Proud Mad Science Union Member!

Name's Donovan! I do whatever the Mad Science Union needs to run smoothly. Especially the weird stuff! He/They/It (RP blog)

[msu-donovan]

I found this so interesting, but this is more you area, @union-of-mad-scientists.

[milf--adjacent]

The Doohickey corporation’s headquarters

[wizardshark]

My phone screen turned off in the middle of this video and it felt like coming up for air

[msu-donovan]

@union-of-mad-scientists

[prokopetz]

Mad scientist who has the same relationship with mad science that many authors seem to have with writing. They don't really seem to like mad science, and they certainly don't appear to enjoy doing it, but once they get an idea they have to test the hypothesis, because if they just let it lie it will bother them.

[prokopetz]

It's not that they're obsessed with unlocking the secrets of the cosmos, or anything so melodramatic – they're perfectly fine with accepting that some things are, if not unknowable, then at least presently impractical to investigate. The certainty that they could know the answer and just don't, though? Incredibly annoying.

[msu-donovan]

@union-of-mad-scientists

[byjove]

Figures from Arthurian lit as cats:

Arthur - tuxedo British shorthair

Supposed to kind of be an everyman, a random bastard child who randomly pulled the sword from stone. Very approachable, handsome, bog standard looking cat. The tuxedo coloring adds a bit of authority.

Guinevere - flame point/buff ragdoll

Beautiful, elegant, refined. Born to aristocracy, unlike Arthur. Like many orange female cats, she contains a thread of scheming intelligence.

Merlin - can appear as any cat, usually appears as a fucked up looking scrawny black cat with heterochromia

Not explaining this one. That is just what he looks like.

Morgan & Morgause - longhair torties, Morgan has a darker coat pattern and Morgause is more red

Torties are associated with luck and magic and tortitude. Girlboss fairy witch cat color.

Lancelot - longhaired white cat with blue eyes

He’s just got white cat energy. They love to bite randomly and they have pretty privilege not much else.

Gawain - longhair creamsicle (orange and white)

Orange (stupid) and gorgeous. Ladies man. A little unhinged but not Lancelot levels.

Sir Dagonet the Fool - orange

He’s just orange. Most orange cat ever. Orange cat behavior and personality.

Sir Galehaut, Prince of the Distant Isles - tabby Maine Coon

He’s a gentle giant. He’s loyal. He’s noble. He’s beautiful.

Dame Ragnelle - calico Sphynx cat that has started randomly growing hair

It all falls out and she is her beautiful wrinkly self when the curse is broken.

[msu-donovan]

@union-of-mad-scientists

[iraffiruse]

[ynnuf]

You’ve been buttering your cats wrong this whole time.

[msu-donovan]

Mac is poking around in Donovan's lab, studying all of his various instruments. She's clearly being careful not to damage anything, and has succeeded at that so far. They've taken a special interest in the chemistry-related apparatus, though, and seem to be taking some form of notes on an electronic device. @chaos-harbinger

Donovan's ears perk up, moving maybe a tiny bit more than human ears should be able to move. Resisting the urge to whip around to see who's walked in, he instead slowly and calmly turns around to see Mac there. He very carefully and politely positions himself between them and the apparatus. "Well hey there, Mac! Good to see you. What can I do you for today?"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, hi donovan!! i was just looking at the equipment here to see if i could figure it out! might end up practicing a bit on my-self lmao`‖ː‖

His voice sounds as purple as ever, though their skin bears some fresher scars from a recent episode of… whatever it is that happens to her.

[msu-donovan]

The skin on Donovan's skin very subtly but perceptibly tightens at the suggestion, but he blinks and relaxes. Maybe this could be a moment to instill some caution into this chaotic kid.

"Of course! I'd be happy to show you how this works. Were you curious about anything in particular?"

[chaos-harbinger]

She takes a moment to think about what answer to give first.

‖ː‖`well, i've figured it might be cool to finally get my genomes figured out, so that works as a thing to do first`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Genomes? Plural? With an S?" Donavan cocks an eyebrow, turning to rifle through a drawer.

"That's very interesting," He smiles, pulling out a syringe and a vial, both kept in sterile packaging. "I'd be more than happy to help you figure that out. Can I have your permission to... Wait, hang on. How old are you? I need to know if I need to get Merlyn's permission for any procedures. Nothing invasive, just a small blood draw, but union guidelines are pretty strict about anything involving minors, and I think it's a pretty reasonable rule."

[chaos-harbinger]

He pauses for a few moments to calculate in her head.

‖ː‖`i'd be, what, twenty or twenty-one now? some-where-between those two numbers, at least. o, 'n' yeah, i trust you, so you can do what-ever lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan frowns for a moment, trying to interpret how exactly to respond to that, but eventually shakes it off. He pulls on a pair of latex gloves, then tears open the pouch with a crinkle.

Gently taking Mac's arm, he feels for a vein. Another moment of hesitation until he finally finds it, then swabs the spot he finds with an alcohol swab. "Sorry, your veins aren't in the same spots as a human, I had to feel around a bit. Here we go!"

Donovan uncaps the syringe and pushes it against Mac's skin, expecting it to cleanly slip right in, but instead, he looks down and sees that the needle is bent.

"...Huh. Uh. Alright. Should have expected that..." Donovan mutters, putting the needle in a sharps bin and looking for something with a bit more oomph. "So Mac, tell me, what do they usually have to use when you get blood drawn? Do you know what gauge needle they use?"

[chaos-harbinger]

Mac's skin is, as usual, about as hot to the touch as a hot water bottle filled with freshly boiled water.

‖ː‖`o, i usually just use this`!‖ː‖

She pulls out what looks like a sharpened shard of scrap metal from their pocket.

‖ː‖`a good slice basically any-where gets things flowing well enough to produce analysable volumes`!!‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan lets out a nervous laugh the moment he lays eyes on that shard. "Perhaps we shouldn't use that, Mac. I would prefer to avoid infections and I don't think that's sterile."

