#synthetic organic chemistry | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

greenglowinspooks · 6 months

Text

(DCxDP) The obligations of a rogue versus those of a parent (Pt. 4)

—

Tw: descriptions of body horror, Dr. Crane has PTSD and Does Not Realize, Crane has an actual panic attack and just doesn’t care, the Riddler makes one (1) sex joke about Batman

Will be crossposted to AO3 eventually

(Pt. 1 here) (Prev here) - (Pt. 5 here)

(Masterlist here)

—

Dr. Jonathan Crane is in his lab, the acrid scent of chemicals filling the air, and his hands are shaking.

Danny’s health, for the first week that he had him, had been steadily improving at an extremely quick rate. However, his healing had begun to stagnate. Danny said that it was because his body had run out of ectoplasm, and that while there was a lot of ambient ectoplasm in Gotham, he needed a stronger type in order to heal.

And so, that led Dr. Crane here.

He had stolen the research notes from the Penguin years ago regarding his experimentation on him.

(He quite vividly remembers the sound of bone creaking and groaning as it twisted, lengthened. The squelching of shifting tendons and muscles, the strange fabric-like tightening of skin. The feeling of going from man to monster, of losing all claim to his humanity.)

Danny had called him Liminal, part ghost. He had said that he was transformed by, among other things, a kind of synthetic ectoplasm.

Danny needed ectoplasm.

Crane had the research notes. He had every ingredient necessary. And yet, attempt after attempt failed.

The chemical smell burns his nose. His hands tremble.

Dr. Crane is not afraid.

He doesn’t feel fear anymore. He’s tried to, many, many times, but nothing has worked. And yet, his hands are shaking still.

(The horrifying sensation of vertebrae pop-pop-popping along his spine, growing and lengthening. The unbearable itching beneath his skin as toxin glands begin to form. The feeling of his teeth sharpening and elongating, of his skull growing, of his vision changing and brightening. The awful stench of chemicals. The awful stench of ectoplasm.)

Jonathan takes careful note of his shaking hands, his blurring vision, his accelerated heart-rate and shallow breathing.

(Human hands. Human vision. Human heart and lungs and organs.)

He takes note of them, but he does not let that distract him from the task at hand. Danny is not a chemist, but Jonathan is.

The boy knows enough about chemistry in theory, but he won’t go anywhere near Crane’s equipment. He seems to have some sort of intense fear of laboratory settings, probably developed during his stay with the GiW, and Crane is willing to respect that, if only because he cannot afford to lose him.

As such, Crane is the only one qualified to do this. And, unfortunately, if he isn’t successful the boy may very well die.

He heats the chemicals to precisely the right temperatures, adding each one to its correct container.

Dr. Crane thinks of the Scarebeast, that creature born of cruelty and greed and a sense of superiority. That creature which he tries to ignore is a part of him, that can never be removed. A damage which cannot be undone.

He pours the contents of a small beaker into a larger flask, watching the liquids swirl together. The stench in the air is becoming closer and closer to the one burned into his memory.

Crane’s whole body is wracked with unpleasant sensations. It’s truly unfortunate, he thinks, that despite his mind’s lack of fear, his body still reacts so harshly.

Jonathan’s eyes wander, eventually settling on a purple and green card sitting innocently on the corner of the table.

Right.

Even if they wiped out the GiW tomorrow, and even if Danny could survive without ectoplasm, he would still be in danger.

Crane has to get him back to good health. It’s the only way he can be sure that the boy can defend himself properly.

The solution in the flask begins to foam, and Jonathan does not hesitate as he adds the final ingredient. He pours the mixture into a new container, capping it and placing it into a freezer set to -40 degrees.

Hopefully this time he got the timing right.

Jonathan tries to relax, the ventilation in the room slowly but surely clearing the familiar smell from the air.

He thinks of the letter.

Surely, he thinks, that man can come up with some better material for his jokes. Or, at least something new.

Same old threats, same old attempted poisoning.

Aiming his threats at Danny, though, that was new. New and utterly unacceptable.

Scarecrow did what he had to.

He doubted that his solution would last forever, of course, as with that man it never did. As such, he would prepare both himself and Danny for the inevitable moment that his choices came back to bite them.

However, for the moment, they were safe. Danny could rest and recover, and Jonathan could figure out a plan to minimize possible damages.

Jonathan is no longer shaking.

He’s exhausted. This is his fifth attempt today, and each one leaves an unfortunate strain on his mind and body.

With a sigh, he settles himself into his seat at a nearby desk, opening up his computer and logging his most recent attempt. He still has to wait for it to chill to know if it was successful, but he can always update the logs later.

Once he’s done, he stretches, joints popping loudly as he walks to the freezer.

When he sees the results of his tireless work, the ghost of a smile flits across his face.

Success.

