#executive phd in management

[meghnamathur595]

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[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[brokendownhearse]

working in research definitely gives people this sense of mystique about what you do, until they overhear you whingeing about how your new field (psychology) has way more salami slicing than your old field (neuroscience) and you have to give them a horror deep-dive into how academia works.

[percheduphere]

people saying, oh it wasn't intended from the beginning so it wasn't intentional thus has to stay fanfiction bug me. like, shows can develop organically based on chemistry. they can surprise you and take you in a direction that wasn't planned but now just works. like, fucking, chandler and monica wasn't planned from the beginning! but the actors had chemistry and the writers tried it out and it became iconic. you don't throw something away just because it surprised you instead of being pre-planned; you cultivate whatever gold you find!

With Hollywood entertainment in particular, I think there is a lot of ignorance regarding how the creative process, production process, post-production process, and business all work. It is readily apparent that in Hollywood, there are many hands in the kitchen when it comes to creating a movie, documentary, or show. The "Original Intent" argument is weakest when it comes to Hollywood art, and in fact fails to be a viable argument in multiple areas. I will discuss how the "Original Intent" argument fails in Hollywood in more depth under the read more, using what I know from having worked in the industry myself as a writer. And to be honest, the fact I have to pull my private professional history out online, just to prove I'm not being delulu when it comes to the importance of queer subtext in film, pisses me the fuck off.

To be clear, since this whole discourse mess on my Tumblr is likely the result of someone thinking I'm an anti-sylki: I AM NOT AN ANTI. I have an extensive analysis on Sylvie as an integral character to the Loki series, Sylki in canon, and her relationship with Mobius here.

I agree with you: a lot of amazing art deviates from the original intention, especially writing. If deviating from original intent in the writing process did not exist, we would not have DRAFT REVISIONS, we would not have IMPROV, we would not have EDITORS (whose entire job hinges on giving the writer not only grammar corrections, but feedback on how to IMPROVE character, plot, and pacing, which inherently means making changes from the original intent!). This is to say nothing of the thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, of media scholars--with actual PhDs--who spend years of their lives performing meta-analysis to write academic papers on subject matters like this. Papers that become formal publications and contribute to how queer history is taught in universities! This is no different than academic scholars analyzing women and race representation and resistance in film. Why should analyzing queer representation and resistance in film be treated any less?

LET'S TALK ABOUT ORIGINAL CREATIVE INTENT VS POWER HIEARCHY & POLITICS IN HOLLYWOOD

For context with respect to this ask, a different Tumblr user critiqued against queer subtext in one of my posts using the "original intent" argument for the Loki series and Lokius specifically. By this logic, if original intent is always honored, then the original script for Loki's S2E5 (written by Eric Martin) would not have been NUKED by the executive powers that be at Marvel. [source] But no, the original intent was not honored, it was rejected. So how does one square the primacy of original intent with original intent being rejected by people who are not the artist but the people who manage Disney's finances?

In television, "Executive Producer" (i.e. Tom Hiddleston, Michael Waldron, Eric Martin, etc.) is a title that can be given to a writer or actor who has more creative say in the execution of a story than a regular staff writer or actor on crew. It also indicates that the writer or actor is in a much higher salary range compared to their professional peers. It does NOT mean the same thing as a CORPORATE "Producer" of Kevin Feige's level, who ultimately has the FINAL SAY on what does NOT end up on the cutting room floor. The corporate Producer must take into account the wishes of corporate's shareholders and board of directors, who are often multi-million if not multi-billion global investors who need the distribution of the product to succeed internationally in countries like China, which is very anti-LGBTQAI+. This is how a script like Eric Martin's S2E5 can be nuked and the writer can be contractually gagged from talking about its specific contents by Disney, lest they be SUED TO HELL for breaking their non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

This doesn't even take into account politics.

In 2020, Ike Perlmutter, Chair of Marvel, "gave $575,000 to Trump For Victory, $35,500 to the Republican National Committee in April, $5600 for Texans For Ronny Jackson in February. 2019 saw him donate $248,000 to the Republican National Committee, $466,100 to Trump For Victory, $5,600 to Donald Trump For President." His wife, Laura, mirrored those donations. "In late 2016, he also gave $5,000,000 to the Great America PAC." [source] Ike was only recently laid off from his position in March 2023 [source]. Perlmutter was in a power-struggle at Marvel with Kevin Feige for years. Feige was promoted to Chief Creative Officer in 2019, which brought the power struggle to a head, ultimately contributing to Perlmutter's departure.

There is also Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, who was famously quoted during the Writers Guild of America strike for saying, “It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption”

This is the worst time in the world to negotiate to pay your writers, YOUR CREATIVE LABOR FORCE, who entertained millions of people while they were stuck in their homes for 2 years, fairly?

And these are just two men in executive power at Marvel and Disney. We're not even talking about all the other board members and shareholders. You think Tom Hiddleston, Michael Waldron, and Eric Martin have any real power compared to these guys? They do not. They are peons by comparison. And these artists (despite their "Executive Producer" title) are always at odds with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who are ultimately not artists but FINANCIERS.

Here's another quote from a studio executive that occurred during the writer's strike:

"Receiving positive feedback from Wall Street since the WGA went on strike May 2, Warner Bros Discovery, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Paramount and others have become determined to “break the WGA,” as one studio exec blatantly put it.  

To do so, the studios and the AMPTP believe that by October most writers will be running out of money after five months on the picket lines and no work.

“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” a studio executive told Deadline. Acknowledging the cold-as-ice approach, several other sources reiterated the statement. One insider called it “a cruel but necessary evil.”" [source 1] [source 2]

Fortunately, this negative press and the WGA members' solidarity led to the WGA getting everything they demanded. I still have friends in the industry, specifically in the WGA and MPEG. A lot of them were indeed starved out. My friend who's a film editor is still unemployed because pre-production has only recently started to ramp up again and her profession is all in post. She has to wait for production to catch-up and finish in order to get work.

If the AMPTP is willing to use clearly unethical tactics to underpay their writers and actors (don't forget the SAG-AFTRA strike that joined later), do we really think members of the AMPTP (the studio execs) are willing to honor artists' original intent if the original intent may be "offensive to some viewers" and therefore can potentially cut into their financial bottom line?

We're not naive. We know the answer to this.

OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH, KILLING EVE, AND GOOD OMENS

But what about OFMD, KE, and GO? These shows are on MAX, BBC, and Amazon Prime respectively. These corporations have a different branding image than Disney. Disney touts itself as "family friendly"; (read: on-screen LGBTQAI+ affection between two lead characters is "not family friendly"). MAX and BBC's branding type also affords them the luxury of creating content for niche audiences. Disney, on the other hand, makes additional revenue through using their plethora of licenses to make toys, additions to their theme parks, and other merch. If a parent is offended that a canonically queer character like Loki has romantic love not just for Sylvie but also for Mobius (a same-sex relationship), what are the odds of parents like them not buying Disney's merchandise? We can apply this same question to Star Wars, Pixar, and any of Disney-branded animation or live action movies. How deeply can audience offense potentially cut into Disney's bottom line? If there were no discrimination taking place, we would have LGBTQAI+ representation through a lead character in any one of their licenses already. We do not, and that is a huge red flag.

In addition, these entertainment corporations (who do not tout themselves as "family friendly") generate other sources of revenue elsewhere. Netflix generates international revenue through the production of international programming like "Squid Game" and other K-dramas such as "The Glory" or Mexican shows including, "The Surrogacy" and "Haunted: Latin America". MAX is struggling. They were bought out for that reason. With AppleTV and Hulu, their target audiences are more diverse, they offer a variety of media product, and their business strategy is ultimately different from Disney. All of this grants them more freedom in what kind of characters they choose to represent, including LGBTQAI+ characters.

Remember House and Wilson from House M.D.? That show was on FOX. We know the political alignment of FOX. Dean and Castiel from Supernatural? WB Television. Both shows came out before streaming became dominant, and thus, these shows had to cater to anyone who might happen to land on their channels. When the market demands that you cater to the widest possible audience in order to generate the largest revenue, the creatives are forced to create relatively conservative artistic product. Hence, creative censorship and our long history of queer subtext.

At Nickelodeon, the artists actually had the support of corporate to move forward with Korrasami because the final season Legend of Korra was only available online. It did not air on their channel. If that had not been the case, corporate would not have approved Korrasami. However, that approval was contingent upon the artists being subtle subtle about Korra and Asami's relationship. Even in this canon ship, the animators relied on subtext for queer romance.

Not helping Disney's case is the cancellation of "The Owl House". Why was "The Owl House" canceled? It didn't fit Disney's "brand". [source]

THE FAILURES OF THE "ORIGINAL INTENT" ARGUMENT IN HOLLYWOOD

The "Original Intent" argument fails when it comes to art in Hollywood because:

Original Intent can change, and often does change, during the creative process. This applies to all forms of art, not just Hollywood.

