"Did you get sick?": nope, i was fine. Everyone talking abt throwing up from bad tastes is a coward tbh, even with how absolutely Wrong it tasted on every level and how my brain immediately said I was about to fucking die and I needed this Out Of Me I didn't throw it up. I was fucking stoic.
"Did you get sick (long term)?": Nope. Like I said, bacteriophage virus. I had been studying this thing for a while, as well as the bacteria it infects - I knew for certain it couldn't affect me. Nor my microbiome. The bacteria clade affected isn't found in the human gut unless something has gone very wrong, which wasn't the case for me at the time lmao. The only thing it killed was my perspective on how bad is bad tasting
"What color was it?": Kinda brown
"Did your lab director ever find out?": He did not. Like I said, I was beautifully stoic. And also left the lab to go down an entire fucking water bottle immediately afterwards. (It did not help. I was tasting that shit for a week.) Also, it was leftover sample to be discarded anyway that I drank - it just so happened that instead of a biohazard wastebin, it was disposed of in my mouth
"What media did you use/was the taste a result of the media?": standard SM buffer. I don't know if it affected the taste, as I didn't get the chance to taste SM buffer alone - this was more of a case study than an actual experiment. However, the chemical makeup of SM buffer is primarily water with some other stuff mixed in that should give it more of a salty taste, and doesn't explain the rancid-ass taste I actually got. Therefore, yes the taste was likely the viruses rather than the buffer, though if I ever get a chance to drink SM buffer alone I'll do my due diligence and have a control sample
So, I was working in a lab, right? My job in the lab was preparing a pure, concentrated enough sample of virus. This is tricky since, y'know, viruses require hosts to replicate, but you then need to get the host cells (and the pieces of the host cells that died!) out of the sample while still keeping the viruses. Once I'd finished and the samples had been sent to the database for analysis as well as a second one sent to be frozen for future reference, there was still some left over that needed to be disposed of.
I, knowing that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, waited carefully for the lab director to be deep in conversation with someone else on the other side of the laboratory. And then I took my chance.
Test tubes, as it turns out, are really bad as shot glasses. Their shape turns any liquid inside into a stream, so you really can't knock it back quickly - it takes a couple seconds. Additionally, the best way I can describe the taste of virus concentrate was "sterile rot". A very unique kind of bad! Made worse by the test tube's inefficiency as a shot glass.
(by the way we were studying bacteriophages, not animal viruses. these viruses are too specialized on attacking prokaryotes to even recognize our cells as targets at all, according to studies.)
(but also like. if the viruses managed to successfully switch hosts and killed me with a violent infection, itd still be worth it.)
Then bet on me. And if your family cast you off it wonât be forever. Theyâll come aroundâŠand until they do I promise to devote every waking minute to your happiness
The way I see it, there are five eras in the Barbie movies: Ancient, Historical, Present, Near Future, and Postmodern. Strung together they make up the timeline of the Barbie universe, from its inception to its death.
Ancient
In the beginning there were fairies, but they were not meant to last.Â
The first beings to rule the earth in this universe were not humans, but fairies. They lived alongside mermaids, enjoying magic of all sorts. There were many different kinds of fairies: rainbow, butterfly, crystal, to name a few. They were hardly at peace with each other, there are plenty of instances where people try to unjustly usurp power such as in Fairytopia, or provoke war with neighboring factions such as in Mariposa and the Fairy Princess. Certain kinds also had natural predators (Mariposa) and they were extremely dependant on the natural environment (Fairytopia: Mermaidia). Their societies were fragile.Â
By the time we get to the historical era titles, fairies are mostly gone, or at least hidden. Where did the humans come from?