Very delicately, he takes the bit of metal and sets it down on the table, before looking through a cabinet. After a moment, he returns with a much, much larger needle. "Here, this ought to do it. Normally I use this for getting bone marrow from my genetically augmented ankylosaurs, so this should be tough enough for you. I hope."

Donovan takes a breath, then pushes the needle. With a grimace of exertion, Donovan presses, using strength far greater than anyone with a wiry frame like his should be capable of. After a moment, Mac's skin finally surrenders to the needle, letting it pierce.

"Hoo-wee, you run awful hot, Mac!" Donovan remarks as he slowly pulls back on the syringe, his eyes widening in interest as he sees the color of the fluid: A reddish-purple color. "Oh, and that's a real humdinger of a blood color. Tyrian purple!"

He removes the needly deftly, quickly covering the hole with a small wad of cotton and a bandage, before transferring the blood into a syringe. "There, all done. I'll get this analyzed. You wanna watch it in the centrifuge?" Donovan grins, clearly more eager than anyone should be about the prospect of making a vial of blood spin very, very fast.

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, yeah, high-temps are kinda my thing lmao. 'n', yeah, i'd love to see it centrifuge!! hopefully it's not too heavy lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Oh, no, this'll be fine, I saw a guy use this centrifuge for dark matter." Donovan replies, popping the vial into the machine. With a clunk, the heavy lid closes, and the motor hums to life, the centrifuge slowly starting to spin, gaining speed with each pass.

Faster and faster it spins, until it becomes a purplish blur spinning around the center. the centrifuge gamely handles it, keeping balanced without an issue.

"This might take a while, so while we wait I can show you some of the stuff I'm working on, if you want? I've almost managed to make my Wagyu mint work!"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`sure! that sounds fun! i might even be able to pitch in, depending on how alechmical your process is`!!‖ː‖

In the meantime, she waits for an opportune moment while Donovan is looking elsewhere and, with all the stealth and grace of an apex ambush predator, the makeshift scrap metal knife disappears back into Mac's pocket.

[msu-donovan]

"...Just please be careful with that," Donovan sighs, not even needing to look to know what Mac's doing. He calmly ushers the large youth toward a small greenhouse, where a variety of exotic plants grow, from strange, twisting vines covered in technicolor flowers to uncanny red-leafed ferns to a small bonsai with a variety of equally tiny fruits growing from it, and numerous other plants beside.

"There we have my Fruit Snack Bonsai, my hemosynthetic fern, a vine that I just really like... hm... oh! My Wagyu mint!"

Donovan walks over to a small potted mint plant that inexplicably smells like hamburger meat. "Still trying to get the marbling right, so this is only B-grade, but it's promising! Go ahead and try a leaf!"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`i've had it since i was a kid, i know what i'm doing with it`!‖ː‖

He scurries over, closely inspecting every plant, but not touching any. It almost seems like they're listening to them. When offered a leaf, she takes it very gently and carefully, like Donovan would handle a precious sample of a fragile material, trying to ensure that she doesn't accidentally break anything. They then proceed to rapidly wolf down the leaf, all of the previous care vanishing the instant that there was nothing more to break.

[msu-donovan]

The texture of the leaf is absolutely bizarre. The weak crunch of the leaf, mixed with the oily, slightly chewy texture of beef fat, and with the flavor of beef mixed with the overpowering taste of mint. This is absolutely not a product ready for prime time.

"So, what do you think?" Donovan asks, a notepad in his hand.

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`i mean, it's not bad, it's a good foundation, but it could use some work. i've not got human taste sensors, but i have a feeling this might be way too much minty for most humans`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Hm, yeah, I was afraid of that. I think I might need to consider a different plant for this. I think the menthol is getting dissolved into the lipids." Donovan nods, scribbling a few notes on the pad. "I have a few other candidates that are less... pungent, but-"

He's cut off by a chime that, to most people, would be barely audible, but to both his and Mac's ears rings quite clearly. "Oh! Centrifuge is done!"

Scurrying over without delay, he awaits the green light to open the centrifuge, pulling out the vial. Mac's blood has fully separated, into a clear layer, then layers of bright primary red, blue and green, with a black layer at the bottom. "Oh that's so cool! I didn't expect so many colors! Human blood is just red and yellow mostly."

Donovan holds up the vial, letting Mac get a good look. "You ever seen your blood separated like that before?"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`getting the right sound out o' a plant might be hard as well, but i don't think humans are able to notice that lmao`‖ː‖

He quickly scuttles after Donovan, eager to see the results.

‖ː‖`o, that's just the pigment cells, the different molecular composition means they have different densities! 'n' i haven't seen it separated in a vial before, only ever when it's dried on some surface! thought that's pro'ly 'cause they didn't need to separate it back home for analyses lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Right. Righty righty righty-o..."

Donovan just kind of looks at Mac for a moment, in that particular way when an older adult hears a young person say something deeply concerning, but doesn't know if or how to respond.

"At any rate, I'm going to get to analyzing this! Thank you so much for volunteering your blood, it's surprisingly hard to get people to give me their blood. They always ask why I want it, and then I have to try and explain the gene-homunculi and that turns people off for some reason! Anyway, if you need anything, I owe you one, alright Mac?"

[msu-donovan]

Mac is poking around in Donovan's lab, studying all of his various instruments. She's clearly being careful not to damage anything, and has succeeded at that so far. They've taken a special interest in the chemistry-related apparatus, though, and seem to be taking some form of notes on an electronic device. @chaos-harbinger

Donovan's ears perk up, moving maybe a tiny bit more than human ears should be able to move. Resisting the urge to whip around to see who's walked in, he instead slowly and calmly turns around to see Mac there. He very carefully and politely positions himself between them and the apparatus. "Well hey there, Mac! Good to see you. What can I do you for today?"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, hi donovan!! i was just looking at the equipment here to see if i could figure it out! might end up practicing a bit on my-self lmao`‖ː‖

His voice sounds as purple as ever, though their skin bears some fresher scars from a recent episode of… whatever it is that happens to her.