Multiple artists are involved in pre-production, production, and post-production. At any point in this 3-part process of filmmaking, original intent can be changed for a variety of reasons.

Studio Executives, Boards of Directors, and Corporate Shareholders have more power than the artists in Hollywood. If they think a product will not make money, they will order changes accordingly.

Disney specifically touts itself as "family friendly". Its lack of a lead character (in ANY of its live-action licenses) being in an openly queer relationship with someone who presents as the same sex, is the direct result of not wanting to lose conservative audiences.

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) are common in Hollywood and prevent artists from providing specifics regarding original intent. This is done not only to safeguard corporate's intellectual property (IP), but to also safeguard their public relations image.

THE ORIGINAL INTENT ARGUMENT WEAPONIZED

The "original intent" mindset can be either very naive or very cynical, depending on the thinker's motives for choosing this belief. Naive, in that thinking creative purity actually exists (it does not) or that oppression does not still occur in Hollywood (it does). Cynical, in that either the thinker doesn't believe in artists intentionally finding ways around mass produced arts' media censorship, which has in turn created our rich history of queer subtext in film, OR the thinker wants the "original intent" argument to invalidate a change they do not like.

The last motive is the same strategy used by fans who reject Miles Morales as being a real Spider-Man. The same strategy fans use to deny that Shuri is indeed the new Black Panther. Both are tactics used to mask racism and sexism beneath the veneer of "creative purity". Fans who have internalized racism, sexism, or queer-phobia may also use this tactic at a subconscious level to protect themselves emotionally from disappointment. Finally, there are fans who use this argument to invalidate another ship, usually a queer ship that cannot be formally canonized because of corporate studio power.

Regardless of the reasoning, using this argument is frequently insidious because it perpetuates straight white male dominance in media representation.

PERSONAL LIVED EXPERIENCE

I'm an old poc queer and have worked in Hollywood long enough to know that the writers' original vision rarely ever--IF EVER--pans out as originally intended. If you ever sit through a movie and wonder why the story feels so weird in certain parts, I can guarantee you that about 2/5ths of the time, a corporate producer stepped in and messed with the original story in post-production (usually in an poor, over-worked editor's dark editing bay) and ordered reshoots the director may not have agreed with.

I've also worked in the industry long enough to know that it is an absolutely toxic work environment in which women, people of color, and queer people still struggle to get a creative foothold anywhere. My first experience pitching a script to a prospective agent involved being asked to meet at a hotel for drinks. We didn't talk about my writing at all. What I thought would be a pitch meeting was actually the writer's version of the "Hollywood casting couch". Yes, I was propositioned. No, nothing happened to me. I walked out. This happened to me in June 2008. It was not my last experience. The "Me Too" movement that came years later in 2017 was in response to situations I have encountered like this.

Those of us who succeed are very rare, and 97% of the time, the executive staff is very, very white and male. There is absolutely oppression and exploitation of all sorts still happening in Hollywood. I fucking lived it and continue to have nightmares about it.

QUEER SUBTEXT STILL EXISTS

Thus, to deny queer subtext's validity as an art form and to only accept the words of those who are either in power or limited in what they can say because of those in power, undermines not only the artists' efforts to tell the story they want to tell but cannot tell explicitly, it also undermines queer joy and queer resistance in cinema. And yes, sometimes those artists are cis straight white male allies who want to tell these stories because they simply make sense for the characters. These people are the artists, not the financiers.

It's more mature to embrace, or at least leave alone, the loud joy others experience from shipping and performing meta-analysis instead of publicly pissing on them with the profoundly weak and ignorant argument of "original intent". Don't mess with me on this. The number of scripts I have worked on that completely warped from what I wanted, and then to have my writing credit removed or stolen, still makes me sick. Yes, I'm bitter, but I'm also glad I left.

[waitmyturtles]

To my taggers @hughungrybear, @ranchthoughts, @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle, and @telomeke, this one's for you!

GET TO KNOW ME TAG :)

do you make your bed?

Not until I sleep in it!

what's your favorite number?

Feel like I don't want to spill it because I use these numbers in passwords lol

what is your job?

Executive management

if you could go back to school, would you?

Such a good question. I already did it once, mid-life, and it was THE BEST DECISION I EVER MADE, and one of the first decisions I truly made just for myself. Would I go back AGAIN? I would have considered it if I didn't know so many PhDs who are at various levels of happiness with their decisions. So: maybe. What I really look forward to is being retired so that I can take free classes at local colleges and have all the time in the world to read through the syllabi.

can you parallel park?

Fuck yes, who do I fucking look like, someone that can't parallel park? /end-East-Coast-road-rage

a job you had that would surprise people?

Hmmm. I don't think I have one that fits this category!

do you think aliens are real?

I think humanity's definition of "life" is too limiting

can you drive a manual car?

UNFORTUNATELY NOT, and I really wanna learn

what's your guilty pleasure?

Watching dramas, honestly. I shouldn't feel guilty about it, but I'm Asian, so I feel guilty about everything

tattoos?

Love them on other people, never made up my mind on what I wanted to get, and I feel like that ship has sailed for me

favorite color?

My kids ask me this all the time: pine green, rich purple, deep pink, all oranges, aquamarine blue, and black

favorite type of music?

I can't choose one. My playlist is all over the place. Korean hip-hop and New Orleans bounce (THANKS @bengiyo) have been my workout go-tos lately

do you like puzzles?

I will when my kids have more patience to do them

any phobias?

HEIGHTS :(

favorite childhood sport?

Ice hockey

do you talk to yourself?

Absolutely, and I've needed to use meditation to manage the inner monologue over the years

what movies do you adore?

Oh gosh. All I think about lately are Thai BLs, so I think a lot about the impact of The Love of Siam and Dew, two movies that are so tough to digest, but are really well done. I've also had two wonderful Japanese movies on the mind for no reason, Like Father, Like Son: Soshite Chichi ni Naru, and Drive My Car.

coffee or tea?

Both, all the time, often mixed

first thing you wanted to be growing up?

I wanted to be a journalist. I was such a rabid sports that I thought being a journalist would get me the closest to sports that I could go without being an athlete. And I actually got to do sports journalism for a while, and it was fun! (But I quit media, which is a whole other thing, and now I'm much happier)

Who hasn't been tagged? How about the old Only Friends Ephemerality Squad, how y'all doing?! @lurkingshan (I think you already did this Shan) @neuroticbookworm @twig-tea @slayerkitty @thatgirl4815 @distant-screaming @clara-maybe-ontheroad

[silent-sanctum]

Long Nights - 3taro x Reader x 4taro

I'm back and I bring to you a nice, no stands modern au where you can imagine yourself getting nice hot and steamy with two joots~ I'm planning on making this au a series but no promises. For now, enjoy this one~~

word count: 4.8k

It had been a long day.

You toed out of your shoes and left them by the door, and echoing into the vast living room, you called out. “I’m back!” Though you weren’t sure if anyone of the two were back by this time, knowing how it is with the duo, but one replied to your greetings with his own.

“You’re early.”

A wide smile bloomed on your face as he walked out from the corner of the wall, dressed in a comfy home fit consisting of a dark gray shirt and sweatpants. Perched on his nose was a pair of glasses and in his hand was a steaming mug of dark coffee.

You happily stepped into his open arm and gave him a chaste kiss on his lips. “Today’s cases were resolved quicker than those prior, and now I only have one more lucrative task before I’m free to do whatever I want.”

“Sounds like a luxury. Good for you.”

“Says Dr. Head-of-Research on vacation over here.” You poked his chest. “Didn’t you say you settled the projects before our trip here?”

He cocked a brow, a hint of a smile found in the corner of his lips. “I said I got most of the work done, but there are still the remaining bits that I have to polish before submitting them to the executives.”

You puffed your cheeks and walked over to the kitchen island. “You and your work,” you muttered out in a way that was meant to be playful. “Just when I thought you’d finally relax for real, there’s always something that’s still yet to be done.”

That was the lifestyle of your workaholic husband, Jotaro Kujo- one of the best scientists in the field of biological oceanography all while being a PhD-holding professor for the university tied to the organization he worked for.

Poor man wouldn’t be too familiar with what a proper break was, but who were you to say that when you were a busy person yourself being a well-paid investigator for the international police.

“But you’re aware that I managed my schedules better now so it aligns with yours.” He sipped his drink for a second before nudging his mug to the dining table. “Gives me time to better my cooking. Mom’s been relentless with the specifics.”

A delighted sound came out of you at the sight of a steaming bowl of soybean paste stew waiting for its person. “Thank you, love.”

“Still trying to be romantic brother?”

Jotaro’s face immediately soured at the same-sounding voice that just arrived right as you were about to take your second bite. “I don’t see you doing any better, and what did I say about washing yourself up properly before entering? You reek of sweat and dirt.”