Theyâre wingless fairies like Elina. While Elina scored some wings by the end of her first film, not every fairy is going to get that lucky. Some of these people grew bitter at being rejected by fairy society and chose to form a place of their own. Somewhere where they could live their lives free of ridicule.Â
They learned to build tools to compensate for their lack of magic. Their technology got better, yet their resent for their magical cousins remained. This conflict eventually escalated into a war. Perhaps this was already happening during the events of Mariposa, with Henna conspiring to decimate the Butterfly Fairy populations by removing their primary protection from the Skeezites. Laverna could have agreed to use the water poison to massacre the mermaids in Mermaidia. The wingless end up winning this war, and the fairies go into hiding, practically extinct.Â
Historical
Old wars forgotten, magic makes its way back to the world
We fast forward to the middle ages and magic is still fairly abundant, albeit hidden. In this era we see two instances where humans are let back into the realm of magic: Swan Lake and Diamond Castle. Interestingly enough, both of these take place during the middle ages (based on clothing styles of the peasants (Barbieâs looks are pretty anachronistic) and the architecture) which is the earliest of all the âhistoricalâ movies.Â
In Swan Lake Odette stumbles upon a hidden forest where she discovers sheâs the only one who can defeat an ancient evil. She succeeds and marries into royalty.Â
In Diamond Castle the Diamond Wives are sent on a quest to stop another ancient evil, and in return are given flowers that grow diamonds. By the end they become close with the kingdomâs heirs.Â
Youâll notice that from here on out, magic is strongly associated with royalty. These two royal families that have knowledge of magic will come to shape the course of history until the end of time.Â
I personally think that the 12 dancing princesses are related to Odette because of both their magicsâ emphasis on hidden realms. Annaliese is also in this line, her motherâs name is Genevieve and the timing works.Â
Present
Magic still thrives in the dark
Itâs unsurprising that Barbie is the next person to be brought into the world of magic. In Thumbelina, Fashion Fairytale and A Fairy Secret Barbie gets a glimpse of the hidden world. Away from humans, and away from each other, fairies have evolved.Â
One very noticeable thing is that two out of the three types of fairies we see in this era are wingless. Perhaps it wasnât a random mutation but instead the natural progression of their evolution. By now we know thereâs got to be some outside force pushing everything along, making sure the plots tie up neat and that the right people are chosen for the right thing. Itâs hardly a stretch to say this force is influencing how fairies evolve.Â
In Thumbelina we learn that Barbie is aware of the Twillerbees, a race of wingless fairies with the ability to influence how plants grow. These seem the most unchanged from the fairies of Fairytopia. They even seem to have regressed a bit, their powers arenât as strong and their society is far less complex. This is likely a result of them deliberately avoiding the human world. They know nothing about it so they have nothing to emulate.
Contrast that with the Flairies and the Fairy Illuminati, who not only are aware of humanity, but actively try to influence the course of its history. The Flairies do it in a minor way, they just want to influence fashion. The Fairy Illuminati on the other hand? They keep tabs on all major government leaders and celebrities. Perhaps they want to be on top again.Â
Near Future
Magic is a privilege for the 1%Â
In Barbieâs era the world might have seemed like ours politically, but it was not. In this universe there were no political revolutions, at least none that succeeded. Monarchy remained the standard system of government, likely with the help of some ancient artifacts and winged friends. Now in the not so distant future (relative to our day) we see how society has been shaped by this crucial change.Â
There are many smaller kingdoms, rather than few large countries. Heirs and wealthy children are sent away to learn how to govern effectively but they remain mostly ignorant of their subjectsâ concerns (Princess Charm School, Princess & the Popstar). It is an unjust system and the people know, but thereâs nothing they can do about it.
We see in Rock'n Royals that the royal families have managed to replicate certain magical objects: every royal child has a magic scepter. We also see this Princess Charm School with the magic crown. Itâs possible humans did this, (after all, ingenuity is probably our most important trait) but I think itâs more likely that these were gifts from the fairies. They now operate as a shadow government, giving royalty magic weapons and tools in exchange for political influence.Â
In all the magic societies we see here, people are prospering. The conflict never comes from inequality or suffering from the masses, it comes from people trying to usurp the throne. LIterally every time. So while there is conflict amongst the ruling class of the magic people, their masses donât suffer. But they do in the human world.Â
Postmodern
Eons later the universe tries make things right
There are only two titles here, and they couldnât be more different: Magic of the Pegasus, and Starlight Adventure. I can see your confusion, âWhat is Pegasus doing here? It takes place sometime in⊠Well sometime around.. not the future!â. But it does take place in the future. Thereâs a reason no one can pinpoint the era itâs from.