Jonathan picks up the jug of ectoplasm and leaves the lab, which is in all actuality the basement of the new apartment that he moved himself and Danny into after receiving the note. The scrappy old woman who was his landlord had told him that as long as he paid her five hundred dollars up front, she would let him set up in the basement without any questions or cop calls.

And so, the most expensive apartment in the Narrows was his.

At least, he thought, the distance between the basement and the apartment was short enough that Danny didn’t have to sit in while he was doing his labwork.

Jonathan knew that he didn’t exactly have a strong grasp on the concept of ‘lab safety,’ proven by his built-up immunity to almost every toxic chemical he’d ever encountered, and he doubted that Danny should be around such an environment.

He was back to the apartment quickly, not bothering to hide the self-satisfied smile on his face. Danny is sitting in his armchair, trying to read one of his books. Danny looks up, ready to greet him, when he sees the jug in his hands and pauses.

“Is that..?”

“Synthetic ectoplasm,” Jonathan says proudly, “I found the Penguin’s research notes and decided to recreate it, since you said that you needed it to heal properly. I’m not sure if it’ll work the same as what you usually have, but I hope it’s helpful all the same.”

Danny is standing, now, and looking at Jonathan with a strange look in his eyes. He looks, Jon thinks, like he’s about to cry.

Then Danny is rushing forward and wrapping his arms around Jonathan, his scrawny form shaking.

Jonathan is, for a moment, horrified. Did he do something wrong somehow? Why is this child, who’s so afraid of touch, hugging him?

And then he hears Danny’s voice, and he knows that it was all worth it.

“Thank you,” he’s mumbling, over and over, “thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much.”

“Of course,” Jonathan says softly, because what else can he say?

The boy cries in his arms for a while, and Jonathan briefly wonders what his life must have been like before, if a person like him can be seen as a comforting figure.

Then, Danny pours himself a small glass of the synthetic ectoplasm, putting the rest into the small fridge which had come with the apartment, and he settles back down, sitting in the armchair once again.

Jonathan sits opposite of him, and they chat with one another as Danny drinks.

Danny talks to him about the stars and tells him about different spaceships, and Jonathan makes sure to pay attention and ask the boy questions.

He doesn’t miss the way that Danny lights up every time he asks him something about his interests. He’s so passionate, so smart, a trait that he seldom sees outside of his fellow rogues, and Jonathan wants to encourage that.

It’s…nice. Peaceful, almost.

And then the front door flies open, because Jonathan isn’t allowed to have nice things.

“Jon,” a familiar voice rings out, “what the hell?!”

Danny is frozen in place, clearly terrified.

Jonathan heaves a sigh, turning to face the nuisance who’s entered his apartment.

“Eddie,” he drawls, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Edward’s face is red with anger as he invades Jonathan’s apartment.

“Oh, I don’t know! Maybe it’s the fact that you sent a bunch of rogues a cryptic message and then dropped off the face of the earth for two weeks! I was worried, Jon!”

Jonathan hums in acknowledgement.

“I didn’t think it was that cryptic,” he says, picking up a book in order to pointedly ignore the Riddler.

“Oh, of course you didn’t, you straw-stuffed hickory dickory dickhead. I swear, you’re always—” he pauses, finally having noticed Danny sitting opposite of Jonathan, “—who is this?”

“My apprentice,” Jonathan replies, dreading the upcoming headache he was no doubt going to develop from Edward’s company, “he’s helping me hunt down the GiW. His name is Danny.”

Edward gasps dramatically.

“You—an apprentice?! And you’re letting him sit in the old man chair?! You don’t even let me sit in the old man chair,” he wails, draping himself over the headrest of the couch with a flourish, “Jonathan, I thought I knew you!”

“Edward,” Jonathan says, “get out of my apartment.”

“Oh my goodness, this is incredible. You’re becoming the bat!”

“I am not becoming the bat, Eddie, now get out.”

Edward has a shit-eating grin on his face as he waltzes over to Danny. Danny, who seemed terrified when he first appeared, is now looking at him with obvious amusement written all over his face.

“I mean, look at him! The hair, the eyes, the scrappy build. If you put him in one of those traffic light vigilante costumes, he could easily pass as a Robin!”

“I’m not doing this with you today, Eddie.”

“Riddle me this, Jon: I am a treasure hidden inside of a chest. You can break me, or steal me, or give me a rest. I can flutter, or pound, or attack, or drop, but if you don’t have me, you’re certainly fucked. What am I?”

Jonathan pauses for a moment before he groans, dropping his head into his hands.

“Eddie.”

Danny sits still, a confused look on his face as he repeats the riddle silently. Then, his face lights up in delight.

“A heart!”

“Jon, I like this one,” Edward says with a smile, ruffling Danny’s hair, “you are correct! A heart, something that I wasn’t aware that our dear Jonathan had!”

“Eddie, stop.”

“No, no,” Edward says, “I was worried about you, you deserve this. I mean, you even missed girls night! You never miss girls night!”

