#Alumni Profile

[kpop-bbg]

[ephemeral-winter]

tonight's fic writing session involves the latin vulgate text of genesis 1:5, the hebrew text of a poem recited once a year on yom kippur about confessional piety, and a rewatch of the infamous wot s2e4 moiraine's blunts scene. yeah we cooking

[genderfluid-druid]

my alma mater emailed me to say they're collecting alumni profiles and one of my professors recommended me...... Bruh, oof. I may have looked like I was going someplace interesting for like, the first three years of college but now I am a web developer at a distribution center. It pays the bills and keeps me sane but I'm not exactly contributing anything cutting edge to society over here.

[rexlupus]

Doctorate in Business Administration (2024)

A DBA degree is highly valued in the business world. It is proof of dedication, knowledge, and skill in the business sector. When you have a DBA, you become an expert in your domain rather than just a business expert. With this degree, you can advance your career and become a top executive, consultant, or academic teacher, among other roles.

[roosterforme]

Right Girl, Wrong Time Part 4 | Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

Summary: You and Bradley know a level of comfort with each other that neither have felt with anyone else. When you finally make it to the alumni reunion, you run into some familiar faces, making it difficult to discuss your expectations. 

Warnings: Smut, fluff, swears, and angst

Length: 3800 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader (former fuckboy college student Bradley)

This is a sequel to accompany my story Old Habits Die Hard (you'll want to read that one first)!

Check my profile for my masterlist

Bradley took your hand as you led him up to a cute little cottage with a crumbling front step. He was so surprised when you gave him directions to get here in the car, leading him past his old fraternity house and your old apartment building. 

"This just looks like somewhere you'd live," he muttered as you unlocked the door and led him inside. He set his suitcase down and glanced around. 

"It's cute, but it's really small. I'll take you on a thirty second tour."

You weren't joking. After half a minute, Bradley had seen everything and he'd backed you up against your bedroom door frame. "What are you wearing tonight?" he asked, placing a gentle kiss on your chin. Bradley watched your eyes flutter closed as you reached for him.

"A pretty black dress," you whispered, pulling him closer to you by his belt loops. 

He leaned on one forearm above your head and nodded. "Sounds lovely. Can't wait to take it off you later."

You smiled and laughed softly. Then you got a faraway look in your eye. "Was it weird driving past the Beta house?" Bradley just shrugged, and then you said, "I hate walking past it when I go to campus to teach."

"Why, Sugar?" he asked.

You pressed your lips together and then ducked your head away from him. Bradley gave you a moment to process what you wanted to say, but every part of him really wanted to tell you he still felt the same way about you ten years later. He didn't want to hear you tell him that your heart ached when he was standing right in front of you now.

You swallowed hard. "Because that's where I broke up with you." Your voice sounded so small, and it took you a few more seconds to meet his eyes. You laughed, but it was a hollow sound. "You always called me a smart girl, but I just don't know."

Bradley kissed your lips. "You'll always be smarter than me." 

You pushed away from the wall and cleared your throat. "I'm going to get cleaned up and get changed," you whispered, glancing down at your cum streaked thighs. 

Bradley grinned and kissed you on the forehead. Then you pulled your dress off and started walking around naked, gathering some sweatpants and a sports bra and heading to the bathroom. 

He ended up collapsing on your couch to wait for you. He was debating coming clean about living in San Diego. More than anything, since last night, he had wanted you to choose him now. Maybe you didn't want to tie him down before, but he really liked the idea of being with you again now. You made sense to him in a way that nobody else ever had. And if there was even a chance he could make you his again, he wasn't going to want to give it a go with any other woman.

"Do you want a cup of tea?" Your voice made him both eternally comfortable and also slightly uneasy now. He just nodded and watched you get two mugs of tea ready in your tiny kitchen, wearing just your sports bra and baggy sweatpants. 

When you set the mugs down on the coffee table and dropped down on the couch next to him, you were instantly snuggling up against him. He wrapped his arm around you and let your lips graze his scarred neck. 

"Are you looking forward to seeing anyone tonight?" you asked, letting your hand settle on his leg. "I haven't really kept up with anyone."

Bradley smiled and laughed softly. "Sugar, I think I subconsciously came back here just in case you were going to be here." You buried your face against him and hummed. "But to answer your question, I wouldn't mind seeing Tyson. I talk to him occasionally."

"You do? That's nice. Always thought he was too good for Janessa."

Bradley snorted. "She cheated on him like a month after we graduated."

You rolled your eyes up at him and said, "I'm not surprised."

"He always liked you. Everyone was so shocked you were with me," he said, trailing his hand along your bare skin. "Me included."

You turned to face him, fullying climbing into his lap and sitting on his left thigh. Bradley welcomed you there, almost delighting in this pleasure you were bestowing upon him before the almost certain pain he would feel tomorrow and the day after and the day after, when he returned home alone. 

You pushed your fingers up into his hair and kissed his mustache and then his lips. The tip of your nose was pressing into his cheek as you sighed and whispered, "You were the best boyfriend I ever had."

This simple sentence was echoing around in his mind. How could that be possible? After so many years? But you'd done the impossible to him, too. And you were doing it again now, the way your fingers were soothing him and making his breathing and heart rate feel so calm and even. But you were exciting him at the same time. His eyes drifted closed as he held you against him.

"Sometimes, when I've been on an aircraft carrier for too long and I haven't slept in days, the only thing I can think about at night is you." He hadn't really meant to say that out loud, and he wasn't sure he actually had until he heard and felt your sharp intake of breath. 

When Bradley opened his eyes, an expression close to confusion was clouding your face, and he didn't think he had the strength to explain himself. So he cleared his throat. "What do you say, Sugar... want to see some pictures of the carriers and my Super Hornet?"

"Okay," you agreed softly, and he was immediately digging in his pocket for his phone. 

-----------------------

You were reeling a bit, sitting on Bradley's lap while he scrolled through his photo gallery in search of some photos to show you. He still currently thinks about you. He hadn't said those exact words, but you could tell. And you still thought about and missed him too. 

"Here's one on the USS Leyte Gulf," he said, and you were treated to a photo of him in front of his aircraft. He was wearing what he referred to as his flight suit and holding his red and yellow helmet in one hand. The F/A-18 behind him was absolutely enormous, and it was painted with Lt Bradley Bradshaw "Rooster" across the side.

"Wow, Lieutenant Beer Boy," you said, and he handed you his phone and told you to scroll through them. 

"That's just before I finally got to go home. God, I look exhausted," he said. "Oh, that's Bob. We shared a bunk that time. And that's Coyote." You scrolled and looked at the most beautiful photo of the sun setting over the water. 

Then he found you a picture of him in New Zealand and another of him in Hawaii. "You've seen the whole world," you whispered with a smile. "You did everything I hoped you would."

He just held you a little tighter. 

"Oh," you whispered. "Show me a picture of your uniform."

Bradley licked his lips and looked you in the eye. "If I show you a picture, you gonna promise to leave a wet spot on my uniform pants one day?"

You pressed your lips together and kind of rolled your eyes. "You told me not to be embarrassed about that. Both times."

"It's hot, Sugar," he whispered before looking through his photos. "Here you go. My khaki uniform."

You had to stifle a moan. "Wow. Those pants look very snug, Beer Boy." Bradley tipped his head back and laughed. "Don't you have other uniforms too? Like for special occasions?"

Bradley was still chuckling. "Yeah. And you're more than welcome to get those ones wet too."

