#szxper

[lilydalexf]

👽 Random X-Files Fic Rec

This fic evokes such an eerie X-Files mood. It was written for a @badthingshappenbingo "When Bad Things Happen To Good People" challenge, and be warned: this story is very good but it fits that bill! Title: Where the Ice Cracks Author: szxper Summary: A remote Alaskan town reports mass hallucinations, nausea, and vomiting—but no traceable toxin. Scully suspects a pathogen, but Mulder is drawn to whispers of an ancient creature said to poison minds rather than bodies. As the agents begin experiencing symptoms themselves, the lines blur between reality and delusion. Scully battles her scientific training while Mulder dives deeper into mythology, risking his grip on reality. Length: 1,452 words Classification: casefile, angst Rating: Not rated Spoilers: None listed Favorite line: He always smelled truth like blood on water—and this time, he’d caught a scent days before the case file even landed on her desk.

Read the story!

[badthingshappenbingo]

CONGRATULATIONS TO @szxper FOR GETTING A BINGO! BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THEIR COMPLETED FICS!

[iputthenotinastronaut]

Last thing (not really)—you said stars ‘burn fuel’ but they’re not actually burning, right? So what’s really happening in there? Because the textbook answer makes no sense.

Another great question! And you're right - "burning fuel" is a simple way to put things.

It all has to do with how a star is born and the life that it lives based on physical characteristics. Star formation takes a really long time. Gravity of dust particles, dust clouds, and ice in space all have to condense together to form a star. This process of molecules combining heats the materials up due to friction.

These initial stars are called "protostars"! Most of their heat energy comes from the first gravity collapse. A process called nuclear fusion takes place, where the gravity and pressure increase over a star's life. This pressure buildup causes hydrogen atoms to squeeze together, forming helium, element #2 on the periodic table.

BANG! IT RELEASES ENERGY!

This is true for main sequence stars, like the Sun!

The material a star is made out of is its fuel. The gases are the fuel, and the mass of the star determines how fast it will "burn", or use up those gases. The more mass a star has, the faster it will burn. I know, it's a little backwards, but they have to burn faster; otherwise, they would collapse under their own weight. A lower-mass star will burn longer since it is dimmer and cooler, and its mass isn't condensing as quickly.

[antvnger]

Good Afternoon !

Mr. Lang. Sir. Respectfully. Would you like to sign my copy of your book? 🥺 Big fan !

Oh wow hey! Hi! Nice to meet you! Call me Scott, please. I’d love to sign this for you! What’s your name? Wanna personalize the note, ya know?

[cantevenbeachhere]

I need to fly there. But when I so… what’s next?

Okay! So! After you fly there, you gotta rollerblade to Venice Beach, okay?

Right where Ocean meets Beach, then you’re gonna get on the snowmobile and drive through the snow until you get to the camper van!

After making a campfire and hanging out there, you’re gonna find a tandem bike. Don’t worry you can totally use it by yourself, okay? So like don’t panic when you see like all the pedals! You can so do it by yourself!

Then after that, you’re gonna find a rocket ship! Please make sure you’re sitting on it when it takes off! Trust me! Sit on it and like hold on tight!

The rocket ship will take you to a speedboat. I totally recommend having something with you in case you like get sick. Or just like hold your head over the side of the boat the whole time. And don’t worry about the seagulls, as long as you don’t have food, it won’t be that bad.

Then finally! There’s gonna be like a pink sports car waiting, so you hop in that and drive to Barbie Land and ta-da! You’re in Barbie Land! You made it go you!

And then like once you get there, anyone can show you where Beach is.

Sound good, my dude?

[cantevenbeachhere]

I do have rollerblades !

Dude! Thats great! Me too! They’re like super fun aren’t they?

Okay so like what you do is you go to Venice Beach in the country of Los Angeles, okay?

Oh wait…do you live in that country? Or do you like have to fly there? Do you know how to get there??

[cantevenbeachhere]

Where I do get to the beach… What exactly am I supposed to do?

Why do people say the Beach? It’s just Beach.

Okay so like you’re from the Real World, right? So like I don’t know which Beach is closest to you, but I bet there’s gotta be one nearby, right? So like maybe like Google Beaches near you?

Or are you meaning like Barbie Land Beach? I can tell you how to get there! Do you have rollerblades?

[iputthenotinastronaut]

HYPOTHESISING TIME.

Air pressure is crushing us from every direction… so why don’t our lungs collapse like soda cans?

The short answer is this: we evolved to withstand exactly 1 G of gravity. That means 9.8 m/sec/sec acting on us, no matter where you are on Earth. All life on the surface of Earth has. When you look at organisms that live in the deep ocean, they live in places with very high pressure. When you look at humans climbing Mount Everest, that's a place with a lot lower pressure.

But to more directly answer your question - our body is experiencing a net air pressure in all directions. There's no one force exerting more than another. Plus, our lungs are directly connected to our bronchi, trachea, and nasal passages. So basically, the air inside our bodies is exerting the same pressure ourwards that it's feeling inwards, making the forces balanced.

When you take a breath and move your diaphragm down, that's what causes the vacuum in your lungs to draw air in. Then, when you exhale, that's what causes the vacuum to go away and push air out.

Neat, huh?