Pegasus takes place in one of two timelines that diverged in between this era and the last. I like to think it came from an attempt to stop the ruling class from ever getting their hands on magic. The leaders of a class revolution stole some time-altering magical artifact from a royal family and used it to stop Odette and the Diamond Wives from succeeding. But time travel is messy, and they didnât really do it right. Their version of Earth got cast into a sort of pocket dimension where time converged on itself and created a world with elements from many different points in history. Thatâs why nothing is consistent in the costuming and royalty doesnât have magic. The magic people are still hidden, they just donât have any windows to the human world.Â
But time travel really only works if you make a new timeline. Thatâs why Starlight exists. Itâs the natural progression from where we left off. Eventually space travel gets big and people become mostly removed from magic. Human ingenuity reigns supreme again and technology booms. But the universe doesnât last forever and heat death is imminent. So that force thatâs been pushing everything along finally does what it intended to do from the beginning and wakes magic up again. Itâs goal is to stop the universe from dying, and it knows magic can do that. So it made sure some magic people made their way across the universe and were in position to make things right when the time came. So Barbie saves the universe, for another era at least.Â
No this is completely legit. One of my favorite reviews to a chapter goes âI finished this with 5% battery and now I am crying in Target HOW DARE YOUâ
I think this relates to the fact that fic writers are generally fic readers too. If you tell me âI loved this and that and the other thingâ I will be very flattered. But if you tell me âItâs 2:30 am and I have to be up at 7 but Iâm still readingâ I know EXACTLY where you are, emotionally, because Iâve been there too. Knowing that Iâve put you in that place is
marvey is currently my most bookmarked ship, so trust me when i say i've been around the bend for marvey content. i have dug through a lot of it the past few months, so trust that these fics have been highly rated!
fics are loosely grouped, with the summary and my thoughts under the cut :3 no spoilers ofc bc i love you
MY PERSONAL FAVOURITES
A Specter-Ross Affair by @frivoloussuits (15k+, au)
âYou ordered an âextra-hot, extra-wet cappuccino, single-origin, properly layered, to-go and ready five minutes ago to make up for your service speed or lack thereof.ââ
In which Mike is a barista, Rachel is a lawyer, and Harvey is paid excessive amounts of money to plan their joyous Christmas wedding.
"Love is just a particularly socially accepted form of fraud. It's a series of increasingly complex and fragile deceptions between two or more people, and, more alarmingly, between each participant and their own deluded subconscious."
i literally cannot recommend this fic enough. this might be my favourite read of the entire year, dead serious. this sounds fluffy but trust me, the pining and the angst go well like salt on a chocolate chip cookie: extremely decadent. everything about this fic goes insane and this should be your gateway drug into marvey, im so serious about this. READ IT. (weddingplanner!harvey)
of all the gin joints by @frivoloussuits (10k+, au)
Hanging around a neighborhood bar one night, Harvey befriends a guy named Mike after realizing they can both quote The Princess Bride on demand.
In the law offices of Rand, Kaldor, Zane and Pearson, senior partner Harvey Specter takes on an unusual case, representing his managing partner's daughter as she divorces a Michael James Ross.
Harvey sees no connection until it's far too late.