“Tch. Showers weren’t working. I’ll wash up here so stop nagging.”

The other person walked into view and your eyes lit up once again, putting down the spoon you had to walk over to him. “Another win I presume?”

He tipped his black hat over his eyes and nodded. “As expected from the love of my life,” you said as you placed a kiss on his cheek despite the grime stuck to some areas on his body. A noticeable red tint grew faintly on his cheek. Jotaro wasn’t too pleased from the scene, eyes narrowed and nose crinkled trying to filter out the odor and focus more on his caffeine.

You got used to the rather crass entrance of Ryutaro- a well-known underground boxer and MMA fighter, Jotaro’s identical twin, and your second husband.

Yes. You’d yet to wrap it around your head that you made the conscious decision of marrying both twins, who besides from sharing the same face and stoic demeanor, were opposite in mindset. One was intellectual and put all his logic into his formal achievements, the other would rather let his fists do the talking and bag him the cash he earned.

The only way you could tell them apart was that Jotaro preferred to keep his hair short and slicked back, while Ryutaro kept his unruly curls as is with a single strand dangling on his forehead. There was also the observation that the older twin was more articulate with his words while the other kept it short and direct.

Through some fateful interventions involving intertwined cases, serendipitous encounters, and shit ton of communication, you fell for them equally and couldn’t just choose one without making the other unequal.

“Bought something on the way back…” Ryutaro held up a plastic bag towards you. Looking inside, you found what you expect to find which were the usual 2 cans of beer, a pack of cigarettes, and-

“Tiramisu?!” You gasped in delight, lifting the transparent dessert box out of the bag. You threw yourself to hug him, careful not to tip the box over. “Thank you! I thought they were sold out this month.”

The fighter tipped his hat to hide his face, but underneath the visor was a subtle smirk gracing his lips. “Some stores may had remaining stocks. Wasn’t too hard to ask.”

Too engrossed with the gifts he offered, you heard someone clear his throat and both of you turned to look at Jotaro deadpanning at the sight of you two. “Need I nag again about how dirty you are?”

“Yeah yeah whatever old man,” Ryutaro waved his hand in dismissal and you stepped back to give way for him.

“I’m 10 minutes older than you.”

“By the way, I haven’t had dinner yet-”

“Make it yourself,” the older twin cut him off the second his gaze landed on the still warm stew waiting on the table. “Time to see if you’ve been paying attention to Mom’s cooking courses.”

The other rolled his eyes and gave him the classic middle-finger love before walking off into the nearby bathroom to shower. “Don’t worry! I’ll finish your treat when I’m done eating!” That finger turned to a thumbs-up the second you spoke.

“Crude little punk…,” Jotaro muttered, taking another sip of his coffee.

“True but when isn’t he?” You said as you turned to your husband, held his cheek, and offered another kiss to lighten his mood. “Speaking off, I’m gonna enjoy what you two gave me and freshen up. How about you wait for me in our room or in your office if you still have work to finish, hm?”

Jotaro smiled and raised his free hand to overlap yours. “Alright.” He stepped back. “I’ll be waiting.” You waved him off and he took it as his cue to leave, hand in pocket and the other still bearing the mug of yet-to-finish caffeine.

Dinner went by as well as you had expected. For someone in his 3rd cooking lesson, the dish itself wasn’t half bad with its chunky consistency and sharp salty umami flavor. Making the dining experience better, the salty savoriness of the on your taste buds were balanced out by the smooth sweetness of the tiramisu treat.

You made quick work washing the dishes before heading to the master bedroom’s lavatory, situated adjacent to the room itself. If your guess would be correct, then you wouldn’t be expecting Ryutaro to be occupying it. Knowing him and the importance of his privacy, he had his own room and bath separate from yours and Jotaro.

Though as you stepped inside the glass walls of your shower, you couldn’t help but think of the times the younger twin had entered the master room’s washroom for the sole purpose of joining you under the steaming spray of water. You shook your head before images of him pressing you against the cool wall and taking you from behind could fill your mind.

He did have petty ways of showing his twin that he also liked being with his wife.

You wrapped yourself with your bathrobe and headed to the bedroom with the intention of opening your laptop and viewing some emails sent by clients and co-workers alike. By this time just as you said an hour ago, Jotaro was in his study doing what he does for the university or facility.

But as you opened the bathroom door to the sleeping space, you found Ryutaro with damp hair and comfy sleep wear lounging on one of the velvet lounge chairs by the corner of the room, reading one of his favorite thriller novels under the warm lighting of the floor lamp beside him.

It wasn’t anything unusual so you merely walked over to your laptop and perched atop the king-sized bed. “I thought you liked reading in the safety of your living quarters?”

He sighed. “It’s one of those ‘too quiet’ days. I’d like some company for tonight for a peace of mind.”

“Even if you just won a fight?”

“You know it doesn’t work like that for me.”

You nodded. Unlike his achieving twin who flew to the States to pursue a professional career, Ryutaro had a rough time during his adolescence, living through a life where he had to defend himself and their sweet and caring mother Holly, from xenophobic bullies and opportunistic gangsters constantly threatening them for their wealth.

It was why he chose to settle with underground fights.

He didn’t like talking much about his past and instead of delving further, you brought your laptop and sat on the lounge chair opposite to him. “Alright. May my presence be of help Mr. Kujo.”

Ryutaro huffed, a tint of pink appearing on his cheek as the corner of his lips tilted up. Just like that, you both returned to your respective activities- you with your work and him with his novel.

The night hadn’t passed by that much when you both finished your respective works. Standing up and setting your laptop aside, you raised both arms and stretched. “I doubt it’s that late but knowing you, I’m guessing it’s time for you to get some shut eye or maybe some late night work-oh!”

Calloused, yet gentle hands circled your waist and you found yourself in one of Ryutaro’s warm embrace. “I miss you…”

You smiled and held his hands from where they were. “It’s just been 3 days.”

“Been too long for it to just be 3 days,” he muttered against your temple. You could only imagine the small pout on his face as he said those words and the ones that followed. “Stupid police cases…”

You cooed. “Work’s work, love but I’m here now. So, while I am present,” you turned to face him wrap your arms around his shoulders. “Might as well make it count. I’m free to do whatever you want.”

He narrowed his eyes and leaned down to press a light kiss on your nose, eliciting a giggle from you. “I want to feel you tonight.”

In return, you clasped your hands behind his neck and stood on your tiptoes to kiss him in the lips. “Alright…” With a feather-light touch, you slowly ran the tip of your fingers down his shoulders to rest them on his chest. “Take what you want.”

...

By the time he sent the last file, the numbers on Jotaro’s digital clock turned 11. He took his glasses off to rub his poor eyes strained by the monitor in front of him. Why’d they request a comprehensive analysis tonight of all days?

There was also the matter of grading his students essays which were halfway done, incomplete only because he had an impromptu meeting he had to attend.

Jotaro sighed, rolling his shoulders to ease his muscles tightened with stress. She was right. I should cut myself some slack… He could always continue with work the next day and the day after that.

Holding onto that voice telling him to stop with his tasks, he got up and switched off his computer and lamp before heading to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. However, just as he was about to push the handle down, a moan muffled by the door caught his attention and prompted Jotaro to pause.

He narrowed his eyes and focused himself to the bedroom door. “Don’t tell me they’re-”

“I-I thought you were just going to- ahn~”

“Hmm… didn’t say I’d stop.”

“Wait what are- O-Oh~”

Jotaro tongued the inside of his cheek, frustrated that his face heated and his sweatpants tightened significantly. That fucker.

Instead of the bathroom, he reached for the master bedroom’s door handle instead and pushed down on it, swinging the door open only to be greeted by a more provocative scene for him to behold.

His younger twin had you in his hold with him forgoing his shirt and you in a bathrobe so loose it was one movement away from exposing you bare. He held you with your back against his chest, one arm holding your leg open while the other wrapped around your side to reach down to touch you there.

You had your head leaning back against his shoulder, eyes shut, panting with breathless whimpers as you humped the hand stroking your wet nub past the robe’s fabric, chasing pleasure.

Watching the scene unfurl before him, Jotaro gritted his teeth. He grew harder in his pants with the sound of your moans grew in pitch as your hips started to move erratically with Ryutaro’s name escaping past your lips.

Speaking of him- “Look’s like we have a guest.” Ryutaro muttered. At those words, you opened your eyes and met them with the older twin’s aquamarine ones, and widened them with realization.

“J-Jotaro, I- your brother- h-he just wanted to-!!” You couldn’t finish your sentence as your mouth gaped with a silent scream, eyes rolling up when the younger twin increased his pace against your folds, causing your body to shake as an orgasm came crashing down.

You slumped back onto the fighter’s chest, breathing heavily once it was over.