“Girls night?” Danny asks, absolutely delighted.

“Oh, of course,” Edward says, sprawling over on the couch, dangerously close to just laying in Jonathan’s lap, “we have it once a week. I’m invited because of Selina and Jon’s invited because Harley likes him.”

“And what does girls night entail, exactly?”

“Eddie,” Jonathan groans, “please.”

“Well,” Edward hums, “we usually paint our nails, or watch a movie, or gossip about the other rogues, and occasionally, we tell each other about any ‘encounters’ we have with Batman,” he says, raising his eyebrows up and down.

Danny’s jaw drops.

“Edward, shut up,” Jonathan says, an irritated tone in his voice that wasn’t there before.

“No way,” Danny says, “I thought that Batman, like, hated you guys or something. You mean he actually..?”

“Oh, the Bat is much like a bottle of liquor or a cheap cigarette, in that he was made to be passed around.”

Danny chokes on air.

“Edward Nygma,” Jonathan hisses, getting out of his seat and looming over the man, “get the hell out.”

Edward pales.

“Leaving, leaving!” Edward says, dashing away from Jonathan. He pauses, turning to flash Danny a quick smile.

“Remember Danny, I’m your favorite uncle! Not any of the other rogues, me!”

With that, he leaves, the room falling completely silent.

And, as per usual, that silence does not last.

“You full-named him?” Danny asks gleefully, “and it worked?”

Jonathan just sighs, sitting down on the couch and rubbing at his temples.

“Please, don’t take anything Eddie says seriously. He’s a moron.”

“Dr. Crane, please let me come to girls night with you,” Danny pleads, his eyes sparkling, “I promise I won’t embarrass you.”

Jonathan groans.

“Of course you won’t, Eddie will do it for you.”

“Come on, please?”

“I think we’re a bit busy with the GiW at the moment,” Jonathan snaps. He pauses as he notices the crestfallen expression on Danny’s face.

This boy is going to be the death of him.

“Perhaps, though, when all that is taken care of…”

Danny cheers, grinning wildly, and Jonathan is not at all relieved to see him happy again. Certainly not.

The rest of the day is relatively normal.

Danny works on trying to get information from the GiW database while Crane refines his his fear toxin, both preparing for a raid on the GiW base they located in Gotham.

It was only a temporary base, nothing of note, but there was a chance of discovering more bases through it, and that wasn’t something either of them were willing to give up.

Still, something like this would take time. Rushing would only lead to failure.

…

Late in the night, long after Danny is fast asleep in his room, Jonathan pauses.

The GiW are not the only threat out there. They aren’t the only threat to him or to Danny. Perhaps it could be helpful to reach out to someone with greater resources than himself.

He sends a quick message to Red Hood.

Hopefully, he thinks, everything will go smoothly.

—

#dcxdp #dc x dp #dp x dc #dpxdc #dp x dc crossover #dc x dp fic #liminal scarecrow #Jon’s PTSD is triggered by the smell of ectoplasm because his life is a nightmare #HDJFNDNDNFKDJF #I am the master of emotional whiplash #rip Jon just trying to have some peace in this fucking house #never gonna happen king 🫡#oh also Eddie is not lying that bat can manwhore #and like half the rogues in Gotham know this from experience #and also most of the JL #and some of JL dark #btw Eddie and Jon are besties #they’re both awful but they make it work #when Jon full-names Eddie that just means that if he doesn’t stop whatever he’s doing he’s gonna get a dose of fear toxin #Eddie isn’t intimidating enough to full-name anyone so if he gets mad he just bashes whoever in the head with his cane #Jon is the living embodiment of ‘me and my girl don’t argue she bash me in the head with a rock and I walk it off like a man’#also side note I’m not doing any ships in this #because I don’t want to #they are just Like That #if you wanna read it that way though it’s completely fine #also shoutout 2 that one scriddler fic on ao3 that helped inspire that riddle LMAO

1K notes · View notes

violetsandshrikes · 10 months

Text

While TikTok is a cesspit of misinformation that’s only worsened by algorithms creating the worst echo chambers you’ve ever seen, there are some professionals and passionate people offering really good resources and advice.

If you are on the platform, I 100% recommend following Chem Thug! He’s a PhD student in synthetic organic chemistry who is really good at addressing a lot of wellness trends that come up, and breaking down why many of them are either not beneficial or actively harmful.

#really enjoy his videos! they’re very informative #katie rambles #chem thug

537 notes · View notes

tanuki-kimono · 6 months

Note

Hello! I love your blog bc it helps me a lot with writing and crafting. Thank you so much for making it!

Are there any patterns that deal with poison? Either in the pattern or in the dyeing process?

Even if there's not I'm glad you and this blog exist 💗

(anon continues) Poison in the dyeing process, like when green dresses were dyed with copper arsenite and it was extremely deadly.

Or a pattern of someone being poisoned, like a historical/folktale.