You lightly smacked his chest and he responded by kissing you. "Show me what those ones look like."

"I don't think I have any pictures saved..... oh, hang on. There are some on Instagram."

You scoffed and said, "You don't even have an Instagram account."

Bradley tiled his chin up to look at you. "How do you know that?"

He looked amused, and you couldn't lie to him. "You don't have any social media accounts. I've checked," you said softly, tangling your fingers in the fabric of his shirt. 

"That's right. You're on Instagram though. But it's set to private," he said with a grin.

"You've looked?" you asked him, burying your face in his neck. 

"Of course. Been hoping one day you'd remove the privacy settings so I could see what you look like now. The answer to that is fucking gorgeous, by the way."

"Bradley," you whispered. Your cheeks were burning hot, and you just couldn't meet his eyes.

"Here's my uniform, Sugar," he whispered, and you repositioned yourself on his lap a bit.

"Holy shit," you gasped, looking at the photo of him wearing a head to toe white uniform, including a hat that would have looked silly on most people. 

"There's one in my dress blues as well," he murmured, scrolling down to another, equally sexy looking photo. But your eyes caught on a different photo.

"Who's that?" you asked, pointing to a photo of him wearing cutoff shorts and sunglasses at the beach. He had his arm around a petite, brunette woman in a bathing suit. She was so beautiful, you felt a little sick with jealousy. "She's pretty. Was that your girlfriend?"

Bradley started laughing so hard, you weren't sure what you'd said that could have been that funny. You crossed your arms and waited for him to take a breath.

"That's Nat," he said, squeezing you against him as he wiped a tear from his eye. "And I find her quite repulsive, actually. At least as a romantic prospect, Sugar."

"How? She's so lovely," you said, still looking at the photo of them together and pouting. "Is this her Instagram account?"

"Yeah," he answered with a grin. You scrolled along, noticing that photos of her with Bradley were pretty prominently featured. There was one of them eating a pile of hot wings. There was another one of them both in their flight suits. There was one of them laying on rafts in a pool. "She is pretty. But she's vomited on me more times than I can count. She eats all the food I buy and leaves the empty packages. And she makes up horrifying nicknames for me. Just like unspeakably awful riffs on my call sign. Her favorite one is Little Chicken Cock Boy."

Now you were smiling. "She sounds like a very good friend."

"She is," he confirmed. "And she thinks you're pretty."

Your eyes went wide. "My Instagram is private."

Bradley rolled his eyes. "So is the photo I have of us from when we were twenty one. That doesn't mean she didn't get me to show it to her and Bob when I was tipsy one night."

You gasped. "You showed them a picture?" What if he still had the dirty ones you snapped in the kitchen at his fraternity house? You really hoped he did.

"Mmhmm," Bradley said, blushing profusely but still looking at you. "Nat knows all about you. When I tell her I ran into you... she's going to flip out."

"She knows about me?" Your heart wasn't going to be able to handle much more of this. He told his best friend about you. 

"All about you," he confirmed.

"Even the study room?" you asked with a smirk.

"Come on, Sugar, some things are sacred." 

"Sacred?" you said with a laugh. "I don't know if you'd call what we did in there exactly holy..." 

"Always felt like a religious experience to me," he swore, crossing his heart with his index finger. "Today was no different."

His face was a little too serious, and you knew he wasn't joking. You rested your cheek on his shoulder again, tucking your forehead against his neck. You didn't say anything else, just listened to his even breathing and melted into his warm touch.

----------------------

You dozed off with your head resting on him, and Bradley let you sleep for a while. He felt so content, he could have taken a nap too, but he knew he needed to soak up all of this time with you while he could. So he stayed awake and enjoyed the sound of your soft breathing and the feel of your weight against him. 

But it was getting late now. The sun was getting low in the sky. Neither one of you had taken a single sip of the mugs of tea that you made, and Bradley was thirsty and starving. And he assumed you would need time to get changed for the class reunion. 

"Sugar," he whispered, and you started to stir when he ran his hand along the length of your arm until he was holding your hand. "Wake up, baby."

You arched your back and sighed, your lips grazing his neck. "Bradley," you moaned softly in your sleepy voice. His cock twitched from the sound of his name on your lips. 

Then you moaned a little louder as your lips connected with his in an unhurried kiss, and Bradley no longer cared if you and he got to the reunion on time, if at all. 

You slowly positioned your legs so you were straddling his thighs, never taking your lips away from his. Bradley's hands found your hips and then reached around to grab your ass, pulling you flush against his hardening cock. 

When you released his lips and gasped, he swore to you, "I will never recover from this weekend."

And then your mouth met his again while all of your fingers tangled a little roughly in his hair. You pulled him by his hair until his lips met your neck. "Maybe I don't want you to," you whispered, and Bradley treated you to his mustache on your soft skin. "Maybe I want you to keep on thinking about me like this."

He nipped at your neck and slowly pulled your sports bra over your head. Then he tilted his head down to taste both of your tattoos, running his lips and tongue along them. "I'm never gonna be able to stop," he growled, sucking on the song lyrics he had always associated with how much he had loved you.

He let you grind slowly against him through your clothing and his, your head tipped back while he gently kissed your breasts. When you started to reach for his shirt and pull it off, you whispered, "God you feel good." 

Bradley kept your motions slow with his hands on your hips, and after another minute you were practically panting. You suddenly scrambled off of his lap and started to yank off your sweatpants. And then you were standing between his splayed legs, looking down at him. You bit your lip and let your fingers drift down along the front of your body while Bradley unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans with a groan. He watched you teasing yourself, pretty manicured fingers dipping down into your own wetness and then teasing your clit.

"God damn it, Sugar." He was yanking his jeans and boxers down below his knees, and then you were climbing back onto his lap. "I wanna go slow," he told you as he guided you closer with his big hands on your body. You nodded for him, nudging yourself against his tip and hissing. You dragged yourself along his length, soaking him with your wetness and teasing your clit with him.

Bradley's mind was focused only on you. His body felt like it was on fire everywhere you touched him with your lips. And as you sank down around him, he could feel your teeth and tongue on his shoulder, then his neck, and then his mouth.

"Oh fuck," you gasped quietly, moving your hips slowly as you rode him. You were the best. You were still the best sex of his life. For a long time, he had thought that you were just magical in that way. But now that you connected with him again physically after so long, he was pretty sure it had more to do with everything he loved about you. "Beer Boy!" You were dragging your nails through his hair again, and he could feel the tension building in your body. He knew you were getting close, the slow, smooth movements of your hips becoming more erratic. 

"Cum all over me, Sugar," he whispered, leaning his head back to watch your face as he gently palmed your tits and teased his fingers along your tattoos. "I wanna see it."

He watched every emotion and expression on your face, enjoyed every squeeze of your pussy around his cock. Absorbed every small sound you made. Relished the way your nails were digging into his shoulders. And all the while you were whining his name at increasing volume. 

He wanted to tell you exactly how he felt about you, but doing so while he was buried deep inside you seemed like simultaneously the best and worst idea he had ever had. So instead he pressed his lips to yours while you came around him, and he thrust up into you a few times until he was filling you up again. 

You collapsed against him, hands tucked behind his neck and your lips at his ear. "I... oh... Bradley."

You sounded fucking stupid, and he wanted to make you this way all the time. 

---------------------------

"How do I look?" Bradley asked you, even though he'd just spent the last twenty minutes getting himself ready and getting dressed in his suit right in front of you. 