"Theyâre playing a virtuosic duet with inhuman ease, as if the intoxication has broken their boundaries and blurred them into a single entity."
this. obsessed with fics that really use the law in their plots, and this is a prime example. a lot of chemistry in this one that is described in a way that makes you jealous of the bond they share and there are still lines in this fic that i think about almost everyday but honestly, such a top-tier read. PLEASE PLEASE IF YOU LIKE SUFFERING ANF REALLY REALLY GOOD CHEMISTRY PLEASE
5U175 by Closer (26k, canon-adjacent)
Harvey sometimes moonlights as a Star Trek BNF. Mike might have an attitude problem on the internet. TiberiusGhost is strangely compelling, for a recluse who never goes to meetups, and Harvey's finding this kid Photohead vaguely familiarâŠ
i know that the terminology in this one is hella old-school but trust me. as someone who doesnt read a lot of fandom fics, this fic has changed it all for me (also bc the author replied to my comment hehehe) stick with this fic because the way fandom weaves with the character development is absolutely delicious, i remember saying this in my og comment but this fic was written with love for fandom and you should definitely read it too!!! you'd absolutely love it! (also ben stans rise up ^^)
fics to sink your teeth into (20k+)
needs must by @melthemagpie (98k+, au)
When Grammy needs an upgrade in care, Mike knows that the usual one-off gig as a paid submissive won't be enough. He takes a job he's been refusing for a while - a long-term, full-time contract.
He expects his client to be a sadistic asshole. He expects not to like it. He's wrong on both counts.
this is a fandom classic, every fic rec has this on the list (cw for dom/sub and prostitution, so if you're uncomfy please dont read) but i swear there are so many romantic moments in this one that make me swoon and the smut is very good, i usually tap out in long fics really quickly but this hooked me the whole way through twice. thats my ringing endorsement, READ THIS
Lobster and Other Catastrophes by @andthetardis (21k, canon-compliant)
After months of silence, Mike starts texting Harvey again out of the blue.
Funny thing to do on his honeymoon, really.
BRO PLEASE. this was so good. angsty and pining-y enough even though it's mostly a text fic. text fics to me are more like comedic, but this one had substance and heart (and funny and enjoyable btw). pulls you in and really makes you want to stick it out and get to the beautiful ending <333 (harvey being soft is probably a category on its own :3)
The Game by @frivoloussuits (27k, hunger games au)
Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen are efficient and elegant killers. They have trained since childhood, mentored personally by Jessica Pearson and marked for years as District 1's Tributes for the Hunger Games.
Mike Ross is an orphan from District 12, a drug dealer, and an underage gambler. After years of scrutinizing the Hunger Games on TV to make savvy bets, he finds himself on the wrong side of the camera, now playing the odds just to survive.
Harvey and Mike cannot, should not trust each other. Still, they strike a backroom deal.
"Because heâs clever and quick-thinking and heâs learned her main lesson wellâ donât love anyone you wouldnât be willing to see dead. Ideally, donât love anyone at all."
I READ THIS WHEN I WAS REVISITING HUNGER GAMES AND OHHHHH THIS HAS THE ANGST. absolutely riveting. ths is the third fic im reccing from them bc i love frivoloussuits. i would die for them HHFSHFHKSDGDHFG i love the angst and the life-threatening situations that the hunger games provide and harvey as a career is correct. its just correct. everything here grips my soul
Disaster Stories by agatestones (22k, canon-compliant)
"Hold on," Mike asked, "you made Donna come into work in the middle of a blizzard?"
"I don't make Donna do anything. Haven't you learned by now?" Harvey gave Mike a mean little smile, but under that was relief for anyone to see. "You, I can make come into the office in a blizzard."
reads like a novella to me, and it's really good!!! very episodic and you really feel like these are things that have happened in universe. its very slice of lifey and i reread it a lot as a comfort read, its like a big hug to me
Pizza and a Movie by Closer (30k+, au)
In an alternate universe, Harvey's still a lawyer but Mike's not a pot runner -- he's a deliveryman for Rollo's Pizza and Ribs, which happens to be Harvey's favorite pizza place. Once Harvey finds out his pizza guy is a genius, Mike's life takes a few turns he would not have expected...
i swear this is the most rom-commy fic marvey has to offer. i like aus that slap me in the face more with the alternate universe, but this is such a rom-com plot. fandom classic as well and it really reads like a hugh grant 90s movie and if thats not enough to pull you in idk what will tbh
Imprimatur by Closer (22k, au)
Mike was raised to believe Imprint was a life-changing event for those few lucky enough to experience it. Harvey was raised to believe it was a form of mental illness. When it actually happened, neither of them noticed.