[msu-donovan]

The skin on Donovan's skin very subtly but perceptibly tightens at the suggestion, but he blinks and relaxes. Maybe this could be a moment to instill some caution into this chaotic kid.

"Of course! I'd be happy to show you how this works. Were you curious about anything in particular?"

[chaos-harbinger]

She takes a moment to think about what answer to give first.

‖ː‖`well, i've figured it might be cool to finally get my genomes figured out, so that works as a thing to do first`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Genomes? Plural? With an S?" Donavan cocks an eyebrow, turning to rifle through a drawer.

"That's very interesting," He smiles, pulling out a syringe and a vial, both kept in sterile packaging. "I'd be more than happy to help you figure that out. Can I have your permission to... Wait, hang on. How old are you? I need to know if I need to get Merlyn's permission for any procedures. Nothing invasive, just a small blood draw, but union guidelines are pretty strict about anything involving minors, and I think it's a pretty reasonable rule."

[chaos-harbinger]

He pauses for a few moments to calculate in her head.

‖ː‖`i'd be, what, twenty or twenty-one now? some-where-between those two numbers, at least. o, 'n' yeah, i trust you, so you can do what-ever lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan frowns for a moment, trying to interpret how exactly to respond to that, but eventually shakes it off. He pulls on a pair of latex gloves, then tears open the pouch with a crinkle.

Gently taking Mac's arm, he feels for a vein. Another moment of hesitation until he finally finds it, then swabs the spot he finds with an alcohol swab. "Sorry, your veins aren't in the same spots as a human, I had to feel around a bit. Here we go!"

Donovan uncaps the syringe and pushes it against Mac's skin, expecting it to cleanly slip right in, but instead, he looks down and sees that the needle is bent.

"...Huh. Uh. Alright. Should have expected that..." Donovan mutters, putting the needle in a sharps bin and looking for something with a bit more oomph. "So Mac, tell me, what do they usually have to use when you get blood drawn? Do you know what gauge needle they use?"

[chaos-harbinger]

Mac's skin is, as usual, about as hot to the touch as a hot water bottle filled with freshly boiled water.

‖ː‖`o, i usually just use this`!‖ː‖

She pulls out what looks like a sharpened shard of scrap metal from their pocket.

‖ː‖`a good slice basically any-where gets things flowing well enough to produce analysable volumes`!!‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan lets out a nervous laugh the moment he lays eyes on that shard. "Perhaps we shouldn't use that, Mac. I would prefer to avoid infections and I don't think that's sterile."

Very delicately, he takes the bit of metal and sets it down on the table, before looking through a cabinet. After a moment, he returns with a much, much larger needle. "Here, this ought to do it. Normally I use this for getting bone marrow from my genetically augmented ankylosaurs, so this should be tough enough for you. I hope."

Donovan takes a breath, then pushes the needle. With a grimace of exertion, Donovan presses, using strength far greater than anyone with a wiry frame like his should be capable of. After a moment, Mac's skin finally surrenders to the needle, letting it pierce.

"Hoo-wee, you run awful hot, Mac!" Donovan remarks as he slowly pulls back on the syringe, his eyes widening in interest as he sees the color of the fluid: A reddish-purple color. "Oh, and that's a real humdinger of a blood color. Tyrian purple!"

He removes the needly deftly, quickly covering the hole with a small wad of cotton and a bandage, before transferring the blood into a syringe. "There, all done. I'll get this analyzed. You wanna watch it in the centrifuge?" Donovan grins, clearly more eager than anyone should be about the prospect of making a vial of blood spin very, very fast.

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, yeah, high-temps are kinda my thing lmao. 'n', yeah, i'd love to see it centrifuge!! hopefully it's not too heavy lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Oh, no, this'll be fine, I saw a guy use this centrifuge for dark matter." Donovan replies, popping the vial into the machine. With a clunk, the heavy lid closes, and the motor hums to life, the centrifuge slowly starting to spin, gaining speed with each pass.

Faster and faster it spins, until it becomes a purplish blur spinning around the center. the centrifuge gamely handles it, keeping balanced without an issue.

"This might take a while, so while we wait I can show you some of the stuff I'm working on, if you want? I've almost managed to make my Wagyu mint work!"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`sure! that sounds fun! i might even be able to pitch in, depending on how alechmical your process is`!!‖ː‖

In the meantime, she waits for an opportune moment while Donovan is looking elsewhere and, with all the stealth and grace of an apex ambush predator, the makeshift scrap metal knife disappears back into Mac's pocket.

[msu-donovan]

"...Just please be careful with that," Donovan sighs, not even needing to look to know what Mac's doing. He calmly ushers the large youth toward a small greenhouse, where a variety of exotic plants grow, from strange, twisting vines covered in technicolor flowers to uncanny red-leafed ferns to a small bonsai with a variety of equally tiny fruits growing from it, and numerous other plants beside.

"There we have my Fruit Snack Bonsai, my hemosynthetic fern, a vine that I just really like... hm... oh! My Wagyu mint!"

Donovan walks over to a small potted mint plant that inexplicably smells like hamburger meat. "Still trying to get the marbling right, so this is only B-grade, but it's promising! Go ahead and try a leaf!"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`i've had it since i was a kid, i know what i'm doing with it`!‖ː‖

He scurries over, closely inspecting every plant, but not touching any. It almost seems like they're listening to them. When offered a leaf, she takes it very gently and carefully, like Donovan would handle a precious sample of a fragile material, trying to ensure that she doesn't accidentally break anything. They then proceed to rapidly wolf down the leaf, all of the previous care vanishing the instant that there was nothing more to break.

[msu-donovan]

The texture of the leaf is absolutely bizarre. The weak crunch of the leaf, mixed with the oily, slightly chewy texture of beef fat, and with the flavor of beef mixed with the overpowering taste of mint. This is absolutely not a product ready for prime time.

"So, what do you think?" Donovan asks, a notepad in his hand.