"Sexy," you told him, and he actually had the nerve to blush a little bit. You had just finished doing your hair and makeup, and now you were pulling your dress out of your tiny closet. "Why is tonight's theme black tie formal?" you asked. "As if I really had the money to spend on this damn dress."

But Bradley's eyes went wide as you draped it across your bed. "It was worth every fucking penny," he told you with a grin. "Want me to help you put it on?"

You nodded and took your sports bra off again, letting him have a minute to kiss and stroke your breasts and your tattoos while you giggled. "Okay, okay, Beer Boy. Help me with my dress!"

Bradley groaned and helped you slip it on and then zip up the back, and when you spun to face him, you already knew where his eyes would be. 

"Sugar," he whispered reverently. Your dress had cutouts on each side, and parts of your tattoos were visible. "You look perfect."

Silently, you handed Bradley your high heels and sat on the edge of your bed while he knelt and helped you put them on. As you watched his graceful fingers rub against your ankles, your heart clenched in your chest. 

"Are you flying out tomorrow?" 

He caressed the inside of your calf before looking up at you with a guarded expression. "Yeah. I have a flight at 8 in the morning." 

You were instantly fighting a nauseous feeling that was rising up inside you while Bradley placed a kiss to your knee where the slit of your dress had fallen open. You had barely twelve more hours with him before he would be leaving in his rental car to drive to the airport. It wasn't enough time. It wasn't fair. But you drew in a shaky breath and said, "Let's make the most of it?"

It sounded like a question even to your ears, but Bradley nodded and stood, pulling you to your feet and into his arms. 

-----------------------------

There was no way you'd be able to walk to the other end of campus in your heels. Bradley offered to carry you the whole way, but you rolled your eyes and insisted on calling a ride to take you both to the UVA conference center. As Bradley helped you out of the car, he wrapped his arm around you, tucking his fingers inside the fabric of your dress cutout and making you giggle as you both disappeared into the crowd of your former classmates entering the building. 

"What the fuck?" Bradley mumbled as you and he walked through the main lobby area. "None of this was updated when we were students."

You laughed. "Looks like they used our tuition money to make everything better after we graduated."

"Ridiculous," he whispered, kissing the top of your head. 

The main hall was set up with so many tables, and there were so many people filling the space, Bradley was surprised. But you took his hand in yours and led him toward a table that was only half filled and found two seats together. Bradley glanced around, desperately wanting to avoid small talk with these people and just spend the entire night basking in your presence. But he let you introduce yourself and him to the table before he pulled you toward the bar.

"Come on, Sugar. Let's go get the good beers."

You just rested your chin on his chest and looked up at him like you still couldn't quite believe this was all happening. As the short line for drinks moved, Bradley guided you backwards with his hands on your hips.

"Thanks for being my last minute date," he said with a smile as his fingers found your exposed tattoos again. Those song lyrics were for him; he knew that, but he also knew that you were still unattainable to him.

"Thanks for coming to Virginia and making this the best weekend I've had in a very long time," you replied softly, and the smile was immediately wiped away from Bradley's lips. There was still so much he wanted to say to you. Fuck, you kept hinting at things and beating around the bush, but he just wanted to know where he stood with you now. The fact that he knew how this was going to play out, how he just knew he'd handed you his heart on a platter a second time, was probably going to kill him. Once again.

You turned your head so your cheek was pressed against his shirt right below his bowtie, and he guided you backward another step.

"Sugar, I think we need to talk about me and you. I think we should-" 

But your body stiffened in his arms, and he felt goosebumps along your arms. 

"What's wrong?" he asked, but as soon as he followed your gaze across the room, he saw what had upset you.

Bradley's focus landed on not only Jeff, but also Phoebe, sitting at the same table. And Jeff's cool eyes had settled on you and Bradley, tangled up in each other's arms. 

--------------------------

Thanks for reading and loving these two! More of the class reunion and a very important conversation coming soon. Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls.

PART 5

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[gunsandspaceships]

Many degrees of Doctor Stark

It is widely known that 616 Tony has several doctorates. The number varies from 3 to 7, but it doesn't really matter whether he is 300 or 700% Doctor. He is one. And he doesn’t use his title 99.999% of the time.

Ok, but what about the MCU?

It is never mentioned whether Tony has a PhD or even a master's degree. Kinda weird. Both the absence of mentions and lack of degrees, since Tony is so smart and productive.

Let’s check, maybe he actually has some.

Here we have a file from a deleted scene from The Avengers (2012):

As we can see, the work is sloppy – there are inaccuracies in his hair color (it’s not black, it’s brown), and the fact that he speaks French was not included. Can we rely on this paper? Let’s not 100%, but we can still use things that don't contradict the movies.

The fact that he received his BS in Engineering from MIT does not contradict this, so we can mark it as valid. He started in 1984 when he was 14 years old and graduated in 1987 when he was 17.

We see no further education in the file. But we know something that this file doesn’t. We watched the movies.

Remember, in Civil War at 0:13:25, in the scene where Tony sees his parents for the last time, Maria tells Howard, “Be nice, dear, he’s been studying abroad”. Tony is 21 here, this is December 16, 1991. Looks like he is on winter break.

But wait… Didn’t he graduate in 1987 and stop then? Well, Maria tells us he continued.

Between 17 and 21 there are 4 years. What could he have done in these 4 years? A lot, right? He is smart and productive, we know that. A master’s degree usually takes 2 years. Tony could earn it in 1. 1 or 2, we still have 2-3 years that we need to fill with some kind of studying. I doubt he just went back and got another bachelor's or master's. That said, he was working on his PhD.

We don't know where. “Abroad” is a very broad concept. Maybe he went to Europe to study at Oxford? We do not know. Perhaps he stayed at MIT and just went somewhere else for the fall semester. We do not know. But he did go somewhere for (most probably) a PhD.

The question is: did he finish it?

Well, his parents died in Dec 1991, and we know from the first Iron Man (0:04:50) that Stane was the interim president of Stark Industries from that date until 1992. Most likely, Tony became CEO before his birthday, that is, May 29, which corresponds to the stated age of 21. He had a few months between.

We don’t know where he was in his degree at that time. But we know he is smart and productive. He doesn’t need 4 years to write a dissertation.

So, there are 2 options:

1) He did not complete his doctorate and devoted himself entirely to the company;

2) He completed it in the few months he had and then took over the company.

Here’s the evidence for the second option:

“Confusing matters more, a recently deleted LinkedIn profile for Tony Stark indicated he received doctorates in engineering physics and artificial intelligence.”

Source: https://alum.mit.edu/slice/who-iron-man

Given all the information and analysis we have, as well as a little logic, we can conclude that Tony has a Ph.D. Even two. He had time to do them. Why doesn't he use his title? Well, maybe for the same reason 616 Tony doesn’t? He doesn’t usually brag. Check out this post if you have any doubts about my statement.

Here are some additional hints:

He gave lectures at scientific conferences (IM1 and IM3 - Bern 1999).

His scientific expertise was not limited to engineering and his company's affairs (all the movies, but specifically I can point you to IM3– the scene with Maya Hansen and her Extremis-enhanced plants in Bern).

“He must have graduated after 1990, because the '90 Brass rat was the first one with the skyline on the edge.” MIT alumni commentary https://alum.mit.edu/slice/who-iron-man

Conclusion (actual): call him Doctor Stark, guys, he deserves it. Despite his modesty about his scientific achievements, Dr Stark has a couple of master's degrees and at least two PhD degrees in the MCU - in engineering physics and artificial intelligence.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Rowaida Abdelaziz at HuffPost:

Earlier this month, the University of Southern California announced that Asna Tabassum would be the Class of 2024′s valedictorian, with a 3.98 GPA and in recognition of her community service and leadership skills. She is graduating with a major in biomedical engineering and a minor in resistance to genocide.

