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Until2022′s Guide to Catching Up When You’re Drastically Behind in Study:

I. Assess the damage

The first step in the plan is to confront how bad the situation is and then make some calls about what you can realistically achieve in the time you have left.

List everything you have to do, down to exact detail - don’t write ‘catch up on readings for Virology’, but instead note down every chapter. This will make it a lot easier to gauge how much time and energy you need for each assignment or exam, and will help to motivate you as you work through.

Use an Eisenhower matrix to sort these tasks:

Important and Urgent: Any and all compulsory assignments, exams, tests, etc.

Important but Not Urgent: Lectures for upcoming exams, compulsory readings or labs, etc.

Urgent but Not Important: Additional homework or tasks that are due soon but aren’t worth much, like logbooks or small quizzes

Not Important and Not Urgent: Additional readings, nice lecture notes, and other ‘good-to-haves’

Now cross out everything that you can afford not to do. That’s going to be everything in your ‘Not Important and Not Urgent’ zone, and probably all of the things in your ‘Urgent but Not Important’ zone. I know that it’s annoying not to get everything done, or to sacrifice the 5% that you could have gotten, but unless you can do it in 10 minutes and it’s really worth it you simply don’t have the time to spare here.

Having said that, if a class has lots of small assignments due, don’t overlook them because they’re not worth much on their own - make sure you take a look at the overall percentage left to go in that subject. If you can dedicate a whole day to just that subject and smash through all those assignments in one, you’re crossing a lot of work off your list. For example, I have weekly quizzes and 2% labs in my Pathology course - if I’m behind, I’ll dedicate a whole day and do all of those assessments. That’s 20% out of the way and a big leap towards catching up.

II. Tackle the low-hanging fruit

Seeing the product of countless days of procrastination is probably pretty daunting right now. I could offer you platitudes here but it’s a lot easier for you to actually take some action and feel better about it yourself, so:

Do everything that will take you less than 10 minutes to complete. Reply to those emails, the messages in the assignment group chat, upload your peer assessment, do all the little things you need to do for someone else. That should cross out a big chunk of things from your list, and you’ll be left with the important stuff like finishing assignments and studying for exams.

If you’re panicking (seeing the huge list of stuff which you have to finish in an impossibly short time will often do this!) then try an easy square breathing exercise. Breathe in for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, repeat. Splashing cold water on your face is helpful too, as is having a glass of water. Do not use this time to procrastinate! It might sound like a good idea to relax by watching Youtube or Netflix, scrolling through Instagram or playing a video game, but you’re going to be sucked back into the procrastination game that got you here in the first place.

III. Create your plan of attack

You’ve left it too late to be regularly revising, so our plan of attack is basically going to be: cram every subject consecutively. This is the best way to get everything done when you’re pressed for time like this - don’t switch tasks or subjects. Interleaving subjects is great when you’re on schedule, but right now you don’t want to spend quarter of an hour getting into the groove of a certain subject and then switching before an hour has passed.

University is just one assignment after another, no breathing space in between, especially towards the end of the semester. All you need to do is work out what’s due first and what’s worth most, order everything according to those criteria and then focus on the first assessment until you’re done. Once the assignment is handed in or you’ve sat the exam, then you can move onto the next task.

If you have two different assignments due for different classes on the same day, plan ahead so you can dedicate a full day to each subject instead of working on both at the same time.

Plan out every single day - make sure you’re scheduling in time to eat, shower, sleep, and take breaks as well as to study. Be specific when planning your time out each day as to what tasks you’re hoping to achieve - don’t allocate too much time to any single lecture, but at the same time, be realistic about how much you can cover in one hour.

Choose wisely based on what you do or don’t know. There isn’t much point in spending this precious time revising the things you already know you’re good at, so suck it up and schedule in the hard stuff first up, but be prepared to move on if you can’t get it down. You’re far better off going into the exam knowing 10 things badly, than 1 thing really well, so focus on the basics and if you have time to learn the more complex details then go back and do that later.

You also need to be flexible and prepared to adjust - sometimes an assignment will take longer than expected or a day just won’t be as productive as you thought it might be. Don’t panic, just re-plan and shift things around so you keep moving in the right direction.

IV. Grind it out

Now that you have a clear idea of what you need to achieve and when, it’s time to get it done.

For once, you shouldn’t need to worry about simple procrastination. You’re probably already panicking, so turn that anxiety into motivation which will fuel you and let you focus for long time periods. Fear can be a great driver - when the threat of the exam is looming over you, it’s amazing how well you can knuckle down, assuming you don’t want to fail.

Pack a bag with everything you need - your laptop or tablet, your charger, headphones, a water bottle and a travel mug, snacks and meals for the day, and anything else you like to have with you when you’re studying. Then take yourself to the library, the local coffee shop, the office - wherever you like to study, but don’t sit at home. There’s too many opportunities for distraction and you cannot afford that right now. Being in an environment where other people are working will motivate you to do the same.

If you’re working on an assignment, the best way to get things done quickly is to let go of any preconceptions of doing a great job, or having a perfect draft, and instead just focusing on having a draft. Bash out the worst draft you’ve ever written, fill it with run-on sentences and spelling mistakes. But make sure you finish a draft. Then all you have to do is edit it, and it’s a lot quicker to do it this way than it is getting bogged down in the details before you’ve even begun.

When you’re studying for exams, the number one way to learn is through active recall. There is no point in wasting time writing out a full set of notes if you’re two days out from the test. Even if you feel like you don’t know a single thing, start off straight away by testing yourself - do past exams, drill flashcards, try and write outlines or mind maps and then check your notes or textbooks and fill in what you’ve missed. If you don’t know the answer or you get it wrong, look it up and try to understand it, and then test yourself again in twenty minutes.

It’s important to strike a balance here: don’t overextend yourself, but don’t continually take breaks. If you think you need a break, you probably don’t. Take two minutes to stretch your legs and drink some water, but do not pick up your phone. If you’re starting to feel mentally fatigued, especially after a few hours, it can be helpful to switch locations - go outside and study on a park bench, or shift to the dining hall. Sometimes the change of scenery is all you need to feel refreshed.