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`i mean, it's not bad, it's a good foundation, but it could use some work. i've not got human taste sensors, but i have a feeling this might be way too much minty for most humans`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Hm, yeah, I was afraid of that. I think I might need to consider a different plant for this. I think the menthol is getting dissolved into the lipids." Donovan nods, scribbling a few notes on the pad. "I have a few other candidates that are less... pungent, but-"

He's cut off by a chime that, to most people, would be barely audible, but to both his and Mac's ears rings quite clearly. "Oh! Centrifuge is done!"

Scurrying over without delay, he awaits the green light to open the centrifuge, pulling out the vial. Mac's blood has fully separated, into a clear layer, then layers of bright primary red, blue and green, with a black layer at the bottom. "Oh that's so cool! I didn't expect so many colors! Human blood is just red and yellow mostly."

Donovan holds up the vial, letting Mac get a good look. "You ever seen your blood separated like that before?"

[msu-donovan]

Mac is poking around in Donovan's lab, studying all of his various instruments. She's clearly being careful not to damage anything, and has succeeded at that so far. They've taken a special interest in the chemistry-related apparatus, though, and seem to be taking some form of notes on an electronic device. @chaos-harbinger

Donovan's ears perk up, moving maybe a tiny bit more than human ears should be able to move. Resisting the urge to whip around to see who's walked in, he instead slowly and calmly turns around to see Mac there. He very carefully and politely positions himself between them and the apparatus. "Well hey there, Mac! Good to see you. What can I do you for today?"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, hi donovan!! i was just looking at the equipment here to see if i could figure it out! might end up practicing a bit on my-self lmao`‖ː‖

His voice sounds as purple as ever, though their skin bears some fresher scars from a recent episode of… whatever it is that happens to her.

[msu-donovan]

The skin on Donovan's skin very subtly but perceptibly tightens at the suggestion, but he blinks and relaxes. Maybe this could be a moment to instill some caution into this chaotic kid.

"Of course! I'd be happy to show you how this works. Were you curious about anything in particular?"

[chaos-harbinger]

She takes a moment to think about what answer to give first.

‖ː‖`well, i've figured it might be cool to finally get my genomes figured out, so that works as a thing to do first`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Genomes? Plural? With an S?" Donavan cocks an eyebrow, turning to rifle through a drawer.

"That's very interesting," He smiles, pulling out a syringe and a vial, both kept in sterile packaging. "I'd be more than happy to help you figure that out. Can I have your permission to... Wait, hang on. How old are you? I need to know if I need to get Merlyn's permission for any procedures. Nothing invasive, just a small blood draw, but union guidelines are pretty strict about anything involving minors, and I think it's a pretty reasonable rule."

[chaos-harbinger]

He pauses for a few moments to calculate in her head.

‖ː‖`i'd be, what, twenty or twenty-one now? some-where-between those two numbers, at least. o, 'n' yeah, i trust you, so you can do what-ever lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan frowns for a moment, trying to interpret how exactly to respond to that, but eventually shakes it off. He pulls on a pair of latex gloves, then tears open the pouch with a crinkle.

Gently taking Mac's arm, he feels for a vein. Another moment of hesitation until he finally finds it, then swabs the spot he finds with an alcohol swab. "Sorry, your veins aren't in the same spots as a human, I had to feel around a bit. Here we go!"

Donovan uncaps the syringe and pushes it against Mac's skin, expecting it to cleanly slip right in, but instead, he looks down and sees that the needle is bent.

"...Huh. Uh. Alright. Should have expected that..." Donovan mutters, putting the needle in a sharps bin and looking for something with a bit more oomph. "So Mac, tell me, what do they usually have to use when you get blood drawn? Do you know what gauge needle they use?"

[chaos-harbinger]

Mac's skin is, as usual, about as hot to the touch as a hot water bottle filled with freshly boiled water.

‖ː‖`o, i usually just use this`!‖ː‖

She pulls out what looks like a sharpened shard of scrap metal from their pocket.

‖ː‖`a good slice basically any-where gets things flowing well enough to produce analysable volumes`!!‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan lets out a nervous laugh the moment he lays eyes on that shard. "Perhaps we shouldn't use that, Mac. I would prefer to avoid infections and I don't think that's sterile."

Very delicately, he takes the bit of metal and sets it down on the table, before looking through a cabinet. After a moment, he returns with a much, much larger needle. "Here, this ought to do it. Normally I use this for getting bone marrow from my genetically augmented ankylosaurs, so this should be tough enough for you. I hope."

Donovan takes a breath, then pushes the needle. With a grimace of exertion, Donovan presses, using strength far greater than anyone with a wiry frame like his should be capable of. After a moment, Mac's skin finally surrenders to the needle, letting it pierce.

"Hoo-wee, you run awful hot, Mac!" Donovan remarks as he slowly pulls back on the syringe, his eyes widening in interest as he sees the color of the fluid: A reddish-purple color. "Oh, and that's a real humdinger of a blood color. Tyrian purple!"

He removes the needly deftly, quickly covering the hole with a small wad of cotton and a bandage, before transferring the blood into a syringe. "There, all done. I'll get this analyzed. You wanna watch it in the centrifuge?" Donovan grins, clearly more eager than anyone should be about the prospect of making a vial of blood spin very, very fast.

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, yeah, high-temps are kinda my thing lmao. 'n', yeah, i'd love to see it centrifuge!! hopefully it's not too heavy lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Oh, no, this'll be fine, I saw a guy use this centrifuge for dark matter." Donovan replies, popping the vial into the machine. With a clunk, the heavy lid closes, and the motor hums to life, the centrifuge slowly starting to spin, gaining speed with each pass.

Faster and faster it spins, until it becomes a purplish blur spinning around the center. the centrifuge gamely handles it, keeping balanced without an issue.