But on Monday, USC canceled the speech. In an announcement dated Monday, Provost Andrew Guzman said the “intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East” has “created substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.” “After careful consideration, we have decided that our student valedictorian will not deliver a speech at commencement. While this is disappointing, tradition must give way to safety,” he wrote. “This decision has nothing to do with freedom of speech. There is no free-speech entitlement to speak at a commencement. The issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period.” The school did not elaborate further. Reached for comment, the provost’s office directed HuffPost to Guzman’s statement.

Tabassum, in an interview with HuffPost, questioned the university’s reasoning and told HuffPost she felt disappointed and let down by USC. “I am surprised that my own university – my home for four years – has abandoned me,” she said. In a statement published on Monday, Tabassum said that she was not aware of any specific threats against her or the university, and that during a meeting last Sunday, administrators told her that “the University had the resources to take appropriate safety measures for my valedictory speech, but that they would not be doing so since increased security protections is not what the University wants to ’present as an image.’” “Security and safety is also my concern. That’s consistent with my commitment to human equality and human rights. I don’t think that they’re mutually exclusive at all,” Tabassum told HuffPost. She noted that notable figures including former President Barack Obama, rap star Travis Scott and right-wing speaker Milo Yiannopoulos have all been able to visit campus grounds. [...]

A slew of universities have struggled to address students’ protests of the bombing campaign by Israeli forces in Gaza that has killed more than 33,000. In the last few months, schools have dealt with rising cases of antisemitism and Islamophobia, the deactivation of student-activist groups, suspension of staff, cases of doxxing and harassment and even reports of physical violence. This week, Columbia University’s president is set to testify at a congressional hearing about campus safety, four months after a similar hearing resulted in the resignation of two Ivy League presidents. And the Department of Education launched a series of investigations last November into several universities where students have reported antisemitic or Islamophobic incidents. Tabassum said she was denied a chance to let others see someone like her give a high-profile speech ― a South Asian hijab-wearing Muslim, someone “representative of communities and of the masses of people who never saw the institution made for them,” she told HuffPost. “I wanted to offer the hope that ... we can succeed [at] institutions like USC.”

[...] According to USC’s Annenberg Media, some students and alumni said Tabassum’s social media activity ― which includes a link to a pro-Palestinian page ― was antisemitic. Guzman, however, wrote that this decision was made “based on various criteria ― which did not include social media presence.” Since the university’s decision, Tabassum said she’s been overwhelmed by messages of both support and hate. People from her elementary school who she hasn’t spoken to in a decade reached out. Others have taken to Instagram to speculate about her ethnic background and her political views, and to applauded the university’s decision to revoke her invitation.

The USC's asinine decision rescinding Valedictorian Asna Tabassum's chance to make a speech is craven cowardice to Islamophobia and Israel Apartheid apologia all because of her support for Palestine.

See Also:

The Guardian: Backlash as USC cancels valedictorian’s speech over support for Palestine

[ismartiegirl300-blog]

First Dance

Announcements: I have a requests box open on my profile! (I think... I’m still working on how tumblr works). I write for MHA, Harry Potter, Attack on Titan and Naruto so feel free to send me some requests!! 

Summary: You’ve known Bakugou since your UA days but at the alumni dance things feel a little different between you two. Flashbacks included. Bakugou pov mostly. 

Warnings: Fluff! Fem reader. Pining. 

WORDCOUNT: 2254

***

Bakugo tried to loosen his tie, it was hot in the dance hall. It was good to see Class 1A back together again, even if he would never admit it. Class 1B on the other hand... damn he wanted to strangle that pompous straw haired copy cat Monoma. He took a deep breath and focused back on the group he was talking to. 

Kirishima was talking animatedly to Shoji, one arm around Mina. They took a while to get together after graduation but Bakugo was glad it happened, he was tired of hearing Kirishima pine after her. Half and Half was busy talking to invisichick Hagakure and Sero. Denki was scheming in a corner with Mineta and slowly Bakugo’s gaze glided around the circle, over Jirou and right onto you. He felt a tightness in his chest and for some reason the room felt warmer. 

Damn it. He thought he was over this stupid crush. It had been three years since graduation and he hadn’t seen you at all since you just came back from doing work overseas. He hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to you since your return. He had kept putting it off. His eyes lingered on you, your smile and that stupid dress you were wearing. 

Although you were deep in conversation with your old friend Jirou, you couldn’t help but feel someone’s gaze on you. Your eyes slide from Jirou’s face, over her shoulder and you make eye contact with Bakugo. In the time you had been gone, you heard that he had been climbing the charts and was now the #2 hero, right behind Midoriya. You had never really gotten over your high school crush on Bakugo and you received notifications on your phone anytime a news story came out with his name on it. You felt your cheeks turn red under his gaze and quickly turned your attention back to Jirou. 

“Something on your mind?” Bakugo had been so focused on you that he hadn’t noticed Kirishima walk right up to him and started looking back and forth between Bakugo and you. 

“FUCK! Shitty hair! You can’t just walk up unannounced. I could have blown you to bits...” 

“C’mon man! Just go talk to her.”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” 

“Don’t be like that Bakugo... remember the last time we were at something like this?” 

“No.” 

He said no but Bakugo had been beating himself up for three years over it. 

---

It was the graduation dance. The last night before everyone started going their own separate ways. Bakugo had plans to go to Tokyo and start his own hero agency right away. You on the other hand had plans to work overseas and “pay back” in a sense, the foreign powers that helped Japan during its struggle with All For One. You wouldn’t be gone forever, just three years, however there was a certain someone you were hoping would try to make you stay. If he had asked, you would have stayed. 

The party had lasted forever. You had danced all night until you had to take your shoes off because your feet were so sore. The girls kept you busy all night with the usual scheming, gossip, photos, bathroom trips and of course the group dancing. You were gonna miss these girls. You couldn’t think about it or you would start crying. Bakugo on the other hand was acting strangely tonight. He kept walking close to you, acting like he had something to say but then you would make eye contact and he would frown and walk away. You wondered if you had done something to piss him off... Well whatever it was, you might never know. Your flight left in two hours and your ride to the airport was on its way. You heard a slow song start and instead of awkwardly waiting around for someone to ask you to dance, you decided to slip out of the dance and wait for your ride. You might not be able to handle all of the goodbyes anyways. 

At some point in the night Bakugo couldn’t find you. He had been working up the courage to ask you to slow dance all night. He requested three slow songs already. For the first one he just couldn’t get the words out and ended up telling you that you had something on your face. The second time that stupid bird asked you to dance and Bakugo just had to sit and watch from the side of the dance hall. He finally convinced the DJ to give him one more slow song and now you were nowhere to be found. Bakugo was scanning the room looking for you and just before he could give up, Ochako walked right up to him and asked him to dance. He reluctantly accepted. 

“It’s going to be so weird not seeing everyone together anymore. I don’t think I’m ready.” Ochako was trying to make small talk but Bakugo could barely hear her. He was focused on finding you out in the crowd.

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask Y/N to dance...” Ochako said slyly. 

“Huh??” Bakugo’s attention snapped back down to her. 

“I mean, you like her right? Everyone says you like her.” 