V. Rinse and repeat

This is your life now. Make sure you stick to a regular sleep schedule - aim for at least six hours a night - because otherwise your fatigue levels will seriously impact your memory, retention and critical thinking abilities. It’s not worth the few extra hours you might get in, and you probably won’t be productive anyway.

Remember that the advice I’ve given you here is based on what I do when I am severely behind, not how I study on a daily basis when I’m on top of everything. These tips aren’t all great for long-term learning, but are the most efficient way to cram when you’re behind and under pressure.

You’ve got this.

#until2022 #mine #advice #learn #study #exams #revise #catching up #studyblr #vetblr #vet school essentials #masterpost #study tips #studyblr promo #study guide

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procrastilate · 3 years

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?/100 days of mild productivity

it is wednesday my dudes

and we’re going to pretend like i did not fail miserably to update you on my mildly productive antics as part of 100do(m)p for the last, what, 3 weeks?

i am very sorry.

so, going forward, i’m going to proceed with weekly updates on 100domp and we are going to ignore the last 23 days.

gonna be real with you for a sec - i’m stressed. i have 3 weeks worth of backlogged lectures that i have not even looked at. i have multiple assignments where the only thing i know is the deadline. i’m at a bit of a critical moment here, because if i don’t make it back up now i’ve kinda fucked myself for the rest of the year.

the reason i can be more confident in saying i’ll update weekly is that i need to study - and if i study, i actually have some studyblr content. i have pretty much been doing everything other than studying, so all i have is pictures of my walks and some lab notes about thin section microscopy.

it’s week 5 in the big brother house and lily is being an idiot.

despite this, i am still actively encouraging mild productivity. i will never not do that. the whole point of being mildly productive is recognising that the small things, the enjoyable things, the day-to-day things are productive. taking care of yourself is productive. making progress is productive. the point of being mildly productive is that most of the time it’s enough. you are not breaking your streak of productive days by not doing 3 hours of studying that day or from taking a day off or by doing stuff you enjoy - those things are productive. those things are things that improve you and that’s the whole point of productivity, right?

the situation i’m in right now isn’t because i wasn’t balls to the walls studying. it isn’t because of my definitions of what is productive and what isn’t. i am going to continue to be mildly productive, i just need to be differently mildly productive and mildly productive in a few more ways - with a sprinkle of straight up spicy productivity to get through the backlog. i may have been overly selective with my mild productivity.

anyways, the usual bullet points but it’s with commas - went on a day-long field course ( ’twas wet), started lord of the flies, made a poster about pyrite for uni and ended up on an auction site for rocks and minerals and may or may not have some (very reasonably priced) minerals on the way, walked lots, nearly got trampled by horses in the woods a couple times, got said hello to by a pug, washed up, did laundry!!!!! for the first time since i moved in lol, made a hat for my pet rock, made a spreadsheet schedule, socially distanced socialised, etc.

as always - have a great day, you deserve it and stay safe x

liky

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mammonshuman92 · 3 years

Text

- Watched -

Mammon & GN!MC

** TW: Stalking, cussing, religion (ish? I guess?)

| part two | | part three |

It’s been nearly 6 months since you left the Devildom. You picked up where you had left off in the human world: college, work, home, repeat. Sure, you missed your family while you were away, but now your heart aches almost constantly for the new family you loved so much, that you had to leave behind. (Not that you really had a choice in the matter.)

As much as it hurt to leave the brothers, Diavolo was right. Establishing harmony and unity with the three realms won’t go over too well if one of the human representatives doesn’t go back to the human world, now will it? Still, it sucks. Life is so boring without all of them.

And quiet.

It’s not like you don’t talk though. Yeah, Diavolo has that rule in place where they have to take turns talking to you because “human’s lives are short” and they were “taking up too much of your time”, but that’s not really going to stop them, is it?

Well kinda, actually.

You can’t really argue with a direct order from the demon lord, after all.

Is it Asmo's day to call? You thought to yourself, trying to remember (not that you ever could) the schedule Lucifer came up with. Your own schedule was hard enough to remember.

You had been picking up extra shifts at work and staying late to study at school when you could. Finding any reason to stay busy or get out of the house. The deafening silence was too much to bear.

"I wonder when I can go visit? I should call Diavolo.." you said to yourself quietly.

You were walking home from your shift at the coffee shop near campus. The sun was just starting to set and the air was slightly crisp, causing you to pull your jacket a little tighter.

If it weren't for the brilliant pinks and warm oranges cast on the sky by the setting sun, it would've felt like a regular night in the Devildom. Memories of your last few days spent there came flooding back, bringing the sadness along with them.

In just one year, you had gotten so close to everyone, but you had gotten especially close to Mammon. He was responsible for you in the beginning of course, but the connection was undeniable (no matter how much he did deny it). He was a total simp for you, and you for him. It was rather cringey to everyone else. He could be a handful at times, but that tsundere really is a great boyfriend. Leaving him behind was... well, there's no words for it.

Rounding the corner, you could see your house perfectly. Now that the sun had gone down a bit more, it was getting darker and you were suddenly thankful that you remembered to turn on the porch light before you left.

You pulled your keys from your jacket pocket while climbing the few steps to your front door, and something caught your eye. Your stomach dropped.

Not again..

You plucked the folded piece of paper that was stuck in the screen door and quickly made your way inside, locking the door behind you.With a heavy sigh, you tossed your keys on the table by the door and dropped your bag on the floor beside you. You immediately went to shower and change not giving the paper a second thought.

Not everyone in the human world agreed with the Devildom exchange student program. After you and Solomon had arrived in the Devildom, there were numerous protests by a group much like the Westboro lunatics. They were without a doubt against the program and called for it’s immediate termination. Thankfully, their personal hatred was no match for the opportunity for the realms to find peace.

When you had returned, you noticed people whispering about you, calling you names and giving you dirty looks. You've even received quite a few pieces of hate mail. Granted, the people opposed to the program were very small in numbers, even if it didn’t seem that way. It didn't bother you though. Demons ended up being some of the most important people to you. Not to mention you were kinda in love with one of them. People could say what they wanted about the Devildom and about you, their words didn't bother you.