All while Jotaro remained standing, frozen, unsure of what to do. Get mad at his twin for being petty again? Leave them be and resume his work? Or-

“Jagiya…” Jotaro stilled at the pet name. You were fine calling by his name or a simple “love” on the daily, but when you referred to him by that name… He swallowed, growing more bothered and annoyingly hard. With hooded eyes and a flushed face, you rose a hand at his direction. “Please.”

And who was he to deny you.

Shrugging off his shirt, he stalked forward in quick strides, only to cup your cheeks and plant a firm kiss on your soft, spit-slicked lips. You moaned as you felt his tongue against yours, your hands carding through his trimmed curls.

Ryutaro scoffed. “I wanted her tonight.” To emphasize that, he brought his hand to fondle your breast.

As you pulled back to whimper from the stimulation, Jotaro used the chance to glare at him. “You fucked her 3 days ago.”

“Yeah? While you’re lucky you get to make-out with our wife nearly every day while I’m-”

“For fuck’s sake, can I have both of you?” You said through your delirious haze, interrupting the twins from their usual squabble. “Talk about leaving a lady hanging…”

They paused and stared at each other, glares never ceasing. “You heard her,” Jotaro started, tucking a loose strand behind your ear. Ryutaro grumbled to himself, kneading your chest firmer at your request. You yelped at the touch.

The older twin tipped your chin to him and with a tiny smile, he said. “Looks like I’m going to be busy tonight.” With that, he leaned forward to kiss you again. You reciprocated immediately, sighing at the feel of his fingers undoing the loose strap of your bathrobe.

The other gave up complaining and heeded your words, leaving the situation as is. Instead of fussing, Ryutaro turned to your ear instead, nibbling the skin there before trailing down to kiss and nip the underside of your jaw down to the column of your neck. There he bit into the skin.

You moaned into the kiss, shivering lightly as Jotaro eased the fabric off your shoulders and tossed it to the pile of clothes beside the bed, leaving you completely bare for your husbands to explore. “Beautiful.” He whispered into your other ear, his breath sending goosebumps down your limbs.

Ryutaro reached for your chin and gently directed you to kiss him, tongues in each other’s mouth, while his brother took the time to leave his hickeys on the other side of your neck. Just then, you jolted as a cold hand returned to cup your pussy, middle finger tracing your clit and dipping lightly into your hole.

“He got you worked up, didn’t he?” Jotaro muttered, proving it was his hand now playing with your nether region. “Hmm… so compliant, love.” You didn’t get the chance to respond as a mix of a yelp and whimper squeaked past your lips as Ryutaro’s hand pinched your nipple the same time his brother slid his finger inside with no problem.

The fighter pulled back from the kiss to watch you pant warm breaths, eyes squeezed shut while your hips jolted with every quick thrust of Jotaro’s finger into you. Seconds later, he’d add another and another until 4 fingers fit into you.

It didn’t help either when every jab managed to hit that sensitive spot in you that made you see stars and speak in pleas. Your hands grabbed onto whatever they could latch on may it be Ryutaro’s bicep or Jotaro’s back. Both never gave you a time to relax, not when you felt their lips, teeth, and tongues kissed every inch of your neck, shoulders, and breasts.

And then, for a brief minute as you neared your peak again, Jotaro slowly withdrew his fingers out of you, sticky with your fluid. You pried your eyes open, confused and frustrated on why he stopped, but you saw the twins exchange a look and Ryutaro chuckled into your ear. “You want us both, yeah?”

You nodded, desperate for release.

He huffed and wrapped an arm around your torso, securing you to him. “Then we’re gonna have to make sure you’re thoroughly prepared.”

You never got the chance to voice out “why” when a shrill yelp came out instead as Jotaro slid his whole hand into you with one slow yet solid thrust. With two to three thrusts of his fist into you, your back arched then, head thrown back as you cried out to the night when you came for the second time, every part of your body trembling from the overstimulation.

You sagged a minute later, body weak and shaking. The scientist cooed and slid his hand out of you with an audible shlick. In a moment of reprieve, you whimpered as they comforted you with soft kisses and nuzzles on your sweaty skin. “You’re doing well for us, love.” Jotaro said before turning your head to kiss you sweetly on the lips. It didn’t last too long when you pulled back seconds later to seek for Ryutaro’s kiss.

Once you came down enough, both twins shrugged off their pants and adjusted themselves into a comfortable position. Still hazy and clouded with pleasure, they guided you to sit on top of Jotaro who lied on the bed while Ryutaro situated himself on his knees behind you.

Admittedly, you couldn’t help but be a bit nervous at the start and who was to blame you when both of them were well-endowed. “Don’t rush.” The scientist said, looking up at you with a firm yet reassuring gaze, his hands holding your waist and his thumbs caressing the skin as you reached behind to guide his cock to your eager hole.

Feeling the tip prod against the entrance, he moved his hands to hold yours. “Breathe with me. Slowly now.” You bit your lip as you sank down his girthy length inch by inch, pausing in-between to give yourself time to adjust. Jotaro didn’t complain and waited patiently, watching your face contort with slight discomfort.

Gradually, you let out a relieved sigh as you managed to sheathe him inside of you completely, his hips meeting with yours. You whimpered and slumped over to bury your face on the crook of the older twin’s neck, feeling full just with him alone.

“You’re doing good,” he muttered, letting go of your hands to smooth themselves over the expanse of your back.

“Fuck, I can’t wait any longer.” Suddenly, you felt another pair of hands grab your hips and felt Ryutaro prod against your stretched hole. “I’m putting it in, alright?”

You could feel Jotaro stare his twin down, signaling him to not do anything rash but you, anxious yet eager to get the deed done already, nodded in acknowledgment. “Safe word?”

“R-Red.”

“Good girl,” Jotaro kissed your temple. “Again. Deep breaths now.”

You braced yourself and whined as the tip prodded against your entrance, trying to worm itself in. But when you felt the younger twin’s finger rubbed furiously against your clit, you cried out as you loosened a bit more, enough for the the second cock to squeeze past your hole.

You let out a broken sob, arching slightly as you felt your walls stretch painfully with Ryutaro gritting his teeth behind you, sliding inside slowly. Beneath you, the scientist had his brows furrowed and his eyes shut from the additional pressure joining his inside of you, while his one hand combed through your hair and the other holding you close to him.

“H-Hurts…”

“Safe word?” This time, Ryutaro said with slight struggle. You wanted this to work so through your tears, you shook your head. “Almost there.”

Every second he slid himself in was something you had yet to get used to, still feeling the burn despite how wet you were for the twins. You had Jotaro hush you throughout it the initial drag, being the one to comfort you while his brother worked his way in.

And then you felt his hip flush against yours and you gasped with relief.

For a minute, no one moved, allowing you to accommodate both their girths in you. Your breaths came out shaky, stuttering a sob here and there, and the two immediately responded to it by planting gentle kisses wherever they can on your body. You felt the skin of your abdomen stretch from their sizes combined.

Jotaro was the twin who preferred to make sure you felt good even if it would take time, the twin who was an expert of making you fall apart with a combination of foreplay, praise, and precisely sharp thrusts, and while Ryutaro would never hurt you in any way shape or form, he’d much rather not waste any time and make you beg for him while he gave you the night of your life with his rougher and messier pace.

And tonight, you get to experience both.

With the discomfort slowly replaced with comfortable pleasure, ready for your lovers work their magic, you whispered out for both of them to hear. “’M ready.” Both twins let out a sound of acknowledgment and felt them shift around to ready themselves.

Their cocks slid out slowly until their tips remained inside, and in a split second with Jotaro’s feet firm on the sheet and Ryutaro’s hip eased back, both twins fucked into you with one solid thrust.

You screamed, the one strong movement enough to send you off the edge with an orgasm enough to knock the air out your lungs, but they didn’t stop. You swore even in the midst of your high, they continued to pound into you with ferocity, grunting from the efforts.

Your body rocked violently from the force of your thrusts and you were left limp, in the mercy of your husbands. You could only let out broken moans and whines as everything turned sensitive- the drag of your nipples against the scientist’s pectorals, the slapping of the fighter’s balls against your clit, the harsh grip of hands all over you.

At some point in-between, another orgasms wracked throughout your body, one so abrupt and strong that you rolled your eyes to the back of your head, sharply arching your back as you convulsed, a jet of clear fluid spurting out to drench the sheets every time they pulled out before thrusting back in. You broke right then and there.

“Fuck.”

“Shit.”

Both twins cursed at the sight of you squirting and of your body quivering, with your tearful glassy eyes, ajar drooling lips, and near rag doll state you were in with how limp your limbs became. You couldn’t do so much but let out weak “ah’s” with every firm fuck.

You lost how much time has passed. It felt like forever but you couldn’t care when you were currently a blank slate, no thoughts but the unadulterated pleasure controlling your brain. Their thrusts turned erratic, with the younger twin pounding even faster than his brother.