“Tchh.” Bakugo looked away but his ears turned red. He didn’t know how everyone knew but he was gonna kill Shitty Hair if he found out he was the leak. 

“She left you know.” 

“What?” Again his attention was 100% on Ochako. 

“She slipped out when the song started. She’s probably on the way to the airport soon.” 

“Already?” Bakugo felt the blood drain out of his face. He wasn’t ready. He hadn’t asked you to dance yet. He hadn’t told you that you looked pretty in your dress, he hadn’t asked you to walk through the gardens with him, he hadn’t had the opportunity to finally confess to you... to maybe kiss you. 

“Go get her.” Ochako had stopped dancing. 

Bakugo looked down at her a little stunned. 

“Go! Go get your girl Dynamight!” She said it louder and caught the attention of others. Kirishima stopped dancing with Mina and looked over to Bakugo. 

“WELL? Go after her!” Mina shouted. 

“C’mon think like a man!” Kirishima added. 

“Ooh! It would be so romantic!” Momo said enthusiastically. 

“SHUT IT!” Bakugo yelled but he was already running out of the doors. 

The brisk night air hit his face as he catapulted himself out of the dance hall and headed towards the front gates.  

“Damnit! This is taking too long!” 

Bakugo stripped off his jacket and tie and threw them behind him onto the dirt path. He rolled up his sleeves and used his quirk to catapult himself into the air. He blasted his way to the front gates in less than two minutes and just in time. 

You were about to get into the car. You had the passenger door open when Bakugo fell out of the sky and skidded to a stop right at the UA gates. His hair was disheveled and he was wiping his hands on his pants. Your heart skipped a beat. 

“Y/N!” 

“Bakugo?” 

Reality caught up to Bakugo in that moment. He didn’t know what to say... “Come back and dance with me.”?? That would be ridiculous. 

“Uhh... I... are you... leaving?” He managed to force out some words, some question, even if that question had a million other questions behind it. 

“Yeah...” You gave him a confused look. Wasn’t it obvious? 

“Oh. Off to the States right away then?” 

“My flight leaves in like two hours.” 

“Right. Well, I just wanted to say...” Bakugo was at war with himself. He had to say he was afraid. He had faced villains on very power level but somehow this was more terrifying then every one of those encounters combined. He wanted to say so many things, 

“I’ve loved you ever since I met you! I wanted to dance with you! Your dress looks amazing! I’ve admired you as a student as a hero but mostly as a person. You’re beautiful inside and out! You were the first to be kind to me and I want to protect your kindness for the rest of my life! AND MOST OF ALL I DON’T WANT YOU TO LEAVE!!” 

But Bakugo didn’t say any of those things. 

“You wanted to say...?” You asked. Bakugo had stopped in the middle of his sentence and was giving you a wide eyed look. 

“Yeah I just wanted to say... good luck.” He opened his mouth again as though to add on, but he snapped it shut again. 

“Oh...well...” You can’t say you weren’t disappointed. But it was always a naïve hope that Bakugo might share your feelings. You quickly smiled to cover your disappointment. 

Bakugo watched as you smiled and ran towards him throwing your arms around his neck. He felt the breath leave his body and his arms clamped around your waist and he buried his face in your shoulder. 

“Thank you Bakugo.” and with that you were leaving his arms, getting into the car and slipping away. 

---

Bakugo had spent the last three years replaying everything that went wrong that night. He had tried to move on, he went on so many dates in the first year that he lost count. But he never could make it to the second date. He tried focusing on his career and he rose pretty quickly after he gave up on dating. But it was hard, playing wingman for Kirishima and Kaminari, being a groomsman at Izuku and Ochako’s wedding and watching you post about your foreign adventures, only wishing he could be there with you. It made his blood boil thinking about all the people you could be meeting who might catch your interest. All because he was too afraid to make a move that night. 

“You do.” Bakugo’s attention snapped back to the present as Kirishima said this. Bakugo merely scoffed. 

“I know you remember Bakugo. You got so wasted afterwards and all you could do was whine about how you let her go. Actually... it’s the only thing you talk about after you get drunk...” 

“Shut up or I’ll shut you up Red.” Bakugo warned. 

“Alright... But I’m gonna ask the DJ for a slow song and if you don’t ask her to dance I’m gonna tell everyone about that time two years ago you fought that laughing gas villain and-” Kirishima couldn’t finish his sentence because he had to dodge Bakugo’s oncoming blow and run to the DJ’s table before Bakugo could catch him.

Damnit. Bakugo watched as Kirishima talked animatedly to the DJ and pointed to his phone. The music started playing moments later. Kirishima was right though. Tonight he wouldn’t mess up and let you slip away again. He turned and found you still talking to Jirou, right where he left you. He strode over to you, blatantly interrupting your conversation and held out his hand. 

“Dance with me.” 

You looked up at him with a look of shock and he realized he still had no sense of tact even after all these years. Your shock faded into a grin and he felt relief flood his body. 

“Alright.” You took his hand and he pulled you in and slid his other arm around your waist. You began to sway to the music and everything else seemed to fade away. 

“How was your time away?” Bakugo asked his head tilting down. 

“It was amazing! Oh you would have loved it! There was so many things to see, so many landmarks and museums! I learned so much! Oh and I met a lot of people too!” Your face lit up as you spoke. 

“Oh really?” Bakugo felt his heart drop at that last part. 

“Yeah! I wished- I mean I wish you were there to see it.” 

“Hah, maybe next time princess...”

“Princess? Are you saying I look like a princess?” 

Bakugo turned red. 

“You wish y/n.” 

“Oh come on, is it so hard to say I look good? I put some effort in you know.” 

“Tchh..” 

You were both silent. You didn’t know what to say next. Maybe you flirted a little too much with him. You were just so excited to see him again, you couldn’t help it! 

“You don’t look good.” 

“What?!” 

“You look great.” Bakugo said blushing and avoiding eye contact. You leaned up so your lips were close to his ear. 

“You look pretty great yourself.” 

Bakugo couldn’t help it. A shiver went down his body and he could feel his face turn as red as a tomato. He stopped dancing. He pulled back and looked at you. 

“Y/n...” 

Then he leaned down, his hand cupping your face and he gazed into your eyes as if asking for permission. Permission which you gave. Suddenly his lips were on yours and he was kissing you. He was kissing you like he was drinking up your soul, pulling your face up into his, his lips surprisingly tender. He handled you like you were precious. It was nothing like how you imagined kissing Bakugo would be but it was amazing. You broke off the kiss when you started hearing the cheers. 

“Man we’ve been waiting forever for you guys to do that!” Sero yelled across all the cheering. 

Bakugo didn’t even care. He just grinned down at you. 

“You’re telling me Soy Sauce...” Bakugo said but only loud enough for you to hear. 