_______________________________________

Thank you for your kind words <3 I tried to keep things organized but the subject is huge so my of the top of my head answer is going in many directions. I hope you'll still find what you need :3

I'll briefly cover here dyes and (pigments), poison motifs, real life and supernatural poisonings. Buckle up we've got a long post ahead!

____ ABOUT DYE

Tbh I had to think for a moment because I don't recall major "poison" stories linked to dyes in Japan, be it fictionous or real (yet that doesn't mean none ever happened, especially considering Japan's history of industrial poisonings...).

Most gruesome details in the fabric industries I know of are about the horrific life & work conditions of female laborers in spinning mill manufactures (as in many countries, Japan industrialization process was ghastly...).

If potters and dyers had excellent practical knowledge, chemistry as a science officially started kind of late in Japan as it was not a local interest, and as rangaku (study of Western knowledge) often favored other subjects like medicine or warfare.

So, until the introduction of aniline dyes (not textile related, but this article about the use of synthetic dyes in ukiyoe printing is super interesting), Japanese worked with "natural" dyes, like ai (indigo) which was the most used during Edo period.

As with any ingredient, being natural doesn't equal safety. Some mixtures could be quite potent/foul, and process could be dangerous. Plants and minerals base ingredients could be toxic (cinnabar and orpiments were then used as paint pigments, and lead could be found in make up), as were mordants used to set colors.

If you want to easily overview which ingredients were used to create colors, I recommand browsing [Irocore] which presents colors with explanation in English in their database (pick a color then scroll down).

Not related to poison, but ai (indigo) is traditionally prepared in aigame/enormous floor set jars I find utterly terrifying:

I don't know if this tidbit can help you, but some dyes and mordants actually damage the fabric overtime, leaving them brittle (silk desintegrates after a while which is a huge issue in textile conservation).

____ POISON MOTIFS

Concerning "poison" themed patterns, none would be actually used traditionally on a kimono or an obi beside novelty items ^^;

For example, many plants can be toxic, but I don't see them set as pattern for this property - they'd rather refer to a poem, be a symbol of the passing of seasons etc. Fuji (wisteria) can be quite harmful, yet it's a beloved traditional motif in Japan.

You have much more chances to find pattern with kujaku (peacock) which are thought to be impervious to poison in Buddhism, than say venomous mukade (centipede) or the horrific ômukade (a youkai I covered in a folktale).

Snakes like the habu and mamushi are dangerous, but if used as pattern snakes are most often auspicious and linked to rain dragons or goddess Benzaiten.

If you squint hard, toxic fugu could count as poison pattern, but such a seasonal delicacy as a motif would mostly underline wealth (as those fishes are pretty expensive as they are prepared by specialized chefs), a kind of carpe diem spirit, or just a fun pattern because fugu balloon shape is cute ;)

____ POISON MURDERS

Poisoning was certainly a thing is Japan since ancient times (see kodoku sorcery). Poisons were for example used in some fishing techniques.

I am pretty sure some kuge and buke were disposed of this way - even thought poison was seen as a coward weapon (hence why its supposed to be only used by shinobi/ninja - even if this "fact" is opened to a lot of discussions!).

During Edo period, such murders made up the news and penny dreadful-like illustrated books favored by city dwellers in need of a fright. But those stories didn't pass to posterity beside cheap ukiyoe plates, and were never as popular as some shinjû (double suicides) or ghost revenges like poor poisoned and murdered Oiwa's:

____ SUPERNATURAL POISONINGS

If your poison is both physical and metaphorical illbeing, mushi could be your guys ^^ This term actually covers everything small and crawling, from real worms and insects, to anything inside one's body causing distress - be it a parasite, an unknown illness, an overboard emotion, a curse etc. If you've read/seen Mushishi you've got what I mean:

In fact any illness-causing being could count as poison-bringer. Hôsôkami (smallpox demon) was truly feared by all before vaccination was introduced in Japan.

Finally, continuing the supernatural poisoning trail, best girl is probably legendary fox witch Tamamo no Mae who among other terrible deeds made emperor Konoe fall sick with poisonous miasma (some version of the story attributes the disease to another monster, the nue). I covered a similar murderous kitsune folktale here.

109 notes · View notes

bob-frank451 · 3 months

Text

Hey guys, been a hot sec, but here is another short work set in my humans are weird universe. its a bit longer because I forgot I was writing a short work and started world building, but it still should be fun to read. This one is definitely cannon.

Humans are Weird, Throwing - Part 1/2

Boruk is the greatest cultural melting pot federated under the Galactic Assembly. When the first Coress had broken-atmosphere two millennia prior, they had found, to their disappointment, no image life. From light years out they had scanned the atmosphere and found the rich O2 of Carbon-based life, as well as synthetic aerosolized compounds which testified to the existence of Sapient technology.

