because it's a legitimate troubleshooting method [walking spoiler]

[pushtheboundaries]

Not everything can be solved by the rubber duckie approach, you know.

Comments

[besmirchthis]

All right, you've got me: what this about a rubber duckie approach?

[pushtheboundaries]

It involves explaining things step-by-step to a rubber duckie, in hopes of stumbling across where you went wrong. Some people use bears or other inanimate objects, or whatever else they have at hand.

[sometimes that is a student who is not so much a student as a self-proclaimed 'science enthusiast']

[besmirchthis]

[Sounds a lot like talking to a jury, some days.]

In that case, I may have to start keeping rubber ducks - excuse me, duckies - around the office. We have eagles to spare, but I suspect a duckie would be more understanding. Eagles are awfully judgmental.

But you say you're faced with a puzzle that defies even a duckie's aid?

[pushtheboundaries]

Well, that's partly the point of the duckie. The worst it does is squeak at you, even if you toss it across the room.

[he's not sure about eagles, though. have a slight furrowed brow at that...and the question.]

You might say that. It's a bit more difficult to explain a thought process.

[besmirchthis]

Oh, I like that. The squeak, I mean. [Also the idea of tossing ducks, possibly at his partner at the firm. Fallon grins.] I bet it'd lighten the atmosphere if the stumbling gets too tense.

See, I prefer to barrel right through thought processes. There's no point in dwelling on them, not when the solution doesn't want to come. [Shrugs.] Why waste your time?

[pushtheboundaries]

It usually does, at least in the lab. Finals week is...interesting, but at least productive if you get over the squeaking.

[though...have a shrug of his own]

That's what I'm telling her. [he makes a small gesture vaguely at his shoulder. mun.] She seems to think that if I had one during all this, I might not have ended up in jail.

[theregoessanfransokyo]

Well, yeah! Not with that attitude!

[pushtheboundaries]

[fred you are talking to the guy who doused you in diethyl ether because it seemed a slightly better option than killing you.

LOOK AT THIS LINEFACE YOU ARE GETTING. he's not even saying anything, he is just giving you this look]

[theregoessanfransokyo]

[WELL WHOSE FAULT WAS THAT ok it was mostly fred's for poking around where he shouldn't have but

still

maybe if Callaghan worked out his problems he won't NEED to throw dangerous flammable chemicals all over his former students]

I'm just saying, maybe it's not such a bad idea! I mean, it can't hurt, right? ...Yeah?

[pushtheboundaries]

[HE IS THE VERY MODEL OF MENTAL HEALTH]

You and Tadashi. [he stg] This is more complex than sounding off the steps of an invention or experiment, Fred.

[beat]

And I'd probably end up throwing it across the room within thirty seconds. [most people can at least take a minute of their own problems before ending up frustrated with themselves]

[theregoessanfransokyo]

Well hey, at least you'd be taking it out on the rubber duck! And not yourself? Or.. someone.. else...

Thanksfornotkillingmebytheway.

[Awkwardly clearing throat before continuing-]

Ok, so people are way more complicated than science experiments, I'm not gonna argue with that! But if you're struggling with something, it still might help to.. talk it out? Somewhere, somehow? It doesn't have to be a duck.

[pushtheboundaries]

[...that's a different look Fred's getting now. it's sort of a resigned you're-irritating-but-i'm-starting-to-remember-why-i-had-no-problems-with-you-hanging-out-in-the-lab.

other than, well. general approval of people being interested in science and technology, even if it wasn't their forte.

he's still a teacher, even if it's kind of overshadowed by certain things.]

Don't put me in that position again.

[another beat, and then he clears his throat, dropping in to his lecture-voice]

'Dear Duckie; the other day I doused a young man in a highly flammable chemical, because assuming he didn't immediately reach the toxitiy levels, it seemed the option least likely to kill anyone. Why, yes, I do remember another incident with flammable chemicals, and all those measures ending up useless in the face of simple human error...'

[did we mention his lecture-voice may or may not have high degrees of Sass in it right now?]

[hisbigbrother]

If only it were that simple.

[Oh hey. Look who's not dead here in dear_mun.]

[pushtheboundaries]

[woooOOOOw this won't end badly at all.]

...

[look who has tons of mixed feelings, as well! boy, it's sure harder to justify everything when you're in front of the guy you accidentally killed, isn't it?]

Not for lack of trying.

[hisbigbrother]

[You're welcome.]

Did you use the rubber ducky method when you decided to steal my brother's microbots, professor?

[pushtheboundaries]

[he doesn't need to be hit in the face; he'll facepalm hard enough to hurt, at that. can we just-]

No. I did not. And before you ask, yes, maybe I should have.

[tadashi why did you even think coming in after him was a good idea]

[hisbigbrother]

[Sorry, apparently we are doing this. Tadashi is just the kind of guy to go in after his beloved professor.]

Yeah. Maybe.

Because if you had, maybe you would've figured out my brother would come after you.

[arach_nerd]

Yeah, kind of hard to figure out the jump in logic that requires stealing a teenager's hard work and using it to try and kill someone.

[pushtheboundaries]

[wow. thanks for that bluntness. that dirty look you get is so unamused it could kill a clown.

he can't doesn't even say anything, he's just linefacing.]

[holdingoutforahiro]

Honestly, I've never found the rubber duckie approach that helpful in the first place.

[pushtheboundaries]

And I expect everything you do goes wonderfully on the first try?

[even mun is not sure how much of that is sass/sarcasm. it may be an honest question shielding envy. except hey, remember that time you thought it'd be a good idea to send Baymax in to a 1v1 fight?]

[holdingoutforahiro]

Yeah, usually.

(hey not cool, he learned his lesson over that.)

[pushtheboundaries]

[third time's the charm?]

Lucky you.

[he can't even bring himself to sass or snark. sulking, on the other hand, totally helps any mixed feelings he has regarding Hiro rescuing his daughter]

[holdingoutforahiro]

I guess. I've just... never really had any problems. And if I did, my brother was there to tell me.

(SUBTLE JAB. you have to be nice to the baby because he saved your baby)

[shhhhh_secret]

My teammate seems to zink so.

(Beat.)

Zen again, my teammate ez a mumbling abomination who likes to set fire to everyzing (despite the apparent insult, this is said quite affectionately), so perhaps zeir judgement ez questionable.