[dostoyevsky-official]

Why is the prestige of an educational institution seemingly so important specifically in the US (i am not from there but why is the ivy league etc regarded as so much better than other unis if what is being taught is the same specifically in the humanities where you do not need expensive equipment)? Except maybe that if there is higher selectivity then the profile of the students will be of ones that are more ambitious / with better grades so overall the level would be higher and the teaching/learning experience would be more intense? sorry for this dumb question, i went to uni in the uk (i am from eu) and their class system and this whole way of thinking astonished me, a lot of arrogance+ignorance+immaturity imo combined, so i am trying to draw parallels about the anglo world i guess

briefly put, universities are now jobs training centers (in a way they've always been so, but not explicitly like this) and the ivies are an employment network like no other. employers will look at your application more favorably if you have an ivy+ on your resume, and you can attend events and/or socialize to get your resume on an employer's desk to begin with; they will disregard your resume if you're from a bad public school. ivies weren't seen as academically rigorous until fairly recently in the context of their long history (berkeley, CA is a presigious "public ivy" city college and hunter college, CUNY, used to be seen as prestigious "public ivies" until funding got choked off), but they were always playgrounds for old money. there's an undeniably higher selectivity for quality, but a lot of those students are the fig leaf the universities use to cover something called legacy admissions, which is when your admissions chances to a school get significantly boosted by having one or both parents as that school's alumni. legacy admissions are at play at all the ivies and nearly all universities in the country, but notably not at MIT. the other reasons why prestige gets so played up, or why the ivies dominate attention, is because almost the entire elite attended ivy+ colleges. in a sense, it's both a self-referential circle and a personal affair on the pages of our dailies and everywhere else (like oxbridge and eton in the uk) etc. this is combined with the general anti-intellectual trend in america, exemplified by significant quantities of stupid people who, for instance, imagine every college student attends CRT 101: from maoism to the sea classes at the ivies (in reality, the vast majority of americans attend publics, and the ivies are quite conservative)

[stuffforthestash]

Modern Academic AU pt2

Originally started because Professor Raphael got stuck in my head and I had (foolishly) hoped if I wrote down some thoughts, that would be the end of it 🫠

Part 1 and Part 3 ------------------------------ Minthara - School of Law. Used to be a high profile defense lawyer but was barred from practice under questionable circumstances, so now she teaches courses on criminal procedure and domestic violence litigation. Male students are actively warned against taking any of her classes. Elminster - Liberal Arts Dean. Has been in the position forever and is something of a legend at this point. He's Gale's mentor and long time family friend, and he delights in showing up unannounced to Prof. Dekarios's lectures. The two of them have a longstanding tradition of leaving surprise pranks in each others offices. Rolan - English department. Newly upgraded from adjunct instructor to junior full time staff, he's been assigned the special hell of having to teach the general ed. introductory writing courses that none of the other faculty want to deal with. He hates it and thinks it's a complete waste of his talents, but is determined to stick through it long enough to get that research grant. Alfira - School of Theater & Music. Teaches vocal technique and musicality at every level. She's also the faculty coordinator for multiple on-campus performance groups, directs the university chorale and composes all their arrangements, is herself in a local acapella group, AND does community arts & outreach programs for kids.

Gortash - Newly appointed Dean of Information Studies. He's brilliant, he talks big about new frontiers in infosec and grand designs in the future potential of AI... and is already under investigation by the ethics board for misappropriation of university funds. Ketheric - VP of Alumni and he's been with the university longer than Elminster. Nobody knows why he hasn't just retired yet, despite how much he seems to hate his job. Orin - School of Fine Art. She "teaches" a course on performative art. It's weird and extremely uncomfortable for everyone involved, but for some reason people keep enrolling. Durge - Fine Art Dep't Chair. The deeply disturbing nature of his personal art aside, he's actually good at his job as both the chair and an instructor. Mostly teaches anatomy and live model studio courses. Ulder - VP of Public Affairs. He's a great public face for the university, everybody loves him... except the son he refuses to acknowledge after a falling out years ago. Mizora - Human resources admin. Loves her job because it gives her power over other people. Is more likely to be the source of an HR complaint than the one who actually solves the problem. Thaniel (as requested!) - Also HR. He's the one you hope gets assigned to whatever you need because he's great at it. Is also the only one who can reliably get in touch with Halsin; it's not well known that he can, so he'll usually agree to help those who figure out to ask him.

------------------------------

This started going long, so it looks like I'll be doing a third (and probably final?) installment to cover Dammon, Zevlor, Wulbren, Aylin & Isobel, and any other requests!

[jowrites]

Fill the Void - Jake Sim SMAU COMPLETED

Jake Sim goes to one of the most infamous Performing Art Schools in New York, Julliard. Where he studies as a music major. Lots of famous alumni and current famous musicians reside and attend alongside him and his friends, including his longtime crush and upcoming known producer and singer, Void. Void is in a duo with her now ex-boyfriend called "Secret Void" where they still make music together and sometimes get along. When Jake's friend partners with Void for a project, Jake is fortunate enough to enter her world and really get to know the person he's admired and respected for a long time.

Strangers to Lovers, Kindred Souls

TW: Toxic relationship, manipulation, gaslighting, verbal abuse, sexual themes

**Ask to be added to the Taglist**

PLAYLIST COMING SOON

Jake Profile and Friends.

Void Profiles and Friends.

The Beginning.

Chap. 1

Chap 1.5

Chap. 2

Chap. 3

Chap. 3.5

Chap. 4 (written)

Chap. 5

Chap. 6

Chap. 7

Chap. 8

Chap. 9

Chap. 10 (written)

Chap. 11

Chap. 12 (written)

Chap. 13

Chap. 14

Chap. 15 (written)

Epilogue

[unabashegirl]

Enticing 23 (HS)

Summary: Harry is a young billionaire and CEO of his own company. He mostly keeps to himself, he is stern and very meticulous when it comes to business. He also likes to keep his personal life very private for the sake of his newly born son Oliver Styles. It isn't until he meets Y/N Y/L/N that everything changes. She becomes his new nanny after his previous one quits due to personal reasons. She is young, caring, and sweet. Will they ignore their feelings? Will Harry's girlfriend accept their love and leave them? Will she be able to cope with his busy agenda? What about Oliver's mother? Where is she? Who is she?

—all chapters of enticing —

Author’s note: I am overly excited to post this chapter! We are getting introduced to new characters. I hope you all enjoy it and let me know in the comments. Who or what is your favorite part of this chapter?

word count 1.4K

The chandelier that hung on the ceiling shined slightly and with the candlelight, it was just enough to see the face of the person across the table. This explained the reason Harry and Y/N squinted and leaned forward when William called out to Michael.

“Where have you been?” William asked again. Everything was silent for a second except for the crackling of the candles.

“I- I” he stuttered, suddenly too nervous to share the reason for his absence.

“What the hell is going on?” Harry asked, just as confused as everyone at the table. Suddenly Michael pulled a woman forward by the hand. All three men were speechless as they stared at the young woman, who was around their age.

Y/N looked around the table and noticed their shocked expressions. It seemed like everyone had figured out what Michael had been doing all day, except her.

“Hi, I am Y/N!” She waved, noticing that no one else was going to talk.

“I’m Violet” She shyly said, and that’s when everything clicked for Y/N. She was Michael’s long-time lover. She was the one who got away. Violet was the reason behind every heavy sigh and every longing of Michael.

“Come sit!” Y/N encouraged her and pointed to the vacant seats at the table. “Close your mouth” She whispered to Harry, who was being unbelievably rude by just staring at her. “I am serious, Harry” She pinched his leg under the table which did the trick and snapped him out of surprise.

“Where were you?” Harry asked him as he reached out for his cup after the couple had settled down.

“I went to the airport and picked her up” Michael shrugged like it was no big deal.

“You went to the airport, and it took you all day?” William frowned, “That makes no sense.”

“We had a lot of catching up to do” Michael looked over at Violet, and they instantly blushed which made Y/N’s heart flutter. It was nice seeing him infatuated with someone.

“I think we need more context” Alessandro handed them two cups and served them wine.