When they arrived, however, they only found plants, rodents, and some extremely unique geo-chemistry off-gassing fairly unusual sulfur-fluorine-carbon compounds. However, instead of moving on, they chose to make the best of it, and decided to colonize the planet.

The rest is history…

One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-four years later the Coress have accomplished the impossible feat of building a bustling trade hub, all the while retaining all of the original biosphere. Today its cities sit, like multifaceted diamonds amidst an emerald canopy, each one packed with races from the furthest reaches of the Galactic assembly. The whole planet is an anthropologist’s dream. The near-300 dominant cultures interact in novel was seen nowhere else in the universe.

The Volatus drifted inches from the ground. Normally he would “walk”, but these humans had [idiom equates to “inhumanly”] long legs. His friend had wanted to show his family the planetary Capital, especially the iconic Central Mall. The biologist walked slightly ahead, arm hanging, fingers wrapped gently around his daughters tiny hand. Each pace of his heavy treat left a dull thump, and kicked up a small cloud of dust from the gravel.

The volatus loved humans. They were fascinating, even before one gets of the culture shock, but once he got over the shock he found that they could be fast friends, if they chose. As this one had. The little human tugged her fathers arm.

“M’ tired”

The volatus watched as his friend glanced down at his daughter, felt the brief hum of neurons firing, perhaps estimating the length of the day, and then the human bent down, and hoisted the girl to his shoulders. She immediately used her vantage point to scan her surroundings. Typical human.

Her eyes suddenly locked on the volatus, and he froze, conflicted, unsure if this little human was cute, or terrifying, She pointed at him.

“Uncle”

The biologist stopped, turned, and grinned sheepishly.

“Too fast?”

The volatus nodded, an imitation of human body language.

“Too fast.”

The human motioned him to the center of the group, and he obligingly drifted to the front, now leading the way, which was alright. The human couple and their child had proven their loyalty. Well, the two adults had. The child had tried to bite him, which, given their classification as a venomous species, was a problem. A solved problem. The biologist had promptly contacted a friend, and developed a solution of bacteriophages to counter his family’s microbiome, all package neatly into an auto-injector pen, of course.

Now, if he were ever bitten by one of the human children from this family he would simply inject the engineered virus, and the two would neutralise.

Good times.

The Volatus came back to the present. The massive original entrance rose in front of them, the first entrance, curving, organic.

The group passed into the interior.

ao3 - discord

#humans are weird #humans are space australians #humans are space orcs #humans are wierd #earth is space australia #humans are crazy #deathworlder

37 notes · View notes

materialsscienceandengineering · 2 months

Text

New synthesis method uses light reaction on a water surface

By forming chemical bonds between atoms, complex molecules such as those needed for medicines, crop protection products, or high-performance materials are prepared using synthetic chemistry. Such synthesis reactions typically require organic solvents, metal catalysts, and reagents such as acids or alkalis. Not all auxiliary materials and solvents can always be recycled, which results in waste. Researchers from the University of Regensburg under the lead of Prof. Dr. Burkhard König, from the Institute of Organic Chemistry, are now presenting a completely different way to synthesize complex molecules: the molecules to be reacted are applied to a water surface, where they form a thin film. Irradiation with violet light triggers a reaction that links both reaction partners.

11 notes · View notes

tyrantisterror · 4 months

Text

A Hundred Some New ATOM Kaiju Pt. 7

On this installment of the unfinished ATOM kaiju showcase, we've got still more aliens for you.

Rosunwell has a bit of a story to it. See, the Beyonder Alliance - i.e. the big coalition of alien invaders on ATOM's setting - creates synthetic organisms tailor-made to new planets they wish to interact with, since most of its citizens don't want to modify their bio-chemistry to adapt to the wildly different environments of other planets, and it's easier to just custom build those foot-on-the-ground explorers anyway. These custom explorers are made from a gray biological sludge of stem cells that's easily molded to resemble native life - hence humans more often than not seeing gray, humanoid aliens when being abducted. Well, during the Beyonder Invasion, one ship was ruptured and leaked out its collection of inert gray sludge, and said sludge got caught between an explosion and a Yamaneon fault line, and thus suddenly became a kaiju.

The sludge slowly figures out what shape it'd like to be, beginning as an amorphous, shifting pile of goo sculpting various alien anatomical features, before finally coalescing into a final form. Rosunwell would be the 100th ATOM Bonus Kaiju File, which would make it the 150th file overall (not including the contest entries), so to be cheeky I made it loosely resemble Mewtwo, the 150th pokemon.

Four more fun Beyonder monsters: a killer clown from outer space, a monster based on a toy batmobile I saw that looked kinda loke a monster head, a spider-like alien that takes more than a bit after Venom and Spider-Man (pretty proud of the name "Galachnid"), and a three-eyed goober.

In the past I designed more Venusian monsters than Karamtor, and while most of them remain abandoned, I guess I had a soft spot for Vrank, the living tank monster, so I gave it another go.

