I miss the tv show "Fringe" so much. I wish I had more time for fan fiction, but there never seems to be enough time for everything.

The Case of the Missing Jell-O

Walter Bishop stood in the middle of the lab, his hands on his hips, staring at the empty spot on the counter where his prized lime Jell-O had been just moments ago. His brow furrowed, and he turned to Astrid, who was typing away at her computer, oblivious to the crisis at hand.

"Astrid!" Walter exclaimed, his voice tinged with both panic and indignation. "My Jell-O is gone!"

Astrid looked up from her screen, blinking. "What do you mean, gone? Did you eat it and forget again?"

Walter shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no. I distinctly remember placing it right here, next to the centrifuge. It was a perfect specimen—wobbly, yet firm. And now it's vanished!"

Astrid suppressed a smile. Walter's obsession with Jell-O was well-documented, but this was a new level of urgency. "Okay, Walter, let's think about this logically. Did anyone else come into the lab?"

Walter tapped his chin, deep in thought. "Well, Peter was here earlier, but he left to get coffee. And Olivia stopped by to drop off some files, but she didn't seem interested in my Jell-O. Unless..." His eyes widened. "Unless it was the Observer!"

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "The Observer? Why would an Observer take your Jell-O?"

"Because they're mysterious and unpredictable!" Walter declared, pacing the lab. "They could be studying our gelatin-based desserts for their own nefarious purposes. Or perhaps they're using it as a medium for time travel! Did you know that Jell-O has unique temporal properties when exposed to certain frequencies of—"

"Walter," Astrid interrupted gently, "I think we should rule out more mundane explanations first. Maybe it just... fell?"

Walter gasped. "Fell? Astrid, this is Jell-O we're talking about, not a common pudding! It doesn't just 'fall.' It was *taken*."

Astrid sighed, realizing there was no talking Walter out of his theory. "All right, let's investigate. Where was the last place you saw it?"

Walter led her to the counter, pointing dramatically at the empty space. "Right here. And look—there's a faint residue. A clue!"

Astrid leaned in, examining the spot. Sure enough, there was a tiny smear of green gelatin. She grabbed a swab and collected the sample. "I'll run a quick analysis. Maybe we can figure out what happened."

As Astrid worked, Walter rummaged through the lab, muttering to himself. "If the Observers are involved, we'll need to prepare. I'll need more Jell-O—different flavors, different consistencies. We'll set a trap!"

Astrid chuckled softly. "Walter, I really don't think the Observers are after your dessert."

"Then explain this!" Walter held up a small, shiny object he'd found on the floor. It was a paperclip, bent into an unusual shape.

Astrid took the paperclip, studying it. "This could be anything. It doesn't necessarily mean—"

"Ah-ha!" Walter interrupted, his eyes lighting up. "It's a *symbol*. A message from the Observers. They're telling us they've taken my Jell-O as a warning. Or... or maybe it's a cry for help! What if they're trapped in a gelatinous dimension and need us to—"

"Walter," Astrid said firmly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think I found our culprit."

She pointed to the corner of the lab, where a familiar furry creature was happily licking the remnants of lime Jell-O. It was Gene, Walter's beloved cow, who had somehow wandered into the lab unnoticed.

Walter's jaw dropped. "Gene? You ate my Jell-O?"

Gene let out a soft moo, as if to apologize.

Astrid couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like the case of the missing Jell-O has been solved. The culprit was right under our noses."

Walter sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Well, I suppose I can forgive her. But next time, Gene, ask before you help yourself to my experiments!"

As Astrid returned to her computer, shaking her head in amusement, Walter began preparing another batch of Jell-O—this time, with extra lime. After all, a scientist's work was never done.

I saw this the other day and thought it pretty much captured how I feel about how some of my straight friends see being gay especially since Trump came back into office. 

One friend, in particular, just doesn’t get it so I shut up and don’t talk about it, but when I first came out to her, she said she was there for me no matter what. 

Now I realize there was something she didn’t say that was also part of her acceptance, meaning as long as I don’t talk about it at all, ever, she’s “ok with who I am.”

She regularly goes to Chick-fil-A and when she brings the food back she plops it right down in front of me and says sorry very sarcastically before she picks it back up and walks away. A long time ago I stopped explaining to her that Chick-fil-A still quietly gives to anti-gay causes so I’m not sure why says anything.

I’m too tired to fight battles anymore. But I will say I’d rather friends have said to me they don’t accept me and be honest than say they do but show otherwise with microaggressions.

Usually, my cat sleeps next to me at night and I hug him like a teddy bear (but a bit less tightly than you would a stuffed animal) and it is so comforting. The past week or so, though, he has taken to firmly, almost heavily, settling on my legs and it's like he's trying to center me or something and telling me he's got things covered. He is such a special feline friend. 

 

All of Us Strangers is absolutely draining and part of me is sorry I watched it and another part knows it's good that I did.

A 2023 British romantic fantasy film directed by Andrew Haigh, the story follows a lonely screenwriter named Adam (played by Andrew Scott) who lives a secluded life in London. One night, he meets his mysterious neighbor Harry (played by Paul Mescal), and they develop an intimate relationship.

As Adam revisits his childhood home, he encounters his deceased parents (played by Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) as they were just before they died in a car accident when he was twelve. The film explores themes of love, loss, and reconciliation as Adam navigates his relationships with Harry and his parents.

I cannot relate to Adam's relationship with his parents (I wonder, after watching it more than once, if he is idealizing it and that it really didn't happen that way, that he gave more happiness to his childhood than was actually there).

There is so much to say about it, but for now it's hard to vocalize it all.

 More relevant than ever😔💔

(Or at least it feels that way lately)

Lyrics

Oh-oh, yeah
Mmm
To-do-do, oh-oh

These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars and the choosers

This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much but we'll take our chances
'Cause God's stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned His back and all God's children
Crept out the back door

And it's hard to love
There's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above
Say it's much, too much, too late
Well, maybe we should all be praying for time

To-do-do, oh-oh
Mmm, whoa-whoa, yeah

These are the days of the empty hand
Oh, you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear twice a year
This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there is over here

So you scream from behind your door
Say what's mine is mine and not yours
I may have too much but I'll take my chances
'Cause God's stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things they sold you
Did you cover your eyes when they told you
That he can't come back 'cause he has no children
To come back for?

It's hard to love
There's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above
Say it's much too late
So maybe we should all be praying for time

To-do-do
Oh-oh, yeah

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: George Michael

Praying for Time lyrics © Robobuild Limited