“Fuck, I’m close,” Ryutaro grunted, leaning over to press kisses on your back as he neared his release. Surely enough, with three more thrusts, he bit hard onto your shoulder and groaned as he thrusted hard one last time into you, feeling a stream of warm cum flow into your womb. “Fuck, fuck, fuck…”

It hadn’t even occurred to you that you came again in response, body twitching as another spurt of clear fluids sprayed onto the sheets when he slid his spent cock out of your hole, tired.

All that was left was for Jotaro to find his release as well, though he could feel it building in him. He too was near his climax. With his twin finished and off to the side to watch you both fuck, he had you all to himself.

Cursing more to himself with every passing second, he used all his strength to jackhammer into you, his hips bucking upwards with harsh strokes. On him, you lay unresponsive, your weak moans and whimpers being the only thing ensuring him that you were still conscious, though given your condition, it wouldn’t last long.

His pace grew messy and hurried with his cock thoroughly soaked and painted white with his twin’s cum. “I’m close too, love.” He managed to grit out, the edge to his release nearing causing him to grab fistfuls of your hair to tug, pulling your head back to face him.

And seeing you so blown out and flushed prompted him closer to his peak. He brought your lips to his and as if by reflex, you reciprocated with desperation.

With one solid thrust, and another, and another, Jotaro drew back and let out a loud groan as he felt his own orgasm wash over him, sending another wave of cum into your heat. Much like earlier, he held you as you convulsed one more time, bark arching and hips quivering as you squirted another round of clear fluid around his cock and soaking the bed underneath.

And in a moment of stillness, everyone in the room gave themselves time to breathe and relax, coming down from their respective highs, you most especially as Jotaro frequently checked on you, muttering praises and reassurances to bring you down from cloud nine.

Eventually, the older twin managed to bring you back to clarity and eased you onto the space beside him, pulling out with a pop, allowing a slow flow of white thick cum to drip out of your hole. With a tone indicative of authority, he requested Ryutaro to help him bring in a couple of wet towels and some new linens. In the next few minutes, the twins cleaned up the mess in the master bedroom- from your body with careful yet strokes, to replacing the sheets while the fighter had you in his arms, to dumping their dirty clothes into the laundry bin.

Your husbands, once done, closed the lights and settled themselves under the sheets with you in the middle, their arms immediately placed around your waist.

“Oh god, remind me to fill the bathtub with so much fragrance tomorrow morning…” You said, snuggling close to Ryutaro much to Jotaro’s disappointment. “If I’m going to report to work, I’m gonna do so basking in an afterglow smelling of roses- and no bath sex for you. I’m spent enough as is tonight.” The younger twin grumbled in response.

“Hold on. It just occurred to me,” Jotaro said. “We didn’t use protection.”

Silence.

And then you giggled, holding both their hands that rested atop your tummy. “It’s alright. We’ve been planning this for some time now anyways. We’re stable now so I’m ready either way.” Both of them sighed with relief.

“Hoping it’s mine.”

“Oi. You wouldn’t even know who it belongs to. We’re identical twins.”

“… Thought counts.”

“Good grief.”

This time, you gave into your exhaustion and closed your eyes, sighing with all the affection and adoration you had for the two.

[coochiequeens]

June 8 is World Oceans Day

so here are some articles about women I taking care of our oceans

https://today.ucsd.edu/story/scripps-led-fellowship-program-promotes-equal-access-for-students-interested-in-scientific-diving

“In an effort to make the diving community a more inclusive and diverse space, Scripps PhD candidate Erica Ferrer and then-PhD candidate Alyssa Griffin (now Assistant Professor at UC Davis) launched the SCUBA DIVERsity Fellowship Program at Scripps in the fall of 2022. They have worked alongside Scripps Director of Diversity Initiatives Keiara Auzenne and Scripps Dive Safety Officer Christian McDonald to create this fellowship program that provides undergraduate and graduate students with scientific diver training, access to gear, and even swimming proficiency lessons for those who have limited experience in the water.”

[minastras]

prev • masterlist • next

profiles: flat 161

y/n: your typical phd candidate, stressed, underpaid, and overworked. weirdly emotionally attached to marty mcfly, their 22-year-old car. has given up on dating after a string of disastrous online dating experiences.

chaewon: y/n’s long-time best friend who works in human resources. the only reason flat 161 still functions, if only barely. reluctantly made the executive decision to let heeseung and sunghoon move in last year when the rent went up.

heeseung: an old university friend. has a love-hate relationship with y/n. is a “supply chain manager” at an import/export company, which everyone thinks is code for being a weed dealer.

sunghoon: another old university friend and a fresh grad fighting for his life in the job market. currently holds two casual jobs as a barista and an arborist (tree doctor) and is horribly exploited at both.

[annachum]

Some more stuff about the Asterix Hillbilly AU ( which mainly focuses on the Caesaris gens in that AU ) :

. When Caesarion was nearly 3 and about to go to kindergarten, Caesar was stabbed to death by a bunch of his executives AND BRUTUS

. It soon resulted everybody in the Caesaris gens to literally fight over who gets to take chief control of Caesar's landowning enterprise for 2 whole years ( which includes Cleopatra dragging EVERYONE who killed Caesar through the mud in multiple ways, Cleopatra VII managing to get some help from Mark Antony and Lepidus' households, Brutus and Porcia gets thrown to jail, several car crashes ensues, Cleopatra making Servilia go completely destitute and toss her into some asylum in the Carribean )

. Anyway at that point when Caesar died, Octavian was a Harvard business student at those points. But he did help his mom in the whole fiasco of fighting over that landowning business lol

. Meanwhile, Mark Antony and Cleopatra began a years long affair akin to that of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. It was highlighted in the tabloids, they had a messy break up and Mark Antony married Octavia Lidia ( Octavian's 2nd older sister ) on a rebound. Then those 2 soon had a messy divorce and Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII got back together.

. Eventually it soon came to a point where , absolutely enraged at Mark Antony leaving Octavia Lidia, Octavian and Livia Drusilla ( who becomes a business lawyer and originally from London, and is Italian - British ) came to wrestle with Cleopatra VII over the control of that land owning business out of spite.

. On top of that, things are getting heated between Mark Antony and Cleopatra at that point....which eventually resulted in Mark Antony ended up dead in a violent bar fight in San Francisco on a business trip ( much to the dismay of his sibs )

. Realizing things are too dangerous for her kids ( and upon realizing the shocking twist that Mark Antony accidentally let out some of the landowning business secrets to some of Octavian's spies before he died ), Cleopatra and her 4 kids moved out to LA for their safety.

. Anyway, Octavian and Livia became new CEOs of that landowning enterprise. Unlike IRL, Cleopatra luckily DID NOT commit suicide and Caesarion and hisvhalf sibs get to stay with their mother

. Cleopatra never remarried after that - she chose to focus more on her kids ( similar case with Jackie Bouvier after Onassis died )

. Well, things did soon turn out generally hopeful for Caesarion and his siblings. Caesarion got into Stanford, becomes a car racing champion like his father once was, and aspires to found his own vehicle company ( and he eventually did it ).

. Alexander Helios eventually got into diplomacy and later on becomes a member of the US Embassy in Athens International Embassies

. Cleo Selene II got into social journalism and eventually becomes happily married to Juba II ( an oil enterprise heir from Marrakesh, Morocco ), whom she eventually meets in UCLA. They moved to Marrakesh together where they later on inherited that enterprise. And Cleo Selene II soon runs her own ladies' column

. Ptolemy Philadelphus once got contact with a serious fever. Unlike IRL, he did not die at a young age. Rather, he gradually recovers and later on becomes committed to a medical geared path. Eventually becomes a PHD Radiologist who often gives guest lectures to various universities.

. Cleopatra VII was under suicide watch for a whole year after the whole drama which caused Cleopatra and her kids to move to LA. Luckily, she gradually recovers and later on lives a semi retirement life where she continues to be socially active, attending and hosting events and running her cosmetic line and such.

[finniestoncrane]

Hello, if it’s alright I think it’d be interesting to see what the Riddlers would think of a very intelligent villain who fits the stereotype of blonde bimbo (think Elle Woods or Daphne Blake but maybe like an anti-hero or villain?) and how they are as an s/o with them?

Headcanons, please, if you’re fine with it!