"This might take a while, so while we wait I can show you some of the stuff I'm working on, if you want? I've almost managed to make my Wagyu mint work!"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`sure! that sounds fun! i might even be able to pitch in, depending on how alechmical your process is`!!‖ː‖

In the meantime, she waits for an opportune moment while Donovan is looking elsewhere and, with all the stealth and grace of an apex ambush predator, the makeshift scrap metal knife disappears back into Mac's pocket.

[msu-donovan]

"...Just please be careful with that," Donovan sighs, not even needing to look to know what Mac's doing. He calmly ushers the large youth toward a small greenhouse, where a variety of exotic plants grow, from strange, twisting vines covered in technicolor flowers to uncanny red-leafed ferns to a small bonsai with a variety of equally tiny fruits growing from it, and numerous other plants beside.

"There we have my Fruit Snack Bonsai, my hemosynthetic fern, a vine that I just really like... hm... oh! My Wagyu mint!"

Donovan walks over to a small potted mint plant that inexplicably smells like hamburger meat. "Still trying to get the marbling right, so this is only B-grade, but it's promising! Go ahead and try a leaf!"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`i've had it since i was a kid, i know what i'm doing with it`!‖ː‖

He scurries over, closely inspecting every plant, but not touching any. It almost seems like they're listening to them. When offered a leaf, she takes it very gently and carefully, like Donovan would handle a precious sample of a fragile material, trying to ensure that she doesn't accidentally break anything. They then proceed to rapidly wolf down the leaf, all of the previous care vanishing the instant that there was nothing more to break.

[msu-donovan]

The texture of the leaf is absolutely bizarre. The weak crunch of the leaf, mixed with the oily, slightly chewy texture of beef fat, and with the flavor of beef mixed with the overpowering taste of mint. This is absolutely not a product ready for prime time.

"So, what do you think?" Donovan asks, a notepad in his hand.

[msu-donovan]

Mac is poking around in Donovan's lab, studying all of his various instruments. She's clearly being careful not to damage anything, and has succeeded at that so far. They've taken a special interest in the chemistry-related apparatus, though, and seem to be taking some form of notes on an electronic device. @chaos-harbinger

Donovan's ears perk up, moving maybe a tiny bit more than human ears should be able to move. Resisting the urge to whip around to see who's walked in, he instead slowly and calmly turns around to see Mac there. He very carefully and politely positions himself between them and the apparatus. "Well hey there, Mac! Good to see you. What can I do you for today?"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, hi donovan!! i was just looking at the equipment here to see if i could figure it out! might end up practicing a bit on my-self lmao`‖ː‖

His voice sounds as purple as ever, though their skin bears some fresher scars from a recent episode of… whatever it is that happens to her.

[msu-donovan]

The skin on Donovan's skin very subtly but perceptibly tightens at the suggestion, but he blinks and relaxes. Maybe this could be a moment to instill some caution into this chaotic kid.

"Of course! I'd be happy to show you how this works. Were you curious about anything in particular?"

[chaos-harbinger]

She takes a moment to think about what answer to give first.

‖ː‖`well, i've figured it might be cool to finally get my genomes figured out, so that works as a thing to do first`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Genomes? Plural? With an S?" Donavan cocks an eyebrow, turning to rifle through a drawer.

"That's very interesting," He smiles, pulling out a syringe and a vial, both kept in sterile packaging. "I'd be more than happy to help you figure that out. Can I have your permission to... Wait, hang on. How old are you? I need to know if I need to get Merlyn's permission for any procedures. Nothing invasive, just a small blood draw, but union guidelines are pretty strict about anything involving minors, and I think it's a pretty reasonable rule."

[chaos-harbinger]

He pauses for a few moments to calculate in her head.

‖ː‖`i'd be, what, twenty or twenty-one now? some-where-between those two numbers, at least. o, 'n' yeah, i trust you, so you can do what-ever lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan frowns for a moment, trying to interpret how exactly to respond to that, but eventually shakes it off. He pulls on a pair of latex gloves, then tears open the pouch with a crinkle.

Gently taking Mac's arm, he feels for a vein. Another moment of hesitation until he finally finds it, then swabs the spot he finds with an alcohol swab. "Sorry, your veins aren't in the same spots as a human, I had to feel around a bit. Here we go!"

Donovan uncaps the syringe and pushes it against Mac's skin, expecting it to cleanly slip right in, but instead, he looks down and sees that the needle is bent.

"...Huh. Uh. Alright. Should have expected that..." Donovan mutters, putting the needle in a sharps bin and looking for something with a bit more oomph. "So Mac, tell me, what do they usually have to use when you get blood drawn? Do you know what gauge needle they use?"

[chaos-harbinger]

Mac's skin is, as usual, about as hot to the touch as a hot water bottle filled with freshly boiled water.

‖ː‖`o, i usually just use this`!‖ː‖

She pulls out what looks like a sharpened shard of scrap metal from their pocket.

‖ː‖`a good slice basically any-where gets things flowing well enough to produce analysable volumes`!!‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan lets out a nervous laugh the moment he lays eyes on that shard. "Perhaps we shouldn't use that, Mac. I would prefer to avoid infections and I don't think that's sterile."

Very delicately, he takes the bit of metal and sets it down on the table, before looking through a cabinet. After a moment, he returns with a much, much larger needle. "Here, this ought to do it. Normally I use this for getting bone marrow from my genetically augmented ankylosaurs, so this should be tough enough for you. I hope."

Donovan takes a breath, then pushes the needle. With a grimace of exertion, Donovan presses, using strength far greater than anyone with a wiry frame like his should be capable of. After a moment, Mac's skin finally surrenders to the needle, letting it pierce.

"Hoo-wee, you run awful hot, Mac!" Donovan remarks as he slowly pulls back on the syringe, his eyes widening in interest as he sees the color of the fluid: A reddish-purple color. "Oh, and that's a real humdinger of a blood color. Tyrian purple!"

He removes the needly deftly, quickly covering the hole with a small wad of cotton and a bandage, before transferring the blood into a syringe. "There, all done. I'll get this analyzed. You wanna watch it in the centrifuge?" Donovan grins, clearly more eager than anyone should be about the prospect of making a vial of blood spin very, very fast.