To finish this batch, we have four martian monsters that would feature in a story about the prehistoric war between the Martians and the Beyonder Alliance - four comrades of Kemlasulla and pals. They're all exercises in taking Kemlasulla's body plan in strange directions, just as Earth has spun the tetrapod body plan into a multitude of very different beasts. I think they may still be too similar to Kemlasulla to really reach the diversity I wanted, but then maybe I only think that because I'm looking at them with earthling tetrapod eyes.

#Atomic Time of Monsters

17 notes · View notes

murdockmeta · 11 months

Note

The earth-65 symbiotes are such a fascinating species! Not just the synthetic ones but the hint that the more well known ones and just the contrasts between the two. Gwen’s eats whatever she does but needs things like cellulose to survive meanwhile the organic ones only feed on brain chemicals such as adrenaline and phenylalanine. Anyways ever think about how Elsa Brock and technically Matt Murdock are Venom’s parents in Earth 65?

thank you for all this interesting information, thats something I'd honestly never noticed before but i also dont really know a lot about symbiotes lol. thats really cool!!

also OKAY LISTEN LMFAO in e65 circles I only ever really hear people talk about Matt's scenes with Cindy Moon when it comes to addressing Matt's canon non-platonic interactions and I honestly think Elsa Brock is way too overlooked on this front

the relationship that we are shown in only a handful of panels is waaayyy more interesting than anything we are given about Cindy and Matt.

Matt approached Elsa, told her he was going to mentally manipulate the Manhattan DA into becoming his personal pocket square, told her he was working with spider woman, told her he was going to go after Norman Fucking Osborne to manipulate and scare the hell out of him, and then told her that he wanted to fund her symbiote project to be the pretty bow wrapping everything together

and she fucking loved it

NOT ONLY WAS SHE ON BOARD SHE WAS FUCKING EXCITED, SHE WAS ESTATIC. she heard "I want to fund your batshit project to create an organism that's extremely dangerous and unstable" and she started FOAMING AT THE MOUTH

I kinda loved Matt and Elsa's relationship and I wish we got to see more of it. They had more chemistry in a single panel together than Matt and Cindy had in the entire kiss they shared. They both love putting on a show, they're both evil (actually, i think elsa's worse than matt to a degree), and they both love controlled chaos.

another detail I enjoyed was that Matt very much lied to Elsa about his true intentions w the symbiote.

in the scene with Osborne, he lays the whole plan out to Norman and Gwen. about the symbiote and harry and everything. and that had kinda seemed to be the original idea until:

first of all, love the banter like genuinely its so fun. second, I love that we find out the reason Elsa is angry isn't because she doesn't like working with Matt due to his reputation or because she feels bad about it. in fact, I think she couldn't care less except for when it comes to how it affects her own career.

She's angry because Matt acted like he was going to keep their true intentions for the venom secret until after it had already worked only to TELL SPIDERWOMAN LITERALLY EVERYTHING.

Elsa was involved in this whole thing because not only did it benefit her research but she also like that it was evil lmfao. like she couldn't understand why Matt would reveal so much to Gwen or even why Matt would want to infect Gwen w the symbiote since Matt already had a way to easily control Gwen through using the "power-up" isotopes.

this whole scene she's basically saying "you wanted to be evil so why aren't you being evil???? we were supposed to be evil together Matt what the fuck????" And she's reasonably second guessing his intentions

what she doesn't know is that Matt was just using her to give Gwen her powers back. Matt didn't actually ever want to control Gwen. he had the hopes of maybe manipulating her into killing him but there were just enough holes in his plan that him failing feels very intentional.

here I am once again pushing my agenda that Matt wanted Gwen to win. he knew the symbiote was going to consume Gwen but he also knew it wasn't a perfect organism. far from it. once again, a win-win situation for him. either the symbiote makes gwen kill him or the symbiote is just unstable enough that gwen can mold it into something that isn't consuming her, therefore making her stronger and better than before.

but anyway. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK I LOVE ANY EXCUSE TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING EARTH 65. OR ANYTHING MATT MURDOCK.

good day to you :)

edit: I just reread your ask and I'm starting to wonder if the symbiote was altered that way on purpose? (to have to consume cellulose, ect. rather than brain chemicals lol) cause both chemicals you listed promotes alertness, alters mood, and regulates body function. specifically phenylalanine is an extremely important amino acid. if the symbiote feeds on these, it takes them from the host. taking important neurotransmitters like that would inevitably cause a destabilization and deterioration of the host (ignoring the fact that the radiation would probably kill them first). Matt certainly didn't want that for Gwen, right? he wanted the symbiote to fuck w her but not like. destroy her. he wanted to keep the mood enhancing qualities while stripping away the more dangerous aspects. gwens already immune to the radiation but the venom needed to be altered to feed on something that wouldn't harm gwen. matt wanted Gwen to have a chance to fight the thing off before it completely took control. he was ACTING like he wanted it to take her over but if that was true he would've left the symbiote in its more organic form. or something closer to it.