You were still towel drying your hair when your phone rang. Tossing the towel, you rushed to the living room to fish it out of your bag, Asmo's face popping up on the caller ID. You were right, it was Asmo’s night. You were secretly hoping it was a certain greedy demon’s turn to call (not that he doesn’t text you almost constantly.)

Asmo was the same as usual. Talking animatedly about this and that, gushing over new beauty products and outfits, filling you in on all the gossip you were missing. While he was rambling, your eyes fell onto the paper that was in your door. Might as well look at the newest piece of hate mail, right?

You began unfolding the paper, quickly giving Asmo an “omg!” about the gossip he was dishing (even though you hadn’t been paying attention.)

Upon seeing the contents, all the color drained from your face. You were sure your heart sank into your stomach, but you could hear the rapid beating in your ears. You suddenly felt hot, and the air around you seemed thick.

Then the adrenaline kicked in.

With shaky hands, you quickly checked the front door making sure it was locked, and headed to the back door to do the same. You rushed around checking the windows and pulling all the curtains closed. Everything seemed fine, nothing out of the ordinary. Still, that didn’t settle your nerves any.

“MC, dear? Did you hear me?” The sound of Asmo’s voice brought you out of your frantic state.

“Huh? S-sorry Asmo. I guess I s-spaced out.” You tried your best to keep your tone normal and steady your breathing, as to not alert him to anything. You really should give him more credit, though.

“MC? Is everything alright?” His tone was different, no longer playful and flirty. You could hear the concern.

Shit.

“Yeah, I’m fine. More hate mail is all. No biggie.” You lied. Maybe he would believe it..

There was a pause on his end, “You’re STILL getting it? Don’t they have anything better to do?” Good, he bought it. For now, anyway.

After about 10 more minutes Asmo said his goodbyes, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

This piece hate mail turned out to be something much worse than the run of the mill stuff you usually received. Inside there were pictures. Of you. At work, at school, the grocery store, ...outside your house. There was also a newspaper clipping that had a picture of you and your family, from when your parents first opened their bakery a few years back. There were red ‘Xs’ marked through everyone’s faces...

The only words scrawled inside read, “I’ve been watching you. You will pay for what you’ve done, whore. And don’t even think about telling your demon fuck buddies. I know everything about you and your family. It’d be a shame if anything happened to poor old Mom and Dad because their child is an unholy slut.”

You read it over and over, tears streaking your cheeks. Hate mail was nothing new, but now this? A stalker?

Maybe I’m just over thinking it. The other hate mail was spicy too. But these pictures... There is NO way I’m over thinking this..

“Regardless, I can’t tell the brothers.” You shuddered at what their reaction would be like. It would definitely make all of Diavolo’s hard work on the exchange program obsolete. It wouldn’t be good for any of the three realms. There was still a long way to go, but the program was a giant step in the right direction to obtaining peace and understanding. If dealing with some backlash and hate mail could help get closer to that goal, then for the sake of the greater could, you could handle it.

“For now, I will bear this burden myself.”

- {3 weeks later} -

“Are you okay?”

The simple question nearly made you squeak and nearly jump out of your skin. You turn and meet the worried gaze of your lab partner. You weren’t super close with her, so you knew your current state had to be bad if she was picking up on it.

God, do I really look that bad? You got a good look at yourself this morning, and yeah, you absolutely look that bad. But then again, you haven’t really slept in a few weeks. You had gigantic purple eye bags, your hair looked like a family of birds took up residence in it. Your skin was pale and lifeless, and you began skin picking at your nails due to the anxiety. You’d even lost about twenty pounds.

“Sorry, I guess I was spacing out.”

“It’s alright. It’s just- no offense, but you look awful. Have you been sleeping?” She asked, eyes scanning your face.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Promise.” You lied. She nodded and gave you a weak smile, dropping the subject for now.

You hadn’t really been paying attention to class today. Well, for the last several days, really. You’ve been putting in less effort for a lot of things lately. You’ve been slacking off bad at school and barely keeping up at work. Not to mention you never sleep anymore. How can you though?

You left class early and although it was still early in the day, you decided to skip the rest of your lectures for the day. You’ve always been a fantastic student, so taking a day off wouldn’t really hurt anything. And seeing as today was Thursday, you didn’t even have work today. Same as every week.

Upon arriving home, you were relieved to see that there weren’t any notes left for you. Yet, anyway.

Ever since the first letter a few weeks ago, they’ve been showing up constantly. Only a few times the first week or so, but now you get at least one every single day. They’re also increasing in severity. The sender seems to be becoming more and more unhinged with every passing day.

“Dirty demon whore!!”

“You’re a HUMAN!! How dare you taint your body with demons!”

“I will cleanse you and make you pure again.”

There was so, so much more. All of it growing more and more explicit with each letter.

The whole thing was taking a huge tool on you, but what could you do? Your family’s safety was on the line. You so badly wanted to tell Mammon of even the cops, but you couldn’t live with yourself if anything bad were to happen. Whatever this psycho had planned, you would gladly put yourself in the line of fire to save those closest to you.

The whole situation has also affected your relationship with Mammon and the rest of the brothers as well. At first, you tried to hide what was happening, but they started getting suspicious and asking questions. Always wondering why you sounded so tired and why you kept cutting their phone calls super short. You always rejected their face time requests, knowing that your drastic change in appearance would be alarming and alert them that something was wrong. Lately, you’ve barely talked to any of them. Especially Mammon. He’d be the first to figure out something was wrong with you and come here ready to fight.

That honestly didn’t sound too bad. You wanted nothing more than for him to hold you while you ugly cried. Breathing in his scent while he rubbed soothing circles on your back.

Your heart started to ache.

When you got home you decided to take a nice, hot shower to hopefully help ease some of your tension and possibly begin to get a handle on your quickly deteriorating self care status.