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, yeah, high-temps are kinda my thing lmao. 'n', yeah, i'd love to see it centrifuge!! hopefully it's not too heavy lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Oh, no, this'll be fine, I saw a guy use this centrifuge for dark matter." Donovan replies, popping the vial into the machine. With a clunk, the heavy lid closes, and the motor hums to life, the centrifuge slowly starting to spin, gaining speed with each pass.

Faster and faster it spins, until it becomes a purplish blur spinning around the center. the centrifuge gamely handles it, keeping balanced without an issue.

"This might take a while, so while we wait I can show you some of the stuff I'm working on, if you want? I've almost managed to make my Wagyu mint work!"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`sure! that sounds fun! i might even be able to pitch in, depending on how alechmical your process is`!!‖ː‖

In the meantime, she waits for an opportune moment while Donovan is looking elsewhere and, with all the stealth and grace of an apex ambush predator, the makeshift scrap metal knife disappears back into Mac's pocket.

[msu-donovan]

"...Just please be careful with that," Donovan sighs, not even needing to look to know what Mac's doing. He calmly ushers the large youth toward a small greenhouse, where a variety of exotic plants grow, from strange, twisting vines covered in technicolor flowers to uncanny red-leafed ferns to a small bonsai with a variety of equally tiny fruits growing from it, and numerous other plants beside.

"There we have my Fruit Snack Bonsai, my hemosynthetic fern, a vine that I just really like... hm... oh! My Wagyu mint!"

Donovan walks over to a small potted mint plant that inexplicably smells like hamburger meat. "Still trying to get the marbling right, so this is only B-grade, but it's promising! Go ahead and try a leaf!"

[msu-donovan]

Mac is poking around in Donovan's lab, studying all of his various instruments. She's clearly being careful not to damage anything, and has succeeded at that so far. They've taken a special interest in the chemistry-related apparatus, though, and seem to be taking some form of notes on an electronic device. @chaos-harbinger

Donovan's ears perk up, moving maybe a tiny bit more than human ears should be able to move. Resisting the urge to whip around to see who's walked in, he instead slowly and calmly turns around to see Mac there. He very carefully and politely positions himself between them and the apparatus. "Well hey there, Mac! Good to see you. What can I do you for today?"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, hi donovan!! i was just looking at the equipment here to see if i could figure it out! might end up practicing a bit on my-self lmao`‖ː‖

His voice sounds as purple as ever, though their skin bears some fresher scars from a recent episode of… whatever it is that happens to her.

[msu-donovan]

The skin on Donovan's skin very subtly but perceptibly tightens at the suggestion, but he blinks and relaxes. Maybe this could be a moment to instill some caution into this chaotic kid.

"Of course! I'd be happy to show you how this works. Were you curious about anything in particular?"

[chaos-harbinger]

She takes a moment to think about what answer to give first.

‖ː‖`well, i've figured it might be cool to finally get my genomes figured out, so that works as a thing to do first`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Genomes? Plural? With an S?" Donavan cocks an eyebrow, turning to rifle through a drawer.

"That's very interesting," He smiles, pulling out a syringe and a vial, both kept in sterile packaging. "I'd be more than happy to help you figure that out. Can I have your permission to... Wait, hang on. How old are you? I need to know if I need to get Merlyn's permission for any procedures. Nothing invasive, just a small blood draw, but union guidelines are pretty strict about anything involving minors, and I think it's a pretty reasonable rule."

[chaos-harbinger]

He pauses for a few moments to calculate in her head.

‖ː‖`i'd be, what, twenty or twenty-one now? some-where-between those two numbers, at least. o, 'n' yeah, i trust you, so you can do what-ever lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan frowns for a moment, trying to interpret how exactly to respond to that, but eventually shakes it off. He pulls on a pair of latex gloves, then tears open the pouch with a crinkle.

Gently taking Mac's arm, he feels for a vein. Another moment of hesitation until he finally finds it, then swabs the spot he finds with an alcohol swab. "Sorry, your veins aren't in the same spots as a human, I had to feel around a bit. Here we go!"

Donovan uncaps the syringe and pushes it against Mac's skin, expecting it to cleanly slip right in, but instead, he looks down and sees that the needle is bent.

"...Huh. Uh. Alright. Should have expected that..." Donovan mutters, putting the needle in a sharps bin and looking for something with a bit more oomph. "So Mac, tell me, what do they usually have to use when you get blood drawn? Do you know what gauge needle they use?"

[chaos-harbinger]

Mac's skin is, as usual, about as hot to the touch as a hot water bottle filled with freshly boiled water.

‖ː‖`o, i usually just use this`!‖ː‖

She pulls out what looks like a sharpened shard of scrap metal from their pocket.

‖ː‖`a good slice basically any-where gets things flowing well enough to produce analysable volumes`!!‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan lets out a nervous laugh the moment he lays eyes on that shard. "Perhaps we shouldn't use that, Mac. I would prefer to avoid infections and I don't think that's sterile."

Very delicately, he takes the bit of metal and sets it down on the table, before looking through a cabinet. After a moment, he returns with a much, much larger needle. "Here, this ought to do it. Normally I use this for getting bone marrow from my genetically augmented ankylosaurs, so this should be tough enough for you. I hope."

Donovan takes a breath, then pushes the needle. With a grimace of exertion, Donovan presses, using strength far greater than anyone with a wiry frame like his should be capable of. After a moment, Mac's skin finally surrenders to the needle, letting it pierce.

"Hoo-wee, you run awful hot, Mac!" Donovan remarks as he slowly pulls back on the syringe, his eyes widening in interest as he sees the color of the fluid: A reddish-purple color. "Oh, and that's a real humdinger of a blood color. Tyrian purple!"

He removes the needly deftly, quickly covering the hole with a small wad of cotton and a bandage, before transferring the blood into a syringe. "There, all done. I'll get this analyzed. You wanna watch it in the centrifuge?" Donovan grins, clearly more eager than anyone should be about the prospect of making a vial of blood spin very, very fast.