#anyway these are just my opinions #all im saying it that matt LIKED elsa okay?#i dont think matt liked cindy 😭#he thought elsa was fun #matt murderdock #murderdock #earth 65 #elsa brock #meta #ren replies #its funny cause while i think matt liked elsa #elsa didnt like him #and cindy was on her knees for matt #but he couldnt care less lmfaoo

27 notes · View notes

talesfrommedinastation · 10 months

Text

OC Sunday Post

Thanks to @commander-sunshine, I learned about this awesome event! Here's my two main OCs, both from the world of The Expanse, who happen to fall in line with a bunch of clones from The Bad Batch, and beyond! Their ongoing saga (Far Past The Ring) is up on both AO3 and Wattpad.

Here's my main OC, Dr. Sjael Drummer (PhD):

Dr. Sjael Drummer (who is from the world of The Expanse) is a chemical engineer and researcher from the Sol system, originally from Ganymede, who has found herself on Medina Station as part of the Transport Union with her extended family.

She conducted her post-doctoral research at the Outer Rim through a ring gate, to see if there were any inhabitable planets for Belter colonies.

While she did not find a suitable planet due to the Empire Being Lame, she did find the remains of Clone Force 99, post-Ipsium incident. And things get wild from there, which you can read about here, in ‘Far Past the Ring’:

Some facts about this Dr. Drummer:

Sjael is the first cousin of President Camina Drummer, as their fathers, Anang Drummer and Aki Drummer, were brothers.

Both Anang and Aki, as can be surmised by their names, were descendents of the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe First Nations in the Belt. Sjael is of mixed First Nations and Scandinavian heritage, as is her older sister, Tanke.

She is a vegetarian, and is adverse to harming animals. It is why she went into engineering and chemistry, rather than medicine, like her older sister (see below).

Sjael’s Ph.D is in chemical engineering. Her dissertation (and subsequent research) is on developing sucrose from both organic and synthetic materials (ie, how to make things sweet in space!)

She became friends with the crew of the Rocinante thanks to her cousin Camina's love for Naomi Nagata. They often host parties at their home where the crew hangs out.

She dated a dashing pilot for the Free Navy named Toivo Saavedra for many years, and got engaged while she was in graduate school. She soon found out that he had another fiancée, as well as other women, on different planets and stations. Oh, and he was a pirate, too. Just a class act. (She throws herself at the next guy she gets close to, who happens to be a member of Clone Force 99, so...take a read if you're curious who!)

Sjael’s biggest passion is cooking and baking. She not only loves the chemical reactions and challenges from using different ingredients (vanilla being a favorite!), but she loves taking care of those she loves. She oversees all food preparation in her extended family, who live together in a massive compound on Medina Station.

She also adores photography, and is responsible for many of the pictures and videos on Medina Station.

Sjael became a pilot, first to make sure to see her parents on Eros (where her physician father and lab assistant mother were stationed, and then killed by the Protomolecule), and later as a coping mechanism for being left behind by Toivo.

Going fast and doing wild tricks in her Mulan-class gunship is one of her modes of letting off steam.

The tattoo around her neck is of the various chemical flavonoids she worked with in her research.

An irreverent ‘daddy’s girl’, Sjael was very close to her laconic, but kind-hearted, obstetrician father, who emphasized the power of deeds over words.

Speaking of family....

Next up, is Dr. Tanke Drummer (MD), Sjael's older sister. Drawing is a WIP, bear with me.

Yes, that's Crosshair's helmet. They do not hook up or get romantic in the slightest: Tanke has, to quote "Three children, two spouses, and endless headaches!"

Rather, they become close as PTSD riddled survivors of war and brainwashing in the best way they know how: by protecting the ones they love through fierce fighting.

She is the chief intake physician of Medina Station. Any human who wishes to travel from a ring gate into the Sol system to plants such as Earth and Mars must go through her first.

A quick eye and quicker tongue, Dr. Drummer does not suffer fools, and despises pirates, smooth talkers, and anyone who dares to hurt her family, whether it's a sibling, spouse, or child.

Some facts:

Tanke is older than her cousin Camina, and often served as a guiding post for the younger Belter, even as their fathers fought constantly.

One of Tanke’s most searing memories from her childhood is watching her grandfather, union organizer Sjaelland Roose, be killed on camera with his fellow miners during a strike. This prompted her to become entrenched in the more extreme factions of the OPA.

Tanke has both a wife (Miriam Martin) and a husband (Timon Chapelle). Polycules are common in the Belt.

She met her spouses while serving on a Free Navy ship, which she joined after finishing university: the horrifying experience of which has made her a fierce critic of the OPA/Free Navy, and a violent enemy of Anderson Dawes.