this goes absolutely crazy. one of those fics where you read it and you almost want to throw your phone at the wall because the characters could make it so easy if they werent so stupid (but in a good way of course) but the way it was written, you feel the depth of the soulmate bond and why its so important (which a lot of soulmate aus forget to do loll) but goes down like an expensive and delicious dinner :)
afternoon reads (10k+)
Sony SRF-39FP by @frivoloussuits (11k+, canon-adjacent)
Anita Gibbs wonât settle for Mike, not when there are name partners within her reach. She offers only one dealâ two years, no other charges against anyone else in the firm, as long as Harvey Specter turns himself in. And even as Donna and Jessica and Louis and Mike beg him not to, he jumps on the grenade.
âTime to get busy living or get busy dying,â he remarks, and Mike gives a small chuckle. Then Harvey smirks, straightens his suit jacket, and strides into FCI Danbury.
âI canât believe theyâre trying to lock you in a box and forget about you,â Mike sighs as he leaves.
âWell, as long as you donât forget me, I figure Iâll survive.â
âMaybe you havenât noticed, but forgettingâs never been my strong suit.
cw for depersonalization and desc of solitary confinement, very very heavy but the way mike is there throughout everything makes my heart twinge. i really dont know how to describe this fic at all but its really good. it makes me cry a lot. also made me start listening to jazz which- uh
Here at the end of all things by @tattooedsiren (10k, au)
When he arrives at the Pearson Hardman building the lights are dimmed and the floor is deserted. His feet carry him to Harvey's office even though he expects it to be empty. Because Harvey probably fled the city via helicopter or teleporter or sheer force of will. But when he approaches the office he can see that Harvey is there. He has moved the couch so that it now faces the floor to ceiling windows and Mike silently sits beside Harvey, joins him in looking down at the chaos engulfing the city below. [Apocalypse AU]
I LOVE APOCALYPSE FICS UP UP UP badass!harvey makes me bark, but im a really big fan of people who find happiness in the worst circumstances and this fic does it so so so well. reminds me a lot of tlou episode like 2? the one with the strawberries. please this is what i revisit when i miss marvey and i dont have a lot of time because the world and the characters are jsut so delicious!!!
quick reads (1k+)
This Love is Silent by kim47 (8k, canon-compliant)
She should have known.
She had known, that something was off, at least. She knew he was hiding something. She just never imagined it could be this.
Despite Harvey's warnings, Mike tells Rachel the truth about everything. She's shocked, naturally, and more than a little angry, but she agrees to keep his secret, and even to date him.
So when they break up, Harvey goes into damage-control mode.
RACHEL!! HELLO RACHEL!! im always up for smart and discerning rachel (this shows up in of all the gin joints too btw!!!) this runs realistic to me because it shows that rachelxmike arent some hopelessly wrong for each other couple, they have good and bad times. this feels more real to me than other fics bc its not like the world conspires for marvey to be apart, its just life. i know this makes it sound so sad, and it is, but trust me: this is really really really good i love this so much
an archive of harvey specter's expressions by @frivoloussuits (2k, canon-compliant)
Five old expressions that Mike rediscovers in new contexts once he and Harvey are (finally) together, and one that he sees for the first time.
Alternatively titled âAn Ode to Gabriel Machtâs Face.â
this was written for me. this is literally me. writing fic because gabriel macht is too pretty, like this fic is literally for me. a lot of peering at him to get this fic as masterfully written as it is, and i thank you author everyday for it. to me, this reads like it's been written with love and care and true adoration (Truly, like Mike)
Coffee-Cart Client Privilege by @frivoloussuits (7k, au)
Mike runs a coffee cart. The coffee cart.
"Why not? They're too big and dense to be a snack." So are you, Mike thinks, and yet.