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, yeah, high-temps are kinda my thing lmao. 'n', yeah, i'd love to see it centrifuge!! hopefully it's not too heavy lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Oh, no, this'll be fine, I saw a guy use this centrifuge for dark matter." Donovan replies, popping the vial into the machine. With a clunk, the heavy lid closes, and the motor hums to life, the centrifuge slowly starting to spin, gaining speed with each pass.

Faster and faster it spins, until it becomes a purplish blur spinning around the center. the centrifuge gamely handles it, keeping balanced without an issue.

"This might take a while, so while we wait I can show you some of the stuff I'm working on, if you want? I've almost managed to make my Wagyu mint work!"

[msu-donovan]

Mac is poking around in Donovan's lab, studying all of his various instruments. She's clearly being careful not to damage anything, and has succeeded at that so far. They've taken a special interest in the chemistry-related apparatus, though, and seem to be taking some form of notes on an electronic device. @chaos-harbinger

Donovan's ears perk up, moving maybe a tiny bit more than human ears should be able to move. Resisting the urge to whip around to see who's walked in, he instead slowly and calmly turns around to see Mac there. He very carefully and politely positions himself between them and the apparatus. "Well hey there, Mac! Good to see you. What can I do you for today?"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, hi donovan!! i was just looking at the equipment here to see if i could figure it out! might end up practicing a bit on my-self lmao`‖ː‖

His voice sounds as purple as ever, though their skin bears some fresher scars from a recent episode of… whatever it is that happens to her.

[msu-donovan]

The skin on Donovan's skin very subtly but perceptibly tightens at the suggestion, but he blinks and relaxes. Maybe this could be a moment to instill some caution into this chaotic kid.

"Of course! I'd be happy to show you how this works. Were you curious about anything in particular?"

[chaos-harbinger]

She takes a moment to think about what answer to give first.

‖ː‖`well, i've figured it might be cool to finally get my genomes figured out, so that works as a thing to do first`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Genomes? Plural? With an S?" Donavan cocks an eyebrow, turning to rifle through a drawer.

"That's very interesting," He smiles, pulling out a syringe and a vial, both kept in sterile packaging. "I'd be more than happy to help you figure that out. Can I have your permission to... Wait, hang on. How old are you? I need to know if I need to get Merlyn's permission for any procedures. Nothing invasive, just a small blood draw, but union guidelines are pretty strict about anything involving minors, and I think it's a pretty reasonable rule."

[chaos-harbinger]

He pauses for a few moments to calculate in her head.

‖ː‖`i'd be, what, twenty or twenty-one now? some-where-between those two numbers, at least. o, 'n' yeah, i trust you, so you can do what-ever lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan frowns for a moment, trying to interpret how exactly to respond to that, but eventually shakes it off. He pulls on a pair of latex gloves, then tears open the pouch with a crinkle.

Gently taking Mac's arm, he feels for a vein. Another moment of hesitation until he finally finds it, then swabs the spot he finds with an alcohol swab. "Sorry, your veins aren't in the same spots as a human, I had to feel around a bit. Here we go!"

Donovan uncaps the syringe and pushes it against Mac's skin, expecting it to cleanly slip right in, but instead, he looks down and sees that the needle is bent.

"...Huh. Uh. Alright. Should have expected that..." Donovan mutters, putting the needle in a sharps bin and looking for something with a bit more oomph. "So Mac, tell me, what do they usually have to use when you get blood drawn? Do you know what gauge needle they use?"

[chaos-harbinger]

Mac's skin is, as usual, about as hot to the touch as a hot water bottle filled with freshly boiled water.

‖ː‖`o, i usually just use this`!‖ː‖

She pulls out what looks like a sharpened shard of scrap metal from their pocket.

‖ː‖`a good slice basically any-where gets things flowing well enough to produce analysable volumes`!!‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan lets out a nervous laugh the moment he lays eyes on that shard. "Perhaps we shouldn't use that, Mac. I would prefer to avoid infections and I don't think that's sterile."

Very delicately, he takes the bit of metal and sets it down on the table, before looking through a cabinet. After a moment, he returns with a much, much larger needle. "Here, this ought to do it. Normally I use this for getting bone marrow from my genetically augmented ankylosaurs, so this should be tough enough for you. I hope."

Donovan takes a breath, then pushes the needle. With a grimace of exertion, Donovan presses, using strength far greater than anyone with a wiry frame like his should be capable of. After a moment, Mac's skin finally surrenders to the needle, letting it pierce.

"Hoo-wee, you run awful hot, Mac!" Donovan remarks as he slowly pulls back on the syringe, his eyes widening in interest as he sees the color of the fluid: A reddish-purple color. "Oh, and that's a real humdinger of a blood color. Tyrian purple!"

He removes the needly deftly, quickly covering the hole with a small wad of cotton and a bandage, before transferring the blood into a syringe. "There, all done. I'll get this analyzed. You wanna watch it in the centrifuge?" Donovan grins, clearly more eager than anyone should be about the prospect of making a vial of blood spin very, very fast.

[msu-donovan]

Mac is poking around in Donovan's lab, studying all of his various instruments. She's clearly being careful not to damage anything, and has succeeded at that so far. They've taken a special interest in the chemistry-related apparatus, though, and seem to be taking some form of notes on an electronic device. @chaos-harbinger

Donovan's ears perk up, moving maybe a tiny bit more than human ears should be able to move. Resisting the urge to whip around to see who's walked in, he instead slowly and calmly turns around to see Mac there. He very carefully and politely positions himself between them and the apparatus. "Well hey there, Mac! Good to see you. What can I do you for today?"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, hi donovan!! i was just looking at the equipment here to see if i could figure it out! might end up practicing a bit on my-self lmao`‖ː‖

His voice sounds as purple as ever, though their skin bears some fresher scars from a recent episode of… whatever it is that happens to her.