Riddlers x Bimbo!Villain

Riddler Headcanons ok daphne blake is too good for them all but red-heads on red-heads? sweet jesus ;-; request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi minors DNI!! 🔞 cw for nsfw stuff

capullo

a doomed relationship from the start. he absolutely will not accept that his partner might be smarter than him, and someone so typically bimbo-fied should really, in his mind, only be used for one thing. mouth closed unless it's open to take his dick. he'd be a terrible s/o. constantly degrading, dismissing, and devaluing their intelligence in favour of taking them out as arm candy only, which would get boring for someone so clever pretty quickly

young justice

at no point would he ever have believed that someone so beautiful could be so intelligent. and that someone so beautiful and intelligent would ever waste their time with him. he would spend every waking minute telling everyone his s/o's various degrees and accomplishments, pimping their academic papers, mentioning them by their titles (phd, dr, msc, mba, whatever the hell else) and then loudly exclaiming "and LOOK at them!"

arkham

the conflicts of looking stereotypically like a bimbo and his own inability to reconcile the fact that looks don't equate to intelligence combined with his egomaniacal insistence that everyone else is stupid would only send his brain into complete meltdown. upon discovering that someone can be earth-shatteringly gorgeous, visually distracting, sweet and fun AND smart might be enough to send him over the edge into insanity

telltale

you know how annie oakley's husband was like also a super cool sharpshooter but he stepped aside to manage her and put her in the spotlight because he loved her (historians don't come at me and ruin the illusion) well you better believe he can set aside his ego to let his precious, gorgeous, highly-skilled at manipulating and playing the 'dumb' card s/o take their place in the spotlight. who knew good looks could come in handy to this extent?

unburied

aw, he thought he was the only pretty one with immense brains. that's ok though, two gorgeous heads are better than one. as an s/o he's constantly in direct but healthy competition with a partner as smart and as cute as him. and any and all bickering usually ends up in a heated make out session, so he's forever trying to outsmart his sweet bimbo partner. a lack of morals and lack of modesty? the perfect partner in crime for him

twojar

aw it's the himbo/bimbo match of the century! a perfect match. he's extra sensitive to the way people might be perceived based on how they look, which means he's also very keen to use both of your natural good looks, charisma and unhinged maniacal tendencies to really get the best over everyone you encounter. initially, he's very hesitant to believe that anyone who looks so cute and bubbly could be so sinister. but hey, pink and green really go together so he can make this work.

dano

their input into schemes is highly valued, and their presence on his stream really bolsters his self-confidence. it's nice to have someone around who is just as evil, but is also a bright ray of optimistic sunshine. his bubblegum princess, his little bunny, his sweet lil barbie doll. more than on a physical level, he is obsessed with the idea that someone like that, bright, colourful and yet still entirely sinister and devoted to his cause, is truly his soulmate

gotham

evil, smart and beautiful? could he really have asked for more? really enjoys using them as a femme fatale, manipulating and sending them in undercover. 100% they're executing crimes in matching outfits, looking like the stars of a film noir, a fashionable bonnie and clyde. and oddly enough, as someone who is obsessed with being the smartest man in gotham, he's so willing to accept that his super hot s/o is far more intelligent than him. the brains and the looks. he's nothing short of worshipping them

[luv-assangiebatch]

Mendax Undercover: Chapter 2 - The 27th Floor

Julian’s arrival at Santé Genomics was fairly uneventful, like many new hires.  He was given an office on the 27th floor with his team of bioinformatic and data scientists who worked to develop pipelines and interpret molecular data from sequenced flowcells which would eventually translate into a final patient report that detailed a wealth of genetic information about their tumor tissues, as well as recommended therapy options when applicable.  The 27th floor was expansive and included several other teams, including curation scientists, QA scientists, a team of medical writers and artists, Quality Management Systems personnel, other executives, and finally Kat’s team of variant scientists.  The variant scientist workspaces were adjacent to the bioinformatics teams, and Kat’s desk was situated not far from Julian’s office, just a few rows across and away.  Her desk was somewhat angled toward his office door to where she could see it, but it was also far enough away to not be in his general path of office travel.  Julian often kept to himself in his office and rarely ventured out to speak to anyone.  If people needed to chat with him, they usually went to his office.  He would sometimes venture out to stretch his legs and stroll around, check out the office café, or grab a cup of coffee.  He was not seen socializing much.

Julian had only been onsite for a few days before Kat finally got a glimpse of him from across the office, and once she did she had to do a double take.  This tall, slender man with his striking platinum locks was definitely a stand out image in an otherwise average office setting.  She blushed and shook her head to herself once she realized she spaced out a bit, and then leaned in to peer over Jun’s cubicle, which was right next to hers.

“Hey, Jun…” she whispered, looking to get her friend’s attention inconspicuously.

Jun looked up from their computer screen and gave Kat their attention.  “What’s up?” they returned.

“Who is that…?” Kat asked, then motioning her gaze toward Julian and his office.  Jun’s eyes followed.

“Um…I think he is a new VP in bioinformatics or something?”  Jun then went to their computer and brought up the organizational chart, looking at the bioinformatics team.  “Ah yes…VP of Therapeutic Bioinformatics.  Cool.  I bet he knows a lot.”

“What’s his name…?”

Jun looked back at the organizational chart.  “Julian Assange, PhD…”

Kat blushed after she briefly eyed his office again.  Handsome and intelligent… she thought to herself.  She often considered these qualities mutually exclusive when it came to men.  It was rare to encounter one who possessed both qualities.  Surely a guy like that is married, and quite out of her league.

“Well Dr. VP Assange is kind of a fox…don’t you think?  Dang…”  Kat quipped with a giggle.

Jun shook their head and shrugged lightly with a half smile.  “Yeah, not bad at all…”

Kat smiled again and retreated back down to her seat, shrugging off the silly conversation.  However, she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of personality went with those looks and that title.  Was he nice and down to earth, like her own VP, or was he an arrogant jerk?

* * *

Weeks passed by and business went on as usual for Kat at Santé Genomics.  Sometimes she would catch a glimpse of Julian from afar, and she would blush a bit and hide her face behind her computer screen while her eyes managed to still peer out for a bit. 

What was it about him that distracted her so? 

Once she became self aware of her pining, she became quite irritated with herself.  She was not usually so easily tilted by some man.  She thought those years were long gone— she could not even remember the last time any man ever caught her attention let alone excited her.  To help distract herself, she took a walk over to the coffee and water station and prepared to make herself a cup of coffee.  Kat typically opted for decaf due to her sensitive nervous system, but it was often difficult to find any decaf pods for the machine as most of the office drank coffee for the caffeine.  Kat just generally loved the taste of strong, dark coffee, but was not a fan of the accompanying anxiety.  While she aimlessly rummaged around the cabinets to look for the decaf coffee, Julian had stopped by to retrieve some coffee himself—the fully caffeinated kind.  He paused and furrowed his brows a bit as he noticed the woman obscuring the path to the coffee machine as she was frantically poking about in the cabinet. 

He bit his lip briefly before letting out a small sigh and muttered, “Excuse me…” as he attempted to step past her.

Upon hearing the smooth, deep voice, Kat jolted and hit her head on the cabinet, which of course made a bit of an obnoxious noise.  To top that off, she had dropped some of the coffee pods she was moving to get to the decaf ones.  She squeaked a bit as she dropped to the ground, not even noticing who was in the small alcove with her.

“Are you alright…?”  she heard the same velvety voice inquire.  He had knelt down to the floor and attempted to help her pick up some of the pods she had dropped.  She looked up and once she saw who was in front of her, her face flushed and her heart began to race.  She then immediately bowed her head in embarrassment.

“Oh my apologies Mister-- I mean Doctor Assange…I-I was just looking for the decaf and I guess I got a bit startled—I didn’t know anyone else had walked in…”  Kat continued to pick up the pods frantically, trying to distract herself from her incredible embarrassment. 

Of all the people on the 27th floor I had to do this in front of him… 

Julian handed her some of the pods he had picked up, and once she accepted them from his hands, she looked back up at him and saw his zircon eyes peering out from the platinum strands draped over the right side of his face.  He sported a slight grin, looking somewhat amused. 

He must think I am ridiculous…

This was the first time she got an up close look at him though, and noticed he was even more handsome than he was from across the room.  His eyes were dark in color, but they sparkled almost mischievously, matching his silly grin.  And that hair— it looked soft and ethereal—almost extraterrestrial—and the errant strands that flopped over the side of his face gave him a mysterious yet endearing look that was imperfectly perfect.

Who IS this man…?

Kat managed to stutter out a “thank you” before she stood up and turned around to put the pods back in the cabinet.  Julian followed, standing behind her.

“Julian…”

She turned to face him again. “What--?”

“You can call me Julian—just Julian…” he stated, wearing another soft grin.

Kat exhaled nervously with a smile. “Ohh, okay… Julian…”

“And you are…?”

“Oh!  My name’s Kat—err Kitty…well, most people call me Kitty…but I go by either—or both…”  She desperately wanted to make herself sound interesting and be memorable to him, however she worried that she just sounded desperate.  She had 0 game.

Julian nodded, still grinning.  His errant strands followed the movement. “Kitty-Kat...”