She has multiple tattoos–the Belter ‘scar’ tattoo around her neck, as well as feathers under her ear. Her left ring finger has two wedding rings tattooed on them for her spouses. Finally, she has multiple circles and dots on her arms–all of which show the locations of Ceres and Ganymede when her various family members were born.

She has three children–two biological sons (Blid and Haber, ages 11 and 7) and a daughter that was born from her wife (Tro, age 14). Timon is the father of both.

All of the children address her as ‘Niimama’, the Ojibwe word for ‘my mother’. Miriam is addressed as ‘Mama’ by all of the children.

She loves beer, but does not like hard alcohol as much. A full stomach is very comforting to her.

Tanke has PTSD and anxiety, which is channeled through her rage and caustic tongue. Her insults are legendary.

She also deals with this through going to the firing range and long, intense walks through Medina Station.

She will not eat for many hours, but the moment she gets to a comfortable spot (usually with her sister and her cooking) she will eat a huge meal.

Tanke loves carbs, and that is her biggest weakness. Noodles and bread are her comfort foods.

You'll meet more of them the more I keep writing!

11 notes · View notes

crisis-vision · 1 year

Text

grignard reaction!! 🤍

#chemblr #studying #studyspiration #undergraduate #stem major #chemistry #dark academia science #stem dark academia #laboratory #uni student #in the lab #student #studyblr #study motivation #studyspo #organic chemistry #ochem #synthetic organic chemistry #organic chemistry my beloved

170 notes · View notes

catsi · 2 years

Text

started going through assignments from my undergrad and found the last assignment from my synthetic organic chemistry course, where the entire assignment was just our prof giving us this molecule

and saying "design me a synthetic pathway for this, using simple and cost-effective starting materials"

#my synthesis proposal was 10 pages (include retrosynthesis)#you want me to use an evans asymmetric directed aldol reaction sooooo bad #chemistry #organic chemistry

121 notes · View notes

quill-of-thoth · 1 year

Text

Letters from Watson, Catching Up

The Gloria Scott part 2: the fun bits

- Trevor is going out of his way to spend time with his teenage son and his son’s only friend. He’s an involved dad, and that’s both sweet and tragic given that he does not survive this tale. - Holmes is not staying with family during the rest of vacation... or at least, he says he’s staying in “my rooms in london” where he was previously staying on or near campus during the school year, probably. The victorian equivalent of a just-off-campus apartment could fit both living situations, but having to sign a year’s lease, prove months of income, and include a deposit was not really a thing then. He could have moved. It’s possible that he was staying with Mycroft, who is both older than him and likely already starting his london career, but I have no data on that. - Based on his organic chemistry experiments and the fact that Watson’s list of his “limits” in study in scarlet probably includes his courses of study in college and university, I think Holmes intended to become a chemist (NOT a pharmacist, brits, a person who studies chemistry for a living), possibly specifically an organic chemist, before he decided to become a detective. - Organic chemistry was a fairly new and exciting field at the time: The synthetic dye industry had kicked off in the late 1850′s, when Holmes would have been a child, medicines were being synthesized, and plastics were about to become actually useful. (Holmes would have been exposed to them in his course of study, ACD probably knew a little bit about the first few attempts from his own studies or popular science media because the first plastic, Parkesine, was exhibited at the 1962 International Exhibition in London, where it won the bronze medal.) - He could also have intended to become a pharmacist (chemist, to speakers of UK english) but again. No data to suggest it’s likely. - Back to poor Victor, whose father is dying of apoplexy (stroke) or nervous shock (more vague but probably referring to sudden changes in behavior... read stress, trauma, probably also hypertension given the stroke.) Remember that Victor is still legally a child, with no adult relatives other than his father, and no friends besides Holmes, also a child (even by Baring-Gould’s timeline, though then as now the late teens are socially and legally a transition period into adulthood,) but one living more independently than Victor. He probably seemed very worldly, living on his own in London for the summer! - Hudson follows the pattern of many of the villains of Holmes’ adventures by making the maids at Trevor’s estate feel unsafe via crude language and public drunkenness. If you learn one thing from these stories, it’s that you should sack anyone who makes female servants feel uneasy, no questions asked. Victor doesn’t have any recourse if his father lets Hudson stay, other than physical violence.

- That “grotesque” letter sure looks less silly now. Especially since it’s a very trivial cypher, which also a feature in these stories, almost always employed by somewhat-organized criminals, almost always ludicrously simple for the severity of the crimes alluded to. Still, the Victorians had SO MUCH correspondence, and the easiest way to hide a cypher is for nobody to think the cyphertext is important. Given the rest of the context, the postmark probably gave Trevor as much information as the message itself.

#Letters from Watson #The Gloria Scott #ask me about cyphers #because I'm such a nerd I studied most of the subjects that the characters would know #not on purpose #and not always for very long #do you know how long it takes to crack a moderately complex cypher by hand though?#I don't blame Holmes for avoiding it or Watson for not portraying it

16 notes · View notes