IM SORRY I KEEP RECCING FRIVOLOUS SUITS THEYRE MY FAVOURITE WRITER IN THIS FANDOM HFBKABFDKHFBHKDSA this has the hand-wavy logic the show has itself but mike's internal monologue in this one is one of the best ive ever read and the way mike's integrated in the offices is just so well-done ahhhh
Objection by yeah its frivoloussuits again i feel bad tagging them like 7 times (2k, canon-adjacent)
When Mike announces heâs leaving, Harvey plans to hide the jagged pieces of his broken heart deep inside, where no one will ever find them.
His heart would like to object.
BIGG fan of physical hurt/comfort!!!! also big fan of people absolutely freaking out in the hospital in fics, it makes me bounce of the wall!! very short but the angst and love really hits you quick and leaves you on the floor gasping for air. very good (also cant prove this but im very sure this is a scrubs reference.t hanks)
Excerpts From The Gospel of Harvey Specter, edited by Michael "Forever Awesome" Ross, 2011, 1st Ed, by @rcmclachlan (7k, canon compliant)
Mike can totally read people. Well, most people. Some people. Or maybe just Harvey, who's pretty much an open book.
this one's really funny! it doesent follow direct prose and instead plays a lot with the setting its in (where mike's a documenter of harvey) and its just so funny and adorable. has a lot of heart too, it isn't just crack or anything but you really feel everything mike does as he writes all this, read this!!1
One More Sleepless Night by @sal_si_puedes (9k, au)
Soul Bonds are one-sided â thereâs usually mutual affection, but only one party feels the crippling need to be together as often as possible. If separated at length from their love, that party becomes crushed by longing, panic, and sheer hopelessness, and so it is illegal to forcibly keep Soulmates apart.
Some days, Harvey Specter hates the Bond that skews his judgement and weakens his resolve, and he fears what would happen if anyone in his world ever discovers he is so compromised. He certainly never planned to disclose the Bond for the first time in the middle of Anita Gibbsâ office, in a last-ditch attempt to invalidate the deal sending Mike to prison.
HSDGFHSDKGHRLKGHK THIS FIC. i love fics that use more than just prose to tell their stories (see above fic) and this does my favourite thing that soulmate aus do, which is where they integrate in-universe explanations for the phenomenon. the amount of work and dedication put into this fic makes it absolutely sing and was absolutely lovely!!
also pspspsps
golden like the daffodils by @mini-mart (2k, canon-compliant)
Poetry holds meaning, for anyone who reads it. It obscures and dances around the literal and metaphorical, because itâs imbued with so much of something that it overflows out of any definition. It can make someone mad, or lovesick, or aroused, and the reactions would be absolutely warranted.
Mike is poetry, to Harvey.
-
Harvey Specter could be a good politician, as he believes in pragmatism over poetry. He won't let his progress fall apart, won't let someone knock it down.
And then someone unceremoniously cracks open a suitcase at his feet.
Or: Harvey, pretty boys and poetry.
yeah yeah i wrote this yeah yeah self promo smth smth
there's a lot more that isn't here but i'll probably write a new one when i go for a deep dive through the ship tags again :3
^^ ao3 etiqutte applies! if you like the fic, kudos and comment and bookmark!! show your love! happy reading marveys! my gift to u :3
CRAZY how when mikeâs grandmother dies, and harvey overloads him with work, he later asks, âI could tell you werenât ready to deal with it, so I respected that by keeping you busy. Was I wrong?â because like ?? hello???? why is this the most healthy communication ever exhibited on this fucking show. and of course itâs between mike and harvey. and of course itâs at a time when mike really needs harvey . and OF COURSE!! mike tells him he wasnât wrong. because harvey intuitively knew what mike needed. anyway. iâm insane
You love harvey specter because you see him as the peak of successful masculinity, with his extravagant lifestyle, lack of emotion, car obsession, and player attitude. I love harvey specter because I see him as an emotionally constipated man who has never really acknowledged his bisexuality until he accidentally fell in love with his associate who can't even legally practice law. We are not the same.