Once you felt somewhat normal again, you put on your comfiest pj’s (which included one of Mammon’s shirts) and plopped yourself on your bed in the fetal position. It was the only thing that kinda helped ease a tiny bit of the feeling that everything was spiraling out of control. The warm scent of your most favorite demon helped calm you.

*bzzz* *bzzz* *bzzz*

Damn. I almost fell asleep..

You sat up, rubbing your eyes and reached for your D.D.D. on your nightstand. The called ID made your heart rate accelerate and your palms sweaty.

It’s him.

“Mammon..? I thought it was Beel’s turn to call?”

“I don’t care about Lucifer’s stupid schedule. I need to talk to ya.” His tone made him sound like he was on edge.

“Oh, ok. What’s up?”

He scoffed, “Really? You’ve barely messaged me back in three days. The last time I called, ya hung up after five minutes.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, I’ve just been busy.” Every lie helps break your heart just a little more.

“You’ve never been too busy before. Besides, shouldn’t ya be in a class right now or somethin’? It ain’t even noon.”

“I left class early and I’m skipping the rest of the day.” You explained.

“..Hmm.” He replied, you could detect suspicion in his response.

It was quiet on his end for a moment.

“MC?”

“Yeah?”

“..Do ya got another boyfriend? Cause The Great Mammon is definitely better! And-and, I’ll kick their ass!”

“What? Mammon, no. One boyfriend is almost more than I can handle.”

“Wha- hey!”

For the first time in who knows when, you actually giggled. It felt so good.

“So, you swear nothin’ is wrong? You’ve been actin’ so weird.” His voice was heavy with concern.

“Yeah, I swear.” Lie.

As good as it felt to talk to him, you needed to end the call before he ended up dragging the truth out of you. If any one could figure out what was wrong with you, it’d be him. The two of you had spent so much time together, that you can practically read each other like a book.

“I gotta go, ok? I have work later and I need to get ready.” Lie. But, you needed to get off the phone with him before he suspects anything.

“Yeah, sure.” He sounded so defeated. You could almost hear him pouting.

After a quicker goodbye than you usually have when getting off the phone with Mammon, you fell back onto your bed with a heavy sigh.

That was a little rough, but he seemed to believe it. I hope this will all be over soon.

With that, you quickly fell asleep, lulled by the memory of your demon’s voice. Although you wouldn’t sleep long, at least you got to fall asleep to the thought of him.

*bzzz* *bzzz* *bzzz*

Geez, are ya gonna answer or not? Ya always pick up on the second ring when I call ya.., Mammon thought.

Finally, on the sixth ring, “Mammon..? I thought it was Beel’s turn to call?”

Man, hearing your voice is like music.

“I don’t care about Lucifer’s stupid schedule. I need to talk to ya.” His tone made him sound a little rougher than intended, but it was all the same. He needed to hear you voice.

“Oh, ok. What’s up?”

He scoffed, “Really? You’ve barely messaged me back in three days. The last time I called, ya hung up after five minutes.”

I miss ya like crazy. Ya keep avoiding me..

“Oh. I’m sorry, I’ve just been busy.”

Huh? But, MC is always busy doing somethin’ and it never stopped em’ before..

He started getting an uneasy feeling deep in his stomach. He could tell something was off, but he just didn’t know what it was.

Is it ...someone else? Nah, MC wouldn’t do that. ...Right??

“You’ve never been too busy before. Besides, shouldn’t ya be in a class right now or somethin’? It ain’t even noon.” He didn’t try to hide the pout, that he knew you could hear, in his voice. His own thoughts were beginning to hurt his feelings.

“I left class early and I’m skipping the rest of the day.” MC explained.

“..Hmm.” He hummed. Thoughts started swirling around in his head.

MC never skips school, not even at RAD. Somethin’ is definitely going on. And what’s with the short answers? MC always talks like crazy. Maybe they’re mad at me?

It was quiet for a moment while he tried to sort through his thoughts.

“MC?” He asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Yeah?”

“..D-do ya got another boyfriend? Cause The Great Mammon is definitely better! And-and, I’ll kick their ass!”

“What? Mammon, no. One boyfriend is almost more than I can handle.”

“Wha- hey!” You giggled at his response. It was small, but he heard it. It made his heart swim.

All joking aside, he did believe you. Something was definitely not right with you though.

“So, you swear nothin’ is wrong? You’ve been actin’ so weird.” His voice was heavy with concern.

“Yeah, I swear.” Those three words caused his heart to sink.

That was a lie.. MC only says ‘I swear’ while tryin’ to act like somethin’ ain’t wrong..

He pushed his thoughts aside for the time being and continued the conversation. It only lasted a few more minutes before you started saying your goodbyes. Again, cutting the call short.

“I gotta go, ok? I have work later and I need to get ready.”

Hmm. Why does that seem weird?

“Yeah, sure.” He sounded so defeated.

There was, without a doubt in his mind, something going on. Something that would make you lie to him..

One way or another, he was going to find out.

“Mammon? Are you alright?”

Mammon was sprawled out on the couch in the common room. After talking to you, he was lost in his thoughts and feeling rather down. Beel passed by the common room on his was back from the kitchen when he saw his older brother. Noticing that he looked sad, Beel went to investigate.

Mammon looked up to meet Bee’s concerned gaze and with a sigh, he sat up.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Mammon said, as he stood up to leave. Beel could tell he was obviously lying, but decided not to press the issue.

Mammon stopped a few paces away from Beel, and turned back around to face him.

“Hey, Beel. Was MC actin’, I don’t know, “off”, the last time ya talked to em’?” He asked the sixth born, thinking maybe you had accidentally let something slip.

Beel’s face seemed to twist up a little bit, and he nodded.

“Yeah, kind of. MC used to sound excited when I called, but now they hardly talk at all. And they used to send me pictures of the food they were eating and new recipes, at least twice a day, but it’s been about two weeks since the last one they sent.” He explained, sadness in his voice. While in the Devildom, you were his favorite person to eat with.

Mammon nodded at his brother, getting lost in his thoughts again.

So, it’s not just me. MC is actin’ strange with Beel too..