[msu-donovan]

The skin on Donovan's skin very subtly but perceptibly tightens at the suggestion, but he blinks and relaxes. Maybe this could be a moment to instill some caution into this chaotic kid.

"Of course! I'd be happy to show you how this works. Were you curious about anything in particular?"

[chaos-harbinger]

She takes a moment to think about what answer to give first.

‖ː‖`well, i've figured it might be cool to finally get my genomes figured out, so that works as a thing to do first`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Genomes? Plural? With an S?" Donavan cocks an eyebrow, turning to rifle through a drawer.

"That's very interesting," He smiles, pulling out a syringe and a vial, both kept in sterile packaging. "I'd be more than happy to help you figure that out. Can I have your permission to... Wait, hang on. How old are you? I need to know if I need to get Merlyn's permission for any procedures. Nothing invasive, just a small blood draw, but union guidelines are pretty strict about anything involving minors, and I think it's a pretty reasonable rule."

[chaos-harbinger]

He pauses for a few moments to calculate in her head.

‖ː‖`i'd be, what, twenty or twenty-one now? some-where-between those two numbers, at least. o, 'n' yeah, i trust you, so you can do what-ever lmao`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

Donovan frowns for a moment, trying to interpret how exactly to respond to that, but eventually shakes it off. He pulls on a pair of latex gloves, then tears open the pouch with a crinkle.

Gently taking Mac's arm, he feels for a vein. Another moment of hesitation until he finally finds it, then swabs the spot he finds with an alcohol swab. "Sorry, your veins aren't in the same spots as a human, I had to feel around a bit. Here we go!"

Donovan uncaps the syringe and pushes it against Mac's skin, expecting it to cleanly slip right in, but instead, he looks down and sees that the needle is bent.

"...Huh. Uh. Alright. Should have expected that..." Donovan mutters, putting the needle in a sharps bin and looking for something with a bit more oomph. "So Mac, tell me, what do they usually have to use when you get blood drawn? Do you know what gauge needle they use?"

[msu-donovan]

Mac is poking around in Donovan's lab, studying all of his various instruments. She's clearly being careful not to damage anything, and has succeeded at that so far. They've taken a special interest in the chemistry-related apparatus, though, and seem to be taking some form of notes on an electronic device. @chaos-harbinger

Donovan's ears perk up, moving maybe a tiny bit more than human ears should be able to move. Resisting the urge to whip around to see who's walked in, he instead slowly and calmly turns around to see Mac there. He very carefully and politely positions himself between them and the apparatus. "Well hey there, Mac! Good to see you. What can I do you for today?"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, hi donovan!! i was just looking at the equipment here to see if i could figure it out! might end up practicing a bit on my-self lmao`‖ː‖

His voice sounds as purple as ever, though their skin bears some fresher scars from a recent episode of… whatever it is that happens to her.

[msu-donovan]

The skin on Donovan's skin very subtly but perceptibly tightens at the suggestion, but he blinks and relaxes. Maybe this could be a moment to instill some caution into this chaotic kid.

"Of course! I'd be happy to show you how this works. Were you curious about anything in particular?"

[chaos-harbinger]

She takes a moment to think about what answer to give first.

‖ː‖`well, i've figured it might be cool to finally get my genomes figured out, so that works as a thing to do first`‖ː‖

[msu-donovan]

"Genomes? Plural? With an S?" Donavan cocks an eyebrow, turning to rifle through a drawer.

"That's very interesting," He smiles, pulling out a syringe and a vial, both kept in sterile packaging. "I'd be more than happy to help you figure that out. Can I have your permission to... Wait, hang on. How old are you? I need to know if I need to get Merlyn's permission for any procedures. Nothing invasive, just a small blood draw, but union guidelines are pretty strict about anything involving minors, and I think it's a pretty reasonable rule."

[msu-donovan]

Mac is poking around in Donovan's lab, studying all of his various instruments. She's clearly being careful not to damage anything, and has succeeded at that so far. They've taken a special interest in the chemistry-related apparatus, though, and seem to be taking some form of notes on an electronic device. @chaos-harbinger

Donovan's ears perk up, moving maybe a tiny bit more than human ears should be able to move. Resisting the urge to whip around to see who's walked in, he instead slowly and calmly turns around to see Mac there. He very carefully and politely positions himself between them and the apparatus. "Well hey there, Mac! Good to see you. What can I do you for today?"

[chaos-harbinger]

‖ː‖`o, hi donovan!! i was just looking at the equipment here to see if i could figure it out! might end up practicing a bit on my-self lmao`‖ː‖

His voice sounds as purple as ever, though their skin bears some fresher scars from a recent episode of… whatever it is that happens to her.

[msu-donovan]

The skin on Donovan's skin very subtly but perceptibly tightens at the suggestion, but he blinks and relaxes. Maybe this could be a moment to instill some caution into this chaotic kid.

"Of course! I'd be happy to show you how this works. Were you curious about anything in particular?"

[msu-donovan]

Mac is poking around in Donovan's lab, studying all of his various instruments. She's clearly being careful not to damage anything, and has succeeded at that so far. They've taken a special interest in the chemistry-related apparatus, though, and seem to be taking some form of notes on an electronic device. @chaos-harbinger

Donovan's ears perk up, moving maybe a tiny bit more than human ears should be able to move. Resisting the urge to whip around to see who's walked in, he instead slowly and calmly turns around to see Mac there. He very carefully and politely positions himself between them and the apparatus. "Well hey there, Mac! Good to see you. What can I do you for today?"

[making-friendos]

Choose your fighter

[greenbloodedskink]

Choose your fighter!

golden retriever

silver retriever

bronze retriever

platinum retriever

aluminium retriever

plutonium retriever

copper retriever

lead retriever

diamond retriever

Voting ended onJun 30, 2024

[making-friendos]

Reblogging for a larger sample size 🐕🐕🐕

[making-friendos]

Congrats Pluto, you did it 🏆

[fernsforaging]

my kind of people in the mycology community