She almost melted where she stood when he muttered this version of her name.  It made her feel feminine, delicate, and desirable.  And it was his voice that said it.  His voice was just as dreamy as he was.  It was soft, smooth, deep, and had a distinct accent that she could not place.  Perhaps Australian?  Yes, it was Australian.  Salty-caramel Australian with a light lisp.  The lisp was likely a product of his mild overbite, which then contributed to the structure of his pouty lips.  His intoxicating blend of perfect and imperfect contributed to his overall charm.

“Do you mind if I sneak by you to make some coffee now?”  Julian asked.

“Oh!  Yes, please—yes, of course…” Kat blubbered.  She turned back to the cabinet to put the rest of the pods away as Julian stood almost back to back with her as he prepared his coffee.  Kat was thankful she was not facing him because she felt as if her face were on fire.  As the single serve coffee cooked, Julian asked Kat what department she worked in and he was pleased to hear that she was with the variant scientist group, as that team helped out bioinformatics sometimes when troublesome flowcells needed to be analyzed.  Julian learned that she was an American expat and he confirmed that he was in fact, an Australian expat.  Once his coffee finished, he nodded toward her before passing by to retreat back to his office.

“Later, Kitty-Kat…” he said with another silly grin.

She turned toward him as he took a few steps away before he turned back to face her again.

“Good call on the decaf, by the way…” he quipped with a final nod and mischievous smile while raising his cup to her before finally turning back around to make his way back to the office.  He was poking fun at her jumpy nerves.

Kat blushed yet again after he retreated, and she then turned back toward the cabinet and buried her head in it for a moment.  She finally found her decaf coffee.

[alexa-crowe]

Sorry for all the asks lately 😅 but do you have any head cannons about Scully being director of the bureau? Also your gifset is beautiful ❤️

Thank you so much, loaf! To lay the groundwork, Scully being Director of the FBI fits into my AU where there’s no baby at the end of S11, which I illustrate in my fic Crumbs. I reference Scully wanting to go back to medicine but having been suddenly offered a position as the head of the bureau’s Laboratory Division, which she took. (Mulder left and got a PhD in Psychology just to have something to do with his time other than troll around for X-Files between lectures at universities in the area and at the FBI academy, which I reference in my Director ficlet.)

Essentially, through a statistically improbable but not impossible series of events, between taking that position as head of the Lab Division in 2016 and assuming the role of Director in 2023, she rose up the ranks. Head of Lab retired and Scully was a very easily-qualified candidate to push through. Then the Executive Assistant Director of the Science and Technology Department suddenly died, and Scully was pushed through to get the job. It’s not until she got put on the shortlist for Director after the previous one was arrested for a federal offense that she found out Skinner (an Assistant Director like her) and Kersh (Deputy Director, which is the position just below Director) were the ones pushing for her promotions. But still—statistically improbable that a retirement and death and arrest happened at the precise times for Scully to irrefutably have enough experience necessary for each position. Or at least enough not to cast doubt on her abilities.

It’s because she’s trustworthy. She charms people. Sometimes they try to use her or bribe her (politics, after all) but she holds fast, and that’s why Kersh and Skinner pushed so hard for her. All this to say that sometimes Scully’s a little out of her depth and overwhelmed and constantly seems 100% done with her job, but every time Mulder suggests stepping down after the next presidential election, she shuts him down immediately.

She loves getting her hands dirty, although she doesn’t really have time to do autopsies, but she manages to finagle enough time in her schedule to teach a forensic pathology class every few months. All the secretaries love Mulder, of course, because he sends her cheesy letters, especially with pictures of their dog Pequod inside. (Yes. Pequod. The name of the ship in Moby Dick. It was Mulder’s attempt at being funny while sticking to Scully’s dog-naming. Not originally part of the AU but I’m adding it now.)

It was definitely an interesting interaction when she ran into one of the Congressmen who interrogated her while Mulder was trapped in a gulag, though. But they were a representative in the House, and the vote for her was in the Senate, so there wasn’t much he could say.

Mulder takes great pride in making a game out of his Valentine’s day flowers that he sends to her office. He spaces them out throughout the day and sends clues with them to hint at which restaurant he’s taking her to. (Never any fancy ones with reservations required—she’s had to cancel too many times for those, but he always makes it special for the occasion regardless.)

Jackson sends his holiday pictures to her office ever since she told him she framed one for her desk. He sends a copy to the house, too. The first one was just him and his dog dressed up in festive clothes, and Scully still has that one in her office, too. That framed photo of her and Mulder back when they were on the X-Files is also in her office.

She and Mulder text throughout the day to stay in touch, which is especially important due to how often she works late. But she always makes sure to be home around six unless there’s a true emergency.

[calvatier]

Dumb oc stuff/rambling, just wanna put my thoughts down somewhere cus my Google docs are starting to get filled!!!:

I'm at a stage where I'm hovering around a dangerously vague plotline for my OCs so like idk what to draw other than casual interactions ☠️

LIKEE!!! WHAT THE EFF, it went from zombies and death and gross parasites to silly city living. It's kinda weird cus wow super dangerous zombie outbreak happening elsewhere in the world and bro is just chilling in NYC 😭

I still rly wanna explore how Amias tackles normal life while having that dormant parasite in him,,,he got that dawg in him!!Also still like the whole giant net of conspiracy idea, I need to refine it a bit more cus even I don't know what's going on in this conspiracy and more science research stuff,,, and Ordell being sad dropout trying to do the work that others don't want to. also wanna refine the ideas .I also low-key forgot most of the lore I set down early on LMFOAOO.

-BCED ran by Viktor wong and used to cover up his secret research

-viktor Wong also head of PAS-RESEARCH (main antagonist)

- outbreaks happen at research facilities, Viktor sends BCED to clear outbreaks to clean up his own mess. Members of BCED are unaware that he's behind the outbreaks too

-Two diff research is happening, one is advocating for the parasite and is under secret supervision and the other is trying to stop it and is under government supervision. Ordell is part of neither but he has history in researching so he unwarrantedly seeks out his friend who has the resources and uses those to try to figure things out himself

-Amias and Ordell part of BCED, they're unaware that they are being used. However, they take advantage of their jobs and find info when they're sent to abandoned research facilities

-Amias has had a parasite in him since he was a child as a consequence after his mother was punished for leaking information about PAS-RESEARCH, he was experimented on and his mother was executed. Amias escapes and they can't find him even after all those years. He would forget that he has a parasite in him later in his years but it'll "reactivate" when a specific situation happens. Not rly sure about his upbringing and how he managed to survive but I'll think abt that next time

-Ordell joined BCED to earn money and thought he could fight for a cause against the outbreak. Since he dropped out early after not having enough money to continue his pHD studies.

-Amias joined BCED cus he needed that money and no other jobs were accepting him. And maybe cus he has a vague memory of his mother.

[selenocysteine]

ICAP in Tajikistan Helps Catalyze Early Initiation of Lifesaving HIV Treatment for All

For people living with HIV, the chances of developing AIDS or another serious illness is considerably lower the sooner one begins antiretroviral treatment (ART). Additionally, a suppressed viral load helps prevent perinatal transmission of HIV and leads to less likelihood of HIV transmission to sexual partners.

With funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ICAP in Tajikistan collaborated with the Republican AIDS Center and local partners to execute revisions to national guidelines outlining that people living with HIV should be initiated on ART within seven days of diagnosis.

Previously, national guidelines stated that ART prescription for an individual diagnosed with HIV could be anywhere from two to eight weeks. Several obstacles, including stigmatization of an HIV diagnosis and HIV-related health appointments, lack of diagnosis acceptance, and limited guidance for health care professionals prescribing ART, also impeded the process of getting people living with HIV the treatment they needed, and fast. In 2020, there were 9,500 people living with HIV in Tajikistan who knew their status and only 8,000 on ART.

“This new guideline will make a major difference in the health of people living with HIV and those at risk of acquiring the virus,” said Zumrad Maxumova, MD, PhD, ICAP national coordinator in Tajikistan. “Timely initiation of ART is critical to achieving viral suppression and is one of the main factors in ending the HIV epidemic globally.”

Updating national HIV guidelines can mean a small change with a major impact. Institutional and government support behind new HIV health facility procedures not only helps health care providers prioritize how to best address an individual’s health needs but signifies the value of addressing such areas as the HIV epidemic, which globally continues to bear stigmatization.

To ensure streamlined implementation of the new guidelines, every two weeks ICAP and health facility staff used patient data to evaluate the number of days between HIV diagnosis and ART initiation. Cases of delayed ART initiation were analyzed and discussed with facility staff to develop a performance improvement plan. To further motivate prompt initiation on ART for people living with HIV, ICAP in Tajikistan also introduced quarterly performance-based incentives to members of site-level clinical teams, including physicians, nurses, and peer consultants.