Neither of them had paid been paying enough attention to see Asmo enter the room.

“Mammon, there you are. I’m going out, and I need my new bag from Majolish. The one I let you borrow. And i swear, if you sold it-” Asmo stopped mid sentence when he noticed the sad state two of his brothers.

“Is it about MC?” He asked, nonchalaunt.

Mammon’s head snapped toward his brother.

“What do you mean? Did they say somethin’ to ya?” Mammon asked quickly, taking a few steps closer to his brother.

MC and Asmo always gossip with each other, so maybe they’d tell him somethin’..

“Calm down. MC really hasn’t talked to me much in the last month. I’m so hurt! Who else am I going to talk beauty products with? Lucifer? Goodness, no.”

“Asmo!” Mammon said loudly, trying to get the fifth born back on track.

“Oh, right. Let’s see.” He put a finger to his chin and thought about it. “Hmm. The only thing I can think of was during the last normal conversation I had with them. They said something about receiving a piece of hate mail. They said it was no big deal, but I distinctly remember MC seemed flustered by it. Which I thought was weird, considering it’s definitely not the first one they’d received..” Asmo explained.

Hate mail? MC has only mentioned it to me a couple times. Do they really get it that often..?

“How long ago was that?” Mammon asked. He felt like he was on the brink of something. Just a few more puzzle pieces..

“Hmm, it was right before MC started acting distant toward me. So, about three or four weeks, maybe.” Asmo explained. That’s around the time you had started acting weird with Mammon too.

“So, maybe something happened to MC.” Beel suggested.

“No, MC would tell us. ..Right?” Asmo questioned.

Mammon was so confused.

What is goin’ on with you, MC?

After talking with his brothers, Mammon holed himself up in his room. He didn’t really want to be around anyone at the moment. His thoughts were driving him crazy and giving him a headache. What was he not seeing? What piece of the puzzle was he missing?

He started going over your last conversation again, for the millionth time, looking for any kind of clue. But, you seemed normal. Well, your new normal, anyway. Distant, short answers, not giving too much to the conversation. What were you hiding?

It was something about the end of your conversation, but what was it?

He remembered your small giggle. The memory caused a smile to break out across his face. It gave him a tiny bit of hope that you were still there. That you still loved him. That whatever was troubling you, wasn’t making you forget them completely.

It was after that though. You had said “I swear”, which was a red flag, considering you only say it when you’re trying to convince him you’re ok when you’re really not.

He sighed, and rolled over on his bed. He looked at the alarm clock on his night stand, numbers glowing an angry red.

MC is probably at work right now..

Something caught his eye.

Today is Thursday... MC never works on Thursday. I guess the schedule coulda changed. No, cause MC specifically requested to always have that day off for some reason. Delivery day at their family’s bakery, I think. ...MC lied, again..

Then it hit him.

The small little lies. Avoiding all of them, even him for weeks now. Barely talking when you do answer the phone. The way you always sounded so tired and out of it.

It had something to do with what Asmo said about the hate mail.

“Hmm. The only thing I can think of was during the last normal conversation I had with them. They said something about receiving a piece of hate mail. They said it was no big deal, but I distinctly remember MC seemed flustered by it. Which I thought was weird, considering it’s definitely not the first one they’d received..”

Mammon didn’t even know that you’d been receiving that much hate mail. Sure, you’d told him about it a couple times, but he didn’t think it was that bad. Maybe it was actually pretty serious. Is that why you’d been so distant.

Mammon got up from his bed, and began pacing around the room. He almost had it figured out, he could feel it.

Asmo said MC seemed flustered, so it had to have somethin’ to do with the hate mail they received that day, since after that is when MC started actin’ weird.What if it’s somethin’ bad. Like, bad bad.

He stopped pacing.

The thought of MC being in danger was...

Mammon grabbed his jacket, where it was thrown onto the pool table and left his room in a hurry. He was on his way to Lucifer’s study, mentally preparing himself on the way. He was sure he knew what his brother’s answer would be, but he wasn’t going to just sit here. He needed to know that you were, in fact alright, with his own eyes.

I’m going to the human world. Whether Lucifer allows it or not.

| part two | | part three |

#obey me shall we date #obey me mammon #obey me #mammon x mc

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aseioh · 3 years

Link

Notes: Listen, I saw those post of Bela and Donna together and my mind ran away with it. as a result I humbly offer you this story.

If anyone finds those drawings again would you mind tagging me. I would really appreciate it and I would like to thank the original artist.

Thank you. With that in mind here is a sneak peak.

Summary: Donna finds love in the most unexpected way. After all, who would even think of falling for her. Therefore it came as a big surprise to her when someone did fell. Never had she thought that she would be courted by Alcina’s oldest daughter.

As with all grand stories of lovers finding each other, the story of how Donna Beneviento found love in Bela Dimitrescu started out on an inconsequential happenstance.

‘There’s a leak in my house, and I’m afraid living near a great waterfall has its benefits and pitfalls. One of which is having damp wall bad enough to get mold.’ Donna thought to herself as she made her way to Mother Miranda’s inner sanctuary for the weekly meeting.

“I wonder if this is the mutamycete’s cousin invading my house.”

“Did you say something my dear?” Alcina said as she herself makes her way to the door, stooping slightly to enter. She holds the door until Donna enters. “Thank you, Alcina.”

“We have a mold situation! Mistress is saying that it might be the Mold’s cousin” Angie pipes up happily enjoying the attention Alcina gives to her.

“Angie hush, it’s nothing Alcina. One of the downsides living near the waterfall, I’m afraid it got too damp in one of the rooms that molds has started to grow. It’s my fault really, I should have inspected the house more often.” Donna explains, it’s a good thing she was wearing her veil, she wouldn’t want Alcina to see her embarrassment from something so small a matter.

“In any case I’ve already contacted someone from the village to clean and remove the problem. Although a more thorough inspection must be done, I wouldn’t want any more surprises.”

To their surprise Heisenberg was already there in the sanctuary, usually the rugged man was the last to arrive on which he calls it “fashionably late”. Moreau always the first to arrive every time Mother Miranda summons them.