So, Michael went on to explain how things had developed in the course of less than a week. He had reached out to Violet on the night that they had gone out to dinner in Rome. After much insisting from Y/N, he decided to look her up on social media, and he came across a private profile, and after he sent a follow request, and she never accepted it, he went another way.

“I looked up where she studied and tracked down her information. Turns out that Violet graduated from Michigan State, and I remember that I had recently met someone from admissions. So, I contacted them and asked them if I could get further information about alumni of them. Turns out they could give me her email.”

“That is kind of stalkerish.”

“What the fuck Michael?” William laughed and held his abdomen. “So creepy” he added as they all laughed at the extent that Michael had gotten to just find her.

Michael began speaking to her regularly before she knew it Michael was getting the jet ready to fetch her. In the morning, he had left early from the house to have enough time to pick up flowers for her and a coffee. He waited for her, and then he took her to his favorite places in Lake Como.

“I find it romantic. You didn’t give up on finding her” Y/N shrugged, “not all men go beyond for someone. That means he is worth keeping.”

“Finally, the support that I wanted. Thank you” Michael had been nervous to reveal to them that he had taken the plunge. He knew that either way they would bother him until his death, but he was tired of feeling alone which was why he had decided to reach out to her. He was tired of waiting for something magnificent to happen when he already had everything he wanted under his nose. “Pricks”.

“We are happy for you” Alessandro reassured him, “We are just surprised”.

“You are not one to take spontaneous decisions” William pointed out, “But I am happy to you took a chance.”

“I am just happy that there is another girl around” Y/N smiled at Violet.

“In this case, welcome to the trip Violet. We hope you have fun” Harry raised his glass for everyone to toast with him.

Turns out that Violet was a painter. After getting her bachelor's in college in Michigan and starting to work she realized that an office job wasn’t for her. Violet had wasted four years of her life studying something that never made her happy. So, she looked for a scholarship after her parents disowned her and moved to London. In London, she learned how to paint and became successful after opening a tiny art exhibition. All the work was bought in two days.

Therefore, Violet became remarkably successful, and shortly after her parents were reaching out to her. They had heard of her success and wanted to congratulate her and invest in her talent. The only condition was to marry, and so she got engaged to her father’s business partner. A man that was as cold as the ice in the northern sea. That's when she met Michael.

“So, did you dump this man?” Y/N asked her after Harry had gone to the bathroom, Alessandro for more wine, and Michael and William for a smoke.

“Not yet. He thinks I’m on a business trip. He honestly doesn’t care. I am sure he has someone else too” Violet shrugged, “I just hope things are different this time around with Michael” she sheepishly said, “I really like him”.

“Why don’t you just leave the other man?” Y/N could tell that they were going to be close friends. Violet seemed down to earth, and she liked that.

“Because if I am serious about continuing to be an artist, I need funding and my parents want me to marry someone capable to run the business. Just so they can retire, and Michael fears commitment.” She frowned, “I want to open my own art gallery in London and New York. It’s my dream, but I require their money”.

“I understand” Y/N nodded, “Perhaps this time around things will be different with Michael?”

“I’m hopeful” she smiled weakly, “but I doubt so.”

“What are you girls talking about?” Harry interrupted them as he walked into the room. “Chiara and Ricardo retired for the evening”.

“About what we are doing tomorrow” Y/N interjected and winked at Violet, wanting to reassure her that their conversation was private and that she wasn’t going to share the details with Harry.

“Yeah? What?”

“Visit some museums and art galleries” Violet smiled, “Right?”

The idea didn’t seem bad. Suddenly Y/N was looking forward to the next day. Going to art galleries and museums with someone like Violet could be very enriching because she knew about the subject more than most people.

“Yes” Y/N smiled just as the other men were coming back.

Alessandro started playing music after realizing that his parents had felt, and more wine had been served as the night continued. It wasn’t long until all six were drunk and needed help getting upstairs to sleep.

“Goodnight!” William yelled as they all basically crawled up the stairs.

“SHUSH!” Michael yelled back as he opened the door of his bedroom. “You are going to wake up the whole house!”

Everyone laughed and giggled as they retired to their respective bedrooms.

“I am so drunk” Y/N commented and laughed as she tried taking off her sandals, sitting at the end of the bed. Harry turned to look at her with a cheeky smile and pulled her to his lips.

“You have no idea how much I want you right now” he muttered against the soft skin.

Between giggles and laughs, they devoured one another, and it was sloppy, funny, but passionate...

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[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Considering how rapidly the right's "war on woke" is expanding, it was perhaps inevitable: Self-identified "mama bears" on a Texas school board are angry that a classroom had a poster showing people of different races holding hands. Last week, the school board in Conroe, Texas, a small city north of Houston, turned the right-wing mania for censorship into a dark parody of itself. At issue? A poster that seemed to imply that interracial friendship is possible.

According to ABC 13 Eyewitness News in Houston, things started when school trustee Melissa Dungan declared that she had spoken to parents who were upset about "displays of personal ideologies in classrooms." When pressed for an example, according to the news report, "Dungan referred to a first grade student whose parent claimed they were so upset by a poster showing hands of people of different races, that they transferred classrooms."

"I wish I was shocked," Dungan said of the poster. "I am aware these trends have been happening for many years."

Some other members of the school board did, in fact, argue that there was nothing objectionable about such a poster. But Dungan was backed up by another trustee, Misty Odenweller, who insisted that the depiction of uh, race-mixing was in some way a "violation of the law." The two women are part of "Mama Bears Rising," a secretive far-right group fueling the book-banning mania in Conroe and the surrounding area. At least 59 books have been banned due to their efforts.

When another trustee asked Dungan if she personally objected to an illustration of cross-racial friendship, she demurred, simply declaring that she was just trying to avoid "situations like that." Situations like what, exactly? She didn't say.

Dungan's behavior is a perfect illustration of the "anti-woke" tap dance. The person alleging nefarious wokeness never admits to their own bigotry, instead pretending that they're reacting to "woke" people who are "pushing" an agenda, in this case through innocuous poster art.

Of course, the entire premise of the argument is rooted in bigotry, as this example shows. It presumes that the feelings of real or imagined bigots who might take umbrage at such an image are of paramount importance, and that everyone else's freedoms must be curtailed to appease them.

It's tempting to shrug it off as one-off weirdness from Nowheresville, Texas. But while this was an especially ham-fisted example, it's part of a well-funded nationwide effort, led by a group of interlocking far-right groups, aimed at destroying modernity, undermining democracy and imposing authoritarian government against the will of most Americans.

Donald Trump sucks up most of the oxygen in the discussion about rising American fascism, but even without him, this movement is powerful and widespread, and it's using these local culture-war skirmishes battles to seize even more power. And old-fashioned racism, the kind on display in Conroe, is very much at the center of it all.

Last week, the New Republic published a lengthy and terrifying investigative article by Katherine Stewart about the Claremont Institute, once a vaguely respectable conservative think tank and now among the leading right-wing organizations pushing the anti-education and anti-democratic agenda below the surface of the Conroe incident.

One of the many Claremont alumni Stewart profiles is Christopher Rufo, who spearheaded the recent hysteria over "critical race theory" in education. In reality, critical race theory was an approach used in law schools and other graduate-level academic spaces, and had basically nothing to do with public schools.

Rufo's ingenious idea was to turn it into a catch-all scare term that could be used to demonize any and all forms of anti-racist education, even something as previously noncontroversial as a poster depicting interracial friendship.