“ICAP also proposed to ensure introduction of lifelong ART for everyone, regardless of the number of CD4 [a measure of the strength of your immune system] cells, including children, adults, and pregnant and lactating women living with HIV,” added Maxumova.

From January to May 2022, a total of 296 new cases of HIV infection were detected at 45 PEPFAR-supported sites. Of these, 278 people living with HIV started ART within the newly recommended seven-day period.

As a result of ICAP’s support to help end the HIV epidemic in Tajikistan – including such efforts as development of national guidelines, site-level mentoring of providers to improve HIV testing and treatment, roll-out of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and development of a confidential electronic HIV case management system – ICAP in Tajikistan was recently awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Ministry of Health at the country’s National HIV Forum. Nearly 100 people participated in the forum, including representatives of government agencies of Tajikistan, non-governmental organizations, grantors, and international partners such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNAIDS, and CDC.

“ICAP and its partners have made a great deal of progress in addressing HIV in Tajikistan, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Anna Deryabina, MD, DrPH, MScIH, ICAP regional director in Central Asia. “ICAP in Tajikistan works to address HIV service quality improvement from all levels. This comprehensive approach is essential because it helps address the existing gaps and ensure sustainability of the quality improvement efforts. In the future, we hope to continue building capacity of local clinical teams to provide quality and patient-focused HIV services in order to achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals.”

https://icap.columbia.edu/news-events/icap-in-tajikistan-helps-catalyze-early-initiation-of-lifesaving-hiv-treatment-for-all/

[sciencespies]

How extinct Steller's sea cow shaped kelp forests

https://sciencespies.com/environment/how-extinct-stellers-sea-cow-shaped-kelp-forests/

How extinct Steller's sea cow shaped kelp forests

For millions of years, the Steller’s sea cow, a four-ton marine mammal and relative of the manatee, shaped kelp forests along the Pacific coast of North America by eating massive quantities of kelp fronds from the upper canopies, thus allowing light to spur productivity in the understory. In a paper published today in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, researchers from the California Academy of Sciences — as part of the Academy’s Thriving Californiainitiative — reveal what historical kelp forests may have looked like in the presence of the marine megaherbivore, which went extinct in the 1700s just 27 years after its first encounter with Europeans due to overhunting, and suggest how kelp forest conservation efforts can take its absence into account.

“Kelp forests are highly productive ecosystems. They act as storm buffers, are economically important for fishing, and are home to countless marine organisms, yet they are in steep decline throughout the Pacific,” says study author and Academy Curator of Geology and Invertebrate Zoology Peter Roopnarine, PhD. “When kelp forests were evolving millions of years ago, there were large marine herbivores like the Steller’s sea cow, which are now extinct. So when it comes to what’s driving their widespread decline, there might be a major component we’re missing.”

This tendency to evaluate the state of modern ecosystems based on their recent past is known as shifting baseline syndrome and can obscure how an ecosystem may have existed over much longer periods of time.

“We already see the consequences of this thinking with things like wildfire management,” Roopnarine says. “In the short-term, wildfires have been seen as something to suppress because of the damage they bring to forest ecosystems. But recently we have learned that, in the long run, wildfires are a natural part of those systems that can lead to healthier, more resilient forests.”

A new approach to address shifting baselines

In the paper, the researchers propose — and advocate for — a new way of evaluating the overall health of ecosystems to avoid the pitfalls of shifting baseline syndrome, called the Past-Present-Future (PPF) approach.

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As opposed to evaluating an ecosystem based on its current state, the researchers say the PPF approach, which combines historical lines of evidence from museum specimens and the fossil record with Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge and modern scientific data, can lead to mathematical models that more accurately depict natural systems. Importantly, these models can then be operationalized for more effective conservation.

“Today, we are surrounded by severely degraded ecosystems, places that were far healthier a mere century ago, let alone a millennium or more,” says study author and Academy Executive Director Scott Sampson, PhD. “Growing numbers of these ecosystems are now in danger of collapse, even if we protect them. So if we are to help guide a given place toward a flourishing future, we must understand not only its current state of health, but past states as well, and then apply these insights toward calculated, regenerative interventions. This Past-Present-Future approach to conservation has the potential to be revolutionary.”

Uncovering the “sea cow effect”

To get a better picture of kelp forests of the past — and therefore a better baseline from which to compare against the state they are in today and predict how they might change in the future — the researchers built a mathematical model using historical and modern data to simulate how the ecosystem might respond under different scenarios.

First, the researchers input the effects different players in the ecosystem have on kelp forests, such as predation of kelp by sea urchins or predation of urchins by sea otters. The model was then compared against pre-existing data on kelp forests to ensure it reproduced how the ecosystems function in real life.

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Once the researchers refined the model, they were then able to explore how the Steller’s sea cow impacts kelp forests by adding them to the model and seeing how the ecosystem responded over time.

“One of the more important and surprising findings was that including the Steller’s sea cow resulted in a totally different type of kelp forest,” says study author and postdoctoral researcher at the Academy and the University of Nevada Las Vegas Roxanne Banker, PhD. “Instead of kelp-dominated, which is what we think of with modern forests, the sea cow’s presence and predation of the upper canopy would have resulted in more of a balance between kelp and algae as more sunlight would have reached the sea floor.”

Banker adds that this finding is of particular significance when reflecting on the current state of kelp forests, which are heavily degraded due in part to overpredation from sea urchins. “Algae would provide an additional food source for urchins, potentially reducing their impact on kelp,” she says.

The study also showed that when the sea cow was present, the kelp forests as a whole were often more resilient: Even under adverse conditions, such as ocean warming or disease outbreaks, kelp forests may have been less likely to transition to the barren urchin-dominated state that is often seen today, and when they did they more quickly recovered to a forested state. This effect, which the researchers dubbed the “sea cow effect,” provides actionable insights for current kelp conservation efforts.

“If our model was further validated through experimentation on test plots, it could allow us to build more resilience into kelp forests by modeling the efficacy of different interventions,” Roopnarine says. “Selectively harvesting the upper fronds of the kelp canopy, for instance, to recreate the role that was lost with the Steller’s sea cow.”

#Environment

[winnysunil]

CHANGE YOUR LIFE BY CHANGING YOUR QUESTIONS!

Asking questions are the best way to better communicate and connect with others. Here the discussion is about the importance of asking better questions and how it would help for prolem solving, innovation and better leadership. Questions provide us information and facilitates analysis and diagnostics of a situation. It also helps to propose our own ideas. The Discussion Topic seems to be very useful and thus it grab my attention. Asking better questions can make you a good Leader. If we notice we can see that every leaders are curious at asking questions. Enquiry lead to insight, insight lead to a positive impact. yes! relevant questions create a positive impact and Good questions are Recursive. The content also says that doing a question biography or question burst can help us to learn to ask better questions. The Innovative leaders run towards the challenges not away from the challenges. Questions helps to solve the problems easily. Questioning, Observing, Navigating, Experimenting are the skills required for a disruptive innovator.

GUEST: HAL GREGERSEN

Hal Gregerson is a superior lecturer in leadership and innovation at MIT's Sloan school of Management, senior fellow at innosight, co-founder of the innovator's DNA Consulting group, and former executive director of MIT's Leadership Center

He was born on 1958. His mother was a teacher and father was a pile driver. He was very interested in photography. Between 1976 - 1981 he finished up a BA with an internship in the U.S Senate. Professor Joseph Bentley's wit and leadership wisdom pivoted his path sharply away from photography. Professor Bonner Ritchie warped the cartography of his mind during a master's program in organizational change, as did books by Chaim potok and Herbert Simon. Between 1983-1989 he completed his phD on conflicting loyalities and he discovered Mary parker Foller whose ideas continue to frame how he see the world. Between 1991 -1992 he taught his first course on leading change to MBAs and launched a ten year research project on navigating transitions with colleague and friend, Stewart Black. He also got a chance to teach masters students about identity and inquiry. Mary Catherine Bateson and parker Palmer's ideas influenced his work a lot.

He has committed his extensive career, including preceding teaching posts at INSEAD, London Business school, and Dartmouth's Truck school of business, to develop cultures of fearless inquiry and to help leaders transform their organisations into innovative powerhouses. He was Ranked as one of the world's 20 most influential management thinkers by Thinker50, and won 2017 Distinguished Achievement Award for leadership. He frequently delivers inspirational keynote speeches, interactive and personalized workshops and transformational advisory experiences.

In his award winning book "Questions Are the Answer: A Breakthrough approach to your most vexing problem at work and in life" he mentioned that the real catalyst for innovative, disruptive change is catalytic questions. He also co-authored with Clayton Christensen and Jeff Dyer, "The innovator's DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators". The book got translated to 14 other languages. Gregerson has lived and worked outside the U.S for over 10 years- in England, Finland, France and the UAE.

References:

https://halgregersen.com/

https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/hal-gregersen

https://thinkers50.com/biographies/hal-gregersen/