There was a companionable silence between the two, as they normally only interact when Mother Miranda was there.

“Hello Countess, Lady Donna” As Moreau turns his focus on the two ladies arriving and tries his best to smile despite his monstrous form, Moreau has always been polite with everyone.

“What’s this about surprises?” Heisenberg asked as he lounges on his chair.

Thankfully, Mother Miranda has yet to arrive, giving the four Lords enough time to chat after all it’s not everyday that they can just gather around to talk. After a small catch up, curtesy of Angie’s animated retelling, the four Lords are now faced with a small problem.

Where should they house Donna?

Of course, as one of the Four Lords of the village she is both loved (more than the others apparently, if the village gossip is to be trusted) and feared, and although the weakest among the four she is well protected in her shrouded mansion that she had no real fear of being attacked.

Even with the slim chance that anyone would be brave enough to attack her, taking her away from the mansion poses a real threat to her safety. And that would not do.

“You could always bunker down with me at the Factory. If you don’t mind the smell of oil and a little bit of heat” Heisenberg offered as he casually took a drag off his cigar. “Hey, we might even finish one of our projects it’ll certainly save you time traveling from your house to my factory.”

“Ugh, as if. She’s a Lady Heisenberg. She’s not slumming down there with you, and she certainly need her own privacy” Alcina countered with a huff. The nerve of the man can he really not think beyond his work.

“Oh, right sorry Donna” Understanding what Alcina implied, Heisenberg had the decency to slightly blush.

“Sorry I can’t offer you to stay in my reservoir Donna. Even I think that’s no place for a Lady to live, not to mention the fish smell and cramped living quarters.” Moreau said apologetically.

“That’s alright Sal, I understand. Thank you for thinking about my welfare.”

“Well that leaves my Castle. And of course, you’re staying with me. I will not take ‘No’ for an answer. You living in a hovel just won’t do my dear” Alcina smiled triumphantly at the revelation

“If you were thinking of housing her, why did you pose the question to us?”

“Simple. I wanted to see what your reactions would be and honestly I wasn’t surprised by it”

“Smug bitch” Heisenberg huffs under his breath, he had to admit he walked right in that one.

“What was that?”

“Nothing”

“Are you sure Alcina, I don’t want to impose to you and your daughter. Aren’t you busy with the harvest and wine production? Not to mention I still have the other dolls to rehouse I can’t leave them there alone.” Donna inquired slightly unsure on what will happen to her small friends.

“That can be taken care of. Heisenberg can house them as well as lending some of his soldat to ensure that the villagers won’t go snooping around where they’re not wanted. Isn’t that right Heisenberg?”

“Yeah, yeah, leave those to me. Anything else your Highness?”

“She’s gonna need some of her stuff carried from her house to my Castle be a good boy and fetch them for us will you” Alcina smiles.

At that Heisenberg growls

“Now, now no need for that. Thank you Karl for your help” as Donna pushes herself in between Alcina and Heisenberg

“No thanks needed Donna, anything for my favorite lab assistant.”

At that Donna chuckles “Karl, I’m you’re only Lab mate.”

“Exactly”

With that Mother Miranda enters the Sanctuary and everyone went back to their places. Alcina and Heisenberg opposite each other in front of Miranda, while Donna and Moreau are at her right and left side, respectively.

After a grueling five hours of discussion and bickering (mostly of Alcina and Heisenberg), Mother Miranda had deemed it right adjourn the meeting and continue it the following week with cooler heads and a more substantial plan.

“Well dear are you ready? I’m sure Angie here is excited to see her new home. Heisenberg will take care of the rest of your baggage.”

“Yes, I’m ready. Let’s go”

A short and companionable silent ride later and both Lords arrive at the front of Castle Dimitrescu. This isn’t the first time Donna came to the Castle, but this is the first time she would be remaining for an extended period of time.

She knew of Alcina’s daughters, but she has never interacted with them. The most of their interaction stems from short glimpses and hearing the girls giggle from one of the rooms when she visits. Not that she made a personal effort to meet them, she was still rather self-conscious and awkward with first meetings. The very idea of interacting with new people (even if they are close to the people she considers as family) freezes her.

It’s a good thing Angie’s always with her, she can be the extension of Donna’s subconscious.

“Welcome to Castle Dimitrescu dear, I hope your stay with us is pleasant. Consider this your home away from home” Alcina smiles widely as she leads Donna to the main hall. “Daughters come down here, we have a guest to welcome.”

With that swarms of insects came down from the foyer only to split into three distinct form. Three beautiful ladies came to rest in front of the pair.

“Daughters, Lady Beneviento and Angie will be staying with us for a while. I expect you to be on your best behavior.”

“Of course, Mother. Welcome Lady Beneviento, Angie.” Bela bows slightly as she welcomes Donna, the other two soon follows.

“Very good, I’m sure Donna is tired from the meeting as am I. Shall we all have dinner later? Bela would you mind escorting Donna to one of the guest rooms, I’m sure she’ll need to freshen up or lay down for a bit.”

“Understood Mother. Come my Lady, let me show you to your room” as Bela leads Donna to the guest room, there’s almost a tense atmosphere between them.

“Here you are Lady Beneviento. Ring the bell if you ever need something, We’ll assign a maid for your room and they’ll fetch it for you.” Bela smiles as she explains it to Donna, the room itself is big and opulent as expected from a guest room of the castle.

“Thank you, my Lady, for you and your Mother’s hospitality, this is indeed very much suitable. Angie and I will fit right in am I right Angie” at this Angie who’s been looking left and right at the place nods enthusiastically.

“Please don’t mind us, we’ll try to stay quiet as possible. We wouldn’t want to impose on your busy schedule.”

“Call me Bela, my Lady. and don’t worry, you won’t be an imposition. In fact, you just might be what we need at this castle right now. A breath of fresh air, if you don’t mind, I would love to chat with you about the outside world. As I’m sure you know, my sisters and I cannot leave the castle grounds for too long.” Bela asked unsure if what she’s asking is too much for the usually quiet Lord.