The far-right, anti-democratic politics of the Claremont Institute are so grotesque that many readers will dismiss them as preposterous, but it's all carefully documented and disturbingly real. As Stewart chronicles, Claremont has promoted the work of Costin Alamariu, who holds a PhD in philosophy from Yale and writes under the name "Bronze Age Pervert." He has declared that the "liberation of women" is an "infection" that requires "the most terrible convulsions and the most thorough purgative measures."

A frequent contributor to Claremont's online journal, who writes under the name "Raw Egg Nationalist," argues that "men and women shouldn't work together in the same spaces" and describes the Black Lives Matter protesters of 2020 as "hideously ugly, malformed people." Claremont-associated blogger Curtis Yarvin argues (in Stewart's words) that "America needs a king, a dictator with total military power." Claremont's most famous associate is board member and former law professor John Eastman, now known as "Co-Conspirator 2" in the indictment against Donald Trump for attempting to overthrow the U.S. government.

Because of their tight link to the book-banning efforts, the relatively new but suspiciously wealthy group Moms for Liberty has received massive media attention in the past couple of years. Even so, the group's radical ideology has not really been covered in most mainstream news coverage, which tends to portray the Moms as a bunch of overzealous church ladies. As Flux editor Matthew Sheffield, Media Matters vice president Julie Millican and researcher Olivia Little explained in a recent "Theory of Change" podcast, however, underneath the facade of "Christian moms" is some startling far-right radicalism.

For instance, while it was widely reported that a Moms for Liberty pamphlet from one branch was caught quoting Adolf Hitler, the group was able to spin that as a misunderstanding and a mistake. But at their summit a few days later, speaker Tiffany Justice yelled, "I stand with that mom" — the one who quoted Hitler — while the audience whooped its approval.

Moms for Liberty has heavily promoted trainings for conservative activists on how to take over school boards, which ought to make clear how we should understand stories like this one, which just sound like a racist tantrum in a Texas suburb. These aren't random or isolated events — they're part of a large, well-organized and well-financed attack on public education across the country.

Mama Bears Rising, the group that fueled the Conroe school board takeover, in unsurprisingly discreet about its connections to the larger national movement for censorship. But screenshots of online communications by local anti-censorship activists suggests that it's no coincidence that the books targeted for censorship in Conroe are the same ones that show up on book-ban lists across the country. Mama Bears Rising is drawing on the same playbook that's being disseminated nationwide through a well-funded network of Christian nationalist activists.

These days, it's almost never just one nutty lady at a school board meeting. It's about a movement with a committed ideology, that has deep connections to Donald Trump's campaign to end democracy.

[apteryxparvus]

L ♡ V E R ⇌ L ⦻ S E R — pov: you’re my therapist

Group chat — pov: you’re my therapist

masterlist • next

Y/N L/N Occupation: first-year bachelor of Civil Engineering at Sumeru Akademiya. Bartender at Lambad's Tavern and library assistant at House of Daena.

Living situation: currently crashing at Alhaitam’s place, enjoying alcohol and horror movie marathons with her second roommate Kaveh.

Due to her mother's job, she grew up used to frequent relocations.

After her parents divorced, she moved with her father to Sumeru.

Youngest member of her friend group at Sumeru Akademiya.

Closest to Alhaitam, often pretending to simp over him to make Kaveh annoyed (= jealous).

Kaveh Occupation: third-year bachelor student of Architectural Science, with a minor in Fine Arts at Sumeru Akademiya. Works as a freelance architect and a TA for small tutorial groups for the course Linear algebra; occasionally opens commission slots online.

Living situation: Alhaitam’s roommate since the start of the academic year. Both of his roommates have to endure his late-night tinkering sessions.

Both parents are renowned Sumeru Akademiya alumni.

After his father's passing, his mother moved to Fontaine and remarried.

In his late teens, he was forced to sell the family home.

Proud owner of an orange tabby cat called Mehrak.

Living with Alhaitam is tough, but despite their frequent arguments and debates, Kaveh recognizes that his friend holds a significant presence in his life.

Alhaitam Occupation: second-year bachelor student double majoring in Linguistics and Semiotics; works part-time as a junior library administrator and assistant at the House of Daena.

Living situation: owns an apartment close to the main campus of Sumeru Akademiya, sharing it with his roommates Kaveh and Y/N.

Lost both is parents at a young age; raised by his grandmother.

His passion for literature and science led him to graduating a year before his peers.

While he takes pleasures in engaging in debates his Kaveh, he feels genuine concern for his friend's well-being. 

Cyno Occupation: third-year bachelor student of Laws, interning as an Academic Misconduct Officer at Sumeru Akademiya. He’s an internationally known Genius Invocation TCG champion.

Living situation: resides in a small, cozy house with his long-term boyfriend Tighnari and their adopted sister Collei.

Born in the Great Red Sand desert, he defied the odds and got accepted at Sumeru Akademiya to study law.

Stoic and emotionless, often intimidating others, but his friends know his true character.

Regular customer at the board game café in near the Akademiya, always challenging the other patrons to a duel.

Tighnari Occupation: second-year bachelor student of Environmental Science at Sumeru Akademiya; weekend help at a nursery garden and renowned plant vlogger with a devoted following.

Living situation: lives in a small rented house with his boyfriend and their adopted sibling, hoping to buy their own place after graduation.

Grew up in Gandharva Ville and witnessed the devastating effects of pollution and deforestation.

Has a YouTube channel where he shares insights about the flora and fauna of Teyvat.

Frequently complains to his online followers about having to take care of hikers who consume psychedelic mushrooms from the Avidya Forest National Park.

Author's note: hoping to post the rest of the profiles sometime over the weekend, if work doesn't mentally destroy me that is 🤷‍♀️

[eretzyisrael]

Many billionaires, business moguls and university alumni are withdrawing their support from Ivy League universities after school administrators and students failed to strongly condemn the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel.

Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) were heavily criticized for their response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks that killed over 1,300 Israelis, after which students and faculty blamed Israel for the conflict. Several high-profile donors from across the country have pulled their funding from schools and blacklisted students from jobs in protest of the universities’ handling of the conflict. 

Jon Huntsman Jr., former U.S. ambassador to China and governor of Utah, said in a letter that the Huntsman Foundation would no longer be donating to UPenn after its “silence in the face of reprehensible and historic Hamas evil against the people of Israel” and called the situation “a new low” for the university. The foundation had donated roughly $50 million to the university, of which Huntsman is an alum, over the past three decades and the family’s name is on the main building of the Wharton School of Business.

David Magerman, who helped launch the trading hedge fund Renaissance Technologies and a “Torah-observant Jew,” said on Oct. 17 that he would also be revoking his funding after UPenn President Liz Magill did not immediately label Hamas as a terrorist organization in her Oct. 10 statement. He said that he was “deeply embarrassed” by his “association” with the school and also called out UPenn for hosting the Palestinian Writes Literature Festival, which featured speakers who openly glorified and even associated with terrorists, only weeks before.

[thef1nalb0ss]

Roster page updates: lots of new champions

-Rey, Piper, Finn and Damian have gotten their championship renders.

-Becky and Stacks also kind of have theirs- they show up on the Champions page but not on their individual profiles. Stacks' is also not a solo render right now, as he's listed alongside Tony in the Champions page where the render appears. On the other hand, Finn and Damian's renders on the Champions page are non-championship renders, and Piper's render on the Champions page is different than the render on her profile.

-Nia has been added back to the active roster. She is currently listed as part of the Raw roster.

-Since the last update, Jey was put in the alumni section after he "quit", and then was re-added after Payback, but moved to the Raw roster.