Sensing some hesitation from the young woman in front of her, Donna made her decision as well. ‘I will be staying here for some time. I may as well get to know the daughters Alcina is so fond of’.

“Of course, Bela, I would love to. And please call me Donna, if we’re to chat and get to know one another we can get rid of that formality. I certainly won’t mind.” And although Bela cannot see the smile on Donna’s face, she can surely hear the warmth of Donna’s voice.

“Yes please. Well then Donna, I’ll leave you to rest for now. Shall I fetch you for dinner time?”

“Yes, of course. I would love nothing more.”

With that Bela takes her leave of the room, and as she walks away, she can’t help but to smile to herself.

‘A breath of fresh air indeed’

#resident evil village #donna beneviento #bela dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu #Donna x Bela pairing #The pairing I didn't know I needed #Until I saw it #Cassandra & Daniela tries to be good wing(wo)men #spoilers: they made it slightly harder #Oh well its the thought that counts right?#Right Bela?

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thedanceronthestreets · 3 years

Text

PEDRO PASCAL GQ GERMANY - OCTOBER 2020

Original text by Esma Annemon Dil

Fotos by Doug Inglish

Styling by Simon Robins

Translated by @thedanceronthestreets

Intro: A broken tooth could almost have been the reason for our meeting with Pedro Pascal to be cancelled - and with that our conversation about roots, his new movie and times of change.

Interview: It is almost eery how empty the streets of Los Angeles are under the gleaming sun. While Europe is finding its "new normal", people in L. A. are cutting their own hair even without being neurotics. Many of them have not seen their friends in half a year. The pandemic is out of control. So are the reactions to the situation. Inviting someone to a "distance drink" in the backyard can lead to the same consternation as proposing a relationship partner exchange.

All the more of a surprise was Pedro Pascal's immediate confirmation. To the drink, not the partner exchange. He is one of the winners this year - and if Corona had not forced the movie industry to go on a holiday, he probably would not have had the time for this drink. After "Game of Thrones", the series in which his head was squished, followed 2015 the leading role in "Narcos" as a DEA agent on the hunt for Pablo Escobar, and now the leap onto the big Hollywood screen. As of 1. October the Chilean will appear in the blockbuster "Wonder Woman 1984". Furthermore, the second season of the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian" will start in October with him as the main character - unfortunately underneath the helmet. But we all seem to be under the same helmet in 2020. It is this man we want to meet, who worked as a waiter in New York a couple of years ago. Whose parents are political refugees that settled in Texas, and one day their son decided to walk into a drama club in high school.

And then the cancellation. While we were preparing the house and garden for Pedro's drink and fashion shoot, which isn't an easy task under L. A.'s restrictions, his management called in with terrible news: Pedro has - no, not Corona - had to receive emergency surgery due to a sore tooth and is now lying in bed with a swollen cheek, making talking or shooting impossible. The sun shines onto empty streets. And our empty garden.

A few days later, he stands in front of the door anyway, no huge bulge in his face, but stitches in his gum. No limousine service that dropped him off, he arrived in his own car and picked up his makeup artist on the way. He helps her to carry in all the equipment and states first and foremost: "I've got time today!" What a star! It does not seem like we are about to ask him how he managed to become a Hollywood sensation, but rather him asking us that question. Pedro Pascal! So, what kind of star is he then?

Pedro Pascal: Sorry for ruining your plans. The operation was a total emergency.

GQ: Really? We were wondering whether the swelling was the result of a secret trip to the plastic surgeon. Apparently, because of the quarantine in Hollywood, their schedules are packed.

Sorry to disappoint you. A few days before our appointment I raced to the hospital with a tooth fracture and the worst pain I've ever felt - a hospital where the severe Corona cases are treated. I was unable to contact any dentists! Right before I parked, a specialist called back. I'll spare you the details of the surgery, gruesome. The pain was excruciating despite the 10 anaesthetic shots. The doctor said I wasn't the only one going through this, a lot of people grind their teeth at night thanks to stress.

What are you most afraid of at the moment?

The way the government is handling the pandemic scares me more than the virus itself. The lack of intelligent crisis management is a moral disgrace. The leadership crisis makes orphans out of all of us - we're left to fend for ourselves.

How have you spent the last few months?

With frozen pizza in jogging trousers in Venice Beach. I live in a rear building that's in the garden belonging to a family. In reality there are enough good takeout restaurants around that area, but for some reason I like salami pizza from the supermarket.

That doesn't exactly sound like the movie star lifestyle. What does it feel like to be forced from top speed to zero?

Considering the things happening in this world, my own state really isn't the top priority. But I would have to lie, if I said I wasn't disappointed. The entire cast and crew of "Wonder Woman 1984" put so much heart and soul into the production. We had so much fun on set. I had hoped to carry this feeling of exuberance around the globe to the openings of this movie.

You are part of a political, socialist family that fled the Pinochet regime in Chile. What do you remember from back then?

My sister and I were born in Chile, but I was only nine months old when we claimed asylum in Denmark. From there, we moved to San Antonio in Texas, where my dad worked as a doctor in a hospital.

Texas isn't exactly considered to be socialist utopia. How well did you settle in?

San Antonio isn't a cowboy city but rather very diverse with large Asian, Afro-American and Latino communities. In my memory it's a romantic place, culturally inclusive. The cultural shock only hit when we moved to Orange County in California later. Suddenly, the environment was white, preppy and conservative.

How were you welcomed in California?

To this day I'm ashamed when I think about how I let my classmates call me Peter without correcting them. I'm Pedro. Even without growing up in Chile, the country and language are part of me. I was quite unhappy in that place. At least I was able to switch schools and visit one in Long Beach, where I felt more comfortable. With its theatre programme, I found my path.

Could you visit your family's homeland as a child?

Yes, after my parents ended up on a list of expats that were permitted to re-enter the country. First, there was a big family gathering, then me and my sister were parked at some relatives' place for a few months while my parents returned to Texas. They probably needed a break from us. They'd had us at a very young age, had a vibrant social life, and my mother was doing her doctorate in psychology.

Was your mother a typical young psychologist that tested her knowledge at home?

You mean whether I was her lab rat? Absolutely. I can remember weird sessions camouflaged as games, where someone would watch my reactions to different toys. Even though I couldn't have been older than 6, I knew what was happening. My favourite thing was to be asked about my dreams. That was always a great opportunity to make up fantastic stories.

Was that your first performance?

Definitely! My strong imagination alarmed my mother, because I'd rather live in my fantasy world than in real life. I didn't like school. I ended up in the "problematic kid" category. At some point the subjects got more interesting and my grades improved. So many children are unnecessarily diagnosed with learning disabilities without considering that school can be daunting. Why is it acceptable to be bored out of your mind in class, when there are more stimulating ways to convey knowledge?

With everything happening in the world this summer: Do you believe that social hierarchy structures are genuinely being reconsidered?

Hopefully. After the lockdown my first contact with people was at the Black Lives Matter protest. The atmosphere was peaceful and hopeful until the police got involved and provoked violence. At least during these times we can't avoid problems or distract ourselves from them as easily as we usually do. It seems that the pandemic provided us with a new sense of clarity: we don't want to go on like this.

The trailer of "Wonder Woman 1984" represents the optimism of the 80s. That almost makes one feel nostalgic nowadays.

That holds true. It's two hours of happiness. Patty Jenkins, the director, managed to make a movie full of positive messages. We shot in Washington, D. C., then in London and Spain - which now sounds like a different time.

Do you miss travelling?

I've only now realised what a privilege it is to just pack up your things and fly anywhere. With an American passport you can travel freely. And that's why the small radius we live in now is kind of absurd. Over the last few years I often retreated in between takes, because I was always on the road and overstimulated. Friends complained about how comfortable I had become. We all took social interactions for granted and realise now how reliant we are on human connection. Now, I wistfully think about all the party and dinner invitations I declined in the past.

In L. A., people spend more time indoors or in nature than in other metropolises. Could this city become your safe haven after New York City?

My true home is my friends. Ever since I was young I've lived the life of a nomad and haven't set roots anywhere. Until recently, my physical home was a place for arriving and leaving and hence I didn't want to overcomplicate living by owning lots of things. The opposite actually: Without having read Marie Kondo's book, I got rid of all the stuff that was unnecessary and lived a very minimalistic lifestyle.

Is there something you collect or could never say goodbye to?

Books! I still own the literature I read during my teen and university years. Recently I found a box of old theatre scripts and materials back from my uni days at NYU. I can't separate from art either, same as lamps or old pictures. Furniture and clothes are no problem though, they can be chucked.

Do you remember any roles that were defined by their costumes?

Yes, "Game of Thrones" comes to mind immediately. During that time I first understood what it means, as an actor, to be supported by a look. I owe that to costume designer Michele Clapton. She developed these very feminine robes and brocade cloaks for my role that looked very masculine when I wore them. I felt sexy in them. And very important were of course Lindy Hemming's power suits and Jan Sewell's blond hair for the tycoon villain Maxwell Lord in "Wonder Woman 1984". Relating to the style, I couldn't really see myself in the role since the shapes and colours of the 80s don't really fit my body. My type is the 70s.

Do you adopt such inspirations into your private closet?

At this point in time, I'll choose any comfortable outfit over a cool look. Sometimes I mourn the days when I defined myself with fashion. It's a bit mad when I think about how, in the 90s as a teenager, I would go to raves; a proper club kid with crazy outfits: overalls, chute trousers, soccer shirts and a top hat like in "The cat in the hat knows a lot about that!" by Dr Seuss. Later in NYC I was part of a group that placed immense value on wearing a certain style. The fact that I only walk around in joggers nowadays is actually unacceptable!

Normally, actors who work on comic screen adaptations become bodybuilders and eat ten boiled chicken breasts per day. You don't?

My body wouldn't be able to handle that. I find it difficult enough to maintain a minimum level of fitness. As of your mid 40s, you suddenly need a lot more discipline. Until the tooth incident happened, I worked out a couple of times a week with a trainer to keep the quarantine body in shape.

What would annoy you the most, if you were your own roommate?

I can be very bossy. I have to gather all my goodwill not to force my movie choice on to everyone else. When I want something, I'm not passive aggressive about it, I attack head on. Also, I can get caught up in tunnel vision: When i feel down, I can't imagine that I'm ever going to feel better again. I have difficulty with seeing the bigger picture when experiencing problems or emotions. Method acting really wouldn't be my thing. That's why I try to only work on projects that feel good and where people encourage and lift each other up.

While you were trying on the outfits you pointed out a lack of self-esteem. How does that coincide with your career?

Isn't it interesting how traits and circumstances go hand in hand? Self-esteem comes from the inside, but it's also influenced by what society believes. We use critical stares from the outside against ourselves. I lived in New York for 20 years, I studied there and worked as a waiter up until my mid 30s, because I couldn't live off acting. It was always so close. The disappointment of always just barely missing a perfect part or opportunity is exhausting. When is the right time to stop trying and what's plan b? That's not just a question actors ask themselves, but anybody who struggles to earn a livelihood - unrelated to how much potential they have or how close their dream may seem. We are beginning to see now how our narrow definition of success is destroying our communities. At the same time, it's becoming obvious that, until this day, your family background and skin colour determine your chances of living a dignified existence.

What are the positives of becoming a leading man later in life?

I have the feeling that I've got control over my life - without the pressure of having to accept projects or be a social media personality. That surely also has to do with the fact that I'm a man. Women are surely pressured to appear quirky at any age.

Life is always a management of risks - especially at this time. For what would you risk losing something?

Usually, if you don't play the game you're not going to win anything. That applies to friendship, love, work, creativity. Anything that really means something to me, is worth the risk.

Wonder woman 1984 will appear in cinemas 01.10. The 800 million dollar earning DC comic franchise is moving into the New York 80s with its sequel. It looks spectacular - only Pedro Pascal with blond hair in a three piece Wall Street suit looks better.

#pedro pascal #gq germany #Gq

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